2.29 miles - 28:04 minutes
Average pace: 12:15 min/mile

One More Holiday Run

2.54 miles - 33:40 minutes
Average pace: 13:15 min/mile

Arg! Still slow. I want to stay under 13:00 min/mile.

A Holiday Run

2.06 miles - 27:03 minutes
Average pace: 13:08 min/mile

At my annual check-up last week, I told the doctor that I exercise 2 to 3 times a week, but for the past couple of weeks, I've only been running once a week. I guess I can justify this by saying I'm on my "holiday schedule." That's not slacking off too much, right? =\ Besides, I spent 4 hours at the mall yesterday for Day-After-Christmas Shopping & Returns, which is always complete madness, but it's a great way to fit in some cardio - nonstop walking, dodging other shoppers and baby strollers, and periodic squatting to view merchandise on any low shelves or maybe pull on the occasional pair of pants on sale. Anyway, I guess I won't spend too much time going over details of the Chinese buffet I indulged in afterwards. oops. haha

Well, on a more positive note, even though I've been running less frequently (and at not-so-great times), it's nice to know that I can now run the "Wilson," which is the block surrounding both Wilson Middle School and Shepard Elementary School, without stopping. Back in my grade school days, when we had to run that distance for P.E., I could never do it without stopping. My sides always cramped up, and I always had to take a break. Pretty pathetic, I know. But, now I'm pleased to announce that I am no longer pathetic! haha =)

Happy Holidays!

Running for better skin!

2.22 miles - 28:13 minutes
Average pace: 12:43 min/mile

Running first thing in the morning of a freezing winter day helps my skin because when I come back to shower, I am less inclined to use scalding hot water. Hot showers feel nice, but they're merciless on your skin.

Hooked!

My first trip snowboarding was so incredibly fun. I can't wait to go again, and I'm surprised that my friends who HAVE gone snowboarding before aren't raving about it as much as I am! What the deal, man? Am I just crazy?? Am I crazy to add another snowboarding trip to my list of 2008 New Year's Resolutions??? Well, I'm hooked - the end.

Anyway, my old high school & college buddies and I decided to take a trip to Lake Tahoe. The scenery was breathtaking. Snow-capped mountains surrounding a serene lake... Yeah, we don't see much of that in Texas. These pictures don't do much justice, but here's an idea of what we saw from the ski lifts:



The first day was pretty much a waste for me. I missed the morning class I had been planning to take (since I had never snowboarded in my life), so I had to wait for the afternoon session. In the mean time, Phong had the excellent idea of throwing me down a green slope before I had a chance to learn anything at all (thanks, buddy). I had literally just strapped on my snowboard, wobbled straight over to the ski lift, got on it, and then as I skated off the lift, my snowboard slid up right under me, and I fell backwards, head-first. Here's the death-defying ski lift:


It was really embarrassing when the ski lift attendee had to stop what he was doing to help me up. Anyway, I was knocked down so hard that my goggles fell off, which became a problem because the next thing I knew, I had somehow managed to get myself stuck in front of a big snow machine. It blew snow everywhere - in my goggles, in my hair, inside my coat.... And to make matters worse, I didn't even know how to perform basic actions like keeping my board stationary or getting up from a fall. I was stuck in front of this horrible snow machine which kept blowing snow all over me. I couldn't see anything but snow, and I kept falling down in the very same location. If Purgatory had a winter season, this would be it. I didn't want to hold my friends back, and Phong was trying his very best to help me, but sometimes it's just best to perish in style. So, I asked him to just leave me, and let me tumble down with the last bit of dignity I had left. I made it down that GREEN (the easiest!) slope in... oh... a couple of hours.

When I finally got down it, I had to rest. I found Julia at the bottom of the slope, and we just kept practicing there for the next hour or so. We would run as high as we could up the slope, strap on our boards, then away we'd go. Good times =) .... Then, I scarfed down a granola bar, and headed over to my class. Unfortunately, by that time, I was so exhausted that I could hardly do any of the exercises our teacher was teaching us to do. Very discouraging, that first day. But here's a fun memory - Julia and I discovered our snowboards made great sleds:


My second day was like my real first day. Ivy came from San Francisco the second day, and since she had never snowboarded before, Julia and I spent the first hour or so to help her get acquainted with her board on the bunny slope. Here's a view of the bunny slope:


You'll have to turn your head a bit to see that the bunny slope was pretty flat, but it was definitely a good starting point. Ivy picked everything up very quickly. Unlike Julia and me, she still had a high level of confidence and energy to jump on the ski lift immediately and face that deadly green slope that I tried yesterday. Recalling my experience on the first day, my mind kept screaming, "Noooooooooo!!!" but my actions said, "Ok, fine." The second time was a little better. I was still struggling, and I was scared, but I was a little better. This time, instead of getting stuck in one place all the time, I was now moving on to real problems, like how to maneuver turns, how to avoid traffic (it was a very narrow slope, so it was easy to get into someone's way), and how to get up and stay stationary on an incline without falling. Even though I was doing better than the first day, I was still haunted by my first day's experience because my sore muscles kept reminding me - my butt hurt, my arms hurt, and even the muscles in my neck hurt, which I think was caused by the way I kept pulling myself up every time I fell.

On the third and final day, I finally got it! I could plow down steep slopes (plowing is snowboarding perpendicular to the slope to better control your speed). I could "leaf" from side to side down the slope. Plus, I was finally able to get off the ski lift without falling! It was HUGE improvement. I still need to work on my "S's," or rather the right way to snowboard, where you go one direction while facing down the mountain, and then you curve your course to go the opposite direction, this time facing up the mountain, hence traveling in an "S" shape. I still fell every now and then, but now I could actually stay up on my snowboard and really enjoy it. Yay! Here are Ivy and me jumping for joy:


Here are Julia and me making snow angels:


One major difference between the first two days and the last day is that we went on a different green slope on the last day. I didn't get a chance to go back on the first green slope to truly prove that it didn't get the best of me. I'm saving that for next time. Until we meet again, First Scary Green Slope, until we meet again.....

Here's the group I went with. From left to right: Phuong, Jevon, Julia, Vince, David, Phong, Me, Ivy. (Diana came with us, but isn't in the picture)


Alright, so here's my revised 2008 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Run a 10K Race
2. Run a 5K Race every 3 months
   
3. Read all the Harry Potter Books
4. Go snowboarding again <-- New

Wellstone's Dallas White Rock Marathon Relay

I ran my first 5-person relay yesterday, where every member of the team ran one section of a full marathon (total distance of 26.2 miles). First, let me begin by saying that it was a very cold, windy, and drizzly day. It was so cold that my face froze to the point where I couldn't move my face to form words. But, despite the ridiculously evil weather, overall I had a really good time. I came to do what I sought out to do, and I finished! Plus, I got to cheer friends on, who then also cheered me on. It was a good feeling knowing that we were all in this together.... There was my team, Team Awesome... Our "sister team," Supreme Team 3-Beam Bucks... and Thang's team, whatever his team's name was =) ... And somewhere out there was our buddy D.Lam running his second full marathon. There was definitely a lot of team spirit in the air. And also, kudos to our "Team Manager" Newton for coordinating everything for our team, including registering our team before the the event sold out, and also synchronizing our rides so that we arrived to our exchange points on time.

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, it was a loooooooooong day! Here's the play-by-play:

6:20 AM - Wake up
6:45 AM - Meet team
7:20 AM - Take first runner to starting point
8:00 AM - Race begins
9:40ish - Exchange 1st and 2nd runners
10:10ish - Exchange 2nd and 3rd runners (MY EXCHANGE)... Walk one mile to switch point, then run 5+ miles.
11:30ish - Exchange 3rd and 4th runners
11:35ish - Try to find mom
12:25ish - Exchange 4th and 5th runners
1:30ish - Go to finish line. Run across finish line with Julie, as if we ran the full marathon =)
1:40ish - Standard 20-minute loitering
2:00ish - Get free food and drink in the American Airlines Center
2:30 PM - Pass out on Newton's couch
4:40 PM - Wake up and shower
5:30 PM - Sushi Buffet at Tokyo One
8:00 PM - Get gas and coffee, and head back to Austin
11:30 PM - Arrive Austin
11:53 PM - Blog =)
11:56 PM - Send in my weekly status report for work
12:01 AM - SLEEP!!!

Here I am finishing my leg...

And here's the exchange!! Go Janice, go! (I look so frail, like a raggedy doll.)

There were a few hiccups which I think could have been avoided had the event been organized better. The most frustrating part was not being able to find my mom at the finish of my leg, which really upset me because she had been standing in the face-freezing cold by herself, at the WRONG mile marker. Who knew there was a 15-mile marker for full marathon runners and a completely different 15-mile marker for relay runners? They really should have at least labeled things better! I was so upset about not being able to find her to make sure she was able to get to her car (or anywhere with heat) safely. Fortunately, she was able to wave down a race official in a golf cart to take her to her car, which was two miles away. =( ... Well, problem solved, although it could have been easily avoided, and I felt really bad I didn't at least get to see her... =(

The other little headaches were relatively minor. First, the maps we were provided with didn't specify where the road blockades were going to be, so the closest I could be dropped off from my exchange point was a mile away. Maybe the event organizers didn't share this information on purpose so that everyone would use the buses, but where is the team spirit in that if everyone waited separately on buses in the cold?! =\ Secondly, my leg also turned out to be longer than 5 miles because the relay exchange points weren't placed exactly 5 miles apart. My team mates estimated my leg to be anywhere between 5.75 to 6 miles, but it would have been good to know the exact distance. I didn't mind running the extra distance, but what was frustrating to me was not knowing exactly how long my run was so that I could determine how to pace myself and also how to calculate my average pace. It's a little disappointing to train for a run and not have the information to figure out how well you did. But to share some numbers, I ran the 3rd leg in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 20 seconds. If the leg was 5.75 miles, then my average pace was 13:37 min/mile. If the leg was 6 miles, then my average pace was 13:03 min/mile. This is around the pace I expected to average out at, so I was happy... MUCH happier than I was when I originally thought my pace was 15:40 min/mile, based on a 5-mile leg!! ......... So, in summary, I had to walk a mile to my exchange point, and then run 5+ miles!! Crazy! Well, I'm glad I did it. Piece of cake, man!!! hahaha Sure, I say this now when it's all over =)

Another strange thing about the event was the location of the "post-race party," where free food and drinks were provided for all of the runners. It was located in the downstairs pit of the American Airlines Convention Center. For novice runners like me who only ran 5-6 miles, it wasn't a big deal to walk up and down the stairs; but for marathon runners like David, this is a painful (and pretty cruel) location for runners to walk to and from. ... It was as if the organizers of this event hadn't ever participated in a race before... Strange.

Oh well, little minor annoyances, but like I said, overall I had a really good time! After everyone finished, we all went home to shower and rest. (I took a nice 2-hour nap.) And then, we all went to eat sushi buffet at Tokyo One. At 8:00 PM that night, I started my exhausting 3-hour drive home.

So, what's next? Snowboarding in Lake Tahoe this weekend!! Then once the new year begins, we'll talk about future runs. I see a 10K and/or a Half-Marathon Relay up ahead in Spring of 2008.

Stay tuned!

I did it!

I did it! I came, I ran, I conquered. Then, I took a nap, ate sushi buffet, and then drove the three grueling hours back home. What a long day... Austin, home sweet home.

More details later...

Eeek!!!

I should be sleeping, but the White Rock Relay is tomorrow!!!!! The marathon, half-marathon, and relay are all sold out. This is going to be a fun and happening event! (.. not to mention a cold and wet one, per the current weather forecast... I was not prepared for rain and was stressing out on where to find dry-fit clothing at the last minute..)

Ahh!! Nervous! Can't sleep... Oh, but I must!!!!

Good night!!

My Stop Watch, My Trusty Friend

This morning, I wore my stop watch and ran 2.26 miles in 26:39 minutes, which averages out to 11:48 min/mile!!!! Well, I kind of expected (well, actually hoped) that my time would improve from Tuesday's run because I only ran 2 miles today. But, this is still good because now I feel more comfortable about being able to maintain an average pace of at least 14:50 min/mile for the relay (that's the relay's requirement, for safety reasons). I was getting a little nervous about my actual pace for my 5-mile leg. My longest run so far has been 4.5 miles, and that took me 63 minutes to finish (14 min/mile =\), but I think if I wear my stop watch to pace myself better, and drink plenty of water and load up on carbs the night before, I think I'll be okay. Plus, I think I'll be running on a good dose of adrenaline during the relay.

So, my stop watch helped. I'm pleasantly surprised because I thought it would be a huge distraction, in the same way that treadmills distract me ("ugh, one MORE quarter-mile.. ten MORE minutes of this agony... ").. I guess what I really hate about treadmills is that they're boring and are usually placed in environments that aren't very stimulating. I just feel like a hamster on a wheel. ... So, back to what I was saying - my stop watched helped, so I'll wear that at the relay. One note though - I think I need to remember to take it easy and remember to breathe properly. When I'm aware of the time ticking, I can easily push myself too hard and overdo it. This morning, I felt my sides almost cramping up, which is something I definitely don't want happening this weekend.

Alright. I'm ready! =)

P.S. We won the hallway decorating contest!!!

So tired...

Usually on Wednesday evenings, I try to make it out to Gold's Gym to take their Body Pump class. It's a full-body weight training class - with music. It's a really fun way to get toned, but today I'm way too tired. I would normally tell myself to "man up," but today's been a physically strenuous day at work. Plus, I really don't want to accidentally overdo something and be too sore to run this week. I just have one run left (2 miles tomorrow morning) before the White Rock relay on Sunday.

Work today was interesting. Every year, my co-workers on my hallway engage in a friendly "competition" of holiday decorating with the other hallways in our building. And today was that time of year again. Our theme this year is "The Twelve Days of Winter" - We can't have any religious references at work, so we're censoring "Christmas." (ha, what a strange thought.) We have 12 offices on our hallway, and each office door has a verse... I got the "Three French Hens," so naturally I decorated my door with three brown hens in matching red berets standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, all crafted with construction paper, courtesy of Pflugerville ISD, thanks to my teacher-sister. =) Anyway, I didn't think this whole theme would be so much work, but we had to put up about a hundred little music notes and arrange them to match the sheet music (I have very ambitious co-workers), in addition to wrapping all 12 doors in butcher paper and hanging garland and ornaments from the ceiling. It turned out well, but I'm completely drained now. It really took all day to do this - although, I did find a way to fit in some real work in. Ah, the art of multi-tasking! I literally cut out music notes and treble clefs while on conference calls all morning, and then again in the afternoon while waiting for automated jobs to finish. But now, I think I'm ready to zone out in front of the TV. Oooh, my favorite show, Dirty Sexy Money, is on tonight!

Tuesday Morning Run

This morning, I ran 3.02 miles in 36:29 minutes, averaging a pace of 12:05 min/mile.

Remember how I said I run an average pace of 13:45 min/mile? Well, yeah, weird!! I thought I ran at that pace... but I think wearing a stop watch during my run this time might have helped. I noticed that I picked up the pace whenever I glanced at my watch and saw how much time had passed, especially in the last stretch when I sprinted (uphill!) to try to finish my run in less than 40 minutes. I guess I'll keep on wearing the stop watch and see what happens. I hope this improvement isn't a fluke!!!

While I was running today, I was thinking about how I really enjoy running in the mornings. Considering how I'm not a morning person at all, I thought I'd hate morning runs, but I actually prefer it now. I think it's because it forces me to put in some "me time" first before I do anything else for the day. Then, when I go off to work, my job becomes a little easier to deal with because I know it's not consuming all of my life anymore. Weird how things work out that way. Good exercise and no dragging feet to work. This is a really nice combination to have in my life right now. =)

Welcome Me!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am far from possessing any athletic finesse, high physical endurance, or even decent hand-eye coordination. However, since July 30th of this year, I've been sticking to a regular running training program (ahem, for novices, thank you), and since then I've completed my first 5K in November, and am now training for a relay in December where I'll be running a 5-mile leg. (... and it's THIS weekend!!) ... These are baby steps for some, but huge gimongous leaps for a weakling and physically awkward person like me.

I've noticed that while I run, at the average lightening speed of 13:45 min:sec/mile, I find myself drifting off to a daze (hence the name of this blog) on all sorts of random things, whether it be on why the heck I'm even running in the first place... or what I need to get done at work today... or even how I'm going to manage to look sweet and delicate in a (very cute, but not sure how it's going to look on me) baby doll-style bridesmaid dress for a wedding in September. So, I've created this blog not only to track my progress and thoughts on running, but also to write down any thoughts that come up during or in between my runs. Hopefully, I'll continue running for a long time, but if not, I hope to at the very least come across (or, "run across" hardy har har..) some interesting things worth jotting down for myself.

Wish me luck! =)