Since I'm turning 23 today, I decided to share 23 somewhat interesting things about my current self...
1. This is the first year that I actually made a birthday wish list.
2. I can't watch scary movies or shows. I love the plots of thrillers, but I'll have nightmares for weeks. I love Criminal Minds and Law and Order: SVU, but even those shows give me nightmares.
3. I got a toe ring for my birthday last year, and I haven't taken it off since.
4. I've only been camping in a tent once. I'll be going for a second time at the end of August though!
5. I love doing the laundry. I love separating clothes into piles, loading them into the washing machine and dryer, and putting them away. I just love washing clothes. I had a front loading washing machine for a year in college and I loved sitting in front of it, watching the colorful clothes spin. Seriously.
6. I like to quote "Mean Girls", even though it annoys people. I can't help it sometimes.
7. I'm afraid of almost all animals.
8. Someday I want to be able to do handstand pushups.
9. When I find a shirt that I really love, I want to buy it in every color.
10. I'm allergic to almost every tree, grass, and cats. I'm also allergic to soy, wheat, corn, and most nuts, according to a blood test. I tried eliminating those foods from my vegan diet and I felt like I was going to die after a week, so I still eat all of those foods. I carry an EpiPen around, just in case.
11. My favorite salad dressing is Annie's Goddess Dressing. So good!!
12. I have a callous on my middle finger of my right hand from writing too much in school.
13. I like the volume on my car radio to be on an even number.
14. I recently heard that there's a gene that causes people to have dry earwax, if they are recessive for this trait. Recessive people also don't have bad body odor. Guess what? I have dry earwax. I don't smell bad. Very cool! Don't believe me? Look!
15. I'm currently eating bananadoodle cookies.
16. I get to buy new running shoes once I've put 400 miles on my current ones. Only 170 more miles!
17. I'm pretty sure I have flat feet.
18. All my cousins on my mom's side are boys; all my cousins on my dad's side are girls.
19. I broke my toe jumping off a moving jet ski.
20. I used to hate hummus. Now, I can't eat a sandwich without it.
21. I have two blue colored moles. I'm an alien.
22. I love potatoes. French fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, tater tots, hash browns, potato chips...you name it, I love it.
23. I played basketball for an Asian league when I was 15. I had never played before but I was the starting center and leading rebounder because I was the tallest one on the team. I'm 5'4''.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Davis Moo-nlight
On Saturday Lauren and I ran the Davis Moo-nlight half marathon with her mom, Leti. This was hardly planned. Lauren had been talking about how she wanted to run this race for several months, but I kept telling her that I didn't think we were ready for another one yet. I didn't want to run an evening half marathon in the middle of summer. Unsurprisingly, Lauren won that battle and we signed up for the half marathon less than a week before race day. I didn't feel physically or mentally prepared for this one.
We actually ran this same race last year; it was my first half marathon. Ever. I had the worst experience last year. I didn't train at all for the 13.1 miles, and ended up having to walk a lot of the race because my knees were killing me. Since I was one of the last runners throughout the course, many of the aid stations ran out of Gatorade and I was running in complete darkness the majority of the night. To make matters worse, all of the post-race booths had packed up by the time I finished so I didn't get to even bask in the glory of all the complimentary snacks. I did however get a really cool glow-in-the-dark medal though!
This year was a little better. The half marathon was split into two waves, with the slower runners starting first. Based on my fastest half marathon time, I could have run in the latter wave, but I chose to run in the first wave so that I would finish earlier in the night. That was the best decision of the night. I was able to get Gatorade at all of the aid stations this year and was able to enjoy the post-race booths. It also greatly helped that I carried a water bottle with me. Some of the aid stations even filled it up when I got low on water :) I tried Honey Stinger Chews for the first time, about two chews every two miles, and while they tasted really good, I don't think they helped my endurance and stamina that much. I also ended up taking a vanilla PowerBar PowerGel around mile 10. I now know that vanilla is my least favorite flavor. It tastes like yogurt which many people may like, but not me. I do really like the consistency of the PowerBar PowerGels much better than Gu though.
Even though Lauren and I were able to run the majority of our previous half marathons, we ended up walking about 3 miles this race. I think it was the heat at the beginning that killed us. That, and the fact that we ran 6 additional miles that morning. Oh well.
We actually ran this same race last year; it was my first half marathon. Ever. I had the worst experience last year. I didn't train at all for the 13.1 miles, and ended up having to walk a lot of the race because my knees were killing me. Since I was one of the last runners throughout the course, many of the aid stations ran out of Gatorade and I was running in complete darkness the majority of the night. To make matters worse, all of the post-race booths had packed up by the time I finished so I didn't get to even bask in the glory of all the complimentary snacks. I did however get a really cool glow-in-the-dark medal though!
Last year: Pre-race
This year was a little better. The half marathon was split into two waves, with the slower runners starting first. Based on my fastest half marathon time, I could have run in the latter wave, but I chose to run in the first wave so that I would finish earlier in the night. That was the best decision of the night. I was able to get Gatorade at all of the aid stations this year and was able to enjoy the post-race booths. It also greatly helped that I carried a water bottle with me. Some of the aid stations even filled it up when I got low on water :) I tried Honey Stinger Chews for the first time, about two chews every two miles, and while they tasted really good, I don't think they helped my endurance and stamina that much. I also ended up taking a vanilla PowerBar PowerGel around mile 10. I now know that vanilla is my least favorite flavor. It tastes like yogurt which many people may like, but not me. I do really like the consistency of the PowerBar PowerGels much better than Gu though.
Even though Lauren and I were able to run the majority of our previous half marathons, we ended up walking about 3 miles this race. I think it was the heat at the beginning that killed us. That, and the fact that we ran 6 additional miles that morning. Oh well.
This year: Pre-race
This year: Post-race
Saturday, July 13, 2013
My Graduation Dress
Last year, I took a sewing class called "Costume Construction" during my final quarter of college. The majority of the class had never threaded a needle before, let alone use a sewing machine, so there was a wide range of skill. For our final projects, we were let loose and given the freedom to select any pattern to make for ourselves with fabric of our choice. Since graduation was approaching, I wanted to sew myself a graduation dress.
I took to the internet to find a pattern I wanted to use; something I hadn't done before. I stumbled upon Grainline and browsed through her pattern shop. The moment I saw the Kat Strapless Dress, I knew that was the dress I wanted to make.
I ended up purchasing three patterns: the dress, the Scout Woven Tee, and the Tiny Pocket Tank.
Lauren and I spent an entire day fabric shopping in San Francisco. I had the idea embedded in my mind that Iwanted needed a floral rayon for the main fabric of the dress. I finally found what I had been searching for at our last stop. I spent forever trying to pick the perfect colors of solids that would go well with the floral print. Luckily our classroom had a large supply of boning, so all I needed to get after I selected my fabric was interfacing, which wasn't so hard to pick out.
The class met for one hour, three times a week, but I also spent a lot of time out of class working on my dress. All in all, my dress took me about 40 hours to complete, including the printing/taping/cutting of the pattern. I know that seems like a lot of time, but it was the first garment I sewed for myself from a pattern.
The pattern was pretty easy to follow, although I am thankful I had lots of help from my professor with the boning in the bodice and inserting the zipper. It turns out using boning isn't hard at all, but it does look pretty scary if you've never attempted it before.
I love my finished dress, but I wish I made a smaller size. Throughout the graduation ceremony, I was constantly readjusting because my dress kept falling down...yikes! Needless to say, I haven't worn the dress again, but once I work up enough courage to take out the zipper and reinsert it, I'm going to take in my dress so that I'll be able to wear it much more.
I took to the internet to find a pattern I wanted to use; something I hadn't done before. I stumbled upon Grainline and browsed through her pattern shop. The moment I saw the Kat Strapless Dress, I knew that was the dress I wanted to make.
I ended up purchasing three patterns: the dress, the Scout Woven Tee, and the Tiny Pocket Tank.
Lauren and I spent an entire day fabric shopping in San Francisco. I had the idea embedded in my mind that I
The class met for one hour, three times a week, but I also spent a lot of time out of class working on my dress. All in all, my dress took me about 40 hours to complete, including the printing/taping/cutting of the pattern. I know that seems like a lot of time, but it was the first garment I sewed for myself from a pattern.
The pattern was pretty easy to follow, although I am thankful I had lots of help from my professor with the boning in the bodice and inserting the zipper. It turns out using boning isn't hard at all, but it does look pretty scary if you've never attempted it before.
I love my finished dress, but I wish I made a smaller size. Throughout the graduation ceremony, I was constantly readjusting because my dress kept falling down...yikes! Needless to say, I haven't worn the dress again, but once I work up enough courage to take out the zipper and reinsert it, I'm going to take in my dress so that I'll be able to wear it much more.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
I did it...
I registered to run the California International Marathon in December. I'm crazy, I know.
At least I have 5 months to train for the race. I started Sacfit with the hope of maybe running more than a half marathon. So I bit the bullet and took the first step.
Sacfit started in early June with a short pace run, so that we could get placed in groups based on our physical fitness level. Our heart rates following our run were factored into our average split times. I'm not a fast runner and it doesn't help that I'm out of shape, so I was placed into a slower pace group. The following week I went out and ran with that group, but I didn't feel like I put any effort into that run. It felt more like a casual fast walk than a workout to me. I talked with the coaches afterward, and together we decided that I should run with a slightly faster group next time. So I'll see how the new pace group goes on Saturday.
On Tuesday we ran stairs and two days later, my calves are still burning. I. Hate. Stairs.
While I'm excited to complete 26.2 miles, I'm also really nervous. I've already told a lot of people that I'm training for a marathon, and so now I have to prove to myself and everyone else that I really can do it. There's no turning back now.
At least I have 5 months to train for the race. I started Sacfit with the hope of maybe running more than a half marathon. So I bit the bullet and took the first step.
Sacfit started in early June with a short pace run, so that we could get placed in groups based on our physical fitness level. Our heart rates following our run were factored into our average split times. I'm not a fast runner and it doesn't help that I'm out of shape, so I was placed into a slower pace group. The following week I went out and ran with that group, but I didn't feel like I put any effort into that run. It felt more like a casual fast walk than a workout to me. I talked with the coaches afterward, and together we decided that I should run with a slightly faster group next time. So I'll see how the new pace group goes on Saturday.
On Tuesday we ran stairs and two days later, my calves are still burning. I. Hate. Stairs.
While I'm excited to complete 26.2 miles, I'm also really nervous. I've already told a lot of people that I'm training for a marathon, and so now I have to prove to myself and everyone else that I really can do it. There's no turning back now.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Graduation Season
Congratulations to my brother Frank for graduating from high school and my sister Marissa for graduating from college! Wahoo!
Two of my siblings graduated last weekend...yes, on the same day. Frank's graduation was in Sacramento and Marissa's was in Moraga, and both of the ceremonies were in the morning. Unfortunately, because it's a one and a half hour drive between the two locations, I wasn't able to attend both. I ended up going to Marissa's graduation with my mom, Lauren, several aunts and uncles, and cousins.
The graduation ceremony was okay. I mean, it's a three hour presentation...how good can it be? I didn't even like my graduation ceremony. I will admit, the weather was really nice, so I can't complain that much.
Following the ceremony, we all went out to lunch at Lark Creek in Walnut Creek. Lauren and I looked at the menu beforehand, and reading that they would be "happy to accommodate your specific dietary requests", believed that we would have several entrees to choose from, or at least alter to make vegan. However, our waiter wasn't very happy to accommodate us when we mentioned we were vegan. They had a vegetarian burger on the menu that sounded really good, but the veggie patty contained cream. I was going to order some pasta and marinara with sauteed veggies, but the pasta is made with eggs. We were informed that most of the salads can be made vegan, but I had high hopes for this restaurant and I didn't want to settle for a salad. Our waiter admitted that the only other vegan option was the vegetable platter. How descriptive, I know. So Lauren and I both ordered that, but we didn't hesitate to add that we didn't like mushrooms or eggplant. I was pleasantly surprised to see my entree when it arrived. They whipped us up roasted potatoes with sauteed asparagus, green beans, and peas covered in a garlic-y olive oil sauce. Despite the initial frustration, it was seriously delicious.
After lunch, we all went to The Olde San Francisco Creamery next door. They had several sorbet flavors, but I settled on the orange-passion fruit. I got half way through my dessert when I realized that the waiter brought me mango-peach instead, but I was okay with that mistake. My mom ordered orange-passion fruit sorbet as well. I tasted hers and it was so tart. I was so happy that the waiter got my order wrong.
Lauren came up with an amazing idea for Marissa's graduation gift. We bought Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Place You'll Go", and had all my family members and some friends write a message on random pages throughout the book. She also received a Punky Jane necklace to go along with the theme. Marissa said this was the best present she's ever got. Mission accomplished :)
The graduation ceremony was okay. I mean, it's a three hour presentation...how good can it be? I didn't even like my graduation ceremony. I will admit, the weather was really nice, so I can't complain that much.
Following the ceremony, we all went out to lunch at Lark Creek in Walnut Creek. Lauren and I looked at the menu beforehand, and reading that they would be "happy to accommodate your specific dietary requests", believed that we would have several entrees to choose from, or at least alter to make vegan. However, our waiter wasn't very happy to accommodate us when we mentioned we were vegan. They had a vegetarian burger on the menu that sounded really good, but the veggie patty contained cream. I was going to order some pasta and marinara with sauteed veggies, but the pasta is made with eggs. We were informed that most of the salads can be made vegan, but I had high hopes for this restaurant and I didn't want to settle for a salad. Our waiter admitted that the only other vegan option was the vegetable platter. How descriptive, I know. So Lauren and I both ordered that, but we didn't hesitate to add that we didn't like mushrooms or eggplant. I was pleasantly surprised to see my entree when it arrived. They whipped us up roasted potatoes with sauteed asparagus, green beans, and peas covered in a garlic-y olive oil sauce. Despite the initial frustration, it was seriously delicious.
After lunch, we all went to The Olde San Francisco Creamery next door. They had several sorbet flavors, but I settled on the orange-passion fruit. I got half way through my dessert when I realized that the waiter brought me mango-peach instead, but I was okay with that mistake. My mom ordered orange-passion fruit sorbet as well. I tasted hers and it was so tart. I was so happy that the waiter got my order wrong.
Lauren came up with an amazing idea for Marissa's graduation gift. We bought Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Place You'll Go", and had all my family members and some friends write a message on random pages throughout the book. She also received a Punky Jane necklace to go along with the theme. Marissa said this was the best present she's ever got. Mission accomplished :)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What Did I Get Myself Into?
Last night I signed up for the Sacfit training program. *Insert applause and nervous laughter*
Ultimately, by December, I should be able to run the California International Marathon (CIM). Although I do plan on completing all of the training, I'm still unsure if I will participate in the actual marathon. I figure, if anything, I'll get more exercise in, and I'll be able to crush my half marathon time by October. Hopefully.
The past few weeks I've been running a lot more than I have in the past, thanks to Lauren and Leti, and the Nike+ app. Lauren and I ran together almost every evening or morning. Leti would join us on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Running with other people really helps me stay on track and holds me accountable, which is one of the reasons I decided to sign up for Sacfit. I refuse to run without my phone attached to me. One of my favorite parts about running is analyzing and reviewing my completed runs with the Nike+ app. No joke. After every run I spend a good solid ten minutes just gazing at the route I ran; I become fixated on my split times. Then when I hit the "done" button, I like to watch my total miles increase. If I don't have access to this app, I seriously won't run. I don't want to run any distance and not have it be counted towards my total miles. Yes, I am that person.
Anyways...the Sacfit program starts on June 15th, and is held every Tuesday and Saturday until the CIM on December 8th. The best part about the group is that on the first day you determine which pace group you should be in, based on a one to three mile run. Eventually the majority of your training runs will be conducted with your pace group. I think this component is really going to help me reach my half marathon time goal. If I can keep up with my pace group, I think I'll pursue the CIM challenge. Maybe.
Lauren, Leti, and I have been talking about signing up for Sacfit for awhile, but now that I've actually signed up and paid, it's real. And now that I've blogged about it, it's even more real, if that's possible.
Ultimately, by December, I should be able to run the California International Marathon (CIM). Although I do plan on completing all of the training, I'm still unsure if I will participate in the actual marathon. I figure, if anything, I'll get more exercise in, and I'll be able to crush my half marathon time by October. Hopefully.
The past few weeks I've been running a lot more than I have in the past, thanks to Lauren and Leti, and the Nike+ app. Lauren and I ran together almost every evening or morning. Leti would join us on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Running with other people really helps me stay on track and holds me accountable, which is one of the reasons I decided to sign up for Sacfit. I refuse to run without my phone attached to me. One of my favorite parts about running is analyzing and reviewing my completed runs with the Nike+ app. No joke. After every run I spend a good solid ten minutes just gazing at the route I ran; I become fixated on my split times. Then when I hit the "done" button, I like to watch my total miles increase. If I don't have access to this app, I seriously won't run. I don't want to run any distance and not have it be counted towards my total miles. Yes, I am that person.
Anyways...the Sacfit program starts on June 15th, and is held every Tuesday and Saturday until the CIM on December 8th. The best part about the group is that on the first day you determine which pace group you should be in, based on a one to three mile run. Eventually the majority of your training runs will be conducted with your pace group. I think this component is really going to help me reach my half marathon time goal. If I can keep up with my pace group, I think I'll pursue the CIM challenge. Maybe.
Lauren, Leti, and I have been talking about signing up for Sacfit for awhile, but now that I've actually signed up and paid, it's real. And now that I've blogged about it, it's even more real, if that's possible.
Friday, May 10, 2013
American River Parkway Half Marathon
This past Saturday, Lauren and I completed the American River Parkway Half Marathon. I still haven't gotten good about training, but I did run a few times during the week prior to the race. Baby steps.
The entire race was on the bike trail, which I really liked. I grew up near the bike trail and now I can recognize many of the landmarks, which really helped the 13 miles go by quicker. I was running at record pace (for me) up until mile 10, then the heat really got to me. I guess the heat was getting to everyone else too. I saw several ambulances and firetrucks taking runners away before they were able to finish the race. I didn't want to have another incident, so I thought it best to walk a little bit. I think I walked about .25 miles, which set me back a few minutes. But I'm okay with that. I rather finish the race a little slower than not finish at all.
I carried a PowerBar Gel and a Gu Energy Gel with me this time; both were mandarin/tangerine flavors. Before the race I had decided that I was going to consume both of them while I was running, even if I didn't feel like I needed them. I figured even if I didn't need them, they would only help me more. So, I planned on eating? drinking? one of them around mile 6, and the last one around mile 10. After reading the packages I discovered you're supposed to drink water with them, hence I had to wait for water stations. I ended up drinking the PowerBar Gel around mile 6.5 and the Gu Energy Gel around mile 10.5. Both times I split the gu's with Lauren. I preferred the PowerBar Gel because it wasn't as thick as the Gu Energy Gel. But Lauren liked the Gu Energy Gel better because it's thicker. It's a toss up.
We did end up beating our personal records, even though we did walk a bit. My final time was 2:44:29.21, which is ten minutes faster than my previous best. So I'm happy with that.
We're considering running the Davis Moo-nlight Half Marathon in July. We ran this race last summer, but I didn't care for the course too much. The race starts in the evening, so the majority of the race is run in the dark...on the trails. Personally, I didn't think the course was that safe. But now that our times have decreased by about 40 minutes, perhaps we wouldn't be running in the dark for so long. We did get a cool glow-in-the-dark medal though...so I'll consider it :)
The entire race was on the bike trail, which I really liked. I grew up near the bike trail and now I can recognize many of the landmarks, which really helped the 13 miles go by quicker. I was running at record pace (for me) up until mile 10, then the heat really got to me. I guess the heat was getting to everyone else too. I saw several ambulances and firetrucks taking runners away before they were able to finish the race. I didn't want to have another incident, so I thought it best to walk a little bit. I think I walked about .25 miles, which set me back a few minutes. But I'm okay with that. I rather finish the race a little slower than not finish at all.
I carried a PowerBar Gel and a Gu Energy Gel with me this time; both were mandarin/tangerine flavors. Before the race I had decided that I was going to consume both of them while I was running, even if I didn't feel like I needed them. I figured even if I didn't need them, they would only help me more. So, I planned on eating? drinking? one of them around mile 6, and the last one around mile 10. After reading the packages I discovered you're supposed to drink water with them, hence I had to wait for water stations. I ended up drinking the PowerBar Gel around mile 6.5 and the Gu Energy Gel around mile 10.5. Both times I split the gu's with Lauren. I preferred the PowerBar Gel because it wasn't as thick as the Gu Energy Gel. But Lauren liked the Gu Energy Gel better because it's thicker. It's a toss up.
We did end up beating our personal records, even though we did walk a bit. My final time was 2:44:29.21, which is ten minutes faster than my previous best. So I'm happy with that.
We're considering running the Davis Moo-nlight Half Marathon in July. We ran this race last summer, but I didn't care for the course too much. The race starts in the evening, so the majority of the race is run in the dark...on the trails. Personally, I didn't think the course was that safe. But now that our times have decreased by about 40 minutes, perhaps we wouldn't be running in the dark for so long. We did get a cool glow-in-the-dark medal though...so I'll consider it :)
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