Obsession, You're My Obsession

Bay to Breakers is done. Where do I go from here? Well, the natural progression of things would point to doing a half-marathon, now wouldn't it?

So I'm searching for a race that will fit my novice status. With that in mind, I homed in on one that has 2800 ft of climbing and descending. A little overambitious. (You think??) Alright, I'll lower my expectations.

Again I run into a dilemma: there's the Lake Merced Half-Marathon at the beginning of September that's 3 x a 4.5 mi loop. There's also a Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon that goes around downtown San Jose - a rock and roll half-marathon in mid-October. Which one to do?

Occam's Razor to the rescue in the form of T.

"Do both of them."

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And, no, I haven't dropped out of aikido. It's just been busy at work so I've gone to once a week for the past three weeks. Next Tuesday, Doran Sensei teaches and that's always a good class. Last time around, I even got picked to be uke (! - v. exciting) for one teeny little technique. Still having a great time throwing, falling and getting up again, and again, and again.

Memorial Day

On the drive in to work this morning, I found myself thinking about my father-in-law. He passed away last August, losing out in the end, to lung cancer.

He was, as one would say, a good egg. He had a great sense of humor and would periodically send us a cartoon strip that he'd cut out of the paper because it had caught his eye. He had his finger on the pulse of politics in the country and the world, read the paper religiously, and was up for a hearty discussion any time of day. He was a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat and his three sons haven't strayed far from their father's influence. He loved to play golf and drive his grandsons around in his golf cart. He loved pasta (and calamari!), a good steak and a pre-dinner drink. He loved his family, and welcomed me whole-heartedly into it.

He had been stationed in Germany at the end of World War II. At the funeral at the military cemetary, a bugler played "Taps" for him, there was a 3-volley salute, and an American flag was folded and presented to M's stepmother. It was the most moving service I have ever been to and I still choke up when I think about it.

I respected him and I loved him. I love the fact that he lives on through his grandsons. I always thought of him on Veterans' Day. Now I'll always think of him on Memorial Day as well.

You Know You're an Assimilated Californian When...

...you make a salad with avocado in it AND your friends think that's perfectly normal.

I had never thought of avocado as something savory before. Growing up, we'd have it mashed up with milk and sugar (and maybe some shaved ice) as a dessert or snack. YUM! Then I got here and was introduced to guacamole. Who knew? Yes, Mexican food did not do so well in Manila.

Today, I found myself making a salad to take along to a picnic and I thought: Why not throw some avocado in there? So I did. It was delicious.

I shall make some more tomorrow.

No Tunes

I headed out the door to run this afternoon and swiftly realized that my iPod was totally dead, no power...NO MUSIC. I didn't want to turn back and pressed on. Time to hang out with the voices in my head again.

Focus on breathing.
...
Don't focus on that weird feeling in my left knee. It will go away.
...
I hope.
...
Breathe in, breathe out. Back straight, shoulders down, don't lift knees too much, watch the arms, don't run into that tree.
...
How long have I been running?
...
Hey, no more pain in my knee. Good deal.
...
OK, first 2.5 mi loop was 26:14. Now for the next one.
...
Ahhhhh, it's nice to have the wind in my back. Let's speed up a bit.
...
Breathe!
...
Turning into the wind now. Time to grit teeth. Think good thoughts. The wind is my friend. Be one with the wind.
...
Here comes the fire station again, only half a mile to go. Quick time check: Eep! If I want to run my second half faster than the first, I have got to pick up the pace right now. Go, go, go, go!
...
Made it. Second loop in 26:06. Hmmm, I thought I had run faster than that.
...
Now for the best part: s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Oh yeah, that's the ticket.

It's always nice to have a little time to talk to myself.

A Good Day

1. Had lunch at Google and an intro to GoogleApps. Food was great, the complex is HUGE, presentation interesting and maybe, just maybe, we'll adopt this at work. I would NOT miss all the spam I currently get.

2. Found new music. Feist. You've got to check her out. Especially '1234' and 'My Moon My Man'.

3. Got my test results back from my annual checkup. Since last year, my cholesterol level has dropped from 214 (not good) to 173 (normal), my triglycerides have dropped from 186 (not good at all) to 69 and all other numbers are well within the normal range. WOOHOO!

Web Surfing Fallout

Weaving through the blogosphere is fun and but all I can think about right now is this one thing:

My lap is really hot.

Damn those dual processors.

Birthday Wishes

P turned three today. THREE! It seems just yesterday we were running a red light at 2:45 am on the way to the hospital.

In the morning:

Me: What do you want for your birthday?
P: A popsicle.

After blowing out the three candles on his chocolate cake:

M: What did you wish for?
P: Chocolate cake.

Wishes granted. If only life was always so simple.

One Down...

What a crazy and fun race to start out with: 35 thousand registrants, 25 thousand non-registered participants, a whole bunch of naked guys, not that many naked girls (to the chagrin of the guys I was running with), a gazillion tortillas flying through the air, lots of whacky costumes (some I saw: three guys in a kayak, a gladiator, a pair of skunks, Tarzan and Jane), a city that cheered on the runners with music booming from windows, free water handed out at doorsteps, bands cranking out the tunes, a gorgeous day for running and just this general feeling of euphoria and joy in the air. Can you tell I had a good time?

It didn't start out auspiciously. Though we had made excellent time in getting to the city and to the start area, I found myself needing a bathroom break before the start. Why did I drink all that water? Why? After determining that the lines stretched all the way to San Jose, I thought I'd just hold it till later. Thirty minutes later, I really needed to go and it was just about time to start. AUGH! What to do? Get into line. It was much shorter but it was still a twenty minute wait and, let's just say that I have never been so happy to get into a Port-a-Potty in my life. Thank goodness my friends were kind enough to wait for me because I would never have found them again in the writhing mass.

The Hayes Street Hill was not that bad (Thank you, Dish!) and, after cresting it, the course rolled very nicely downhill with gravity pulling us closer and closer to the finish line. I think I saw one mile marker (number 4) and thought to myself, 'More than halfway there, keep going.' There was lots of weaving between walkers and slower runners, sometimes we had to stop running altogether. M, by taking care of the boys, got me to the race and my friends, by running slower than they can and being my mental 'pull', got me through the race. We crossed the finish line in 1:26. Shouts of joy!

We walked down to the ocean and into the water. It was freezing cold but the feel of the ocean breeze on my face and the sand between my toes was glorious. Ahhhhhh.

The beginning of an era. As one of the songs that blasted out of speakers on the run said: "Where do we go now?"

The answer for tonight: to bed.

God bless ibuprofen.

Tomorrow!

Bay to Breakers is tomorrow. It's my very first race ever and I'm very excited. Giddy, even. I've got my bib (who knew that it didn't tie on?) and my timing chip. I'm a little worried about the weather - will I freeze if I don't bring a sweatshirt, will I roast if I do? I'm a little worried about the distance, I've never run 7 miles (and a shot) before. But mostly, I'm really excited. Going to get up early (before 6!), drive over to a friend's place, meet up with another friend and his parents there and drive into the city. Meet more friends and get going. No costumes for us but we're won't be naked. Hahaha.

This week, I ran the Dish on Monday and Wednesday, went to aikido class on Tuesday, rested on Thursday (had practice talks for next week's big advisory board meeting) and swam on Friday. Today is rest day - nothing but the usual weekend chores, and tomorrow, RUN!!!!

Going to run a raaace, going to run a raaace. La la la la la la.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

Why I Love You

I have a big smile on my face as I write this.

For Mother's Day, I sent my Mama the list of reasons I love her that I posted a while back. I thought she would like it. I didn't know how much she would like it. Last night, I checked my email to find a nice long letter from her. I'll just quote a little bit from it:

"...your e-mail was the best I ever got, whether for mother's day,
birthday or whatever day. It comes straight from your heart. I LOVED IT!!!"

I also got this from my dad:

"I wish I had been able to write something as touching to Mutti."

Mutti is my dad's mother, my Oma. She passed away about six years ago.

This got me thinking. We pretty much assume that our parents know that we love them. Some of us tell them those words when we see each other or when we speak on the phone. But do we tell them why? I know that I haven't enumerated a list like this, well, ever.

Do it. Whether you write it down in a letter, in an email, on the phone, tell your parents what it is about them that makes you happy, grateful and proud and makes you smile. I loved writing that list and the one for my dad too (guess what he's getting for Father's Day?). I promise it will make their day, their week, their month. The sooner, the better because, as you know, life is short.

Just do it. You too will have a big smile on your face.

A Moment in Time

I'm sitting at home alone. M has taken the boys to the park to give me a little free time. A mother's day gift, so to speak. What to do? I know! I'll dig in the front yard and put in those flowers we bought yesterday. Dig, dig, dig. Plant, plant, plant. (Why am I not resting? Why am I not napping? Why?) I have dirt under my fingernails, an unidentified food stain on my shorts left by a child's sticky hand (or maybe my own), my knees are a little itchy from kneeling in the grass and now, I finally have a moment to myself to take a breath. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

OK. That was good.

I hear the garage door opening and I know that they are home. Once more into the breach. Yippee! This is the life.

Life is Good

...when you wake up in the morning to the smiling face of your almost-three-year-old son about three inches away from your own.

...when you make strawberry pancakes for breakfast and your almost-seven-year-old son declares that "These are the best pancakes I've ever had!"

...when a good friend of yours babysits your kids so that you and your husband can spend a day together on your own.

...when you drive off leaving the kids with your friend and they're all happily waving good-bye, not a tear in sight.

...when you get to run together with your husband for the first time in 12 years.

...when you spend 45 minutes waiting for a table at a nice restaurant at 3 pm and you're not stressed because you don't have to worry about the kids going nuts.

...when you get back home and the kids are happy to see you and you hear that they've been well-behaved in your absence.

...when your friend offers to babysit them again, anytime.

...when you realize how lucky you are to have such a wonderful family and such a generous friend and you hug them all tightly in gratitude.

Seven Random Things About Me

Whee! I've been tagged by bonggamom for my very first meme. Hers and her tagger's revelations are juicier because they reflect takes on the Seven Deadly Sins. Mine's a little more low key. I'm not ready for sensationalism just yet. :) So, without further ado, here are they are, random but true:

1. I love to read and I read very quickly, especially when it's a gripping story. I've been known to barrel through an average-length novel in 2 hours.

2. I refuse to watch horror movies, even the really cheesy kind, whether they're on TV or in the theater. Why tempt the possibility of nightmares?

3. I don't swear out loud. Ever.

4. I earned a first degree black belt in ryukyu kempo karate, testing just over a year after my older son was born. That was six years ago. I wish I remembered more.

5. I've been a fashion model and a biochemistry lab instructor, though not at the same time.

6. I find cooking therapeutic. This dates back to my grad school days when experiments failed without fail. Cooking was a sure fire way to get a desired positive result.

7. When I moved to the US, I didn't know how to operate a gasoline pump. It's really no excuse but, where I grew up, all the stations are full-service. I have since figured it out.

I know I'm supposed to tag seven other people but, I don't know that many other bloggers! Guess the buck will stop here.

Swimming Stories

I learned to swim in my aunt's pool in Germany. She and my uncle have the most awesome house. Pool and sauna in the basement, huge backyard, lovely big fireplace, welcoming and warm dining room. I must have been five or six when I first got into the deep, deep water. Little water wings kept me afloat while my dad hovered nearby. They lived about a 45 minute drive from our townhouse in Hamburg so after a long weekend day visiting them and my cousins, my parents would bundle my brother and me up in our jammies, stick us in the car and head home. We'd be out cold by the time we hit the Autobahn. Years later, when I returned to visit them, I was so surprised at the size and depth of the pool. Somehow, it had shrunk and gotten shallower. But the water was still lovely.

Since those early days in Germany, I've always loved the water. Living in the Philippines, I fell in love with the ocean. The sound of it, the salty smell and taste, the certain heaviness that gets in the air on a hot, humid day, the cooling sensation of diving beneath the surface and the sting that you get when you open your eyes underwater just to see what's down there. Snorkeling has always been fun, drifting with the current, spying on the fish and the corals. Maybe someday I'll still get around to learning how to scuba dive. The couple of times that I've been on intro dives have been awesome. None of the claustrophobia that could have come but, instead, this elation at entering a formely forbidden and foreboding world. I don't think that I'll ever travel into outer space but I can imagine diving into the ocean and having a look around.

I haven't been swimming in the ocean in three and a half years. The Pacific Ocean here in Northern CA is just too cold! I guess I'm spoiled. But today, I got in a swimming pool and swam laps. It was a scorching day - 94 degrees outside. Getting into the cool of the pool at noon was absolutely delightful. Of course, I headed for the slowest lane out there and still found myself gasping for breath. Twenty minutes and I was done for. Everyone else in the pool was still busily churning away, steady as metronomes, lap after lap after lap. But that was just fine by me. I'd gotten some exercise, reassured myself that I did, after all, still know a couple of strokes and wallowed just a little bit in the feeling of buoyancy that you get in the water.

Next time, I'll need to figure out how to keep from bumping into the lane divider.

A Quote for Today

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
-Buddha

Best and Worst of the Day

Best buy of the day: D's new 20" bicycle with 7 gears, handbrakes and kickstand!

Worst smell of the day: skunk on the way back from the grocery store

Best sound of the day: the kids splashing in the water in the garden, having the time of their lives

Worst encounter of the day: top of my head against the partially closed garage door at full walking speed

Best feeling of the day: sitting in my backyard with my family, enjoying the beautiful 96 degree weather (!), sipping a nice cold glass of water

Twisty Turns

Life can really throw you for a loop sometimes. Why on earth we think that we know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at 16, I don't know. Yet, there we are, starting college, picking majors that narrow our choices for the future. Pointing us down the path of no return. Sounds rather ominous now that I read that. It is not. I have a few friends who have proven this to be WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

First, there's Sarge. We met in high school. He was writing poetry back then. (who wasn't?) We went to the same college. He majored in Biology, started medical school after that. All the time he was writing. That was his love. Then, he decided that he didn't really want to be a doctor and quit. This was a Very Big Deal. Worked for an ad firm. Still kept writing. Attended writers' workshops and, then, it happened. His first book of short stories won the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award. He's now the literary editor for a national magazine in the Philippines. His second book was published in 2006 and is nominated for the National Book Award.

Then, there's Tris. Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Worked with my dad for a bit. Interned with a restaurant in the kitchen. Started his own catering business. Folded that. MBA from Columbia. Worked for a big-name financial firm spending a year or two in three Asian countries. Dropped the financial firm but kept going with the yoga he picked up in Thailand. Got certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. He now owns a couple of yoga studios in Manila and teaches everyday. He's in the best shape of his life.

Finally, there's Cris. My college buddy who shared practically every class I took. Lab partner, partner in crime. Headed for the States after graduation. Took a lab tech position. Went back home. Went to medical school. Back to the States for residency. Decided that being a doctor was not really for him. No more seeing patients. He now works for a company that designs computer software for doctors. He's married and has a one year old daughter.

There and back again. They've ended up snug as bugs in niches of their own design. Content at last in the knowledge that the choices they've made along the way led them there.

I really like my job right now, but, when I wonder about what might come next, I think of them and am inspired to think that ANYTHING is possible.