City Run

Franklin afraid of thunder.

The earth has been thirsty for the past several days and the sky has been generous. I haven't seen the sun break through the thick rainclouds in at least three days now.

This change in climate has been a merciful reprieve from an 80-degree, mostly sunny winter. As I write this blog post, thunder is rolling, lightening is flashing, and an anxious dachsund is curled up next to me in my dark room. My windows are rattling and plaster walls shaking not only from the strong wind, but the roaring thunder. Don't worry, Franklin, God is just bowling right now; judging by the flashes of lightening, He seems to be cosmic bowling.

The weather was so 'nice' today (cool, overcast, and wet), that I decided to go for a late afternoon run--a feat I have not accomplished since I arrived 3 months ago.

When I moved to Hawai'i, I imagined that I would fill my days with routine, sunny beachside runs. I'll tan and get fit at the same time, I thought; I'll rip off my running clothes and leap into the clear ocean in my sweat-soaked bathing suit, I thought. Hah! These have remained unrealized dreams for many reasons: 1) I don't live on the beach, 2) it's too hot to run during regular waking hours, and 3) I've been lazy. In the rare case that I have set out to experience the familiar runner's euphoria, I often felt cheated because of my strange, suburban backdrop. My usual crazed hamster laps around my cookie cutter neighborhood of standardized military housing cause me paranoia--the quiet streets feel volatile rather than calm; neighbors pretend to ignore passerbys while watching curiously. Such runs do little to free my mind.

Today, I inched away from this strangely placed suburban pocket toward town. I ran in the rain on a long, flat, straightaway alongside a highway and underneath the protection of, of all things, a freeway. This was during rush hour (a time when, in Honolulu, driving 5 miles could mean up to an hour in traffic, a.k.a. my daily commute). The hum, buzz, whirr, purr, and occasional roar of traffic sounds proved to be better company than the anxious silence of my neighborhood. I allowed the sounds to fill the crevices of my mind. I let myself forget in what city and in what state I was running. I welcomed the invisibility of being one in hundreds of people, all of whom were distracted with thoughts of work, family, and the task of driving.

During my run, I thought of everything and nothing. Afterwards, I felt compelled to write everything that came to mind. Of course, to do so is difficult when all thoughts while running are lost while running. The needling urge to write remains, but my thoughts need to be re-pieced together.

I'll say this much for now: I'm happy to be inspired again and encouraged in knowing that more inspiration awaits me.

I take it back.

Part of my lifelong pursuit for positivity means that I must 1) recognize moments that I'm being ungrateful or forgetful of the gems I find in the rubble and 2) hold on to those gems and forget about the rubble.

I couldn't a find less cheesy word than 'gem', sorry. Hah.

My earlier mentioned runs were not completely boring. It's just that... in the beginning, everything was new, exciting, fresh; difficult at times, but worth the struggle; it was all I could think about, all I could talk about...

Comparatively, the last ones were only so-so. I was content enough when I was running... and then at the close of each hour, I moved on with my day, my mind on other things. The only traces of running on my mind anymore were wistful wishes for a better run next time.

In truth:

6mi - this run took a long time because I kept stopping. I was on my own and I had nothing to do later that evening. There was no one and nothing to push me. Instead of pushing myself, I gave in to my body's soft cries for mercy by pulling over by the water. I sat out on the pier with my back to the car traffic, the city sounds, and the fast action of kids playing; I lost myself in the foreground of water and background of a night city skyline. That was nice.

6mi - this one was with a friend. I pushed him. I joked about the run. I psyched us into thinking that it's not a big deal, when in reality, my pushing him made me push myself to my limits. We sprinted to the finish line too early; we thought we were coming to the end, but there was still a long way to go. It was exhausting, but it also felt like flying; like freedom, hard earned.

5mi - this was also with a friend. This time, with a good friend in great need. I hope she sees me this way, as well. It took a little bit of convincing to get her out in the gorgeous daylight, but she relented. We ruminated over this n' that, hardly noticing the run. My only memories of the run itself are the sun rays that beat down on my bare skin, the humidity that felt like a warm blanket when it is least welcome, and my sweat soaking through my hair and my clothes all the way down to my socks.

5 mi - this one also took some convincing. "Please... c'mon, we're partners in this! It's my job to push you, and you're job not to let me down!" He gave in, as always. He then proceeded to kick my ass in this run. Halfway through the run, we paused at some workout benches to do crunches. Beasts. With only a few blocks to go, when he suggested that we sprint all the way back, I could only urge him to leave me behind and promise that I'd meet him at the end.

6 mi - Again, I've been sucking at getting into it. 1 mile. Stop. 2 miles. Stop. 3 miles. Time for tacos (lol). 4. 5. 6. Keep going? Nah. Not by myself. Maybe next time.

Hoping for a better -- or rather, even better -- week.

Mileage

6mi

6mi

5mi

5mi

6mi

___

total for the week: 28mi

I have to admit, this past week's runs have been kinda boring. And difficult to push though. I feel like I've helped folks get out of their house and run when they didn't feel like running... which is cool... but. Meh. Eh. I think I've been carrying too much weight on my shoulders. I'm feeling sluggish. I need some kind of rewarding run to get me going again.

Good life metaphor.

Thing's have been boring. I need something to light a fire under me. Or in me. Or something.

C'mon, new life. START ALREADY!

Mt. Diablo State Park

Oh, gross. Just re-read my last post. Am I always that self-righteous, or is it just a once-a-week thing?

Don't answer that.

I just wanted to write up a quickie to log ~13 more mi. to my beloved running shoes. These miles took place over the course of the past week. Unfortunately, 10 of those are from hiking, not running. I say unfortunately because running shoes are so not for hiking. Ouchies. I don't have any hiking shoes, though, and the only other shoes I own are Vans slip-ons and girly ballet flats.

My three running miles were around The Grand Lake. Well, Lake Merritt.

Seven of the 10 hiking miles was around "The Grand Loop" (Mt. Diablo State Park). This walk in the park (so to speak) had a 1,700-ft. elevation gain. I don't really know what that means in terms of difficulty, but I do know that I was sore for the next couple of days. Aw, yeah. Just the way I like it.

Cheers... to vino and sunsets from mountain tops!

Water, Water, Everywhere

4/23: 10.1 mi (1 hr 40 min)

Took a swig of it at A

Stepped up my game at B to get myself closer to it sooner

I followed it from C-E

Surrounded myself by it at D

--here, the sound of it reminded me of long, hot showers, the kind of showers where I have to feign periodic "taking a shower" noises, like setting down a heavy bottle of shampoo, so that my roommates won't think I fell asleep or died in the shower --

Found a shaky dock called "Watergate"

Felt it start to come down at F

Stopped in for a drink of it at G

Became drenched by it shortly after as it fell harder from the sky

(incidentally, this happened at a street called "Ocean")

It made my shirt cling to me as I perspired at H

It inspired me to write this blog post at I

It's everywhere

Run Lake Merritt

4/18/11: 7 mi.

I thought I'd post this route because it's a nice 7-miler. Relatively flat with one gradual hill (up Linda) and a peaceful lap around the lake to balance out the traffic noise-filled other half of this route. It's also easy to remember because you stick to main roads.

4/20/11: 6.4 mi.

(2 laps around Lake Merritt)

Don't let anyone lie to you --the lake is not 3.5 mi., it's only 3.2.

This is a Love Note

Running in Oakland under the blue-black sky

Pounding pavement, running harder than ever

Venting into the wind about those which affect us most:

Teaching and issues of injustice

Talking politics while huffing and puffing

I pause only to look up into the rain, to feel it on my face

I vaguely consider removing more layers altogether to welcome the falling droplets

But I'm distracted by our intense conversation

And, of course, by the running.

After 30 minutes, you suggest that we call it a night, but I beg,

"Please... just 3 more miles?" And you say yes.

Thanks, Ms. Kwon, for tonight, for being my life coach, for feeding me, for teaching me how to cook, and, finally, for the fact that the day after I shared my blog URL with you, my numbers jumped to 30 hits in a day.

Photo Credit: oopsilon via Panoramio.

Running in a Force Field

4/15/11: 6.3 mi

Until today, I haven't run since Sunday. That's the longest stretch that I've gone without running since I started training. I've been less motivated to run without an end goal in mind (i.e., no running events in the near future). Gotta get back into that rhythm.

Nevertheless, the break got me hurtin' for this run even more -- a craving which was delectably quenched, thankfully.

I'm starting to run on muscle memory, now. My focus points still remain, but I now feel 'em in my body rather than think 'em in my mind. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that my arms and legs are doin' their thang without my brain, I unknowingly picked up my pace from 12 min/mi to 10:30/mi today. I somehow got faster when I wasn't paying attention. Thanks, hills.

I didn't have much time to run today because I had plans right afterwards, but I really wanted to go out by the water even though I knew that would take more time than I could afford.

"The Week After" ...PACT

I have all kinds of time on my hands now that PACT is over. I'm also a happier person in general.

I hope I pass.

Anyway, I run solo now, but I've been getting hit up by folks who want to start running and need a running buddy. Least I can do is pay it forward. Plus, I love the company! It gives me an excuse to talk to (or listen to) someone for an hour-ish straight.

= = =

4/7/11: 5.3 mi

I told my roomie that I would meet her at Ikea at the end of this run. I was a little nervous heading out to the shoreline... It was only my second time doing that run and my first time doing it solo. The trail itself seems so secluded and long-winded -- what if I get tired? Or thirsty? Or I need to go to the bathroom? Or... I don't know, it just seemed like such a big commitment to take on by myself.

Cedar Run

4/5/11: 4 mi.

My body hates me.

I thought I'd do a hill today. Today's 'uphill' was about the right amount of difficulty, so I'm happy about that (up Hearst a bit and then up Le Conte). I wandered around North Berkeley for a bit, not really knowing where to go or what to do next. I thought I'd head back down Cedar.

Bad idea.

Always, always run up Cedar. Never down. Always up.

Cedar turned out to be a very loooooong, gradual descent to West Berkeley. I had to cut my run short because my knees were in agony. Lesson learned.

Run Journal

Oakland Running Festival 3/27/11: 13.1 mi

I promise to blog about this experience one day. Soon.

3/29/11: 4 mi.

Less than Superhuman

The following post was written on Jan 23, 2011. I was too embarrassed to publish it at the time, but I'm so excited for this weekend that I don't mind posting this anymore. Without much further ado, here it is: my insecurities and naïvete.

= = =

Lately, I've caught myself inviting friends to run with me and telling friends about the upcoming running festival.

Sadly, It's starting to get on people's nerves.

It's just that it's all I can think about. I keep thinking, "if I can do it" -- small, non-athletic, weakling, me -- then surely "you can too".

They tell me that they can't run 13 miles. Well, yeah, I can't either. Not yet, anyway. The point is that we work towards it. And you know what? I really don't know what's going to happen on race day. I don't even care. At first, I'll admit, I was in it for the medal. Haha. Maybe the t-shirt. But now, I'm in it for the training. The process feels so good! It feels good to have something in my schedule to look forward to. It feels good to be active. It feels good to try push myself in an arena where I never though I'd be. It feels good to achieve a short-term goal and then look at my schedule and ask, "what's next?".

This is why I invite others to join me.

I always saw runners and joggers as somewhat non-human, somewhat superhuman... mostly alien. I mean, right?! They wear funny clothes and run, run, run to no particular destination.

And now, I realize -- oh. They're people. And running is possible. And running is hard for them like it's hard for me (though to varying degrees). They do it well because they practice and work hard at it. This is a key point that never really occurred to me.

So maybe I can't run like them, but I can practice and work hard at it like they do and enjoy myself in the process.

Run run

12.6 miles today. Hayyyyyy.

Half-marathon ready!

Run Post

I've been lagging on keeping track of my progress.

Personal Records.

My longest run to date was a 10-miler last Saturday. It felt fine despite the fact that I was running on 5 hours of sleep and did not have time to drink my morning coffee.

My longest solo run was 5 miles. To be honest, 5 miles doesn't feel very different from 4 miles. My favorite 5-mi path so far is a round trip from home up Ohlone Greenway to Solano Ave. I take the first couple of miles one at a time with 1-min walk/stretch break in between, then run the last 3 miles nonstop. The only two traffic light intersections to worry about are at University Ave. and Marin Ave.

Meditation Hour.

I'm pushing my body to new limits, yes, but I also never thought I'd be able to mentally sustain myself for an hour of solo running. A friend recommended to me that I let my my mind wander during these solo runs. On the contrary, I found that I enjoy focusing my thoughts like on things like...

Run, Post

Didn't put up a pic of last Saturday's run because I can't figure out how to do it on google maps this time. Basically, ran from friend's place in Piedmont to Lake Merritt, circled the lake, then ran back to her place (6 mi.). We're plateauing for the next couple of weeks as part of our running plan.

It rained today, but we stuck to our regimen anyway. It was my first rain run and it was GLORIOUS. My hair was matted to my face, my hoodie was soaked all the way through to my shirt, and mud soaked through my shoes. The weather wasn't very cold, so I still broke a sweat and that sweat mixed with the rainwater.

It probably wasn't the best idea to wear a grey shirt, but in the end, I only felt prouder of myself to see how soaked I was.

I hope it rains tomorrow!

2-5-11 Run - West Oakland

Run was suuuper flat. Lots of waiting for traffic lights. Hella folks out by the lake because the weather was so glorious.

Run Post

...the most I have ever run in my life.

It was hecka funny to see a Filipino, middle-aged mailman along the route; he pumped both fists in the air to cheer us on.

1:45

Running Post #2

My friend and I went for our (my) first long run yesterday. I was so excited that I was already thinking about it as of Thursday. No joke. Friday night, I could barely sleep. Saturday morning, I woke up hours early. I killed time by having breakfast (and, I'll admit, coffee), playing with Charlie, and even cleaning the apartment.

We started off with a warm-up by walking for 10 minutes. It seemed like a bit much to me, but I surrender all running-related decisions to my running partner because she's been there and done that. Quite literally.

I suggested that we explore North Berkeley.Even though I've lived in this city for 4+ years, I don't really get out much, so many of the sites we we saw were just as new to me as it was to her. That helped keep me going.

We did a 10-minute run, 1-minute walk pattern. I'm so glad that I had her there with me because that schedule can get pretty boring to stick to. We talked about everything under the sun (well, we talked about a lot of things and we were under the sun).

Going the Extra Mile

I went for a run in Berkeley today for the first time... ever. I think.

How running in Berkeley compares to running in Hawai'i:

1. 30 deg F. That is, it is 77 deg F in Honolulu right now and it is 47 deg F in Berkeley right now.

2. I still ran with the threat of rain.

3. In Hawai'i, I ran along the beach -- it was beautiful, and also, there were a lot of bums. In Berkeley, it is beautiful and there were just as many bums.

4. In Hawai'i, all I could think about was jumping into the ocean after my run. In Berkeley... this did not occur to me at all.