Greetings from Portland

I’m in Portland, Oregon, for a few days for business. Well, it’s half business and half pleasure as I’ll be spending this weekend with my best friend, Maya and her family, who recently relocated here.

As much as I’m enjoying my stay here (as always), I’m missing my lunchtime yoga classes. I didn’t get to exercise much this week because I was suffering from a sore throat that prevented me from even speaking for a few days (Jamba Juice didn’t work!) so I decided to squeeze in a quick run after work yesterday to refresh my body and mind.

It was cloudy all day but the sun came out in the afternoon, which I took as a total sign that I needed to put on my running shoes and hit the road. The air was fresh and crisp, and I really enjoyed the run. I ran an easy 3.5 miles (about 12 minute pace) around the neighborhood and exchanged smiles with several fellow runners I met along the way. What a great feeling it was to run in a cute neighborhood where people are kind and the weather is cool. No wonder so many great runners emerge from this area.

Test Run: New Asics and Amphipods Belt

I bought a new pair of running shoes last weekend at my favorite running shoe store, Phidippides, in Encino. This pair is my third Asics and a new pair is called Gel-Foundation 7. I’m not really into the whole shoe technologies but Asics have always been good to me so I wanted to stick with what has always worked. I took my new baby for an easy 4-mile run tonight and loved every step.

I also took my new water bottle with me on the journey. For some reason, I never felt comfortable wearing those scary water bottle belts. Perhaps because I felt like it made my already enormous butts look even bigger or I just didn’t like the feeling of having something around my waist, but I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable Amphipod’s full-tilt Velocity felt. I think I had it too loose at first so the belt was jiggling uncontrollably but after tightening the belt a little (even to a point where it was a bit snug around me), it felt alright. I felt so much better not having to carry a water bottle in my hand, and I think I was able to swing my arms better for more speed (or at least I felt like I was going fater, with better posture).

Running has been surprisingly fun for me lately – maybe the weather (with excpetions of the last few days when it was just too hot to run outside), or the NikePlus, I don’t know – but I can’t wait to hit the pavement again.

Coldbuster?

I stopped by Jamba Juice on the way home from work yesterday to pick up Coldbuster to prevent my sore throat from escalating from bad to worst. I know that Jamba Juice is not exactly a bowl of chicken soup but the idea of overdosing on vitamin C somehow makes me feel like I’m taking a proactive steps to wellness. But then again, who am I kidding? The 94 grams of sugar that’s in the drink is pretty nauseating. I think looking at this numbers alone will make me collapse in high fever.

So I’m drinking C Monster from Odwalla today. At least it only has 72 grams of sugar.

The Natural Remedy

I didn’t feel well yesterday morning (with sore throat and aching joints) and contemplated going home, but something told me to go to David's yoga class at lunch, so I did. I kept asking myself why I’m here on the yoga mat instead of overdosing on Jamba Juice and sleeping in my bed, but after a while, I started to feel better. My mind cleared up and my body felt less tense. I ended up finishing up the day, feeling much better than I had in the morning.

But then again, sore throats are nothing compared to these poses we practiced in class. They are a lot more difficult than they may appear.

Dolphin Plank Pose

Dolphine Pose

A Confession of a Medal Whore

Just so that I can keep track, here are the races that I've participated in thus far. And yes, I'm aware that I'm slow. I only do these things for the medals.

Palos Verdes Half Marathon, May 14, 2005
3:06:07 (14:00 pace)

2005 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, June 8, 2005
6:52:07 (15:44 pace)

12th Annual Keep LA Running 10k Run, July 10, 2005
1:14:14 (11:59 pace)

29th Santa Barbara Half Marathon, November 5, 2005
2:57:44 (13:34 pace)

NIKE Run Hit Wonder Los Angeles 10K, September 24, 2005
1:13:37 (11:46 pace)

Santa Clarita 5k Run, November 5, 2006
36:00 (11:36 pace)

City of Los Angeles Half, December 3, 2006
3:05:20 (14:09 pace)

9th Annual Ovarian Cancer 5k Run, September 9, 2007
33:18 (10:45 pace)

NIKE Run Hit Remix Los Angeles (5 miles), September 15, 2007
00:59:24 (11:52 pace)

30th Annual Chinatown Firecracker 10k, February 2, 2008
1:22:09 (13:15 pace)

Santa Monica Classic 10K Run, May 4, 2008
1:12:57 (11:46 pace)

Torture

I must be a masochist. I don’t know how else to explain my motivation to keep going back to the Cardio Pump class on Tuesday nights. The instructor, Jenny, is really bubbly and cute on the outside, but is a total drill sergeant in the inside. She seriously kicks my ass, almost to the point of tears. She brings out all kinds of scary devices every week. This week’s torture device was the Steps, which I thought were banned in the 90's along with spandex and leotards.

Give and Take

My need for instant gratification made me fat and poor, and I’m now determined to reverse the damage by incorporating some discipline back into my life.

I created a rule that I shall live by, which states that when I want something, I need to earn it by giving up something in return -- whether it be time, effort, or a good old hard work. If I want to buy a new piece of clothing (or a book, or a cd, or whatever), I must give up (or donate) something I have in a closet first. If I want a dessert after dinner, I need to offset it by cutting down the food intake elsewhere or burn that calories by working out. This will give me a chance to fully evaluate if the yearning is based on a need or a want, and how much I’m willing to (literally) work for it.