Weekend Recap

My aunt and uncle from Indiana invited me and my husband to come over to their place to spend the weekend with them. They told us about their plan of running 16 miles on Saturday with their running buddies and invited us to run with them. I am not ready to run that far (yet). I told them that I would be more than happy to join and run some of it with them.

As I was lying in bed about to sleep, I began to contemplate about running with them (gasp!). I know how fast they run. They were saying they’re just going to be slow, but their version of “easy” pace, 8:00 – 9:00 min/mile is “holy-crap-that-is-fast” pace for me. I’m not going to lie, I was tempted to bail, but then, I realized this would be a perfect (crazy-hard) challenge for me, since I usually run by myself.

So, the morning of  Saturday, we met up with their running friends at 6:30 a.m at the trail.

I’m glad I didn’t bail. You never regret a run, right?! …especially a run with a group of nice people who share same interest.

My morning run definitely reminded me again why I love trail running.

We allowed ourselves to stop and look around, appreciate the beauty of the natural world. I found myself thankful whenever we do that. That means I could take a break. Lol! 🙂

The trail has steep hills which makes it more fun, not really a bad thing. 🙂

It’s more interesting than running on roads. I feel so engaged and aware on the trails without knowing how far we’ve already run.

I ran 7 miles with them while they continued to run and finished their 16 ++ miles. I wish I could have kept up with them, but I know my limits. I think 7 miles at what they call “easy” pace was about all I could handle. I was really happy to be done. 🙂

It was nice to run with a group and there’s no way I would have pushed myself like I did without them.

Thank you, Uncle Russ and Auntie Beni, for inviting us!

Sunday was a lot of fun! After church, we did a lot of crazy shopping and eating. My cousin baked cake for dessert. Oh, I love desserts and since I ran 7 miles, I ate that slice of cake with pride. Haha!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

XOXO.

Why I Love Running

Running got me to start this blog and today marks my one two three four five six seven months of blogging!!!

I am enjoying it so far. I am having fun sharing my everyday journey to the world and reading all your comments and emails. 🙂 It gives me so much happiness when I meet people who loves the sport too.

I am asked what is it about running that I love so much. I am never really able to give an answer right away.

…I just do.

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I run for my sanity.

I find inner peace in running. You can talk to yourself and figure out your thoughts. It is when I do some of my best thinking…. really! Sometimes I would find myself narrating in my mind the process of Glycolysis and Krebs Cycle when I’m running. 🙂 Seriously!

I remember the day that hooked me to running. I know I talked about it a little in my About me page the reason why I started. It was because I was packing it on…the pounds that is. I started to feel the urge to become active and healthy. I signed up for 5Ks and eventually for a half marathon last May. The pounds started to drop off slowly, and then I started feeling good about myself. I feel lighter, healthier and more alert everyday. Once I realized running was my ticket to weight loss, and then maintaining it, there was no turning back. My passion for running grew so quickly that I continued to train to improve myself.

My first Half Marathon – May 2012

I know I lost only a small amount of weight and you might think this is just nothing compared to other people’s 100+ pound weight loss success stories. But like most of them, losing weight was never easy for me. I certainly had ups and downs too during the process. This may not please everyone, but I am not here to please everyone. At first it was just about losing the extra weight, which is a good thing, but then NOW, it is actually becoming strong and healthy. I am sharing this to give you the motivation that anyone can start doing this. You don’t have to wait until the scale says a certain number and become overweight before you start living healthy. Yes, I have a lot more to learn, I do admit. I strive to learn as much as I possibly can each day.

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Running introduced me to do other workouts, like kickboxing and pilates which became my favorite now. I learned that it is important to incorporate other exercises to your training plans to workout other muscle groups of your body.

Lastly, running makes me feel good.There is not a run that I “regret” doing. It’s not always easy and it’s not always enjoyable especially when it’s 100+ degrees outside. But, I have never returned home from a run sad.

I love this running quote.
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If you have ever thought about running, I encourage you to give it a try. What you can accomplish may surprise you. 🙂

There you go, now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you love most about running?

Trail Running Tuesday

I still have to get used to waking up early in the morning. I am sleeping late this summer because it’s tough to start feeling sleepy when you still have the sun so bright & shining at 9:00 pm! Yes, I’m blaming it on the sun :). Then, I’ll get to feel really sleepy around 12:00 to 1:00 am. Apparently, my supposed target time to wake up at 6:00 am today to avoid the heat for my morning run did not happen. I woke up late today at around 8:00 am and there was the sun, up and hot already. So, I decided to hit a nearby trail for my run instead.

It’s definitely nice to run in the shade in a hot, hot day and getting out there with nature. I’m happy to finish a 3-mile run despite the hot & muggy weather.

I love my Brooks top that I wore for my run today. I love how it kept me cool and held up to the heat and humidity. It is very thin and lightweight and has become my favorite top to wear for my runs in these summer days.

Women’s Epiphany Short Sleeve
source: http://www.brooksrunning.com

After my run, I made a bowl of oats for breakfast, with a dash of cinnamon powder, top with blueberries and splash of 2% fat milk, plus my coffee, of course. 🙂

A delicious and healthy breakfast gives me just the right start for my day. I really hope I can be out of bed really early and make great days ahead. I will definitely try harder next time.

I also want to share what I had for snacks earlier today. I love to snack on Wheat Thins with hummus…ohhh it is so delicious. I became obsessed with Wheat Thins when I tried it before with Laughing Cow cheese. Good stuff!

For lunch, when my husband and I crave for some southern style barbecue, we go to our favorite restaurant just minutes away from us. We love their smoked barbecue ribs. We usually eat it with spicy sauce, mac n’ cheese, and baked beans. Yum!

The owners of the restaurant are very friendly and really know how to cook southern style barbecue. They are originally from Arkansas – true authentic southerners. That explains why they make their barbecue so good.

I served an easy and quick to prepare steamed fish fillet & asparagus for dinner tonight.

I seasoned the fillets with:

• Olive oil
• Cilantro
• Lemon pepper
• Garlic salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Lime juice to taste

And steamed them with the asparagus for about 17 minutes.

I love our Black & Decker Food Steamer. I think it’s the best purchase we had from Macy’s. We had it for over a year now and use it almost everyday. It not only steams vegetables and fish to perfection but also chicken and shrimp as well. We love to steam our rice in this too. The rice actually comes out perfect and fluffy unlike with the typical rice cooker that uses direct type of heat, it burns the rice at the bottom.

Once cooked, I drizzle the asparagus with

• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper

There is a lot of good TV shows every night. Our fave shows on Tuesdays are Hell’s Kitchen and Master Chef.  I’m going to take it easy and relax in front of the television tonight until bedtime.

Have a good night everyone!

Beautiful Friday Morning

Every runner has a preference on what time of the day to run. For this summer, I usually do my runs at night. I normally wait until about 8pm when the sun is setting to get out and run. Last night, my husband and I checked the weather for today. The temps are cooling down, and it will be fabulous for running.

It was indeed a beautiful morning today. My husband & I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to start our day and workout. He did indoor cycling with his Travel Trac bike trainer and,

I geared into my running outfit and headed out running around the neighborhood at 6:30am.

I now find it fun to run in the morning and I think I’m sticking to this routine. I love the feel of the gentle cool breeze touching my face. It’s so quiet and so peaceful

I finished an easy 3-mile run. I’m proud of myself for waking up early and starting  the day right.

For my post-workout meal/breakfast:

2 eggs, sprinkled with cayenne pepper, parsley & dash of salt.  Ever since I moved here, I rarely eat rice for breakfast. But this time, I ate my eggs with a small serving of rice. There goes the Filipino in me. =P

Yum! Definitely satisfied & happy! =)