Let's take a break from hitting the pavement

This week I decided to take a break from running. My wife is in the office all week, my oldest daughter has volleyball conditioning twice this week, and I'm cooking dinner EVERY night. Doesn't seem like a lot of stuff that would cause me to not run but trust me, the logistics are whack-a-doodle. With an extra hour or two free I had no trouble finding things to do.

 My oldest daughter is ending her first year in high school and her school was holding a winter college fair. I can't believe that the time has flown by so quickly and we're already making college selections. After the fair my daughter, wife and I sat and read all the brochures and checked out the schools online. This summer she'll be visiting family in New York and checking out schools in that area. Next year we do college tours on the west coast.






Little one and I have been learning our ABC's, numbers and colors. I found a great Youtube video that has songs for learning the alphabet. And when she's a bit tired of learning we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Little does she know she's still learning, but don't tell her that. This is how she likes to watch Mickey Mouse, with Minnie and Goofy by her side. 

 I'm getting further in my TARDIS blanket that I'm making for my oldest daughter. I started this blanket in the summer and I keep stopping and starting. This is my very first time crocheting, before this I only knew how to knit. This is a pretty big challenge for a first crochet project but I figured, why not go big? I'm about to start the windows and if I keep doing a little bit every day I will be done before this summer. Hopefully I will actually keep going and not get distracted. 

 I plan on homeschooling our little one and while I have plenty of time to get ready, (she'll be two in May) I wanted to get prepared and start having some idea as to what I would be doing. I made a calendar with velcro foam pieces for the month and days so that we can change them around without getting a new calendar every month. I had her paint the paper to make it look a bit more festive. I also made a color poster.

 I designated a space in the house for general learning and play. Right now we learn EVERYWHERE. Most of what we do is outside cause little one loves the outdoors. When we have to be inside we can learn anywhere in the house but I wanted a space  that was all her own. She's got books, crayons, a train set, a white board, puzzles, blocks and all kinds of fun things tucked away for the days we're stuck in the house.

We've been on a bit of a TV kick lately that I am determined to break (or at least reduce). Today little one painted which is one of her favorite activities. Surprisingly paint didn't get everywhere and she came out of it relatively spot free.

I found a recipe for homemade playdoh online and couldn't wait to try it out. Turns out it takes five minutes to make, who knew?! I made three batches for the primary colors. Her favorite thing to do is touch and squeeze things in her hands. This is the perfect thing to keep her occupied and explore textures. Win!








And I have finally been able to get back to my favorite book series, the Lunar Chronicles. The new book in the series came out a couple of weeks ago but I haven't started reading that one yet. Since a new book comes out every year I have decided to space out the books so I can read them back to back. Last year Cress came out and I waited all year to read it so that I could read the new book as soon as I finished Cress. So far it's a page turner.



Looks like even when I'm not running, I'm still on the go.


What do you do when you have a break from running?

Come back to the middle

I've been off my spiritual routine for a couple of weeks now and boy have I noticed. Though I haven't been back to the Buddhist center close to me, 

I was doing meditation and practices on my own at home. 

Of course that fell by the wayside as well and I wan't doing anything. At some point I began to feel that yearning to get back to meditating again. Though I was only doing it about once or twice a week for three weeks prior to stopping, I certainly noticed a difference when it was completely gone. So I got back on my cushion and started meditating again. 

One of the most important things that I've learned since totally submerging myself into Buddhist teachings is that meditation and chanting are practices. You constantly practice to become better. There is no need to come into a meditation with preconceived ideas or notions about how to do it or the best way to do. The only way you will learn how to be better at meditating is to meditate. And everyone is different, so what works for me may not necessarily work for you. That's the beauty in all of it. 

Right now mindfulness has become a very popular concept for a lot of people. You can go to any bookstore and find a ton of books on mindfulness and being more present in the moment. Mindfulness is one aspect under the big umbrella of Buddhist teachings. Mindfulness simply means being aware of the moment that you are in, whatever that is. Right now you are reading this blog, in the next moment you may get something eat, or take a bath. Doesn't matter the thing that you are doing, simply being aware of what you are doing is the key. 

You've heard me say over a hundred times that I don't run with headphones. Once I stopped listening to music I couldn't go back. I began to pay attention to my breath and how it coincided with my cadence. Awareness of breath is simply the beginning to any meditation practice. At some point you can incorporate meditation into any of your daily activities. It no longer becomes subjected to sitting on your cushion or your chair in the quiet corner of your room, now you are fully present in ever waking moment of your life. 

Please don't read this post and think that I am trying to convert you to Buddhism. There is no gain that I get from "recruiting" new members. I simply like sharing what makes me happy and brings a bit more joy into my life. You can take this information and disregard it or add it onto your faith and enhance what you already practice. There is no promotion of separation or categorizing, it's simply about loving the gifts that life has brought you and appreciating each moment. 

Raw food recipe: Living lasagna

This week I've been trying to incorporate more raw food recipes into my dinner selections. While I've eaten many raw dishes at various restaurants, I haven't really tried to make any dishes at home. I have previously made a variation on another living lasagna recipe but that one took days to make. Yes I said DAYS! After prepping the vegetables and letting others marinate I was too tired to eat it. That recipe turned me off from preparing anymore raw dishes. But low and behold I found this recipe which is absolutely delicious and doesn't take a week to prepare. 

Raw Vegan Lasagna from Rawmazing.com

Here's a link to the page where I got the recipe from http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-vegan-lasagna/

I took pictures of the various components of the lasagna in various stages. Though you do have to prepare the nuts (the cashews overnight, the walnuts for 6 hours) the recipe only took me about an hour to make. Everything was done in the food processor and then you just assemble it. The family LOVED this recipe and since it is much faster than I thought it would be, this will be a regular in our household. 

I give this recipe an A+ with two thumbs up!

Speed work makes the dream work

This past Sunday I did interval training for the first time. When I got on the track I was surprised at the fact that I never tried to do them before. One reason may have been that I wasn't able to find a track in my area. The other reason was that I simply didn't want to do them. I've done hills (or bridges here in Florida) and tempo runs but never intervals. For some reason I kind of wrote intervals off as something that wasn't my thing. Of course I never tried them so how would I even know if they're my thing or not. 

Since I'm going to be training people I thought it would make sense to actually do things that I would be asking my trainees to do. Makes sense right? So I found a track and got to training. I did 8 x 400 meters at my 5k pace (or faster) and then a 2-3 minute recovery run.

Guess what I discovered folks!? Intervals are hard! For the first 400 meters I went out way too fast. By the time I was finishing up my first lap I was winded. That didn't help me to push as hard for the remaining seven intervals I had left. I certainly learned my lesson though and gradually increased my pace rather than shoot like a rocket from the starting point. I will say that my recovery run was much faster than I expected. I thought that I was running at about a 9:30 pace when in fact I was running an 8:30 pace. 

By the end of the training I was spent, but I certainly liked changing up my normal routine. Now that I have a track I can go to (and no more excuses) I think I'll be incorporating more intervals into my training. Certainly can't hurt! And to add to this wonderful learning experience I also set TWO new PR's. My fastest mile was 7:49 and my fastest 5k was 24:50! I guess this stuff really does work. 

Time out

Have you ever had those moments when you feel unmotivated to do what you've been doing? For the past couple of weeks I've been in a slump, trying to pull myself out with very little success. My running took a hit, my healthy eating habits took a hit and I wasn't working out nearly as much as I usually did. And to top off the lack of will to get myself moving I've been extremely tired! It seems that the minute I hit my couch and have a moment to myself I am zonked out. 

I didn't even care that my runs went from five a week to three, and even those three were a struggle to accomplish. I simply wanted a break. Though I knew I would get back into the swing of things I really wanted to slow down. To make maters worse my little one is really going through some things. Like the terrible twos to be exact. Her naps are nonexistent, she's cranky all day, all she wants to say is no and I have no idea what makes her happy anymore. 

So rather than try and fight my way through this tornado I threw my hands up. I said I give up and I meant! I wondered why I was feeling so out of it and had to be reminded that I just came out of a whirlwind of activities. My in-laws came to visit in mid-January.

And I ran two half marathons in two weeks.

My body was telling me I needed to take it easy for a bit. I even got a cold which threw me for a loop because I just had a major cold in November. Two colds in two months was not usual for me. I normally get a cold about once every two to three years. 

Guess I should slow it down. Once I started getting back out for my runs and feeling like I wanted to do more I knew I was finally coming out of my slump. I'm happy to report that I'm back in action. After a couple of weeks of rest and taking it easy, listening to my body and (trying) not to stress out, I have gotten my mojo back. Maybe it's time to look for another race!

Time for an upgrade

I am in dire need of upgrading my blog site. I'm getting tired of it looking boring and plain and I want something that reflects my personality. I'm in the process of changing some things around so if you come by and see some things changing or going back to how it was before, please be patient with me. 

I also want to let you know that I added two new pages to my site. One page for recipes and another for race times. For my race times I'm adding another element which is times where I've trained someone else. I'm in the process of getting my coaching certification and I want to show the progress of the people I've worked with. 

I hope you like the new pages and hopefully I'll get this site looking more unique in the near future.

Really people... really?

A couple of weeks ago there was a major situation on the internet about the six pack mom. Did you hear about this? A woman by the name of Abby Pell posted a picture of herself on Instagram with her six-year-old daughter pointing at her amazing abs. 

Well guess what folks!? This picture pissed a lot of women off and they said that she was fat shaming. Some woman even went as far to say that she was exploiting her motherhood to show off her body. Seriously? Oh and my favorite dig was that she obviously doesn't have a job. Cause that is a viable reason for having abs chiseled by DaVinci himself. This reminds me of the Maria Kang situation two years ago when she posted this picture on her Facebook page.

Women came out and said that she was also fat shaming and being a bully. It was also said that she is narcissistic and cares more about her body than she does her kids. Wow!

Come one people! Sorry, let me rephrase that. Come one ladies! Why are we so hard on one another? Why can't we be proud of the achievements that someone else has accomplished and see inspiration and motivation in what they have done? No. Some women would rather trash someone else and post mean comments form the safety of their computer. I want this to stop. I want us, as women, to be proud and support other women.

The media and corporations want to keep us separated and fighting one another. It's beneficial and profitable for them that we stay at odds with one another. The fact that these two stories went viral is a clear indication of that. I remember seeing Maria's picture and thinking, "Wow! You go girl! What kind of workouts did she do to get those kind of abs?" I didn't think, "Hmm Ms. Kang. Are you trying to say that I have excuses for not being Ms. picture perfect like you? Well guess what I think you're being a meany."

I certainly know how difficult it is to get in shape when you have children. While I didn't carry my youngest I certainly gained weight along with my wife. There were years and years of bad eating habits and being sedentary. I never blamed someone else. I knew that if I wanted to make any changes and see any results that I would have to start with me first. I get a bit deeper into my own personal journey with weight in this post. 

Finding time to run, workout and do all of the house duties is a constant challenge. I'm not saying that I have it harder than anyone else. I think each person has their own challenges that make getting things done a bit difficult. One of the reasons why I'm able to run and workout is because of my wife. She is an amazing support when it comes to me being able to have time to myself. We work as a team when it comes to the house and our kids and if that was not the case I probably wouldn't be a runner and I certainly wouldn't have time to blog. 

There are a lot of women (some I know personally) who find time to get their fitness in but sometimes life happens and you have to roll with the punches. What is amazing about these women is that they continue to work on being healthy. Everything that you do in life is a choice. What is important no matter what you choose is that you are happy (or at least content) with the choices you make. And if you aren't happy, then see what you can do to change things. But in the midst of all this, don't trash someone else who has worked hard to get where they are. You never know the struggles someone went through to get to the result that you see. And if it still bothers you to the point that you want to post something online, then shut off your computer.

Running movie review

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Desert Runners is currently on Netflix

I watch a great deal of documentaries and movies about running and I always want to talk to other runners on their thoughts about what I've watched. Since I don't have a great deal of running buddies and the few that I do have don't always watch what I do, I figured this would be a great opportunity to start posting my reviews on these various movies. The first movie I'm reviewing is called Desert Runners by Jennifer Steinman. 

I must say that the moment I started running and had even a shred of understanding about races and the running community, I knew I wanted to run an ultra marathon. There was something about ultras that just drew me in and I have been working toward running one in the future. So to say that I was excited to watch this movie is an understatement. 

The movie follows four people on their quest to complete what's known as a grand slam in the four desert running series. A grand slam is when a runner completes four desert races in one calendar year. And since we are throwing the word desert around, you know that the conditions that these runners run in are extreme. The deserts that are featured in the movie are the: 

Atacama desert in Chile

Gobi desert in Asia

Sahara desert in Africa

The last desert in Antartica

Oh and did I mention that none of these runners are professionals? Yeah! These are everyday runners like you and me who do some trails and some roads around the areas that they live in. I would even venture to say that these people have not done a great amount of half or full marathons in their running career. Each person wanted to challenge themselves and decided that this was the best way to do it. Kudos! I certainly admire their courage.

Now in the movie you will see the runners breakdown and have moments where they can't make it whether due to injury or sheer mental frailty. That's a given considering the races they're running. You will also see runners ban together to help one another get through some rough patches. Words of encouragement, pats on the back, reflection and even people holding hands just to make sure that they keep moving and get to the next check point were heart warming to see. If you're a fellow runner it won't surprise you to see this. The running community is a tight knit one. We support one another and cheer each other on even when we fell like crap. Runners are truly an amazing group of people.

What you might not expect to see is one of the runners dry heaving during one of the races and unable to keep any food or water down for fifteen hours. The race in the Gobi nearly wipes him out but he is able to finish and prepares for the next race. Unfortunately he doesn't fair any better in the Sahara. The dry heaving comes back and he can't keep any food or water down again. After serious contemplation and many tears he winds up dropping out of the race to go back home and get better. He gets checked by a doctor and gets a clean bill of health which enables him to run in the last race in Antartica.

Another runner, the only female featured in the movie, had a horrible encounter with a local DURING the race in the Sahara. Some local man was running beside her and pulls her into the bushes to assault her. Up until that point she had been running with another person but after the last check point she decided to run alone. She was able to get free and run as fast as she could to the next person who helped her into the aide station. Initially she thinks about dropping out but decides to finish it out.

All in all this movie was inspiring and motivational. Even if you don't want to run an ultra or in the desert, you can come away with a feeling of wanting to accomplish something that you may feel is too difficult.

 I give this movie TWO THUMBS UP!

Excuse me... did you say Star Wars marathon?

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Okay so I may be a bit late in talking about this race but, who cares. One day on my Twitter feed I see something about an inaugural Star Wars race. My heart skipped a beat and a little tear came to my eye. I mean this is the perfect combination for a running nerd like me. And I'm not talking about a #runnerd in terms of running gear and paraphernalia. I mean a nerd who also happens to run. This was epic and I immediately googled the race to get more information about it. 

So first off I found out that the race is in California. Bummer! While I love Cali with all my heart I really thought that this race should be in Florida. I mean, we have Disney WORLD not Disney LAND. Come one people! 

This was the first year for this race and with all the talk I was hearing on Twitter it certainly wouldn't be the last. And thank goodness for that because check out these medals!

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I would be lying if I were to say that certain races didn't have more of an appeal to me simply because of the medal. Part of the reason why I love the Miami marathon is because it's the only race to have a gyroscopic medal. Yeah, that's pretty cool. 

I'm not one to want to run in a costume. Maybe it's because I haven't found a costume that I would like to run in. Who knows? But this race will make me reconsider.

Though I will say that running as a wookie would be an absolute no no. Way too hot!

Did you know that running with a watch is optional?

There are tons of articles and books that tell runners to try and run without your watch at least once in your running career. The only times that I've actually done that is when I knew EXACTLY how far I was running and my overall intensity (and even then it was only a mile every time). I will be the first one to admit that I run with my watch all the time. It started out with me checking my pace and wanting to achieve a certain time goal. Then I switched to checking my heart rate and trying to stay within a certain range. Recently it's been about keeping an eye on how many calories I burn and what my distance is exactly. 

But after running with my daughter (without my watch) within our housing division to help get her in shape for volleyball tryouts, I started to see the benefit of ditching the gadget. There are a couple of good ole' loops that I run regularly around my neighborhood and pretty much know the distance without having to check my watch. In fact I can pretty much run in any direction from my house and know how many miles I ran whether it's a loop or a go out and come back run. 

So the other day I thought it would be a good idea to try and run without my watch and here are the things that I discovered:

1. No GPS waiting - It was such a relief to not have to stand outside for five minutes and wait for my GPS to start up. Even when I turn my watch on while I'm getting my gear together inside, it still takes a while for my GPS to start up. I literally locked the door behind me and started running. Crazy!
2. Checking out my surroundings - This is something that I already do because I pay very close attention to what's going on around me. I don't listen to music when I run so I can have all my senses attuned to everything around me. But because I had no watch with me I was able to really just observe what was going on rather than use it as a distraction to not look at my watch.
3. Pace shmace - Okay I will say that for the first couple of miles I was wondering what my overall pace was, but after a certain point I stopped thinking about it. I tend to push myself during my runs. I essentially treat every run as if it were a temp run, unless I'm running with my little one in the jogger and then it's just about survival. This time I kept a comfortable pace and just enjoyed running.
4. Less anxious run equals a less anxious mind - My thoughts are so random during a run that at times I wonder how I even got to the thought I'm thinking of. When I wear my watch, regardless of where my mind drifts off to, the buzz of the mile marker always brings me back to pace. I may say that I don't want to check my pace for the split that I just did but I always end up checking my watch. This time my thoughts were much less scattered and a bit more present on enjoying the scenery.
5. I like running - This may sound crazy cause if I didn't like running then why would I be doing it. But once the watch is gone and there isn't anything to monitor or constantly check it forced me to really pay attention to my actual running. As it turns out, I really like running!

I'll stand by you. Or run with you, whichever you prefer.

Hey folks! Sorry for the gap between posts. My laptop crashed and... oh well that doesn't matter. What matters now is that I'm back and I have some things to share.

So last we spoke I was preparing to do the Miami half marathon with my good friend. Well obviously that time has come and gone and I am happy to report that my good friend not only finished the race but set a new PR. Her previous time was somewhere around 3 hours and 30 minutes and we finished the race in 3 hours and 6 minutes! 

Though she thought that I was going to leave her I stayed by her side for the entire race. I said words of encouragement and kept her focused on her goal. We don't live close to one another so this was the first time that we actually ran together. Considering that I wasn't a part of her training and was still able to get her close to a sub-3 hour half made me proud. 

I did take some video and yes I used my new monopod gadget. There are images of me with it during the race, but I have to pay for them and I simply don't want to do that. Once I get the video edited and looking fantastic I plan to put it up here for you guys to see. 

I look forward to getting back out there with my friend again and helping her reach a new goal of getting to the finish line in under three hours. I have no doubt that we can achieve that and who knows, maybe she will be my first coachee as an official running coach!? Stay tuned for information on that.