no day but TODAY!!!

This is the story of how a billion things went wrong the morning of my half-marathon due to my usual scatter-brain and refusal to spend time planning for things... and how everything still managed to turn out great! :D

(Don't worry, i took these pictures AFTER the marathon so it didn't screw up my time :D

Firstly, guess who decided to come visit right before my marathon started?! Yup, sista flow! I had cramps randomly hit me throughout my run, but for some reason I felt like they would hurt more if I stopped and walked, so I powered through and tried not to think about them.

Secondly, I estimated about 30-35 minutes to get to Palos Verdes from West LA with nilch saturday morning traffic, so I planned to leave around 6:45AM for my 7:30AM marathon... but it actually takes about 40-45 minutes MINIMUM to get there WITHOUT traffic, which I didn't realize until 10 minutes before leaving!

Thirdly, my body refused to fall asleep before the clock strikes midnight even though I knew I was waking up at 5AM, so I tried to force it to sleep but it resulted in weird dreams throughout the night about not waking up on time... I woke up after falling asleep for what I thought was hours, and yelled, "Mike! Is it 5AM already?!?" and threw off all the blankets. and then saw that it was only 11:50PM and I had only been asleep for 10 minutes... it happened at least 6 times throughout the night, which kinda sucks for Mike because he also had to wake up at 6:30 to be my marathon chauffer!

Fourthly, it was sprinkling/drizzling in Palos Verdes, even though weather channel said Saturday was supposed to be beautiful and sunny, and SUNDAY was supposed to be crappy weather day! Those liars!!!!

It was super stressful knowing I was late to the marathon and that my body wasn't fully rested (I couldn't sleep the night before, either), and that I was definitely not mentally prepared to run 13 miles in any way... But even with all these setbacks, it was actually a really good first half-marathon!

Yes, I was 20 minutes late to the starting line and all the half/full marathon runners were long gone by then. BUT the 5K race started at 8AM, so when I began my lonesome start, the people in charge made all the 5K, 10K runners, and bystanders cheer and scream for me as I ran through the crowd! It actually was a pretty great energy booster to have my own personal kick-off :D

For the first 5 minutes of the race, I didn't see a single person in sight and was kind of worried... but then I started seeing more and more stragglers and started passing a bunch of them, then more of them, and then I started passing slow runners, and eventually began passing a bunch of medium and normal paced runners! By mile 4/5, I'm pretty sure I was in the top 50% of all the marathon runners!

The path was absolutely gorgeous, and was right next to the beach. You could see waves crashing against cliffs, and giant beach-front mansions all along the run! And to be honest, the slight drizzle and cool weather made the run really refreshing! I would rather have had the small sprinkles than burning, scorching sun, for sure!

During the race, I planned to take a walking break at mile 6... but when mile 6 came I didn't need it so I didn't stop. Then mile 7 came and I still felt strong, so I kept going... at mile 8 I hit a runners high that carried me all the way to mile 11. It got a little harder at 11 miles since it was on an incline (even though the entire marathon path was hills) but I was so close to finishing so I wouldn't let my legs stop, no matter how slow I was going... mile 12 felt like it would NEVER come. I grabbed a small cup of gatorade at mile 12 even though I usually hate any kind of sports drinks, and before I knew it, mile 13 was here! It came up so fast that I didn't even have time to prepare... to be honest, the only thought in my head was, "I wonder what song is gonna be playing on my ipod shuffle when I cross the finish line!" (It was "Another Day" from the RENT soundtrack :)

Then I saw Mike waiting for me by the finish line, and some adrenaline shot in me and I sprinted all the way across! It felt pretty amazing to cross the finish line feeling strong, and I felt like I could've gone for another 1 or 2 miles (but definitely not 13... SF Marathon is gonna SLAUGHTER me). ! I orignally told Mike he didn't have to watch me because lets face it... watching a marathon is kinda like watching goldfish in a tank. But I was SUPER glad at the end of the half that he was persistent and didn't listen to me, and was there and I had someone to give big squishy hugs to after they handed me my medal :D

Woo I made it! And OF COURSE afterwards I celebrated with awesomesauce friends and Midori Sushi! Most perfect combo EVERRR!!! Oh, and hot chocolate in my favorite snowman cup EVER, personally crafted by Mike, who made sure to arrange the marshmallows in happy snowmen-fashion!

Today was the yearly tradition of the UCLA Run/Walk 5K! Since I have done this race ALMOST every year since starting at UCLA, I HAD to run this race even though I wasn't sure how I would be feeling when I originally signed up for it. But I actually felt fine, if not a little tired (from the sister), and took it easy. Plus, it was fun running with friends and my favorite school and campus in the whole world! There was SO MUCH SWAG at this Run/Walk, it was awesome! I'm pretty sure I grabbed like $50 of free stuff :D BEST THING EVER. Way better than the free stuff at the Palos Verdes Marathon, which was pathetic in comparison. Look, it's Josie Bruin!!!

I LOVE RUNNING, ESPEICALLY WITH FRIENDS AND PEOPLE I LOVE, AND WILL BE DOING THIS FOR AS LONG AS I CAN!

The PV marathon gave me a pretty good gadge of where I am in terms of being ready for SF marathon on July 31st... and I'M SCREWED. Better kick up the training 10 notches!!! I mean, the 13.1 miles didn't kick my ass or anything and I felt like I could have gone a bit further... but imagining having to DOUBLE that mileage... YIIIIIKES!!!!

And to be honest, for me, it really sometimes is a gamble and depends on how my body is feeling that day. Of course there are things I can do to prepare and increase my chances of a good performance aka. do all the things I DIDN'T DO, but regardless, there are days when I just don't feel like running and even 2 miles are the most exhausting things ever. And when it's not race days, I listen to my body and do something else. But as inconvenient as all of Saturday was through the worries, lack of sleep, cramp/bloat-age, my body was luckily ready for running, so I still did OK. I hope on SF Marathon day, my body feels the same... OR BETTER :]

SF MARATHON, HERE I COME!

Inspiration!

Or A.D.D, whatever you wanna call it.

Ok so I kind of have a history of getting SUPER DUPER EXCITED about an idea, and the phase usually lasts about a week, a month, a couple months at most, and then it kinda dies out, and is left in the shadows till the urge takes over again next time.

Examples include:

Deciding I would learn how to sew and start making and tailoring my own clothes. The outcome was ripping apart some of my old clothes/bedsheets, and my mom's old clothes, rendering them into unusable scraps, made a few pieces that fell apart or are held together by scraggly stitches, and have not touched the sewing machine in about a year.

A painting frenzy one summer and painted like 6 paintings in 2 weeks... I still love painting but I just don't have time. The last painting I completed was probably 2 years ago...

Learning guitar, which I'm so glad I did! Except I play probably only 5-6 hours a month... I don't even have blisters or callouses on my fingertips, the first sign of a true guitarist! They always start to form, but then heal by the next time I pick up the guitar.

NOW I recently got this sudden urge to get my Personal Training certification!!! Two of my old roomies have done it, and it is just a test you have to pass! They said that even if I dont pass the test and get my CPT, it is still useful knowledge to know. Since I've been semi-training for the marathon and doing lotsa running lately, I've been really into the whole "eating healthy" thing that some people do... My body actually WANTS veggies and fresh meats and unprocessed foods... even though I still eat massive amounts of jelly beans, cookies, pastries, and chips. But I think it is my body indirectly telling me I need to fuel it with healthier foods!

I've always been really interested in the technicalities of the human body, and thought it would be really cool to understand anatomy and the chemical reactions going on within the incredible species that is homo sapien! And this would be a perfect learning experience! Plus, I can even one day make $$ on the side maybe, when I'm a poor student at Columbia, if I get hired at a crappy gym that I trick into thinking I actually know where your triceps are!

I researched up on it a bit, and it's actually not a very difficult process to complete! Some people take prep courses for the CPT test (just like how you would for the LSATS or GMATS), but I think I'm just gonna study on my own and wing it! Plus my old roomies have study material. I am actually excited to be utilizing those brain cells once more, since they've gone into hibernation after I graduated from UCLA... I hope none of them have gone into permanent hibernation especially since I flooded them with alcohol last week in New Orleans... I'm gonna get CPR/AED certified this Friday!

ANYWAY, I have also decided that I'm gonna start baking and cooking, but MOSTLY BAKING more, because it will be really good practice for someday when I really do open my own cafe and am too poor to afford cooking/pastry school! Even if I am 40 or 50 when I finally get to do it, I would love to have a huge cafe filled with books and yummy treats! It's a dream of mine even though I am naturally a horrible cook and baker, and my products usually turn out to resemble mad-scientist experiments rather than edible goodies... I never have the patience to read through all the long instructions. but hey, you learn through mistakes (that you force other people to eat) right?!?! :] I think I will attempt to make at least 2-3 new things each week!

All "health food" talk aside, this is the mac n cheese I made last night for dinner, which will last until 2012. Warning: DO NOT eat this if you are on a diet, because I'm sure there is at least 1000 calories of gooey cheese deliciousness in each bite... im sure there is more cheese than pasta in this thing, not to mention pieces of hot dogs which are also really good for you :] I'm trying to fatten Mike up so that he will think I look normal when I go on my ice cream diet soon.

I have no idea where the urges came from, but as you can see, ever since I finished grad school apps, I have way too much time, enthusiasm, and energy on my hands and I need to direct them somewhere. Plus, dating a person who sleeps 8-10 hours a night like a normal person is not very conducive for someone who doesn't have the attention span to stay still for that long (I switch positions at least 20 times throughout the night, lucky for mike :) so I have to figure out things to do when he is getting his REM on.

I don't know how long I will keep this up, or how long I will WANT to keep this up before a new urge grabs me and I forget about this one. Yes, I know it happens all the time. But I am super excited right now and we shall see how it goes!!! :D

On another note, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! Moms are the most wonderful people in this world, espeically mine, and sisters are a close 2nd!!!

WHO DAT?!

I've been procrastinating on documenting the Nawlins trip, mostly because there is just SO MUCH to say! (That means get ready for a long one...)

New Orleans is basically like Vegas with culture... tons of distinct places to drink, places to eat, they even have a Harrah's Casino!

We spent 2 days at the Jazz Festival, where we ate EVEN MORE. Jazz Fest was NOTHING like Coachella in that not only does it end at 7pm (grandma's bedtime), it seems like most people go not for the music, but for the FOOD. During Jason Mraz, John Legend, Bon Jovi, Jon Mellencamp, The Decemberists... no one was dancing or moving to the music. Everyone brings their own lawn chairs or sits out on towels on the grass, completely enveloped in their own conversations or devouring their food, blatantly ignoring the music! Also, there are 50 beer stands at the Jazz Fest, and 2 water stands. And about 100 different food stands!

Music from Jazz Fest:

Music off Frenchmen Street (where the artists and locals perform and hang out AFTER jazz fest):

At Jazz Fest, there are 12 different stages and they put all major artists AT THE SAME TIME, which is right before the festival ends. There is no way to watch entire performances of any good artist, because they are all performing within the same 1.5 hour span! The entire Festival age group is a lot older, laid back, and relaxed. They seem to be the "lolling the hours by soaking in the humid air" kinda people rather than the "let's hit up every band possible!" people.

Here's my verdict:

• Street jazz and music on Frenchmen Street is better than Jazz Fest music
• Jazz Fest food is better than restaurant food in New Orleans
• People in New Orleans and just the mid-west in general drink beer (Foster's and Coors) like it's water
• All the best dishes in New Orleans are deep fried, buttered, or come on/in a giant slab of bread, or all of the above (aka. Po Boys and Muffuletas)

I am DEFINITELY looking forward to another New Orleans trip, and it is SUCH a fun place to go with friends! The infamous Bourban Street is riddle with bars offering cheap drink deals, and everyone is super friendly! There are also A MILLION art galleries to explore, and even a flea market we didn't have time for! We didn't have time to do SO MANY THINGS, even though we really did a lot! Time at the Jazz Festival almost takes away time to explore New Orleans itself.

Us by the muddy Mississippi River:

What I can't do (or don't feel like doing) in words, I will do with pictures:

First stop... CAFE DU MONDE! The star of Nola! Man those beignets are delish... and I had to try not to enjoy them so much because Mike can't eat them. But they were SOOO yummy, crunchy on the outside, bready on the inside, doused in powdered sugar! Also, it's so affordable, and HUGE!

The streets of Nawlins are kinda dirty, but so beautiful and historical! It's a whole different world just walking around and getting lost in the quaint houses and walking by picket fences and porches with rocking chairs!

The first night we got there, we DRANK! of course! We got the infamous Hand Grenade, and started chatting with this super drunk guy next to us who invited us to bar crawl with all 12 of his friends who were regular Nawlins go-ers, and introduced us to Frenchmen Street!

Which leads us to one of my favorite bands at the Jazz Fest, Glen Davis Andrews! We stumbled upon him on Frenchmen Street for free at one of the jazz clubs there. Most clubs had a cover so we walked into one that didn't and lucky for us, he was there spicing things up! And then we happened to stumble upon his performance again in the Blues Tent on Sunday! He is the epitome of New Orleans local jazz... his voice is so unique, rough and smooth all at once, if that's possible, and his energy and passion is unparallel! We were meant to discover him :) That's him crowd surfing.

Banana Fosters French Toast at Stanleys... SO YUMMY but I couldnt come close to finishing it because right beforehand we raided a the Southern Candy Makers shop and kinda went crazy with the chocolates... they must put something in their candy because it is literally the most MOUTHWATERING chocolates I have ever laid lips upon! I even brought a box back for my mom and even though they were a week old, she said they were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! And she never thinks anything is absolutely delicious!!!

Me + a muffuleta... one of the most delicious things I ate that trip! But the MOST delicious (besides oysters at Drago's and Mike's Gator Tamales) was the Con de lait Po Boys... shredded pork over cole slaw Po Boy... SOOOOOO GOOD. No pictures of that one though, I ate it before there was any evidence left...

MMM Sweet Potato fried in pig lard... covered in chilli powder.... SO GOOD YET SO BAD!

Drago's Charbroiled Oysters... BEST THING SOAKED IN BUTTER AND COVERED IN PARMESAN, EVER. Look at those juicy suckers!

We also ate at Camelia's Grill, which is a restaurant Mike's dad told us about because he used to love it there and eat there all the time. That sandwhich was AHHH-MAZING. 2 patties and cheese and onions... can't go wrong! Their chili cheese fries were to-die for too... let's just forget the fact that we gulped it all down at midnight...

Oh, Hurricane @ Pat O'Briens... how can we forget?!

Port of Call cheeseburger with mushrooms..... SOOOOO YUMMERS. And the Monsoon... KILLER. Mike took 3 sips and was OUT. weeeeeaksauce! And he kept "fake sipping" the entire day! We did start the day of, though, with a giant pina colada fleur-de-lis drink, as well as a couple shots, as well as some jello shots. Man that's a lotta liquid!

Last but not least, the Carousel Bar and my new favorite drink, Ramos Gin Fizz. The entire atmosphere of the bar is just so cool! The bar spins around slowly (hence the name), and it's a bit upscale but laid back, and if you manage to get a seat around the carousel bar (which we did), after that Gin Fizz you will be unsure whether it's the room spinning or your head. PERFECTION.

We ate so much more, like a Pimm's Cup at Napoleon, oysters at Acme House, Po' Boys at Johnnys...stuff I can't remember thats on Mike's camera. And we met so many nice people! Midwesterners are friendly and just plain bomb-tastic! I have no idea how we downed all that in a weekend... but we did! And Mike was sick and still drank with me so I didn't feel like an alcoholic :) what a sweetie pie

Is Nawlins my new Vegas? YES when I'm older and have money to fly that far! There is NO WAY anyone can have a bad time in that city... even if you've flown 6 hrs on the plane (with a lame stopover in Houston) and after only 3 hours of sleep while recovering from a horrible flu.

LOVE.

NAWLINS, I'LL BE SEEING YOU AGAIN, SOON.