Well, sort of. I think it was 80 degrees outside the day Drew and I did our holiday decorating.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
deck the halls!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Well, sort of. I think it was 80 degrees outside the day Drew and I did our holiday decorating.
Well, sort of. I think it was 80 degrees outside the day Drew and I did our holiday decorating.
Monday, November 28, 2011
turkey trot!
Drew and I headed down to Oceanside for Thanksgiving where we indulged in running and eating way too much stuffing. Or maybe it was me, not Drew, who ate too much stuffing.
This is my 6th Thanksgiving, and I recently realized that I probably don't have many more to celebrate in Oceanside. I will eventually graduate and move out of Southern California. Hopefully. But I will no doubt miss spending Thanksgiving with the Oceanside family. It's always a riot. It's loud and everyone is talking, sometimes above one another. The only time people aren't talking is about the first 10 seconds after we've served our food and start eating. It's a lot of fun. Meals are always served family style, and sometimes there are so many people that the dinner table extends into the entryway (like it did for my first Thanksgiving there). Instead of passing around dishes of food, you pass around your plate.
Our Thanksgiving began with the Turkey Trot. When I began running a little over 2 months ago, I was run/walking miles at a 15 minute pace. My only goal was to run the entire Turkey Trot, no matter how slow. Drew and I ran the entire 3.1 miles together, separating only to dodge walkers. The race was very flat and went pretty well. The last stretch was along the ocean, and people came out of their beach houses to cheer us on. There was a girl playing her violin and a group of guys blasting music. My cousin Mike was there to greet us at the finish line.
Near the finish line, Drew graciously slowed down to take my picture crossing the finish line.
My official time was 31:15, or about a 10 minute mile. Drew finished one second later. Here is the 'after' picture:
This is my 6th Thanksgiving, and I recently realized that I probably don't have many more to celebrate in Oceanside. I will eventually graduate and move out of Southern California. Hopefully. But I will no doubt miss spending Thanksgiving with the Oceanside family. It's always a riot. It's loud and everyone is talking, sometimes above one another. The only time people aren't talking is about the first 10 seconds after we've served our food and start eating. It's a lot of fun. Meals are always served family style, and sometimes there are so many people that the dinner table extends into the entryway (like it did for my first Thanksgiving there). Instead of passing around dishes of food, you pass around your plate.
Our Thanksgiving began with the Turkey Trot. When I began running a little over 2 months ago, I was run/walking miles at a 15 minute pace. My only goal was to run the entire Turkey Trot, no matter how slow. Drew and I ran the entire 3.1 miles together, separating only to dodge walkers. The race was very flat and went pretty well. The last stretch was along the ocean, and people came out of their beach houses to cheer us on. There was a girl playing her violin and a group of guys blasting music. My cousin Mike was there to greet us at the finish line.
Near the finish line, Drew graciously slowed down to take my picture crossing the finish line.
My official time was 31:15, or about a 10 minute mile. Drew finished one second later. Here is the 'after' picture: 
The rest of the day was dedicated to relaxing, football, wii, and pecan pie.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
october
It's not October anymore, but it was a busy month that deserves a recap. For starters, I finally left prospectus purgatory. Yes, it's true, I finally got to defend my prospectus and begin dissertation research. The defense wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated and certainly not as dreadful as I thought it would be.
I also signed up for a half marathon. I forked over $60, so there is no turning back now. Sam and I did a 5 mile run a week ago and a 6 mile run last Sunday, which is the longest that I've ever run in my life. Next Sunday, we are running 7 miles, which is a bit difficult to wrap my head around, but I'm sure we will survive.
Last weekend, we went to a fancy running store, which proved to be a dangerous place to be if you've just started running and still think it's fun. Not only did I become a VIP member of said running store, but I bought a hydration pack, some energy gels, and socks. I confess that these socks were $18 for a 3 pack. On sale. But they're supposed to prevent blisters, so how could I resist?
I also signed up for a half marathon. I forked over $60, so there is no turning back now. Sam and I did a 5 mile run a week ago and a 6 mile run last Sunday, which is the longest that I've ever run in my life. Next Sunday, we are running 7 miles, which is a bit difficult to wrap my head around, but I'm sure we will survive.
Last weekend, we went to a fancy running store, which proved to be a dangerous place to be if you've just started running and still think it's fun. Not only did I become a VIP member of said running store, but I bought a hydration pack, some energy gels, and socks. I confess that these socks were $18 for a 3 pack. On sale. But they're supposed to prevent blisters, so how could I resist?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
a half marathon
This is the story about how I agreed to run a half marathon in January. It started about a week ago. As you may recall, I'm running a 5K on Thanksgiving Day, a race appropriately called the Turkey Trot. My friend Sam and I run a couple times a week, and we ran our first 4 miler a week and a half ago. And something magical happened. It actually felt pretty good. I didn't feel like I was going to die, which is something I usually feel at some point during the first mile.
So here's what happens when you run 4 miles and feel exhilarated: you agree to run a half marathon. I knew Sam was planning to run a half in January, but I hadn't given much thought to doing it myself until recently. Here was my line of thought: we're training buddies, so if she's going to train for a half and we continue to run together, well then, shouldn't I also do the half? You might be thinking: If Sam jumps off a cliff, will I blindly follow? The answer is of course not, but I should mention right now that she's already registered for the Big Sur Marathon, which is sometime at the end of April or early May. I'm not even going to think about what this could mean for me.
And so I have verbally committed to running the half marathon in January. I even announced it on facebook. But I haven't ponied up the $50 for the registration fee. Other magical things have happened from running. For starters, seemingly overnight, we shaved a minute off our mile time. Instead of 13 minutes miles, we're now running 12 minute miles. How did that happen? I have no idea, but I'll take it.
So here's what happens when you run 4 miles and feel exhilarated: you agree to run a half marathon. I knew Sam was planning to run a half in January, but I hadn't given much thought to doing it myself until recently. Here was my line of thought: we're training buddies, so if she's going to train for a half and we continue to run together, well then, shouldn't I also do the half? You might be thinking: If Sam jumps off a cliff, will I blindly follow? The answer is of course not, but I should mention right now that she's already registered for the Big Sur Marathon, which is sometime at the end of April or early May. I'm not even going to think about what this could mean for me.
And so I have verbally committed to running the half marathon in January. I even announced it on facebook. But I haven't ponied up the $50 for the registration fee. Other magical things have happened from running. For starters, seemingly overnight, we shaved a minute off our mile time. Instead of 13 minutes miles, we're now running 12 minute miles. How did that happen? I have no idea, but I'll take it.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
3 miles
This is my 5th week of running. I've worked my way up to 3 mile runs, soon to be 4 (this Sunday). Running is hard, but I'm sticking with it. At some point, I know it will get easier and that I'll get better at it. Even though I huff and puff my way through 3 miles, I love the way I feel after a run. I feel like I breathe better. It's nice feeling like I accomplished something. I like the thought of knowing that I did something I didn't think I could do. I never thought of myself as a runner, so running even 3 miles feels like a triumph.
Friday, September 30, 2011
on running
As you may recall, I am in the throes of training for the Turkey Trot, a 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I am nearing the end of the 3rd week of training. Last Sunday, I ran 3 miles, which was my first 3 miler in a really, really long time, maybe even years. It went well, and I didn't feel like I was going to die. I have also started running with a friend, something I've never done before. We won't be able to run together all the time, but for now, it looks like we'll have a standing Sunday morning running date.
I have a few reasons for taking up running. For one thing, I'd like to lose some weight. During the time I've been in grad school, I've gained and lost the same 5-7 pounds. The good thing is that I lose those same 5-7 pounds. The alternative is that they just accumulate. But I'm tired of being so inconsistent with my workout habits, and I'm confident running will get me on track. Having a clear goal (the Turkey Trot) certainly helps, but so does the structure of a training program. I know when I'm going to run, how often, and for how many miles. My Type A personality really likes this structure.
I flirted with running before I came to grad school, and I really enjoyed it. I ran a couple 5Ks, and I considered training for a 10K. But then I moved to CA and never really hopped back on the treadmill, so to speak. I ran here and there, but never as consistently as I did prior to grad school.
I've also been motivated to take up running because I'm hoping that it will help me cope with grad school. This past year has been incredibly difficult and stressful. These things will always be there, but I'm looking for ways to deal with them. Yoga has certainly been a life saver, but it alone is not the cure-all pill. Already, I can tell that running is helping- it helps me cope with my stress and frustration, and it clears my mind.
I have a few reasons for taking up running. For one thing, I'd like to lose some weight. During the time I've been in grad school, I've gained and lost the same 5-7 pounds. The good thing is that I lose those same 5-7 pounds. The alternative is that they just accumulate. But I'm tired of being so inconsistent with my workout habits, and I'm confident running will get me on track. Having a clear goal (the Turkey Trot) certainly helps, but so does the structure of a training program. I know when I'm going to run, how often, and for how many miles. My Type A personality really likes this structure.
I flirted with running before I came to grad school, and I really enjoyed it. I ran a couple 5Ks, and I considered training for a 10K. But then I moved to CA and never really hopped back on the treadmill, so to speak. I ran here and there, but never as consistently as I did prior to grad school.
I've also been motivated to take up running because I'm hoping that it will help me cope with grad school. This past year has been incredibly difficult and stressful. These things will always be there, but I'm looking for ways to deal with them. Yoga has certainly been a life saver, but it alone is not the cure-all pill. Already, I can tell that running is helping- it helps me cope with my stress and frustration, and it clears my mind.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
green tomatoes
Our gardening season is sort of winding down. I say "sort of" because even though tomato and pepper season is wrapping up, Drew and I will still get to plant cool weather crops like lettuce, beets, and brussel sprouts. I know, I know, it's rough over here where it doesn't frost, snow, or get colder than say 55 degrees.
Our rookie gardening season went pretty well. We had big, bushy green plants, lots of peppers, some tomatoes, jalapenos, and beans. The peppers are slowing down but still producing, but the tomatoes have really slowed down. We have several green tomatoes that absolutely refuse to turn red.
Our rookie gardening season went pretty well. We had big, bushy green plants, lots of peppers, some tomatoes, jalapenos, and beans. The peppers are slowing down but still producing, but the tomatoes have really slowed down. We have several green tomatoes that absolutely refuse to turn red.
Fortunately, they will not go to waste. This weekend I'll be using them to make salsa verde. If we've learned anything this gardening season, it's to plant tomatoes early- in April, not July. Big rookie mistake. Oh well. 
At least there is eggplant.
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