Mind Over Matter

Had an AM run on Tuesday. Looked for any indications for a mountain lion. None. That means, it was a green light to G.O.

Unfortunately, I had a horrible run on Tuesday. Planned for a 8 miler, ended up doing a 6 miler. I really don't know why. I just couldn't battle my mental ability to keep pushing. Keep going. F. What is everyone's secret during these unfortunate times? What makes you keep going even though your legs and feet feel like lead?

I really thought it was going to be a great run since I amended my route in order to avoid those weedy areas that I always feel so vulnerable. I was excited to see a new area. Maybe it was the garbage truck that I was sadly behind and had to run soooooooooooooooooooo fast in order to beat it. I thought I was going to seriously gag there for a bit.

I think the highlight of my run was tasting a fantastic Hammer gel flavor. Slurped it down around mile 3.75. I know, right? So close to making it to mile 4, but I like I said, my mind was seriously tripping. I was weak. Apple Cinnamon was the flavor. OMG. It was like apple pie filling sans the crust. Freakin' awesome. Wonder why it was on sale at REI? This should be a hot selling flavor. For reals. It's that good.

Oh, and the fact that I got to try out my new Nike Tempo shorts out. Love, Love, Loved them. Why didn't I wear these before? They are very comfortable. I like how the mesh just embodies your legs. How the fabric is so soft and loose. How it lays well on your body. Everything about these shorts are pretty fan-freakin'-tastic.

Probably not going to get a run in until either Monday evening or Tuesday morning. It's my weekend to work which means 4 lovely nights at the hospital. F. Camping next weekend at Lake Camanche with the friends. Need to see if there are any trails I can run at.

Easy as Sunday Morning....

Did a 4 mile run this AM in my parents town. Kinda glad that I opted to run here instead of at home. Word is that there is a mountain lion loose in my neighborhood. Say What?

It's loose in the area where I normally run, too! Remember how I told yah how vulnerable I feel whenever I pass tall weedy areas? Well, now I am feel even more vulnerable. Added to my lists of possums, and rats, is now a mountain lion. Don't think I can outrun him either as my slow ass pace is 11:20.

The news advises that if and ever you were to come face to face with a mountain lion, to stop and put your arms and hands up. No shit? You want to appear larger than the animal. Other tips are open your jacket if you are wearing one, throw stones, branches, or whatever you can grab without crouching down or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a larger voice.

Hah, I'm screwed. I'm 5'2 and run at 11:20 pace. There's no way in hell that I will appear larger. WTF?

Let's hope that I will remember what they advised and not freak the hell out.

I felt a bit productive by bringing my running gear and actually working out in another city other than mine. It felt good. But, I wish I could say that the run itself felt good. It was a wee bit of a challenge for me as it had several inclines. It's good since I need to have some inclines and start finding runs that have hills in training for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. But, it got me thinking and actually chuckling as I was getting winded while running the small inclines. I mean, these were not even high inclines, either. More like little slopes. Sad.

Was starving by the time I got home. Didn't eat breakfast this time. Made me wonder if it was me not eating breakfast that was making me struggle at times during the so called slopy run.

Made myself a hearty egg and bacon sandwich with whole wheat toast and it was so yummy I could have had another one if I really wanted to. Alas, I didn't and I felt so relieved that my fullness finally kicked in.

My First 8.

I ran my first 8 miles this AM. Hit the pavement around 0600 and didn't even bat an eye when it was time for me to wake up. Guess the suggestion of "getting it over with" is powerful to me.

Couldn't believe that I burned 841 calories. The fact that it's near 1,000 kinda freaked me out! Plus, I was able to shave about a minute off my pace. Ran comfortably at 11:40 and finished it within 1:50. Slow, yes. But, so glad that I finished it. There were times where I could have take a short cut home. Twice, I was tempted. But, it would be very disappointing to come home and know that in my mind I cheated. Cheaters don't win! Heh.

Saw alot of walkers and dogs at 0600 and was starting to get a wee bit lonely being the only runner out there. Finally, around mile 5, I saw them. Yeeeeeeah! I felt like such the jogging nerd as I had all my gear on: iPod, Fuel Belt, and Garmin. They, however, were such the purist. No iPods in sight, no fancy schmancy watches, and no fuel belts. Just a running hat and their jogging attire. How do they do it?

Also, saw a guy run bare foot. I've been reading about these barefoot runners and never thought I'd run into any them in ummm..Sacramento? Was a bit concerned and weirded out as he was running on pavement that had dirt and dog poo in some areas. Yet, at the same time, it looked like it felt great! Since, right now my feet are killing me! I found some Q&A's about running barefoot. Check it out here.


Had a vanilla bean flavor Gu this AM and I must say, it wasn't that bad. I think I actually enjoyed it more than the chocolate flavored one because it was less sweet. It didn't require me to chase it down with a gallon of water. Chose it because it was the only one in the bunch that looked the most popular. I tend to choose items like that. Sometimes, this theory works and sometimes, it doesn't.


Good luck to everyone participating in the San Francisco Marathon!

Fleet Feet Rocks!

Fleet Feet in Vacaville, CA is having an overstock apparel sale this coming Saturday, July 25th. Everything in the clearance will be $15. I'm so there. I'm hoping I can find some sport bra's and dry fit long sleeve tops. The last time I did my long run in a tank top, I got burned bad and very tanned. This Filipino gal does not need to get any darker.

They are also opening up registration for their half marathon training for those participating in the Las Vegas marathon in December. Hi, that's me! I need this. But, it's in Vacaville which is 30 minutes away from Sacramento. Dam. Not sure if I want to spend the gas money to drive all the way down there. I looked to see if the Sacramento Fleet Feet location has any training for the Las Vegas and unfortuantely, there is none. Right now, they are offering training for the Fall Half Marathon which starts on the weekend of August 7th. But, I'll be camping that weekend with friends and plus working a night schedule is not condusive with their training days. Its times like these that I really wished I worked day shifts. It's so frustrating finding a program that works with my schedule. F.

Great Find.

I'm always on the lookout for some running attire-gear. Didn't expect to find a good deal at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale though. That's the last place I'd expect to purchase athletic wear. I'm surprised I even clicked on the athletic gear link to even peruse.


Thank goodness that I did, because I wouldn't have found these cutie patooties. I was able to snag a couple of Nike Tempo Track Shorts for $17.90. Post sale, they will be $28. Got them in black and white and in mid fog/blue. Hurry UPS man. Ring my doorbell already!

Since I didn't go into work last night, I was going to do a run in the AM. But, given my extreme soreness, I decided to take a break and just run as scheduled which is on Friday. I think that was one of the best decisions I ever made. I feel alot better today as I should be. I know I'll have the ER tonight and probably will be running my tail off anyways. So, it's a good thing.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Uneventful Running Weekend.

I finally got a chance to get out there this morning. Did 6 miles and fortunately my legs and feet were in autopilot. Love it when it's not a mental game.

Been itching to get a run since last week as I had a very busy week at work. Isn't it cool when your mind craves a workout when stress hits you? I'd take craving a workout over a fattening meal any day, yes?


Went to the Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason on the good ole Presidio base on Saturday. Anticipated this fair all week as I am a fan of Etsy. Being there felt like it was Etsy in person and I just couldn't get my heart to stop pitter pattering with each booth I passed.

Felt good to get out of the 100+ heat. I enjoy living in Sacramento, but man, the heat is something I do not enjoy. It has been like living in hell last week and this week is no exception. San Francisco was a welcoming relief to me. Made me think for a hot minute to move, especially after seeing a man jogging on the pier at 3 in the afternoon. Can't do that kind of stuff at 3pm in Sac. 8:00 am you are already pushing it with the heat. F.

Looks like I'll be registering for the Rock n' Roll Marathon in Vegas soon. Half Marathon, ofcourse. Spoke to my friend, No Fear, who is a fellow coworker that runs too, and she is wanting to sign up for it. Can't wait. December. Birthday Month. Cold Weather. What can be better?

Just wondering if it'll be just a wee bit too much since we are both running the 1/2 in October for the Nike's Women's in San Francisco.

Plans for the week:
Monday: RAN 6 miles
Friday: Run 8 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Run 8 miles

Total: 26 miles.

I struggled yesterday to succumb to my ever annoying alarm clock at the ripe ole' time of 6:00 am. Poor husband, since he sleeps right next to the alarm clock, had to endure the blaring noise every 15 minutes or so. But I gotta love him even more as he never once complained that I wasn't getting up. He just continued to push the snooze button after I finally said, " okay, I think I'm just going to sleep in, turn it off."

This morning, the same thing happened, only it begun at 5:15am. I had every intention the night before to wake up bright and early. Heck, I even slept early so that I can wake up. Yeaaaaah, that didn't happen until 5:45 am. The poor guy. But, I did it. I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast and hit the pavement at 6:15 am.

Too freakin' late though. I could feel the sun already, but it was still enough to tolerate as there was a breeze every now and then.

Need to wake up earlier. Need more discipline.

But, I had a cool 3 mile run. Saving my long run for this coming weekend. Realizing that my comfortable pace, aka, my zone pace is 12:25. Dam, I'm slow. I did get as fast as 10:30, but that's because I was too excited to get out there initially and was running off of excitment. Totally slowed it down as I was getting way ahead of myself.


Had to get a new running hat as Maddie chewed my running hat. Dam. The pains of having a puppy. She's lucky she's so darn cute.

I'm not a heffer!

" I'm J.J. Fad and I'm here to Rock!" were words that helped me with my morning run this morning. My arch on my right foot was still a slight bothersome for me, but I decided to screw it and just go. That, and the hubs saying, " I think you should go for a run since you'll be working the next few nights and won't be able to get in another run for a few."

F. Dam You! Why do you gotta play that card???


I found my foot arch supporters that I bought when I initially purchased my running shoes at the Fleet Feet Store (which is another narcisstic whole story in itself to tell sometime.)

and can you believe that they were in a spot where they should have been?

I think my feet seriously let out a cry of " Thank You Jesus!" as I was able to run a 5 mile run with no problemo's whatsoever. Post run, my feet still felt great.


I noticed that on this run that whenever I see other people running or just people walking in general, I tend to pick up my pace. Does this happen to any of you? I get excited to see others out there running. It's like if I was a dog, and saw another dog coming my way, I would get super excited, wag my butt-tail so fast and just go! Well, that's how I felt like because our Maddie does this all the freakin' time.

Another thing I noticed is with my running hat. The lid keeps me shielded from the sun and almost too good from my blind spots. I'm in my own little world when I wear that hat. But, I've realized that when I'm in my own world- own zone, I can get a little startled at times.


Take for instance, Black and White song of MJ came on and I completely forgot that in the beginning of the song there's this kid playing some music and his dad bangs on his door to tell him to turn it off. Well, dude, that banging on the door scared the living daylights out of me. I was totally freaked out and thought someone was yelling at ME!

What the hell?

Okay, now you can officially post the " I'm strange" badge on my blog. Is it me or do you guys get startled at times when in your "zone?" I think it's just me. HAH.

Taking a Rest Day, For Reals.

I spoke about how hard it is to find a great time to get in some runs, both long and short, while working the night shifts. I'm lucky to have a set schedule which means that I usually get a 7 day stretch of days off once or twice a month.

It's in this 7 day stretch that I try to get as many runs as I can because I know that once I have to go back to work, I won't be able to run for another 5 days!


I did a semi-long run for the first time on Monday. I did 7 miles and boy, did my feet pay for it afterwards. Is this a normal pain after doing long runs? The sides of my feet (the big toe side), especially my right foot was hurting so bad that I couldn't even lay it flat on the ground so easily if I wanted to or walk without a gait for that matter. Two days later, they are still hurting, but not as bad as the day of.

I'm thinking the reason for my soreness is my flat feet as my arches are on fire. I blame my daddy! So, I'm going to head over to the store and seek out some arch supports for my shoes. Right now, I've been rolling them on some kind of cylindrical item. It never felt so good.

So, I'm spending my rest day organizing my iPod's running playlist. I'm sure this subject has been touched already multiple times by other running blogs. But, I just gotta ask. What's in your iPod runnign playlist?

I like to run with music that is kinda fast, happy, inspiring, or basically something that would call me out to the dance floor because it will make me happy and just want to get out there and move.

Right now, I currently have:

1.) Black and White by Michael Jackson
2.) Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
3.) My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson
4.) Please Don't Leave Me by Pink
5.) Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure
6.) Bust a Move by Young MC
7.) Eye of the Tiger by Great White
8.) Supersonic by JJ Fad
9.) How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20
10.) Mickey by Toni Basil

A Mild Hot Week.

That's what the weather forecaster predicted for the weather this week, " a mild hot week." Hearing this put a huge smile on my face. No pressure to wake up in the wee hours of the AM to get a run in before the burning sun gets out.

In fact, yesterday I was able to put in a 7 mile run at 10:00 am! There was a breeze every now that I loved that hit my face giving me some relief. Got to try for the first time a Hammer gel, chocolate flavor on mile 4. I felt like I was guzzing down chocolate frosting. Needed some water as a chaser as it was a bit too sweet.

I honestly, was expecting some big jolt of energy to kick in. I guess after reading many blogs about gels, I began to think like that of these. But, it did give me some stamina to keep pushing on times when I wanted to stop oh-so-badly.

On Sunday, I had intentions of doing a 4 mile run, but had to stop abruptly at mile 2 as I saw two big stray dogs come out of nowhere. Had to call the hubs to come and pick me up. I'm a scaredy cat like that. I knew I shouldn't have gone down this pathway as it's nothing but weeds on both sides. Felt a little vulnerable here as I kept thinking a big possum or a gazilion of field mice is going to come out and spring at me.



The good news about this run is that I got to use my fuel belt for the first time. Felt like such the nerd with it. I ain't gonna lie. If I were to compare the feeling, it would be a stereotypical nerd with a pocket full of pens and pencils in their pocket. I know. I'm just not used to it and I'm sure people whom I pass by aren't phased by it, either.

The verdict: It's an okay belt. I don't like how the bottles and little bag when pushed to the back of me creeps back to the front after running for a bit. Also, I don't like how I have to tighten the strap every now and then. It's a bit distracting.


This morning, I had a easy run/walk with the BFF. I was there to support her as she just had a beautiful baby boy and wants to get back into shape. So, we woke up at 6:00 am, and headed out there at 7:00 am. Was a bit excited as I was going on a trail I've never been before. So, my adrenaline was slightly pumping with that excitment.

Since this was her first time in a long time to go running, we did interval training. I initially set it up the Garmin to where we can run for 5:00 minutes and walk for 2:00 minutes. But, she was getting tired quickly even with slowing down our pace and so we ended up doing the reverse. Hah. Oh wells, with time I guess it'll get easier for her. Let's just hope she gets into running and enjoys is as much as I do. I would love to have another running partner. The more the merrier.