Radio Silence

I have been a weekend runner for the past 2 to 3 weeks (it pains me to type it). Unfortunately, the reasons for this are also the reasons why I don't have much time to update this blog and revel in my fitness level.

My last run was over a week ago on an early and cold Monday morning around my neighborhood. A nice 3-miler at an 8:40 minute mile. Not too shabby. Since I've been sick all week, however, I'm pretty sure my next run will be painful.

Meanwhile, I'm in the throws of life in the ivory tower. I'm looking forward to the upcoming holiday when I get to meet up with some very dear old friends AND host Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever. Wish me luck! And of course, I will be squeezing in the requisite Turkey Trot in there.

Happy running to all of you out there!

Peace and hair grease.

A Moment of Respite

It's been hard to get those miles in, but the good news is that when I do, I'm loving my runs. I'm loving those moments when I can sink into a rhythm with mind and body working in tandem. Lately, it's been difficult for me to remain undisturbed by the tumult of life's events...at least this is not so when I run.

This long Fall Break weekend has been a much needed mental break and opportunity to treat my body to food (bad, I know) and some physical activity. I'm sitting in a coffee shop and using a second morning in a row to get ahead on some work and mentally erase the trauma of last week's exams.

I went to a display of homes in the area called Homerama and I was unrelenting in my critiques of the suburban, borderline pretentious homes that I have little desire to live in. But I suppose this is not the place to bash on the Desperate Housewives culture...though maybe it is; sign this petition if you haven't already.

I watched Michael Clayton, played tennis and ran the trails. It's been heavenly. But ohhh the trails. Went out on a quick three miler on the trails in First Landing State Park and it was so incredibly refreshing. I felt like a care-free child kid hoping over roots and bounding up and over the hills...

It's a Tall Order...

Logging a big fat ZERO miles last week explains much of my misery.

But no more.

It's a tall order, but I'm back on track and ran my scheduled 5-miler today at an easy 9:30 pace. It was overcast, cool and drizzly and it felt so good to let my mind wander and sweat away the day to day anxieties of a young woman unable to stay zen about Financial Mathematics. Seriously, what the eff am I doing?

Worried about jobs, staying sane for Anna, and possibly more school, it is imperative that I get those miles in. It's amazing how an investment of less than 60 minutes can yield such calm...hell, things don't seem so hectic right now. *sip coffee*

And you know what else I did? Pilates (pronounced PIE-LATES in my world ;). And that felt great too. I think this is the greatest fitness video (right).

Hangin' in there until October 13th.

Until I complete three midterms.

And vacation for 4 WHOLE DAYS!!! Thanks for the fall break UofM!! You're the greatest school EVER.

GO BLUE!

In It Deep

I'm overwhelmed.

Thank goodness for LCT's surprise visit last weekend. And thank goodness that for at two weeks in the term I've put in some decent mileage.

Weekly Distances
9/24/2007 — 9/30/2007: 0.0 Mi 0:00
9/17/2007 — 9/23/2007: 26.0 Mi 4:58:30
9/10/2007 — 9/16/2007: 24.0 Mi 4:05:40
9/3/2007 — 9/9/2007: 6.0 Mi 1:04:00
8/27/2007 — 9/2/2007: 18.5 Mi 3:23:58

You'll notice how I've done this past week - no comment - it's been crazy, folks. I guess I'm just not organized enough.

My last run was with LCT around the Ann Arbor Hills for a nice 11-miler. He basically hated me afterwards. Guess he couldn't handle it?! ;)

Two Week Update

Since the half-marathon at the beginning of the month, I've fallen back into a running schedule that I'm really happy with. My goal for now, is to build to a weekly mileage of 35mpw and then train for a winter or spring marathon.

The week after the race, I basically took it easy and let my body recover after the jolt of a 13.1 long run. So, the following Thursday and Friday of the race (Sept-6 and Sept-7), I ran an easy 3 miles on each day pushing Anna her jogging stroller. She weighs 31 pounds now so 'easy' is a relative term.

This past week, I completed 24mpw and it's been a confidence booster. I'm particularly pleased with the fact that the miles have not been stressful on my body and in fact, I feel fully comfortable with my ~10.7 mile long run yesterday. I completed it in 1:39:44. WOOT!

I'm taking advantage of runner's world new training log application and I'll post all of my miles up soon...

P.S. I found another running picture of Anna. Like, whoa.

Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon

With all my belly aching about not having trained enough for this race, I forgot to get all the logistics of race day figured out. At 4:15 am, I was scrambling to get my Dad directions to and from the race. Not only that, but I wasn't prepared with my standard pre-race breakfast of half a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and a banana.

A cup of coffee and a cliff bar had to do. But I wasn't happy about it. The whole morning I was filled with negative energy, feeling so disappointed that I wasn't going to race the race I had hoped for at the beginning of the summer. Nothing like a long run to shake that attitude but needless to say, I was pretty unpleasant.

I missed my corral start because of the long lines at the 'potties' but I guess it served me right since I was so incredibly ill prepared on race day morning. A fact that irritates me to this day.

I started off the race at a very leisurely 11 min/mil pace or so. And I took the whole race in. When my running buddy wanted to walk, I let him walk through the water stops.

We ran a 35:00 5K, 1:15:54 10K and 1:56:14 10 mile.

LEISURE.

What I learned, however, is that I make an awful running coach because I think I pushed LCT a little too hard in the beginning such that he needed to walk by mile 7. I pushed on thinking he would catch up as I maintained our pace and continued to walk through the water stops as well. Surprisingly around this point in the race, I was passing people left and right despite feeling as though I was jogging! And before you say, it, yes, I know I should have just hung back.

I crossed the finish line in 2:31:15 (my original goal was to finish under 2 hours). LCT crossed about 20 minutes later.



It was a good time. It was great not to run in the humidity that was life in Asia for the past two months. And it was great to have my Dad come down and cheer along side little Anna while I managed to run an injury free 13.1 miles.

Gearing Up

It seems like there's no better way to end the summer than with a half-marathon. Despite the pain and inevitable humbling-experience, I'll be starting the new academic year with a 'bang', so to speak. Stay tuned.

I'll save it for a later post, but there is much to reflect on from these past couple of months. Needless to say, I am so grateful to have been back in Asia. The upcoming months and anticipation of big changes in my life is very exciting. Meanwhile, I'll bask in my being 'centered' for the first time in a while and make sure I exercise heroic time management skills :)

Here's a summary of my summer miles:

August: 27.9 Mi 4:29:59 hours
July: 18.5 Mi 2:55:17 hours
June: 50.9 Mi 7:52:08 hours
May: 58.1 Mi 10:47:32 hours

I can't wait to start catching up on my fellow running bloggers...thanks for keeping track of me, guys!

*Sending my best to all you fall marathoners*

P.S. Anna is about 2.5 years now and it's amazing that I can already predict a few of her future interests. She's a natural musician and dancer. *Shock* My musician brother is always impressed by her ability to sing songs in tune and how quickly she can pick up melodies in general.

Of course, she sees me run and play soccer so she's influenced by example :)

Take a look at my little runner.

Hang Over

To the left is a picture of our friends in San Pablo City, Laguna. NJ was a Fulbright fellow here in Michigan so of course, we had to go visit them on their stomping grounds. This picture was taken during the day -- before our day's adventure of white water rafting in Pagsanjan Falls. And BEFORE our night of debauchery.



It was my first time in San Pablo though I've been to Pagsanjan when I was younger. It's an out and back trip so you can just imagine what it's like to shoot UP the rapids. If you've never gone white water rafting Filipino syle, you AIN'T NEVER gone white water rafting...let's just say our guides are marathon ready and fearless. Either way, it's a beautiful trip and as usual, I took crazy pictures.


In the evening, we had more drinks than I've had all year at a very cute pub in downtown San Pablo. It turns out, after talking up the bartender/owner that the beautiful ambiance is due to his artistic filmmaker sensibilities. Good thing I noticed right away otherwise, I could have been in a dingy basement drinking and it wouldn't have mattered.

Of course it made sense to us to go for a run the next morning to 'sweat off the alcohol.' So, JJ took me on his 12K route around one of the seven lakes in San Pablo. It was beautiful. (Painful, but beautiful.)

He dragged me around at an 8:30 min/mil and was kind about all my complaining. Hey, the guy runs 40mpw! I doubt I've run 30 miles in the past month...

Good times. It was a great way to end my trip in Laguna. After hitting the showers, we headed back to Manila...

Dreading it for 5 miles

I have happily been in the same place for five days in a row now. A much needed respite to all the traveling in general but particularly, the madness that is Manila.

Despite living approximately 5 miles from UP Diliman and Ateneo, travel time there would take at least an hour of life threatening maneuvering.

Enough said, right?

For once, I am truly appreciating suburbia and my ability to get some work done. (But since this is more of a running blog, I won't go there right now.)

I'm pretty sure that my failure to get my scheduled miles in have contributed to an unusual threshold of impatience regarding the heat and traffic. Despite the cleaner air out here, however, I've opted to run on my cousin's treadmill.

And don't think I didn't crank up the air conditioning. Because I did.

5 miles | 45:33 time | 9:06 min/mil

Did I still sweat like hell, you ask?

You bet your ass I did. Because it's effing humid out here DESPITE the air conditioning.

Trust Yourself

In a world where reason and logic seem to get you where you need to go, it's easy to ignore those feelings that sit at the pit of your stomach.

Despite the effort. Despite the sincerity. Despite the love. Sometimes, the world is just as it should be when things are not right. Sometimes, the-best-in-you is not inspired by the circumstances. And the bigger person in you will always let go.

It's times likes these that allow us to be grateful for the relationships and moments in life that are in place. That do bring out the best in and inspire us. And that hopefully equip us with the tools to confront the difficult in life.

Through it all. Despite any pain and disappointment. I must always trust myself.

Reality Check

I've given up the fool's errand of a sub 2:00 half marathon at the Rock N' Roll in Virginia Beach. I knew going in that a significant chunk of my training would take place in the Philippines but my notorious ambition ignored this slight obstacle. It won't get me down but with about 4 weeks until race day my new goal will be to just enjoy the festivities of the race and to not get too competitive with LCT :)

Below is a summary of my runs since I've been in Asia. It's painful to record here but hey, part of this blog's purpose is to keep me honest so...eh, here it goes:

July 3 2007 - Run with cousin MCP
2.0 miles

Jul 6 2007 - Solo run in Taiwan
2.1 miles | 18:05 time | 8:36 min/mil

Jul 8 2007 - Solo run in Taiwan
2.16 miles | 18:27 time | 8:31 min/mil

Jul 19 2007 - Run with LNJ
2.09 miles | 22:01 time | 10:30 min/mil

Jul 20 2007 - Run with LNJ
3 miles | 27:27 time | 9:56 min/mil

Jul 25 2007 - Solo run in Phils
3 miles | 26:48 time | 8:59 min/mil

Jul 31 2007
4.16 miles | 37:29 time | 8:59 min/mil

Aug 1 2007
3 miles | 26:19 time | 8:50 min/mil

Total : ~ 18 Miles out of my scheduled 87 miles!!

Holy !@#$&*!!!

To be fair, however, I'm proud of the fact that I've gotten my ass out of bed as much as I have given the fact that both in Taiwan and the Philippines at around 5am, it's a 'cool' 85 degrees and humid as all hell! Also, despite a crazy aerobic adjustment of running in some serious smog along the river banks, I've managed to keep up my base level of fitness...definitely not race ready but good enough if I keep things up or increase my mileage until I head back to the U.S. just in time for the half.

Damn this blog and 'keeping me honest' crap...

As they say around here: Mabuhay!!

Philippine Update

The 'training', you ask? I'm just glad I get out every once in a while for a 4-miler with this unrelenting and unforgiving heat. I guess that's what you get when you're in a country that is right at the equator...

It's taken about 45 minutes to upload these few photos so...you get what you get :)


Anna and I with her 'SUPER Lola' i.e. my dearest grandmother.


Nick and Anna pose in front of our famously recalled Virgin Mary statue in the yard of my Mother's childhood home. Poor Anna squints from the sun. Can you guess what religion we grew up with?!


Me and my cousin, Michelle have drinks with my brother, Nick, in Eastwood - a hip night life area of Manila.

I have yet to post pictures from my Dad's side of the family because of the slow connection speed I'm having right now but I did manage to get up a preview photos since I've been with the Javiers :)


The Javier House in Pasig, Manila.


A garden view from the Veranda, which is an outdoor living room. It's a bad photo but the house sits on a cliff and looks out onto the Marikina Valley.


Another garden view from the Veranda looking down on the first floor level. Across is a window of the Master suite.


Anna and I make a pilgrimage to the Jose Rizal Shrine in Intramuros, the old walled city of Manila established by colonial Spain but built by Filipinos.


We toured Intramuros via Karitela and made friends with our horse, Kiko (not pictured, unfortunately)!

Stay tuned for more photos and updates on runs once I get my stats uploaded form my iSports kit...

Amongst the Asians: Picture Update

I've managed to accomplish quite a few things in Taiwan so far:

1. Beat my jet lag and am now officially in 'Asian Time' :)
2. Completed two respectable runs
3. Survived the heat and humidity

Here are the stats for my runs:
Friday, 7/6 Distance 2.1 miles | Time 18:05 | 8:36 min/mile
Sunday, 7/8 Distance 2.16 mi | Time 18:27 | 8:31 min/mile

It's been really difficult to log these miles what with the DEATHLY heat and humidity here in Taiwan. I've been out in the mornings by 5:00am and I can honestly say that I'm worried for my health when I run (hehe). In fact, during the day, it's indoors for me and under the umbrella while out on the streets. And um, NO, I feel no shame walking around with an umbrella under the sun.

Some of you know that I'm training for a half marathon in September and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be pulling that race out of my ass. For now, I'm just happy that I'm able to hit the pavement and am hopeful that once I get settled in the Philippines (hotter still) and now that I'm over my jet lag it will be smoother sailing. (FYI I will literally be flying into the country and then running the race. Not the brightest of my ideas. *shrug* It will be grand!)


One of our many airport stops



The Grand Hotel in Taipei (i.e. NOT my hotel in Taipei)


On our way to the Palace National Museum in Taipei. Checking out the spoils of the KMT.


Some lovely palm trees that I ran past on one of my runs :)


A pic from Nick's wedding. I KNOW, I will post more later!


Anna and I blindly order food at a local restaurant. She's gotten REALLY good with chopsticks!

I All Done Wit Airpane- Reflections on my Manila Run

As I looked out upon the lights of Manila--relieved after 16 + hours of plane travel--it was a strange thing to think that I was born here. Indeed, this is my 'native' land. And despite being irreversibly tied to my adoptive country of America, I know that a part of me will be forever tied to this land as well.

With Anna peacefully sleeping on my lap, I braced myself for immigration, customs and baggage pickup.

Today I realize that I have lost 12 hours with the date being July 4th, two whole days after our departure date. I'm trying to ignore the countless hours of sleep i have lost along the way...in fact, I can barely keep my eyes open writing this.

Unlike in years past, i ahve opted to stay with my Mother's family while here in Manila. It will be a huge departure from staying with my Father's family who enjoy the pampered and exclusive life of gated communities. I knew I wanted to see and experience the Philippines from a completely different perspective. I'm finding that even my fair share of time with the intellectual elites of the country ought to be balanced with understanding the community's sense of social justice.

In true fashion, I got my taste of this on my run this morning with my cousin MP. We've been close since we were in diapers and it was wonderful to join her on her morning jog--it was the perfect way to spend my first morning here in the Philippines. Ahh, the joys of mixing research/business with pleasure.

We ran along the newly developed marikina River waterfront , an area previously inhabited by 'squatters' as well as an area plagued with litter and pollultion. The new water front trail and accompanying restaurants, stores and other businesses has brought this community outdoors. I saw joggers/runners, cyclists, walkers, couples and everyone and anyone else you could think of. MP expalined how the mayor in charge of the development proejct was reelected by a land slide and that the community now self-polices top keep the area clean. Furthermore, the 'squatters' in the area were relocated to a low-income houseing development and were thought of in the process.

Textbook community development project!

We didn't run too far and we ended up walking after a bit since MP is just starting to run but I didn't care. Besides, on such little sleep, I think my body couldn't take much more.

Experiences for Anna to check from today (and for my Dad to freak out about): Jeepney ride and Palenke (Market), complete with an 'it stinks' face that is priceless in and of itself.

Off to Taiwan tomorrow. Will post pics asap. :)

Positive Mental Mojo

T minus three days until the big trip to the Philippines and I'm fighting to get over a COLD!! Too many sleepless nights during mileage buildup and injury rehabilitation and I guess you could say that I was asking for it. But I didn't ask for it, so all I can do now is stay positive.

That said, here are three positive Mia-thoughts to get my training-mental-mojo and general-mental-mojo in check:

1. On Tuesday, I ran an easy 3-miler at a 9:00min average pace. Despite the brevity of the workout, I accomplished my goal to keep my splits fairly even at around 8:58-9:00mm. And I did. Woot.

2. I'm really excited to see family (and go to my brother's wedding in Taiwan) and to do some Mia-style traveling and adventures since my jet-setting hiatus after having the BAMBINA. No more stressing about the logistics of traveling with a 2-year-old; this little girl is going to have a world view that elected leaders should have.

3. So far, this summer has been filled with precious moments with family and friends. Our time with my family in East Lansing and my friends (Anna's Titas, Titos & Uncaws) in Ann Arbor and those who have come back for visits from afar, life is good.

Not to jinx myself but since I'm finally starting to get better, I also have the possibility of running tomorrow as yet another happy thought but really, the below pictures says it all:

Anna's BFF.

One can only guess what our delinquent friends are doing here...but they never fail to put a smile on the face.

Stay posted all, I definitely intend on keeping you updated with the scoops. Just wish me luck on finding internet connections :)

Registration for The Rat Race

I've been able to reflect on a conversation with some family friends as I sit here, baggy-eyed, in front of my computer finishing up a should-be-publishable paper and finalizing a list of Ph.D. and other graduate programs to apply to this fall. My friend innocently asked, as she imagined her two-year-old son as a future American high schooler:

High school in the United States isn't as bad as they portray it to be in the movies, is it? I mean, with the way they treat nerdy kids (already she assumes her son will be a nerdy Asian kid)? I want him to excel in school but I worry about how he'll be treated, etc.

I was surprised by my response:

Actually, I think it's worse; because being 'cool' not only means being the varsity jock but also being the straight 'A' student, social butterfly, and champion of community service. Basically, the creme de la creme of American high schoolers should be the best at everything.

Whoa.

And so, I unwittingly sign myself up for The Rat Race. I mean, did my childhood experiences really lead me to believe that this is true? Well, obviously it did but to this day, it's hard to wrap my brain around this unrelenting sense of elitism that I find harder to shake than an addiction to crack (despite never actually having done crack - i swear).

So far, I'm proud to describe my life as being nothing short of audacious. I have learned how to love and live life to its fullest while overcoming the challenges that I can only describe as my remedial emotional intellect. But I am still coming to terms with keeping my sense of unfulfilled ambition in check. Because, yes, at times I have the tendency to be the best at everything for all the wrong reasons, whether by my own standards or by those set by the U.S. News Rankings and other bogus institutions that I allow at times to rule my life.

It is also ironic that despite my strong sense of social justice, I have already concluded that my comparative advantage with the struggle is on the research end. Indeed, my desire for a life in academe and disdain for any 9-5 job where I must answer to another human being other than myself pretty much secures my place as a certain classification of MISANTHROPE.

And so it is that I have a newfound romance with Running. Because in our solitude we are developing a trust - a trust that I will take care of my body so that Running will be happy. If I don't, Running will call me out and keep me in check. And when we're together, Running will make me feel better when I'm sad. And when I'm pensive, Running will help me hash out my thoughts and remind me, with our existential excursions, that a balance with mind, body, and spirit is necessary to my being a good mother, person and advocate of the change I want to see in this world.

More to the point, my relationship with Running is absent of the bullshit that I allow to get in the way of my honestly, living my life. Because with Running, I understand that I'm the only one who can hurt me. With Running, the progress is real and so is the pain.

So today, I'd like to withhold my registration to The Rat Race and bask in the glory of another great excursion with Running. Lots of room for improvement (my splits are all over the place) but great nonetheless:

8.69 miles | 1:18:51 time | 9:04 avg pace
1- 8:31
2- 8:41
3- 9:04
4- 9:08
5- 9:20
6- 8:50
7- 9:17
8- 9:31

Cheers to not selling out, people!

Progress on my Pissed-Off-9-Miler

I ran my ass off today. And it felt great. I stewed in the pain of budding blisters on my feet, pleased with my being a masochist in the making. I gave the middle finger to the metatarsal pads that required some adjustment and I ran harder in an act of defiance against my stupid new hydration belt that bounced loosely on my hips; it is clearly one, perhaps two sizes larger than I need.

It annoyed me that I was equipped with so many gadgets (see 'My Gadgets' in the sidebar) -- a sign of my paying deference to the advice of Runner's World articles or else, just a sign of my American consumerism at it's best.

But if you haven't already guessed, everything annoyed me today. Because sometimes, when moments in life have you back on your heels, you tend to be a bit irritable, emotional even. So for a cynic like me, a 'bad' day on the sliding scale must be a really, really bad day.

But after today's run, I'm beginning to think that my 'bad' days translate in to 'very good' running days.

Mile 1 - 9:05
Mile 2 - 8:50
Mile 3 - 8:41
Mile 4 - 8:58
Mile 5 - 9:11
Mile 6 - 9:03
Mile 7 - 9:13
Mile 8 - 9:22
Mile 9 - 9:30
TOTAL: 9.08 miles | 9:06 avg pace | 1:22:48

Considering that I was running 11:00 minute mile long runs just two weeks ago and really needing that day of recovery, today was fast. The crazy part? I felt fresh at the end of my run.

Not only was I able to stretch out my legs, it occurred to me that these days, running is the one thing that I can consistently count on to quell my negative space. After almost 4 months of consistent running, it's great to see/feel the progress.

Thank god for my Pissed-Off-9-Miler.

Dexter Ann Arbor 10K

My alarm rang at 5:38am but I was already awake. I awoke maybe an hour earlier to the discomfort of sun burn on my back. That's right, fine time for sun burn! But ah well, I thought to myself, it was great hanging out by the pool with Anna, next time, I'll be more careful.

Just like Amby Burfoot's Principles of Running suggested, I laid out my race gear the night before and like a zombie, proceeded to put my clothing on. I yipped in pain, however, when I pulled on my sports bra and found that the tight fit was really irritating my sun burned back. Son of a #)%$&!! I decided not to worry about it--pain builds character or at least, pain will remind me to put sun block on my back the next time I decide to lay out by the pool before a race.

After my standard pre-race breakfast of one slice of whole wheat & peanut butter sandwich and 8 oz cup of coffee, I nudged my Dad, who was sleeping soundly on the couch and told him it was go time. It occurred to me then how long it has been since my Dad had to one of my 'sporting' events. He chauffeured me proudly to and from soccer practice for years and was one to never miss a game. Around friends and family, he bragged about how small and yet strong I was on the field. He'd ask them, did you know that midfielders and like the point guards in basketball?.

On the way, he asked for the hundredth time, so how far are you running?! 10K with K meaning kilometers?!

6.2 miles Dad, and that's right, K stands for kilometers. Don't you guys use the metric system in the Philippines?! (I know, I know, still the smart-ass daughter.)

Since the race is point-to-point, I hopped on a bus from downtown to the start and began to worry when it started to rain. I wasn't worried about the rain, though. I was worried that the rain might get to my iPod or something but I figured it was pretty well protected in my arm band.

When we arrived at the Middle School staging area, a good one hour before race time, everyone was inside chattering about the rain. I made my way to the gymnasium, coped a squat and started listening to music and sipped on my lemon flavored Propel. I was trying to focus and envision running like a gazelle but I'm a people watcher. So I watched and sucked in the nervous energy in the room. At one point, this woman, clad in pink, gold jewelry and fully done make-up walked past. Wow. Beautiful! You're gonna run like that? Ok, then!

See, when it comes to sports and anything else, really, I never go for beautiful--I tend to aspire for badass. But how badass can you feel when you know that you'll likely line up with the 10:00 min pace marker at the start?! *Shrug* I was just happy to be there and taking part in some organized physical activity. I was determined to have fun.

With the start twenty minutes out, I decided to jog on over in the rain and start warming up. It was a real bummer when we ended up starting twenty minutes late. There we were, in the rain, packed like sardines, waiting and hoping to finally get moving. You're messing with my warm-up, I wanted to scream!!

When the gun finally went off, it took a few minutes for the crowds to clear and then almost perfectly, the rain started to let up. The problem was, my leg felt like jelly at this point for some reason. Almost as if they could buckle at any minute. I repeated to myself to stay calm and stay focused. More importantly, have a good time!

It felt like I was getting passed the entire first half of the race. Not good for the morale but I reminded myself that I would likely be passing those fools once they realized they couldn't keep up that pace. (And as you can see from the picture above, I sprinted past a bunch of them on the last half mile of the finish.) On the turn, it was really exciting to see all the leaders whiz by...WOOO HOOOOO, I screamed! Pick it up, I thought to myself, you've totally got this--push yourself.

Some of you may know that I've been struggling with my left foot. I stayed off it though for the past two days and for the first time (of course I had to pick a race day), I ran with metatarsal pads to help ease the pounding that was making my poor foot suffer. By mile 4, however, not only could I not feel my three little toes, I had to go to the bathroom SO BADLY. So I did. In a 10K, but not after sharing a few choice words with myself. What an effing waste of time! I'm sure I would have been fine had the start not been delayed (see how expertly I can shift blame?).

The last 1.2 miles into the downtown finish was uphill. I noted to myself, amidst my excitement to finish, that I need to work on pacing and particularly, I need to focus on my tempo runs. Because either I'm not running at a steady pace or everyone else around me doesn't.

After that, I felt free to smile and wave at the photographers and cheering fans on the sidelines. You know they're hard core when they were willing to stand in the rain, which at that point had let up but had been on and off all morning.

I was a little annoyed with myself that I had held back as much as I did up the hill. I'm not sure why I did it because when I got to the top, I was hardly winded and was far enough from the finish line to see the clock. It was an all out sprint to the finish and I was thrilled to see that I had made it well under my very generous goal of anything-under-one-hour.

Clock Time: 58:38
Chip Time: 57:55
Avg Pace: 9:20

It was great to see my family at the finish, especially Anna, who asked, Mama, you went running?

Excited I said, Yes! Mama went running and actually did pretty well for being relatively out of shape.

Oh, ok. Hood job Mama. (She pronounces her Gs and Cs as Hs -- go figure, she's two.) Anna's thirsty.

Ok, we can get something to drink, baby. What are you thirsty for?

Ice cream. *big grin*

Enough said, right?

After my race, I took my post as a loud and obnoxious fan for those running the half marathon. Hopefully I wasn't too annoying but I know for myself, I appreciate the screams of support to pick it up towards the finish if for no other reason than not to look like a chump. My signature screams: You got it, you got it! Way to be! In my excitement and overzealous encouragement, I sprinted to the finish with my training buddy, JZA, when I spotted him on the hill. I figured, he deserves EXTRA Mia-encouragement *wink*

Run the Planet, Save the World

My head feels like it's about to explode. This one blog post will singlehandedly denounce any semblance of my being a laid back person; consider this your warning.

A good chunk of my marathon training this summer will be taking place in the Philippines (and for a while in Taiwan), at least I hope. The daughter of immigrants, I used to return home every summer until high school, after which visits became sporadic. I have not been back since 1999.

Among thoughts of being thrilled to see my aging grandmother as well as the excitement of introducing Anna to family, is the pending dread of seeing my nativecountry in shambles. A circumstance that I am sure, will likely challenge my desire to run.

My social consciousness developed relatively recently and was largely inspired by the book, America is in the Heart. I consider it The Grapes of Wrath for people-of-color and found that after years of reading fiction, this was the first book that moved me to tears, that I related to, and that became the precursor to understanding my place in this world. In short, it is the story of the Filipino American and the struggles of many immigrant groups in this country. It is the story of the Americanization of the Filipino, an Americanization that that begins generations before the first Filipino immigrant set foot in this country. It is the story of America's imperialism and its silent past. It is the story that I was never told as the only Asian American in my Midwestern public education system and it is the story that now empowers and inspires my sense of social justice.

I have seen previews, however, of the dread over what I will see when I return home. Run the planet 'featured' the Philippines as a running location and of course, the commentary was provided by a European expatriate and business man now living in Manila.

When asked if running is an acceptable activity in his country, Pierre says, "In France we have a lot, but in the Philippines we are very very few. Mainly because of very hot weather and pollution in Manila". Pierre also mentions that a visiting runner should be warned about the heat, humidity, and pollution before running in the Philippines. He also notes that there are a lot of dogs to look out for while you run there.

That's right, Pierre. I'll bet that it's tough to run in Manila. What Pierre alludes to in his comments, is the state with which the Philippines' colonizers--Spain and the United States--left the country. This long socio-economic commentary and history of these circumstances are beyond the scope of this blog but are disconcerting nonetheless as a Filipino American living comfortably in the United States and as one who has greatly benefited (albeit with much critical analysis) from the promises of the American way of life.

The Filipino way of life was disrupted since the sixteenth century after which time Spain became our first colonizers. Land that rightfully belonged to the Filipinos was taken from them and divided up among the Spanish elite who then taxed those who tilled 'their' soil. This was the beginning of the social and economic crisis that took Filipinos off their land and way of life, and into poverty. A fate that was to continue under American colonization after the Philippine-American War. The United States used the powerful conquering tool of education, however, and established a western education system in the Philippines whose legacy continues today as classrooms are still taught in English (see Constantino's A Past Revisited or The Miseducation of the Filipino).

Now, the Philippines' economy is largely sustained by remittances of those among the Filipino diaspora (see Dean Yang's work on this subject). Should Filipino immigrants around the world discontinue sending money home to the Philippines, it is likely that the economy would collapse. A circumstance that is fiercely avoided by the current and corrupt administration of Arroyo who consistently seeks to mitigate this possibility by appealing to both the United States in her support of the War on Terror and constant appeal to Filipino Americans.

The reality is that 90% of Filipinos live in poverty. A fact that was displayed in an unforgiving and in-your-face Filipino American film, Cavite. While many reviews and descriptions of the film describe it as being a story of the Philippines' cultural wars post 9/11, I consider it a successful attempt at a call to action for all the conscionable Filipinos living abroad. Naked children running through the streets of Manila, headed home to their squatter camps, only to be greeted by swamps of trash, human excrement and the like is more than I can bear.

So as I sit here and worry about the obstacles being in the Philippines will bring to my running schedule and training, I also think about my future and how important it will be that I bring hope back to the Filipino in the Philippines and abroad. Our native land is not destined for corrupt government, pollution, western imperialism and poverty. And as long we continue to enable the current government with our remittances to family left in the Philippines, I send my support to the other political entrepreneurs out there who will be part of the next waves of social change.

Every person and child deserves to be able to run the streets without fear of pollution hazards as I so gratefully have the opportunity to do so here in the United States.

See what happens when I think about running?

*******
Workout Summary:

1 mile WARM @ 10:30
10 min @ 8:50
1 mile COOL @ 10:30

I cut my scheduled 5 mile tempo to a 3 mile tempo today. Despite purchasing a new pair of Saucony Omni 6's on Tuesday. The 'pad' or 'ball' of my left foot is still bothering me and actually not getting much better. Hopefully, the next two days of rest before the Dexter Ann Arbor 10K will help me out. Meanwhile, according to coolrunning.com, I'm going to look into buying some metatarsal pads at CVS.

My Birthday Obessesion

Despite my excitement for the upcoming race and fulfillment with my training and progress, I can't shake the recent disappointment of discovering that Chicago registration is closed. No big deal though, right? Run another fall marathon and get on that registration! Wrong. October 7th is my birthday and this year, I have it in my head that I'm going to run a marathon on that day. It's not a milestone birthday by any stretch, just another 20-something, but I feel that I have a lot to prove to myself this year. And my sense of unfulfilled ambition is growing stronger by the minute, much of which fuels my training.

As I sit in front my computer and look around my apartment, filled with books and photographs of loved ones, I realize that I have much to be grateful for. And as a little voice in my head tries to remind me everyday, never take what you have for granted because the moment you do (for those of you who are spiritual), they'll slowly be taken away from you.

That said, I have a healthy, happy, beautiful two-year-old daughter who inspires me everyday to be a better person. I have a loving and supportive community of people in my life who always help out in whatever capacity, our non-traditional family. I have a local community that I am involved with and feel that I have a vested interest in advancing the opportunities and skills of the next generation. I have a great job as a research associate and am basically paid to do exactly what I one day hope to do on my own. I am enrolled in a world-class University that inspires my sense of social justice everyday as well as my unquenchable search for knowledge--any other life for me just seems too boring. And finally, I have my health.

I always want to improve my relationships with my family and friends, however, and sometimes worry myself over some of the imperfections, forgetting so much of the good. I often feel that I don't give enough time to the community center that I am involved with and sometimes agonize over the next workshop or historical event in Asian American history with which to discuss with them. I overwhelm myself with school, never happy enough with the current paper and always thinking of the next. Worse, I let my journey to graduate programs, in hopes of one day entering the academy, often minimize all the work I have accomplished thus far as an undergrad. And my health? Well, it seems that I'm never fit or fast enough by my own standards.

I'm sure that all ambitious individuals have a similar sense of self-criticism, but I know that for myself, it will always be a constant battle to keep myself in check and to constantly exercise gratitude for all that I have in my life. Really, I know I should be so lucky.

A birthday marathon, however, is symbolic for me right now. Mainly because everything I have accomplished in my life has been a slow, diligent mileage build-up to get Anna and myself in a comfortable and fulfilling place in our lives. So, I'd really like to run this race for Anna as well--so that she can understand how important the day to day in life can be, the way training runs are so significant, yet fulfilling to the runner. And while I'm young and long from 'peaking', I want to honor my health and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Certainly, the benefits of diligent training inspire other aspects of one's life and I am no exception.

And speaking of training, I'm about to head out for my 6-mile tempo run. On the dreadmill. With my cheesey iPod playlists. Because it's stormy outside and cold (despite the record high of 85 degrees just yesterday). And I'm going to enjoy it (though I expect some pain). Because the Ann Arbor Dexter Run is exactly one week away, and I've been excited about running this esteemed and festive race all spring.

And while I'm at it, I'm going to keep on obsessing over my birthday marathon because I'm SURE that there's another October 7 marathon out there with my name on it.

***************
1:33 p.m.

For the past couple of runs I've noticed that the front portion of my knee is always stiff. The mild pain always subsides within the first mile but today, I noted to myself to make sure that I ice my knee once I'm finished. On top of that, it became very clear that I need to get a new pair of running shoes as well. The 'palm' of my left foot has been consistently sore due to wear on the soles of my shoe, I'm sure.

Workout Summary:
1 mile Warm-up @ 10:30
5 mins @ 9:30 Tempo
3 mins @ 11:00 Recovery
Repeat three times
2 mile Cool Down @ 10:30

Weight: 116 lbs

For Women Only 5K

I figured that today would be just as good as any day to get my feet wet into racing. So, last night, I diligently laid out all of my race gear, printed out maps to the race site and began to mentally prepare for the first of many races this year.

I headed for bed early only to be distracted by a marathon of Heroes! Woo hoo, time to catch up on missed episodes! Needless to say, I awoke the following morning a bit groggy.

My plan was to get to the race site at least one hour before start time at 8:30am. This was imperative given that I had yet to register. I was out the door at 7:15 and I was shocked -- I find that I am almost always racing out the door at least twenty minutes later than planned. When I arrived at the race location, it was so wonderful to see so many women and girls. I mean, I realize that the race is actually called For Women Only but I was really touched and inspired by all the mothers who were racing with the young girls in an effort to promote fitness and female power in the lives of their daughters. I thought, what a great, local Ann Arbor race to participate in.

With fifteen minutes to the start, I decided to jog around a bit and stretch out. I was feeling a little bit tight from my 5-miler yesterday and wanted to make sure that my first mile was as comfortable as possible. I lined up in between the 8 and 10 minute mile pace and befriended a friendly Ann Arbor local whose only goal for the race was to keep up with her 10-year-old daughter. Yay! Already, I can't wait to do fun things like this with Anna when she's a little bit older.

Wow. At 8:30am in the sun is pretty warm. Note this for the 10K in two weeks. I stuck in my ear plugs and waited for the start siren. I repeated to myself, just enjoy yourself and relax. Stay under 30:00 and let's call it a day. Then to my right I see camera-clad LCT and I waved with a silly grin like a little girl (see above pic), thrilled to have my own personal cheerleader. At the siren, I went out and fought tooth and nail to hold myself back but I zig zagged around the other runners t like the rookie I am to claim some space.

In the end, I didn't race the 5K like one ought to: all out. Instead, I stayed on *my* goal, which was simply to enjoy some female camaraderie and pin a number to my shirt for the first time in eons. I sprinted to the finish line after running comfortably throughout most of the course. Truth be told, I felt a little silly having not gone out harder when I saw my 26:42 time on the clock.

Woo Hoo!

Weekly Mileage Upkeep Revised

I've been trying to keep my weekly mileage steady until I feel ready for some hills and or speed workouts. When I feel good, I throw in some fartleks on Saturdays and if I'm feeling really good, I'll do a tempo run.

Mon: Rest/ XT
Tue: 8 miles @ 10:00mm
Wed: Rest/ XT
Thu: 3 miles @ 8:30mm & Strength
Fri: Rest/ XT
Sat: 5 miles TEMPO @ 8:55mm & Strength
Sun: 4 miles @ 10:00mm

So, as I sit here and type out my paces for my runs, I have to admit that I do so with a touch of disdain. Wow. Am I really that slow or is everybody else (at least those who blog) really that fast? Ah well. I always just chalk it up to a consistent (if not altogether debilitating) sense of unfulfilled ambition. I keep telling myself that I need to get my aerobic fitness up to par before I can start getting greedy with speed. Thank god for the Running Blog Family, at minimum, it keeps you humble!

How I Got Here

It's likely that I would decide to run a fall marathon and forget that this would mean training in the HEAT and HUMIDITY of summer. This fact couldn't become any clearer today when I strutted out of the office at lunch time for my weekly long run in The Arb (see pic) and found that it was 85 degrees! I was prepared though having downed three lemon flavored (my favorite) Propels the hour before my planned run -- bring on the heat!

Crap. It's hot. Don't bring on the heat, please. But MY GOD! I'M FILIPINO! ISN'T IT IN MY BLOOD TO BE TOLERANT OF HEAT?! Bring on the cool breeze only to be found in early morning runs. It wasn't the most graceful of all runs but I completed my 8-miler without succumbing to a heat stroke. I read once that when training in the summer, one ought to slowly acclimate oneself to the heat...Of course. That just sounds too sensible.

I need to admit that as a former soccer-playing-jock, I despised running. I was mystified by the mental game of the cross country runners and often thought of them as masochists to some significant degree. Despite running around 6 miles in a ninety minute soccer game as a midfielder, I rarely ran more than three miles on my own and when I did, I certainly didn't look forward to it. Looking back, I realize how different my mental toughness was in my adolescence. The team dynamic largely carried my inspiration on the field - this and the fact that I loved to play.

My how things have changed.

Beyond high school and college I discovered that staying fit can be a bit trickier; training solo can be depressing. But one day, I woke up feeling overwhelmed as a new parent, juggling a new town, adjusting to a whole new University. Worse, I was struggling with losing the last few pounds I gained from my pregnancy and for the first time in my life, I was bummed by the way I looked. Fed up, I went out for a run one day and it felt great; SO great in fact that I continued to run for months! With big plans of marathons and sub-4:00 miles (not really) -- Of course we know what this means: I over-trained and got ahead of myself! THEN more big life changes came my way and I fell out of step. But this time, I knew exactly what I needed to do to find my balance again: running and more generally, staying active.

So, here I am with a solid three months of 15-20 miles per week, an awesome bike to get me from home to campus (on most days) and to get me around some of the great bike routes around the area and a two-year-old that I can actually keep up with (again, on most days). Now that I can be proud of some consistency, I need to step up the level of my training. Now. Now that it's really hot out. Now that I have one of many races planned coming up this weekend. Now that I have a 10K and a half-marathon to look forward to on my road to the big bad Chicago Marathon (on my birthday) or Detroit (because it's close by).

My Next Run

These days, I've been investing quite a bit of time finding the best route for My Next Run. Thanks to mapmyrun.com, I've put aside much needed time on my research (and other people's research) in an overzealous attempt to be well prepared for My Next Run. YES, I think to myself, this'll be great! I've never run by the river in this area before and OOH, I definitely need to run in this neighborhood more often to incorporate more hills! Armed with my new iPod, I'm sure that my next run will be AWESOME despite running sans JZA.

The truth is, I sometimes forget that I need to actually bring a map with me or memorize the route before I head out for the run. Last week, JZA and I ran in circles through trails because of my blunder, though we did manage to create a route that was the 10-miler than we had wanted. (If you read my last post however, *we* didn't manage to actually complete the run strong.) And the other day, I found an amazing route around a park and had planned to bike over after work and then head home to prepare for the BBQ that was also part of my evening plans.

Instead, I ran what looked like--at least on the map--a boring route around the house. It WAS a boring route, that is, relatively un-scenic and along side big roads. On the upside, running by UofM's athletic compound and then The Big House was definitely inspiring. But more inspiring than the scenery was how strong I felt as I powered up the rolling hills, how much I love the sensation of hard work and sweat and how I feel as though I'm developing an intimate relationship with Ann Arbor as I run through an increasing multitude of her streets. With It's My Life blaring through my headset (nevermind that Gwen Stefani has built her career on misappropriating culture, I convince myself), I make a mental note not to worry about planning My Next Run.

I felt a little tight after my run the following day (yesterday) so in keeping with the philosophy of better-to-run-less-than-run-injured, I took a day off. Indeed, it was time well spent as Anna and I played all day in our back yard. Up and down the slide we went, push push push on the swing and then of course, after the 'Hum-on Mama, let's go eat' we had to go for a long walk to the local Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. After her afternoon nap, we hung out with our overachieving UofM friends over a bbq and realized how lucky I am to be in Ann Arbor (at least for now).

Now, it's time to prepare for My Next Run Later today...

Beat by the Heat

Three and a half more weeks until go time and I hit a big time wall yesterday during my run with JZA. Our weekly long run was doomed from the moment I thought that having Cold Stone's white chocolate ice cream a mere two hours before our run wouldn't be a big deal. I must have lost my mind.

This mistake, however, may have come a distance second to the fact that instead of hydrating myself with water all day I nursed my addiction to coffee instead. So, as we ran our comfortable 9:30 - 10:00 minute mile down through The Arb to the Huron River and up the Gallup Park trail, I knew right away that I'd probably gotten myself into a pickle.

After mile two, I felt the need to purge my ice cream mistake. While I managed to keep the goods in, I felt the humidity and sun pelting down on me as well as that awful sensation of thirst combined with heat provoked fatigue. Instead of jabbering the entire way, as JZA is accustomed to, he read right away that I was not in good shape.

By mile 4.5, I knew that I was losing the mental battle as well. I kept thinking to myself, my god, you haven't even reached the hills on the out and back yet - you're in a lot of trouble. Where are the F-ING water fountains in the park?!? Etc, etc. It was a very sad scene.

I reached my rope's end at mile 8. My stomach was churning, my upper right quad was aching and I was parched. JZA, at my suggestion, ran ahead of me and I was beginning to regret that I had let him go. At that point, I needed a piggyback ride home.

Feeling defeated and exhausted, I arrived home with multiple lessons learned. Today, as I sit in front of this computer typing, I am drinking water, stretching out my quad and vowing to submit to a NUTRITIOUS diet -- that is, at least before I run. Time to mentally prepare for the next training run.