My Favorite Weekend

Having not read the paper version of the L.A. Times in months, I'm not sure if they are still running the "My Favorite Weekend" column on Thursdays. Who knows what changes Sam Zell has wreaked on the paper. But if it still is, my weekend should qualify for it. Even more impressive is the fact that it actually happened and wasn't just an imaginary weekend from some B-level celebrity. And even more impressive than that, it was relatively affordable. No over-priced sushi for me.

Saturday started with Sameer and me riding Metro to South Pasadena and from the Mission station we rode our bikes to San Gabriel for dim sum at New Capital. It was a great morning for riding--overcast and cool--and the streets were still lightly trafficked, even notoriously gridlocked Garfield.

We arrived on time for our 10:30 dim sum date with the GLU fellas. Being rather indifferent to dim sum in general, I can happily report that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal on Saturday. I gorged myself on everything--even chicken feet. I left the table thoroughly full. Afterwards Sameer was on a mission to cap off the meal with some dan taat, which weren't able to get at New Capital. No problem. We just went downstairs to a Chinese bakery and ordered three different kinds. The Portuguese-style was the best.

By the time Sameer and I hopped back on our bikes it had started to sprinkle lightly, but not bad enough to prevent us from going to our next destination: Galco's in Highland Park.

Oh, Galco's! I've been wanting to visit for a while now, and now that I have I will definitely come back over and over again. I don't even drink soda! Since I hadn't had my daily cup of coffee yet, I bought an espresso coffee cola, which basically tasted like iced coffee with some carbonation. I also bought a root beer, a dandelion and burdock soda, cream soda, and a pear soda. They are all chilling in my refrigerator.

Post-Galco's we biked back to South Pasadena to drop by FJ's house. He finally got to meet Sameer and we talked for a bit before we cycled back to the Gold Line station.

After a quick clean up, we hopped back on Metro and headed down to Long Beach on a mission to eat Cambodian food and maybe watch a movie, time permitting. Time didn't permit for the movie, but we did have some tasty Cambodian cuisine. The restaurant we were going to check out turned out to be closed for a wedding reception. We were told there was another restaurant a couple of blocks down. Sure enough that restaurant also was hosting a wedding reception. We went inside a market and asked the proprietors if they knew of any other restaurants. They scoffed at first, but the older lady did point us to a couple of restaurants in the other direction of Anaheim Street. Just four blocks down, we settled on New Paradise.

Without going into much detail, dinner was good and we were treated to some line dancing by other diners and musical performances. Afterwards, we got some after dinner coffee at the Library. After a long day, I got back home at 11:30 in time to catch "Saturday Night Live."

Sunday was slower-paced but still fun. I got up early and went for a 10 mile run with Katie. Great weather and we made great time, finishing the run in 1hr, 34 min. I went to hang out with my family before my parents left for the Philippines this Wednesday. This entailed more eating. We love shabu shabu, which became my only meal for the day. I ate so much, that there really wasn't room for anything else.

To close out the weekend, I went to see Liz Phair perform Exile in Guyville at the Troubadour with FJ and his friend Dave. Good, solid show. Liz didn't do much with the songs, no reinvention, but it was fine. She sounded great, too, which was a relief.

So, there you go. My favorite weekend: lots of eating, a concert, running, cycling and great company. What more could a guy want?

09.21.2008: 15.3 Miles

Distance: 15.3 miles
Time: 2:29

It's no big miracle that FJ and I survived today's run. Between the two of us we either fell or rolled our ankles five times. It's been a few hours since and I'm glad I'm not too sore at all. I guess FJ and I just weren't used to the terrain beyond the Elmer Smith bridge. I slipped while crossing a small creek and rolled my right ankle as we approached another creek on the way back. FJ rolled his ankle a couple of times too. Thankfully none of our mishaps were too serious.

Apart from that, it was a good run. I really didn't feel like doing 15 miles at the beginning, but by the time we were wrapping it up we both felt strong enough to do another three miles. We both whined with about a mile and a half left but ultimately finished strong.

Hopefully this week I can get in more runs. I ran twice last week and the goal this week is three weeknight runs. These runs will be important in case I'm not able to run this coming weekend. I'm helping my parents move and this may prevent me from running.

With about two months before the San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon, I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm not in the shape I want to be yet, but I'm at least off my ass and running.

Getting Older All the Time

On Monday I turned 32, which--to me--sounds old. 32. It's no longer the cusp--I'm well in to my 30's, but ask any thirtysomething and they'll tell you they don't feel their age. What is 32 supposed to feel like anyway?

Instead of getting older I seem mired in immaturity. I'm not settled down, although I am seeing someone great at the moment. No marriage any time soon, nor kids. Not for a long time.

Much of the reason I don't feel 32 is that I'm far from settled into a career. I'm still making a pittance compared to what bankers my age (at least until Monday) are making. I live in a studio apartment and I'm continuously counting pennies. I suppose I'm not alone in this boat, but when I was younger, I always thought 30 was an age where everything has been figured out and life was just a matter of getting up every day. Thankfully that's not the case. I get up and wonder what new adventure awaits me. There's something disappointing about not figuring everything out by now, but at the same time the possibilities and opportunities that open up are thrilling. Eventually I'll feel like an old man. Heck, I'm already being treated like one. I cringe whenever anyone calls me "sir," but I'm also delighted that some people out there don't realize I'm 32. Most think I'm younger. Yay!

As for my celebration this year, it was low-key. The date just snuck up on me, and I couldn't come up with something fun to do that was also easy to plan. I hate planning big events, so I settled on a casual soul food dinner at Larkin's in Eagle Rock. I had a great time and enjoyed the company and the food. I hope everyone did too.

I am also happy to say that my 33rd year is off to a great start.

Raul Hasn't Been Running

Raul has been a lazy runner the last few weeks. I did run the San Francisco Half Marathon but with very minimal training, and I have been running with FJ, Andy and Katie on the weekends. This past weekend we ran 7 on Saturday and another 6 on Sunday, but even then my lack of training was evident. Those short runs wore me out. At the end of the Sunday run, Katie still had plenty of energy and I could barely keep up with her at the finish. In any event, I was hoping I would jump start my training this week. So far I've been unsuccessful.

In November I will be running a full marathon in San Antonio. I've been underperforming all year. No personal bests this year. I don't know what the conditions in San Antonio will be, but I am going to shoot for a 3:45. To do so, I will need to start putting in more miles and pushing my pace. With about 2.5 months left, I may have enough time to do so. I figure Mondays and Thursdays are good nights for running. I can probably squeeze in a short run either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully cooler weather will soon be upon us so I can't use the heat as an excuse. Knowing me, though, I'd likely use cold weather as an excuse too.

I, herefore, commit myself to training for the Inaugural San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon!

Race Report: 08.03.2008 - San Francisco Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 1:59:54
Pace: 9:09/mile
Place: 1578/6697
Men: 1067/2994
30-39: 395/1091

This marks my slowest half marathon ever. I figured I would have a hard time trying to run a personal best considering the lack of quality training, so I decided to take it easy and enjoy the run. I paced myself at around 9 minutes per mile. I brought my camera along to document the run, so I stopped often to snap a picture of the view, mostly the Golden Gate Bridge. I got some great shots but it made for a slow run.

The first half of the marathon traces a similar route as the Nike Women's Marathon. We started at the Embarcadero on Mission and ran along it up to the Presidio. It's a demanding course, lots of hills, and when on the bridge, strong wind gusts. Overall it was a fun run. The worst part was when I finished. I did not pack properly and neglected to pack a sweater. All I had was a thin windbreaker which was not enough to keep off the cold while I waited for Audrey to finish. Audrey finished in three hours, but with the staggered start, I was actually waiting for almost two hours. It gets cold, and I was hungry.

San Francisco is definitely a great place to run. I'm not enthused by the 5:30AM start time, but I suppose it's good that you finish early and can nap the rest of the day. I would consider doing the race again, maybe even the full.

In any event, here are samples of the pictures I snapped during the run. For the rest, check out my Flickr.


4 in the morning. Getting ready for the race.


Embarcadero before the start.


Approaching the Bridge.


View of runners on the Bridge from the vista point on the Marin County side.


Running on the Bridge.


Enjoying the view after the run.

Raul is Biking

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After much deliberation I finally bought a bike last night from Sameer's friend, Lauren. It's a cute bike, a Univega. I picked it up after work at Lauren's place in Echo Park and Sameer met me there so he can escort me to Hollywood for the GLU meeting. I think he was terrified I would get myself killed. It was only later in the evening that he revealed that he had packed medical supplies with him, gauzes, scissors, morphine. That's how much faith he had in me. Frankly, I didn't have much faith either. In the morning I made a point to find my Blue Shield card and stuff it in my wallet.

From Echo Park we took Sunset all the way to my old street, Martel. 6.2 miles according to Google. I did 10K in my first bike ride. The ride was fun and exciting. I tried to be vigilant the whole time and watch out for crazy drivers. I know there are horrible drivers out there, but to really get a sense of how bad some folks are, get on a bike and feel how dangerous it can be out there. Echo Park wasn't bad with its bike lanes, but once we got to Hollywood it got a little scarier. Actually the worst part of the ride for me was how bumpy it was. They really need to do something about those potholes.

It was exhilarating getting to our destination. I think I was just relieved to have made it in one piece. I was sweaty and thirsty, but I was alive.

We also rode back home to Koreatown and riding down 7th Street was fun. It was late at night and no cars. I need to get a frontlight, though.

Today my butt is a little sore, but I'm looking forward to getting on the bike again. Maybe next week I can start taking the bike to work.

400th Post!

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'd like to say that it's because I wanted something special for my 400th post, but really I've just been busy. Lots of changes! I started seeing someone, I moved and other things in life just kept me from posting, but I'll try to be better.

I haven't been running very much since San Diego, though. I'm out of shape. I ran a couple of weekends, but with a half marathon in three weeks, I'm not in the best shape. To get back into it, I went for a run last night around my new neighborhood. I mapped out a scenic five mile course that took me down Sixth Street to Rossmore. I continued on Rossmore to Beverly then to Larchmont. I then took 2nd Street all the way back home.

According to my watch it took me 43 minutes. Either I was fast or Google Maps is wrong in its calculation. Maybe it helped that I did stop halfway at Larchmont Village to buy a cupcake at the newly opened Crumbs Bakeshop. I ate half of it and took the other half home. Is eating a cupcake counterproductive during a run? Perhaps, but I won't make it a habit. Next time I'll map a course that takes me by Scoops Ice Cream.

When I got home I also bought two tacos al pastor from the taco truck in front of my apartment. How many of you have your own taco truck?

When You Wake Up Feeling Old

It was odd. I've been using the same password at work for the last six months to log on to my work computer, but as soon as I sat in front of the computer today, I knew I had forgotten it. I recalled how it began but the numbers that comprised it just went away. I tried various combinations. I tried letting my fingers remember the key strokes. I tried listing the possible combinations. I even took a break and bought a cup of yogurt with granola and strawberries hoping that food will help me remember. The yogurt was delicious but it didn't help. I finally gave up and called our IT guy who was able to give me the password.

The sad thing was that I was nowhere close to the number. I was using three digits when it was actually four. What happened? It's a little scary, actually. Did I get bonked on the head? Was a section of my memory erased? Maybe I'm just getting old.

San Diego RNR Marathon Splits

When I posted my race report on last weekend's marathon, I neglected to include my splits. Here they are. Looking at them now they don't seem so bad. Apart from the last three miles, I maintained a strong pace. I wasn't slower than 11 minutes per mile. Note that I missed the split for the first mile, so the splits for mile 1 and 2 are an average. Most likely I ran mile 2 faster than the first.

Race Report: 06.01.2008 - San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon

Chip Time: 3:58:08
Pace: 9:05/mile
10K: 53:21
Half: 1:52:28
30K: 3:02:49

On my seventh marathon I learned that you should not disrespect the distance. I thought I had this marathon thing figured out and can go do it with ease. It was not the case. This marathon hurt. My experience, though, helped get me through it but I wound up running it eight minutes slower than last year's personal best. The marathon doesn't really get any easier. Afterwards I was hurting like it was my first race. Still, I did finish under four hours again, so it wasn't all bad.

A couple of things undid me last Sunday. First I didn't maintain my training the last couple of weeks. I ran twice in the last two weeks. As a result my legs and I felt sluggish the entire race. I also started off too fast and at mile 8 I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain the pace. I was already feeling tired by then. But I kept the pace longer than I expected, but perhaps if I only slowed down a little I might have staved off the cramping that occurred beginning at mile 18.

Mile 18 was the wall for me. Looking back at my splits I maintained a decent pace through mile 21 and then quickly faded. The cramping was tough. It started with my left calf, followed by the right, followed by the muscle just above my right knee. By the finish even my groin was cramping. It was awful. I imagined I looked like Igor as I dragged my legs in the last few miles.

The weather was also a factor. Even with the early morning cloud cover, the temperature wasn't cool. By mile 14 the haze burned off and the sun just sapped my energy. Last year I finished the race without the sun peaking through the clouds. I had to pour water over my head several times to keep cool.

So, no PR, but I doubted I would do it anyway. Still I was hoping for a time closer to it, but I'll take the sub four as a consolation prize.

On the upside, my pictures are up and they're not bad. Perhaps one of my better races picture-wise. Maybe it's the sunshine. At least it did some good after all.


Finished!



Somewhere in the middle


Crossing the finish line.

Other photos can be seen here.