Tri Training: Day 1

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Days left to Wildflower: 101

Today was my first day learning how to swim! The weather was gloomy all day and even scattered showers found its way to San Jose. Today was also the first day of Spring semester, so with classes, I can already tell training is going to be tough. So if you don't know already, I have decided that I will do my first triathlon in 2013! The goal is do the Olympic course at Wildflower, and I have 101 days left! In a future blog, I will talk about why I want to do a triathlon and what this means to me, but not today! 

Before the swim

I went to school around 7:30 AM because parking is really crazy the first few weeks of school, and I wanted a good spot. I decided to go to the gym for a bit before my 9:00 AM class. I cycled for about 30 minutes and then went to go do some stretches. I realized I definitely need to pick up a Yoga class or something, I have 0 flexibility! When it was time for classes, it was the usual go through the syllabus and talk about what to expect for the semester. All I can say is... it's gonna be rough. On the up side, this is my last semester, so I'm kind of excited for that! I have 3 classes on M&W and just one on Thursdays, so it'll be nice not to go to school on Tuesdays and breathe. I got out of my last class really early, so I met my swim teacher.. aka Kelvin and got to the first lesson!

My first swimming lesson

I have never been in a one piece bathing suit. I have never been in a bathing suit alone, so imagine the insecure horror running through my body at this point. Not to mention, the women's swimming team was practicing. Instead of doubting myself and throwing on my tank top I had in my bag, I sucked it up and said to myself, "At least I'm out here trying". I can't say I owned it, as I tip toed out of the locker room wrapped in a towel, but I'm getting there! The lesson lasted 45 minutes, and mainly involved a kick board and me trying to get the water out of my ears. I learned how to splash around in a less barbaric way. I'm learning how to raise my elbow a little higher out of the water, and swim in a relatively straight line. Thankfully, I know how to float and I'm not too scared of the water so I hope I learn quickly! Poor Kelvin was shivering as he was watching me practice technique and making sure I was keeping the form or whatever form I had. Hopefully he'll get to swim a bit more next time! The weather was sad and gloomy, but no rain! My face hurts a little bit, but apparently that's normal for newbies and I'll get used to it. 

After the swimming lesson

I feel good. Not frustrated. I'm glad I set my mentality in the locker room and didn't psych myself out. The next swim day is tomorrow, but not really a lesson-- just for me to practice what I learned today! Alright, gotta run. No, literally.. it's time for speed workout with Go Far Run Group! Stay tuned!

Disneyland Half Marathon 2012

Disneyland Half Marathon 2009

Once a year or so, I convince Kelvin to step away from the podium, and do a fun run with me! This year was no different when we took on the Disneyland Half Marathon 2012! So how did we discover this Disneyland half marathon business? Well, it all started in 2008 when we were shopping at The Great Mall in Milpitas! Disney was having their warehouse clearance event, and we were looking through the t-shirt rack. Kelvin noticed a shirt that said "Goofy's Challenge" and oh yeah, this was around the time I was barely getting into long distance running (still weighing 155 lbs). We decided that we were going to do it! We got home and looked it up, and saw that it was in Florida -___-. Bummer. It was only then that we saw there was one held in Disneyland, but it was for the following year -- 2009! After thinking about for about a week or so, we decided we were going to register! Then in 2009, we geared up and ran it! I managed to lose a little bit of weight, but really gave it my all! I bought Cinderella colored clothes, and Kelvin dressed up like a Jedi. This was my official finishing time of 2009! After that run, we were hooked! We saw so many creative and innovative costumes! The one that really caught our attention were a group of 3 friends who dressed up as Huey, Dewey, and Louie! Their costumes were original, and they were fast. I wanted to be like that too! So the mindset was set... from now we were going to do the Disneyland Half Marathon every year!

And the rest was history...

Disneyland Half Marathon 2010

Disneyland Half Marathon 2011

Photo credit: Brightroom

....Last year we didn't get a picture with Russell & Dug from "Up", so I really wanted to run as the same characters so we could finally get that picture!! After a brief conversation, Kelvin agreed to dawn that Kevin head once more :).  Unfortunately, Russell and Dug were not a part of the characters on the course this year!! :( Kelvin was not happy about that one, but I was even more upset! Oh well.

Disneyland Half Marathon 2012

Photo credit: Joey from MouseInfo

The day before the run, we found out that there were age division awards for this run. With that said, we will be back next year but it's unknown if we'll be trying for awards or if we'll be back in costumes! Nonetheless, thank you to everyone who complimented our costumes (mainly Kelvin's haha), and if you have a picture of you in a costume or a picture with one of us, or both, please send it! I want to make a collage haha. Oh! And one last thing, THANK YOU TO RUN DISNEY FOR PUTTING ON EVENTS LIKE THESE!!! :D :D :D :D

Photo Credit: MouseInfo.com

Can you find Kevin and the house? :)

Let's Hear It For The Dads!

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." -- Billy Graham

     As the post title suggests, this post is to the dads who've stepped up their game! So let me sit and thank the dads who have, at different parts, entered my life and left their mark in my livelihood. Before you go off thinking that this is a post talking about my father, it is not. This is about the MEN who stepped in when he stepped out.

     So it's no surprise to any one who knows me, to know that I grew up without a dad in my life. He exited it when I was 5 years old, I've been without him longer than I've been with him; I'd like to think that it's better that he isn't in my life, so don't feel sorry for me because I don't feel sorry for me. I was fortunate enough to have a grandpa  who took on the task of becoming my constant babysitter. He literally took me everywhere with him. He took me to the Lion plaza when he'd go shopping, looking around, or gambling during New Years. He made sure I had my peanut butter and sugar sandwich before I left for school everyday, and a homemade Vietnamese dinner to eat when I came home. He was my first karate instructor and pushed me to do a talent show (home video hilariousness) when I was in the third grade. When I think about dad, he's the first person that comes to mind. I miss him so much, and even when he's older now and not as swift as he once was... he will always be my one and only G.Pa! 

     Another little fact about myself (not one I'm particularly proud of) is that I have a genuinely hard time maintaining valuable relationships. More times than not, I tend to be alone whether it be a conscious effort or not. It really take a conscious effort for me to maintain friendships and relationships because I'm actually used to being alone --and for the most part it's ok by me. This is where I bring in my god-father. He came into my life when I was 14 years old as my track coach, and 2 years later as my god-father. He inspired me to believe in myself, and bought me my first pair of actual running shoes. Until the day I met him, I was rocking some all black basketball shoes from Marshalls. I remember the running shoes were a size 7 red & white New Balance shoes. A serious and dedicated man, once he's got something in his mind, he is determined to make it work even if he loses sleep! He is one of the most hard working men that I know, and puts 150% in everything he does. Even until this day, he is unrelenting to maintain our relationship. Although sometimes it is difficult for us to get together just to have lunch and catch-up, he makes sure that it happens and instead of letting this relationship fall at the wayside, this is one relationship that's worth fighting for.
     Last but not least of these lists of father figures in my life is the man I've only started calling dad approximately 6 months ago. I've been dating his son for about 7 years, and for those 6 & half years, I've always called him uncle. Strong and silent is how I like to describe him. He won't ever ask how I'm doing to my face, but he'll always ask Kelvin or ask his wife about my whereabouts and my well-being. The title "dad" hasn't been exactly a practiced habit of mom unlike the words "mom" or "sisters". Honestly, I don't even know patriarchal nouns in Vietnamese. He is a simple man with a complex heart. Again, I'm practicing the term dad with him and sometimes it feel extremely unnatural, but not because he is not worthy of the title. It's hard to describe a man who does so much and sacrifice so much to make and keep his family happy, safe, and secure. When I think of an image of what a dad should be, I think of this man because he is truly the dad of the dads. 
     I have been fortunate enough to have 3 men come into my life when I wasn't looking for anyone to fill any type of void. I have been fortunate enough to have 3 men come into my life when I thought I was fine by myself. Overall, I have been fortunate enough to have 3 exceptional male role-models in my life to lead, motivate, and help me reach any goal-- no matter how difficult. If anyone out there is reading this post and you have an awesome dad, go over to him and give him a hug and say, "thanks for being awesome." If your biological father hasn't been there, don't sit and cry over someone who you're probably better without. Why want someone to be in your life who obviously doesn't want you in theirs (that goes for anyone)? In science blood may be thicker than water but when it comes to family that isn't always the case. Be strong, do you. Life is funny, when you're not expecting it, people will come into in your life and fill voids you didn't know you had.

Vibha Dream Half Marathon

UPDATE POST JULY 18 2011:
     So after I wrote my review on Yelp and posted it here on my blog, I received a general e-mail from the Vibha committee about the successes about the run, and things that they can work on. In that e-mail, they addressed all my issues in the "thing they can work on" section. It made me feel really heard that they actually took the time and listened to the people who participated in the event. Also, a few days after that e-mail, I received a package from someone (I'm assuming) in charge that enclosed a certificate and medal for my age group! Although the medal was the same one I got at the finish line, I felt appreciated for my hard work and they tried to right they wrong -- even though they could've easily said "oh well, we'll fix it for next year". Due to these turn of events, I will again consider doing the run again since I do love what the organization is doing! Will update the Yelp review as well as soon as their done with their maintenance. Thanks, Vibha!




So I ran a half-marathon today. I registered for it about 3 days ago, not much prep work for this race in particular but I have been feeling strong lately so I decided to go ahead and just do it! Here's my take on what happened (you can also see it on Yelp!). No pictures because I was pretty disappointed and exhausted afterwards.

THE BEGINNING:

It's hard to be mad a non-profit that throws this run annually to help aide non-profits in India, but I can't help but feel a little ripped off. I signed up to do the Vibha half marathon this year (2012), and paid the full price of $60. The start of the day was a bit frustrating because in a confirmation e-mail, they said that there are 2 main parking lots which were free of charge since they covered it . One of the parking lots they showed we could park was right by the start line... SWEET! The other parking lot was about a 5-10 minute walk, meh. However, when I got there at 6:00AM even though start time wasn't until 7:30AM, I was told to park in the parking lot that was a 5-10 minute walk away, no, I don't mind that if I was late... but I'm pretty sure I was one of the first people there! Fortunately, there was a neighborhood near by that parking lot and I could easily park there and not walk as far (I know.. I'm about to run a half marathon and I can't walk an extra 5 minutes? Well.. suck it. I didn't want to walk that extra 5 minutes back to the car). Turns out, no one was allowed to park at the parking lot near the start line except for volunteers and vendors. If that was the case, it would have been easier to just say... hey everyone park in this lot and not this one.

THE COURSE:

Yes it is at Hellyer park, but no dirt trail at all. The entire thing was paved and essentially flat. The mini hills that were on the course were welcomed with a pretty instant downhill right after you hit the peak. Aid stations every 1.5 miles with Gatorade, water, and some even had Gus. There was always someone in the fork of roads to make sure people would continue down the correct path and not end up on the highway or something. There was also a guy biking back & forth making sure everyone was ok. I would say this run was pretty well shaded but there are a few straight aways where you are completely exposed! Oh! and you go under some overpasses so expect your watch to potentially crap out like mine did for me. Overall, the course, water stations, and volunteers were awesome.

THE ENDING:

Here's where things started to crumble. The straight-away leading to the finish line is on the grass (FYI, I HATE grass) and the cones separating people who've already finished and people who are going to finish was extremely big so I had no real idea where I was supposed to finish until I saw this itty bitty sign the said FINISH. I raced with this one guy during the finish, that was fun. Everyone gets a medal, goody bag, Indian meal-- looks homemade and smelled so good, bananas, & cotton t-shirt. The only thing that bugged me was that today was a very hot day, even though it was only approximately 9:30 when I finished. To quench my thirst, they only had little dixie cups that your dentists usually have and large jugs of water you had to pour into your mini dixie cup. I know that after that race, I definitely needed more water than that! Poor people were surrounding the table like vultures looking for dixie cups and waiting in line to pour water into it, including myself!

AWARDS:

So, first of all, the age groups were kind of funky-- nothing I've ever seen before. There was overall & age division; both normal. However, age divisions were broken up in something along the lines of 12 & under (kind of normal), 13-21 (not normal), 22-something (more not normal), and then 55-90 (REALLY not normal). The run consisted of a 5k, 10k, & half-marathon. This is where the jipped feeling comes into play. They gave awards to overall and age-divsion top 3 for the 5k and 10k, BUT NOT THE HALF-MARATHON. Why?! I paid twice as much and ran twice as long, and I don't get anything? Considering I came in first in my age division, is really upsetting. Not only was that really bad, the person in charge did not make an announcement that there would only be age division awards for the 5k and 10k, so I literally stood around half-dehydrated and really tired waiting for my award for an hour... only to have her conclude with, "ok that's it". Ugh that is NOT ok.

THE EXTRA: They are a great non-profit and have some really sweet volunteers, but I just can't shake the feeling that they could've put forth more effort in this event. I have run in other events that have benfeciaries and still throw an awesome run and shows that they appreciate the people who are trying to help them. Also, they had a cute henna tent and some balloon animals for the kids. For a run that apparently has been an annual thing for 14 years... I'd expect a little more. :|

Oakland Running Festival 2012

What's the one thing you don't want to do after a 2 week battle with a cold & flu? Easy, run a flipping half marathon!

Oakland Running Festival 2012

As a personal trainer I knew that it was dumb that I would even consider running a half. However, as a stubborn athlete who's already paid for registration, and missed a run last week... I was NOT about to miss another one. All I can say is that I'm an idiot for thinking I could PR after two weeks of non-training, I knew it was not possible, it'd be a miracle if I could. On the flip side, I am very happy that I went out there, ran my little heart out, and did my best.


Kelvin and I got there to watch the marathon start, and at 9:15 it was time for the approx. 4,000 half-marathoners to get to the start line. I was feeling adequate and mile 1, but I knew something wasn't right. I don't typically wheeze during runs, but this time I started wheezing at mile 3, so I knew I had to listen to my body and slow the pace down. I knew there was no way I was hitting 1:50, so I took a deep breath and told myself, "there will be more races in the future, do you really wanna  be stupid and run hard when you know you're still recovering?" Yes. I do talk to myself like that haha. Alas, as I struggled through the rest of my mileage, I ran into a man named John who was running his first half-marathon, he's such a great guy! He was cheering on the volunteers! Honestly, I think he could have ran much faster, but for some reason he stayed at my pace and encouraged me along the way. Sweet guy; I hope I see him again in the future. I finished my half-marathon and almost burst into tears because I was so upset that I finished in 2+ hours. Of course, my better half came along and made me feel better by putting my training in perspective. He has a great way of telling me how it is without being a jerk about it. He told me, "you want to redeem yourself? Sign up for another race and train for it. You know that you've been sick and had midterms, you know this, so why did you expect to PR today? You should look at the positive side and look that you even came out here.You're still a competitive athlete, but even the pros get sick." Man, what a guy. I let it go and accepted the fact that my training has been poor and I should take my own advice! I always tell my clients that it only take 1 week for your body to completely decondition, and my body gave me a lesson about that today! Now, I'm sitting with my feet up and waiting for our trip to Disneyland!! Don't worry though world, we're bringing our running shoes! :)

ORF 2012 Half Marathon Course & Vibes

Oakland never seems to fail! The organizers deserve a round of applause because for the 2 years that I have run this event, it is always smooth from registration to expo to race day. Even though I was pretty exhausted, I think it could have been much worse if it wasn't for the awesome volunteers out there! Aid stations were plentiful, and people were awesome! I saw many many volunteers cheering us on, and even people who walked out of their houses, or from the stores to cheer us on! A few people who were Raider fans came out to cheer us on! Raider Nation, you don't mess with those folks! Oakland PD weren't as nice and cheerful this year as they were last year, but the Oakland Fire Department were smiles all around and I'm pretty sure all of them were cheering as I chugged on by! The half-marathon course was fast flat and consisted of maybe 1 overpass, but that was pretty much it. However, the pot-holes of Oakland are still very prevalent. I could have easily broken an ankle or face planted had it not been for my eyes constantly looking ahead for pot holes. I love the vibe of Oakland during this race, and I knew I had some worries because of the Occupy Oakland Movement, but they did not disrupt the run or I didn't even have a run-in with them at all! After my run, there was still lots of oranges, apples, Chewy bars, kettle chips, etc.! Also, thanks to the volunteer who gave me my 13.1 medal! My only issue (I'm pretty sure the race organizers couldn't do much about this) was the location of the post-race expo. I don't like grass, I don't like wet grass, I don't like mud or anything that looks like poop hahah so I wasn't too ecstatic about the Snow Park location. I didn't hang around for much longer because my gross out level was rising exponentially as I saw dogs poop and the owners didn't clean it up, so Kelvin & I left. 

Overall, Oakland Running Festival... you can expect me back! Sick or not!! 

Midterm Week and Oakland 2012 Prep

Wow. Really? My last post was one picture about Tinkerbell? Bahah! Well, I think you all deserve a well-thought out post.

Midterm Week

 

Midterm week at SJSU is no joke. You know what's worse? Having the flu during midterm week! Luckily, my Audiology professor (LOVE her) had her midterm one week before the madness had begun; so I only had midterms on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. It all started on Sunday when I woke up with easily a high fever of 100+F. I ended up missing Emerald Across the Bay 12k, but my better half had convinced me that a hospital bill and missing midterms would be a much less fortunate fate since I don't have health insurance (thanks U.S.A!). I laid in bed all day and slept on & off for about 10 hours. I woke up at 7:00pm and drilled everything I could in my brain, but came 12:00A.M. the Nyquil had started to kick in and I was out. Oh! I forgot to mention that I had a small presentation on Monday as well, I presented, but 'til this day I have no idea what I said. The test was easier than I thought, but then again I couldn't process information for the life of me thanks to the meds from the morning. All I can remember is laughing at my awesome friends, laughing at me. I tried to study on Monday night for Tuesday's huge midterm.... HUGE midterm, but alas I succumbed to the meds and consequently did not do very well on that midterm. After a good session of feeling down & out, I picked myself up and studied for Thursday's midterm. Long story short, Thursday came & went, and I'd rather not think about my results, just hoping for the best! Now, let's get to the fun stuff!

Oakland Running Festival

Other than not running for about two weeks, I'm ready! Now let's be serious, I'm pretty much terrified that I won't finish. I have never not run for this long, and to run 13.1 miles on a whim, that's a bit scary. You may be wondering, why haven't you been running for 2 weeks? Well, let me tell you. Although I was sick this past Sunday... I was also sick (albeit not as bad) the Sunday before that as well! Now back to my story. I went to the expo today and got my number, t-shirt, and free stuff! The forecast for tomorrow calls for showers in the A.M. but it should break as the race is underway! I like to run in the rain so it shouldn't be a problem, I just hope that I don't have another relapse in sickness! Tomorrow I will update (hopefully) with results and my impressions of the course, volunteers, set-up, etc.! Wish me luck! .....I'm going to need it.

Tinkerbell Half Marathon

Getting geared up and ready for Tinkberbell Half Marathon in one week and one day! :) :) Goal time: 1:51 or better. Wearing a costume... <2 hours :)

Peppermint Bark

Holiday season is in full swing! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all! :)

Nike Women's Marathon Runway Edition!

This is long overdue and I'm sure I've forgotten minute details I wouldn't have if I only updated when I got home but anywho, later is better than never, right? Rather than giving a full-length detailed re-enactment of my perfect, dream/ wish come true, here's an edited version.. and a video at the end! :)
Very overdue


The Experience!
Thursday (10/13)-- The town car picked me up at 6:30am on Thursday (10/13) and I was whisked away by a man named Carlos who smelled like my godfather :). We entered the glorious city of San Francisco... and that's when it all began.  We (Alyssa, Roxy, and I) were taken to La Casa Verde, given a quick introduction to everyone (all Entourage and people involved to be discussed later), tour of the house, then straight to hair an make-up! Our Nike clothes were stylized by the one and only Samantha Jo Alonso! Thursday was dedicated to driving around SF taking gorgeous pictures, bonding with the other girls, and just kind of settling in. We all had two outfits for our photoshoot and then the girls who shot their pictures earlier in the day had the option to stay home and hang out or go with the girls, we all decided to stay together-- I think that really helped with our bonding! :) We went home and had a great dinner made by our chef, Angela Windholz. The house got quiet around 9pm, but Melissa, Alyssa, and I spent at least an hour updating our Facebooks, Twitter, etc etc. and went to sleep at like midnight. lol 
Friday-- On Friday we all woke up 7:30am and went for a 2 mile run at 8am with Nike personal trainer, Marie Purvis! Long story short, we lost Melissa! I was clearly freaking out because she was one of my roomies, my girl, my homie! We lost her on a pretty intense hill and I was willing to climb up the thing again to find her! 
     After our run, we stretched with Marie, and hooray! we found Melissa! After all that madness, we had a little down time and then we got ready again but this time it was for Lady Footlocker! We went riding on the BART to Union Square and Roxy was ready to throw down! There was a man who in short was being a pure jerk, and she was not taking it! She let him know that she thought he was a huge jerk and I was so thrown off by everything I didn't know what to say. Anyways, we went straight to Lady Footlocker to get our personalized Nike AW 77 hoodies! We all got to choose a saying that finished this, "I Run to Be..." and something in the front. I chose on the back to say, "I Run to Be Fearless" and on the front I got my name and "Runway Crew" underneath it. :) 
     After we told the generous gentlemen what we wanted, we headed straight to Straits for lunch. It was so nice to eat nummy food with the ladies. I've never been to Straits before, so it was quiet delicious! I got to know the girls more which is always fun! After lunch, we headed to the house and got ready for the Cole Haan party! At first, we were supposed to dress nice for the party and then get into our first outfit from our photoshoot the day prior. Then halfway into our make-up, they made a change and now we were going to this fancy party... in our bright sporty gear! lol The folks at Paul Mitchell were able to hook me up with this:   After our hair and make up, we all headed to the Cole Haan party!
     When we were there, we ate mingled, and Stephanie even bought some boots! We had a hoot of a time, but let's face it.. .we were all excited and nervous about our Runway! At the part we met two amazing and gorgeous athletes, Kara Goucher and Shalane Flannigan! When 6:50pm hit, we all walked across the street to our runway! We saw the other 50 girls who would be joining us walking the runway, and man did they look fierce, fearless, and fly! We ran into Sam and she fixed our outfits, and some of us needed changes to our outfit because of various reasons, so she got that all squared away for us! Thx Sam!! When we got to the runway and we saw people practicing... and then we practiced! Those 7 girls worked it like model staus... and my dummy... east side came out of me and of course I threw my hands in the air! ...Literally! It was hilarious and people loved it... so I kept it for the real thing :) We were all so pumped and ready for 8:05pm to hit! We met Catt Sadler from E! News! She was super nice and she looked nervous too. All 8 of us were dancing and grooving and fist pumping to the music. I really had a great time backstage; I'm sure everyone else thought we were crazy idiots haha. When the time came to run the runway, we all walked fiercely and proudly representing the 2011 Original Runway Crew! I was lucky enough to have Kelvin and, one of my best friends, Matthew come see me work it! Here's the video of our madness on the runway:

     After the runway, we were all still so pumped we all were thinking about having a dance party back at our house, but once we got home... Oh glory glory there was food and I think everyone kind of forgot about or was hit by the tired train because we all dressed in our pajamas and some went straight to bed, while others kind of lingered in the kitchen eating everything in our path. But before we all headed to bed and stuff, we met with Scott, a pacer from Nike. He is really a funny and intelligent guy! He was telling us about shoes and answering questions about shoes we had. He even tried to convince Stephanie to ditch her K-Swiss and run Nikes. On top of that, he knew exactly what model of Brooks I ran in! Weird... that guy knows his stuff!  I wish I got a picture with Scott, he was too cool! If Scott is reading this, please add me on Facebook! haha! After sir Scott left us, we all were wandering around and like I said earlier, some of us went to bed, and some of us ate everything.I'm pretty sure Rebecca was even taking a quiz for her nursing class, online! haha! Melissa caught a bit of a sore throat, so she hit the sac early, and me and Alyssa stayed up a little while; I dozed off soon after.
Saturday-- This day was really relaxing, we woke up and went to Nike Town for breakfast. During breakfast, we heard Joan Benoit Samuelson speak... if you don't know who she is... LOOK HER UP! She is definition of amazingness. Moving right along, After Nike, we finally got a chance to go to the Expo and pick up our race-packets and enjoy the expo!  We had lots of free time, and I hung out with Roxy and Rebecca, and then Kelvin and Justin came to hang out with me. We checked into the boys' hotel room, early! We wandered around the Expotique and we all did the fun stuff like make smoothies and listen to music in massage chairs! . When 4:30pm hit, we were to report back to Cornelia near the truck and that's when we all took the BART back to the house. We were kind of in a rush because we were LATE to a meeting with big Nike representatives that were going to ask our opinion about certain shoe ideas in certain scenarios. That was a quick session since the gals had to leave around 5:30 and we got home at like 5... heh heh.. More time to relax... and then dinner with Shalane Flanigan and Shannon Rowbury! Those ladies were so easy to talk to and it was so nice to ask them about their fears, flubs, accomplishments, best pre and post meal... and then a little bit of entertainment celebrity gossip too..  :P. After dinner we met with Annie the pacer from Nike, and she talked about the course with us and kind of prepped of for what to expect and how to fuel and ask us some questions. It was really amazing to get some insight on the course and how we could ask her questions about when's the worst and best part ahaha. I wish I would've gotten a picture with Annie, she was really a cool gal and if you're reading this Annie... add me on Facebook! haha. We all went to bed around 9:30pm, but like the days prior, me and the girls stood up a little late and Melissa even put her bed on the floor! One little thing I failed to mention earlier was that A) Melissa's bed broke on the first day... twice B) the people who fixed the bed actually stuffed pillows underneath it to make it level C) it wasn't level.. lol and she was sleeping crooked the whole time!. Ok, back to my story. I went to bed at 10pm and our time to wake up was 4:30AM. 
Sunday (RACE DAY) -- Woke up at 4:30AM and was freakin' PUMPED... sleepy at first, but after realization that I was going to be running 26.2 miles today... excitement, nerves, anxiety, shaking, all kicked in at the same time! AH, crazy! So crazy, I failed to take morning pictures of all the girls which I really wanted to do, sorry girls! If you guys have any pictures, please send them my way, I'd love to put it in this section! Well, we all got ready and on our bathroom mirrors were pieces of paper titled, "FREE POSITIVE THOUGHTS"; it was from our stylist Sam! I took one and carried it in my pocket during the marathon. We left the house at 6:00am and I was a little scared we weren't going to make it on time! We got to the place around 6:30am, and man talk about VIP, our van had a little sign on it that said, "MEDIA B" and Ja got out of the car and moved the fence.. and we were in! Some of the girls needed to use the restroom and instead of waiting in the never-ending line of ladies, we got taken underground to a staff bathroom! Again, we ran into Kara and Shalene... starstruck as always, I was like "go in front of everyone!" lol. After we all went, we went straight to the starting line, ...FRONT OF THE STARTING LINE! We were just in time for the national anthem.. and as always I started getting teary eyed and the singer was great! The Nike folks held a contest, and she won! Good for her. :) No camera here. But here's a still shot of some of the girls listening to the national anthem. Then in 3, 2, 1.... WE WERE OFF!!

MARATHON RECAP: To be done in tomorrow's (or possibly next week's) blog entry. But here are few pictures to prove I finished lol! :)

     After our run, we had until 1:30-2:00pm to hang out with family, relax a bit, and then get back to the house! I chose to relax with some of the girls and some of the girls went to hang with their family. When we got back, we took a shower, hung out, ate... oh god.. there was Ghiradelli chocolate conveniently placed all over the house that I resisted since Thursday... I ate like 5 when I got back to the house :D. On the last day, Nike allowed us to bring 2-3 guests into the house and join us for dinner. Adrian, Kelvin and Justin came to the house and I gave them a grand tour of the place. They were amazed, just like I was; hahah! We all had dinner, talked, and laughed... and then it was time. The photographers weren't able to make it since they had to do lots of editing, and had to meet deadlines. We all asked if they could hold off for an hour and just join us for dinner. No luck :(. However, they video-called us! We were all so excited and expressed how much we would miss them. 
     Afterwards, Cornelia called us all in one last circle to talk about our experience in our house and what our favorite part was. Some said the runway, some said the photoshoot, I said that the mere fortune and luck I had to meet wonderful people was my favorite part. I started to cry while people were talking because it hit me like a ton of bricks that it was all over, and that I'd have to leave this wonderful house, leave this wonderful people, and leave this wonderful experience. Afterwards, we slowly packed our belongings and left with our families. The boys helped me pack my things into the car, and we were off. It was over. I never thought that I would be so blessed to have experienced such a plethora of amazing things happening one after another, after another, after another! This experience has been unique, and I don't know if there will ever be an experience in my running world that will match up.. EVER! So in a really small nutshell, that was my nothing less than perfect experience in the Nike house, with the Nike family, and the Nike Womens Marathon! I know, terrible ending... but I'm terrible with endings... so it's pretty appropriate :P. Now that my experience is over, I will talk about the people I've met along the way. Like I said earlier, it's been a while so my memory isn't.. not probably.. it isn't remembering things it would have only if I blogged earlier. Please don't be offended if I fail to mention you!


The Girls
      I had added the 7 other girls on Facebook (FB) prior to our Runway experience but I was still very nervous. All of our conversations were very superficial and mainly about how nervous we were about getting to San Francisco. Frankly, I was afraid I wouldn't connect with any of the girls and just kind of stay in my room, studying the entire time. Basically, I was wrong; completely wrong! And here's why:
Roxanne Ramirez:  The first girl I met on this experience, and honestly I was nervous about this lady! We picked up Roxy, and wow we hit it off! I was a little scared since on her Facebook, the only thing I knew about her was that she was a hardcore protector of animals. However, we talked like we knew each other since grade school and it was so easy to get-along with her! We ended running a part of the marathon together, and wow, we are so much alike it's pretty funny! She, on the other hand, is WAY more blunt and outspoken about her feelings. I can't say that I'm the same way, but I have so much respect for people that can do that without being total jerks about it. By the way, he boyfriend is pretty awesome too. Cool cat, I'd hang out with him! She lives in The City, so out of the seven girls, I'd see her the most. I haven't been to SF since the marathon but I promised her that whenever I was up there doing a run, I would definitely call her so she can come out and run too!


Alyssa Andrews: This girl is too awesome! With her SoCal accent and charm, Alyssa is super out-going and friendly which made it easy to talk to her. I thought it would be hard since she's a law student. She was one of my roomies in our eco-monster mansion home, and she was a hoot every time. Even when she had her quiet moments, she made her presence known to the room-- which isn't a bad thing. I wouldn't call her a diva... but she is. LOL. I honestly think that she wasn't trying to be funny on purpose, but her outgoingness (<-- that a word?) just kind of made her that way :)


Melissa Gonzales: My roomie! Everything happened to this girl, lol! She got lost, she almost got us lost, she got sick, and her bed broke... twice! This girl is really easy-going and down to do anything. In our room, she was always the first one to knock out. Her sense of humor is great and she is one the girls, I can see myself being friends with for a lifetime. Even with a broken bed, she didn't complain about it, she just moved it herself! She opened my Cole Haan bag for me, what a sweetheart... actually she did it on accident but whatever! hahah. Although she lives in SoCal, I plan to do a couple of races down there so I can see her and the other girls! Her and Alyssa were the best roommates that I could ask for! 


Rebecca Blair: At first, I was a bit intimidated because she didn't talk to me when I first entered the house and I think she was the only one who didn't accept my friend request on FB yet, so I knew nothing about her! Now I know that she's a hilarious character from Fresno, who speaks like she's from the hood haha! She has a super deep heart and is very compassionate because she's a nurse in a prison (probably where she picks up her gangsta talk lol jk!)! *Thinks about her hilarity and giggles. She knows how to brighten a room, but when she's waking up or concentrating on a test, she can really stay quiet and get things done.
Lindsey Thompson: I don't know if it's a New York thing or just a Lindsey thing, but she is a very quiet person. However, just because she's quiet doesn't mean she's shy! Lindsey is such a loving person with sarcastic and "did she just say that" quips! Fashionista by default and so calm that I just kind of want to hug her all the time haha. While I'm speaking 100 words a minute, Lindsey unconsciously kept me check by speaking slower and calmer, which in turn made me slower and calmer hahah. The first girl I got to know on FB, and the first real New Yorker I know!


Heidi Lowry: This girl is a G and I know it, she probably was the one that I talked to the least but that's because there just wasn't enough time! She was doing the race through Team In Training and that shows how much she cares, and we all know how much I love folks who are a part of Team In Training! Also from New York, she seemed more calm than some of the other girls. Actually, if anything, I was the most spazzed out one, but she laughed with/at me and that me feel ok. That girl sure knows how to work a runway! We were all trying to convince her runway night to drop it like it's hot at the end of the runway but no luck *snaps haha. 


Stephanie Baker:is the girl we all want to be, well I know I want to! Stephanie has the awesome smirk and an even prettier smile! She is probably the sportiest one in the house and will talk about triathlons like it's her baby! What makes her even more awesome? She's a freakin' pastry chef. By nature, she has a really strong stature and laid back personality. She holds herself up with pride, as she should! Even though Steph is pretty chill, I did see her flip and have her fashion guru'ness come out when she was either rushing to fix her hair or deciding on what to wear. Throughout the weekend me and her really bonded, whether I was jumping in and out of her and Heidi's room or staring down the mean BART man with her and Roxy. 
     
Photographers 


First and informally, our photographers.. *going back in time* when we first got to the house they made us sure feel like Nike VIP! They were snapping shots and saying hello all at the same time! Our photographers/ videographers for the weekend were Dorothy Hong, Akshay Bhansali, Ja Tecson, and WeAreNotPilgrams all-stars Chad and Sam; I'm pretty sure there is more but my brain is having a lapse! Dorothy was like top dog, she was focused and knew exactly what she wanted but she totally started laughing and lightening up around us during the first few hours :). She is determined, talented, and fierce! Ja Tecson was like the family I have back home, he laughed when I did something stupid but had me do it again because it was a good picture.. lol! He reminded me most of a lot of my guy friends back in San Jose so he made me feel right at home. Ak was so funny and he'd be the guy that had the last word in a conversation and so funny about everything. At first I was kind of nervous because he was more quiet than the other photographers but maybe after 15 minutes he was like blahhh! everywhere... cracked me up the entire time! Chad and Sam made me laugh every time we had a conversation. Them separate, together, it didn't matter. One of my favorite parts of the trip was: Chad: "Car coming... ok good... wait no.. plane.. k we're good.. oh wai..." Sam: "This motherf*cker!" LOL. As you can see here, 1) It doesn't take much to make me laugh and 2) These photographers and videographers were so professional, hilarious, easy to talk to, personable, and all over good people.
Bloggers
Christy Mantilla:  Christy was one of the first gals I met and instantly recognized that was part of the Entourage! I recognized her first because her picture was my favorite on the Entourage page (not saying the other Entourage pictures weren't incredibly fierce). What can I say about Christ? Oh, I don't know, only that I wish she lived in California so I can hang out with her more!! Christy is one of those really down to Earth girls who can get along with anyone. As an SLP student, I totally recognized her mini accent and I love it! She's 1 part of WeCanPretend.blogspot.com and an unofficial photographers. I swear, almost the entire Entourage had their duty and then they were like photographers too! I really connected with Christy and I really wish I'm lucky enough to see her and Duda again!
Duda Teixeira: If there's one thing I wish, I wish Duda wasn't super sick during this experience! She was the very first person I met in the house and she looked fine. A few hours, I looked on the couch and she looked so sad and sick. She was a trooper though and really hung in there! I saw her throughout the weekend and she's so pleasant by nature, she just makes me smile! She is the other half of WeCanPretend.blogspot.com. Again, I wish they didn't have to live in Miami, FL! 




I'm feeling awfully tired and blogged out for the day but tomorrow I will talk about my marathon experience and the people I haven't mentioned yet. Ie, Angela, Marie, Sam, Cornelia, Heather, Kristen, etc, etc, etc! They deserve to have a good piece written about them, not a tired half-ass one! So I haven't forgotten you guys! I think this is good for now. Hope you enjoy :) Oh! Here's the Nike Runway Video too!