Hello Cookies!

Last night, I played around with my cookie receipe.

It's not easy trying to find the perfect balance of sweetness, choco chips, nuts and everything else since everyone's taste preference is different...

Good thing my friends/family don't seem to mind being my taste testers!

Run Happy?

On Wednesday, Kuya and I decided to run with the Nike Run Club at the Grove. Ever since I sprained my ankle at the Wet&Wild 5K, I haven't really been running since all my nurse-friends/family told me to stay off it. That 5k was almost a month ago-- my ankle is all better now, but I felt this month's inactivity in each step of our run. Sigh...

I struggled. Before the 5k, a 3mi run was starting to get routine, but this run was NOT easy peasy... I couldn't control my breathing which made my side hurt way too early in the run. Whenever I landed on the right foot's arch, there seemed to be a pain*. The distance felt way longer than usual. ...And I was just generally not at my best.

*I'm hoping that the pain is because I folded my too-long socks over my heel and it was irritating me. It would suck if it were my fancy new marathon-training-shoes because I just bought them at A Runner's Circle. I'll keep my finger's crossed that the pain was my fault... I can't afford to buy another pair of shoes!

Throughout the run, I was beating myself up about how much I sucked. How I should have at least hit the gym a few times during my injury to maintain myself, etc... I think yesterday was the first time I thought to myself that maybe my marathon aspirations were not possible. I think I'm being too hard on myself, but my backwards progress was definitely discouraging.

On the upside, I know that this is just a minor setback. I know that in a week or two, I'll probably be all jazz-hands-YAY-running again. Hopefully, this will teach me a lesson that conditioning and training are a MUST. Tomorrow, I'll be training again with the LA Roadrunners in Venice and we are doing the 5 mile run. Pray for me...

Maybe I should take the advice of the shoes I bought. Check out the tagline..

Marathon & Rock Climbing

This past weekend, I bit the bullet and signed up for the LA Marathon!! Just reading that sentence gives me nervous/scared feelings but I am also super excited at the thought of being called a 'marathon runner'. Now that I've paid my registration fee, I guess there's no looking back-- I'm doing this! (nervous) Yippeee! There will probably be limited late Friday nights since I will be training in Venice every Saturday morning with the LA Roadrunners. I am SOOO not a morning person! Wish me luck!

(26.2 miles of craziness!)

On a personal note, I want to put it out there that I have NEVER considered myself an athlete. I did not participate in any organized sports, never ran track or cross country, and I hated PE. Growing up, the marathon route ran right alongside my church and on Marathon Sunday, we would pass out water cups and cheer on the runners for a few minutes after mass. I never thought I would ever be one of those runners! (I still can't believe I'll be one of them!) When I used to think about the 26.2 mile run, it felt so far from my physical ability... but then I learned friends (and my brother!) finished the marathon. Slowly, the idea had been creeping into my mind that maybe it was possible and was within reach!

I know this is not going to be easy-peasy for me so please disregard the complaining and woe-is-me posts. Hehe... I will definitely be updating my progress here for the next few months, so stay tuned!

Oh, and I also went rock climbing at the Island of the Blue Dolphins (did you guys know that it's based on a true story?). Awesome Possums.

002:. Second First Post

Whenever I eat anything, I always think about what my last bite is going to be.

Salmon sushi with wasabi/soy sauce.

A cut of steak, a broccoli head and a smear of gravy'd mash potatoes.

The part of the pizza where slice meets crust... lightly dipped in ranch, parmesan and chili flakes (in that order).

These are examples of my last bites. I do this because I would rather end dinner with a delicious bite of steak&potatoes than one of my side dishes.

Lately, I have been trying to take this Last Bite approach with life in general. I want to believe that life should be one long last bite. We should be ending our days, weeks, months and years with savory high-notes and delicious highlights... or at least trying to!

I'm not sure what this blog is going to turn into.. but for now it's just a place to share my musings, pictures and life stories.

Here we go!

(Introductions to come...)