It's Saturday night, approximately 5:45pm, and in half an hour, Team OSF will be picking me up and we'll be on our way to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1"!
I'm pretty excited. In past years, I tried fighting the whole Harry Potter phenomena. I didn't care to read the books, or want to see the movies. But I had no real reason to be anti-Potter, other than the sake of wanting to buck the popular trend.
Besides that, I'm not exactly known for seeing movies. And as for the films that I do see in theaters, I'm known for falling asleep during them. (I'm Ryan. Have you met me?) Although, I was pretty awake and engrossed in the last movie I saw, "The Social Network". Fascinating story and good performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake. (Though, like the SNL skit asked, when are you gonna make more music, JT? I just wanna dance!)
Anyways. Back to Harry Potter. Friends over the years have enjoyed them, my roomie (cousin Cheryl) has been a super-fan since the beginning, and so I've known bits and pieces and seen portions of the movies, but never got caught up in it or paid close attention. But seeing the trailer for HP7 got me intrigued. Gone was my perception of a kiddish fun wizard tale in Britain, as it was replaced by a darker grittier world of dark lords and sorcery (so my first impression of the trailer left me, anyways).
So last Friday, with one week until the 7th movie premiere, I thought "let's do this." I decided to watch all six previous films to catch up, and over the course of the week, I finished the challenge. And to celebrate Jordan finishing up her long paper for school, we soon depart for Fashion Valley to see Harry battle He Who Shall Not Be Named!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
You think I'm pretty without any makeup on.
Song of the Blog: "Teenage Dream", by... ok, technically this song is by Katy Perry. I knew this song has been out there for awhile, I just never heard it because I don't listen to the radio and I don't really seek out the music of Katy Perry. And I was content living in a world where I didn't know all the words to it... but that ship has sailed. On this week's upcoming episode of "Glee", there will be a performance of the song - and I managed to download it early and now it's my new favorite thing. It's acapella, and hella catchy and fun. It's not even New Directions singing it - it's a rival guys academy glee club, and they're pretty fantastic.
I'm swooning a little bit. Just a little. I mean, the song is no "Awake My Soul" from Mumford and Sons, for example. It's definite fluff, but I love it. And dang, I really wish I'd joined an acapella group and/or glee club back in college! I was in the gospel choir for two quarters, but we never did fun contemporary numbers. I want to sing and sway - to quote Rachel Berry, "swaying in background can.be.fun!" :P
Anyways.
Saturday (11/6) was a good day. Got to spend the afternoon hanging with Chris, joining him on some errands, but then we grabbed an early dinner at Hooleys. I don't go to Hooleys too often, but I think I need to... good food, good drinks, good atmosphere. I had this Guinness BBQ chicken "pizza" that was on a potato pancake - it sounded interesting on the menu, so I went for it. Very delicious! Where can I get this Guinness BBQ sauce too?!? It paired up well with my Guinness pint, and based off a tip I read, we ordered the Guinness ice cream.... super delicious! Add some Heath toffee bits in there and I would be in bliss. Highly recommend trying these items if you visit Hooleys.
In the evening, I went solo to Lestat's to see my friend Saba perform a solo acoustic set. Haven't seen her perform a show in a few years. She's moved to LA and I haven't been as into the scene as I was back in 2004-2006, so it was rad to see her on stage again. She was the first one up, so after she was done, I met up with her and my other friends Pete and Cass at the Ould Sod down the block for drinks (Happy!Ry was out) and some fun hanging. Pete and Cass always make me smile, and it was just fun being out and chilling with friends, catching up, taking pics, and getting dating advice, haha...
Anyways, here's a show (full band set) of Saba's (from 2005!!!) that I recorded and uploaded to the Live Music Archive, if anyone wants to check out a live recording. I like her solo (softer) acoustic sets better, personally, but this is the set that I recorded with the help of Chris.
http://www.archive.org/details/saba2005-08-12.at831.shnf
Oh. Also, last night was Daylight Savings Time. I witnessed it! Well I was awake for it anyways, haha. We had been hanging at the Ould Sod for awhile, and when we left there was a truck making street tacos. Normally I don't stop by these trucks, but I guess the post-drinking munchies hit us. But these tacos? AMAZING. And only a dollar! Seriously, I would drive out there at night again just to get them. But it was almost 2am when we were eating out there. And then I got home and it was just after 1. Gotta love getting an hour back!
I'm swooning a little bit. Just a little. I mean, the song is no "Awake My Soul" from Mumford and Sons, for example. It's definite fluff, but I love it. And dang, I really wish I'd joined an acapella group and/or glee club back in college! I was in the gospel choir for two quarters, but we never did fun contemporary numbers. I want to sing and sway - to quote Rachel Berry, "swaying in background can.be.fun!" :P
Anyways.
Saturday (11/6) was a good day. Got to spend the afternoon hanging with Chris, joining him on some errands, but then we grabbed an early dinner at Hooleys. I don't go to Hooleys too often, but I think I need to... good food, good drinks, good atmosphere. I had this Guinness BBQ chicken "pizza" that was on a potato pancake - it sounded interesting on the menu, so I went for it. Very delicious! Where can I get this Guinness BBQ sauce too?!? It paired up well with my Guinness pint, and based off a tip I read, we ordered the Guinness ice cream.... super delicious! Add some Heath toffee bits in there and I would be in bliss. Highly recommend trying these items if you visit Hooleys.
In the evening, I went solo to Lestat's to see my friend Saba perform a solo acoustic set. Haven't seen her perform a show in a few years. She's moved to LA and I haven't been as into the scene as I was back in 2004-2006, so it was rad to see her on stage again. She was the first one up, so after she was done, I met up with her and my other friends Pete and Cass at the Ould Sod down the block for drinks (Happy!Ry was out) and some fun hanging. Pete and Cass always make me smile, and it was just fun being out and chilling with friends, catching up, taking pics, and getting dating advice, haha...
Anyways, here's a show (full band set) of Saba's (from 2005!!!) that I recorded and uploaded to the Live Music Archive, if anyone wants to check out a live recording. I like her solo (softer) acoustic sets better, personally, but this is the set that I recorded with the help of Chris.
http://www.archive.org/details/saba2005-08-12.at831.shnf
Oh. Also, last night was Daylight Savings Time. I witnessed it! Well I was awake for it anyways, haha. We had been hanging at the Ould Sod for awhile, and when we left there was a truck making street tacos. Normally I don't stop by these trucks, but I guess the post-drinking munchies hit us. But these tacos? AMAZING. And only a dollar! Seriously, I would drive out there at night again just to get them. But it was almost 2am when we were eating out there. And then I got home and it was just after 1. Gotta love getting an hour back!
Monday, October 18, 2010
TOW The Marathon
TOW = The One With... it's a naming convention that the show "Friends" used when naming their episodes. Such as "TOW The Embryos"... "TOW (The One Where) Ross Finds Out"...
A brief history: so way back in 2009, when Chris and I first went on the 3hree 6ixty 5ive program he created, one of my goals for 2009 was to run a marathon, even though I hate running. 2009 came and went, and then I carried the goal into 2010. It started off well enough, since I joined Team in Training with my cousin and some friends and we got our months of training going. But then with two weeks before the race, I wasn't allowed to run in the Rock and Roll Marathon due to fundraising issues. It was starting to seem like another year would pass with the goal still remaining on my bucket list...
Then during the summer, I found out about the Long Beach Marathon and made that my new goal. I told my old roomie Ben about it, he was down to run it too (making it his first marathon), and in July we started the training process.
Well, he started training. Me... not so much. I was running, but not as often, and not nearly for as long. I think since my 20 mile run at the end of May, the farthest I've ran is 6 miles.
A full marathon is 26.2 miles... big difference. And more than 4 months have gone by since that 20 mile run. So yeah, not that prepared for Long Beach. But that wasn't going to stop me.
A week before the big day, I almost switched to doing just the half marathon, due to my lack of training. But I've already done an official half-marathon before. And since the goal was to complete a full marathon - I figured regardless of how unprepared I felt, "go big or go home."
So we got to the site and off we went... Ben's a good runner, and I wasn't going to try to keep up with him. I expected him to finish in 5 hours, and he did (4:53). So I did my own thing, starting off by walking really briskly so as not to burn off too much energy, and then doing the run/walk thing around mile 8.
The first half was fine. Mile 13 came around and I felt like I still had plenty of energy. I was hydrating at energy stations, eating the gel packs... got a second burst of energy when we ran through CSU Long Beach, as they had different student organizations there to cheer on the runners - I even got a high five! And even before then, because I was running in my Team in Training shirt, I was getting some thumbs-up and "GO TEAM!' cheers from other runners who've probably been affiliated with TnT before.
And then came the last six miles. By this point, my legs wanted to die. They were cramping, sore, energy was low and I was out of gel packs. Fewer crowds were around b/c I was in the back of the pack so the majority of runners had finished. So I was alone, and having to mentally push myself through... I was warned about this. You're physically drained, but you're not going to quit now, not when you're so close... I was exhausted, running alone, and the music from my headphones wasn't helping as much as before. My cousin (when she ran the Rock and Roll) experienced all that. She said she had gotten emotional and wanted to give up too. But some of her family was there to cheer her on from the sidelines (seeing them a few miles before the finish), and one of the TnT coaches was there too to give encouragement.
I didn't have any family or friends in Long Beach, so it added to the whole mental challenge -- that fight of wanting to give up and feeling empty but trying to push through. I felt so stupid, on the verge of breaking down, thinking that I all I wanted was to see my mom and just get a hug from the one who loves me most, blah blah blah... I knew I'd be physically tired, but I wasn't expecting all of that... it was so unexpectedly tough.
At the last mile marker, when I was at my lowest, two ladies came walking up and asked me I was ok. I said I was hanging in there, and they told me to join them. One of them had already finished, but she came back to help her friend finish - pretty awesome of her, right? And then of course doubly awesome that they'd stop to encourage me and tell me to stick with them, and just talk it out as we continued our slow march to the finish. That helped a great deal. Right before we got to the 26 mile marker, so with just .2 miles left until the finish line, Rita (the one who had already finished and had plenty of energy left) was all "alright Ryan, I know you've got a little more left in you, I want you to run to the finish."
I'm pretty sure I gave her a look that said "uhhh no" while I mustered out an "I can't..."
She'd say "yes you can, finish strong!"
I'd say "alright fine, I guess I'll try".
She said "no, don't try, you got this!"
And with that, I relented, thanked them both, and gave that last push to run towards the finish line, to the photographer waiting there, who prompted me to throw my arms up in celebration before snapping the shot.
Apparently it took me 45 minutes to finish those last two miles, and my final time isn't great (6:45, compared to my time for the AFC 1/2 Marathon back in August, where I finished in 2:30) - but I don't care. I finished! I met my goal, I got it done, I can cross the item off my bucket list, and count myself in the 1% of the world that's completed a marathon. :)
And I don't plan on doing another full marathon any time soon... next big run: the Carlsbad Half Marathon - the first of the Triple Crown events I plan to complete in 2011!
A brief history: so way back in 2009, when Chris and I first went on the 3hree 6ixty 5ive program he created, one of my goals for 2009 was to run a marathon, even though I hate running. 2009 came and went, and then I carried the goal into 2010. It started off well enough, since I joined Team in Training with my cousin and some friends and we got our months of training going. But then with two weeks before the race, I wasn't allowed to run in the Rock and Roll Marathon due to fundraising issues. It was starting to seem like another year would pass with the goal still remaining on my bucket list...
Then during the summer, I found out about the Long Beach Marathon and made that my new goal. I told my old roomie Ben about it, he was down to run it too (making it his first marathon), and in July we started the training process.
Well, he started training. Me... not so much. I was running, but not as often, and not nearly for as long. I think since my 20 mile run at the end of May, the farthest I've ran is 6 miles.
A full marathon is 26.2 miles... big difference. And more than 4 months have gone by since that 20 mile run. So yeah, not that prepared for Long Beach. But that wasn't going to stop me.
A week before the big day, I almost switched to doing just the half marathon, due to my lack of training. But I've already done an official half-marathon before. And since the goal was to complete a full marathon - I figured regardless of how unprepared I felt, "go big or go home."
So we got to the site and off we went... Ben's a good runner, and I wasn't going to try to keep up with him. I expected him to finish in 5 hours, and he did (4:53). So I did my own thing, starting off by walking really briskly so as not to burn off too much energy, and then doing the run/walk thing around mile 8.
The first half was fine. Mile 13 came around and I felt like I still had plenty of energy. I was hydrating at energy stations, eating the gel packs... got a second burst of energy when we ran through CSU Long Beach, as they had different student organizations there to cheer on the runners - I even got a high five! And even before then, because I was running in my Team in Training shirt, I was getting some thumbs-up and "GO TEAM!' cheers from other runners who've probably been affiliated with TnT before.
And then came the last six miles. By this point, my legs wanted to die. They were cramping, sore, energy was low and I was out of gel packs. Fewer crowds were around b/c I was in the back of the pack so the majority of runners had finished. So I was alone, and having to mentally push myself through... I was warned about this. You're physically drained, but you're not going to quit now, not when you're so close... I was exhausted, running alone, and the music from my headphones wasn't helping as much as before. My cousin (when she ran the Rock and Roll) experienced all that. She said she had gotten emotional and wanted to give up too. But some of her family was there to cheer her on from the sidelines (seeing them a few miles before the finish), and one of the TnT coaches was there too to give encouragement.
I didn't have any family or friends in Long Beach, so it added to the whole mental challenge -- that fight of wanting to give up and feeling empty but trying to push through. I felt so stupid, on the verge of breaking down, thinking that I all I wanted was to see my mom and just get a hug from the one who loves me most, blah blah blah... I knew I'd be physically tired, but I wasn't expecting all of that... it was so unexpectedly tough.
At the last mile marker, when I was at my lowest, two ladies came walking up and asked me I was ok. I said I was hanging in there, and they told me to join them. One of them had already finished, but she came back to help her friend finish - pretty awesome of her, right? And then of course doubly awesome that they'd stop to encourage me and tell me to stick with them, and just talk it out as we continued our slow march to the finish. That helped a great deal. Right before we got to the 26 mile marker, so with just .2 miles left until the finish line, Rita (the one who had already finished and had plenty of energy left) was all "alright Ryan, I know you've got a little more left in you, I want you to run to the finish."
I'm pretty sure I gave her a look that said "uhhh no" while I mustered out an "I can't..."
She'd say "yes you can, finish strong!"
I'd say "alright fine, I guess I'll try".
She said "no, don't try, you got this!"
And with that, I relented, thanked them both, and gave that last push to run towards the finish line, to the photographer waiting there, who prompted me to throw my arms up in celebration before snapping the shot.
Apparently it took me 45 minutes to finish those last two miles, and my final time isn't great (6:45, compared to my time for the AFC 1/2 Marathon back in August, where I finished in 2:30) - but I don't care. I finished! I met my goal, I got it done, I can cross the item off my bucket list, and count myself in the 1% of the world that's completed a marathon. :)
And I don't plan on doing another full marathon any time soon... next big run: the Carlsbad Half Marathon - the first of the Triple Crown events I plan to complete in 2011!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Marching On...
Lunch time blog entry time, as I sit alone... *
So yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Flood church. I've been going since 2004, I think, so I remember the old days at the College Avenue Baptist campus, and the later transition to the church's current home at Kearny High School. I don't think I've ever been at a church this long, especially one that I'd consider my own church.
The sentimentalist in me is thankful for Flood since it's brought good people into my life. (This is going to be a sappy blog, I know.)
But really. If it weren't for the Flood drama group back in 2004, I never would've re-connected with my old high school drama classmate Brittany, aka The Weez to my KD. And becoming friends with Brit and spending time at Disneyland and the start of TV Thursdays lead to me meeting and hanging out with her roommate Jordan, who would later become the illustrious TGO... Being a part of Flood drama also brought into my life Johannah - aka the "Jen" to my "Jack" (Dawson's Creek reference) - and all the laughter and scheming that we used to have... some of them including Brit, like the time I swore in front of her for the first time (epeatedly) due to a Johannah-scheme that involved me, or ditching church with Jo so that we could hang in PB (church was at night - but yeah, this still sounds horrible)... so never would I have guessed that these two girls from my high school would be such a big part of my 20s.
Knowing Johannah also played a part in me knowing Chris, and so did his being a part of Flood too. Having been a regular of the local coffeehouse show circuit back in 2004, I knew Chris' face. I was familiar with a number of faces actually. A lot of the same people went to the usual venues on a regular basis to see the usual bands and artists that played all the time, and so I started recognizing people, even if I was too introverted to say anything. Until I came across Chris' MySpace profile (all due to a comment he left on someone else's page) and read that he went to Flood - and because that one thing made him different from all the other music fans I saw around town, I made the bold (well, for me) move to say "hey what's up..." Of course, it would later turn out that Chris knew Johannah as well, and eventually the friendships solidified, and thankfully both are still around...
And of course, now there's Chris + Jordan... but I've waxed on about those two in various forms in recent weeks, so I'm quite spent when it comes to discussing my feelings on those two. ;)
Flood's had great ministries over the past 6 years that I've been in attendance - some of which I've been part of - and the worship there is like none other that I've ever experienced. But what I'm the most grateful for is the friendships that were formed and all the memories that were made and are still to come.
* disclaimer - blog started at lunch, finished at night b/c a friend ended up joining me at lunch
So yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Flood church. I've been going since 2004, I think, so I remember the old days at the College Avenue Baptist campus, and the later transition to the church's current home at Kearny High School. I don't think I've ever been at a church this long, especially one that I'd consider my own church.
The sentimentalist in me is thankful for Flood since it's brought good people into my life. (This is going to be a sappy blog, I know.)
But really. If it weren't for the Flood drama group back in 2004, I never would've re-connected with my old high school drama classmate Brittany, aka The Weez to my KD. And becoming friends with Brit and spending time at Disneyland and the start of TV Thursdays lead to me meeting and hanging out with her roommate Jordan, who would later become the illustrious TGO... Being a part of Flood drama also brought into my life Johannah - aka the "Jen" to my "Jack" (Dawson's Creek reference) - and all the laughter and scheming that we used to have... some of them including Brit, like the time I swore in front of her for the first time (epeatedly) due to a Johannah-scheme that involved me, or ditching church with Jo so that we could hang in PB (church was at night - but yeah, this still sounds horrible)... so never would I have guessed that these two girls from my high school would be such a big part of my 20s.
Knowing Johannah also played a part in me knowing Chris, and so did his being a part of Flood too. Having been a regular of the local coffeehouse show circuit back in 2004, I knew Chris' face. I was familiar with a number of faces actually. A lot of the same people went to the usual venues on a regular basis to see the usual bands and artists that played all the time, and so I started recognizing people, even if I was too introverted to say anything. Until I came across Chris' MySpace profile (all due to a comment he left on someone else's page) and read that he went to Flood - and because that one thing made him different from all the other music fans I saw around town, I made the bold (well, for me) move to say "hey what's up..." Of course, it would later turn out that Chris knew Johannah as well, and eventually the friendships solidified, and thankfully both are still around...
And of course, now there's Chris + Jordan... but I've waxed on about those two in various forms in recent weeks, so I'm quite spent when it comes to discussing my feelings on those two. ;)
Flood's had great ministries over the past 6 years that I've been in attendance - some of which I've been part of - and the worship there is like none other that I've ever experienced. But what I'm the most grateful for is the friendships that were formed and all the memories that were made and are still to come.
* disclaimer - blog started at lunch, finished at night b/c a friend ended up joining me at lunch
Sunday, October 10, 2010
I'm not falling in love with ya...
You know how cheezy characters on TV sometimes hear a song and they say something like, "awww that's my JAM!" An example of this would be in Glee this season, where Will is sitting in his new car with Emma and then he turns on the radio and hears that Christopher Cross song, "Sailing"... and gets all excited because it's his "jam"...
Well, this is my jam (for the foreseeable future): Maroon 5's new song, "Give A Little More"... it's got a little bit of disco flavor to it, is hella fun to sing in the car, and makes me wanna dress up in a 70s outfit and go to the roller rink.
Well, this is my jam (for the foreseeable future): Maroon 5's new song, "Give A Little More"... it's got a little bit of disco flavor to it, is hella fun to sing in the car, and makes me wanna dress up in a 70s outfit and go to the roller rink.
Was in Hollywood last night to see the band perform at the Greek Theater, and it was a blast. Drove up with my good friend Jess. We even had fake LA names too. So if I ever go out, my name is Riley Adam Davidson (I'm adopted). She was Hailey (didn't decide on a full name for herself).
Maroon 5 played a fun set, with most of their songs coming from their first CD actually. My "jam" from the first CD was "She Will Be Loved" and they did that in a lovely stripped down version and got the audience to harmonize at the end. Rocked out to "Give A Little More", complete with disco ball dropping down from the middle of the stage. Wish they'd played more from their new disc, since I love it, and they only did three, but the CD did just come out so the audience wasn't as loud for the new songs (not as familiar yet) as they were for the old hits. Next tour, maybe.
Two other highlights from the show:
During One Republic's set (who I now love a lot more - really good live) - they did a medley of Bill Withers' "Stand By Me", The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army", and Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack"... it was pretty rad.
And then right before Maroon 5 came out, special guest Jason Segel (of How I Met Your Mother!!!) came on and sang while on the piano. He did the song from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (where his character wrote a musical about Dracula), and an original song about hooking up with Maroon 5 fans after the show, even providing a "his" phone number. That song was kinda dirty, actually. Haha. I'm sure you can YouTube that if curious...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Week of Free Things
Well, that might be an overstatement, but there were two occasions where free things were bestowed this week, and they were pretty freakin' fantastic.
WEDNESDAY - "In the Heights" with Sarah!
As has been clearly stated in this blog, "In the Heights" is my current favorite thing. I had already seen the show twice, and the tour was having its final SoCal stop with a two week stay in Costa Mesa. Which is just a hop and a skip (no jump needed - it's pretty close) to my friend Sarah, who lives in the OC. So we texted about it, and she was interested in seeing it, so it was all a matter of what day would I drive up that would work out for both of us.
At first, there was no good evening. Our schedules and plans just weren't gelling, and we were about to call it a day and say it wasn't in the cards. Then on Wednesday, I found out that I could do Thursday night after all. She replied that so was hers, but also her Wednesday was free now too, if I wanted to drive up that same day/evening... and you know me, always down for things.
I drove up after work and traffic wasn't that bad once you got past Carlsbad. And I've been in cautious-save-gas-by-driving-at-60mph mode for awhile now, but made it to Sarah's to pick her up and then get us to the theatre with 15 minutes to spare. The plan was to buy last-minute rush tickets, which are basically any open seats left (usually in the balcony) sold at half off, but you have to pay in cash.
I had no cash. And the ATM at the venue? Broken.
We walked to the box office, thinking things weren't looking good, but we were gonna try our luck and hope that maybe they'd accept a debit card? That's basically like cash, right? So we stand in line, hoping for the best, and then we get directed to the next available ticket window. As we make our way, a very kind lady (who I will describe as 50+ something who likely goes to theatre/art exhibits on a regular basis and probably drives a Mercedes-Benz) approached us.
LADY: Excuse me, were you two going to buy tickets?
ME: (unsure of where this was going) Yup.
LADY: Well here (hands us two tickets). They're yours.
(Sarah and I look puzzled.)
Apparently the very kind lady was there with a big group, and they ended up with a few extras, and rather than sell them, she told us to take them and enjoy the show. And mind you, she still had time to sell them. We looked at the tickets, and they were Orchestra Row M. Which is pretty damn awesome. (Sidenote: I think that should be the new reverse-abbreviation for PDA. 'Cause the other PDA? Just get a room, folks.) Sarah and I were floored, and so thankful for this kind lady's generosity.
The seats were truly incredible. You could see the expressions on the actor's faces! The show already has good energy and fun as it is, but I think the great seats made for an even better first-experience for Sarah, who seemed to really enjoy it and later asked me for the soundtrack.
When this show closes on Broadway, I'd love to be there!
SATURDAY/SUNDAY - America's Finest City Half Marathon!
I woke up on Saturday morning to find a Facebook message from someone I didn't know. I opened it and she introduced herself as a friend of another friend of mine, and that she heard from the friend that I was a runner. Turns out she had a race bib for Sunday's AFC 1/2 Marathon, but was no longer able to run it, and she was trying to sell it, and thought I might be interested. I thought about it, but texted her back to say that I needed to save money, and so I wished her luck in selling it.
Again, she still had time to go on craigslist and sell it. But a few hours later I got a text message from her, saying if I would run it, it was mine to have. Now this needed some thought. I haven't been running as much since the end of May - barely once a week, and 4 mile runs at that. I've been focusing more on strength training and weights. Also, I'd need to carbo load the rest of the day and sleep early, but had Chris' man-bath to attend still. I was really unsure... and then I figured, "go for it - it might take you three hours, but you've run up to 20 miles before - you can do this."
I replied that I'd be happy to run in her place, and thanked her for offering. Picked up the race bib in 4S Ranch where she works, and then started the prep: lots of water and carbs for the rest of the day, and going to bed before 9pm. Which I managed to do! Woke up at 4:30, got myself ready to go, drove to Balboa Park where we were then shuttled down to the Cabrillo Monument, and at 7:00, off we ran!
The course wasn't flat - there were some uphills (both at the beginning and especially at the end) and downhills (at the beginning), but the course was even once we got to the 4 mile marker. We ran by the airport, Spanish Landing, along Harbor and through downtown, before heading uphill on 6th Avenue to get to Balboa Park. I kept a pretty good pace in the middle - it takes awhile for my body/legs to warm up, so I'm slower at the beginning, and then of course tired at the end. Could definitely feel the blister starting to erupt on my right foot. But I passed the 12 mile marker and got my game face on. A little before that point, my iPod Shuffle was playing "When You're Home", from "In the Heights", which has a part where they keep repeating the Spanish phrase, "No pare! Sigue, sigue!" Which translates into "don't stop, keep going, keep going!" I thought that was very appropriate and motivating to keep on charging towards the finish line. And once I could see the finish line in the distance, I changed up the song to play the last minute of "Finale" from the show, as it's very climactic and I wanted to finish my run with that happy ending music blasting through my headphones.
Official final time -- 2:37:50! I really thought I'd finish in three hours, so I'm super stoked about my time. I have the 4 mile run with Pete, Ben, and perhaps a few other friends at the end of this month, and Ben and I are both registered for the Long Beach Marathon in mid-October. Now to seriously get my butt in gear for that one - 26.2 or bust!
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| Me with my latest piece of racing "bling" - AFC Half Marathon 2010! |
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Six on Saturday
1. Song of the Week: "Finale", from "In the Heights"
My raving about this show continues, as a new song from the soundtrack has grabbed my attention. (Sidenote - I find this to be a sign of a great CD, as "Spring Awakening" and Jimmy Eat World's "Clarity" both had this quality, where you keep listening to the CD because something new grabs you each time.) It really ends the show well, as Usnavi concludes his character's emotional arc and everyone comes together. The blending of the voices in the beginning, as each character sings their own line(s) at the same time really stands out. And I have a new favorite line, as he realizes where his home is - "but with patience and faith, we remain unafraid - I'm home!" I love Lin-Manuel Miranda. Between this show, seeing his freestyle rapping, fun videos on YouTube, and appearance on "House" last season, I wish we were g's. I think I can call him the male version of Lea Michele for me (but in a "bromance" way).
2. I get to see RENT at the Hollywood Bowl tonight! With an all-star cast directed by Neil Patrick Harris, I'm super stoked to see one of my favorite musicals. (If only they did an all-star Spring Awakening show.... with Lea and Jon reprising their roles, of course.)
3. I'm going back to school. Enrolled in two classes at Grossmont, and waitlisting another. I'll be studying anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. Classes will run after work, but luckily I have a friend (Suzy) taking them with me. Though we do have a certain idea of where we'd like to go with these classes, this is just getting our feet wet and back into the swing of being in classes again... like I heard in a message at Mosaic SD recently, you may not know where Point B is or how to get there, but you can't just sit in the parking garage waiting for the complete set of directions... sometimes you need to take the initiative, start driving, and trust God to move you in the right direction and to correct any wrong turns you might make along the way.
4. I'm going to be an uncle!!!
What's this, you say? I'm an only child? ... Yeah, true story. But my five closest cousins (all siblings - one of whom is my roommate) are the closest thing I have to siblings, since we all grew up together... and the oldest just called me to let me know he's going to be a father. It's exciting, and I'm so happy for them. He even said over the phone that I'll be an uncle in 5 months... wow. It'll be very cool to have a little one around. And thankfully my own parents aren't in "we want to be grandparents!!!!" mode yet. I think the TGO wants me to have a kid more than my own parents do, actually... but "Operation: LFB" (Little Filipino Babies) is on hold until further notice.
5. I hate being lactose-intolerant. Especially when you're not aware a product is loaded with lactase...
6. Alcohol-Free August!
My buddy Pete and I both made a pact to remain alcohol free until the 29th, which is when we're doing the Fire Run (4 miles). I kinda mentioned I might do it, he said he was thinking about doing it too, and then we both decided that abstaining will help us reach our fitness goals a little better. Of course, I had to choose a month where there's two birthdays going down, and where one of them is having a pub crawl to celebrate... but we got this, we got this...
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