I'm back!

Hello. I will not be doing marathon this year but thinking of doing the marathon next year.

Happy New Year!!!

Hello! It's been ages since the last time I blogged. I've been terribly busy with my new job. Despite of my new career, I never stop doing the things I love the most.

My marathon was such an amazing experienced I would never forget. It's an achievement I will cherished forever. I am very proud of myself and I am very grateful to my husband for his support.

week 15 and beyond

I haven't blog in a few weeks because I've been super busy with my training and moving. We just moved to our new condo a few weeks ago and I'm very happy with our new place.

Well, here's the break down of my training a few weeks ago.

Week 15 - Ready to Run 20 Miler
Ready or not we ran 20 miles that week. I decided to ran alone for 20 miles...(crazy I tell ya!). I started talking to myself after 13 miles. We ran from Foster Avenue and Lake Shore Drive and finished all the way to beautiful South Shore Cultural Center. We ran the entire Chicago Lakefront path. We could have just run to Indiana, that's how far we ran!

It was a beautiful day for running. The weather was in the low 60's when we started. The training was very challenging for me. First, I started a bit faster without realizing it. I was carried away with other fast runners in front of me. Secondly, my stomach wasn't cooperating. After seven miles I just wanted to finish the training and get on with my 'business'. Thirdly, I started to feel sore after 16 miles so I slowed down and walk a bit.

No matter how hard you trained, anything can go wrong. The best way to handle it, is to be prepared for the worst. It was a tough day for me but I enjoyed it because I love running and nothing can stop me from doing something I truly like. I had fun.

Speaking of fun, after my training I went to the beach and soak my body in the cold Lake Michigan. That was a lot of fun!

Week 16 - Rest and Pack
It's a twelve-mile run but I decided to rest and finish my packing.

Week 17 - Rest and More Packing

Week 18 - Marathon
My marathon is tomorrow. For the past few days, I did a bit of running but nothing too major. Just enough for me to get my heart rate pumping. I've trained all summer and finally the day has finally come! Stay tuned for my marathon updates.

See you in the race. Happy running.

Week 14 - rest

I didn't go to my training last weekend. It was a cold and wet weekend. It's been raining continously due to hurricane Ike, which devastated the gulf region over the weekend.

Well, I'm looking forward to my training this weekend. It's going to be a lot of fun!

Happy running. See you next week.

Week 12 & Week 13

Week 12 - Labor Day Weekend.

My family and I went on a camping trip that weekend so I had to do my long run on Friday. I did my training in a treadmill, it wasn't too bad. I had my ipod on and I listened to some of my favorite dance songs. It really gets me going.

Week 13 - Beautiful and cool. It's been raining and cloudy for the past couple of days. But I'm really glad that the weather was very nice today. The weather was in the low of 60's when we started and right after we finished it was in the low of 70's. I couldn't ask for more perfect weather.

Today was also Red Bull Flugtug day, so it was very crowded around North Avenue Beach. There was also some swimming race going on at Oak Street Beach. It's very important to pay attention and be cautious because accidents can happened. Last weekend some bicycle rider fall over and hurt himself, they have the paramedics there, we passed him and it looks like he was quiet hurt.

For the past couple of weeks I haven't use my headphones but I have my ipod on due to Nike Challenge. I actually like running without listening to my music. It's very meditative. I can hear my breathing, I am more aware of my pain, surroundings -- and I can talk to my running buddies.

Overall, I am very pleased of my performance today. I run up the hill in the last miles and I finished strong. Do not understimate the power of tapers. It's all about balanced.

Happy running. See you next week

Interesting Article on Running and the Aging Process

STANFORD, Calif. — Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.

MORE

week 11 - hot and humid

As the day getting shorter, it's also getting darker in the morning. I missed my bus, I thought I was on time but I think the bus came in a little early. I ended up taking a cab.

I knew it's going to be hot and humid day so I brought my new hydration belt. It's very important for me to stay hydrated. They were couple of people in my group who dropped out in a few miles. I wasn't sure why, maybe it's because of the heat. Running 16 to 20 miles in the heat is very tough.

My performance last Saturday was amazingly satisfactory. I finished the last mile running up the hill. I was a bit tired at the end but I felt really good.

After my long runs, I soak my legs in an icy cold baths for about 15 minutes. The ice keeps the inflammation under control. It's very soothing and it's very relaxing.

See you next week. Happy running.