A Case of the Runs

Today, June 30th, Moby (or click here to listen to some of his music) is releasing his latest album Wait for Me . Before I go to sleep tonight, I will be an owner of this album. I've heard all of the songs and can already see that this one is more of the trademark style that got him famous. In case you don't know, Moby is an electronica/ambient artist. You may have heard his stuff before, as it is often used in commercials and movies. I first got hooked on him when back in the beginning of high school, I heard a song called "Porcelain" (played in The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio) on the radio and recorded it on tape (ah, the world before downloading music!). Everytime I heard that song, I felt like I was lying on top of waters, relaxed and alive. I must have talked about it a lot, because when my 15th birthday came rolling along, my sister Tea Time got me his then-famous album Play . I listened to it mostly for that song "Porcelain" and "Southside...

I wrote an entry about peanut butter a long time ago, and now I'm getting around to reviewing a peanut butter alternative for the peanut butter weary. About three months ago, I bought two jars of natural peanut butter, and I got down to the last 1/4 of the second jar -- not entirely by myself, mind you! While I was at the store seeking to replace it, I stumbled upon this jar of Better'n Peanut Butter. The tag below it claimed that it was reminiscient of Reese's peanut butter, and I was sold! This stuff claims to have 100 calories per 2 tbsp serving (that's 90 less than regular peanut butter), but only 4 grams of protein (vs. 7 in regular peanut butter). I lacked patience, so as soon as I got back from the store, I took a dab straight out of the jar. It tasted good (normal) for the first second, and then the texture settled in, which was a little gummy. Taking a look at the ingredients, I could see natural syrups and such that probably gave it that texture. All in all, i...

Clif has joined the bandwagon of electrolyte drinks with this new product. It claims to increase performance with an ideal mix of carbohydrates and eletrolytes. I tried this in the Fruit Punch flavor one day after I ran 12 miles, which was my dinner along with a handful of raw nuts. Unfortunately, as I opened the fridge to get it, the bottle fell to the floor and burst open, leaving only half of the 90-calorie bottle for my consumption. I was pleased that it didn't taste chalky at all -- then again, it doesn't contain any protein. It mostly tasted like a watered-down punch, which "The Ukrainian" did not like at all and insisted that this be consumed cold (I believe the packaging says so as well). As for me, I was so desperately thirsty that I enjoyed my half-bottle. Still, I had given up on sports drinks long ago, even through marathons, because gels seem to upset my stomach less. If you are into sports drinks, this might be one for you to try, particularly DURI...

Another random photo entry of the past few weeks or so... Above: A seemingly disgruntled me waiting by my vanpool. This is where I try to get "memi"s (sleep) time, but in a car full with indie-movie happenings, who could? Above: I snuck in this photo of myself one afternoon at work. I start work at 6 AM, so by then I was pretty dead. See that Crush soda in the back? It's just for novelty (I don't drink soda). Above: veggie dinner a-la "Ukrainian"; potato pancakes with soy cheese; asparagus; cut tomatoes; Tofurky Italian sausage (one of those sausages was real); yay for the race wine glass !! Above: "Ghetto pizzas" made with soy cheese. The only bagel available was blueberry, so yeah, that made for some weird taste, but I appreciated this nostalgic dish! Above: Last Saturday, I opened the car door and found this on the passenger seat. So random! Above: At work, I received a cup with something that looked like a cookie. It was actually soil that e...

It's Gettin' Harder and Harder to Breathe... When I first started running, breathing would get a tad more difficult towards the end of a run. The more I'd notice it, the more I panicked, and the more I panicked, the more I tried to manipulate my breathing, which would make it even more difficult. Sometimes, I'd try yawning. Other times, I'd be swigging some cold water, or flailing my arms, or even grunting to relax my lungs. I don't remember when, but somehow, these episodes stopped occurring. But yesterday, going at about 8:50 pace during mile 6 out of the 7 I ran, my airway seemed restricted. My breathing was belabored. Normally, I (try to) breathe in through my nose and out from my mouth, but I found nose-breathing to be a lot easier (though inefficient) than mouth-breathing, so I resorted to a lot of that during that last mile. I felt a bit light-headed, but I figured that since "The Ukrainian" was running on the neighboring treadmill, he'd sav...

This is too late, but I was intrigued by this concept of a free marathon (or marathon relay which you can divide however you wish). The Green River Marathon is taking place this weekend, and the entry fee is an "economic-tsunami"-friendly $0. A $12 T-shirt is available for those who don't feel comfortable with the concept of "free." The catch? Well, if you are not comfortable with stopwatch timing, then forget about this. Also, there are obviously no medals and sparse on-course support. The good news is that this is a Boston qualifier! ------ Link: http://www.greenrivermarathon.com/

In the aftermath of my older sister's wedding this past weekend, there was a need to clear out some of the things that were falling out of the fridge at my parents' house due to leftovers, so I ended up with this 60-calorie Zico coconut water in my lunchbag. I couldn't wait until lunch, so I sipped on this clear liquid that claims to have more potassium than a banana and 5 electrolyte types. As you may know, potassium and electrolytes are supposedly the stuff in sports drinks that help with dehydration and cramping. The first thing I wondered while opening this was, "where's the straw?" but then I saw that it just has a wide mouth to drink from. I took a few sips of the passion fruit flavored one, and it tasted like a slightly thicker version of water with a hint of flavor in it. I was not all that impresed, but the benefits of the drink seem to justify me trying it again when my training hits higher points. In regards to the aforementioned wedding, I had suc...