A Case of the Runs

EVENT: She Runs LA DATE: Wed-Thu, April 27/28, 2011 LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA (more like Pasadena, CA) RACE BEGAN: 6:33 AM FINISH TIME: 01:06:24 After yesterday's very long and stressful day , I kind of cringed when I realized that I had only a 24-hour window (4 PM April 27th - 4 PM April 28th) to complete the Nike She Runs LA virtual 10k .  I had a promo code from Run Eat Repeat , so I signed up and had the tank mailed to me.  I finally got the tank yesterday evening, along with tickets to the post-race event at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.  I had indicated I wouldn't be going, but I wound up with tickets anyway.  Unfortunately, I am going out of town tomorrow, so I won't be attending the after-party. Since Fargo Marathon is in a few weeks, I also needed to get a 20-miler in, so I thought I would run 6.2 + 13.8 miles this morning and kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, lately, my "throwing" has been a bit off.  The power...

If you follow me on Twitter , you may have seen the announcement come out that I passed my final dissertation defense this afternoon. I am meeting my chair tonight to start tackling the (kinda overwhelming) revisions, but thankfully, they are letting me get my hood on June 5th, in front of my friends and family.  Yes, there will probably be a little star next to my name saying that I still need to file the actual manuscript to be considered "official," but as Grandpa Simpson said, "Hot-diggety damn, that's good enough for me!" I don't have very many real reflecting thoughts right now.  My feelings are strangely unenthusiastic because I wasn't sure they'd let me participate in the graduation, given the revisions.  Yes, I have a one-track mind.  But thanks to the help of my program coordinator (thank you, Lori!), I have the tickets in my possession. I'm hoping that I will be able to get out of town this weekend to celebrate and refresh before...

I'm stressed, so today, I'm posting pictures of my canine brother after he came back from his neuter surgery last month.  He was still so chippper.   I could learn a thing or two from him. And to think that just 5 months ago, he used to look like this:

Ahhh, the joys of processed foods . My latest processing adventure involves detox.  For those people who listen to rap, Dr. Dre has been promising an album called Detox for about 10 years now.... I'm still waiting............................ *Ahem* Check out these Detox Macaroon recipe from Healthy Hoggin .  I've been making many versions of macaroons, but this is my favorite in terms of flavor. The unique thing about this (vegan) recipe is that it is 99% coconut. The first step is to pulverize some shredded coconut into a "coconut butter."  I loved seeing it transform!  It was quite tasty in this form! By the way, that is almond extract that you see above.  It's a lot stronger than vanilla extract and clear in color.  Coconut butter + more shredded coconut = macaroons! They are delicate and coconut-y without that throat-itching sensation of condensed milk that other macaroons offer.  If you're willing to put in some effort, d...

(NOTE: Sun Chlorella winners are posted HERE .) I was a complete dud on Valentine's Day because I was sick . We usually don't make a scene for the holiday, anyway. The one year we did go out (and that was only because it was the only option we had), the crowds irked me. Well, since I felt bad for being a total couch slob that day, a few days later when I felt human again, I whipped up a meal like I had intended to on the actual day. I've blogged about my vegan lasagna before but never documented the process.  Well, here it is: The "ricotta" is actually a mix of tofu, nutritional yeast, spices, and thawed frozen spinach.  There are a lot of recipes online -- I have a printed version that I have no idea where it came from. But what I do know is that this whips up quickly.  Once the tofu is done, you simply layer it with about 2 jars of the marinara of your choice and start piling it up with lasagna noodles! I used whole wheat lasagna noodles and boiled...

WARNING: Full self-disclosure in this entry... Although I've been working full-time for years, I have been making jabs at myself for not being able to find anything stable.  You know, something that pays when I'm away and will help me take care of my health and my future babies' health.  Yep, that kinda job. I will just put it out there that I think it's ridiculous that I've been in school for so long, when all I really wanted all along was this type of stability.  And now, with the degree I'll be getting, I'll feel awkwardly overqualified for any of the jobs I feel I could be good at right now. If I don't find something soon, I am probably going to end up entering a contract with my current gig and be open to the possibility to contracting with other places, too.  This means I'd be a mobile worker (a blogger's/runner's dream?).  But still, no benefits.  I have also entertained the possibilities of starting my own business(es) -- I have...

EVENT : Carlsbad Half-Marathon DATE : Sunday, January 22, 2012 LOCATION : Carlsbad, CA RACE BEGAN : 7:30 am FINISH TIME : ??:??:?? This is Part 1 of 3 of the Half-Marathon  Triple Crown  (I'm doing it again in 2012 since the last time in 2008)! I won't forget how my friend, Kathy, talked me into the series the first time, but now I'm coming back to it on my own will.  Why?  I liked the scenery at Carlsbad , the bad-@$$ness of conquering La Jolla , and well... okay, so I'm not a big fan of America's Finest City ... but I need the motivation to run more half-marathons next year. My time kind of blew in the 2008 race , so I definitely want to hit sub-2 on this course... and even sub-1:55 because I've done that , too.  That means that I will strive to be training hard over the holidays. :)

I'm a little short... for words. I don't feel that way at home, but once I step out into the public, I see that I am not blessed in the height department.  When I tell people I am 5-feet, 1-inch tall short, I understand why it's hard to find pants that fit my legs properly.  Besides having to find "short"-length pants, one thing that frustrates me is when I am running on the treadmill, someone much taller than me can be running at the same speed and seemingly put in less effort. Is this in my imagination? This New York Times article claims that bigger runners are not better, but this is only because shorter people weigh less.  Distance running is different. Tall people naturally have longer strides, but stride length, it turns out, does not determine speed. Running requires that you lift your body off the ground with each step, propelling yourself forward. The more you weigh, the harder you have to work to lift your body and the slower you will be. I don...

You may (or may not) have noticed that in my Random Photo Entry this past week , I skipped over from 25 to 27.  This may (or may not) have been caused by an oversight by me, but it's actually totally appropriate.  As I mention HERE , it was birthday time for me.  (But I will refrain from updating my About page until I get used to the idea of adding +1 to my age!)  Turning 26 was a whole lot less devestating than turning 25.  I didn't have to exit a racing age group (darn, F 25-29!), and I still think I'm safely far enough from 30 to not have some kind of crisis yet.  Along with that, I just had an exceptionally good birthday this year (though last year wasn't shabby but just quieter, I guess). My sisters took me out to brunch a few days beforehand at this cute place that I will get around to reviewing at some point, but Tea Time already did!  Speaking of her blog, she was so sweet and wrote two more posts relating to my birthday ( HERE and HE...

Holy crud, it's my birthday again. I originally had a long post here about how I felt losing much of my "twenties" to work, school, and living with my parents. But I have other things I'd rather say today.  Last week, I had the honor and pleasure of witnessing my best friend since elementary school take the oath of office into the position of mayor of our city -- the one in which we grew up and attended elementary, middle, and high school.  We were walking partners from middle school all the way through college.  I will never forget the day we met in the elementary school cafeteria, or the day that his father passed away and I didn't know how to console him, or the day we were running on the UCLA campus in effort not to be late to our graduation ceremony at the Public Affairs school.  At his young age, I was so proud to see him up there.  In fact, the whole city was proud of him, including my parents and sister, who showed up as well.  Not to m...

I spent part of my growing up in El Monte, CA, a city known for being "friendly" (if you live there or near there, you will know why I put that in quotation marks) and for its Mexican food.  Later, I took three years of Spanish in high school and even passed the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, knocking off a year of language studies in college.  Qué bueno... In all honesty, I have fond memories of being in elementary school there and developing a taste for Mexican foods.  I ate enough Lucas (chili powder seasoning) and watermelon chili candies until I got mouth sores. This entry was a result of a random craving I had for Mexican food.  Once I announced this craving, "The Ukrainian"'s gears started turning, and I knew we were going to have a good meal on our hands. Of course, this isn't the first time I've cooked meals of this genre... check out my  tostadas and tamale pie .  These next two recipes were a step above that, and this time, I...

I never really talked about what I did on Valentine's Day . Well, that's because I was sick and didn't have the energy to cook him dinner like I had planned. He got me a little present with some things to cheer me up (including that Ring Pop in the back when he "proposed" that we should be Valentines). I felt really bad because I didn't go through any of that effort.  Worn out from work, school, and my cold, I could only think about laying in front of the TV. He made me soup with some produce he had and a box of carrot ginger soup in the cupboard -- my version didn't have those sausages on top.  Sadly, due to my extreme lack of appetite, I had to work hard to get it down. :( NOTE: I did not have these sausages in my bowl!  He even brought over some lovely cheese bread from Bishop, CA .  But as much as I tried to appreciate it, I'm sure my lethargy wasn't appreciated. Well, now, I've got less than a week to think of something for ...