eggie-egg-egg! 07.15.11:  http://peargallery.com/2011/07/15/eggie-egg-egg/

FinsWheelsFeet and the 14.06 Triathlons 07.17.11: http://peargallery.com/2011/07/17/finswheelsfeet-and-the-14-06-triathlons/

Travel Bug 2011 07.27.11: http://peargallery.com/2011/07/27/travel-bug-2011/

To better visualize the F that America receives year after year, below is the infamous fat map from the past 3 years. It just keeps getting REDDER.

This is an excerpt from TAH:

“Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995,” said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of TFAH. “There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last twenty years, and we can’t afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending.”

Read the press release here for a synopsis of the full report (which is 124 pages long).

Obesity is related to several health issues including Diabetes, Hypertension, sleep apnea… the list goes on (the risk of getting breast cancer even rises significantly).  The fatter we get, the sicker we are, and the poorer this nation will be. It is not surprising that the poorer an individual is, the more likely he or she will be obese and continue to create a culture of bad lifestyle habits for their family members. Affordable food is fast food and/or processed (Is that even food?! It’s more like S@#$!). If a person lives at or below the Federal Poverty Level, they are more likely to consume this type of food on a regular basis. This is an issue everyone living in this country should be concerned about. After all, taxpayers do pay for Medicaid.

It’s such a devastating trend and horrible culture of disease that we live in.

What can we do? Start with yourself! Live and lead a healthy and active life.

• Golf
• Screen door slam
• Lawnmower
• Firecrackers

1. Thanks to PV, I have fully taken over peargallery.com.  This means that it will no longer redirect you to pmoraras.wordpress.com when entering in peargallery.com as the URL. So if you just refresh your cookies, you will receive the correct RSS feed. I’ll continue to upload the same posts onto both Pear Gallery and WordPress for the next month or so for easy transition! RSS feed: http://peargallery.com/feed/

2. My non-running readers will no longer have to read my running posts in Pear Gallery because I will be sending all those to ANOTHER blog solely dedicated to running and fitness –> 32RUN. I’m still working on building it up, so please bear with me in the interim. Gracias! RSS feed: http://32run.com/feed/

Thanks for reading!

But hello, it’s been 7 years! I had completely forgotten about the show until now. Although I have since then graduated high school and college, entered the working world, and gone on with my life, this show has changed very little. It is still showcasing some of the best artists out there and they are usually not very well known – which is particularly what makes it so good! They even had Rachael return for a second recording when she released her second LP in 2008. Below are some of my favorite recordings:

The Naked and Famous: Young Blood

Lykke Li: I Follow Rivers

Local Natives: Wide Eyes

The XX: Crystallized

Angus and Julia Stone: Big Jet Plane

Long live the love of all things indie.

I’ve become drawn to this photo, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get my mind to wrap around it. At first glance, it looks like a simple, yet gorgeous painting. If you view it moving slowly from the bottom going up, the ground and the bottoms of the trees look real. As the trees start to curve in seemingly unnatural directions and the orange hue of the sun sets in, this is when my brain begins to misinterpret what my eyes are showing me. I JUST DON’T GET IT and yet, I think I am in love with it. Perhaps this is the beauty and essence of art. Simultaneously captivating and provoking. This is photography and nature at it’s absolute best.

I visited Frans Lanting’s website and found a plethora of his other work. I’ve selected a few to show here. If I’m ever in Santa Barbara, I will make it a point to visit his gallery.

I became very comfortable over the years with older people.  I always thought I could learn something from them.  Tell me, teach me — how does this work?

Full Article

Here’s a snippet from the website:

Merrell Barefoot (Trail and Pace Glove) named Best Debut by Runner’s World Magazine, April 2011.

Best Trail Running Shoe: Shape Magazine, 2011 Shoe Guide

Designed specifically for women, less is definitely more when exploring with our Vibram®-soled Pace Glove natural adventure shoe. All the protection your feet need from rocks and roots, and an ultra-lightweight upper with a synthetic leather foot sling for stability fits like a glove.

Construction:
Heel-Forefoot-Drop: The pace glove is categorized as a “zero-drop” shoe. This means that there is 0mm from the ball to the heel (no raised heel) — just like the way your feet are naturally designed!

Toe-box: When I first tried them on at the store, I thought it was a bit strange how much room there was in the toe-box. My feet fit them lengthwise perfectly and I knew that they were designed to be worn without socks. So it wasn’t until I finally ran in them, that it clicked why there was so much space. The extra room gives your toes a certain kind of freedom similar to that felt in Vibram FiveFingers. In this way, because the toes are not strapped down too tightly, it functions nicely to emulate barefoot running.

Other Concerns: I have seen complaints that the elastic heel can create blisters or cut into the heel. I personally haven’t run into any issues like that at all; I find it rather comfortable, actually. There’s always moleskin available for the rescue if that does end up happening.

Look
There are four available colorways on the website: Lavender-Lustre, Chili Pepper, Yellow, and Black. All are very pretty, in my humble opinion. Local REI stores currently only offer Black and Lavender-Luster for the women’s line. The male equivalent, the Trail Glove, is offered at REI in Smoke-Adventure Yellow and Black/Red. Note: if you’re used to the attention that VFF’s inevitably bring, you will not be getting it while wearing the Pace Glove. Perhaps people will be looking at my face more now as opposed to my feet!

Feel
I test drove them out on both treadmill and pavement this past week and they felt great; beautifully light, springy, and flexible. Surprisingly, it was quite a comparable experience to running in the Bikilas and will serve as a great alternative. What does set it apart is that I know I’ll be able to use these for trail running; I stepped on all sorts of surfaces and wasn’t phased by any of the changes. I’m really impressed by Merrell in their first line of barefoot shoes, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll continue to give us in the future.

PHOTOSHOOT

Flexibility Test: Pass

Top

Top 2

Elastic Heel

Lateral

Sole

Vibram Logo

In most sports, technique and performance are closely linked. Take golf, for example: Golfers derive power from their hips, so hip engagement and rotation are pretty well correlated with how far and accurately a golfer can drive a ball. Running is different. How fast somebody runs is mostly about bioenergetics—the internal stuff, like the strength of the heart and efficiency of the muscles—not biomechanics, which is how individual body parts move together. If you wanted to go fast, you were better off lining up for intervals, not perfecting your arm swing.

Recently, however, the hands-off approach to running form has been called into question throughout the sport, from scientists like Larson and Harvard’s Daniel Lieberman to elite coaches like Alberto Salazar. Meanwhile, chatter on the topic fills running forums and blogs. Form, it seems, suddenly matters.

It’s long, but definitely worth reading.

It wasn’t until I finished reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall, that I realized what I was actually looking at. The sandals above are called The Leadville, named after The Leadville Trail 100-Mile Run where sandals in similar construction were first run in the US (by the Tarahumara Indians from Mexico). Secondly, the name Luna comes from the Tarahumara Indian, named Manuel Luna, who taught Barefoot Ted how to make his own sandal to run in. Barefoot Ted is the co-founder of Luna Sandals and ran with the Tarahumara, Christopher McDougall, and others in the race that is depicted in Born to Run.

It was like a mini revelation all coming together in my head at once. The running world has such a close-nit community that not many people know about. I’m ready to keep spreading the word!

As for the sandals, I’m not sure I’ll be trying them for myself any time soon, but I love the idea. Perhaps someday it will be the next big thing.

I placed my feet on the pedals and just went Go! The first mile was EXTREMELY tiring and my butt burned like it has never burned before. After that first mile, I began to think about how my form could improve. I immediately noticed that I was pushing the pedals with the arches of my feet instead of the balls of my feet. That’s a big no-no in cycling. I made the change and suddenly the next 4 miles were a breeze (aside from the butt burn — that can only be cured with more conditioning).

Other form tips:

• Saddle height: your knees should be bent just slightly when the bottom pedal is in the 6 o’clock position.
• Knees: Your knees should go in a up and down motion and not outwards.

I started my swim training about a month ago and my main goal has been to steadily increase in lung capacity. After about 3 weeks, I had only been able to decrease my 250m swim time by 30 seconds. That is, until I decided to focus specifically on form. (Prior to this, I was only swimming the way I could remember from swim lessons 15 years ago).

I corrected my head position, my stroke, and and my breathing pattern. I could feel the difference almost immediately and it showed in my time. I was able to reduce my time another 60 seconds; and on top of that, I felt amazing. I did the same 250m set twice more and still had energy left. The point I’m trying to make is: if you take the time to work on proper form, it could be a completely different experience altogether. 

As a triathlete, this proposes one question: If there is a proper form for swimming which can increase efficiency, and the same goes for cycling, what about running? My answer: a big, huge YES. In general, most people (in our generation) just put on a pair of sneakers and go out on a run without even a thought if there is a better way to do it. I’m telling you, THERE IS! I’ll delve further into that thought on a future post.  Till then, I’ll leave you with a a side-by-side picture demonstrating improper and proper running form.

Macaroon: The original macaroon was a “small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds.” Most commonly we see coconut macaroons in the market.

Macarons: Commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies.

Due to the especially nice day we had this past Wednesday, the park seemed like the place to be. I found myself spending most of my time around a group of other small dog owners. One of whom, immediately knew that Pip was a Yorkshire Terrier mix. After I confirmed this, I told her that I still did not know what his other half was. She suspected that his especially sturdy build could be suggestive of a Yorkie-Chihuahua mix. I found this completely surprising so Google, I did.

Behold: Bella, the Chorkie.

She so happens to be the spitting image of Pip, no?

A recent picture of Pip:

Mystery is pretty much solved, folks! Pip is a Chorkie.

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I consider balance poses to be my weakness when it comes to yoga. This may explain the lack of balance pose posts thus far. Here’s my attempt at what I like to call UHB. Trust me, it needs the acronym. UHB stands for Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana.. yeah. And in English, it’s called Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose.. yeah. Anyway, it is said that you must hold a balance pose for at least 30 seconds to a minute, and I’ve not yet been able to reach the 30 second mark before tumbling to the ground first. I only held it long enough for the picture!

How to via Yoga Journal:

1. From Tadasana, bring your left knee toward your belly.
2. Reach your left arm inside the thigh, cross it over the front ankle, and hold the outside of your left foot. If your hamstrings are tight, hold a strap looped around the left sole.
3. Firm the front thigh muscles of the standing leg, and press the outer thigh inward.
4. Inhale and extend the left leg forward. Straighten the knee as much as possible. If you’re steady, swing the leg out to the side. Breathe steadily; breathing takes concentration, but it helps you balance.
5. Hold for 30 seconds, then swing the leg back to center with an inhale, and lower the foot to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.

Benefits:

As you can see from my face, I’m pretty focused on trying not to fall over. That in itself is the benefit of practicing balance poses. You have to be mindful of the present, aware of your surroundings, and focused on your breath. Does that sound hippie, or what? But… it’s kind of true! Physically speaking though, holding this pose is great for strengthening your core and stretching your hamstring, all the while using your forearm and shoulder muscles. Good stuff.

This past Sunday I ran my first road race of 2011, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run. I finished within my projected time at 1:29:43 (I might have / probably would have PR’d if I didn’t have to use the porta-potty at the 4th mile, but that’s life).

Here are some fun running stats via RunPix.

Anyway, about 2 minutes after I crossed the finish line, I experienced one of the most debilitating charley horses of my life in my right calf. To my surprise, I was not the only one to have experienced this post-race.

So naturally, I Googled it and I shall share my findings here.

The 4 Ws [Ref: NYTimes]

What: A charley horse is usually referred to as a muscle spasm that occurs in the leg.

Where: Calf or thigh.

When/Why: 1) Muscle is overused. 2) Muscle is injured. 3) Dehydration. 4) Low levels of potassium or calcium.

Given these choices, I’m pretty sure my calf muscle was overused (especially with the style of running I practice), I was very likely dehydrated, and also low on potassium. One banana ain’t gonna cut it for 90 minutes of running! I shall see if I can prevent this in the future.

Tips for controlling the cramp via TopEndSports:

the muscle is trying to contract violently. Muscles will never stop a contraction in the middle, it has an “all or nothing” system. A muscle fiber contracts fully, or not at all. If you try to stretch it out, while the muscle is trying to contract, you will tear fibers. You need to assist the muscle in its contraction BEFORE you can stretch it without injury.

When the muscle goes into this cramp, tightly grab your calf with your hands: one hand at the top of the calf, just below the knee; and the other hand at the bottom of the muscle, at the top of the achilles tendon just above the ankle. Now, help the muscle complete it’s contraction by pushing your hands together. This will be extremely painful, but only for a few seconds. Next, just release your hands, and then replace them in the same positions. Now, again push your hands together, this time it won’t hurt nearly as much. You are now assisting any last fibers to finish their contraction. Take a few breathes, get back your oxygen that was lost while you were breathing heavily during the pain.

Now you can safely stretch the muscle.

Further Reading:

• How to Relieve Charley Horse – LiveStrong
• Causes of Charley Horse Muscle Cramps – LiveStrong
• Causes of Charley Horse Muscle Cramps (2) – LiveStrong
• Charley Horse – Wiki

Here’s to future races without cramps or spasms!

Did I not already mention what I intend my last meal on Earth to be? I clearly am not in the minority here either > http://fuckyeahnoodles.tumblr.com/

Back to the topic at hand — noodles in DC. To my absolute gastronomic pleasure, a few places have been popping up lately and a few more will be popping up in our near future. I’m excited especially because our area had been severely lacking in noodles of several cuisines (phở, being the fine exception). You may ask, “Well, what about Thai? There is plenty of pad thai and pad see ew to go around.” Why yes, there sure is. But what is truly lacking are Thai noodle soup shops, which are in exuberant abundance in Thailand. When I think of Thailand, I think of the noodle soups.

Ok here we go.

• Toki Underground | Ramen | 1234 H Street, NE Washington, DC | Opens April 1st
• DC Noodles | Thai Noodle Soups and Combinations | 1410 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
• BaBay | Modern Vietnamese (pho, bun bo hue) | 633 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003
• Nooshi | Noodles and Sushi | 1120 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20039
• Noodles on 11 | Asian Noodles | 1100 New York Ave., NW Washington, DC 20005

In the News:

• Unnamed Ramen Shop from the owners of Sushiko [article] | Ramen | Chinatown/Verizon Center, Washington, DC | Unknown opening date.
• Word on the street, Kushi‘s next restaurant idea will be noodles! [article]

Non-DC Points of Interest:

• Thai Square | Yen Ta Fo on Thai menu| 3217 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204 (this is my go-to for one of my favorite Thai seafood noodle soups)
• Ren’s Ramen [info] | Ramen | Wheaton, MD | Opens Spring 2011
• Temari Japanese Cafe | Ramen | 1043 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 | Yelp
• Pho Sate | Vietnamese Noodle Soups with Sate sauce | 2814 Graham Rd, Falls Church, VA 22042

I LOVE NOODS!

4. I used to love baking. I collected recipes and cookbooks all through high school while Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma were my favorite stores. I even got a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas one year… one of the best presents ever! Unfortunately, my passion faded when I started college because I didn’t have an oven my first year. I now fail at pie crusts. I am sorry my roommates never got to see this side of me

Although I do not intend to resurrect that passion, I have been looking at these types of stores a lot lately. Most notably: CB2 aka Crate & Barrel for young people. Although the first DC store is opening sometime next month, I’m about to purchase these oliver appetizer plates online for PV’s new home; they are just too darn cute to resist.

In 2010, I logged my miles using a Google Docs spreadsheet. See below for the first half of my last year in running.

Although this was adequate for my purposes, I think it’s time I welcomed my active self to the 21st century. With The Daily Mile, I can view an aggregate of the miles I’ve run this past month, this past year, as well as lifetime miles. Other features available are: amount of time spent, calories burned, the farthest distance, the fastest pace, number of TV’s I’ve powered, and the number of donuts I’ve burned. If I also decide to use a heart rate monitor, I could log that too! You know I’m all about functionality. Also note that you can absolutely use this for hiking, cycling, swimming, and other fitness activities.

See a screen shot of The Daily Mile’s Training page here:

What say you? Join and be my friend! http://www.dailymile.com/people/PearM

post-script: In case you were curious, there is a free iPhone app for The Daily Mile: Electric Miles.

The result? They felt amazing! The soles are thicker than my Bikilas so I think both would be suitable for trail running. They’re both incredibly comfortable and flexible as well. I had also been curious how the KomodoSports would differ from the Bikilas. At first feel, I could tell the material used is less breathable, but stretchier (like spandex). It’s a very interesting feel actually, but I think I would love running in them. Both are priced just below the hundred mark at $99.95.

So did this mini test drive help in my decision making? Not at all. In fact, I’m pretty sure it just made it harder.

Now to track down those Minimus Trails!

Posted via WordPress for iOS.

When you Google “chi running” the first thing that pops up is www.chirunning.com. The problem with this website is that it tries to tell you too much all at once. There is SO MUCH text to digest and so many tabs to navigate; I needed some more quick and straightforward information. My wishes came true when an active.com article came out earlier this week describing the five basic elements of chi running:

• Run tall
• Lean forward
• Land on the Mid-foot
• Run from Your Core
• Relax, Relax, Relax

Read about the 5 elements [here].

I found it odd that there are certified chi running instructors, classes, training programs, etc offered. They say that this is a natural form of running, but there sure are a lot of learning they say you have to do. I’m not against it, I just find it peculiar.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that they have this whole line of Chi products to promote chi in your running. For example: Correct Toes. “Correct Toes are podiastrist-designed to place each toe in the correct anatomical position in relationship to each other and to the ground. The width can be customized with the use of shims in the first and fourth interspaces.”

There’s also a Chi Running book written by the co-founder of Chi Running; and this is what they claim:

Chi Running combines the inner focus and flow of T’ai Chi with  running to create a ground-breaking running technique that takes the pain and potential injury out of the sport of running. Increase mental focus and clarity.

Lastly, but certainly not least, are the shoes the co-founder recommends for chi running. MINIMALIST BABY!

• Adidas Adizero Rocket
• Brooks Mach II Spikeless
• INOV-8 Talon 212 or Rocklite 295
• Mizuno Wave Ronin 2
• New Balance MT100
• Newton Isaacs
• Nike Free 3.0
• Puma Cabana Racer II
• Vibram Five Fingers KSO or Trek
• VivoBarefoot EVO

What can I say? I’m a running shoe GEEK. No shame here! So I might as well try this out on one of my runs sometime; I’ve already got one of the five basic concepts down pat anyway! Please stay tuned for an update!

One of her less popular songs that I love: Animal

I want to fall in love with you
again and again, again, again, again…

You have stolen all my senses
There’s a fever in my heart
amd you are taking my defences
You are pulling me apart

And another, because they’re all so good: The Writer, Live at Metropolis

So, (almost) every Wednesday I try a new wine. Why Wednesdays, you ask? Well for the alliteration, of course! I’m just so lucky that I can also drink a glass to get through hump day as well.

In the past month or so I have yet to purchase a “cab” or even a pinot noir; and I’ve developed some new loves as well. Oh and we’re talking reds here because, 1) one glass of red wine is actually heart healthy (Google resveratrol), and 2) whites can be too sweet or tart for me to drink weekly. Those new loves that I’ve tried include: Malbecs, Tempranillos, and Chiantis.

Tonight’s choice?

A modern Spanish blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet by Tempra Tantrum. They specialize in blending “international varietals with the quintessential Tempranillo grape…” This was the first blend I’ve tried since starting this weekly ritual and it ain’t too shabby.

I may sound like a wino right now, but I’m allowed to for just one day a week.

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• Black Swan (88%)
• The Fighter (90%)
• Inception (86%)
• The Kids Are All Right (94%)
• The King’s Speech (95%)
• 127 Hours (93%)
• The Social Network (96%)
• Toy Story 3 (99%)
• True Grit (95%)
• Winter’s Bone (94%)

Of the ones I watched, which were all but True Grit and Winter’s Bone, they are all deserving of their scores and accolades. This was all fine and dandy until the Oscars happened and creativity dies for a few months until Oscar season returns.

See evidence here via Rotten Tomatoes:

Red Riding Hood… Beastly… Seriously? Over 77% of the movies I just listed are rotten. Case in point! What is a movie watcher supposed to do during this lull? I have two fandango tickets to use (via livingsocial), and there’s nothing to use them on.

Continuing from last week’s theme of inversions, today I bring you halasana, otherwise known as plow pose. This pose is great for shoulder and spine health as well as stretching out your hamstrings. As shown from the example below, it is important to try to keep your spine as straight as possible. My version (above) is probably a good example of how not to do this pose! But as I always say, we are all a work in progress.

How to do plow pose via yoga.about.com:

Key West Sunrise

Last night I was browsing through Reddit’s IAmA entries and sitting at the top of the list was this: 51 hours left to live. If that doesn’t catch your attention, then I don’t know what will. So if you are not familiar with Reddit in general, it is a social news website where users can post content found on the internet they find interesting or,  as is the case for the IAmA entries, users can post interesting things about themselves for the online community to comment on. “AmA” stands for “Ask me Anything” and this forum is used pretty much like an open interview. “51 hours left to live” was posted by redditor, Lucidending, and the description of his IAmA is as follows:

On Tuesday I’ll finally end my battle with cancer thanks to Oregon’s Death with dignity act. As part of my preparations I’ve ended my pain medication and am trying to regain what little dignity and clarity I can.

Who I was doesn’t matter. I’m in pain, I’m tired and I’m finally being granted a small shred of respect. Feel free to AMA if you’re so inclined.

The most touching answer from Lucidending I found was one responding to whether he had any regrets. See below:

Key West Sunset

Further reading:
Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/

This week’s pose is called Dolphin which is primarily used as a beginning step for doing a supported headstand. Also known as salamba sirsasana in practice, headstands are categorized as inversions. Inversions are poses where one’s feet are lifted above the head. Other examples include plow pose (halasana), shoulder stand (sarvangasana), and handstands (adho mukha vrksasana). When done properly, headstands can help improve circulation, strengthen the core, calm the mind and increase body awareness.

After feeling comfortable holding Dolphin, the next step would be to lift up one leg. Eventually, one would be able to lift up both legs into a headstand.

The following video, an eHow for holding a headstand, also demostrates how to get into a dolphin pose. It is my goal this year to be able to hold a headstand. Wish me luck!

Note: It is not recommended that women who are pregnant or menstruating do any inversion poses. I don’t actually know the reasoning behind this, but I certainly wouldn’t risk it!

Other tips for performing inversions can be found here: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/2926/1/Inversion-Yoga-Poses.html

1. 2011 Vibram Five Finger KomodoSport

2. Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove

3. NB Minimus Trail

4. Asics Hyper Rocketgirl XCS

I’m really trying not to turn into one of those obsessive shoe collectors, but I don’t think I can help myself. They’re all so pretty! I’m particularly interested in the NB Minimus Trail shoes since I can’t run on trails in my toe shoes and also because the soles are made by Vibrams!

Happy Running 2011!

As many of you know, I recently started a new job at the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County (PCC).  And you probably know I do something health related or something Komen related or something with related to the low-income and uninsured population, but you probably don’t know what it is exactly that I do.  I’m hoping to now clear up that vagueness with this post.

What is PCC?

The Primary Care Coalition is a private, non-profit, charitable organization working with public/private partners to provide high-quality, accessible, equitable, efficient, and outcome-driven health care services for low-income, uninsured County residents.

What do I do?

In September of 2010, I joined PCC’s Center for Health Improvement as the Komen Regional Project Coordinator. I am specifically working on the National Capital Area Breast Healthcare Improvement Initiative; and in short, I am working with safety-net clinics in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, DC, and Northern Virginia to streamline breast healthcare services for low-income and/or uninsured women 40 and over. The “Komen” part of my title comes from the fact that Susan G. Komen for the Cure funded this entire program.

This morning I attended a news conference for the kick-off of the 22nd annual Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure and met Nancy Brinker, the founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I was pretty moved and motivated by the event, so I elected myself to be PCC’s team captain for the 2011 Global Race for the Cure.  Why not combine my love for running with my passion for what I do?

You can visit my personal page here: http://globalrace.info-komen.org/goto/PearMoraras

For PCC’s team page, click here: http://globalrace.info-komen.org/goto/PCC

Let’s do this!

Had to reset all my passwords today for reasons I shall disclose in a follow-up post. After changing my FB pw, the app on my iPhone was constantly logging me out. I knew it was particular to my account since logging in with a different username revealed no issues.

Enter the power of Google and the internet:

I searched “Facebook app logging out” and it led me to this Facebook thread: Constant Logging Out!

The solution didn’t make sense, but it worked and it was so simple. I reset my pw again and voila! no more random disconnections. The end.

This week’s pose is the infamous Wheel. As usual the one above is mine (apologies for the blurriness) and the one below is of someone with more experience. In this case, it’s Jillian Michaels. I thought she didn’t like yoga! Anyway, this is again another back-bend and a slightly more advanced one. Beginners usually start out in Bridge pose and over time after improving in balance and strength, they can upgrade to Wheel. It took me quite a while to even get my leg up without the fear that I would collapse, but it was such a feeling of accomplishment once I did. Which is another thing I love about yoga: there is always room for improvement and improvement is both physical and visual.

Video Tutorial:

This is called the Mermaid Pose.  Obviously there is room for improvement since I just learned how to do this pose, but that’s my current version of it. I think I got the gist of it, but below is what it should look like:

How to do it: 

What is it good for? Your back.  The mermaid pose is a type of back-bend.  Back-bends are used to stretch and strengthen your spine, while also opening up your chest and stretching your abdomen.  Good stuff, no?

Where to go/Things to do:

Shirlington Dog Park – During the warmer seasons, this park is PACKED.  When it’s hottest, the dogs love to go swimming in the little river that runs along the park.  This place is great for both humans and canine.  They even have a gated area inside the park for small dogs and puppies only.  Even though it’s just across the street from Shirlington Village, it’s a little hidden — if you didn’t know how to get there, you might not find it!

Directions: Coming from 395S, take the Shirlington exit to Shirlington Road. Make the second left onto 4 Mile Run Drive and then the first left onto Nelson Street where there will be parallel parking available.  Also available is a small lot behind the U-Haul building. View Larger Map

This whole area is just dog friendly, and new places just keep poppin’ up.  See below:

• The Muddy Mutt
• Fur-Get Me Not Petcare
• Woofs Dog Training
• Arlington Animal Shelter
• Dog Paws ‘n Cat Claws Pet Care
• Dogma Gourmet Dog Bakery and Boutique

Lastly, the picture below is what inspired me to write this post.  I was walking Pip and found that they have new poopie bags!  New degradable poopie bags!  Now not only is Arlington dog/owner friendly, it is environmentally friendly, too! GEEZ.

What is Stroga?

A while ago I wrote about how I loved the form of yoga that Shiva Rea teaches [http://wp.me/pJi88-gL].  I especially enjoyed getting the feeling of a good workout while still improving balance, flexibility, and strength.  When I heard that a new yoga studio was opening in DC called Stroga, I was intrigued.  See for yourself:

Doug Jefferies, owner of Results Gym, was inspired by his own yoga practice and his experiences in personal training and strength conditioning. His desire to combine the two philosophies resulted in the creation of STROGA. Both Functional Training and Yoga help people gain mobility and flexibility, increasing their performance in sports and making them more agile in everyday life.

Strength + Yoga, that’s exactly what I love.

Why am I a believer?

I truly believe that incorporating yoga into your weekly exercise routine will help keep both your mind and body in balance.  Keeping it as a regular practice will also improve your performance in other active hobbies, and for me this includes: running, snowboarding, cycling, and flag football.  It feels so good to do yoga the day after a long run.  I’d say it’s time to bring out your inner yogi.

Extra Good Read: Benefits of Power Yoga

Is coffee a “health” food now?

The first thing I did was remove sugar.  I was easing myself into becoming a black coffee drinker because first and foremost, I needed the caffeine, not the sugar.  Plus, most creamers had some sugar in them already.  After about 2 weeks of coffee with cream, I was ready to transition to taking it black.  It actually wasn’t that bad and I actually enjoy it.  I now can tell when a coffee is good or bad.

Here are some health benefits of drinking black coffee [Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/coffeehealthbenefits]

• Great source of antioxidants
• Promotes digestion – coffee is a diuretic
• Increases athletic endurance – very similar function to caffeinated GU gels

The key here is to understand the difference between drinking a Venti Caramel Latte from Starbucks and a cup of black coffee.  Simply one’s good for you, and the other isn’t.  I never thought I could be a black coffee drinker one day, let alone a coffee drinker, but now I am.  In fact, I recommend it.

This photo sums up my Friday evening.  Good food and good company.

jpack-made goi cuon

Photo Taken on: January 21, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XSi
Lens: 50.0mm
ISO: 1600
Shutter Speed: 1/100s
Aperture Setting: f/2.8

Today, PV showed me that we were not the only ones with this theory as Reddit recently posted the same exact idea here: http://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/f6kzj, original post here: http://iamemiko.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-asians-age.html

click image to view larger

Fun stuff, people! Think I can defy the odds?

Simmering Red Lentil Soup

post-script: I had to include this photo of the carrots and celery because the color came out wonderfully.  So here’s an extra photo!

Freshly chopped celery and carrots

Today’s photo (of January 18th, 2011) is of my 6 year old cousin Grace.  My aunt asked me to take some head-shots of her so she can start a portfolio while her career as a child actress begins.  (No, it’s not that serious.  I think…)  I’m going to blame poor lighting for not particularly succeeding today, but I think the shot below was one of the better ones of the 100+ that I snapped.  At least now I know the next step will be to work on lighting techniques!

Grace, Head-shot

Ending the day with snow is much better than driving home in the snow. Goodnight.

Snowy Evening

My sister has suggested that in order to improve my photography skills, I should attempt to post one photo a day in this blog.  Not only will it force me to add more content, but hopefully I’ll be inspired to find more shots.

Here is my Photo of the Day (POTD) for Sunday January 9, 2011.

Homemade Belgian Waffles topped with strawberries, blackberries, maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

Races

• Cupid’s Undie Run
• Crystal City 5k Fridays (4 total)
• Runa-Muck 5k
• Capitol Hill Classic 10k
• Tim Harmon 5k
• Independence 5000
• NPC 5k
• Dash for Dad 10k
• Army Ten Miler

Cities

• Los Angeles, California
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• New York City, New York (2)
• Boston, Massachusetts

My 2010 cities list is so… anemic.  I will have to do better in 2011 and it starts with San Francisco in T-minus 9 days!  Hopefully I can also combine running and traveling in the years to come.

Happy New Year to All!

Instead of a diagnosis though, I got a prescription for an MRI.  Oh joy.  The following Monday, I would be able to answer the first question asked when getting an MRI done: Are you claustrophobic? “I hope not,” was the best answer I could give.

Have you seen an MRI machine before? Now I know why people have
panic attacks!

The technicians at the imaging center were very friendly and made sure I was as
comfortable as possible.  I was also given headphones that played classical music to drown out the loud beeps as well as a blanket to keep me warm.  The whole process took about 20 minutes which seemed like a long time to be laying inside a loud, beeping tunnel.  Apparently though, that is actually on the shorter end of the normal procedure time.

Results:

1. Grade 1 MCL sprain with moderate amount of adjacent edema;
2. Moderate size focal contusion of the anterolateral aspect of the lateral femoral condyle.

Basically, the inner side of my knee is swollen, ligament is sprained, and bone is bruised.  Recovery time?  Up to several months, but likely to be okay by Feburary/March.  In the mean time, yoga can be my hero. Namaste!

post-script: In case you were wondering, I’m not claustrophobic!

Paramedic 1: I’m going to have to cut through your pants.
Me: Why?
Paramedic 1: So that the doctors can see the injury better. *proceeds to cut*
Me: *sees knee* Omgg!
Paramedic 1: What’s wrong?
Paramedic 2: She’s a girl.  She’s upset that you’re cutting her pants.
Me: NO.  I’m upset that there’s a huge bump on my knee, I don’t care about the pants!!

I then spent about 3 hours in the hospital’s emergency department during which my right knee was examined and x-rayed.  It was determined that I sustained no fractures; see the scan below.

The immediate diagnosis was therefore,  a “bad contusion.”   Wanna see what a bad contusion looks like?

Day 2: 12/18/10

Day 5: 12/21/10

Day 8: 12/24/10

The hospital gave me a knee immobilizer and crutches to use during my recovery.  I was also given orders to follow up with an orthopedist and take 600mg of ibuprofen every 6-8 hours for the pain.  Weaksauce pills, I know.

Next:  Dealing with insurance claims.

post-script: I’d also like to note that being in a Maryland hospital as a Virginian resident was no fun while trying to contact relatives.  My cell phone was the only thing left behind in my car (the paramedics kindly got all my other belongings to bring with me to the hospital).  So calling my family and PV from the hospital was not as easy as dialing 9 and 1.  You have to go through the operator who is not more than happy to connect you to your non-Maryland relatives.  I later resorted to asking kind strangers to use their cellphones.  They were nicer than the operators!  Thanks again to PV and my sister for everything.

On Thursday, December 16th, 2010, the DC area witnessed it’s first snowfall of the season.  For those at work, it simply meant a long commute home.  At around 1:30pm the federal government announced that they would be ‘Open with Option for Unscheduled Leave.’  For me, this meant that I could leave work early and use my Annual or Personal Leave for the remainder of the day.  I decided to take advantage of this and left at 2:30pm so that I could avoid driving home dangerously in the dark.  Retrospectively, it was probably more dangerous to leave earlier.

I decided to take the small roads through DC to get back to Virginia instead of the Beltway since the traffic maps were already indicating horrific traffic conditions.  I was on 16th Street barely half a mile from my office when I tried to come to a stop at the signal on East-West Hwy.  My brakes failed as my tires skidded across a slab of ice and snow that had yet to be plowed off the streets.  The results?  I rear-ended the car in front of me.  There was minimal damage to the car that I hit, but relatively significant damage to the hood and grill of my car.   I then got out to talk to the owner of the other car and to exchange information.  The individual still looked a bit confused so I walked back to my car to call the police.  Before I could even reach my door, I looked up and saw a car coming towards me.  It hit a car two lanes over that had come to a stop earlier, and then slid right into me.  I was backed into my own car and got propped up on top of the hood of the car that hit me.  I managed to push myself off and back onto the street.  Before I could lose my balance, I put my left hand onto the car and was helped up by the individual from the car that I had hit moments earlier.

What originally was a fender bender, turned into a multi-vehicle double accident with a pedestrian struck.  You can’t make this stuff up, people!

For a visual reference, here is what it looked like to me:

Blue car is mine, red X is me.  White X’s are the other individuals involved.

Tune in tomorrow to read what happened next.  Happy Freaking Holidays, folks!

Having all my childhood memories swarming back is not quite a good enough reason for me to change my profile picture, and I’m not going to be a hypocrite and give in because everyone else is doing it.  However, because it is fun to see all those old cartoons, I decided to make this slideshow of my favorite ones.  Some of these cartoons had such good story lines that I wish I could go back and watch them all over again.  The ’80s and ’90s were THE BEST.

If you do want to make a stand against child violence, donate to a cause.  Changing your status or profile picture does not yet equate to real activism.  The campaign could have at least directed FB users to provide a link for a donation or support page.  If in the end people start thinking about child abuse and they do donate to a cause, then maybe it was a success.  But the cynical part of me thinks more will be said than actually done.  Of course this is up for debate, so what do you think?

Prevent Child Abuse

What I do recommend is to warm-up all of your muscles prior to your full work-out and then stretch fully and completely. Stretching properly is vital to keeping you injury free — here’s an excerpt from an Active.com article, Q&A: Proper Warm Up.

Q: I’m a jogger for many years who was recently told by a varsity college runner that her coach said it was not necessary to stretch before running. Is this correct? I’m talking about pre-jogging stretching occurring after a warm-up walk of a few minutes.

A: From Rick Huegli, sports performance director of Velocity Sports Performance in Seattle:
From the college coaches’ perspective, an appropriate warm up is what is necessary to prepare the muscles for the workout. The goal is to raise core and muscle temperature and improve coordination for the specifics of the workout. Dynamic movement or progressive low-intensity running will increase core and muscle temperature and improve neuromuscular (coordination) and movement function.

The objective of static stretching usually is to increase the range of motion at a joint or to induce muscle relaxation and decrease the stiffness of muscle-tendon systems. Static stretching cold muscles, which provides some risk for muscle damage, is better placed at the end of the workout when the muscles have shortened or tightened. It is not an efficient way to increase core and muscle temperature and improve neuromuscular (coordination) function.

Progressive dynamic movement and/or progressive low-intensity running will increase core and muscle temperature as well as provide increased range of motion throughout the specific running mechanism. Static stretching (holding a stretch for a period of time) and ballistic stretching (bouncing to increase the amount of stretch) are inefficient and counterproductive methods for getting the muscles ready for activity.

The gist:  A consumer pays a fixed amount of money to a local farm participating in the program for any season of their choice.  Depending on the season, this could last anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.  During that time frame, the consumer will receive a box of produce or other farm products (eggs, dairy, meats) each week.  Most farms have designated drop-off/pick-up spots throughout the region.  Consumers also have the opportunity to visit the farm they are “subscribed” to in order to get to know their farmers.

What I love most about this idea is that it forces the consumer to not only eat locally, but also to eat out less and cook more often.  Naturally, this is the healthier and more eco-friendly option.  I also love the fact that this helps the consumer explore new recipes and become more familiar with produce not generally available in grocery stores.  It’s a great idea and I love that she’s “becoming more hippie” because of me!

Read More:

• Local Harvest
• Wikipedia
• Savingts.com
• USDA
• Eco-Friendly and Frugal

After two years of putting it off, I have finally conquered the Army Ten Miler.  I was able to beat my goal time of 1:35 by nearly 6 minutes.  Kudos to all my amazing friends for running and finishing the race this year, and a special thanks to my family and PV for coming to support me!

I also completed my original goal of running the race in my Vibrams.  It was actually quite surprising to see very few other runners in them — I only saw four other people, and of the four, two were my friends!  This made me feel like a walking advertisement as I had several people approach me with questions about them.  One person suggested I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall — this is the book that started the barefoot/minimalist running craze.  I had heard of it before, but have not read it yet.  I will definitely add it to the list though.

Now, I want more.  I’m going to take it up a notch next year and attempt at least one of each of the following races:  a 10-miler, a half marathon, and a sprint triathlon.  Cheers to running and fitness!  What are your fitness goals for 2011?

post-script:  Check out the new micro-site for the Vibram Bikilas (NSFW): You Are The Technology

I recently started a new job at the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County for which I’m coordinating a project on breast healthcare improvement for the medically under-served population in the region.  This region includes Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, DC, and five health districts in Northern Virginia.  In Prince George’s County, the safety net health system is primarily run by Greater Baden Medical Services.  Last week the Director of Program Management invited my coworkers and I to a special event they were hosting.  I am still in so much amazement in what I saw that I feel I must share it here and everywhere!

Sarah Jones: http://sarahjonesonline.com/

I could probably write a lot about Sarah Jones and all the work she’s done, but it’s best that you just see for yourself.  Her TED Talk:

That was merely a glimpse of the performance she gave at the event I attended.  She performed ‘A Right to Care,’ a piece she wrote for a W.K. Kellogg Foundation event in 2005 to help raise awareness on ethnic and racial health disparities in the US.  Click on the following link to watch part of that original performance: http://bit.ly/bQaft6.

I love my job.

Over the summer, I decided I would complete my first triathlon in 2011. To get more efficiency out of my bike ride, this meant I would need a road bike. I was barely on the lookout for one when I unexpectedly received this as a gift on my 24th birthday:

Cannondale CAAD8 Féminine 6

Thanks, PV =)

I’ve now put on about 50 miles across 4 different trails since I got it. The differences between riding a road bike and a hybrid are so stark, I’m beginning to wonder why I didn’t just start out on one. Shifting is so smooth and I can feel that I’m expending less energy now than I did before on the Fuji.

The other great thing about biking is discovering an entirely different part of your world. I’ve tried so many new trails this year that I never even knew existed before. DC has become so much more beautiful to me now because of this. Here’s a list of a few that you can try on both wheels and feet:

• Capital Crescent Trail: Georgetown to Bethesda/Silver Spring, MD
• W&OD: Shirlington to Purcellville, VA
• Mount Vernon Trail: Rosslyn to Mt. Vernon, VA
• Beach Drive (Rock Creek Park): DC to Bethesda, MD – Beach Drive is closed to motorists from 7AM to 7PM on weekends!!
• Custis Trail: Arlington, VA to Georgetown, DC
• Prince William Forest Park Scenic Drive: 12 mile paved looped partially closed to motorists!

HAPPY RIDING!

Long time no race (or post for that matter)!  I went over two months without participating in a road race, but I am now back with a vengeance!  As a part of my training for the Army Ten Miler in October, I signed up for the Dash for Dad 10k to get my 6 miles in.  ”Dash for Dad” is a series of races held in 14 cities across the United States intended to raise awareness for prostate cancer.  The series was at its 10th stop in Alexandria, VA this morning which was great timing as President Obama recently declared September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.  My dad’s oldest brother is a survivor of prostate cancer and this is largely in thanks to having had detected it early.  So I encourage all to push your dads to get regular screenings!

A couple facts from CDC:

• Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men.
• 6 or 7 out of every 100 men who are 60 years old today will get prostate cancer by the age of 70.

I’d also like to give a brief update on my experiences with barefoot running.  I’ve now officially transitioned from regular running shoes to the flat racing Sauconys and finally to the Vibram Bikilas.  Today was the first time I completed a race in the Vibrams and it felt great.  Not only did I feel great finishing, but I also PR’d my 10k time.  I was 7th in my age group (Women 20-24) and 57th among women overall.  My final time was about 2 minutes faster in the Bikilas than when I ran the Capital Hill Classic 10k back in May in running shoes.  So hopefully this means I’ll be on track to running the 10 miler as a minimalist runner.

NPR WAMU’s Joseph Shapiro and Sandra Bartlett sought out to uncover this amazing untold story that occurred over 35 years ago.  It is truly a magnificent work of journalism.

Here’s an excerpt from the transcript of part one:

SHAPIRO: One mother dropped her baby and her two young children toward the outstretched arms of the sailors below.

Mr. CHIPMAN: I remember the baby coming out. You know, there was no way we were going to let them hit the deck or drop them. We caught them. I was pretty small myself back then – weighed 130 pounds. Even as small as I am, you know, they come flying out and we caught them.

SHAPIRO: These were the Vietnamese army pilots’ children. He’d saved the lives of his passengers, but now he was out of fuel and surrounded by flat, blue ocean. Hugh Doyle saw him fly the huge helicopter about 60 yards from the Kirk. Doyle uses slang and calls it an airplane.

Mr. DOYLE: He took the airplane, hovered it very close to the water, took all his clothes off with the exception of his skivvies, all by himself, no co-pilot, took all his clothes off, threw it out the window. And then he got up on the edge of the window, still holding onto the two sticks that a helicopter has to fly with. He tilted it over on its side, still flying in the air, and dove into the water. The airplane just fell into the water. It hit the water on its right-hand side. The rotors just exploded.

Part 1: Forgotten Ship: A Daring Rescue As Saigon Fell

Part 2: 35 Years On, Vietnam Heroes Reunited, Decorated

Part 3: At War’s End, U.S. Ship Rescued South Vietnam’s Navy

Also, watch this video: A War, A Baby, And Lasting Ties

Scientists report that within eight hours of drinking cranberry juice, the juice could help prevent bacteria from developing into an infection in the urinary tract.

Just a quick FYI for you all!  (If you Google cranberry juice, it’s probably one of the first things you’ll find out about it.) [Read more]

What is a UTI?

“Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate”

“Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora”

“Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem”

In English: “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.” In layman’s terms: sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer.   And via wiki: “The term razor refers to the act of shaving away unnecessary assumptions to get to the simplest explanation.”

I’ve only recently thought of Occam’s Razor while reading Michael Pollan‘s In Defense of Food.

In his chapter on the rise of nutritionism, he writes about how in America, the food industry has taken over the true meaning of food and nutrition.  Our grocery stores are stocked with processed foods “fortified with vitamins,” “low-fat” foods, diet this, diet that.  When really, if you want to eat healthfully, the best answer is the simplest one.  His most important tip to us, the reader and the consumer:  avoid the aisles and stick to the outer edges.

I haven’t finished the book yet, but here’s a good excerpt that may help explain why:

Eat Right, Get Fatter

In fact, we did change our eating habits in the wake of new guidelines, endeavoring to replace the evil fats at the top of the food pyramid with the good carbs spread out at the bottom.  The whole of the industrial food supply was reformulated to reflect the new nutritional wisdom, giving us low-fat pork, low-fat Snackwell’s, and all the low-fat pasta and high-fructose (yet low-fat!) corn syrup we could consume.  Which turned out to be quite a lot.  Oddly, Americans got really fat on their new low-fat diet.

I shall respond via blog post: Well that may be because you adhere to the “modern running shoe” mentality.  Sure they are no Asics, Brooks, or Mizunos, but I’ve already established that those aren’t for me.  Besides, that’s a completely subjective statement, for what is deemed a good brand is relative to the runner.  So after running in these flat racing shoes for a couple of weeks, I can now say that they are a gift from heaven.

They are extremely flexible, light, comfortable and most importantly, they also allow me to continue to correct my form.  Although the Bikilas forced me to do so as well, these do in less of an intense way.  My calves don’t get as sore, but I can tell that I am indeed running with better form.  I put 3 miles in them this past Wednesday and it felt great.  I don’t think the Vibrams would have allowed me to run that far because although I do have the lung capacity, I do not yet have the calf strength.

Check out the photos below and notice how low the heel is!

Now that I’ve found the right training shoes fit for me it’s time to get back on track and get ready for the upcoming 10k and 10 miler races.  Happy running! I can’t wait till Fall weather arrives.

I decided to pick a recipe with ingredients that were most familiar to me: Thai. Coconut milk? Kaffir lime leaves? Lemongrass stalks? Thai chilis? Check, check, check, and check! Many would probably look at this recipe and think it so foreign and difficult, but I saw it and knew that I could do it.

So did it, I did. Here are the fruits of my labor, before and after! I didn’t have my SLR with me, so sadly these are just iPhone pictures. Next time I will be ready! And yes, there will be a next time.

Thai Coconut Curry Mussels

2lbs of Mussels: Enough for 4, consumed by 2.

If the after photo isn’t already telling of how delicious this dish turned out, let me just tell you. It was amazing. The recipe can be found [here] by Simply Recipes. You should be able to find almost all the ingredients at your local H-Mart/Lotte/El Grande. The only thing that might be hardest to find are the Kaffir lime leaves, which is probably why they are listed as optional. They are pretty essential to Thai cooking, so my family actually owns a large plant. If you know me, I’d be more than happy to give you some!

The recipe also suggests that the mussels are best served with some beer and crusty bread. However, I’d also add that it goes quite well a glass of white wine. My cheap glass of pinot grigio from Trader Joe’s matched perfectly with the creamy broth… I’d take it over beer any day!

Happy cooking! And as always, happy porking.

08/03/10: I ran two miles in my running shoes followed by 1 mile in the Bikilas. I have to admit this first trial run was a bit weird for me — I was too methodical in trying to correct my form. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to allow my heel to touch the ground or not and overall, everything just felt awkward. Despite the awkwardness, I did enjoy how light my feet felt during the run.

08/05/10: I decided to go to Potomac River Running store to try on some shoes and just take a look at what type of runner I was. It was never my intention to actually purchase a shoe, but just to see what type of shoe the store would recommend me since I’d never done anything like that before. I also knew that I would need a better running shoe than the one I’ve been using for the past couple of years to help with my transition into the Vibrams. The experience itself was pretty fun; it was digitally determined that I’m a size 8 running shoe and I apply extra pressure to my big toes. I also found out that my left foot is “neutral” as in it does not pronate, while my right foot has moderate over-pronation. The man assisting me then suggested I needed more support to correct my over-pronating right foot. More support also means a more expensive shoe. I tried on 3 different brands: Brooks, Asics, and Mizunos. To me, the Brooks and Asics had too much padding and the shoe felt heavy; and at the time, the Mizunos felt amazing and so light. It was lust at first sight. So although I didn’t intend to buy a shoe, I did that day. I bought a shoe that goes against all things barefoot.

Mizuno Wave Nirvana 5.0, $117

08/10/10: Today was my second trial run. I decided to start out on the Vibrams with 1.5 miles and follow it up with 1.5 miles in regular running shoes. This time was 10 times better than the first; it felt natural, comfortable, and light. Although my calves burned, I felt like I could keep going. I then slipped off my Vibrams and put on the Mizunos. I was even getting a little excited as I was putting them on. That soon changed when I stood up. The raised heel made me feel so high off the ground that it felt, for a lack of a better word, unnatural. Then I started to run. The then-light Mizunos I tried on last week now felt like heavy bricks on my feet. It felt like my heels were being pulled down to the ground and I so badly wanted to chop the raised heels off. I made it through the 1.5 miles, but I didn’t like it. It has been decided; my brief lust affair with the Mizunos has ended and they are going back to the store.

So what now? Now with the suggestion of Runblogger, I’ve decided to buy a more minimalist running shoe. What does this mean? Here are his 8 guidelines:

1. A minimalist shoe should not have a thick, heavily cushioned heel.

2. A minimalist shoe should be lightweight

3. A minimalist shoe should, by definition, have minimal structure in the upper

4. A minimalist shoe should be as flexible as possible to let the foot move and flex naturally

5. A minimalist shoe should have a roomy toebox to allow the forefoot and toes to expand upon footstrike.

6. A minimalist shoe should minimize or remove support elements

7. A minimalist shoe should ride close to the ground.

8. A minimalist running shoe should minimize toe spring.

He also says it should never be more than $100. I pretty much failed on all aspects when I bought the Mizuno Nirvanas. So I’ve chosen the Saucony KilKenny XC3 Flat Racing Shoe – currently on sale for 20 bucks (plus $10 s/h) on Amazon!

post-script: If you do ever decide to go to Potomac River Running, don’t mention Vibrams; they aren’t too supportive of the barefoot/minimalist style of running!

William Fitzsimmons – So This is Goodbye (Pink Ganter Remix) [download]

Young The Giant – My Body [download]

Tokyo Police Club – Wait Up (Boots of Dagger) [download]

The RAC remix isn’t on youtube, but I like it better: [HypeM Link]

My full playlist: hypem.com/pmoraras

Here they are, just as beautiful as they are “weird”:

As far as I know, they only have them in the sky blue/grey as showcased above and silver/verde as pictured in the previous post.  I’ll be breaking them in this week starting tomorrow and I’ll be sure to update my progress.  I hope to be able to run the Army Ten Miler in them!

post-script: I know unboxing events normally occur when the product first comes out and I’m very well aware that the Bikilas have been out since April.  BUT they are new to me so this is just as exciting, no?

A few months ago one of the blogs I read regularly (pardon the nerd factor), Clinical Cases and Images: Caseblog, posted a video of Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman discussing barefoot running and the research he’s done on it.  This was actually the very video that got me to contemplate going barefoot, or at least pseudo-barefoot, myself.  Watch the video below and read the post [here].

I’m sure you might have heard of, or even seen some people wearing, Vibram FiveFingers.  These “shoes” are supposed to mock barefoot running and exercise all the while still protecting your feet from the elements.  When people tell me they get shin splints from running, I tell them to go get fitted for better running shoes.  It’s the shoe that causes the pain.  So why not just ditch the shoe all together?  I think I might.  I’ve got my sights set on these… behold the Vibram Bikila:

Product Description:

“Unlike any running shoe on the market today, the Bikila is a breakthrough product that encourages a more natural, healthier, and more efficient forefoot strike.  While many have been running in their Vibram FiveFingers for years, the Bikila is our first model designed specifically for near barefoot running.”

Nike has also come out with a line of barefoot running shoes: Nike Frees. Although I’ve heard some good things about them, I think I’ll stick to Vibrams for now.

I’ve also actually seen 100% barefoot runners in the wild.  I ran a 10k in May and saw a woman run the whole thing without any shoes.  The soles of her feet were black and more likely than not had developed calluses.  Now, I do want to run like a caveman, but I don’t want to actually look like one.  Vibrams seem to be the right choice for me.  What about you?

Linky:

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Barefoot Running (Zen Habits)

Ditch Your Shoes for Better Runs (LifeHacker)

Shed Your Shoes and Try Barefoot Running (LifeHacker)

What the Heck is on Your Feet? (Primal Homemaking)

Barefoot Running Shoes: Are they Worth It? (That’s Fit)

Review: Vibram Five Fingers KSO Trek (CrunchGear)

Natural Running: Optimal Running Form (Newton Running)

Thai [9]:

Nine is the Thai lucky number for three simple reasons (via Thaizer):

Odd numbers are often considered to be luckier than even numbers with the number 3 being very lucky. However, it is the number 9 which is supposed to bring most good fortune in Thailand. Not only is it 3 x 3, but the Thai word for nine, gao, has special status because it sounds similar to two other important Thai words: Kow-nah can be translated as progress or moving forward whilst the staple food of Thailand, rice, is called khao. The importance given to the number 9 can be seen in a number of diverse ways and the belief cuts across Thai society from the highest to lowest.

Chinese [8]:

Similar to the way Thais value nine because of how closely it sounds to their word for progress, the Chinese find eight to be lucky because of the resemblance in sound to their word for prosper. Here’s wiki to the rescue:

The word for “eight” (八 Pinyin: bā) sounds similar to the word which means “prosper” or “wealth” (发 – short for “发财”, Pinyin: fā). In regional dialects the words for “eight” and “fortune” are also similar, e.g. Cantonese “baat³” and “faat³“.

There is also a visual resemblance between two digits, “88″, and 囍, the “shuāng xĭ” (‘double joy’), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 (“xĭ” meaning ‘joy’ or ‘happiness’).

American [7]:

We all grow up learning that 13 is bad, and seven is good! But why has society decided this for us? Whose idea was this? Seven certainly doesn’t sound anything like “wealth,” “fortune,” or “prosper.” After doing some googling, the answer is definitely not as simple as I’d hoped. There are mathematical reasons, cultural reasons, religious reasons, etc.  Frankly, there are too many random reasons to name, and they’re rather boring so I’m just going to link you to someone who has done all the work for me [here].

The number 8 has long been my favorite number for reasons such as, it’s the day I was born, it looks like the infinity sign, and it just seems to pop up everywhere I go. After learning about the Thai lucky number 9, I got even more excited because.. well, I shall put it simply for you here:

My birthday: 9/8.
My ethnic background: 1/8 Chinese, 7/8 Thai.
And for kicks… My national background: 7/7, 8/8, 9/9 American!

It is just too darn bad I wasn’t born in 1987!

May you live long and prosperous with whichever number(s) you deem to be lucky.

Talk about being both consistent and inconsistent at the same time!  So in order to end this summer on a good note, I must run one more 5k!  Maybe I’ll PR and if I don’t, maybe I’ll break this curse.  It’s a win-win either way.

What went wrong:

• abdominal cramps [Causes and prevention]
• loose shoelaces [How to properly tie shoelaces]
• heat exhaustion [Precautions]

All of which, I’ve talked about and researched before.  I should know how to prevent them by now and yet, I still manage to let this curse get to the best of me.  I also notice that I’m horrible at morning races and do fairly well during the evening ones.  This is possibly because I normally run in the evenings during the week and waking up at 6am to run is just a little bit off routine.  We’ll see!  I might be doing one this Saturday evening if I’m in town, and if so, I’ll keep you posted on whether this curse will live on or not.

Check out their website (linked above) for more; they have tote bags in these designs, too!

Take a moment and sink in all that Gaia, the goddess of Earth, has to offer us. Go for a hike, a walk along the beach, a swim in the ocean, or better yet, do yoga in the outdoors, and just listen. Listen to Her and She will play you the most beautiful, most soothing music one can hear… all you have to do is listen.

We are in Puerto Rico for some much needed R&R, and today we took a hike in El Yunque, the National Rainforest, to La Mina Falls. To hear the trees swaying in the breeze, the waterfalls crashing into the freshwater pool below, and the little critters moving around in their natural habitat was just as relaxing as waking up to ocean waves crashing into the shore.

Gaia is there, always, waiting for you to stop and listen. And no, you don’t need to escape to paradise to find Her. But sometimes we all need a reminder that She’s there. She’s everywhere. So do be conscious of Her next time you go for a run or just a brisk walk. I will be next time.

via the same website: etsy.com

Isn’t it so AWESOME?!  I don’t think I’d actually keep any of these in my own home, but they excite me nonetheless.

White: White bread is processed differently and refined.  The flour is made only from the starchy part of wheat grain (leaving out the bran and the germ) and it has been refined so much so that there’s barely any fiber left in it.  And nutritionally, that’s what bread has to offer to us.  The most nutritious part is basically sucked out of it.  It might make you feel more “at home” to get enriched white bread because you think it’s got the familiar taste and also the healthfulness of whole wheat bread.  But no.  Enriching it with vitamins and minerals does not replace all that was lost and not included in the refining process.

Wheat: Wheat bread is merely a mixture of white flour and whole wheat flour, thereby making it not “whole.”  So yes, it’s better, but it still has a lot less fiber and other nutrients than you would think.  Here’s a more in-depth look at what wheat bread really means (via WHFoods):

60% extraction-the standard for most wheat products in the United States, including breads, noodles and pastas, baked goods like rolls or biscuits, and cookies-means that 40% of the original wheat grain was removed, and only 60% is left. Unfortunately, the 40% that gets removed includes the bran and the germ of the wheat grain-its most nutrient-rich parts. In the process of making 60% extraction flour, over half of the vitamin B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber are lost.

Is that surprising to you? It sure was to me!

100% Whole Wheat/Grain: Whole wheat is processed to include all three nutrient-rich parts of the wheat grain (the bran, the germ, and the endosperm (starchy part)).  This makes the bread high in vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, folic acid, copper, zinc, and magnesium.  Most importantly, it is high in fiber.  High-fiber content foods are good for cardiovascular and digestive health, and also helps with weight maintenance by keeping you feeling full longer.  Other non-wheat grains that you may be interested in include rye, quinoa, rolled oats, amaranth, etc.  As long as you see 100% whole wheat or grain as the first ingredient, you’re pretty much good to go. [Click for further reading].

Multi-grain:  The sketchy part about multi-grains is that unless it says so on the label, they may not be made of whole grains and therefore lack the high fiber content.  So if you want to try multi-grain bread, make sure it says it’s whole multi-grain!

Conclusion: 100% Whole Wheat or Whole Grain is your best bet.

Filed under: EATS, health ]]> http://pmoraras.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/the-whiter-the-bread-the-quicker-youre-dead/feed/ 0 thepetiteporker bread http://pmoraras.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/summer-running/ http://pmoraras.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/summer-running/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:23:07 +0000 P.M. http://pmoraras.wordpress.com/?p=1139 Continue reading →]]> I absolutely hate long distance running on the treadmill (anything more than 2-3 miles), so I pretty much always run outdoors.  Now with the summer heat coming into play, it’s difficult to find the best times to run comfortably.  It almost literally feels like death to run at noon (which I learned the hard way a couple weekends ago).  So what are some tips on getting in a good run during this unbearably hot summer?

1.  Run very early in the morning.  Last weekend I went on a short 2mile run at 7am and it felt great.  It wasn’t hot or humid yet and getting a morning workout in is always a great way to start any day.

2. Run very late in the evening. This isn’t as ideal as an early morning run because it is usually still pretty humid just before sundown.  Nonetheless, the sun isn’t as strong and you’ll be able to get through a run without feeling like collapsing at finish.

3. Find shaded paths. Lake Accotink in Springfield has a good shaded trail that I like to run on during hot summer afternoons and evenings.  Plus, it’s around a lake so it is a little cooler.  Another good option is Four Mile Run Trail which runs parallel to the W&OD in Arlington.  It is almost completely shaded which is in stark contrast to it’s close counterpart (completely unshaded).  Shade makes an incredible amount of difference when running under the sun.  This is why we need more trees!

Lastly, hydrate, Hydrate, HYDRATE! Always remember to hydrate well before a long run, or a short one for that matter.  It will prevent cramping and heat exhaustion while also helping with temperature regulation which is crucial because you will be losing a lot of water through sweat. [Click for further reading].

Some more tips from Active.com: 3 Ways to Run Through the Heat, Tips for Running in the Heat

Join me on some runs! My upcoming races:

6/26 – Tim Harmon 5k

7/2 – Independence 5000

7/17 – NPC 5k

10/24 – Army Ten-Miler

(Also possibly signing up for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon (9/19) or the Clarendon Day 10k (9/25)

My Results.

Although there are many reasons one should go organic, including environmental ones, another good reason is to reduce your pesticide consumption. According to foodnews.org, “When you eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll be exposed to an average of 10 pesticides a day. When you choose fresh produce from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll consume fewer than 2 pesticides per day.”

Below is a cheat sheet I found from www.mypapercrane.com (though her original post about this is no longer available). So use it as a guideline for which things you should always buy organic (“the dirty dozen”) due to high pesticide counts and which you don’t necessarily have to (“the clean fifteen”).

You can even print this out and take it with you to the grocery store by downloading this file: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4539241348_4db204a3c2_o.jpg

Messi the next Maradona?  Mayhaps, mayhaps. Such a sick goal.  Can you believe Messi is only 22?

In other news, USA vs. Slovenia tomorrow!  GO USA!! Thank you ESPN3.com.

One day a week to cut out meat. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

Check out their website here: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

It’s just one day a week and doesn’t have to be on a Monday (but doesn’t the alliteration just thrill you?)

Venturing into the realm of vegetarianism has actually been quite an eye-opening experience.  I am such a carnivore and to have one day a week to explore different food options, to scan a restaurant menu with a different perspective, and to understand another person’s lifestyle better has been pretty rewarding.  I never would have tried a veggie burger prior to starting this.

This was my menu for this past Monday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Scrambled egg whites with arugula, flaxseed, and cilantro, 1 piece of whole grain toast
Snack: Watermelon
Lunch: Vegetarian Masala Burger from Trader Joe’s
Dinner at Me Jana: Grape Leaves, Falafel, Hummus, Lentil Soup

Who knew this carnivore could love Meatless Mondays!  Join me, won’t you?

Before: December 2009

After: February 2010

I have to thank AvoDerm for helping me get his fur looking so healthy — the difference is pretty amazing.  Also, in the first picture he was underweight at 8.5lbs; he has gained about 2lbs since then and looks great to me (any more than that though, the doc will kill me).

Current: May 2010

Happy Anniversary! We couldn’t be happier.

Description:  All good things flow from a strong core. “One of the world’s greatest yoga masters” (Vanity Fair), Shiva Rea, has transformed abs work, turning crunches into flowing poses that get results. Sculpt your abs, arms, and shoulders. Approx. 35 min., plus bonus segment on 1 DVD.

What I love most about it is that it’s not a boring yoga video.  It incorporates traditional yoga poses with an upper body and core workout.  I sweat every single time I do it and I feel great when I finish.  Shiva Rea has truly mastered the art of yoga in a way that I’ve seen nowhere else.  I’m sad I missed out on her visit to DC a couple weeks ago.  Here is the trailer:

May your personal practice of yoga flourish on behalf of humanity. | Shiva Rea

Namaste.

So here’s why a little bit of honey a day will keep your sneezing away:

Via Mark’s Daily Apple: “Because bees pick up the pollen of their environment, the resulting honey can offer something of a therapeutic dose for gradual desensitization – much like an allergy shot. It’s important to start small (1/4 teaspoon daily – max) and work your way up to gradually build tolerance.”

It has to be honey local to you because it must come from the bees in your area!  Yeah, those little yellow and black devils that are spreading the pollen around.  You can think of it as getting a vaccination — a little dose to build up an immunization.

Here’s some more in-depth information on how this works — Primal Homemaking.

I find it most pleasing (and relieving) to put a little bit of honey in my tea.  The hot tea sooths my itchy throat while the honey works its magic.  Another win-win in my book.

An excerpt:

Medicine is primarily a private good — the patient receives the main benefit of any care provided. Payments usually come from the individual patient and, in the developed world, from private and governmental insurance. Public health, on the other hand, provides public goods — such as a good sewer system — and relies almost exclusively on government funding. It is generally acknowledged that public health is systematically underfunded and that shifting resources at the margin from cures to prevention could reduce the population’s morbidity and mortality. I believe there are four key reasons for such underfunding.

This also leads me to a quote I posted earlier, “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” – A.J.Materi. We live in world where so many temptations exist and the need for immediate results are in demand. We eat poorly (and too much), are inactive, and damage our bodies with toxins until the day the doctor tells you you have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. Then by the age of 55 we’re spending incredible amounts of money on pills to fix it all. That’s medicine for you. Public health, on the other hand, sees the big picture and promotes a healthier environment and a healthier lifestyle. Since you don’t see the results of these efforts until much further in the future, public health gets put on the back burner. It’s so important to invest in your health NOW rather than wait to invest your retirement in it later.

Nobody wants to be a pill junkie!

My favorite foods to add flax seeds to are: scrambled egg (whites), salads, sandwiches, chili, and stuffed pitas with hummus.

Some yummy facts:

• Whole flaxseeds are heat stable, so when baked, or heated in other ways, they’ll still be just as nutritious. Source [http://bit.ly/9OXkaf]
• Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• High fiber content – keeps you feeling satisfied faster and longer
• High in phytochemicals and antioxidants (balances female hormones and slows down prostate cancer growth)

More INFO — [About.com], [WHFoods]

Eat locally, eat fresh, go organic!!  Although, I’ve sent this message to you before, I’ve never really suggested actual places to go to.  So here we go!  Find the nearest to you.

• Rosslyn Farmers Market – Thursdays, 11:00am – 3:00pm, May 13th – October 21 / North Lynn Street at Metro Park / [More Info]
• Ballston Farmers Market - Thursdays, 3:00pm – 7:00pm, May 27th – October 14 / Welburn Square at 9th Street North and North Stuart Street /[More Info]
• Kingstowne Farmers Market – Fridays, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, May 7 – October 29 / Kingstowne Town Center, off Kingstowne Boulevard Alexandria, VA 22315 / [More Info]
• McLean Farmers Market – Fridays, 8:00am-Noon, May 7-November 9 / Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Road, Mclean, VA / [More Info]
• Burke Farmers Market – Saturdays, 8:00am – Noon, May 1st – November 20 / VRE Parking Lot, 5671 Roberts Parkway Burke, VA / [More Info]
• City of Falls Church Farmers Market – Saturdays, 8:00am – Noon, Year – Round / City Hall Parking Lot 300 Park Ave., Falls Church, Va / [More Info]
• Reston Farmers Market – Saturdays, 8:00am – Noon, May 9th – October 30 / Lake Anne Village Center Reston, VA 20190 / [More Info]
• Arlington (Courthouse) Farmers Market – Saturdays, 8:00am – Noon, Year-Round / Arlington County Courthouse Parking Lot, intersection of N. Courthouse Rd. and N. 14th St. / [More Info]
• Columbia Pike Farmers Market – Sundays, 9:00am – 1:00pm, Year-Round / Pike Park, Columbia Pike at S. Walter Reed Drive Arlington, VA 22204 / [More Info]

There are also TONS in DC that I won’t list here.  I also suggest you go to THE WHARF for fresh seafood!!  Happy Eating!

It’s only 8minutes, you will learn something new!

Some quotes to take from the video:

• “Who would demand a less sustainable, less tasty, way more expensive product, especially when you can get it for almost free in your kitchen?”
• “Guess where a third of all bottled water in the US comes from. The tap! Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coke’s Dasani are two of the many brands that are really filtered tap water.”
• “In many places public water is polluted, thanks to polluting industries like the plastic bottle industry!”
• “Around the world, a billion people don’t have access to clean water right now, yet cities all over are spending millions of dollars to deal with all the plastic bottles we throw out. What if that money were spent on improving our water systems or better yet, preventing pollution to begin with?”

More videos by The Story of Stuff –> [link]

Should you be interested, I shall share that e-mail with you now:

• The bill expands Medicaid to 133% of the federal poverty level. (JSFC Serves Individuals up to 200% of poverty level.)
• Implementation requirements will start in 2014 and the expectation is that full implementation will take place in 2019.
• No public option is included in this bill.
• The bill restricts access to health insurance coverage to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.
• Individuals will be allowed to opt out of health care coverage and accept a sliding scale penalty.
• Small employers are exempt from mandatory coverage.

So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. | A.J.Materi

Invest in your health, invest in your self!

Having said that, don’t over do it, you just might miss out on life.

There’s lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it. | Josh Billings

Happy mediums may be hard to find, but the journey is worth it once you do!  I’m just full of profound thoughts today.

From Mark’s Daily Apple: 8 Signs You Are Overtraining
1. You repeatedly fail to complete your normal workout.
2. You’re losing leanness despite increased exercise.
3. You’re lifting/sprinting/HIITing hard every single day.
4. You’re primarily an anaerobic/power/explosive/strength athlete, and you feel restless, excitable, and unable to sleep in your down time.
5. You’re primarily an endurance athlete, and you feel overly fatigued, sluggish, and useless.
6. Your joints, bones, or limbs hurt.
7. You’re suddenly falling ill a lot more often.
8. You feel like crap the hours and days after a big workout.

More fitness/health quotes here – [link].

As I’ve indicated in the post title, the theme of the month is (be) ACTIVE. So here’s what I’ve been up to:

DC Cherry Blossom Festival

This past weekend was the 50th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. It was a great ending to a beautiful 3 weeks in DC. There were arts and crafts, performances, Kirin and sake, and tons of street food. I bought a Japanese doll (pictured below) to contribute to my mom’s ever-growing collection (she has 25 of these). Then, after grabbing a sushi roll and some chicken yakitori, I waited in a 30 minute line to do some real business:

Curry, takoyaki, chicken yakisoba, and okonomiyaki. Everything was delicious and I was beyond full and satisfied.

Crystal City 5K Fridays

As I did last year (though only once), I’m running in the Crystal City 5Ks that are held every Friday in April. This time I’ve dedicated myself to the full series. Info here: CrystalRun5kFridays.com. I’ve been trying to figure out how to embed a dynamic Google Spreadsheet in WordPress, but after hours of failed attempts, I’ve settled for a link to a webpage that’ll be updated weekly instead — My Results.

TBD FOOTBALL

April also marked the beginning of FXA Flag Football Tuesday Night Casual League. This is our team schedule in case anyone wants to come out to watch.

So what’s next? RunAMuck 5K Mud Run DC!!

Take a look at my running log from 2010 in comparison to the one I posted last year.

Although the result seems the same, the path is quite different. This time I’m using Hal Higdon’s 10k Training calendar as shown below.

I haven’t actually signed up for a 10k yet since I’m primarily using this training as a way to keep me on track with my cardio and exercise.  It’s been quite effective and rewarding as it has allowed me to be creative with what I choose for my strength and cross training days. I’ve incorporated Shiva Rea Yoga, some cycling, hopefully some swimming, and thanks to Miss Kelly Wu, P90X and INSANITY workouts as well.   I also learned late in 2009 that my cholesterol is slightly high and my BMI is slightly low.  So hopefully with better nutrition and a consistent workout regimen, I can do and be better in 2010.

[Music: What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club]

I’ve posted this everywhere, so why not here too?  The bulk of the video was recorded on Day 3 of our trip, which had the worst conditions from our time there.  You can even hear how hard the snow was as I was going down.  The very beginning of the video with the short commentary was from Day 1 right before our first run down China Bowl.  You can tell from the video that we had near white out conditions on this day.  It’s incredible how each day was completely different.  The best conditions were on Day 2 with what many like to call, Bluebird conditions (blue, cloudless skies and fresh powder).  I’m sorry I didn’t think to take any videos on that day!

It’s quite fitting that the video ends with the lyrics, “maybe next year,” because maybe we will go back to one of the best resorts in the world next year.  Can’t wait!

Favorite Trails: (Trail Map PDF)

China Bowl: Poppyfield’s East and tree riding
Blue Sky Basin: Pete’s Bowl (Grand Review, Cloud Nine, Big Rock Park)
Front Side: Whiskey Jack to Flap Jack, Avanti, Simba, Lion’s Way, Born Free

Favorite Beer: Fat Tire Amber Ale

Pictures on Picasa here:

Is it weird that I have an Apple iPhone and yet I want an Android pillow? Hrmm…

More icon pillows from Etsy here.

This reminds me of my experience in a car accident in how I felt when it happened in contrast to how I now remember and think of it.  I found a quote Padma Lakshmi had said in her interview with Vogue about her car accident experiences:

Being in a car crash was like an exhilarating hallucination, an unbelievable moment that oddly remains one of the most beautiful images in my memory.

When I first read that quote, I thought she very eloquently put exactly how I felt and remembered my own experience. Despite feeling horrible and terrified while it was happening, I now think of my accident as a beautiful moment in my life.  Isn’t it fascinating how my “experiencing self” is so different from my “remembering self?”  Daniel Kahneman seems to explain this odd distinction at the TEDTalks quite well.

One of my favorites is #679: Old School Sugar Cereals. Their Top 10, from 10 to 1, includes: Corn Pops, Trix, Sugar Crisp, Cocoa Puffs/Pebbles/Chocula, Grape Nuts, Honeycomb, Cap’n Crunch, Cookie Crisp, and Honey Nut Cheerios.

Here’s mine in random order:

I can still remember what they all taste like. Oh the joys of being a kid.

This is what I eat now:

Cardboard cereal… Oh the woes of being an adult.

Other favorites:

#701: When you hit the point where you’re comfortable farting around each other
#717: Sleeping with one leg under the covers and one leg out
#804: Gym pain (hurts so… awesome!)
#806: Ducks (to eat and to photograph!)
#852: The smell of the coffee aisle in the grocery store (my brother and I used to steal a bean and sniff them)
#893: Orange slices at half-time (HS LAX days!)
#920: Getting the eyelash out of your eye (feels.so.damn.good.)

(via HealthMad) 10 Health Benefits of Garlic
[Heart disease, impotence, low weight birth, infections, allergies, tooth aches, cold sores, cancer, food poisoning, and the common cold]
Huh? Impotence, too? Click on the article above to read the details.

Nutritional Benefits (via the Worlds Healthiest Foods) WHFoods: Garlic

I used to love garlic just for its flavor and pungency, but now I love it for all that it is… So much so that I felt it deserved its own blog post.  Cheers to garlic!

The event, officially titled Cupid’s Undie Run, was organized by Brendan Hanrahan who wanted to raise funds to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation.  It was a short 1.75m run starting from Pour House, looped around the Capitol, and ended back at the bar.  Overall, it was fun, COLD, and successful (I heard the event raised about 10k).

More links/info:
Website: http://www.cupidsundierun.com/
Facebook Event Page
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CupidRunDC
We Love DC: Behind Cupid’s Undie Run
Jeff Malet Photography: Cupid’s Undie Run DC (#73 and #83)

(See 2:23 and 3:04 to find some familiar faces)

Happy Valentine’s Day!  What did you do?

Here’s Mr. Brown’s recipe for Sherried Sardine Toast.

I did a slight variation since I had red wine vinegar instead of sherry, and decided to add lemon juice and cilantro.  It turned out AMAZING.  I can absolutely eat this on a regular basis.  It was so easy to make and scrumptious to eat.  The vinegar marinade is key in adding flavor to the oily fish.

Needless to say, I’m staying on the bandwagon!

• http://bit.ly/6nKYA6 — Perhaps too much GMO-ing? “Double Banana” (Serious Eats)

• http://bit.ly/8XM9hL — World’s tallest man meets the world’s smallest man (CasesBlog)

• http://bit.ly/51Q7U5 — 10 Health Benefits of Lemons (HealthMad)

• http://bit.ly/6E6G3c — Color-Shifting Contact Lenses Alert Diabetics to Glucose Levels (Gizmodo)

• http://bit.ly/7x1aW4 — 8 Unconventional Ways to De-stress and Release Tension (Zen Habits)

• Pippy Moraras
• green tea junkie-hood
• day (food) trips to my alma mater
• endorphin production/runner’s high
• chicken liver (How offal, I know… Lame pun, I know.)
• #13 Zeglinski (purely for skill)
• Caramel Lattes — my weekday weak spot and guilty pleasure (Wegman’s Cafe > Panera Bread > Dunkin’ Donuts > Starbucks). Notice how my preference is also in the order of least to most available.  Gingerbread lattes don’t cut it for me anymore.
• Wegman’s Cafe (brown rice sushi!)
• This.

Bubble wrap is not on my current list, but maybe it should be…

At this interim stage, FDA shares the perspective of the National Toxicology Program that recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

I still need to read up some more, but that’s the gist of it.  Here are some links:

NPR Podcast – Diane Rehm talks to the authors of “Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things”

The Kitchn – Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA

What is BPA? Wikipedia

Science Daily: FDA Says Bisphenol A (BPA) Exposure Is of ‘Some Concern’ for Infants and Children

Quick tip: Avoid recyclable plastics that have the number 7 on it.

Below are Alton Brown‘s fundamentals on eating healthy at home.  It really does just break down how to eat well in general and it has a lot more flexibility than that detox.  He shed 50lbs this past year around this diet.  Although I’m not trying to lose any weight, I am trying to lower my cholesterol.  So the less red meat, fried foods, and fat, the better!  I certainly won’t have a problem with drinking green tea everyday.

via thekitchn – Alton Brown on Eating at Home and Eating Light

1. Daily Eats: Fruits, Whole Grains, Leafy Greens, Nuts, Carrots, and Green Tea.

2. Foods To Eat 3 Times A Week: Oily Fish, Yogurt, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, and Avocado.

3. Foods To Eat 1 Time A Week: Red Meat, Dessert, Pasta and Alcohol

4. Zero Times A Week: Fast Food, Soda, Processed Meals, Canned Soups and “Diet” Anything

post-script: Don’t forget to eat organic and local as much as possible too!

I thought I’d showcase my love and appreciation for this dish here.  If you’ve read my yelp profile, it’s what I’ve chosen as my “last meal on Earth.”

If you’re ever in Thailand, make sure to stop by a neighborhood noodle cart or stand to devour a bowl.  It’ll only cost you a dollar or two!  I’m sure my mother would be glad to make you a bowl as well.

Andrew Zimmern’s recipe – slight variation from my mom’s, but it has the basics.