Richmond 8k - November 14, 2009

So last year I went all crazy and decided to run races. I really wasn't a runner, but for some reason last February I decided I was going to sign up to run the Redondo Beach 10k. I trained for a few weeks, and was able to kick out 6.2 miles. Woo hoo!

Soaking wet at the Redondo Beach 10k

I was hooked! Then instead of slowly progressing to the other races, I registered to run the Richmond Marathon - yep 26.2 miles. I spent most of last year training for it. I ran other races as "training runs" including the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon. The marathon was great! Rob was there with my mom and brother and his parents to cheer on. Each time Rob ran a little bit with me. I saw everyone the first time at mile 8, then mile 13, mile 19, and at the end. Rob knows my pace, he planned it out perfectly. At the end though, the smile was gone and I was in pain. I could hardly walk for 2 days and was sore for about a week afterward. I basically stopped running. Until now.

Manhattan Beach 5k - yes, the race was in the sand

San Jose half marathon - that's me in the green!

I just registered myself for the Richmond 8k (4.96 miles) - it's the same "race series" as last year. I'm excited that Rob is going to train with me & if his knee is up for it, he's going to race it too. Even with a bum knee, he'll smoke me.

Richmond marathon

It has taken me a year to want to run again. I tried a few times, but just couldn't motivate myself. And with everything that has happened in the last few months, running was about the last thing I wanted to do. I just find it amazing that after running a marathon last year, I can hardly make it 3 miles today. I have 7 weeks to train for it. I'm just really excited to be running again with a purpose. And maybe it will help clear all the junk out of my head.

Dark Night of the Soul

As a birthday gift, Rob received this rad CD by our good friend, Reed. It's by Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse titled "Dark Night of the Soul." The music is somewhat "dark" but in a catchy way. It fits my mood of late. I decided to do a little research on the title and found out it's something much deeper than just the name of an album.

"Dark Night of the Soul" is the name of a poem written by St. John of the Cross during the 16th century about a time in a person's life when you feel God has abandoned you. Like when you pray and pray and pray but God doesn't seem to be there. I believe it's real. I feel it, or rather, I don't feel Him. If Mother Teresa experienced it for almost 50 years, then who is safe from this "dark night?" Certainly not me. But I think you just have to keep praying and knowing that God IS there and that He IS listening, quietly.

O'ahu Highlights

This East Coast girl finally got to visit Hawaii! More specifically the island of O'ahu...and it was everything I could have dreamed it to be. We were there for a very short time, so we crammed a lot into 3 full days. And thanks to Gabor and his family, we had a free place to stay in the most ideal location - walking distance to Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Bogart's for breakfast in the morning!


Gabor's "extra" house he graciously let us crash in!


Hiking Diamond Head was pretty easy (we did it in flip flops) and the views were fantastic. And it's pretty weird to think you're hiking up the crater of a volcano.


Diamond Head Lighthouse


Crossing the Haleiwa Bridge on the North Shore. I am excited to report that the waves were pretty big for this time of the year and I actually paddled out! Within 5 minutes of being out there, I met Sunny, a North Shore resident who was defending my honor... to Rob. Who said chivalry is dead?


What if this were your backyard? And welcome to the set of "Lost" - basically.



I wasn't lying when I said we were within walking distance of Waikiki. There were definitely a lot of people (tourists... us included), but it has a great vibe. We had the best ramen (second to Japan) in downtown Waikiki. And we were the only Americans eating in the ramen shop, both nights. Kampai!


Yeah yeah, it's touristy, whatever. We had a great time at the Polynesian Cultural Center - dinner with traditional Hawaiian foods (Poi!) and a show! It was a blast and the pina colada smoothie was delicious!


The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. It's not only a memorial, but stands over the tomb of the 1177 crew members that were on board when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th, 1941. Parts of the ship are visible above water and oil still leaks - the tears of those entombed below. It was pretty amazing to be there. And to reflect on such an important part of our history that we have only read about.


Later that day we hiked up to Manoa Falls, in flip flops, again. That waterfall fall is approximately 150-feet high. It was more of a trickle when we were there, but I guess it's not the rainy season. (Although it rains everyday in Hawaii...so not sure how that works). The trail was muddy and we were too when we returned to our car.


Our trip to O'ahu was short, but memorable. With no convincing needed - we're ready to move there! Aloha!