Down the Rabbit Hole

45:09. I checked the timer as I crossed the Solano Turkey Trot finish line, huffing and puffing the last of the chilly, crisp autumn air. It's that anticipation of the sense of accomplishment that got me to the finish line, especially after running too fast during the first mile. Victory was made even sweeter because I just came back from a setback: I didn't finish my first half-marathon attempt in Orangetheory's DriTri Sprint . This year's turkey trot was not just a regular 5K for me; it also held some of my firsts: First turkey trot, ever. Apparently, turkey trots are popular events in the USA. This local event has attracted over 2,000 runners. In fact, I was runner #1911 despite signing up earlier in the year. There were different distance categories (5K, 10K, 21K, and kids' fun run), catering to the various skill levels of the runners (or joggers... or walkers). All along the course, I noticed cheerers carrying banners that said something about "earning y...

https://www.solanoturkeytrot.org/ I have not learned my lesson. Barely two months ago, I did not finish my treadmill half-marathon . This should have convinced me that I'm not ready for a race, but here I am again, paying and confirming my attendance at another one. I signed up for the Solano Turkey Trot, an outdoor run/walk event to be held at Solano Community College.  I first saw an announcement about it at work, but I dismissed it (I thought that I had to be in a turkey costume for it). Everything changed on a relaxed morning when I wasn't rushing after school drop-off. As I was leaving for a physiotherapy appointment, I bumped into the moms of two of Donan's friends. They had both signed up for the 5K run and invited me to join them. Just like that, my initial decision of no  changed into count me in . I doubled down. From treadmill to the great outdoors Now back to reality: The 5K run/walk lasts for about 90 minutes. I haven't run outdoors for over 10 years, and s...

 You don't quit when it's hard. You quit when it's over. I didn't complete the half-marathon distance in my first Orangetheory Marathon Month attempt , logging only 10.02 miles on the treadmill. I told myself I would refrain from joining these challenges because being so close and yet so far was such a let-down.  The following month, however, I decided to join the DriTri sprint challenge because I couldn't shake off the feeling that I could actually finish this. If the half-marathon is 13.1 miles spread over a month, the DriTri sprint is composed of a 1,000-metre row, 130 reps of bodyweight exercises, and a 1.55-mile treadmill run to be finished within one hour. Crazy for a non-finisher, right? Nevertheless, I took on this challenge. While on the rower, I thought that reaching the distance was easy enough because I started at a good pace. Then fatigue kicked in, about halfway through the rowing portion. I struggled through the rest of the distance as I couldn't...

I've been attending Orangetheory classes every weekend since January. Each class I attend includes a treadmill exercise. In the several months that I have been attending classes, I progressed from power-walking (fastest pace at 3.5 mph) to jogging (fastest pace at 5.0 mph) I decided to join the Marathon Month challenge and run/jog the half-marathon. If I run/jog at least 1.7 miles per class, I'd be able to complete the half-marathon distance. And so I kept signing up for the 2G classes or the Tread 50 classes (i.e., 50-minute treadmill-only workouts).  After the challenge ended, I found out that I had only reached a little over 10 miles. I did not finish the half-marathon. My first reaction was to avoid joining future Orangetheory challenges. As I wallowed in disappointment, I justified not participating by focusing on my primary objective for signing up for classes: improving my overall cardiac health by losing weight, burning fat, and building muscle. I was very disappointe...

The Golden State Warriors is playing its last season at the Oracle Arena before moving to the Chase Centre. Tickets for the team's games are expensive so I was willing to go on a public tour to see what it looks like inside... pretty much what I wanted to do at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney except that I watched the rugby match instead (I couldn't afford the public tours back then). The BART stops at the Coliseum Station so the Oracle Arena was just a walk away. It was quite a bit of a walk too because the Oakland Coliseum was much closer... and people had to walk around it to get to the Oracle Arena.  The public tour started just outside the souvenir shop of the Warriors. The guide, Ken, provided some information to us (a very diverse group) about the venue and some house rules before we proceeded to one of the exclusive spots of the arena: the Premium Suites. As we exited the lift, I was surprised to see that there's a Tanduay Rum Club at the mezzanine level. Ta...

I was having dinner with Arindam, Matty, and Suva at Bhojohori Manna  when I looked up to the telly and saw a game I initially described as patintero  on steroids. Patintero is a street game I grew up playing (and something my nephews and nieces have no concept of, with their tablets and smartphones). The objective of the game is to cross over a line without being tagged by the person guarding the line. This is why I was quite shocked that a game that looked similar was being played by muscular athletes  as an actual sport ! Turns out that this sport is called kabaddi.  The players' objective was to cross from one side of the court to another, and then go back to the "home" side, all while reciting "kabaddi". The opposite team had to make sure that the other team couldn't go to the other side of the court and/or they couldn't return to the home side. See, sounds very much like patintero... But kabaddi is a whole different level altogether becau...

The clouds in Laguna couldn't rain on our parade, that's for sure. We left the wet and wild province for an afternoon of golf (actually, we were just in the driving range... we didn't go to the fairway yet) in Alabang, where it was all sunny and bright.  Daddy was well-prepared. He packed my golf hat together with my golf clubs (take note: they're left-handed women's clubs) and my glove. Daddy also brought his own clubs so that Val could practice golf swings too. And then, we took lessons from a professional golf player. He corrected our swings, which was good for me because Daddy and Tito Tony couldn't teach me (a southpaw) how to properly do it because the instructions are totally in the opposite direction. In Val's case, the pro player was able to teach him the half-swing. While I was able to let the balls go a respectable distance (50 to 100 metres... nothing to laugh at because I used to not  hit the ball!), Val just let the balls fly ! Not ba...

I've been wondering how my birthday would be unique this year. And then it happened: the FIBA Olympic Qualifier Tournament was being hosted by the Philippines! Val, Denis, Nikos, Hélène, and I went to the SM Mall of Asia Arena to watch the basketball games. My mission, which I accepted (from Krishna) was to have a photo with Tony Parker, of L'équipe de France. Wait, who? Tony Parker? Eva Longoria's Tony Parker?!? NBA celebrity Tony Parker?!? Why is Tony Parker playing for France?!?!? Obviously, I am not an avid follower of basketball. I enjoyed watching it back in the day with my dad because I associated basketball-watching with Shakey's Manager's Choice pizza . And then there's Michael Jordan (who, apparently, has retired long time ago).  Anyway, so I got general admission and upper box tickets... which meant we were watching the games (the eliminations and the semis) from some of the highest seats in the venue. These were good places to watch, if ...

The IRRI Filipino Scientists Association held its annual fun run this year with the theme "Outrun the Boss". Dr George Kotch, the head of the Plant Breeding Division was so enthusiastic at informing and encouraging his staff to participate. After all, the bosses were pledging some amount of money per person that outruns him or her. It's a perfect way to keep everyone on their toes (or heels, particularly for heel strikers). Anyway, I've been out of the running loop for quite a while because of my 2014 foot injury . That is why I started jogging and/or walking a few times a week again for the past few weeks to get the foot accustomed. I figured that a run/walk combo done by people in Couch-to-5k programs would be an ideal activity for the 5k run. On race day, my gear was more ready than I was. My phone was covered in plastic in case it rained. My shoes have been broken in. My watch was set to monitor my pace, cadence, and distance covered. Me? Not so much....

Thanks to wakeboarding , I've started having an appreciation for watercraft and water forms. This, particularly since I've always loved to explore new places (hello, 16-hour drive to Ilocandia !). And so whenever we end up in Mabini, Batangas, I have the tendency to point at spots I've never visited before. And that, for me, marked the beginning of our exploration of the islands around Calumpang Peninsula.  So, as of today, we have visited quite a few islands. Southwest of the Calumpang Pensinsula, we've driven past Sombrero Island, wakeboarded along the westward coast of Maricaban Island (from Sepoc Point all the way to Bunjar Island, if I'm not mistaken) and in between Maricaban and Caban Islands. Along Balayan Bay, on the other hand, we've gone boating around Ligpo Island (where Matty might have had a turtle sighting), wakeboarded from Anilao Beach Club towards Le Chèvrerie to the southwest of the Calumpang Peninsula and up northwest to the coast of San ...

Almost four weeks after my snowboarding misadventure, my left wrist was still swollen and bruised. I was really puzzled and concerned about this because my previous sprain was nothing like this: I was able to walk without crutches after a few days and was traveling to Bangkok within a week of the injury. Therefore, my hand must have sustained a more serious issue. I had talked with my orthopaedic doctor about this, which was why he had recommended MRI be done on my hand. This might be ligamentous injury, he had said. The MRI machine must have been taken straight out of Avatar or Interstellar . As I was being conveyed into the machine, I had to remember that I wasn't allowed to move over the duration of the scan. I think I fell asleep at some point, thanks to the calming effect of the steady beeping sounds (which I could hear despite the ear plugs). I was told that the results would be sent directly to my doctor and off I went. A few days later, during my check-up, the d...

Friday, bright and early... It was the moment of exciting truth... I was about to go snowboarding!! The evening before , Jay (Ski Korea) had picked us up in Alpensia and had equipped us with snowboards, boots, snow jackets, and snow pants. Junn (also of Ski Korea) kindly met Matty and me at Yongpyong Ski Resort's Tower Plaza on Friday and brought us to the snowboarding school where I'd meet my teacher for the day.  Nervous? Nah. Snowboarding would be FUN!! Where I met my snowboard teacher. Okay, everything became different when I finally had to carry my snowboard with me to the edge of the New Yellow slope, where all the beginners were getting oriented. I felt jittery because this was really it. My teacher's patience and confidence made me feel that I could at least not break a bone while learning to snowboard. Day 1, here we go! Lesson 1: The anatomy of the snowboard. The terminology just had to be right because I had to know where to put my weight w...

Daddy and I found a golf set for left-handed girls! And when he went home in January, he bought it for me. The first time I was able to use the set was when we went to the Fernando Airbase in Lipa, Batangas with Biboy and Ninong Romy. I really felt that I was struggling with myself. See, I've learned how to swing right-handed golf clubs. I've hit a few balls in the driving range with my dad for several years, albeit intermittently; however, I found it challenging to correct my swing since I'm left-handed. I since stopped practising in the meantime as Daddy agreed it would be best if I got my own proper clubs. So during our most recent trip to the driving range, muscle memory for swinging using the right-handed stance kept trying to surface while I was learning left-handed swings. It must have been a funny sight. I was really fighting with myself! Ninong Romy, after seeing a few good swings from me, recommended that I join them on an 18-hole round of golf. Fortunatel...

I have a short to-do list when I go on vacation so that I'm sure that I complete everything in the list. In 2014, I was determined to see snow for the first time ever. My (Christmas) wish was granted when Biboy and Barbara brought me to the mountains of Sierra Nevada for some snowboarding.  Hello, Sierra Nevada!! Hello, snow!! Here's the thing though: I didn't know what I was expecting so I was dressed rather inappropriately. No, I wasn't wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes. I had four layers of t-shirts under my jacket; however, I was wearing denim pants. It wasn't waterproof. I didn't think that snow melts into water and could be very cold. I knew, in the back of my head, that I was supposed to wear waterproof pants but I still didn't... Oh well... Blooper #1 right there! Me and my snowboard for the day One more thing I didn't think about immediately: the grade of the slope! This was my first time to snowboard and I didn...

Music is one factor that draws me to keep watching a movie on cable tv; particularly a movie that I've never watched before. In this case, it was the sense of urgency evoked by the score of Rush (directed by Ron Howard) that got me hooked. No; the music was not like the typical soundtrack associated with race car movies. Definitely very distinct from the themes of Gran Turismo (the video game) or of The Fast and The Furious movie series. And it was surely different from the music I've listened to when I wandered accidentally into a  car show in UPLB . However, the feel and the visuals of the movie showed what it's like to be amid the frenzy of a race track. Anyway, the story is about two rival race car drivers vying for the championship in the 1976 Formula One Grand Prix, Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Their attitudes towards racing contrasted the other; Lauda was calculating the risk of each of the races he participated in while Hunt raced as if that day was the last....

My right foot got injured exactly a month before my only road race of 2014. Being the stubborn girl that I am, and despite my friends saying that I'm not supposed to run yet, I still hoped I'd be ready and healed by November 16th. Race Day. Maybe, they just didn't understand that I needed the motivation to get my foot ready or something. In any case, I knew that if my foot wasn't ready, I wouldn't do it. Healing takes time; it's not something that responds to a deadline set without considering health factors... So, instead of lugging a heavy heart, I heaved a sigh of relief when the organizers of the road race announced, via email, that the race has been moved to March 2015. That was one race I would have surely passed on if it pushed through. And now, there's a possibility that I can run in it!  Before I got injured, most of my November weekends were filled with sports activities: wakeboarding on the first weekend; running on the second wee...

Anna and I were watching Sports Unlimited one Saturday evening and we saw a segment featuring Flying Trapeze Philippines. Right after the segment, we talked about doing it the next weekend. And so we went to Bonifacio Global City to give ourselves quite a scare weeks ahead of Halloween. Before we were allowed to fly, the instructors gave specific directions on the ground. We learned how to hook our legs on a stationary handlebar and then let our hands go; ready to grab the catcher's hand. We were also taught how to jump off in mid swing, doing a backflip (and look poised in the process)... all theoretical, of course, since we were still on the ground. Then the most frightening part of it all, the first ascent to the platform where we'd grab the real trapeze handle bar. This experience reminded me of the first time I ever went on the edge of a building to rappel in San Pablo City; the first time I hopped off a boat into Caliraya Lake to wakeboard; the first time I ste...

My birthday week has begun!  To celebrate it, Nikos, Val, Matty, and I popped into Greenbelt for dinner at  Sugi Japanese Restaurant in Greenbelt 2 and to watch the Brazil vs Chile World Cup match. Thank you, guys, for making my birthday week start off with a bang! Here we go... With all the options around the area for football watching, we ended up at Burger Bar in Greenbelt 2. The major pull? This restaurant was serving milkshakes, but one milkshake flavour caught my eye. Burger Bar was serving Speculoos Cookie Butter milkshakes!   Speculoos Cookie Butter Milkshake I'm a fan of the gingerbread and caramel flavours and of the grainy texture of the Speculoos Cookie Butter bread spread of Trader Joe's... I even eat it straight off the spoon (no bread needed)! It's definitely miles better than peanut butter and chocolate sandwich spreads. So when I saw a milkshake version on the Burger Bar menu, I just had to try it out.  It was yummy...

I used to play soccer . No kidding! I had to stop, however, when the ball hit my face and broke my eyeglasses in high school (as you can see, I'm used to having my face get hit  by hard surfaces while playing sports). Since then, I watch soccer matches from the relative safety of bleachers and on the telly... I am not watching the matches as closely this time around as compared to many years back when I'd drive all the way from Los Banos to Makati on school nights to watch the live midnight games with my cousins and nephews! Anyway, the FIFA World Cup 2014 has started on June 13 and I've watched the first two games so far (Brazil vs Croatia and Mexico vs Cameroon). The nice thing about this World Cup, is that there are more ways to see the games... other than going to sports bars, or actually flying to the venue. The game times are still off for people living in my time zone this year but at least the replays can be seen during more reasonable hours over cable tv. If ...