New Gear!!!

I told myself that I would stop shopping...but new running gear doesn't really count because it's a necessity! Plus, new season, new gear. Check out my new online purchases!! Mama needs a new baselayer, jacket, and compression socks :D Now time to put the credit card away, wake up P, and hit the pavement.

Group Run Turned Solo

10 mile group run was a failure. P awoke with a bad back so I decided to just do a solo run. I don't know why this irks me but I hate it when I forget to start my Garmin. I've become too dependent on it. About one mile in my watch goes into power save and I internally scream. So although I ran 8, the Garmin only clocked 7.1. Either way, it wasn't 10. I made it up by doing 10 x 400s. P isn't getting off that easily though...tomorrow's another day. Little does he know what awaits him (until he reads this, that is).

My running partner:

As for tonight I tried to make a healthy-ish beef stew. I used 1 lb beef cubes, browned the meat in 1 tbsp veg oil, and poured two cups of water with 2 cubes of beef bouillon. Then I added parsley, thyme, garlic, and pepper.  Let that simmer for about 1/2 hour. I then added chopped up onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, 2 tsp of corn starch, and simmered for another 45 min. Easy, breezy. Cook up some egg noodles and voila:

We definitely countered any healthiness with lots of alcohol at the bar later on. Good night!

Dinner with P

P is in town! That means he's making dinner for me. Since he knows I won't eat that fatty crap, he made us extra lean turkey meatloaf in a muffin tin! Only 180 calories per meatloaf muffin, he says (probably less). A little about P- he's an avid cyclist, ex-professional triathlete, who knows everything about bicycles, and who also eats pasta every, single day. And I really mean EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Except when he's with me. Tomorrow we're going on a 10 mile group run, whether he likes it or not. This is P and the delicious end result:

Let's Talk Half-Marathons...

It's not only winter but it's also half-marathon training season. I just created a beginner training plan for a non-runner friend who is running her first half - also the Nike Women's Half in D.C. As a disclaimer, I did not pull it out of my head but instead combined a few beginner training plans and tailored it to what I think she can handle.

I've never "trained" for a half-marathon. I've always used them as long runs during marathon training. This year, I've decided that I want to PR any race I run. So that being said, creating my friend's plan inspired me to create my own, incorporating the workouts from the Boston Advanced Half program. I ran the Nike Half course a few weeks ago on my own and it's pretty flat. Thank goodness. Me and hills are not friends. I can't even sprint up stairs without heaving. Anyway, here's my plan:

Winter and a New Year

The winter running season is among us. I personally love winter runs. You don't sweat as much and you want to start running as soon as you're outside because it's just so damn cold. The downside is all the gear you have to put on beforehand. I usually have three layers on top, one on the bottom. My top and bottom layer is usually Pearl Izumi. I like lululemon for base layers because their shirts are long and compress (keeps out the wind). Right now their Run Swiftly top is my fave. It's just so darn expensive.

My a.m. routine usually consists of waking up, checking email, lying in bed for about 10 minutes, then taking another 15 minutes to get dressed and mentally prepare myself. I usually go back and forth about whether I should hit the pavement but once I'm out there, I couldn't be happier.

I need some new races on my calendar for this winter...and more running friends!!! That's one of my resolutions. To make more running friends. Speaking of resolutions...

1. Cross-train more. At least for the first few months of the year. Need to build more muscle to run safe and fast. 
2. Run fast(er), which means more speedwork in my training. 
3. Blog more. It keeps me on track with my training, even if no one is reading but me! 

Chicago Marathon

This weekend P and I went to Chicago to run the Chicago Marathon (with an awesome cheer team that we sadly missed!). It was 34 degrees and I didn't pack a single piece of warm weather gear. Thank goodness for expos. My goal was to finish under 4 hours. I finished in 4:16, no thanks to a pre-race meal of ramen at the Slurping Turtle. I should have known better. In fact, I did know better but the huge bowls of delicious miso ramen and red bean macaroons were so freakin tempting. P (who decided last minute to run), paced me for about 17 miles and then we split. So aside from not meeting my goal time (there's always the next race), it was a great course and amazing crowd. I'll definitely be running Chicago again.

What else did we do beside run? We ate a shit ton of food. We had Italian at Volare (HUGE portions of pasta and so reasonably priced. I got the spinach fettuccine with bolognese), hot dogs at Portillo (get the Italian beef dog or Italian beef sandwich), pizza at the original Uno's, red velvet pancakes at The Bongo Room, and of course the miso ramen at the Slurping Turtle that gave me problems on marathon day. 

                

Aside from eating we wandered around Wicker Park and made it to the Signature Room at the Hancock Building. The views are amazing if you are willing to wait in line to go up. It goes pretty fast though so if you're not in a rush, I would recommend it. Drinks, of course, are expensive, including seltzer. 

We also did the architecture tour on the Chicago River, which, despite the touristy-ness of it, was pretty f-ing cool. I heard about it from my friends who are from Chicago and recommended it. It's a cool way to see the city and learn about the history of the buildings. I always have a blast when I'm in Chicago. It's just too bad it's so damn cold there. 

Hoi An and Back

Hoi An was amazing. I'm glad I went and cried at the airport so that they would let me come back to Ho Chi Minh. I had two full suits and a suit dress custom-made at Lana on Le Loi Street. The women were friendly and my tailor did a great job. You can and should definitely bargain with them. I paid $335 for my pieces, which I'm pretty happy about.

We had dinner at Morning Glory the first night and tried a few local dishes, including the white rose, spring rolls, cau lau, crispy tofu, and curry. Everything was delicious. The cook is stationed in the middle of the restaurant so you can watch her cook your meal (or you can just order a bottle of wine and drink instead). Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site so the town looks like it was frozen in time. There is a big market on Bach Dong Street where the locals sell anything from lettuce to key chains.

We stayed at the Hoi An Beach Resort, which is just about ten minutes out of the center of town. I would 100% recommend it and would definitely go back again. The ambience is excellent, the entire place clean, and the breakfast is soo good. There are about three pools (maybe more) on the resort and a private beach across the street. Breakfast and a free shuttle into town are included in your stay. I just loved it. Everyone was so helpful and nice.

Now I'm back in HCMC. I finally got to the Embassy and was able to obtain a temporary passport but now I have to worry about getting another visa. I just came back from Immigration and have to return on Friday (the day before I leave!) to go pick up my visa. I am hoping I don't have to pay again. This trip has gotten so expensive and I am getting so home sick. I miss my family and my boyfriend :( And of course my friends back home. I hope the rest of this stay will be less stressful. I just hope those thieves remember that karma is a bitch.