2018 Race Schedule

2017 was a year of newness. My husband started a new job, I started a new job and my son started daycare. Trying to keep up with training on top of all of these changes was too difficult than I was willing to accept. Training for a marathon was draining. I was adjusting to the struggles of work (after taking a year for maternity leave) and trying to make sure my son got as much Mommy time as I could give, they whatever energy I had left went to running miles. My mind, body and heart were not ready to train the amount that I knew I needed to put in for the results that I wanted. So instead, I made the decision to focus on letting myself happy. I trained with my team for enjoyment and ran on weekends to stay sane. I am so happy with choice I made. But now, 2018 has started and I'm ready to give it my all!

On top of teaching at my new high school, I have also become a bodypump instructor (and am working on my cycling certification) - and absolutely love it! 

2018 Race Schedule

• January Pacifica Foothills Trail Half Marathon
• February 4: Kaiser Half Marathon
• March 11: Reach for a Start 5k
• April 8: SACTown 10 miler
• April 15: Napa HITs Olympic Triathlon
• May 6: Danville Mile of Truth
• June 24: One Mile Bang
• August 26: Santa Rosa Marathon
• December 2: CIM Marathon

Quick catch up on life

I've been away from my blog for far too long. Since I have not been racing much, I felt I didn't have much to say. But now I realized I still have many opinions and knowledge, it's just the topics have been adjusted.

Rather than line up my calendar with races each weekend, I am working on being more focused on fewer races and hoping for greater output. But along with that, I've realized that I have to learn about BALANCE. As a new mom, I'm trying to take care of my son as well as take care of myself and continue to have a loving relationship with my husband. 

So with that, I can't train twice a day the way I used to. Not can I just wake up and go running or biking. Everything has to be well-planned and scheduled. This has made me very cognizant of my time. 

This year I have been very fortunate to get the opportunity to stay home with my son throughout the day (all thanks to my husband). I am so thankful that I get to wake up and spend my entire day with him. I know that my own training will further be adjusted once I return back to work at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year but I look forward to growing as an athlete and a mother. 

Things that I love right now:

• My beautiful family

 

• The YMCA and their child care service YKids. This has been so essential to my training! My son can play at the Y while I go for a run, swim a few laps or take a cycling class! 

• Baby boot camp. This great company runs a program about 1.5 miles from my apartment. Having something like this on my schedule got me in a routine of getting out of the house with the little man, in the sun and focusing on getting my strength back! 

• Cloth diapers and cloth wipes! I felt like I was causing so much waste every single day from all of the diaper changes that we had! I finally decided to cloth diaper my little boy and I am so glad that I did! I'll definitely have to do a video of our routine some day!

Pregnancy Sacrifices

31 Weeks Pregnant

After coming back from the Philippines, I had an incredibly hard time trying to get back into running. I just couldn't figure out why my body was not allowing me to run without making me feel winded. My hubby chalked it up to my body still recovering from IM Philippines. I, on the other hand, swore that I had to be pregnant. Why else would I be having such a hard time?

Two weeks later, after many tests, it was confirmed that I was indeed pregnant! I was ecstatic! I could not wait to be a momma and I couldn't wait to love my child. I also had high hopes of becoming one of those pregnant women I've read so often about - a pregnant runner!

At first, it was mentally tough to deal with my pace constantly slowing each week. Other women online were able to maintain a great pace. I was not expecting myself to win any races but I was at least hoping to stay relatively close to my previous standards. But soon after, my body just wouldn't allow me to run. My body was not even getting much bigger but with the intense pain I was feeling and the occasional spotting, I knew I should put up my running shoes. This was incredibly hard for me to do. I love running. Running keeps me feeling calm and just feeling like me. But I was willing to hold off on that to ensure my baby got the chance to grow big and strong.

The next thing to go was cycling. Typically, I would ride my bike through 7 miles of hilly San Francisco to get to work. I loved riding my bike to work everyday! But once I got to about 21 weeks pregnant, I had a conversation with my husband and he was worried about the dangers of riding through the city. He was confident in my riding abilities but we can't always trust that cars would see us (cause I've had many close calls riding to and from work). So that was a tough decision but easy to agree on.

Losing cycling and running was really hard. I cried often from not feeling like myself. I didn't have the same outlets that I used to have. Both of these sports were also how I attained my social needs. I had friends who I always worked out with! (Like how some people have weekly brunch gatherings, I would have weekly cycling or running outings!) Dealing with this loss has been (and still is) a struggle for me. Those were 2 of my passions! I felt so free, independent and strong! Even just seeing people cycle or run across the Golden Gate Bridge has been really tough for me to handle. I miss it so much.

But I know this is only temporary! (I hope anyways!) I hope once my baby comes, I will be able to share with him the joys that I have of being outside and embracing such simple pleasures. I've even got my Thule jogging stroller ready just for him :) Well, and me!


In the meantime, I had to find other outlets for my exercise needs. I found comfort in swimming a couple times a week. Swimming has been a lifesaver, especially as I have gotten bigger, the weightlessness feels great! It also doesn't hurt that it feels incredible to pass others in the pool (when everywhere else in my life I have just gotten so much slower!). But my main sources of exercise have been walking, prenatal pilates, prenatal fit and prenatal yoga. These classes have been great in helping me develop strength while making sure I continually focus on the life growing inside of me. They provide modifications for whatever stage of pregnancy you are in. There has even been a great comfort in spending time with other women who are also expecting. The Pad has been such a fantastic resource for me! Many of their prenatal instructors are also doulas and have so much knowledge to share about the pregnancy experience.

So even though my life has greatly changed over the past 9 months, I am trying to take each step in stride and embracing the joys of being pregnant.

Hiking in Napa at 7 weeks pregnant - and I throught I was getting bigger! haha What was I thinking?! Little did I know how big I could get!

Felt like I broke my foot... Doctor said the baby gave me gout! Who knew this could happen in pregnancy?!

My wonderful family threw the most amazing baby shower for our little cowboy!

Hiking at 38 weeks pregnant. Continuing to get lightning bolt stabbing pains while walking but now with the addition of painful contractions. No one warned me about how painful pregnancy could be!

2016 Update

Its been an incredibly long time since I last posted! Many things have occured since my last post and i'll just list them here:

• I got scuba certified! I wanted to make sure I got the opportunity to explore the amazing sea life in the Philippines.

Scuba Certification through San Francisco Scuba School

• My hubby and I went on our honeymoon in the Philippines! We covered ground in Cebu and Palawan (specifically El Nido).

• The first thing we did in Cebu was stay at the Shangri-La (host hotel for Ironman Philippines 70.3). Incredible place and the most amazing staff! They make every single competitor feel like they are a professional athlete! The customer service we received throughout the Philippines was absolutely superb! 

The day we arrived it rained but it felt great with all of the humidity.

Enjoying some coffee and snacks before heading up to our beautiful room at the Shangri-La Cebu.

• By Sunday, the sun came out and graced all of the IM athletes with some strong humidity! It was so hot!!! Thank goodness I had been mentally and physically training for intense heat and humidity! 
• IM Philippines Cebu is by far my favorite race I have ever competed in! The entire experience was incredible! I teared up from all of the support the community showered each of the athletes as we travelled through town on bike or on foot.
• I was even more teared up when I found out I got 2nd place in my age group!!! My time was even fast enough to take 3rd place overall amateur female! Guess all of that training really did help!

2nd Place in 30-34 age group and qualified for IM World Championships 70.3!

• The rest of our honeymoon was spent in El Nido, Palawan. First, our Tao Excursion followed by a beautiful stay at the Apulit El Nido resort.

• After an incredible 2015 full of checking off items from our bucket list, we found out that we were pregnant! We are extremely excited to be welcoming a little boy into our tiny family in May 2016 :)

"Thank You Run" 10k trail run Thanksgiving Day - 17 weeks pregnant

TIUX Compression Socks Review

I am so excited that I got the opportunity to review these super cute TIUX compression socks! I used these for during a training run, recovery after a hard workout and on a plane.

During my Training Run:

I don't typically wear compression socks during long training runs or races but for shorter races I love them. They help keep my legs and keep my confidence high in my legs stability. These TIUX compression socks did all of that! One of the major benefits of these socks in comparison to other compression socks is the material around the toes, sole and heel. In my other compression socks, due to the tight material, my toes always felt so squished and cramped. The bottom material of these Tiux compression socks is so soft and comfortable! My toes had room to move!!! 

The compression didn't feel crazy tight but they were nice. But again, I don't typically wear compression socks unless its really cold and need to warm up my legs. 

For Recover:

Though I don't usually wear compression socks for my training runs, I LOVE wearing compression socks for recovery! After a really fast and strong track work out, I put these babies on and let them do their magic. 

While wearing these socks, I felt (1) SUPER CUTE! and (2) comfortable compression! Because of the soft, purple material on the bottom of these socks, I was able to walk around with so much ease! I was getting my recovery compression that I wanted without the crampiness of my toes :)

The true testament to these socks was when I woke up the next morning. My legs felt fresh! And really, that's all that I am looking for in a pair of compression socks :)

On the Plane:

This past weekend, I took a red eye to New York for a wedding. Wearing compression socks on a long plane ride is a must! Without compression socks, a 5-hour plane ride leaves me with fat, swollen feet! 

These socks comfortably fit under my skinny jeans and without the slippage in my shoes. I left the Delta plane ride feeling limber, rested and (the most important) without swollen feet! :) The purple material on the bottom of the socks made these really easy and comfortable to wear (I can't say enough about that!).

Overall:

The TIUX Compression Socks are great! 

- Super cute! Cause obviously, if these were ugly, I'd never wear them!

- Sturdy compression - not squished but enough for a good, rested morning the next day

- Best part: The comfort of the toe/sole/heel material!!!

Smith Pivlock Arena Sunglasses Review + Smith Pivlock V2 Nose Piece Black (Asian Fit) Review

Its been a few weeks out since I received my pair of Smith Optics Pivlock Arena Sunglasses.

Before purchasing these sunglasses, I had been on a mission to find sunglasses that fit my face :) The bridge of my nose is smaller than that of others' so finding a properly fitted pair of glasses has been a long process. Not until I tried on a pair of sunglasses with a special nose piece did I realize that I had been wearing sunglasses "wrong". My sunglasses were always held up by my cheeks! My husband always wondered by I wore my sunglasses so low - but obviously his nose never had him deal with the same struggle!

My first fitted pair of sunglasses were the Tifosi Tyrant. I was so excited for these! Not the coolest looking glasses but they were so much more comfortable! I was better able to keep wind and sand out of my eyes!!! This was a new feeling since wearing sunglasses held up by my cheeks let in unwanted dust and debris when I rode my bike. While functional, these sunglasses did not look as cool as I wanted... cause, you know, if you look good, you will feel good - which makes you much stronger when out riding! FOR REAL!

During the Palm Springs Training Camp this past March, I was in awe of my friend's sunglasses. They looked soooo profesh! She mentioned that the Smith Optics Pivlock Arena Sunglasses were awesome because the nose piece was adjustable. I tried them on and I was instantly won over!

Vanessa, a super sweet and awesome friend, ordered me a pair and I was so excited to look amazing on the road! Unfortunately, the nose piece did not perfectly fit my nose bridge :( I was looking forward to the adjustability to accommodate my needs but sadly I was left with another pair of sunglasses that would be ill-fitting...

THEN!!! I found the Smith Pivlock V2 Nose Piece "Asian fit". Although I had the Pivlock Arena Sunglasses, I was hopeful that the nose piece would still work. I ordered it and was delivered the nose piece very quickly! I was worried that the style would not be compatible but fortunately it worked!!! Now, I have a fantastic pair of sunglasses that actually fits my face! I can't tell you how excited I was to finally wear some cool looking sunglasses that stayed up on my nose bridge!

fyi: my pink helmet is not actually this faded - it just looks that way in the pic! 

So, for any type of nose out there, I would highly recommend these Smith Optics Pivlock Arena Sunglasses! (and if you have the same nose bridge as me, definitely check out the Smith Pivlock V2 Nose Piece "Asian fit"!) Not only will they fit your face and look awesome, Smith Optics gives you 3 different replaceable lenses! One clear, one amber tinted and one tinted color of your choice!

*I purchased these sunglasses on my own and am in no way sponsored by Smith Optics - but if you want to be my sponsor, get at me! :)

Who did i think i was, Lance Armstrong?!

Leading up to the weekend, I was nervous for the fact that I wasn't nervous for my upcoming race. I had this master plan in my mind that doing the Boston Marathon then following it up with Wildflower 70.3 twelve days later would be great mental and physical training for Ironman Philippines 70.3 Cebu (coming up in August).

My husband and I arrived at the campsite midday Friday and set up camp. We absolutely love camping, so this weekend was an opportunity for us to enjoy 2 of our loves. The weather was beautiful and not as strenuous as previous years so I had a sense of excitement for a solid race.

The start of the race was pretty calm. I loved getting the chance to geek out when I saw 3-time Wildflower champs, Jesse Thomas and Heather Jackson, setting up their bikes. It was also great to see Yu Hsiao before the race. Just following his journey toward becoming an elite athlete has been so fun to witness (he did fantastic at the race by the way!) I had a great time getting ready with my husband and helping him strategize his day. It was such a good spirited, fun morning. Maybe it was the fact that I had been telling myself this was just a training race or that I had told myself not to expect much knowing that I just put my heart out on the Boston course less than 2 weeks ago. Either way, the swim began and I felt calm - not typical for me as swimming creates anxiety. The water conditions were exponentially better than last year's swim (which was black and muddy). But while this swim was calm, I had to really adjust my stroke since early on, I was having pain in my hip flexors. The pain was manageable so I just focused on keeping a calm pace. I finished with lots of energy and ran my way up the ramp.

BTW, I positioned my run transition stuff as far up as I could since having my transition stuff at the bottom of the ramp last year led to a really long run up the ramp. Breaking things up made a huge difference in how I felt. Again, could also be how calm I felt and made decisions such as sitting down and taking my time to get everything and catch my breath. But those actions lead to a strong 2.2 mile run to the bike transition area.

I was eager to get to my bike. My bike is typically my strength. I love crushing it on the bike, especially at Wildflower. But this day, my body was off.  I continued to feel pain in my hip flexor with every foot stroke. This was exaggerated when I was in the aero position, which was tough since I needed to be stay in that position since there was consistent headwinds throughout the day. I usually love the Wildflower bike course but this time I was in a dark place. I was worried that this type pain was the injury kind that if I do too much to it, it can possibly take me out of commission for a few weeks. I kept asking myself "WTF was I thinking? I just ran a marathon and now I'm doing Wildflower long course? Who did I think I was, Lance Armstrong?!" That, I am not! And this race let me know that!

By mile 30 of the bike, I let out a tear or two. Adjusted my race goal of a podium finish and reminded myself that this was supposed to be a practice race. It hurt watching a few ladies pass me but I just had to suck it up. There's no gain in this for me if I injure myself just to keep up with them. I decided to keep riding and hope for the hip flexor pain to go away during the run portion of the race.

Also, in the midst of this race was the excitement of the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight. So, whenever I needed a boost, I would sing Lupang Hiniran (the Philippine National Anthem) and think of what Pacquiao would do. That really helped me push through :)

Nasty Grade was not as terrible as it has been in past years but I'm sure it's because leading up to this point, I took the previous miles at an easier pace and then I was off on the run.

I was looking forward to this run! Finally, a leg of the race that didn't hurt my hips! I reminded myself that this race was meant to challenge my mind and body. I needed to accept the heat and learn how to move past it. I worked on keeping my heart rate low and continue moving at a good pace. There were some uphills that just aggravated my calves and ankle, so I walked.  Still, I'm happy with my run. It wasn't as fast as I know that I am capable of but I am glad that I pushed through most of it and felt strong especially in the last 4 miles.

Overall, I am happy with what I was able to pull off that day. This was my fastest Wildflower long course time (6:02) but it makes me eager to come back knowing that I can do so much more if I made this a priority race! I ranked 10th  in my age group and 26th overall female. The race was fun and I was incredibly excited to get the chance to cheer on my husband as he finished his first long course Wildflower! I am so proud of him and I was in tears thinking of how much he was able to push through for this race!

So, if there is a lesson to be learned here, it would be, think twice before signing up for a marathon and a challenging half ironman twelve days apart :)

We did it!