guns should be banned

So... I've tried to steer my entries clear of political leanings, but it is inevitable. The things I read and see often get me fired up and I might as well tell it the way I see it.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/15/4054755/chp-poi-poi-upoi-upoi-upoi.html
This is a news article about a truck driving man at the end of his rope and commits suicide by cop.
After reading this story, I couldn't help but feel the need to point out that this is another example of why we should ban guns.

This man was clearly troubled and had a lot of issues, but he was issued a concealed weapons permit. He cleared all background tests that were required, and was given the permit. Because of this "right", another man is dead, and an officer is seriously injured from gunshot wounds and possibly disabled for the rest of his life.

The United States experiences epidemic levels of gun violence, claiming over 30,000 lives annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For every person who dies from a gunshot wound, two others are wounded. Every year, more than 100,000 Americans are victims of gun violence. In addition to those who are killed or injured, there are countless others whose lives are forever changed by the deaths of and injuries to their loved ones.

Every hour in the U.S., 3 people die from gun violence.

Felons somehow get their gun rights back. Crazy people go crazy and shoot people. Normal people who have guns go crazy and shoot people.

We no longer need to hunt for food. Why do we need guns?

Last year, the night before Veteran's Day, I got held up at gun-point with three other people and one of them was seriously injured (21 stitches to the ear). We were held up by two young kids in hooded sweatshirts with guns. They pointed the guns at us and told us to empty our pockets. Actually, I think that's what they said- I don't actually remember hearing words. I just remember seeing the gun in my face. The world stopped. My hands went up. My mouth became dry. Everything was in slow motion. It was not cool.

Would it have helped the situation if we had guns too and we had a big shoot out? Someone said, sure, if they didn't have bullets, but we did, we could have shot and caught them.
But what if they did have bullets? If we pulled our guns out, they would most certainly shoot back. It could have been a blood bath.

Why does anyone have to have guns?


These are my top reasons for why I am against guns.


1. They are too dangerous. A person can get really hurt getting into a fight, but after a fight, you can live to see another day. But a gun can be a little thing you can carry in your pocket and it can put a hole in your brain, your heart, your stomach, and it's just too much power for one person to carry around.


2. As humans, none of us are "stable". We get emotional, because that is what humans do. When you're angry or sad, and you have a gun, you feel like using it. I don't care how rational you think you are, we all have our emotional ups and downs. If you are likely to purchase and own a gun, you are likely to think about using it every excuse you have.


3. Accidents happen all the time- having a gun increases the chances of a gun-related accident. You might think you're responsible and doing everything right- but what about that curious kid that gets into your drawer and accidently drops it or sets it off?



4. Other countries who have banned it get along just fine, and have very low gun violence statistics. Iceland and Denmark are two of the top ten countries with the lowest murder rates and they completely ban all firearms. In Iceland all hand guns are banned, you have to be at least 20 years old to be able to buy and use a riffle or shotgun, and each year you have to enter a lottery that determines if you get a hunting permit that year. In Denmark hand guns are also banned unless you are licensed, and you can only get that license if you compete in tournaments, and the guns have to be kept in a safe at the club where you practice.
In order to get a permit to own a riffle you have to participate in a course that takes 3 months to complete, and you have to be at least 20 years old.



5. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control.



6. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them. I can see how if we lived in a country that wasn't democratic, we would have a need for guns, but we spend how much on our military? I think they got the national security thing covered.



7. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.



8. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves. So it's not a good argument to say that because most people support it, it means that it's right.



9. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.



10. And lastly, because having a gun does not make you more sexy or cool. No, really, it doesn't.

Stinson Beach 25K and some new fitness goals

Ok, so my blogging habit is dwindling. Finals are approaching, and I really don't have time to think about blogging. But I am getting requests to keep up with it, so I will try.

Two weeks ago, I fell running and fractured my ribs. It hurt. It still hurts, but it's calmed down into a dull pain that I can deal with. Only when I laugh really hard or when I lie down, I can feel it hurting, but at least it doesn't hurt everytime I breathe anymore. God, that was awful.



What was crazy about this though is that it happened 5 days before my 25K race at Stinson Beach. Everyone and their mom was trying to talk me out of it. And honestly, if it hurt too much while I was running the race, I had every intention of quitting or walking the rest of the way. But I wasn't going to give up without at least trying. And luckily, I was fine!

I ran like a soldier and finished that thing. It was awesome.

So Paul and I drove into the little town of Stinson Beach and met up with his family- his brother Chuck, nieces Patti and Jenny, and Patti's man, Mike. We all rented a beach house in Stinson and just had a blast that whole weekend. It was great seeing them all. I hadn't seen them since the Bix run in July.

We did some sight seeing in the city, ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Gordon Biersch, and spent most of our time talking, hanging out, and dining at the local restaurant, Sand Dollar. They treated us well.


There's a big, friendly golden retriever that greets you on the porch, and there's a live jazz band playing for dinner each night. Their menu offers a variety of pasta dishes, clam chowder, oysters on the half shell, and steamed mussels. I recommend this place for anyone who wants to experience a smalltown, neighborly dining experience with fresh seafood prepared in many different ways.

The rest of the town is really cute and quiet. A little grocery store that sells locally made gourmet cheeses, freshly churned milk (with cream still floating at the top, sold in glass jars), and other local goods like that. They have a surfer store, a really good breakfast/coffee shop, and a few random gift shops with interesting little knick knacks.

Our beach house was fully equipped with everything you can imagine, from surf boards, cruisers, a game room that included foozball and a pool table, kayaks, to little buddha statues, among other odditites that were curious and strange. We tried to take advantage of everything that beach house had to offer, but mainly, we were there for the race.

The race was spectacular. It started right on the beach, and the timing was very informal (as in, no chip time). This was probably the smallest organized run I've ever participated in, and it was special and thrilling in its own way.
What most people won't understand is that this race is not just an ordinary race. It involves an elevation gain of at least 1,000 feet- all uphill, up, in, and over a mountain.

So you start from the water, and you run up the mountain. Up, up, up. And then down into Muir Woods. And then up some more. Here is a ladder you have to climb somewhere after mile 3.



It took me a little over 3 hours to do it, but it was so satisfying, I definitely want to do it again. The hills were initially frustrating, but afterwards, the feeling of accomplishing running up those hills is really rewarding.

Plus, trail running is really great. You are running through the beautiful redwoods, seeing and smelling and feeling the freshness of the forest, and if you get enough distance away from the people behind you, you are able to enjoy running through the woods in total solitude. It's an amazingly peaceful feeling, and you feel at one with nature.

Here's a view you can catch on the trail:



It's a breathtaking view as you run along this trail. Whether you run it or hike it, I definitely recommend that you check it out.

************************************



On another note, I've decided to lose some weight. I've gotten a little soft in the last few months and I'm starting to feel unhappy about the way I look. I've known this now for weeks, but it became a whole different matter when someone actually pointed it out. I'll be damned if I get called "fat" ever again for as long as I live! So no more frozen yogurt, and no more cookies. Co-workers, if you're reading this, please kindly refrain from shoving an endless train of desserts down my throat every single day we are at work. I know work is tough, but cookies and pie every day is not going to help us get through it any easier. Ok, that wasn't fair. I know it's nobody's fault but my own, but it's so. damn. hard. to say no to a whole table full of desserts every day, it's like the Fat Devil is calling out to me every single day with its evil, sugary temptations.

This part of my entry is in no way an attempt to fish for compliments or to seek reassurance about my figure. I know I'm not fat. I'm just not as tight and toned as I'd like to be. So no reassurance needed. I know exactly what my goal is, and I know that it's still within a healthy realm of what's proportionate to my height. I'm 5'2" so the slightest bit of extra weight looks a whole lot worse than if I was taller.

Weight is such a sensitive issue. I worked my ass off to get to my current size, but it's still raw and sensitive. I was surprised at how hurtful a passing comment was, and how raw and painful it still felt after all these years of overcoming my body insecurities.

So I went out and got an elliptical machine (that doubles as a stationary bike), some weights, and will not use the excuse of "being too busy" to neglect my fitness. Of course I've been running, but I haven't done any strength training since summer. I truly don't have time to go to the gym, so I thought I'll bring the gym to me. So I've invested in some home equipment and plan on getting back into better shape. And I've started counting my calories again, so we'll see if I can hit my goal before this next marathon on Dec. 4th.

                  

Here's a pic of me looking about 10 pounds "softer" than I'd like :(



Time to tighten up.

magic of ashland

Wow, can't believe so many weeks have gone by since I blogged already. This is what I feared. But law school homework and work takes precedence over all, so blogging must wait.

What I do want to share for now is the amazing weekend I just had in Ashland, Oregon. We went up to experience the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for Paul's birthday weekend extravaganza and it was wonderful.



So much culture. So much creativity, and so much talent. Those young actors were truly something. We drove up on Friday and got there just in time to check into our hotel room at Lithia Springs Spa and Resort, grab a quick bite to eat at Pangea Cafe and then see the 8 o'clock showing of The African Company's Richard the Third.



The play wasn't actually Shakespeare's Richard the Third. It was a story based loosely on Richard the Third, but it was really about an African American group, composed of people who were newly freed and trying to bring some culture and Shakespeare into their lives. The antagonist is a white theatre owner who is opposed to the African-Americans trying to do their own version of Richard the Third and tries to shut them down in time for his own theatre's show. I won't give away the ending, but the characters were strong, funny, and very powerful. I thoroughly enjoyed this play.

After taking a nice little walk around the little town of Ashland to take in the cool night air, we headed back to our hotel room with a bottle of Oregon cab, and watched on my laptop a 50's version of Richard the Third, drinking wine, enjoying slices of sharp cheddar cheese, and laughing and smiling ourselves pink in the face. It was such a nice break from law school and the hectic craziness of our lives.

The next morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast of omelettes, berry crepes, baked apple cobbler, scones, coffee, and juice and took a walk around the facilities. Our hotel had a very nice garden set against lolling hills covered in autumn colors of orange, red, and bright yellow. It was so magical. We spent the morning reading the paper, finishing up some grading and law school homework before it was lunchtime.

We strolled back into town to have some sushi for lunch at Tarako's (our hotel gave us a 10% discount card and they did not disappoint us with their food) and we caught a 1:30 showing of Measure for Measure. Down below is the website's description of this play:



Who legislates morality?
The Duke's authoritarian deputy, Angelo, is hell-bent on stamping out moral decay. He reactivates outdated Draconian laws and aims his arrogant crosshairs at a young man whose fiancée is pregnant, sentencing him to death. Angelo is sternly incorruptible—until he meets Isabela, a beautiful religious novice whose desirability arouses him. Flavored with live music by the mariachi band Las Colibri, Rauch's vigorous, modern production of Shakespeare’s tragicomedy reveals what can happen when sex, religion and politics collide.

*****
The mariachi band was amazing. It added so much to the play. The actors in this play were excellent. They fully convinced us of their passion and pain throughout the play that made my spine and skin tingle, and we enjoyed many laughs and tears as we watched their story unfold.

After the play, we headed back to our hotel for afternoon tea and biscuits. We freshened up and changed into our finer clothes to get ready for a fancier dinner and the 8 pm showing of Paul's favorite, Julius Caesar. We took a walk through Lithia Park on our way to dinner and took some photos of the beautiful leaves strewn all around us.


For dinner, we had stuffed king salmon with buttermilk polenta and grilled asparagus at Chateaulin's. It was a very nice, romantic dinner by candlelight.



Anatomy of an assassination
The road to Hell is paved with honorable intentions. Adoring commoners would crown Caesar, but Caesar’s fellow politicians debate the popular leader’s ambition. Fearful for the Republic, tormented by uncertainty and driven by questionable motives, they plot an assassination. What justifies murder, and what is the shocking aftermath? The volatile, complex nature of government and the fallibility of those in power boil down in the intimate New Theatre to one pressure cooker of a tragedy.

********
There was blood. There were cheers. There was a revolution. Paul said some of the scenes reminded him of Gaddafi. I agreed. It was perfect timing as our world is currently witnessing a wave of revolution throughout the middle east, and as we watched this play, we thought about how there is nothing new under the sun.

Afterwards, we went back to our hotel room for more wine and laughter. It was like a dream.

Sunday was our final day in Ashland and we woke up to another wonderful breakfast, coffee, and a walk in the garden. We headed earlier into town to have a wonderful lunch of angel hair pasta in white wine and garlic sauce, fresh bruscetta and a spinach salad with goat cheese and nuts at Martino's on a balcony overlooking the town. We then did some shopping at Shakespeare Books and Antiques before heading over to the theatre for our final play. This one was my favorite. It was a very dark, twisted, funny play about a very dysfunctional family forced to come together because the father committed suicide. It will make you laugh but it will make you weep. The mother in this play is crazy, mean, and addicted to pills. The story ends with her alone in the house, after all the kids stormed out in anger, and she murmurs to herself, "And then you're gone... and then you're gone... and then you're gone...." It was extremely powerful.



Run for the storm cellar
There’s a funnel cloud over Oklahoma, coming your way. It’s American theatre’s newest twisted family, the Westons. In the eye of the storm are three damaged sisters, their pill-popping mother and a houseful of troubled relatives. Tagged by The New York Times as “probably the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years,” Tracy Letts’ comic tragedy exposes the emotional destruction that rips through generations if nothing stops its path. This Pulitzer Prize winner is a domestic disaster that’s entertaining as all get-out.

*******
I related to so many aspects of this play, and my analysis would need to be its own blog entry.
But for now, I will just leave you with my insistence that you should make the time to go and see this play.

As we drove back, I held Paul's hand and thanked him for the lovely weekend. It was such a magical weekend, full of Shakespearean wonders and inquisitive thoughts and contemplations of life and the meaning of it all. We usually like to take walks on the wild side, so it was nice to have ourselves a change of pace and enjoy a mellow, relaxing, romantic weekend in Ashland, Oregon for some culture and fun.

Honey Story: A Tribute to Robert J. Duax

This is how it all starts. A honeybee extracts nectar from a flower. Brings it back to the hive. 20,000 of them work day in day out, and produce honey and honeycomb in the hive all year round. They will fight and they will die to protect their honey and their hive. It's a beautiful, wonderful process.

But this entry is not about the birds and the bees. It's about a great man from Davenport, Iowa who harvested his own honey, and taught his sons how to do it, too. And of his 11 sons and daughters, the youngest has carried on the tradition, all the way out here in Midtown, Sacramento of California.

He does not wear a veil. He does not wear gloves. Just like his father. He goes out to the hive in the backyard and softly talks to the bees, as he gently smokes them with burning burlap. He brushes them carefully from each frame. He tells the bees that he is not there to hurt them. Sometimes he'll hum them a sweet tune. The bees relax.



After carefully removing each frame from the hive and gingerly bringing them into the house, the extraction process begins.

Here is the equipment you will need:

A couple of buckets with faucets, an extractor, an electric heated knife, newspapers to cover the kitchen floor, and lots and lots of jars. You will also need a strainer, cheese cloth, and a spoon.

First you must cut the caps off the combs in the frames. The bees do a great job of "capping" their honeycomb and sealing them tightly shut so the honey doesn't leak out.

Next, you place the frames (two at a time) in the extractor, and spin as hard and as fast as you can. All the honey will fly out of the combs and settle at the bottom of the extractor. Then, you will turn the faucet on, and let the honey pour into a big bucket.

 

You will make sure to strain it through a fine cheesecloth so you make sure to filter out all the bee wings and other wax particles from the honeycombs.

 

 
After filtering once or twice, there may be foam gathered at the top of your bucket on the honey. Paul lovingly scoops out the foam by hand and makes sure that the honey is good and pure.

He then begins to pour the honey into big jars so that they can be heated (to about 120-145 degrees) in boiling water.



After heating them, you can pour them into smaller jars, again through a strainer or cheesecloth to filter them once more.


These jars that he is using are from his father. His father mailed them to him over 10 years ago, before he passed away after learning that Paul has taken up beekeeping. He sent his blessings in a carefully wrapped box with jars, burlap, and a Beekeepers magazine.

This batch is dedicated to his father and his mother who just passed in August. She would have loved a jar of this year's honey. We were able to harvest 57 pounds of honey this year. It was hard work and Paul spent many nights staying up into the wee hours of the morning to heat the honey, jar the honey, filter the honey, and label the jars. It is truly a labor of his love.



I am honored and touched to have witnessed this process and lend a hand to the harvesting of this honey. We are happy to share our honey with family and loved ones, and hope that if you received a jar of honey from us, please know that it comes with hours of labor and love, and that we sincerely hope you enjoy it.

law school blues

So, just finished my 9th week of law school, and we really only have about a month and a half left of this semester. It's moving along quickly. Do I feel like I've learned anything? A lawyer's answer: It depends.

So far, I've learned about what makes a contract a contract, what offer and acceptance is, how to write part of an office memorandum, and a whole boatload of elements of negligence. I better learn a lot more for how much I'm paying for all this.

So far, Torts is my favorite class. I don't care much for the Legal Writing class, and I'm completely lost in Contracts. I've ordered a supplement book, so we'll see if that helps. By this time in undergrad, I felt like I had everything under control. In law school, it's different, because there really is nothing to help you gauge how you're doing, there's only one test at the end of each semester.

I'm also frustrated at myself because I'm too scared to raise my hand, and I don't get called on. I'm also terrified of getting called on, and kick myself when others give answers I knew or if I had the wrong answer in my mind. Like, darn, I knew that one! Or, whew, glad I didn't say out loud my wrong answer. I just can't win.

And if my Contracts professor would post the friggin questions on time like he said he would instead of lagging for days, maybe I wouldn't be stressed out all week until he finally posts them. GOSH!!

But I think I'll feel a lot better after doing more practice exams. I feel relieved I have a study group going, and I enjoy reading cases. They're interesting. And it's amazing what people sue for, it's crazy. I will continue to keep in mind what a professor said at orientation: "Remember your future clients." I am doing this for the people I'm going to help in the future.



And in the grand scheme of things, it's really the Bar that matters, not these dinky first semester classes. I'll be ok. I'm just going to keep telling myself that.

What more do I have to say about law school?
The campus is beautiful. It's only 3 miles away from home. I'm learning "The Law." And I have one great professor so far.

Ok, enough with the bull. I would rather talk about the things I miss.

I miss reading for leisure. Before I got accepted to McGeorge, I had JUST bought another book by my favorite author, Columbian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude. Never got to start it. So it's sitting on the bookshelf collecting dust. And it will remain there for 3 years. Since I've started, I've bought a few more books with wishful thoughts, but I know it's stupid, because I won't be able to read any of them. It's so sad!

Here are the books I've bought in the last few weeks that I won't get to read for a long time:
  
 

There was also a book by Franklin D. Roosevelt and a book on the history of medicine that is sitting on my bedside table, I won't get to those either.

I miss riding my bike in the middle of the day on a weekend. Just hitting up the bike trail to enjoy the sun on my skin and smile into the breeze. How I miss the freedom.



I miss calling up my brother and just heading down to the Bay to visit him for the weekend. Well, we're fighting right now and haven't talked in 2 weeks, but we'll get over it and I won't get to hang out with him as much as I'd like. And he needs me.





I miss the feeling of coming home after a long day of work and just being able to change into my pjs and sink into my cushions and read whatever I want. My TIME magazines and Vanity Fairs are just sitting there in a pile, untouched. It will remain this way until the subscriptions run out, at which point I will not have a chance to renew them.

I miss going to the gym at night. Run in the morning, gym at night. Watch a little CNN, because that's where I get my tv fix-at the gym, but no more.

Wah wah wah. I'll stop whining. I'll keep thinking about my future clients and shut up.
At least I have two races coming up and a 12-day trip to Honduras at the end of the year. Something to look forward to!

secret to happiness: running

So, by request, I will do an entry on my weight loss. In 2006, after recovering from an illness (mono, among other things) for 4 years that kept me at barely 100 lbs, I looked in the mirror one day and didn't recognize myself. Nor did any of my clothes fit. I jumped up and down and looked myself at all angles, and thought- WHO THE HELL IS THAT? Sorry I don't have any pictures. I didn't take any of myself for obvious reasons. I wish I had a picture though. So I can have one of those Before/After shots. But just picture a short, fat girl with a goofy personality. Or something like this:





I stepped on a scale. I had to call my mother over to make sure that the scale wasn't broken. It wasn't. She stood on it and she still weighed a perfect 100 lbs. I stepped back on and the number went right back to what it was. 170. I was in serious trouble.


The hardest thing about dieting when you hit that weight at my height (5'2") is that it's really, really discouraging. Because no matter how much you starve yourself and sweat for hours, you're still fat. And you have to live with it day after day after day. Because losing weight the right way takes time.

First thing I had to do was cut out juice and soda. I lost the first ten pounds in one week from cutting out all sugary drinks. Next were sweets. No more cookies, chocolate, ice cream, cake, candy. I had the worst sweet tooth. I lost another ten pounds in the next couple of weeks from cutting out sweets.

The work started kicking in at 150 lbs. I had to journal what I was eating to see what my problem was. In my case, it was carbs. Rice, bread, pasta, pizza. And at what time I was eating all of these things, at all hours of the day. So I had to "systemize" everything. Meaning, I had to figure out what to eat, at precisely what time.



Your body has a clock, and it digests your food faster and slower at certain times throughout the day. It truly is a science and you have to figure out when your body burns most to know when you should consume which nutrients. So, for example, you want to consume carbs earlier in the day, rather than later, because you're more likely to burn more energy at the beginning and middle of the day, than you are closer to bedtime. So, with that logic, you don't want to be eating a big ole' hunk of bread right before going to bed, because your body won't be able to burn it off as energy- so it will become stored. In your thigh.

Also, you have to figure out your metabolism rate and find out what accelerates the rate at which your metabolism burns. If you starve, your metabolism will slow down because it thinks you are starving, so your body will do what it must to hold on to whatever fat you have in your body to sustain yourself. Not a good idea, since you're not really stranded on a deserted island, and you will eat. At which point, you will overeat, if you've been starving.

Little meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism rate up. This is not to say you pig out all day long. You take portions the size of your palm and make sure to select foods from different food groups to keep your meals balanced and healthy.

Eating well truly is key, and this point is made in my cooking entry (and will be reiterated in more of my cooking entries), but although eating is 90%, you can speed up the weight loss process by 10 times if you incorporate in the right amount of exercise. This includes a good mix of cardio and strength training. Cardio to burn the fat, and strength training to sculpt your body.



But this entry isn't really about tips on weight loss. It's about running, and how it truly is the secret to happiness in life.

Ok, so I started running to lose weight. And yes, the weight came off. But really, running has become something more to me. It truly is the key to my own happiness and I am so very happy to have discovered it. I am an early morning runner. It's harder for me to run after work because I am so drained and tired after a long day. So I like to jump start the day by getting the running out of the way, and I feel fresh and invigorated for the rest of the day.

Running in the morning is also great because the air is cooler, and I really like to feel the coolness on my skin, because believe me, I am not a pretty sight when I sweat. I think I have abnormal sweat glands or something because I sweat like a stuck pig. It's crazy. So the cool air helps. It's also great because the world is just waking up. I used to get up at 5:30 am to beat the sunrise, and see the stars fade away as the sky gradually lightens to welcome the dawn of a new day. I'd run out for as far as I could (3.5 miles) and then run right back. I don't like running in circles. I like to run to a certain point, so that I'd have no choice but to run back. It's a good way to keep the miles going. Now I don't wake up that early, mainly because sleep has become a precious commodity since starting law school, but also because we were held up at gunpoint last year and I will no longer run by myself in the dark.

I started off with short walks, because I was not a runner. I was the kind of person that would run for about 30 seconds and be out of breath and would need to stop. So I "walked fast" for about 2-3 miles until I gradually worked up to light jogs. I felt like King Kong when I ran the whole way all 3 miles. I was at about 135 lbs or so, and was getting really excited because I had lost 35 lbs already. It was such an accomplishment, but I still had a goal weight to hit, and I knew I had to do more to get to my goal.

So I kept plugging along, running every chance I got, sometimes even running twice a day to burn the extra calories. It really became a game to me. And I was winning.

I'll never forget the day I ran 7 miles. It felt so good. It was about 7 months into my running. That was a pivotal turning point in my entire running career, because I began to really realize my potential. That was the summer I eventually hit 113 lbs with 2 pack abs. That was mainly to prove to myself I could do it, and then I gained back about 10 lbs, and I'm at my "happy weight" now, meaning I'm not cut like I used to be but I'm ok with my body. There's no such thing as a perfect body in real life.

But anyway, this running business was really symbolic about the turning point in my life. It wasn't just a turning point in my running career, it was the point in my life when everything changed. It was when I finally believed I can do anything and that I was in full control of my own life. It was a rebirth, and I celebrated this by running.
 

My first organized run was the Disneyland Half Marathon. It takes place every year on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The feeling I got from running with the crowds cheering you on is a high I can never fully describe. It's just one of those things you have to experience, at least once in your life. And it's addicting. As I run, I think about all the hardships I've overcome and how I can run it off now. As I run through a crowd, they don't know the pain and suffering I went through, but they're cheering me on. The clapping and the cheering are music to my ears, and the emotions that come over me makes me cry tears of happiness inside. As I approach that finish line, I am flying. I feel weightless. The fatigue dissipates as all of the life and energy within me explodes and I speed like a bullet to the finish. As I cross that line, I feel like a winner. I am a winner. The triumph and feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming and it swells deep in my chest. I can't stop smiling. You must experience this at least once in your life.

Here's a picture of me running at the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2007 and high-fiving Goofy and Minnie Mouse as I was coming in to the finish line:

       


So I've moved on to doing 3 full marathons, a half, two 10 milers, a 7 miler, 2 full century rides, and I'm currently registered for my 4th full marathon. I also climb mountains, but that's yet again, a whole another entry... I'm also considering doing a half marathon in the next month or so, the Stinson Beach Half. It has become a lifestyle. And a key to happiness for me. No matter what is going on in my life, I have that to fall back on. It keeps me healthy, full of energy, and happy.

Also, running has helped me to travel and see the country a little bit. You learn about all these cool races in different states, and it's really cool to go and run in a whole new place. Here's a picture of me running in New Orleans for the Rock'n Roll Marathon in Louisiana and in a redwood forest at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Humboldt County:

   

It's really not about weight loss anymore, it's just about staying healthy and being happy. And using it as an excuse to travel and get out of the area to sight-see other great locations to run...

When I'm not traveling to run, I am perfectly content to run around town. There are a few routes I like to run, and I like to change it up.

Sometimes I'll run to West Sac because I can run across the I St bridge, and then run to the Tower Bridge, and then all the way down to hwy 50, and back to midtown. I call this the "Bridge to Bridge to Bridge" run. It's fun because I work on the 17th floor in the Emerald Tower downtown, so when I look down from the window, I can see a bird's eye view of the distance I cover. It's pretty amazing. Not to toot my own horn, but just what a human being is capable of doing is amazing. Another variation is running to McKinley Park. I enjoy that run because there is a soft, dirt trail to run on that is easy on the knees and ankles, and there are lots of ducks there. I love ducks. Also, if I really want a change of scenery, I can run to Curtis Park and back, which from midtown is a good 7 miles round trip. I just recently discovered a new route that takes me to McGeorge and back and that's a 6 mile loop. A decent distance.

Anyway, so when you run around town, there's plenty to see, so no need to travel far and wide. Here are some scenes around town:

So I had some fun this past weekend, taking these shots for this blog. :) It was fun running around looking for murals to use as a background. Normally, I enjoy views of the river and the bridge, and stop to pet random kitties.

You can be a bad ass and do some of these side exercises like Paul to up the ante a bit:

He set the all-time record at his college as hurdler for track and field, so I wouldn't try what he does. You could hurt yourself.

So anyway, that's what I have to say about running. If you aren't already a runner, I highly suggest you give it a try. Because I swear, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it.

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A few months back, a girlfriend asked me for tips on how to keep from injuring our knees as runners, and here was my answer to her question:

Things We Can Do to Prevent Knee Injury

-Making sure we're not running too often on pavement. Try to switch it up by finding a park with dirt roads because it's less impact on your knees and ankles.

-Switching out your old shoes for new ones every few months, depending on how many miles you're putting in, is very important, because as much as I love my Asics Gels, they don't last forever, and the first marathon I ran, I forgot to get new shoes a few weeks before the actual race day, and my knee ached pretty bad for months after the marathon. I know good running shoes aren't cheap, but they're way cheaper than knee surgery.

-The recommended number of miles to determine when to switch out your shoes is after about 300-400 miles, depending on your weight and size, and level of impact based on where you're running. So.. for me, I run about 3-7 miles a day, 4-5 times a week, so that averages out to 5 miles times 4= 20 miles a week. So in a month, I'm averaging about 80 miles. So I'm supposed to get new shoes every 5-6 months, but I'm terrible about getting new shoes. I go for about a year, and I really shouldn't go that long.

-If and when your knees do hurt, there are glucosamine pills (pretty cheap at Costco) that are designed to help ease the pain of diminished cartilage that keeps your knee joints cushioned.

-Wrapping your knees tight and icing them really help too.

But so far, for the times I've had knee or ankle pain, getting new shoes with excellent shock absorption like a good pair of Asics Gels have made a difference.

-On that note, I don't really like my Nike Frees. They are stylish, but don't offer the cushion and support that Asics provide. After these wear out, I'm going back to Asics.