Okay. That’s how I’d describe my performance at the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Half Marathon.

Yeah, just okay.

I should be happy that I met my goal for the race, to negative split. I didn’t set out to run a PR, but definitely wanted to run <1:55. It was a tough course, not sure how much better I could have done based on my recent training.

Results:
1:54:20 [8:43 pace]

In the weeks leading up to the race, I looked at the course elevation detail several times trying to figure out how tough it would be. I saw a lot of climbs and drops. The highest overall elevation was 75 feet. It couldn’t be that bad, right?

I was wrong. The hills kicked my ass yesterday. I felt like we were climbing the whole time and never got a break. Even when we got to a short plateau or a downhill, I was too spent to push it against the headwind. Mentally, I also knew that I’d have to face each hill again since the course would be an out-and-back. One would think that views of waves crashing on the beach and surfers might make up for a tough course, but it wasn’t enjoyable yesterday. Plus, the fishy odor cancelled out the nice views. The course passed by a lagoon called Agua Hedionda (translation: stinky water).

Unlike the Holiday Half, running 13.1 miles at sub-9 pace didn’t feel easy and fun. There was no happy running yesterday. While I enjoyed the hills in Pomona/San Dimas, here I was cursing and dreading them. The climbs were much longer and steeper, especially the one around mile 6. I wanted to stop and walk on the uphills rather than power through them. I didn’t fly on the downhills or speed up during the plateaus because for some odd reason I didn’t feel like we were going downhill. I never felt like we got a break.

In the final 3-4 miles I thought I might manage a PR. After studying the elevation chart I thought the final 2 miles were all downhill, but I was wrong. I didn’t have anything left in me to kick in the end, especially not on a few short climbs.

I finished in 1:54:20, an 8:43 pace. My time/pace wasn’t that much slower than what I ran a month ago (1:53:10). However, I felt like I worked much harder yesterday. I managed to eke out a tiny negative split only because the course was an out-and-back and after the halfway point we had the wind at our back.

Overall, I’m okay with Carlsbad. I was always hurting out there and pushed through it and still managed to keep a sub-9 pace on a tough course. I know why I struggled. I haven’t been running much, and when I do run I avoid hills. I think the cross-training (elliptical) and strength training twice a week helped me out yesterday.

While the race was only so-so, I’m happy I got to share the experience with some great friends. David and Adriana ran the marathon. He finished his first and she ran a PR on her third attempt. The rest of the crew ran the half. Sean and Elena both managed PRs. Sean had been having some foot issues but felt much better out there today and Elena greatly exceeded her expectation to finish ~3 hrs. Lori ran one of her better times out there. Mario and Nathan both had hurt themselves recently, but still managed to have a good run. Only regret, we missed Gustavo cheering for us.

More notes/thoughts on the race:

• Pre-race logistics were all simple. We had not trouble getting to the race, parking and getting pre-race business done. We chilled in the car for a little bit and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. I didn’t have time for a proper warm-up. Oops.
• Lori joined me in Wave 3 even though she was in 2. We started together, but split after trying to weave at the crowded start. This always annoys me and stresses me out. I need to learn to chill rather than waste energy weaving around other runners.
• Although Carlsbad is slightly smaller than most of the other half/full marathons I’ve run, it definitely had the best crowd support. The nice weather definitely helped. I’m glad there were people out cheering as this was one of those times that I needed it.
• Favorite sign: Run like a zombie is chasing you! Zombies don’t like fast food.
• Second favorite sign: Motivational Sign
• I tried out arm sleeves I picked up at the expo, they were fine for the start but I got warm later on.
• I wore my traffic cone orange LA Marathon tech t-shirt and got a few comments/questions. I don’t understand runners who asked if I ran it. Why would I wear a shirt for a race I didn’t run?
• I recognized Julie from A Case of the Runs around mile 6. I was running near her, but wasn’t sure it was her until we got to the water stop at the top of the hill. I hope she wasn’t startled when I called out, “Go Julie!”
• I had a second blogger sighting near the finish line when I saw Angry Runner walking in the opposite direction. No surprise that she was done and taking a cool down walk while I was still running. She’s fast.
• Getting out of the mall parking lot was a nightmare. We left around 10:45 after finding everyone in our group. We spent 1 hour in the mall parking lot simply trying to exit. It took us another hour to get home. Ugh. I heard there were other logistical issues with bag check, but no one in the group checked anything so we didn’t deal with that.

Earlier in the month I said that my only goal for the Carlsbad Half Marathon was to negative split. It’s the first time in my rather short race history that I don’t want to PR. Even for the Long Beach Marathon when I was entering a bit injured, I wanted to best my previous time.

This time around, [I think] I’m okay with just negative splitting. A PR seems a little out of reach considering my recent mileage is rather low and I’m still not one hundred percent okay with the IT band issues. In addition, since I’ve decided to run LA, this should be more of a training run.

Anyway… I’m more or less scared I can’t get back to the speedy-for-me pace that felt so easy at the Holiday Half. 

We’ll see.

While I’m being a weenie about the race, I’ve been excited for this weekend. I signed up in November with some long time friends I met through blogging years ago. Back then we called our little blogging community Blogotitlán (or Blogtitlán). Although we weren’t all Latino and lived all over the country, we found that we had a lot in common and could relate to one another’s posts about everything from identity to our education. Through travel for school, I had the opportunity to meet people in NY, Chicago, Austin, and all over California. It’s been pretty cool. 

I don’t know who came up with running Carlsbad. I think it was David’s (Oso) idea. He tagged some others in our little community who were in to running. Soon enough four of us were registered for the full or half. Sean decided to run as did my sister. Elena’s friend also registered. We all made plans to come in from Chicago, Columbus, Mexico City, LA and Bakersfield and rented a house for the weekend. A few others in the area said they didn’t want to run, but would come out to cheer. César was down to run and train for a race, but couldn’t make it out to California.

Seven years ago when I first met and got to know Elena, David, Alfonso, Adriana and Gustavo via the interwebs, I thought one day we’d all hang out (with some others in the informal crew too!). We even tried to plan a reunion but it fell through because I’m flaky like that. I didn’t think the reunion would finally happen on a race weekend. 

Elena wrote a much better post on the reunion.

January 19, 1926:
José Alfredo Jiménez, one of México’s most well-known singer-songwriters, was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato

Yeah, yeah, I know Jiménez is not technically a Chicano. He’s as Mexican as you get being born in Dolores Hidalgo, known to all Mexicans as La Cuna de la Independencia Nacional. For the Spanish language challenged, the Cradle of National Independence.

While Jiménez wasn’t around in the 1800s and didn’t contribute to the fight for Mexican independence, one can argue that the dozens of songs he’s penned have influenced Mexican identity on both sides of the border.

As a kid, I listened to a lot of Jiménez. I remember watching my dad sing “Camino de Guanajuato” at the top of his lungs with various other family members. I’d sing along too, even though it was probably inappropriate for a kid to sing a line about life being worthless. In my 20s, “Camino” began to mean more as I explored my roots in Salamanca, Guanajuato and actually traveled and visited the roads and landmarks mentioned in the well-known song. One of my most vivid memories of being on my uncles’ ranch just outside Salamanca was singing “Camino” with about 40 other family members, with such pride and joy. It was pretty amazing.

For Chican@s, knowing or singing some of Jiménez’s most popular songs may show you’re not too much of a poch@. It might be a fun way to bond with the older generations or make you look like a badass at mariachi-oke (yes, that’s mariachi + karaoke) night when you don’t need the words to get through “Ella” or “Que Te Vaya Bonito”. Or it just might make a good buzz even better.

Six ways to celebrate José Alfredo Jiménez’s birthday:

1. Drink some tequila, but not too much as you don’t want to end up with JAJ-like liver issues
2. Sing your favorite Jiménez-penned song, if you need an idea for something else besides “El Rey”, check here.
3. Request the roaming musicians play a romantic song like “Serenata Sin Luna” or “Si Nos Dejan” while out on a date
4. Make a playlist of JAJ songs interpreted by old school artist and re-imagined by newer artists. Example: “Te Solte La Rienda” by Maná
5. Watch one of the movies he acted in. [IMDB]
6. Try your hand at writing a torch song.

It’s a school night, so no tequila shots for me. Plus, I’m all out lime. Instead, I’ll make a playlist of the four versions of “Camino de Guanajuato” and put them on a loop while going through my photo sets from trips to the motherland. As always, I’ll ignore Jiménez’s warning to avoid Salamanca, mi pueblo adorado.

¡No te rajes Guanajuato!

[Thanks to Think Mexican for the heads up about Jiménez's birthday.]

January 19, 1955:
Paul Rodriguez was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México

From Wikipedia:

Rodriguez was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México to Mexican agriculture ranchers. His family migrated to East Los Angeles, where he enlisted in the military; he was stationed in Iceland and Duluth, Minnesota. Rodriguez endorsed Meg Whitman in the 2010 California gubernatorial election.

Really? Meg Whitman? I didn’t know he was a Republican. It’s always a little surprising when I hear of a famous Latino who is not aligned with the Democratic party. Maybe there’s something about Mexicans who grew up in Compton (hey, HP!).

Like a lot of people my age, I first remember Rodriguez as the recent probably-not-legal immigrant, Javier, who shows up at Rudy’s house in Born in East LA. Javier gets freaked out by the television and telephone while Rudy (Cheech Marin) is getting accidentally deported. Over the years, Rodriguez has been in several other films, television shows, done voice over work and recorded comedy albums and television shows. If you Google him, you might get some results for his son, Paul, a pro skateboarder. P-Rod made one of my favorite commercials a few years ago. Check it out.

Reading up on Paul Rodriguez brought a question to mind. If there was a Latino version of the Kevin Bacon game, who would take the place of Bacon?

I’d choose any of the following:
Paul Rodriguez
Edward James Olmos
Lupe Ontiveros
Cheech Marin
Hector Elizondo

All actors are veterans and have been in many mainstream and Latino-focused movies and television shows. In the past, I was pretty sure it was Eddie Olmos. I wrote up mini analyses of Born in East LA and La Bamba, but got lazy and abandoned the project. One of the things I looked for in the Latino LA-based films was an Olmos connection.

Photo via Instant Riverside.

All this talk about the blackouts today in opposition to SOPA/PIPA is making me hungry. It probably wouldn’t be appropriate to make sopa de fideo. Too bad. It’s one of my favorite foods. But I’ll give up my favorite angel haired pasta in a tomato/chicken broth to support the protest against internet censorship.

More on the SOPA/PIPA blackouts at Mashable or Google. But not Wikipedia.

Most of my runs are pretty boring. I go out for a few miles. I listen to podcasts. I watch out for distracted drivers, dog walkers, cyclists, walkers, or cracks in the sidewalk.

Today’s long run wasn’t boring. First, I saw a rat blocking my path 2.5 miles in. I stopped 15 yards away. I hate rodents. I usually scream, but this time I just stopped and paused my watch. I looked at the rat again hoping it was just a squirrel. It wasn’t. For a minute, I watched to see if it’d go back into the bushes. It didn’t move. Then, I considered crossing the street, but jaywalking in the dark on Pico Blvd isn’t a good idea. The crosswalk was a few yards past the rat. I briefly considered making a ruckus to scare it, but nixed that idea. I ran up the hill past the rat fast as if doing hill repeats and looked away from the rat.

The middle miles around the park were uneventful except for when I almost tripped on a root and later when a nice man gave me a thumbs up and said “good job!” as I ran by.

Unfortunately, everyone in my neighborhood wasn’t so nice and encouraging. As I was approaching the last mile of my out-and-back, I got egged.

I was running on a familiar street in my neighborhood when I saw a car approach. I moved closer to the curb as I always do when I’m on a street with cars. The car slowed down for a speed bump. As they neared, a passenger threw an egg at me. I didn’t see it, and if they said anything, I didn’t hear it. The egg smacked me hard on my left thigh and broke. It stung and I instinctively reached down to inspect what had just happened. I felt the sticky yolk and realized I’d just been egged. I thought I heard laughing and called out “assholes!” as they drove away.

I wanted some sort of revenge or justice, but there was nothing I could do. I didn’t see the eggers. I can’t even tell you what kind of car they drove aside from a red coupe or sedan.

Instead, I continued home and sped up a little. I wondered if the eggers were out egging people or homes. It was dark, but seemed early for such mischief. I thought about the waste of a perfectly good egg, or more. A moment later, I saw the lights of another car approaching and worried that the eggers turned around and were coming back for round two. I moved on to the sidewalk. Fortunately, it wasn’t them and I made it home without further incident

As I wrote above, most of my runs are uneventful. I’m grateful that my usual routes are in a pretty safe area. I know other urban runners deal with icy sidewalks, harassment, aggressive dogs, careless drivers and worse. In perspective, a rat and an egg that left a welt (maybe a bruise) isn’t going to keep me from running in my neighborhood.

I have races to train for.

Dear GP,

Happy birthday!

When I look back at these photos, I’m reminded of a great year in which our bond as sisters grew stronger. It also reminds me of what I already know: you’re a beautiful bad-ass. They’re not so good at showing that you’re smart, kind, hardworking, generous, talented, funny and an excellent cupcake/cookie/brownie baker. Nor do they capture how lucky I feel to have you in my life.

Here’s to another year of getting all dolled up, being goofy when appropriate (or not), exploring new places and admiring nature, running a race or two, and keeping stress in check for that little event in September.

Love you more than Lilo loves Stitch,
C

Yesterday my brother posted this on Facebook:

Three. Funny that he picked that number. Today marks three years that I made a big change and stuck with it.

On January 13, 2009, I walked in to Weight Watchers in Culver City and signed up. When I stepped on the scale for the initial weigh-in, I was surprised by the number. I knew my driver’s license weight was wrong — whose isn’t? — but didn’t realize I was so off. Since I hadn’t weighed myself in a long time, I didn’t know that I was almost 30 pounds over my driver’s license weight.

I sat through the basic meeting and afterward stayed for the newbie orientation. I went home, flipped through the week 1 booklet and looked up the points values of some of the foods I commonly ate.

I followed the program, even though I didn’t always stay within my daily points allotted. As I wrote last year, I diligently tracked and counted points for everything I ate or drank. I measured my food and tried to meet the good health guidelines set by WW (e.g., five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, whole grains, drink plenty of water). About six weeks into the program, I signed up for the gym and started exercising regularly. I got some help and tips from my siblings.

Good old diet and exercise worked. The pounds came off and a year later, I reached my goal weight. I lost 60 pounds, or 31% of my starting weight.

Recently some friends who know I was successful on Weight Watchers have asked me what I liked and disliked about the program. Would you recommend it? My response:

Overall: Yes, I’d recommend Weight Watchers.

What I Disliked:

• Cost. It’s not cheap. I think it’s about $40 for a monthly pass, which includes the weekly meetings and e-Tools (for tracking, recipes, recipe builder). I think the cost of WW balanced out when I started cooking more and eating out less.
• Tracking everything can become tedious. Initially I was okay with it, but after 6 months I slacked off and my weight loss slowed down.
• I became obsessed with food and sometimes became a bit anxious if I could not control the eating situation.

What I Liked:

• Emphasis on eating healthy rather than just low calorie or low fat. I know lots of people picked up “bad habits” of eating low-point, highly process foods like
• There’s no list of restricted foods (e.g., bread, pasta)
• Easy for someone not too familiar with healthy, balanced eating
• The Points Plus system is pretty easy to follow
• Most fruits and veggies do not count towards your daily points total. Starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes and peas will cost you, as will the high-in-good-fat avocado.
• You get credit for working out. They don’t emphasize anything hardcore, especially if you’re coming from a sedentary lifestyle.
• I liked the meetings, but they got less helpful as time went on. The topics can become repetitive. They’re good for the support and the ideas you get from others. If you meet a milestone, they’ll acknowledge your success, but only if you’re okay with being mentioned in front of the meeting.
• The leaders are not too pushy with their products.
• All the leaders and receptionists have lost weight and maintained the weight loss using Weight Watchers.
• It works, but it’s not fast. You should lose 0.5-2 lbs a week.
• They have apps for the e-tools to help you track. I liked writing things down.
• Initially I felt deprived, but that feeling decreased. I didn’t feel like I was really on a diet until I started losing more weight and had to restrict a little more.
• The plan includes a set number of points you can use throughout the week that allow some flexibility. Even if you use these points, you should still lose.
• There’s a no-tracking or counting option focused on Power Foods (clean eating focused on lean meats, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruit, vegetables)
• They reward the people who are successful with Lifetime Membership (free meetings, access to e-Tools)

As with most diets or weight loss plans, maintaining might be more difficult than actually losing. I’ve gained about 10 pounds back. I attribute that to no longer tracking points, eating out more often and being more relaxed with my eating. (See: burger week 2011… actually, I didn’t gain weight after that.) I probably would have gained back more if I wasn’t training for marathons and half marathons.

One of my goals this year is to get back to goal weight and fit in to some clothes that no longer fits, like the pants above. And yeah, I’m not immune to the pressure to lose some pounds for my wedding day. Part of my plan is to go back to Weight Watchers, weigh-in monthly, and begin counting points again.

Today I went back to the Culver City Weight Watchers for my monthly meeting and weigh-in. When I arrived, there was a crowd outside, and security guards handing out wrist bands. I had no idea what was going on, but it quickly became clear when I saw even more Jennifer Hudson posters and women holding her book. I decided to stick around and get a book. The woman ahead of me seemed to ask for help losing the last few pounds. Jennifer responded, “really watch the carbs.” Because of the book signing, I wasn’t able to weigh-in and the meeting size was limited.

I’ll weigh-in next week.

Excluding weekend long runs, I’m not a morning runner. I could be if I didn’t go to bed so late.

Still, I’m not about to change my habits since running after work fits my schedule. Working out between 5-8 is a big improvement over my old habits. When I first started working out regularly 3 years ago, I rarely made it to the gym before 10. That worked for me then too. I was was a super self conscious newbie uncomfortable about working out in front of other people. So, working out in a nearly empty gym was just what I wanted.

Now, I’m used to running on weekday evenings. In the spring and summer, getting in my post-work run in is not a problem. I look forward to it during the day. I don’t mind running at dusk or in the dark. In the winter and fall my motivation wanes when it’s very dark at 5 or 6. At least it’s not very cold here. It’s worse when I leave work around 6, have a 45 minute commute (if lucky) and don’t get a run in until after 7. In January, that feels late.

One way I’ve found to deal with the winter running is the run commute. I’ve seen other bloggers talk about running to work (Runner’s Kitchen). I could do that, but I prefer the run home. It fits with my evening running habits. Plus, it’s logistically easier and the route is almost all downhill.

Here’s how I do the run commute:

1. Pack shoes and running clothes in the morning or the night before. Make sure not to forget the sports bra. I’ve done this twice before and I’m genuinely upset that I can’t run home, especially when I’m on a bus inching through Westwood traffic and it takes 20 minutes to go less than a mile.

2. Bus it to work. This is convenient for me thanks to a direct bus route and a subsidized bus pass for students/staff at the university.

3. Work, work, work. Make sure not to eat a heavy lunch that might upset my tummy later.

4. Clock out and change in to running clothes, shoes. Stash clothes/shoes under my desk at work. I could carry it in a drawstring bag, but it’s really uncomfortable to have the straps digging in to my collarbone and feel the bag bouncing against my lower back. (It works for some, see Runner’s Kitchen’s tips.)

5. Add on all the other running accessories (see photo). In the winter, I make sure to wear reflectors slap bands for greater visibility on some busy west side streets. I want to get home in one piece after all. I also carry ID, bus pass, some cash, key and phone in my iFitness belt. I typically run while listening to a podcast or music, but I keep it low enough to hear what’s going on.

6. Begin run commute! I usually choose a direct 5 mile route, which is fine for most of my weekday runs. If I need to get in a few more miles, I can extend the route as needed. I pass by a park and playground on my route, perfect if I need to make a water or bathroom stop.

7. Laugh inside at motorists traveling slower than you in their cars on clogged west side streets. Watch out for distracted drivers, especially those who roll through stops or zoom out of parking lots to make a right turn while only looking left.

8. Get home in about the same time it would have taken to actually commute via bus (or even bus+car).

9. Next day, don’t forget to bring home clothes.

Last year, I wrote that I never fantasized about my wedding. I lied. I thought about dresses and honeymoon locations a lot as a kid.

My family used to visit my mom’s brother and his family in San Diego a few times a year. I loved the visits to tío Beto and tía Ana’s house mainly for the pool and hot tub in the back yard. 

When I wasn’t in the pool or watching TV, I was in the waiting/dressing room outside tía Ana’s workshop. The garage had been converted to a workspace where tía Ana constructed beautiful wedding gowns and other formal dresses. I didn’t spend too much time in garage. It was crowded with the large worktable, bolts of shiny white fabric and lace, 2 or 3 sewing machine work stations, and an ironing board and steamer. Plus, I was likely to get a spare pin in my foot or get my grubby hands on some expensive fabric.

The waiting/dressing room was a safe space. There was a couch, plenty of space and dozens of bridal magazines. I’d flip through these stacks admiring the lovely gowns and baffled by the advice sections. I never knew addressing wedding invitations could be so complicated. I don’t recall any longterm impressions from the gowns or what I thought of them aside from “oooh, pretty!” I do recall the honeymoon and travel sections. I adored the photos of white beaches and blue oceans in tropical locales. They reminded me of the beaches I saw in my parents’ photos from their anniversary trip to Cancún. It was through Brides or Modern Bride that I learned of the Poconos and the champagne-shaped hot tubs in honeymoon suites. They looked cool, but I was confused as to how people actually got in them. (I’m still not really sure where the Poconos are.)

Tía Ana made the flower girl dress I wore for another aunt’s wedding; she also made the dresses for the bride and the bridal party. That flower girl dress was reused twice as a First Communion dress and as a Halloween costume. She also made the poofy pink and white dress I wore for my quinceañera.

She gave up the business a while ago, so I can’t go to her to make my wedding dress. I’m not sure she’d want me as a client anyway. I’m too indecisive about these things.