Run Run Run!

This past Sunday, I ran the Oakland Running Festival half marathon. My goal was to complete the 13.1-mile race in under two hours. I succeeded with a finish time of 1:51:25! Average pace of 8:30 min/mi.

Race Day: The morning started out slightly overcast until the haze gave way to sunny skies. There were lots of cheering spectators, live bands, and motivational signs ("Your Asana Looks Great!") to help the miles go by. Some of my favorite parts were running through the flaming arch at the Crucible and high five-ing the DJ at the Raider Nation underpass party. I ran the event with a few friends, but I also bumped into some folks that I hadn't seen since high school or college! Throw in the post-race beers from 21st Amendment and all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, and it was a perfect Sunday.

Come Monday morning, my legs were a little sore, but I could still walk (unlike when I ran the ORF half marathon in 2012 without enough training). I felt achy and accomplished, but also a little bummed out. I had spent the last three months training for the race, and now it was over. So what's the first thing I do when I get online? Search for another race, of course!

I decided on trying out a Rock 'n' Roll event. There are four RnR half marathons in California: San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, and Los Angeles. If you complete 3 of 4, you get a special Cali-Combo medal. I spied the glittery gold bling at the ORF Expo, and it is a beaut! Naturally, I bought a 3-event "tour pass" and signed up for the RnR San Francisco half, coming up in 2 weeks!

I must say, this is very unlike me. I think I've caught some sort of bug. But I'm feeling pretty good.

Angry Bean Bag Chair

Just finished the birthday present for my nephew Tyler who turns 6 today. He loves Angry Birds. A few months ago, he came up to me with his iPhone (yes, he has an iPhone!) and showed me the official plush Angry Birds toys that are available for purchase. He pointed to the screen and told me, "You can make these for me. All the ones." He didn't ask if I would make them for him; he told me to make them. But he said it in the sweetest way, I couldn't say no.


It's been a while since I was given those little orders, but I haven't forgotten. Tyler probably had some small ball-sized birds in mind, but this guy here is about 3 feet in diameter. I think he'll have a fun time throwing this around the house.
Overall, this took about 6 hours to make. I didn't want to buy a pattern for the bag, so I drew up my own. It's basically a giant fleece beach ball with a zipper at the bottom, and inside is a second bag, made of muslin, to hold the bean bag pellets.
The only big frustration was when I spilled some of the bean bag pellets on my apartment floor. Imagine hundreds of statically charged foam balls rolling all over the ground. It was like I dropped a giant box of Kix--Kix that rolled away when you tried to scoop them up, then clung to your hands when you tried to deposit them into the bean bag!
Next up: two more bean bag chairs...one for my niece Olivia, and one for my nephew Barrett!

happy new year!

already february 2011. it's been over half a year since i posted on here! since my last post, i've spent a month on jury duty, camped in canada (road trip!), partied in miami, and splurged in spain. maybe more on those trips later--right now i want to talk about my newest focus: training for a half marathon!

i've never considered myself to be a runner, and i actually find running to be a bit boring...but my friend jon asked me out of the blue one day, and i thought "sure, why not?" of course, as with most of my crazy plans, i roped in the boyfriend. he's been a great motivator, and even did his best in getting me on my feet when i was sick. we found a half-marathon training schedule online by a man named hal higdon, here--it's a 12 week program. this past week i was really good and successfully completed week 1 of training. my legs are quite sore right now, but i have good momentum going! hopefully training will continue smoothly and injury-free (knock on wood)!

Mom's Back

Did I finish my mom's room in time for her return? Yes and no. I refinished her ceiling, primed it, and gave it two coats of flat Behr "Frost"; I gave the window sill and wall and door trimming a good sanding and two coats of semi-gloss "Frost"; and I rolled on THREE coats of flat enamel "California Poppy" on the walls. Even then, the color looks a bit uneven. I should have used a tinted primer, but I didn't think of it while I was at the store. Anyhow, I think another coat or two will even it out...

I was really hoping to get all the painting done and have everything placed neatly back in her room, but I just didn't have enough time. Turns out that was a good thing though because my dad volunteered my to put hardwood floors in her room too! The layout of this room is much simpler at least, so I don't think it will take nearly as long to complete as my room did.

Despite not completing everything I wanted to compete, I felt really accomplished, and I think my mom was quite surprised (or shocked?).

Also, the night before she came back, I stayed up til 3am cleaning downstairs. I thought it was looking real good. But Mom's response when asked about the cleanliness, "Wasn't it this clean when I left?" HAH! Oh well at least I tried. Now it's time to get back to MY room! Up next: base boards...and possibly some crown moulding?

Done painting

...almost. I did 2 coats on all my walls, including the hallway and closet interiors, but I still need to do the window sills and the door trim. I think it looks pretty darn good.

In the hall and closets, all the carpet, foam, and staples have been removed. Last night, Brian helped me move all my boxes into the hall, and now the foam and nails will be ripped up from the main part of the room. I'm so excited! Hopefully my floors will be installed by the end of the week. At this rate, I think it's quite a realistic goal.

Progress!

After living out of boxes for two months, I got worked up enough to work on my room again. Next up was priming my hall and closets, which I completed (with the help of my mom) earlier this week.

Today after work, I met up with Brian on the shore in Hercules to watch him fish. He just bought a new saltwater fishing rod and is determined to catch a fish. This being his second time out, he has yet to reel one in, but he came close; all he got was the fish's lower lip... :/

I was feeling rather lazy after sitting out in the sun for so long, just...sitting...watching Brian cast...again...and again...so to shake it off, I went home, grabbed my roller, and began painting! FINALLY! Some color on my walls! The back walls of my two closets are now Seafoam Pearl, a light greenish blue, and the walls of my hall are Sparrow, a light grey. So far it looks great, and tomorrow will be the second coat.

I'm pushing really hard to finish my room, at least all the painting, by the end of next week. You see, my Mom is leaving for China on Sunday, and she'll be gone for almost three weeks. I want to surprise her by not only finishing my room, but also giving her spare room a nice pick-me-up. I want to remove the popcorn ceiling, replace it with a smooth one like mine, then paint it all a nice shade of red. She said wistfully the other day that she has no room that's truly hers, so I want to make this room her space. Hopefully having a hard deadline will make me work faster!

I'm a loser

I lost my bet to Scott. Hopefully I'll finish by the end of April. Typical me, procrastinating...sigh. Currently: painting / priming walls.