running update! and the NEW TRACK!

So after nearly 4 weeks of not running at all--and honestly it's been YEARS and YEARS since I've gone that long without running...you might even say it was before this photo was taken:

freshman year of track in high school! Back in 1996! Over 15 years ago!

Right, where was I...ok after nearly 4 weeks of not running at all, I've been able to slowly start running again. Only 5mins at a time, and then I walk for 1min, and then run 5mins, etc, rinse repeat, etc. It's a bit maddening that I can't just ramp up right away, but I'm trying to be patient, grateful, patient, positive, and more patient. At this point I have written off doing Louisville--I really need to update that race schedule of mine--but on the upside I've realized that I am able to run again, and that I will be able to get back to Ironman racing.

It's like I have to be reborn again as a triathlete, so it only made sense that I went back to where it all began...my high school track. Here I am in one of my very first track meets, from the family scrapbook:

I was in middle school, and we had 2 track meets each year at the local high school which I would later be attending. Westmoor High of Daly City, CA! Ask any Filipino anywhere in the world and they will be able to tell you where Daly City is (just south of San Francisco, with a huge Filipino population, obviously).

Senior year: see how the bleachers say '99?

I would end up falling head over heels in love with running and ran cross country & track all 4 years of high school. Specialized in the two-mile and the mile...we had a dirt track that was 440 yards, or if we went to the fancier high schools in our league, they had rubber tracks that were a metric 400m, and so I'd do the 3200m and the 1600m.

freshman XC: and you think my arms are scrawny NOW...

I was totally scrawny, as you can see...my best friend called me "Beanpole" and I didn't know why. Then I hit puberty pretty late, and Coach DiMaggio moved me up to the 800m as a junior and senior! The dirt track stuck around long after I graduated in 1999. I think it wasn't until 2006, I remember my mom going door-to-door asking people to help vote for a local bond measure that would update our school sports facilities. Because Mom knows how to get things done!

Well...in April, my old high school got a brand new rubber track! I finally got to see it AND run on it for the very first time last week! Soooo soooo exciting. It's freakin' GORGEOUS! and super bouncy!

They got rid of the old crappy bleachers that the seniors would paint new numbers on every year during "Senior Paint Out" night. I didn't actually get to go. Mom wouldn't let me. But she helped us get a new rubber track, so she's forgiven. ;)

How to make water running more fun!

I remember my former teammate Brandon always saying that you could always tell when pro athletes get injured or were having a bad season, because they go off the grid on their blogs and Facebook and stuff. But I like to blog and have been told by some fans that they will actually check my blog every day for an update (!!!) so that's encouraging. People want to stay posted on how I am doing with the crash recovery, plus, almost everyone can relate to being injured. So I figure I can write some of my tips on how to stay motivated when you have to do something boring like...water running!

I'm still not running on ground yet but Coach Beck has me putting on a pair of old running shoes and running in waist-deep water. 30mins isn't too bad to tolerate but today's session calls for a whole hour, and there is only so much back and forth you can do (most pools are 25 yards here and only go about halfway, 12-15 yards before the big deep end drop-off) before you get super bored.  I love running to music, especially when I'm unmotivated, but was afraid of dropping one of my ipods into the water (I have the latest generation ipod shuffle and the new ipod nano I won from that photo contest...).

Sherpa came to the rescue and said I could use his old archaic ipod shuffle, which is 5 years old. Apparently he's loaded or something because he said "well it's only $50 if you drop it in the water." Hmm I think I picked a good one! ;) So I clipped it onto my new SLS3 visor (stylish isn't it?!) and wrapped the cords around the headband-ish part. Should be well above the water! We'll see. I forgot that the Y doesn't open until 10am on Sundays. No actually, I forgot it was Sunday. I thought it was still Saturday. Wishful thinking heh heh!

This is also the outdoor pool, and to make water running more enjoyable I look at this as an opportunity to even out the discrepancy in skin tone between my torso and my arms. So I'll throw on a two-piece swimsuit and work on my tan!

I have the torso of a white person and the arms of a brown person.

Because the Wongstar is all about the power of positive thinking, and she can find a positive side to everything!