Ye Olde Holiday Tyme

How to decorate your bike for the holidays!


$19.99 Fry's Electronics Cosmic Brightz http://www.frys.com/product/8141075

• 10 feet of LEDs 
• 3 AA batteries=20+ hours
• 8 colors
• Waterproof 

$14.99 per wheel Fry's Electronics Wheel Brightz http://www.frys.com/product/8140975

• 20 LEDs in clear, flexible tubing
• 3 AA batteries=48+ hours
• Durable battery pack attaches onto spokes
• 8 colors
• Waterproof

$12.99 for a 2-pack at Target http://www.target.com/p/led-decorative-ultra-slim-wire-multicolor-2pk/-/A-13506341 (or $15.51 at Home Depot) (or $13.38 for Martha Stewart's Brand)

• 9 Ft long with 36 lights
• 3 AA Battery Operated
• Phasing and flashing options
• 4 colors

$6.99 per light Fry's Electronics Spokelit Green http://www.frys.com/product/6828866

• 2 Button Cell batteries=20+ hours
• attaches onto spokes

Then join us on Sunday, December 18th at 5:30pm at Nibley Park in Glendale, CA.  We'll be riding a little over 6 miles at a SLOW pace through neighborhoods.  We'll be enjoying FREE HOT COCOA at Gaucho's Village as well. Bring water, a helmet, and a bike in good working condition. ALL AGES WELCOME!  Kids younger than 8 should be able to ride several miles or be on a safe child carrying device to participate on the ride.

The route is posted here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17669774 There will be a competition for "safest and brightest bike" and "safety facts for safe night riding."  Spread the word!

 

Hike the Verdugos

My favorite part of hiking is "sun on pine." It's my favorite smell in the world.

The picture here is from May 2013 when we hiked the Verdugos as part of an organized event. Since then, we've taken many out-of-town guests and Glendale residents up there.  It's never a disappointment.

We most recently hiked with Walk Bike Glendale and Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation We met at the Doctor's House and as the sun peeked over the mountains, it hit the plants and the most amazing aroma hit my nose.  It was like a $40 aromatherapy treatment at a spa.  Except it was completely outdoors and completely free.

As you can see from the color-coded elevation profile, it's pretty steady as far as the grade.  The official event page describes it as a 10% grade, and the data from my Garmin watch says that the grade ranges from 7% to 13% so that's a good description.

Here's a photo of all the families that gathered for the hike last weekend.

Here's a view looking down from the top.
You can see the trail we came up snaking downward (in the left of the photo).

Here are the happy hikers at the summit (about 2600').

I love hiking at different times of the year, and different times of the day.  The hike goes up high enough in elevation that you see the flora and fauna changing as you gain in elevation.  I hope our next collaborative event will be Deukmejian Wilderness Park.  Maybe it's because the name contains the word "Wild" but I've been afraid to go up there until now.  Having met the board members of Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation, I know I have friends to show me the way.

big appetite

Valentine's day was AWESOME!  We put on a three-part hands-on day at the University for a group of ninety sixth-graders.  I was feeling particularly romantic since I was in my best friend's wedding last weekend (Feb 8).  The only downer is that I've had the flu that's going around and it's still sitting in my ears.

January was a great month.  We logged 182 miles between running, hiking, and cycling.  February has not been as good since I've been sick.  I even lost my voice.  I titled this post "big appetite" since I am realizing that I often 'bite off more than I can chew' both literally and metaphorically.  I get overextended and think that magically via some superhuman force, I will be able to do everything I agree to do with gusto and perfection.

Where did this attitude come from?  “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” I think I latched onto this misguided quote at some young age and have been living that way ever since.  It's no accident I live within driving distance (~35 minutes) from the Hollywood walk of fame.  I have so much on my mind that I can't even compose a coherent blog post.  Also, I have too many tags.  When I tell my husband the day's TO DO list, he's like "I don't think it's realistic to get all that done in one day." I'm like, "I'm going to try anyway."

What I am realizing is that moderation is key even in one's career and daily life.  Not just in diet and not just in exercise (see 10% rule) but in all facets of life.  I'm kind of at a career fork.  I went to a job fair and as a result I am kind of bulldozing in two different directions and it's wearing my brain out.  I guess I'm going to have to take my own advice here and stop shooting for the moon.  This shuttle is running out of jet fuel and I don't want to have to improvise a crash landing.

But I'm really enjoying starting to run again.  The Brooks Ghost 6 have 20.6 mi on them and they feel great!  We haven't done any races this year, but I'm hoping we can do something next weekend (Feb 23) or the following one (Mar 2).  We're coming up on our 6th wedding anniversary.  The internet says that's either Iron or Wood.  Does that mean we should take up golf?

Daucus carota (carrot)

I haven't planted any crops for the summer garden.  It's silly since it takes virtually no time and produces ultra-local food all summer long and I can't find one day to get it done.  If I plant too late, the seedlings won't survive the summer heat.  We've had, like, no rain this winter.  There was a wildfire here in Glendale today.  I refuse to water twice a day when it's this dry.  It doesn't seem right.  I did make the labels though (and look up the suggested planting dates in the Farmer's Almanac): carrot (Jan 25), corn (Mar 1), lettuce (Jan 30), beans (Mar 8), squash (Feb 15).  I guess it's nothing fancy.  So I missed carrot, but the others are still a possibility.  Lettuce reseeded itself already.

My student got our abstract accepted to a big conference that I'd really like to go to, but it's over $700 for the registration fee.  Dang-nab-it.  At least we can say that after this year, we will have reached financial equilibrium (or maybe not) but at least we're moving towards it.  Running (and cycling) are definitely helping me manage my posture, self-esteem, and the ups-and-downs of this emotional rollercoaster we call life.  Also coming up is the UNK Alumni Reunion (Mar 1).  Rather than at Knotts Berry Farm where it usually is, there's a new location.  Haven't RSVP'd yet but it would be nice to connect with some Lopers.



Watched this documentary last night about the history and the science of the bicycle.  Maybe we can just ride our Iron bikes and get a Wooden basket for our anniversary.  Wondering if I'll ever take that cross country bike trip.  It seems so close a possibility and yet so improbable.  I turned in my availability to teach summer classes at CSUN last week. Guess we'll see where the career fork takes us.

DV Digest

To summarize the AWESOMENESS that was Death Valley, I will briefly outline the activities:

(1/7) Artist Drive Bike Ride = 26 miles of smiles.  Brought two water bottles, two POWER NUGGETS, and a Clif bar.  And my camera, of course.  The rolling hills and one long climb were amazing, surprising, and challenging.  The twists and turns were technical, I learned that one should look into the turn, actually at the mountain you are going around, when descending.  Thanks, Swiftie!

(1/8) Marble Canyon Hike = 10k of solid rock.  Brought 2 L in Camelback (Cloud Walker Day Pack) plus two water bottles.  Ate apple and two Clif bars.  Not sure exactly how long this hike was or how long we took.  This was my experiment at a low-tech hike.  Even though I was wearing my Columbia Daypack Hiking Boots, I kind of turned an ankle while running to catch up with my fellows after snapping more photos.  I guessed it was God's way of saying "Just slow down and enjoy the views, why are you hurrying?"

(1/9) Zabriskie Point Hike = 10k of Gorge-ous.  Brought 2 L in Camelback (Cloudwalker Day Pack) plus two water bottles.  Ate hummus and pita, cucumber, sprouts, bell pepper, oranges, sports beans, Clif bars.  This hike took 4 hours 17 minutes, we stopped for a meditation at 5.5 miles.  I remember facing directly into the sun and a hot wind and came to the realization that "we all had fucked-up complicated parents, we are all fucked-up complicated parents, we will all be fucked-up complicated parents, because no human being is perfect."

(1/10) Furnace Creek Run = 5k in the desert.  I took two 500 mL water bottles, an apple, and my ID / credit card / health insurance card.  I watched a 20 minute video at the Visitor's Center about DV NP and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe.  They mentioned something about DV knowing you and welcoming you, that it isn't a forbidding land but a heart-opening and enveloping wilderness that embraces you.  This run was mostly flat with total elevation change of 81 ft.  This run burned about 300 kcal.

I could have stayed longer, we had the campsite reserved another night, but it wasn't the same being there alone.  I did get to attend a couple of guided activities.  The tour of Badwater Basin by Ranger Jess was about Salt, Salt and More Salt.  She explained that the colors on display in the basin and the hexagonal structures in the salt deposits are a result of the differences in solubility of the minerals found there.  The last time the basin contained water was 2004.

I also attended a night lecture about the Night Sky.  Death Valley is quite dark at night, compared with urban environments such as Los Angeles.  Projections estimate that by 2075, LA residents will not even be able to see the big dipper.  As it is now, we can see only about 100 stars.  Ranger Jess told us a story about the galaxy we are a part of, and how our galaxy is only one of MANY, and if we can't see all the other stars in the sky, then it makes sense that we would develop a feeling of self-importance and lose sight of our sense of wonder and scientific curiosity.  Walking back to my campsite after the talk, I gazed at my own moonshadow and tried to remember to appreciate the stars whenever possible.

(1/11) Fireside Yoga = 20 minutes of unifiying the body, breath, and mind.  I packed up my tent and all my clothes/gear and set everything on the picnic table.  I set up a nice warm fire and before eating breakfast went through Practice 1 from https://sites.google.com/site/kaiserwellnesscenter/home/fitness-awareness/finding-balance/the-heart-of-yoga which set me in balance with my goal of getting back to Los Angeles sometime around 2pm.

~Google+ Auto Awesome Created This Panorama For Me~

What I would bring next time: Duct Tape (there is a hole in my tent), Air Mattress, Ace Bandage, More Silverware, Dish Drying Rack, MORE Instant Coffee, LESS food, FEWER clothes, my running belt, MORE Butter.  I would have worried less about the ice melting in my cooler.  I still had 1.5 bags of ice left when I arrived at home.  But at a different time of year that could be more of a problem.   AND I would have brought a sun hat with a 360 degree brim rather than a small visor, even though it was fun reppin' CSUN.

Videos Here and Here.  Photos Here.

Mission Inn Run ~ Race Report

The 2013 Mission Inn Run (10k) course was a blast!  I got to cross the finish line with family, which is definitely the highlight of this race.  The water stops were plentiful and it was amazing running through the best parts of downtown Riverside on such a nice day.

I definitely wish I would have treated myself to some new running shoes because I'm having a keepsake of the race that is a sharp pain in my foot.  Finishers were awarded medals that were color-coded according to which course the runner (or walker) completed.  That was a nice touch.  You could tell which course the athlete was traversing by the color of his or her bib.  The kids (short courses) were white, 5 k was blue, 10 k was orange, and half-marathon was green (I think).

We had a super-weekend because we rode our bicycles to the train station in Glendale and took the train to LA.  From LA we boarded the San Bernardino line and disembarked at Rialto.  We took a sweet bike ride down hill to the SART which got us to Market street.  We rode by the health expo and on to our destination, the home of our family members (18 miles total).  We picked up our bibs & T-shirts Saturday night, via car.  We took a car to and from the race, but immediately after the race we dined at the Crest Cafe.  After that we got back on our bikes and rode to downtown Riverside station to take the train back to LA, then from LA to Glendale via train, and finally rode our bikes home (7 miles).  So it wasn't a totally car-free weekend but ALMOST!

I really loved running along the SART, through Fairmount Park, along Redwood Dr.  Saw the new Ryan Bonaminio Park, which was gorgeous.  I placed 673rd out of 749 participants.  Only 3 women in my age division (76 women) finished after me.  For some reason I feel good about this.  At least I showed up and I ran my own race (albeit with my family members).  I felt really good in mile 1 and mile 4 and in between I felt pretty dismal.  I definitely didn't walk or run the entire time and had no discipline about when to run or walk.  With no training, it's no surprise that my foot is still throbbing, but I believe it will heal itself.

I'm already looking forward to the years to come...

Verdugo Mtns 10K ~ Race Report

This race was awesome, particularly the weather that day was stunning and perfect.  We had cool winds, cloudcover, sprinkles, and just as we were finishing up, it was warm again.  The steep change in altitude throughout this course has you discovering layers of wildflowers and canyons overlooking Hollywood and Los Angeles.  I think my knees are almost recovered.

The officials said we did it in 2 hours 16 minutes, which is crazy by the way, since we have not been training to do such a thing.  If we hadn't have been part of that event, which we did it one time, our time was more like 2 hours 39 minutes (on May 28, 2012), so I guess we rested a bit more when we weren't compelled by photographers and volunteers along the way to "keep going!"  There were water stations at every mile and cyclists in yellow jerseys throughout the course with MTB on standby for emergencies and to remind us to "keep to the right" as runners who had already turned around were flying down the rock face.

The fastest man, Kwin Keuter of Los Angeles, 24 years old, managed to go up and back in 40 minutes.  The fastest woman Lliana Hernandez, 25 years old, of Glendale, placed 28th overall. She was only 10 minutes behind the fastest man, finishing in about 50 minutes.  It was so fun to read about her coaching story in the Glendale News-Press and seeing her "sweep by" us a full 2 minutes ahead of the next woman Emily Farr of La Crescenta, age 29, who placed 34th overall.  As for us, or me, I was number 622 out of 653 racers, that's among the slowest 5%.  Out of 54 women who ran in my age group, I was the second-to-slowest, among the slowest 2%.  But hey, finishing is finishing and by golly we did it!

Fitness Fridays!

Considering weekly posts.  Thinking about plants, reproduction, scalability.  Keep them safe, and let them learn. This is how I got addicted to twitter and neglected my blog, along with complete sentences.  I am on "Spring Break" and awaiting a visit from my parents (separately, of course).  I've attended so many amazing seminars, I can't keep track of them all.  My summer student has been funded!

2012

Mar

8

09:39

Thu

I looked up at the moon and thought, what a great night for an evening walk, the moon was amazingly full.
I attended a seminar by an accomplished geneticist who is a professor at University of Southern California on Feb. 29th at the Women in Science dinner at Scripps College.  What an amazing experience!  She encouraged all of us to be ourselves, to embrace our inner "bitch."  Ahem-on-a-bike!  I heard a talk at the Athaneum at Claremont McKenna College by a professor at Singularity University, and a 'restless inventor,' who pointed out that with regards to technology, we can expect exponential progress leading ultimately to a crossover point where humans and technology become one.  It's already happening.

I heard a talk from a scientist at Pioneer/Hi-Bred which is part of DuPont who uses DNA shuffling (every day he's shufflin) to identify key amino acid residues in proteins responsible for efficient detoxification.  In this way, farmers can use selective herbicides to target weeds without harming their crops.  I went to a workshop for Writing Intensive courses in the Sciences.  The professors of English were constructive and gave me the courage to try a Cypher with my students on the last day of class before spring break.  Thermodynamics, it's a rap!

Looking forward, I see the San Dimas Road Race (18-Mar), the RBC Time Trial (8-Apr), NSF day at USC (12-Apr), and the Verdugo Mountains 10K (6-May).  Looking forward to the Commencement Ceremonies (3 in one day) on 12-May.  I see the the IGERT Symposium (15-Jun) the Pagent of the Master's (8-Jul).  I'm celebrating my 32nd birthday in Chicago!  Speaking of which, I hope to run tomorrow morning in the Downtown Dash... gotta run!

I may not be reproducing myself right now, but my chard is adorable.  I got some 2 L bottles from the Water Quality Lab and blinged them out using superglue.  Then I transferred my seedlings into them and voila!  These are seedlings from seeds produced by plants that grew to maturity at my roommate's house on Leafhill Pl in Riverside (33.960421,-117.343296).

The title of this post: Fitness Fridays! refers to a concept my husband and I developed while working in different cities all week. Now, we live under the same roof but work quite hard all week.  So it's the idea that to break the tension and let go of the stress, we do some kind of fitness.  We crank up the music, and get some wacky YouTube videos going and crunch it out.  I had a sweet rotation going last night between crunches, pull ups, and push ups.  I told my student, who is on the ballroom team, that I am in training for next year's 'Dancing with the Claremont stars.'  I love motivation.

Holiday Half 2011

I was doing so well preparing for this year's Holiday Half.  Right up until the turkey hit my belly.

Mission Inn 10 km Run 2011

The Mission Inn Run (10K, Nov 13th) was a good milestone and I was on track with training 3x per week until the week of T'givs.  Ran the morning of T'givs but since then I haven't run in 3 weeks.  Nothing.  No crunches.  No pull-ups, dips, push-ups, lunges, curls, presses...

My back is totally a wreck.  I spent the past few weeks bound to a desk chair or confined to a bucket seat (in my car) and it has taken its toll.  I can bearly walk and talk or draw with chalk.  I have a permanent hunch.  I have tried applying a volleyball to the middle of my back to prop myself up so I can continue working.  Typing this is excruciating and I have so many online homeworks and lab reports left to grade before the semester's grades are due.

After 3 weeks of no strength training, no cardio, no flexibility, I feel like a flab monster.  I hear it takes a week to recover from one day's missed workout.  Based on that math, it would take me months to recover from this fitness break.  It was such a blur to me it's like the last month didn't even happen.

YESSSS.  It's already been brought-en.

And I am already registered for the half tomorrow.  I promised myself I would reward myself with something fun when I survived my Ph.D. defense (which was this past Wednesday, Dec 7th, and I PASSED with revisions).  So should I do it (show up and finish the race) or not?

I'm concerned about my own state of health.  Since starting at Claremont, I'm burning ~3000 cal per month, compared with twice or four times that (which kept me sane and fit).  I have to find a way to keep up with training.  Dance?  Swimming?  Other cross training that I'm overlooking?

Mission Inn Run ~ Race Report

Place overall 400 (out of 744 runners)
Place in age division 32 (out of 70 women ages 30-34)
Out of all women 188 (out of 451 women)
Total time 1:07:21 minutes
Pace 10:50 minutes per mile



Satisfaction!  So if I can't write about everything now, forgive me. I hope to have more time soon. I had a great time running this course and I'm proud of myself for training and enjoying it.

Making Progress

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest through the trees. I think anyone who undertakes a large project experiences this feeling. And I rarely take on small projects.

I can happily report that my Nike Zoom Nucleus MC+ and Nike+ wristband have escorted me through 200 miles already. They are "misplaced" at the moment so I ran this morning with my secondary pair of Asics. I am still on the fence about Running Through Redlands this weekend because I haven't been doing the long distance training and I feel like I have no time.

My dissertation is progressing although still not fast enough. Just like I wish I could run 8'30" miles, I wish I could write 830 words per day. It just doesn't work out like that. The good thing about writing is that I can really take a look at the "forest" and see my project from different angles and it makes the lab work run more efficiently because I see how each experiment fits into the larger picture.

This is also why I normally enjoy long-distance events. Good for building perspective about one's place in the world and the amount of energy we expend in getting ourselves around in it. Getting around on foot on bicycle is a direct use of the energy we put into our bodies. Better to fuel ourselves with healthful sources of energy and then burn it off doing fun stuff (like running) instead of jumping in our cars and driving to McDonald's... Not to be hypocritical so I have to admit I do both. But getting groceries on foot or spending the energy to garden, cultivating one's food in the backyard, really relates to sustainability and health. This is my spinach & chive patch. It's been producing for over 6 months now. I strongly encourage backyard/balcony farming.

Another topic of note: medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Perhaps these have been written about before or someone told me about them, but I am discovering them anew by reading a book I borrowed from UCR's science library. MCTs are abundant in coconut oil, are more soluble in water than long-chain triglycerides, and can be broken down in the mouth, stomach and intestines. Research studies involving this class of molecules have proven that MCTs can be used by the body as supplemental energy for exercising endurance athletes. In addition to carbohydrates, the incorporation of MCTs in sports drinks increased performance in a 40 km timetrial by about 2 minutes over a control group using only carbs. This got me thinking about fats used in all types of cooking and pre-packaged foods. I vowed to myself to try to improve the quality and variety of triglycerides I will include in my diet.

Additionally, I have given in to the pressure of medical advice. I now take vitamins. Since I hate taking pills (because I doubt the bioavailability of nutrients delivered by them) I got instead these chewable gummies. I take one in the morning and one at night. I still hate the idea of overloading my body with unnatural amounts of one nutrient or another. I think it might be as stressful as it is helpful. Just because scientific studies show that a particular nutrient is correlated with a beneficial outcome doesn't mean I have to take 400% of the recommended daily value of that chemical. So we'll see how this goes.

Topics for the future: dietary fiber!

Citrus Heritage Run ~ Race Report

This race was amazing for a ton of reasons. First, it was my first 10K. Second, my dear husband agreed to run it with me despite the dry heat (it was ~65°F when we started and below 75°F when we finished). Third, I love supporting the city of Riverside. Fourth, the idea that we are celebrating the Citrus Heritage makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

It was funny because (as usual) we didn't pre-register for the race, although I have been informed by my husband that in the future we WILL pre-register, so we arrived only 15 minutes before the start of the race and had to get registered and pay the entry fees in a short amount of time. We got our free t-shirts and goodie bags and ran back to stash them in the car. We heard the announcer start the race so we ran from the parking garage to the starting line to begin our timing chips.

PRO: There were water stops so conveniently spaced, plenty of happy volunteers!

CON: I didn't like the part where we ran along Van Buren, personally I would prefer to run through the citrus fields more (see http://www.mapmyride.com/user/united-states/ca/san-diego/fb.kayk.679 to see the course and to browse my training log).

PRO: The part where we ran along Victoria was *magical*

PRO: Fellow competitors from the Riverside Road Runners club (http://www.riversideroadrunners.com/) in our pace group helped provide stability and conversation while enjoying the new route and scenery.

Last year, we finished the 5K in 37:30 while this year we finished the 10K in 1:04:44 so I think that shows a great improvement in pace and distance! And there's nuthin' betta' than finishin' togetha'. For real.