Run Lily Run

Travel light: save those sample sets

2016-08-31T07:25:00.001-07:00

Small samples of your favorite products are the perfect sizes to travel with, but what happens when you run out for you next trip? Luckily you can easily refill them!

Step 1: get a child/baby liquid medicine syringe. (CVS gives these away for free just ask the pharmacist)

Step 2: fill it up with up

Step 3: position the dropper over the opening. (if it's too large or small it will work if you continue to press them together)

Step 4: squeeze the air out of the container you want to fill

Step 5:

Press the dropper down. And repeat as necessary.

Done!

Day 8: last day on the road

2016-08-28T16:05:00.001-07:00

Day 8: last day on the road

Waking up along the river upstream from the Hraunfossar waterfall was so beautiful.

Having access to water is a bonus too. I was able to wash the laundry.

Our little Hyundai work horse. We put this little guy thru a lot!!

I opened the car doors to hang the laundry while we prepped breakfast.

At the hostel, I got these bags of rice and an instant chicken noodle soup mix. We cooked then both into a porridge for bfast. It was a nice change from oatmeal.

As we got ready to go, we realize the car battery died from the open doors. We tried to push the car onto the road but the rocky incline was too steep and the car kept rolling back. Our only hope were jumper cables.

I saw a camper van and rv in the road and race to the street waving them down. They stopped right away and had jumper cables! The family was from Vancouver and had just begun their Iceland trip. The car started and we were on our way!

Hraunfossar : these waterfalls emerge from the ground! They stretch far and it's so beautiful.

Next stop: the peninsula

We stopped for gas and picked up a hot dog. We share one. Damn these hot dogs are delicious. The secret is fried onions as a garish.

We got this drink cus I thought it would be like Icelandic root beer. But this is all the beer taste without alcohol. I don't drink so that part doesn't matter but ugh the taste is so gross

Hellnar Arch

The rock formations are insane. How does it grow in sheets like that? And the columns?

The waves made this arch and these openings. Today was the first day we didn't have rain!! It felt so good to just wear a shirt and not 5 layers and rainshell.

Heading back to Reykjavik is bittersweet. I wish I could look at these mountains, waterfalls, and sheep everyday.

Day 7: Waterfalls and a Wedding

2016-08-27T16:10:00.001-07:00

Day 7:

We left our campsite at Myvatn and headed toward the Grjotagja, the grotto where John Snow & Egritt had their moment on Game of Thrones. It was so warm my camera fogged up again and it was hard to take photos. Good thing for iPhones as a backup

Next was this giant crater. Hverfell

It was an exhausting hike to get up to it. We had to option to hike the rim of the crater (which I totally would have) but it was raining hard and it was cold so we only walked a small portion and headed back down.

See the tiny people?

Inside the crater

Next was the waterfall of the Gods, Godafoss

There was an engagement photo shoot and a separate wedding happening.

Still amazed how close we can get

Our next stop was a far drive to the Koluglijufur. It was a small waterfall but so beautiful. The gorge it created was breath taking. Imagine these farmers have this as their backyard! All I have is the backside of the 60 freeway, hah! We collected more waterfall water to filter and drink (thanks Grant for the platypus!)

We're a day ahead of schedule so we're gonna go to Hraunfossar to spend the night. Sleeping next to a roaring river and waterfall is such a beautiful music to my ears.

Day 6 - a walk through the lava fields

2016-08-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Day 6:

Driving on the 1

Theres really nothing to see on the east. Mainly fog and flatness.

Last night we parked somewhere to sleep. We woke near a town we called "DJ Up". (Djupivogur).

We drove through a pass called the 939 Oxi and it's SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AREA! I would love to backpack through there.

Cascading waterfalls surrounded by greenery. It's like a fairy tale land.

photos cannot even capture a tiny tiny tiny fraction of how amazingly beautiful this area is!!

First stop Detifoss:

It's so amazing how close you can get to these places. In the US there would be gates and guards etc cus someone would get to close to the edge and fall and sue.

We hiked down 2km to have our lunch (chicken noodle soup with rice) with a view.

Walk through the lava rock fields.

I took some "souvenirs" again. :)

My camera got fogged up so I didn't get any good pictures.

This is moss that grows very slowly and the Icelandic people are very protective of it.

This area is where Iceland gathers hot water produced from the geo-thermal activity (aka lava) and they send it down to the cities. This is why there is no shortage of Hot water in Iceland.

It's so readily available that there is this perpetual shower always running. (And the water was warm too!)

I thought that similar to Landmannalaugar that the hot springs would be free/easy to get to, but the hot springs at Myvatan were pay per use. So we skipped it.

For the past few nights we slept on the car because it was easier but I'm much more comfortable in my tent on the ground (with my cot).

So tonight we are tent camping and it feels so good!! The campgrounds also have HOT showers (my 2nd shower for this trip). It not that I don't have access to showers daily, it's just too inconvenient to me to take a shower everyday. I really don't feel that I need to. Hehehe

Day 5: we picked up a hitchhiker

2016-08-25T04:50:00.000-07:00

Day 5: we picked up a hitchhiker, Rodger from the Netherlands.

We began our day at Sejalandsfoss where we dropped off Roger.

We did a stop at Vik to see the black sand beach and picked up a few souvenirs.

There are these column rock formations

As we drove to our next destination we stopped for gas and saw Rodger again! We picked him up and headed off. He was stopping half way to our next stop so it was perfect and he gave us these Dutch waffle caramel cookies as a thank you.

The 2.6km hike Skogafoss. Pretty awesome.

We weren't able to go into the ice caves because it was a 4+ hour tour for 1.590 Kr per person and it was not guaranteed that we could go into the caves either, so.. Passed on that.

Jokulsaron, the Ice Lagoon

Then icebergs were incredible. I wanted to have dinner there but the water was brackish (mixed with ocean water) so we prepped dinner (one me my favorite backpacking meals, chicken curry with rice) and started singing while the food "cooked" in the thermos.

our next leg was is gonna be a long drive to Detifoss, so our plan was to drive as far as we could and camp along the road. We were woken up to this great sight.

Day 4 - on the road

2016-08-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

5am: Did my bag arrive?

The flight from LAX arrives at 430. I kept checking the 'lost baggage website' Wowair gave me. No status.

The hostel kitchen/communal area was relatively empty so I sat down at one of the laptops to see if I could find a phone number for Wowair. I found a number and called a rather rude customer service guy who took down my information and said all he could do was forward my info to the lost baggage department. But he assured me that in the 2 years he's worked there, none of the bags werw completely lost.

I began looking at travel reviews to see if other people eventually got their bags back. Sulking, it's been 2+ hours since the plane landed. Surely my bag would have been scanned in by now. About to give up, around 7:30 my phone rings, an Iceland number. I pick up and the first thing I hear is "we have your bag well deliver it to you between 9-12"

Yes!! I have my bag back! I have my own sleeping bag and tent. I didn't mind the rental but I didn't want to continue paying for it!

I got my bag and the rental car. (Interestingly, they deliver rental cars to you! Something I wish the US would have)

I was fortunate enough to get a 'free' rental car with my Bank of America travel card points. And with my pack we were off to start our road trip to the Golden Circle.

First stop

The Great Atlantic Rift, Thingvellir.

Geysir.

Gullfoss

Last:

Secret Lagoon

We found an amazing spot to camp at next to a waterfall. Waterfall water tastes amazing! We met some other people in a camper van and we waited for the Northern Lights again. It wasn't as bright or 'streaks' like Reykjavik, but I saw the formation from start to finish. A long streak like a cloud rose over the horizon. And then parts would get brighter and start to move. Still a spectacular experience.

Day 2 - Landmannalaugar

2016-08-23T05:49:00.001-07:00

Day 2

"Hold the door!" Jk, not that dramatic, but close enough.

When people say the weather in Iceland is unpredictable, is crazy unpredictable. From a cloudy misty yesterday, the day started out beautiful, sunny clear blue skies. Perfect day to head to Landmannalaugar to backpack. The 3-4 hour shuttle we passed by lands that looked like the moon to green lush lava fields ful of sheep and horses. Driving through the Highlands is insane and it's heavily regulated that only 4x4 with high clearance can drive thru. I'm glad we took the shuttle, it's no joke. There are several water crossing (yes the car drives thru a river!) and the road is not paved. We all had on our seats on the shuttle after flying out of seats. Over all a good ride.

The winds were really strong and my little tent would be torn apart, so I set up camp nestled in between the largest tent I could find and this army of orange tents. I would've gone right in between them if I could Hahaha.

I saw others building a 'rockwall' around their tent so I did the same. I wanted to encourage the wind to go up and over the tent, which paid off in the end cus alot of my neighbors (non-orange-army) fell down during the midnight wind and rain storm. It felt like the tent was lifting up. (Thank goodness for strong Big Anges tent stakes! They all held up!)

We had to hold up the walls to keep the tent upright. Hhw winds blew so hard the walls were almost vertical. I was afraid the poles would snap so we had to stay up for a good hour or so to brace the poles. The winds calmed down and we passed out.

We took a hike to see the hot springs and the geo-thermal rocks. The sulfur smell is strong. If you place your hand over the holes it's hot!

This is why there's no shortage of hot water!

I was really excited to see a goat/sheep/whatever this close on the trail.

It rained, so we hid in our tent and made mushroom miso soup. The big tent next to us offered us a hot bowl of rice, which we accepted.

We decided to head back early to the city on the first bus that arrived. We had to pack up in the rain which was unpleasant but hey that's the Icelandic weather for ya! Haha

Day 3 - back to Reykjavik

2016-08-23T04:50:00.000-07:00

Met many awesome backpackers at the campsite hostel. Everyone has such a unique story. 2 French guys just finished a 3 week hike and other couple from France and Switzerland just arrived today for 3 weeks. The campsite hostel is so interesting. The free food section has fed us for several meals and the communal kitchen is hustling all the time. People cooking elaborate meals and sharing when they cooked too much.

Had my first hot shower since arriving and it makes you feel like a new person.

Walked around the city and I noticed there are many banana themed candies here. And egg shaped Haribo Gummies?

I'm supposed to find out if they found my bag. Pray pray pray

Later that night around 12:30am we walk out of the hostel lobby and hear a bunch of people looking at the sky "Ooing and Ahhing" I look up and we see it, The Northern Lights!!!!

It was spectacular! Bright green streaks dancing in the sky. I always thought the videos people post online are time lapses but the lights actually move quite fast. Like smoke billowing in the wind. The lights would appear all around us. In front, on the side, behind us. My wish for a trip to Iceland was to see the Northern Lights and we were blessed with Lady Aurora's presence.

Day 1 Reykjavik (lost baggage and then some)

2016-08-22T02:58:00.001-07:00

Day 1- Reykjavik

"WHAT!? You don't know where my bag is?!"

"If you put down your address and number we'll call you if we find it."

"How long will it take?"

"We might find it by Wednesday "

"What?! I'm supposed to be backpacking, my tent and sleeping bag are in my backpack. Where am I supposed to sleep?!"

"..."

My first day in Reykjavik is off to a rough start. First I forgot my toiletries at home (which the only thing crucial in that bag was my mouth guard), debated if I had enough time to make our back home or not, (which I ended up not going back for).

Whenever I've traveled, I never really cared about lost luggage cus I could pick up whatever I needed. However on thus trip "my tent, my sleeping bag, my everything is in his bag. I can't even fathom the idea on my bag not making it. As i approached baggage claim at 4am, there was an odd calmness in the air which usually foretold 'shit is about to hit the fan'.

As I waited, bags came and went but mine never did.

At that moment I didn't know what to do, denial as the first option, anger, then despair. 'Luckily' I don't like to share tents so Kevin had his own tent that would fit both of us. All I needed was a sleeping bag/pad & a jacket.

After we settled down at the Reykjavik city campsite right outside the hostel we took a nap and waited for stores to open. We walked to a camping rental store and got me a sleeping bag, pad, and stove, additional $ I didn't want to spend but I'm planning on getting my $ back from the travelers insurance.

As we walked we saw this sign

and had to try it out the most famous hotdogs in iceland.

We saw on the Internet that the hot dogs were good and they were right. Those were some damn good hotdogs.

The hostel and campsite are very pleasant and clean and the only thing that smells are the pppl. there are hot hot showers and water readily available and the communal kitchen is something to experience. People were making very elaborate meals in that kitchen. There is alot of 'free' food and supplies from left over travelers. I "borrowed" a small pot cus ours is in my bag. Half of the food was in Kevin's bag so we'll have meals until me bag arrives if ever...

It's pretty cold and misty but we're surviving. Tomorrow we go to the Highlands, Landmannalaugar.

A Follow up to 'The Gout Attack'

2014-08-07T09:59:00.002-07:00

I received a good question from a reader and when I began writing a lengthy reply, I realized this would be good for others well. Thanks Elizabeth! ( The Gout Attack )

Hey Lily! Love your site. I just found this morning looking for a remedy to clean my husband's swimming goggles. I'm wondering what you found out and ultimately did about the gout and restrictive diet? I'm a registered dietitian and HATE having to put people on the diet. I am a runner too and seem to have gout in my big toe (other family members have gout, too).

Thanks!

Elizabeth, RD, LDN Jax Beach, FL

Hi Elizabeth!

Thanks for reading my little blog. I'm really glad it helped.

I actually haven't had a 'gout' attack since writing this post and forgot I even had a 'gout' issue.

I did a restrictive diet for the duration of about 2-3 months, I took cherry supplements, drank 3-4 Liters of water and everything the books told me to do. However, I really didn't find relief or a difference in pain on my wrist or toe.

I had a blood test analysis done at my yearly physical by my physician and what I found out was I actually didn't have gout, even though I experienced ‘gout-like’ symptoms. So all this time I thought I had gout, but it wasn't. It was actually a funny conversation.

me: "Dr. Lee, I wanted to ask you what I can do about my gout"
Dr. Lee: "Gout??!? what are you talking about!! you don't have gout! I would've told you if you had gout"
I naturally have a slightly higher uric acid level, but for my body it operates at that level, which the orthopedic surgeon misread and automatically assumed it was gout (if the uric acid range was 4-8, I'm at 8.5), but gout itself wasn't my culprit which is why I didn't find any relief from the restrictive diet.

With that, I began to use other remedies to treat inflammation and not gout

My 'go-to' remedy to relieve inflammation is Ginger! I used to hate ginger, but now I LOVE it. I take ginger capsules and drink ginger tea (julienne ginger root and add hot water) after any 'questionable' meal (a 48oz Rib eye steak, or an all you can eat seafood buffet - yes I consume those things haha) and I haven't had any pain or flare ups since.

As for running and having big toe pain, the anatomy of the foot or the shape of shoe may be the cause of the inflammation. I started using custom orthotics made from the podiatrist and along with the ginger I haven’t had any issues with the toe. (FYI- check your insurance carrier it might cover orthotics, which my insurance thankfully covered my $250 custom orthotics)

I hope this helps and that maybe you’re like me, we have gout-like symptoms but not gout itself, and managing inflammation may by the remedy for you and for some of your patients as well.

Happy eating! J

Lily

Chiropractors are more than just bones.

2014-01-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

I've been to 5+ chiropractors in my prior days . I know some chiropractors only focus on certain areas, such as only the neck or only the spine, but now there are some that are so much more.
My current chiropractor, Dr Jon King (http://www.scomacu.com/page2.html) is also very knowledgeable in sports therapy and physical therapy. If you have a chance to test out a few, 'shop around' for a multi-functional Chiro.

I was going to a PT for an ongoing shoulder issue. I knew it was muscle / joint related so I went to a PT, I didn't think a Chiro would be interested in muscles. On my right arm, certain movements would always illicit pain where the deltoid attaches to the bicep area. I spent about 3 months at physical therapy with electric simulator pads on my arm, massages, stretches and exercises. My arm got marginally better. It still hurt and I still didn't feel like the root of the issue was solved. I gave up and felt I would just have to live with this nagging pain. I tried lots of stretching and yoga, but the pain never went away.

Midway through 2013 I was having a issue with my right hip. I felt that one hip was higher than the other. Again, I thought it would go away over time, or get better with stretching and yoga, but it kept getting worse. Eventually around Oct 2013, I could not even sleep because the pain kept me up and I decided.. "hmm this is probably a 'bone' issue, so I'll go to a chiropractor". What happened was that the back muscles are so tight, they're pulling the hip up so one side is higher than the other. While my Chiro is working on realigning my hips and all these muscle problems, (which have improved greatly in the 2-3 months), I mentioned to him about my nagging arm issue.

After a few 'tests' he narrowed down that the problem area was a scapular and sub-scapular muscle. Its surprising that a back muscle would be causing the front of my arm to feel pain. He pressed into the very very tender area of the scapular muscles (if you haven't felt it, its a Very uncomfortable area to be pressed). I was laughing because seriously I delirious with pain. After beating me up, that night I was able to move my arm and NOT feel any pain. It was amazing! After 1 visit my arm is significantly better (70% better) compared to 3 months of physical therapy (15% better).

I can understand why PT had such poor results because he only focused on the area of pain, the arm, but the root of the issue was my back. My Chrio said that the scapular muscle is commonly injured when a person sleeps on their side with their hand tucked under their head (which is how I sleep practically every night).

I'm super happy to have the range of motion in my right arm again!

You Know your a Runner when...

2013-12-17T10:10:00.001-08:00

you pack a golf ball, tennis ball, and KT-Tape whenever / wherever you travel.

A So-Cal Girl's Guide to Running in the Rain

2013-12-07T16:04:00.001-08:00

Being in Southern California, we luckily have awesome weather almost all year round. I applaud the brave souls that experience real 'seasons' and have to run in the rain, snow and ice. However, sometimes we do experience this strange clear liquid falling from the sky every now and then, (I hear it's called Rain).

Oh what to do? :)

1- What to wear?

Look for active-wear designed to repel rain and wind. My go to line is the Adidas ClimaWarm line. Recently, Nike has stepped it up their winter line with their Thermaflex line which is now pretty decent. Today I wore:

Bottom: Adidas Climawarm running tights (they have a fleece-like material on the inside)

Top: Nike Thermaflex top (wind and rain repellent)

Outer: Nike Running Gloves, hat and a Pearl Izumi outer shell (Rain repellent)

The shell is pretty fantastic. It's light weight and vented but also keeps the heat in. (It's actually a cycling jacket but it still works for running).

Wearing a hat with a bill will help keep the rain out of your eyes and face and keep your head warm (you lose a lot of body heat from your head).

2: Tunes:

Blast some kick ass music. When I stepped out the door, Pandora was playing Sia-Titanium and that song will make you feel invincible! Especially the chorus

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose ...

You shoot me down but I won't fall

I am titanium"

You will be shaking your fist saying "F-U rain! You can't stop me!"

3: Ventilation, when things heat up:

Once you start running your body temp will rise and the clothes are designed to retain your body heat. If you start getting too warm, don't take off your layers yet. (You're sweaty and you will get super cold.)

First roll up your sleeves a little bit to expose your wrists. Since this is the location of an artery it will cool down the rest of your body. If you're still too warm, expose your neck line (the carotid artery). If you're still burning up then take off a layer, but in this weather the wrist and neck should be enough.

4: Keep Moving

Your body temp is regulated by your movement. If you stop too long (to take some pictures and blog about it), the body temperature will fall and you will be cold. But what's worse you'll be sweaty, wet, and cold (really the worst kind of cold to be in). If you need a break try to keep walking rather stopping completely.

5: Smile

Just know that E V E R Y O N E (cars and people) will all be thinking "damn that's a hardcore runner!"

Happy Rain-Running!

Imaginary Competition

2013-12-05T10:24:00.004-08:00

Sorry I've been in a weird funk and haven't been blogging as much, but on my run yesterday, I thought of blogging and missed it.

I usually like running solo because it gives me the flexibility to run when I want (like at 3:42 in the afternoon or some odd time like that), and it gives me the flexibility to go as fast or slow as I feel like (which I know isn't proper training etiquette, but I'm in it for fun of it, not to win the Olympics - or as I keep justifying to myself). With my running with partners, we 'enable' each other instead of compete. hehehe

On my usual route, there's a pretty big hill 3 miles before my house (the end destination). Normally, I try to run part of it and walk the peak cus its pretty steep. Yesterday, when I was making the turn to start up the hill, I had already planned that I was gonna walk the hill. THEN, I saw "Girl with Sunglasses" on the opposite side of the road. Now, when you live in the same neighborhood and run the same routes, you notice the same people, and we've crossed paths and smiled and waved before. I could tell by her pace, she was not gonna walk the hill. So I ran up the hill. I was a little ahead of her so I couldn't see if she ran it either, but I could 'hear' footsteps behind me. I couldn't really turn to look back, all I could do was push forward. When I finally climbed up the peak, I wanted to rest, but I heard those footsteps closing in.. So I ran..

I kept running until I was about a mile from my house and there was a bend in the road which allowed me to peek behind me, and there she was, "Girl with Sunglasses"!
I'm glad I kept running cus I didn't want her to pass me. I really don't think she had any idea the "race" I had going on. But I felt so good when I got home, my pace was awesome, my breathing was awesome, my time was awesome, and I didn't let "Girl with Sunglasses" beat me. haha!

When you're stuck in a routine rut, pick a person to "race" with. It'll make your run a lot more "fun"

Happy Competing!

My Cauliflower Nightmare

2013-10-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've eaten cauliflower before, mainly if it was part of an entree, but I've never actually purposefully sought out to cook and eat a cauliflower. I know cauliflower is a super gassy veggie (like way worse than beans) which has always been a major turn off for me.

Recently, I've seen lots of recipes that use cauliflower as a substitute for carbs and people seem to love it and in the back of my head I keep thinking, "Don't they get gassy?... maybe its not as bad as I thought it was."

I made a recipe for cauliflower & lentil soup

And here's where the nightmare begins..

I had 2 bowls for lunch, I was so bloated and gassy for the entire day. My stomach kept cramping up. I was hungry but I couldn't eat anything because my stomach was so bloated. Then my blood sugar was getting low, so I was shaking and getting the sweats, but I couldn't eat anything. My stomach was so expanded I looked like I was going on my 3rd trimester of a cauliflower-baby-monstrosity.
I had a 4 mile trail run planned that I had to cut short because I felt like I was either going to vomit, or shart myself. In pain I went home and tried to have dinner and sleep it off.

Around 1 am, my stomach pains violently woke me up. Then around 2-3 am I was regurgitating my days meals. I felt much better after that, but now here's the Worse part (what it gets worse? YES!)

The vomiting caused the blood vessels around my eyes and face to burst. It looks like I have black eyes.
I'm trying every remedy I can find online to reduce the blotchy-redness.

Its safe to say, I'm not eating cauliflower again. It actually looks Better in the picture. In person its waaay worse

I Don't Taper

2013-10-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

I do understand there are benefits to tapering, but its not for me.. I tried it and I didn't like it.. and thus

I Don't Taper

First things first: what is tapering? In a nut-shell, greatly reducing mileage and training 2-3 weeks prior or a race.

-Training doesn't stop after the race/event

I feel when a person tapers 2-3 weeks before their race, it makes the race the "end goal", the finale. So what happens after the race, do you continue to train, take a break or find another race?
The normal taper timeline is 2-3 week taper, race, then 1-2 weeks off (still enjoying the race high), then after another 1-2 weeks later you start considering another race. By that time, its 2-3 months out since you last really "trained" so then you need start from square 1 again with another 16 week training program.

-Loss of Endurance

I lose endurance so fast I should be a science experiment. I'm fit and healthy and I have a blood pressure score of 106/60 on a bad day, but I believe biology is not to my benefit and my circulation is weaker. I always feel I have a circualation issue which doesn't see to go away no matter how many miles I run or weights I lift. 1-2 weeks of not running or a reduce mileage is not going to work for me. There are some people who can keep their endurance for months.. for me 1 week of not running and its GONE.

-Itchy legs

This goes hand and hand with the loss of endurance. You know that 'itchy' feeling you get when you start working out after being sedentary for a while? (That itchy feeling is actually capillaries expanding to provide more blood to the muscles). If I reduce mileage for a week, by race day, my legs are itching like crazy. Told ya, I have bad circulation.

-Poor Performance
Tapering is supposed to get you body rested up so you can kick ass on race day. Instead, it makes me have the worse race possible. My legs are itchy, my lungs burn (loss of endurance) and I'm just M I S E R A B L E!

Alternative:
Instead, I do take it a easier the week leading up the race, mainly to avoid injury and not do something stupid like to try rock climbing for the first time, but I still run high mileage and do my cross training. I treat the race just like a normal training weekend, except its harder with more people, and I have to wake up earlier.
I take a normal rest day following the race and training resumes back to my normal schedule.

Now just cus tapering doesn't work for me, I'm not saying it wont work for you. I believe you know your body best and you know what it needs. Listen to what your body is saying and flow with it. If you hate the taper schedule, don't taper just cus someone or some training plan told you so. Experiment and see what works for you. :)

Happy Racing,
Lily

Free Golf Balls

2013-09-18T16:36:00.002-07:00

I don't play golf, but I love using golf balls for my plantar fasciitis. And whats better? Free is always better.
Get 2 free pinnacle golf balls here!

http://www.pinnaclegolf.com/survey/survey.asp

DIY for dry hands.

2013-08-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

I put my skin through a lot of abuse- chlorine, sun, salt, dishes, multiple showers a day, etc.. With the summer heat, my hands were getting really dry and wrinkly. Here's a cheap effective home remedy anyone can do.

Products:

1- rubber gloves

2- lotions

Get rubber gloves a size larger or ones that give you a little bit of wiggle room else you hands will feel like they are suffocating. My hands are technically small so my glove size is a s/m.

Gather lotions. I like to mix and match and layer an array of lotions.

Next layer the lotion on your hands. Any of your favorites are fine. Gob it on thick. Then put the gloves on. I also squirt in some more lotion after the gloves are on. I like to do this before bed so when I wake up I have soft silly hands.

Plantar Fasciitis? Cheap home remedies

2013-08-15T09:53:00.001-07:00

Ice:

Instead of buying the $100 freezable roller, place a water bottle in the freezer and roll the bottom of your foot with it. You can experiment with bottles of different shapes.

Tennis balls:

Tennis balls are great muscle massagers. You can use them pretty much on any body part, it's cheap, and portable. This case was $.99 at the 99 cent store. Roll the bottom of your foot with it. Really put your weight on it to get a deep massage.

Panty hose:

Place the ball inside a knee length panty hose so you can control the ball from rolling away. Also a great use for back massaging. Place the ball on your back while standing against a wall. Press and hold the ball on those stubborn muscle knots.

Happy Rollin'

2013 Barb's Half Ironman Race Review

2013-08-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Barb's Race

1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run

Barb's Race is the only "women's only" triathlon. It was developed as a fundraising event to be held simultaneously with the Full Vineman. Over $700,000 has been raised for cancer related organizations since the inception of Barb's Race in 2001.

** Barb's Story**

Barb Recchia volunteered for the Vineman events every year since they began in 1990. Then Barb was diagnosed with cancer in 1999.

Barb’s positive outlook and resolve in beating cancer made a big impression. It became clear that an event in her honor to raise funds for helping people like her beat cancer. The next year, Barb’s Race was started.

When I began the race, I thought to myself.. " I'm Never doing this again".. but once I finished, I said to myself.. "I can do better." Since this was my first time participating, I didn't know which hotel to stay at, so I trusted the hotel sponsors on the Vineman website. Lesson learned...next time, (if there is a next time), I do not recommend this. The hotel was SO FAR from the start or finish. It would have been better to have stayed at a hotel toward the beginning or end. The hotel we were at was in the middle, neither here nor there.. It took 20 mins to get to either the start or finish. Next time, I know better.

The Swim:

We started the swim in the Russian River. I really liked how the corral started in the water, rather than making you 'run' into the water.

The water was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold. The water level is pretty shallow, at most 5 or 6 feet deep. Several parts of the swim course, the water is so shallow you can't even stroke cus you hit the ground, so many actually "walk". I really appreciated that the race directors carpeted the swim exit. Its just awful to swim 1.2 miles then have to stagger your way back to your bike over sharp rocks, etc. I'm very thankful for the carpet they laid down. They also had a crew that helped you take off your wetsuit.

T1:

There were 2 transitions locations. At first it seems kinda weird, but it makes sense. You have to put all your run stuff at T2 the day before, which is at the finish line. Then you put all your swim and bike stuff at T1 (near the start line) the morning of. You're given a bag with your number on it, where you put all your swim stuff, and ride off. The race people will gather all the bags of swim stuff and take it to the finish line where you can pick it up. OR if you have a "cheerleader" with you, you can give your bag to them before you 'Bike Out' so then they have your stuff. Then the race people collapse and take down T1, and in an hour, its as if we were never there.

Bike Out:

T1 was muddy. I had so much mud in my bike clips I couldn't clip in. The start of the 'Bike Out' is a short but steep uphill. I walked my bike up the path before I clipped in, no point in wasting extra energy on that.

The course was beautiful, passing through many many vineyards. I installed the hydration system Speedfil which is amazing! Around mile 30 I started to run low on my liquids, I grabbed a gatorade bottle from next the bike station, stuck bottle upside-down into the speedfil opening. In seconds, the gatorade bottle was emptied into my Speedfil container, all without missing a cadence beat.

By mile 40, I was already over biking. I hated seeing more vineyards. I thought to myself, "I never want to ride this long ever again!" On the Barb's website, they said there was a 'big hill' at mile 45. Around mile 41, I thought I conquired the rumored 'big hill'. It was tough, but I powered through it feeling really proud of myself.

I passed through more rollling hills, I look down at my bike computer, mile 45. I look forward and I'm approaching a monster of a hill. I couldn't even see where it ended. I plow forward, barely going 5 mphs. At many points I even thought of getting off my bike and walking up the hill. Close to giving up, a well placed volunteer at an upcoming curve cheering "You're almost there, just around this turn!" Believing her, I said her words over in my head.. "arouond the turn.. around the turn".. I made it past her, smiled, but when I looked... there was ANOTHER TURN! She LIED! And I was MAD! (but it was a well-placed lie) Wanting to give up again, some well placed children volunteers where cheering us on, "Just around the turn!"

I would not let myself fail infront of children, what kind of example would I be? So I pushed on.. There were a few more turns (kickback style) until we finally finally finally reached the peak.

It was the most blessed downhill I've ever experienced. The rest were rolling hills heading to T2.

Strangely, the last 3 miles were the longest and most painful. I could see the school, I could hear the crowds.. but I WASNT there yet! I pedaled fasters.. looked at my meter only .3 miles had passed. ARGH!!!

Eventually, painfully, and thankfully, I made it to T2.

T2:

The run transition was great. I placed a cooler full of ice at my area, so my drinks were cold and it felt so good to splash ice all overmyself. I soaked my hat in the melted ice before I ran off. I have really long transitions, which I know I should be more hasty, but I just swam 1.2 miles, and biked 56 miles, and conquered the Monster Hill of Hell.. I'm sitting down, and I'm going to pamper myself. LOL

I washed my feet, changed my socks, drank my liquids.

Run Out:

The run was two 3.3 mile loops. You run out to 3.3 miles, turn around and go back to the start, 6.6 miles, then back out again, 9.9 miles, then back to the finish, 13.1 miles. They had the most amazing water stations. Water, gatorades, fruits, cookies, chips, and the most amazing peaches and nectarines sliced up. I called each station, the "Peach stop". My only driving force at that moment was knowing there were peaches at the next mile.

Crossing the finish line was a relief. It was over, I could sit and lie down.

The funniest part, was when we got back to our hotel, I took one step up the stairs and froze. My legs would not work. I almost had to be carried back to the room. It took me a day to regain the use of my legs.

A Runner's Solution for Thick Hair - Scunci, no slip grip evolution

2013-08-02T14:06:00.003-07:00

I have thick, long, unruly and heavy hair. Pretty much every hair tie I've ever tried, its ruined after 1 use. I always have to stop and re-tie my hair because it gets loose and hair is flying and flopping around everywere.

However, I stumbled upon these hair-ties and they are AMAZING!!! The Scunci, no slip grip evolution

This is serious, NO SLIP GRIP. I did my entire half ironman with these little guys and my hair was still very tightly held in place.

I'll never go back to regular hair ties again.
Trust me ladies (or men if you have long unruly hair) this is for you.

Stubborn Muscle Knots?

2013-07-12T10:57:00.002-07:00

Recently I had some calf issues and went to see a Physical Therapist.
Since I was there I brought up every problem I had, (one stop shopping).

My other chronic issue is pain in my upper traps, mainly between my shoulder blades.

I tried a chiropractor, acupuncture, massages, but the knots would always be there. Finally after 3 PT sessions, I realized the Electric Massager the PT used was very effective. So I went to Amazon and bought this one. There are many brands and prices. I just went for the cheapest with pretty decent reviews: XFT-320A Electrical Massager..

I love this. its the best $24 I ever spent. I blast my knots and I can move my neck again.

I know it doesn't solve the underlying issue (which I'm sure is related to posture and training) but it definitely feels Great!!

My Addiction

2013-03-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

Over the years, as my body has grown accustomed to long distance running and endurance, it is true, endurance training is highly addicting.. but why?

Yes, on many levels there are hormones and enzymes in your brain and body that love it and keep you wanting more. Everyone has their own personal thoughts and feelings.

But I've noticed, in myself, during on and off season training, my stomach is what drives me the most. Now its not just the justification of gorging 3000-4000 calories a day, (that of course is fun) but its the way my body reacts to food is a whole other story.

During my off season, I wasn't running as much, and therefore I wasn't as 'hungry'. I feel like I've reached a point in my training, where my body just knows how many calories it needs to sustain itself. On my off season, I probably have 1000-1200 a day. Mainly I just don't "feel" like eating more. I get full, I stop. Yes, I get hungry like most normal humans, but the main reason why I don't eat more is because food just "taste" ok. Imagine eating something that didn't "taste" good. You'd obviously just eat enough to sustain life, and stop.
Even some of my favorite foods are just "good". Food was becomes something I had to do for survival because everything I ate was 'bleh'

why?

When I do long runs, my body gets so hungry, so drained, the tiniest morsel of the most mundane food tastes Phenomenal!! As I chew, every taste bud is dancing erotically on my tongue, and every bite is almost orgasmic. Then consuming the food re-energizes my soul, my mind, my eyes, my ears, everything. Everything just tastes so g o o d!

Its like playing a Super Mario Brothers with only 1/4 a heart left, then you find that Magic Mushroom, and *BAM* 20+ full hearts back.

It wasn't like this all the time. It took years to get to this point and realization.
When I don't have my long runs, I miss the "taste" of food the most. I do love training on the road for hours, being at peace with the world and myself. But that meal at the end is what really drives me home. I 'crave' to crave food.

what's drives you home? :)

The Search for a Tri-Bike

2013-02-18T19:57:00.001-08:00

Since my bike got stolen (prior post) I needed to quickly find a new bike because Barb's Race Half Ironman was quickly approaching and I needed to continue my training.

I debated between a road bike and a tri bike, and decided to go with the a tri bike. When I did my last half ironman, my hamstrings were really tired, so I hope to avoid that feeling with a tri bike.

Now finding a size was difficult. I'm 5'2 and petite. Its hard to find a bike small enough to fit me, and with a top tube short enough for my torso. Also I want to get a good deal on a bike too. Of course you can spend $$$$ on a bike, but I decided my limit was $2000-$3000. Closer to $2000 would be best.

I visited a few triathlon stores to get fitted for a bike. I didn't know how a tri bike should feel and it was my first time riding one.
I tried a QintanaRoo, Fuji, Cervelo, and Felt.

It took a couple weeks of searching and researching. Also it was hard to take the time out to drive to stores to try the bikes out.

My local bike store had a GREAT deal on a Cervelo P2 and P3. They looked so pretty, but the smallest size would not fit me.

My last stop was at Triathlon Lab where I saw a good deal on a Felt B16W. I really needed to find a women specific bike because those were the ones small enough to fit me. The workers at TriLab were so helpful, and they set up 3 different bikes for me to try out so I could feel the difference. They didn't force me to get the expensive bike, because I was really drawn to the Cervelo. They recommended the B16 because it fit me really well.

after a few test rides, I fell in love with my Felt B16W. It was comfortable and a great deal! I ended up getting it for $1700 a full carbon and full ultgera bike.

Here's a picture of my new 'Mint-Chip' (its light green and black, but it looks blue in the pictures)

Special Thanks to State Farm for making this happen.

My Bikes Got Stolen

2013-02-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

Over MLK weekend, my garage was broken into and my 2 bikes were stolen.

Here's an homage to 'Little Red' - my 2010 Fuji XS SL Comp 1.

My second bike was a 2009 Trek WSD FX 7.5 - that wasn't ridden very much, so all I have is stock photo.

I'm writing this post to let other's know how the whole process goes in case this happens to someone else and they need some solace.

Once we got home and realized the bikes were stolen (along with other stuff in the garage) we called the "non-emergency" police line.

About 30 mins an officer arrived and gave us some forms to fill out to file a police report. He said there's pretty much nothing they can do, and usually the stolen stuff never turns up.

I went to bed feeling very sad, thinking why did this happen.

The next day, I called my homeowners insurance to get an idea of what can be covered. My Statefarm agent said they wouldn't be able to provide much details. I would need to file an "inquiry claim" to see if its worth filing a claim.

After talking to a claims agent, who was very helpful, he said, that State Farm would cover the amount to replace the objects minus the depreciation. So for example, to replace and purchase my Fuji SL Comp today, the retail price is $2300. State Farm believes a lifespan of a bike is 10 years, since I had the bike for 2 years, they took off 20% for depreciation. So $2300 - 20% ($460) = $1840 + tax back to me.

Not bad since I bought the bike on sale for $1800. So I got the full value that I paid for it.

State Farm knows you don't keep receipts for everything, but for the larger priced items, if you did have a receipt it would be helpful. Luckily I did have my receipts for my bikes, but they were ok if I didn't have receipts for other things, like my pedals, bike computer, etc.

The insurance process was very fast. After I submitted the paper work, I got a check within days. The process was over in a week.

I also notified local bike stores and scoured craigslist and ebay to see if my bike was posted. I even made flyers to post, but after I got my $ back, the flame to search for my bikes died down.

It would be nice to find my road bike so I don't have to go through the process of getting another one which is a PAIN.

If you rent, you can get renters insurance. It covers the same things as home owners insurance (in case your bikes or possessions gets stolen)

Get insurance! better safe than sorry :)

and here's a note for the thief: