Confession.

Confession time:

I hate getting drunk.

Most of my friends will probably say it’s because alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes one lose control: it is counter to my control-freak nature. Yes, I don’t like the feeling losing control of myself but my answer to this is a little bit more mundane.

After I hit a certain level of inebriation, my body protests. My heart pumps hard and fast. I can’t focus on conversations. My tongue and lips become all thick and useless. Fingers are numb. I get sleepy in the middle of conversations. My face gets red and flushed so fast. And worst of it is that I get throbbing splitting headaches that wont be alleviated until I drink a liter or so of water.

Well meaning tipsy friends give me sage advice: you have to ‘train’ your body to a higher tolerance level. While the logic is sound, the argument falls flat on me because:

1) I dont drink to get drunk
2) Alcohol drinking is used to make people more “talkative” but I dont need alcohol to talk
3) There is nothing to gain for me in accelerating my sleepiness by going beyond my limit.

The problem for me in social situations is that my tolerance levels are pretty low. I hit tipsy on my second glass of wine. Many get tipsy after six bottles of beer. This is problematic. My friends think I’m a teetotaler, or worse, someone who won’t be “part of the group.”

I’ve tried to deflect this by saying that people of Asian/Chinese descent physiologically have a lower tolerance for alcohol (something to do with genetics. Look it up). But then they’d say I’m just spewing out scientific bullshit and Im still too “serious.” Ive tried begging off early but then Id be a killjoy. Ive also been trying to explain that getting me drunk will only make me LESS talkative and then they do the “tolerance” advice all over again.

I like alcohol. In fact I always keep a bottle on hand at home ready to be opened when I need to relax. What I dont understand in these social scenarios is the peer pressure and guilt tripping that occurs just because I tap out earlier than most.

I really really don’t like having headaches.

I don’t want to kill off more brain cells than I have to.

I don’t enjoy heavy social drinking. I prefer meaningful conversations over coffee. I open up more when there is caffeine involved. Tonight for instance was another of those brilliant moments of clarity.

I had been keeping cool over the constant ribbing with my 2-sips-water per cocktail sip strategy. They kept on saying I wasn’t “drunk enough.” I said, what is the objective? I dont plan to match you drink per drink. If I drink more than this I will freaking sleep on the table and it will do no one any good. I DO NOT enjoy the feeling of going beyond -this point- in my alcohol intake.

I guess that is the problem with alcoholics who get more boisterous the more they drink. I don’t like being pushed. I hate it when I am being shamed or forced to do things in public. It raises my hackles. It is never fun for me when it gets to a certain point. I’m not sure what I can do next aside from quitting these events after the 90minute mark. Maybe I should choose my friends more? Maybe it is just that particular group of people?

Time for New Sneaks.

Out of all the crazy weekend busy-ness, I completely forgot to pack my running shoes for the trip to my parents’ house. I do two of my weekly runs out there because the weather is cooler and the air is so much cleaner. Living in the heart of the city the past two years, the air while running can get a little muggy with smog and pollution. Plus, I start off the week there, it is always good to start the week right.

Having forgotten my shoes, Mom generously lent me hers. I was worried that I would tax the shoe to breaking point since she only takes leisurely walks in it.

True enough on the 3km mark, a bit of sole tore off and started flapping about. I limped home, careful not to damage it completely. I could’nt go on without ruining the shoe, either.

Looks like I owe Mom a new pair soon. Sorry, Ma.

This also led me to thinking its probably the right time for me to retire my old shoes. Oh, black-and-purple, you saw me through many journeys. I used this pair for all my races and it feels hard to say goodbye. Here with the NatGeo timechip.

I’m starting to geek out over shoe types, tips for running efficiency, and personal records. It’s funny for me now that I only used to buy sneakers based on ‘how nice it looks’ or that it came with a color I liked. I’ve never been athletic so all the talk about ‘high performances shoes’ just went over my head.

Until now.

I had my stride diagnosed at a proper running store. Verdict: normal neutral feet, slightly pronated left and toes landing outward to the right. I was pretty happy myself that I actually sort of understood what those mean now! I also couldnt let the day pass today without buying a new pair. I have a race next month and I want to break this in first thing tomorrow!

At the mall, I went to Planet Sports and Toby’s (good feedback from athlete friends and online about their staff really knows what they’re doing). I found a pair that I liked, and they were on SALE! Woot! Budget saved!

I wandered into the Nike store too. They had fun colored shoes but their staff were clueless about anything other than basketball shoes, so I walked out.

Had a really hard time between the NB (left) and the Asics (right). The Asics pair was the last one they had but it was exact to my feet: no room to stretch. My heart broke a little because I could feel the sturdy support with my left foot arch. Settled with the NB in black (pink insides!), and went home happy!

Get ready to rumble, Blackie.

Staycation and Potato Chowder.

A day and a half after the race and I’m still sore. I need to take it easy, hydrate and do some light workout today. As I’m not a fan of too much medication, I am skipping mefenamic acid and gritting through the pain. I’ll wait for the cramping to end.

Good thing I had the foresight to set aside a day to recuperate, giving me an impromptu staycation. Spent the time glamorously reorganizing my clothes and linen closet. I turned on The Voice while cooking my new go-to comfort food: Chicken Potato Chowder.

Ingredients:
2 pieces chicken breast fillet, chopped into small cubes (also shredded leftover spicy chicken from the day before)
Half a can of whole corn kernels (drained)
2 cups of stock (or a cube of chicken broth boiled in water)
4tbs flour
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed really small.
Shredded cheddar or parmesan.

How To Make:
(As I only have 1 electric burner, I have to be strategic about the timing)
Salt, pepper and your seasoning over the chicken (I had italian seasoning and a few dashes of pepper flakes to my taste).
Saute chicken over EVOO. Cook, set aside.

Boil potatoes inside the broth. Add in 4tbs flour to thicken. Cook till potatoes are tender and ready.

Throw in chicken and corn. Simmer (do not boil).

Shred cheese and still till melted. Because cheese is always glorious in soup.

If soup needs to thicken add a tbs of flour and cook an extra minute to get rid of the chalky flour taste (or a tbs of milk).

This is enough for 4 big bowls of soup. I normally eat one right after cooking, topping off with a layer of parmesan (yum!). The rest I have for breakfast the next day, and for lunch at work (nuked for heat).

Run in the dark of night. Finish at the break of day.

Finished my first 10k yesterday!

I feel wildly accomplished.

Despite having four 5ks under my belt, and one 10k, I find it hard to associate “being a runner”. I have this weird sense that being a runner is part of an elite club of people who watch their diet, have expensive gear and keep spreadsheets of their performance. I didn’t associate being one until a friend ofine said “well, you’re a runner,” as part of normal conversation. That stopped me in my tracks. I felt the sentence almost form right after that, “I’m not a runner!” but I stopped myself.

Yes, I am a runner. I am starting to geek out over personal records, running gear and cross training. I am being careful with my meals because all the extra baggage won’t help my speed.

What I learned: it truly is a mental sport. If you are lucky enough, you train with a buddy, but for the most part you train on your own. You are only as fast as your body can take you. And even if your body can make it, if your head isn’t in the game, you won’t get to the finish line. Solo runs place you inside your head: with music, podcasts, news. Your body becomes a machine. You hear your heart thump like an engine, hear your lungs take in breath to fuel your heart and feed your blood stream.

It is (fairly) cheap: your only investment is a decent pair of running shoes. Granted once you do this often enough, your tastes begin to differ (I have caught myself looking at the difference between one tread to another, and testing shoe weights).

It is a lonely sport, and can be easily boring if you run begrudgingly as part of a weightloss regime. If this is just cardio for you, then put in thirty minutes and you’re done. I am still running because I am exercising my mind to get over the whining over pain: shut up and run. It is a test of strength and endurance. How far can I take this?

I went to my 10k on my own. I don’t have running friends to go and the 5am start time was too early for anyone. I asked a friendly stranger to take my finish line photo. My sister picked me up and we had breakfast on the way home. To many, yesterday was just another Sunday.

To me, yesterday was a milestone.

I am a runner.

Sports Injuries.

I need to train for the furthest race distance I’ve ever attempted. At the end of the month I’ll join the NatGeo 2013 race, for the 10k category. Ive run a few 5k’s already and I thought I’d have time to hit the 10k milestone at the end of the year. But I want to join RunRio 2 and the minimum distance is 10k. Us 5k sissies need not apply.

Which brings me to my crash course attempt at strength and endurance training this week. Ive been a good girl so far. I bring my own salad lunch. I eat yogurt for snacks. I have enrolled at the gym downstairs so I can use the treadmill. Used the pool to strengthen my arms. Did some research on the slowest pace I can go without being embarrassing (“just finish in less than two hours”). Last Sunday I laced up my shoes and attempted to go past my normal 3-almost-5k weekend run.

I didnt want to shock myself, so I decided on a brisk walk. I finished 7km in 80minutes, with a pace of sort of 11min/km.

Not bad, but I feel I can do better. My other fear is that Id pass out (I dont have it in me to quit) for lack of preparedness. I saw my race kit and it all felt closer to being real. No turning back now.

Ow.

Not a glamorous shot, I know. Peeling skin is never fun, but on this one? The sting is a reminder that I worked my butt off that day.

Baked Potatoes (part 2)

For a long time in my adult life I kept a secret: I could not cook. The other members of my family could cook but I could not boil water to save my life. I knew that time was running out: I couldnt very well live on my own sustained by takeout and delivery. So I bit the bullet and taught myself to cook.

What made the journey interesting was that these are food that I like. Food that I want to know how to make. I recently got over my shyness for potato and made one of my favorites from Yellow Cab: twice baked potato halves.

Ingredients
Big potatoes (cleaned, boiled, cut in half)
Meats (I had bacon bits and chopped breakfast beef sauteed in garlic, sprinkled with S&P)
Chives (chopped)
Cheese (I had parmesan, cheddar and emmenthal)
Pepper/chili flakes (for taste and color)

How:
Preheat (toaster) oven 350′.
Cut potatoes in half. Do not remove skin. Core the potatoes so you create a pit. Use the insides for mashing.
From the bacon/beef skillet, pour leftover oil into pits.
Mix in meats, chili flakes, chives, cheddar and parmesan.
Spoon mix into potato cores.
Bake in (toaster) oven for 10 minutes.
Wash dishes and clean up.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Out pops the potato. Hopefully the cheese has melted and acts as a binder.
I had emmenthal slices in the ref and I used it as a topper.
Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.

Voila!

Starting Fresh.

Today is my second day at the new office. It’s the same company but a different team. What I love about it so far is how excited people seem to be about working together. This team has gone through many changes in the past few years and I hope I will be able to help take them to the next level.

The caveat to this though is that it takes an hour and a half to get there. The prospect of such a long distance (80km one way) is quite daunting, but it is just another challenge that needs to be overcome. All this means is that I should learn to manage my time more efficiently while maintaining the same level of support that I usually have for any team Im working with. So far, so good. If all else fails, I can work in the car because we have a driver. I hope I dont fall into the habit of sleeping in the car. Im going to keep the tabley charged so I can watch shows if I get bored. Word is that my travel companion snores, so it also looks like my headphones will be my new favorite thing.