Moving yet again...running tally ending Sept 6

I have been searching on Craigslist for about 3 weeks now for a new place to live since I won't be able to stay in my current place on Balboa Island. I finally found a place. Click here to see my previous post about the trials and tribulations of roommate searching on Craigslist. I ended up finding a place in Costa Mesa that is right on the Newport Beach line about 1.7 miles from the coast. I will share a 3BD/2BA condo townhouse with 2 other girls in their 20s. I really wanted to be within 2-3 miles from the beach so at least I got that wish.  It was only $50 more than my current apt so I was relatively satisfied. This will be my 8th apt I have rented since 1999. The photo on the left is one I took on the Balboa Peninsula last weekend.

This Oct 1 move means my time on Balboa Island is coming to a close. It has been a nice 4+ months living on this cute little coastal island community of Newport Beach. I will miss it a lot but it's still a 10 min drive away. Actually my new place is so much more convenient to stores, restaurants, my 24 Hour Fitness gym, etc. Trader Joe's will only be a half mile away. It's in this area called Triangle Square, which has many cool shops, cafes and restaurants. Despite the negative reviews of this area on Yelp, I actually like the area.

J** and I are having a good time so far while he visits. The night he arrived we took the Balboa Island Ferry out to the peninsula to get $1 tacos at Great Mex. Then on Friday night we went down to San Diego to visit and stay with my friend Ryan. We went to Babycakes in Hillcrest to eat some of their very scrumptious and MOIST cupcakes. Since we wanted to prevent the sugar-induced comas I so frequently get after having sweets in the evening, J** and I split a pistachio one. They also have other flavors called "White Bottom" and "Black Bottom". Hmm, why would a place owned by gays name those cupcakes as such? I wonder... Anyway, the cupcakes are really, really good and they truly are moist, I'm not joking. Most have some kind of a filling inside. Ryan had a blueberry one with a blueberry jam inside. They also have other flavors like Blood Orange, Mango and Pomegranate. I'm so glad they have stayed in business for over a year. I haven't tried the actual cakes yet, but I am sure they are just as good. Babycakes also has plenty of brownies and cookies, along with a wide selection of beer and wine. This space used to be the former location of David's Coffeehouse.

On Saturday we went down to Coronado for a few hours. I always enjoy that beach with its very fine white sand. It feels so good under my feet. I didn't bring my boogie board but still managed to body surf in the 2-3 foot waves. The waves weren't too intimidating, but I did get sand and water in my ears/nose since it's hard to stay above water without a board while surfing. The beach we went to was about a half mile south of the Hotel del Coronado.

After a few hours at the beach we walked along Orange Avenue (the main drag) and stopped at Panera Bread for something to eat. Then we went to Stretch's Cafe for some soft serve vanilla yogurt. It was so good and very inexpensive. A medium cup is only $2.65 and they give you a lot. J** and I split a cup. If we had known that they also have sandwiches there we would have just gone there to eat. The last time I was at Stretch's was a few years ago. I only noticed the yogurt, but maybe I wasn't paying attention in my frozen yogurt craze.

Yesterday we went back over to the Balboa Peninsula to lay out at the beach and this time I brought my boogie board only to find out that the waves were SO SMALL. I couldn't believe that this was the same beach that featured the 20-foot waves back in July. There were a few 3 foot high waves that I did surf, but it was nothing.

Running

This week I tried running on consecutive days. I pushed the pace a few times as well. The calf still feels the same, not better, not worse. I had PT once on Tuesday before J** came into town later that night. Normally I would do it twice. I will go next week one time. I may not need it anymore.

Below is what I did last week.

Date	Time	Mileage	Min/ Mile	Notes	HR Max	HR Ave
Aug 31, 2009	37:03	5.32	6:57	I did the Back Bay again. It was twilight and I ended this run in the dark. It was kind of cool to run at this time of day. The dunes and marshes glowed.	---	153 (82%)
Sept 2, 2009	41.03	6.04	6:47	I ran with J** at Back Bay again. This time I was really able to push it. My calf felt ok. It's always the first mile that feels weird. My hamstring was a little sore but I think I will always have to deal with that.	171 (91%)	157 (84%)
Sept 5, 2009	17:12	2.5	6:52	I was in San Diego and was going to do 6-7 miles today but cut it short due to running too late in the AM (11am). I decided to do a short run due to the heat and see how my calf feels running on consecutive days. No HR monitor since I forgot it in Newport.	---	---
Sept 6, 2009	41:30	6.16	6:44	I ran Back Bay again but in the direction of UC Irvine. It was mostly flat and the breeze was nice. It was very sunny though, so by the end I was getting hot. Temps were in the upper 70s, we started around 11am. It would have been better to start at 9am, but my tired ass was just getting out of bed.	174 (93%)	156 (83%)
week ending Sept 6, 2009	---	20.02	---	I'm glad I reached 20 miles for once. I think this week I really tried to push the pace on a few runs. Perhaps I should have ran slower, but I need to stay in good condition if I am going to do a half marathon in 5-6 weeks time in Long Beach.The plan next week is to run 4 days and also do 9 miles. I am traveling to DC for a conference on Saturday so maybe on Friday I will do the longer run.	172 (92%)	155 (83%)

Roommate Searching Sucks/Run tally week ending Aug 30, 2009

Craigslist is where I have always found roommates and apartments. It's a great free site but very frustrating sometimes. I have seen some great places advertised only to receive no response whatsoever. I have also seen some CRAZY posts. One such ad said, "NO DRUGS, ALCOHOL, SMOKING, GUNS OR PETS!" Wow, that neighborhood must be really safe if a past roommate felt the need to bring a gun! Needless to say I moved on to the next ad. Then there are the ads that want you to share a room. Um, let me think for a minute...NOT! I'm not 20 years old anymore going to undergrad. I won't share a room. The main issue is there are so many UC Irvine students in this area so they are all willing to share a room near UCI in order to save money.

Then there are the ads Where Every Other Word is Capitalized (???) or WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS. Oh, and I can't forget the ads that say, "Kitchen privileges only" or "no overnight guests". That's just lame. If I am paying money to rent a room in your home or apt, I should have the right to have guests over every once in a while. I should have to right to "live" in the house. I'm not going to scurry over to my room like a mouse to eat my food just to stay "out of the way." If you are going to rent out rooms in your house then you should let your roommates have access to the common areas of the house. I need a home where I can feel comfortable. 

The other thing I can't stand about this process is the fact that it's Aug. 30 and people are STILL looking for Sept 1 roommates. I can't believe people would wait until the very last minute to get a roommate. Since I don't need a place until Oct 1 there have been very few situations that would work. I do have one lead for a place for Oct 1. It's $50 more per month than I am paying now in Costa Mesa. It's a very good location in terms of it being close to Trader Joe's, 24 Hour Fitness and other eateries and cafes. We will see.

I can afford to buy a small condo. I am not ready to do that until J** moves to SoCal. Then we can buy a place together in a more desirable area than I would otherwise afford on my own. I just hate having to go from one roommate situation to the next. Everything is always so uncertain. I almost feel like a nomad. Since college graduation I have lived in 7 different apartments/houses - 4 in Boston, 2 in San Diego and 1 in Newport. It's getting old very fast having to constantly search for roommates online. Hopefully my next search will be a home with J** to live permanently. 

Running

This week was almost identical to last week. I ran a little less. I had 2 PT sessions on Tues and Friday. Next week should be my last week of PT hopefully. The massages on my problem area in my calf are helping, along with the electro-stimulation and ultrasound.

Below is what I did last week.

Date	Time	Mileage	Min/ Mile	Notes	HR Max	HR Ave
Aug 24, 2009	37:02	5.28	7:00	I did the Back Bay again. Nothing too exciting. I ran slower. HR was inaccurate for Max. Another misreading. I think I need to wet the sensors more with water before the run. If it's too dry it doesn't read correctly.	156 (84%)	---
Aug 27, 2009	29:02	3.89	7:27	I wasn't able to run on the Bay Bay due to staying late at work and not having enough time. I ran off Balboa Island a little and my HR monitor was malfunctioning per usual.	169 (91%)	144 (77%)
Aug 29, 2009	51:09	7.15	7:09	I ran from Balboa Island up through Corona Del Mar, which is a very nice neighborhood of Newport Beach. I ran along roads adjacent to the ocean. It was nice. The temps were in the upper 70s when I started the run and probably low 80s by the time I was done. We have a heat wave here as temps are usually under 80 most of the summer months on the coast. I did a hill/path the went down to the beach called Inspiration Point. Overall I felt good, the pain wasn't too present until the very end and beginning mile. It seems to numb out for a good portion.	171 (91%)	159 (85%)
week ending Aug 30, 2009	---	16.32	---	I wanted to run over 20 miles but certain things got in the way. It's ok. I may as well slowly creep up. I won't be able to do much unless I add another day of running. I'll be able to do that next week I think, or the week after. I ran slower this week to not aggravate my calf injury.	---	---

Massive Waves Crashing in Newport Beach

I saw the tragic news today about a man who was killed by the waves at The Wedge in Newport Beach. I had to go there and check out the monstrous waves myself.

My friend Ivan and I walked down to the Balboa Island ferry and took it across to the Balboa peninsula to watch the waves. We later grabbed $1 tacos at Great Mex. I love their $1 taco specials every Tuesday and Friday!

Anyway... right now and all weekend there are 15-20 foot high waves/swells over the Newport Beach Balboa peninsula. I took a video that captured the waves crashing against the pier with some even got as high as the floor of the pier. We weren't standing toward the end of the pier, but a lot of people who were got soaked. It was amazing to watch. On the same video I also caught a lifeguard rescue of a swimmer who was trying to get back into shore as a set of huge 15-foot waves pummeled him. He was almost slammed against the pier's wooden stilts. Actual pieces of wood were thrown off the pier by the force of the waves. Actually my roommate's boyfriend got a video of this on his camera. This was an amazing sight.

I am totally going back tomorrow with some friends to get more footage of the waves and hopefully people body surfing at The Wedge - check out a video compilation of body surfers I found on YouTube here. Crazy stuff man. I'm totally wedging out dude.

Weekly Running Tally ending July 6, 2009

This week I felt more tired than usual on my runs. I ran two days less, I was aiming for 5 days but ran only 4. J*** was in town so I wanted to spend more time relaxing. I was shocked I did a run at 6:33 pace. I did have a scare on one of the runs when I felt a sharp pain in my left knee. I think I just need to not push as hard on the uphills. I found a hill on Seadrift Avenue near Irvine Terrace Park that is moderately challenging. No real pain in the abdomen. Today I ran 6.1 at 6:45 pace for my longest run yet post-surgery. I will be posting that in the log at the end of the week. Below is the latest log:

Date	Time	Mileage	Min per Mile	Observations	HR Max	HR Ave
June 29, 2009	30:38	4.49	6:49	It was a Monday run. I felt ok. Worked in some hills. Average HR was good. Trying to keep it around 80% of max.	166 (89%)	151 (81%)
July 1, 2009	31:04	4.57	6:47	Ran after a long day at work. I was tired and my HR showed it. I had to work extra hard to keep pace.	176 (94%)	156 (83%)
July 3, 2009	32:20	4.83	6:38	Wow, this was a tough run. I was breathing pretty hard. I pushed it a bit too much I think I felt a twinge in my left knee. I had to stop. It went away though.	174 (93%)	155 (83%)
July 4, 2009	29:52	4.55	6:33	Wow, my fastest pace yet. I was so in the mood to just get it over with. Happy 4th of July!	173 (93%)	155 (84%)
Week ending July 5, 2009	---	18.44	---	Trying to get at least 25 miles next week. I will try to run 6 days but pace slower. I don't want to overdo it.	172.2 (92%)	154 (83%)

J***'s visit was great. We did a lot. We went over to the Balboa Peninsula a bunch of times. The night he came in we took the Balboa ferry and ate at The Newport Landing on Thursday for their $1 tacos. We each had 4. They were good. It was super busy though and lots and lots of high school kids. I forgot what it is like to be a teenager. The kids in SoCal seem very spoiled though, much different than Boston teens.

Friday we didn't lay out on a beach but drove 2 miles over to Corona Del Mar, a section of Newport Beach. It has many cute shops and restaurants. We at at Thai Del Mar, a small place on Pacific Highway (PCH). We both had the lunch special for $6.99 but it was not enough food. I was left hungry and had to immediately eat a whole wheat bagel at Bruegger's across the street afterward.

We attempted to drive to Balboa Island and park my car, but there was not a single space left on the island. Yes, we made the grave mistake of actually driving off the island during 4th of July weekend. My roommate actually assumed we had walked to Corona Del Mar. So after 20 min of not finding a space we decided to head to Fashion Island up the road and check out some stores and walk around. We then parked in a neighborhood nearby and walked went to Corona Del Mar State beach. We took photos of The Wedge from afar. Waves can get insanly big there (up to 15 feet high). They were only 3-4 feet last weekend though.

Saturday we ended up taking the ferry again and going to the Balboa peninsula beach for a few hours. It was a perfect day with perfect sun. I didn't bring my boogie board since I don't think I am ready to do that just yet post-surgery. My abs still feel sore inside where the incisions were. We did go into the very COLD water though. The waves crash close so you can get pounded pretty easily. For lunch we initially headed to Great Mex for some great Mexican food. We were going to go on Friday, but it was way too busy and no places to sit. We then walked down the Pier and saw the over-priced menu items at the Ruby's diner. Later that night we want to Shanghai Pine Garden on the island for some great Chinese food. I had the steamed chicken and veggies with a garlic sauce on the side and J*** had shrimp with string beans and rice. The prices were $9-$11 for a lot of food. Granted, it's not the most fancy place, but it's convenient and good.

Sunday we went down to hike at El Moro Canyon at the Crystal Cove State Beach. We opted for the 3.1 mile loop since we were hungry and doing the 4-6 mile option was not going to be an option. In the future I would like to do a very long hike there. It's a nice workout with very steep inclines and declines. After grabbing some salads at Trader Joe's we headed to the Cystal Cove State Park's beach at Pelican Point, which is very nice. The $10 fee for doing the hike got us into the beach parking area too. Not a bad deal if you do both activities.

J*** left this AM and then I went into work early. I will miss him! I stayed until 6PM per usual. I become unproductive mid-day and then I get a lot done from like 3-6 so I just go with it. I should have left earlier since I came in at 7:30AM! Anyway, I am tired now and will go to bed.

Running without Stitches

Today I was given clearance to run again. I showed up to a general surgeon here in Newport as a follow up to my laparscopic appendectomy (see past post here) that I had on June 9. It's been 13 days since the surgery and 15 since I last went running. I walked 5 miles this past Saturday and about 4 miles yesterday. I was just itching to run so I walked at a fast pace. It was fine.

Today I finally ran for real. According to my Nike + iPod device, I covered 4.2 miles in 31:25 for a 7:20 minute per mile pace. That's about 20-30 seconds slower than my typical training pace, but I was pleased. My Polar SD200 heart rate monitor read that my average BPM was 151 (81% of maximum heart rate) and my max heart rate reached 172 (91% of max). For most of the run it hurt slightly, almost like I had a cramp in my abdominal region. My core is just very weak at this point. It will take time to adjust. By the end of the run I was getting used to it. My doctor told me I wasn't allowed to do any weights or ab work for at least another 2 weeks. But at least I can run. That's all that matters.

I had a very enjoyable Sunday here in Newport. I was supposed to go to LA to go to Milk to eat their blueberry chiffon blue velvet cake with white icing (YUM), but plans didn't work out with my friend. Instead, I just stayed here in Newport and took the Balboa Island Ferry (photo courtesy of balboaislandferry.com) to the Newport peninsula to go to the beach. My friend Newell from San Diego came up. It was really nice and took all of 10 min to get there by foot. The ferry from Balboa Island to the peninsula is just 5 min and runs all day, everyday until 2AM. It take 3 min to walk to the ferry. It costs $1 each way to take it.

After we got back my friend Steven and Joe came by to visit since Joe was working for the week in Newport and staying at the Hyatt, about a mile away. We walked around the island, watched the sunset and the abnormally high tide. The tide about 1 foot below the top of the concrete seawall. I can only imagine if there is a storm serge. My roommate said it does flood slightly but it's only ankle deep in the streets. They actually drain the canals around the island to prevent an overflow. It's so odd. We ended up eating at Picante Martin's, which is very good and cheap Mexican.

Goodbye San Diego and old cell phone bills

Last weekend I went back down to San Diego to get the rest of my stuff. I didn't think it was that much but my car was filled to the brim and I couldn't see out the back window or to my right. Very dangerous when driving on the highway but I stayed in the same lane most of the time.

I didn't realize just how much stuff I hold on to like very old cell phone bills. I have cell phone bills from Cellular One (then became Cingular) from 1999! At work we have a shredder bin that is locked so I took them in today to get rid of those. There is no need to hold on to those. I got rid of all from 1999-2003 before I changed to Verizon.

It was interesting to note that back in 1999 I only receive 15 peak minutes but free nights and weekends from 8pm - 7am. My bill was only $20. Then in 2000, I received 30 peak minutes. When I changed to a national calling plan in 2003, I received 150 peak. Now I receive 450 peak minutes and nights/weekends begin at 9pm, which is really annoying. When it was 8pm it was perfect. Of course the cell phone carriers want you to use as many peak minutes as possible to make the most money.

I really limit my peak usage though. I have come close before, but I just use Skype instead. My bill is always $55 and that includes $5 for 250 texts and another $5 for insurance. I have an LG Envy 2, so it is a reltatively expensive phone. I don't want to take any chances.

It was bittersweet to leave San Diego. I really will miss the city but I am so close. It's just meeting people up here in Orange County that will be the hard part. The next few weekends will be busy since I will be in NYC for work next weekend. I'll get to see Nathan, Jason and Leigh Anne. Then the weekend after that is LA Pride, so I'll drive up to see Alexis. Then the weekend after that I should be in Newport.

The OC, I live there now

Well, I have officially moved to the OC, on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. I started my new job today in Irvine. I probably should have waited until 5/20 to start since I flew back from Houston last night at 9pm. Then I packed some things and drove to Newport at 10:20pm! I got there around 11:45 and was up until 1AM! Then I got up at 6:40AM to be at work by 8AM!. CRAZY.

It was a great 5 years in San Diego. In this economy I had to expand my search to LA and Orange County. It's ok. I will definitely thrive. I want to. For so much of my career I have not thrown myself into something. I want to do this at this new job. I don't know many people here so I can focus my energy on that and running. The company has it's shit together. It's amazing how much more efficient they are compared to my last company. It just seems like they are on the cutting edge and are much more forward thinking. They even have a Facebook page!

My hamstring is feeling better these days. I was in Italy May 8-16 so I only ran once through the streets of Venice. I ran once in Houston before heading back to CA. I ran around Balboa Island twice and took amazing photos of the sunset. I cannot believe I will be able to enjoy that sunset EVERY DAY. I caught the ferry boat going through it. So amazing. I live in paradise.

I'll be going back to San Diego this weekend to pack more things and hang out with friends. It's a bit sad to leave, but I am still within a 90-min drive.