My First 5k Race

Posted on May 7, 2013 by meinthebalance

A couple of weeks ago one my twitter/fb/ig friends, Marie (My SoCal Life), invited me to run a 5k/10k in Santa Monica with her in May. I’ve never run a race before and I thought it would be cool to finally meet her and her family in person. So, I went on to active.com and searched for the 5k/10k in Santa Monica in May. I found the Spring Dash 5k, 10k, 15k, half marathon and registered for the 5k. It turns out, I signed up for the wrong race. Marie signed up for the Santa Monica Classic later in the month. Oops. Oh well.

This was going to be my first 5k race ever. This was going to be my first race in my adult life (I had a very short career on the high school track team back in the 90s). I was excited and nervous at the same time. Although I my typical runs on my own are about 3 miles long, I can’t say I’ve really pushed myself for speed. I think my best DIY 5k time was a little over 28 minutes so I was looking forward to seeing what adrenaline in a race would do for me.

Still, in the back of my mind, that insecure voice was casting doubt. I almost decided to not show up at the race since my friend wasn’t going to be there anyway. Even during my drive from Orange County to Santa Monica, I was trying to come up with excuses to not run…

Well, I made it to Crescent Bay Park in Santa Monica. It was a beautiful sight!

I went to check in and pick up my bib and I realized that I knew the person behind the table. We were Daily Mile and Facebook friends. We also met once before in real life when I bought a pair of shoes from her boyfriend. Her organization, Rocket Racing Productions, was hosting this race. It was a small, low-key race… perfect for my first one.

I was ready. I was excited. My goal was to meet or beat 28 minutes. All of the runners, regardless of the distance of their race, started together. After a some instructions about the course and a 10 second countdown, we were off!

I probably started running faster than I should have but I tried to keep that pace some of the other runners for the first mile. I tried not to get too distracted by the scenery of the beach and pier. But for some reason, I kept thinking about what I was going to eat after I was done with this race. Before I knew it, I was at 1.55 mile turn around.

I was feeling good until maybe the last 3/4 mile… just a minor cramp in my right quad. But I still pushed through. I had passed a couple of guys who were younger than me after the turn-around and I didn’t want them to catch up to me. They didn’t.

I finished the 5k in 26:31, 5th place overall out of 37 people running that distance! I met and exceeded my goal! This was definitely a confidence boost for me. Now, I’m signed up for my first 10k at the Santa Monica Classic in a couple of weeks.

What was your first race? How did you do? How did it make you feel?

A Taste of Summer

Posted on May 1, 2013 by meinthebalance

Whoa! How is it May already? Being a teacher, May represents that final stretch of the school year. I’ll be honest with you, I am already looking forward to summer. Maybe it’s because of the amazing Spring Break I had last month. My Spring Break gave me just a little taste of what summer may bring… Now, I meant to write a post about Spring Break a couple of weeks ago but better late than never, right? Warning: Lots of pictures in the post.

The first Saturday of Spring Break, we took a day trip out to Marina del Rey. We had breakfast at Fisherman’s Village and rode our bikes at the park near the water.

The next day, we hopped in the car for a road trip to Northern California. We first drove to San Francisco, via Fresno County. My wife decided to spend Spring Break with her mom since she doesn’t get see her too often. So the kids and I were off on our own adventure. We stayed for two nights at the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, just two blocks from Pier 39. We had a blast visiting the Goldengate Bridge, taking a bus tour of San Francisco, and hanging out at Pier 39.

After a couple of days in San Francisco we drove down Hwy 1 to Santa Cruz. I love Santa Cruz! It’s where I went to college but it holds a particularly special place in my heart because it is where my wife and I met. I wish she could have been with us during this leg of the trip.

We stayed for a couple of days at the Best Western Plus on Ocean. I took the kids to some of my favorite places in Santa Cruz and on campus at UCSC and I tried to give them a history lesson with stories about me and their mom. I don’t think they appreciated it as much as I did…

The Surfer’s Museum on West Cliff Drive and Natural Bridges

On Tuesday, we had lunch at the Saturn Cafe with Elise @phdstrides.

I took the kids up to UCSC and gave them a walking tour of campus. We even go to meet and talk to fellow Healthy Living IGer Sarah @sarahmclaughlin for a few minutes.

College 8: My residential college. I was an RA here for two years.

No visit to Santa Cruz is complete without a visit to the Boardwalk! The weather was great but the water was cold. The frigid temps couldn’t keep the kids out of the water, though.

We also hit a couple of my favorite eateries. We visited Upper Crust Pizza twice: on Tuesday for all-you-can-eat pizza and on Wednesday for all-you-can-eat pasta. An of course, I had to make sure the kids got to experience Marianne’s Ice Cream. The line was out the door but it was definitely worth the wait!

As the sun set on my last day of my road trip, I was definitely thankful for the time I got to spend with the kids sharing memories and creating new ones. I wish my wife were with us, but it’s all good. A great vacation like this only makes me yearn for the start of summer even more. Thankfully, it’s only a few more weeks away.

What did you do during your last vacation?

What are your plans for this summer?

My Identity Crisis

Posted on April 24, 2013 by meinthebalance

I’ve been feeling conflicted for a while now. For the last couple of years I’ve considered myself a wannabe or novice runner but the last several weeks I’ve been struggling with even calling myself that. I’ve spent far too many days and weeks telling myself I should go for a run, then later psyching myself out and not running… not even trying to run.

Then I heard the news on April 15th. The bombing of the Boston Marathon awoke something in me. Although I’ve never run competitively in my adult life, I felt an affinity to the runners of the Boston Marathon. When I got home that evening, I felt like I had to run. No excuses. It was only a couple miles but it was a run.

The next evening, I went for a run again. I saw everyone posting their runs and workouts in their race shirts. I didn’t have one. But I did wear the “in training” shirt I bought when I registered for the 2011 Long Beach 1/2. (I never ended up running it because of injury.). A short, slow run but I felt good.

Then I went for another run on Saturday. Is this a comeback in the making? Can I start calling myself a runner yet?

On Friday, I heard about how @pavementrunner organizing #BostonStrong solidarity runs and saw that @RunEatRepeat was coordinating a #BostonstrongLB #BostonStrongOC run in Long Beach Monday evening. I pushed my insecurities aside and RSVP’d.

I was looking forward to running with the group but throughout the day I was experiencing some self-doubt. Then I saw this tweet:

Now, I had an even greater resolve to run and not chicken out. So after work, I picked up the kids, fed them dinner, changed, and made my way out to Long Beach.

Sadly I missed the group start by about 15 minutes because of SoCal traffic… Doh! But I decided to run anyway. I ran 4 miles for Boston and met up with the group at the start of the trail. It was nice to be recognized by a couple of runner/bloggers I met before and to meet some new people. Everyone was nice enough to get together for another group picture with me.

I’ve learned that the camaraderie that runners share transcends distance and speed. Although I don’t run very fast or very far (yet) I am thankful to be part of the community of runners.

I am a runner.

My Four-Day Juice Fast

Posted on March 20, 2013 by meinthebalance

Last month, I showed my Health classes the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Once again, I was inspired to try a juice fast. I’ve been juicing on and off for the past few months but this time I wanted to see a 10-Day juice fast through.

Why?

Well, just like Joe and Phil in the documentary, I’ve got a hyperactive immune system. I’ve got chronic urticaria and respiratory allergies that I want to try to keep at bay. I was hoping that a juice fast could help my body and immune system “reboot.”

I started my juice fast after my birthday weekend, on March 11. I was mentally prepared for this… in the morning anyway. I found Day 1 to be relatively easy. I juiced enough green juice in the morning to last me throughout the workday. For the most part, I didn’t have any cravings for “real” food and only had to deal with a minor headache.

Day 1, after work, I made dinner for my family. Then I juiced up a different combination of fruits and veggies. It tasted great! Although it was a challenge to cook for the kids and not eat any of the food, I thought I could do these 10 days easily! Then it was off to Bible Study. There were cookies but I was able to resist temptation… I was going strong. However, I was starting to feel pretty tired by 8 pm.

Day 2: More green juice to last me the work day. I was actually starting to feel some hunger pains but I ignored them. After work, I decided to stop at a Robeks Juice for something different. The ABC (Apple, Beet, & Carrot) really made for a refreshing change from my kale juice. My only regret is that I didn’t order a larger size.

I tested my blood sugar later that evening and I found that it was pretty low for me so I made some tropical fruit juice. I was craving something sweet and this hit the spot. The smell of the fruit was amazing and I had my first cheat… I opened up the juicer and ate some of the pulp. I rationalized it by telling myself that I could had a worse cheat… but I still felt some disappointment in myself.

Day 3: Once again, I had my green juice for most of the day and I was actually pretty tired of it already. I made it through the work day alright. Even after school, I picked up some juice at Robeks and was okay. When I got home late in the evening, however, I was feeling pretty weak– both physically and mentally. I checked my blood sugar and it was low again. I was craving carbs really badly! I broke when when I saw a granola bar on the kitchen counter. I devoured it… and it seemed like it was the best tasting granola bar I’ve ever had. Then the guilt and disappointment settled in as I was going to bed.

Day 4: It was a new day. Things were supposed to get easier on day 4, right? I had my green juice again. I made it through the work day but I was constantly thinking about food. I think I lost momentum when I had that granola bar the night before.

After school, my son was begging to try a new Boardwalk Burgers and Fries that just opened down the street from school. I figured I could handle it so we went and ordered food for him and his sister–nothing for me. While we were waiting for the order to come out, we learned that they use peanut oil in their food. That’s a no-no for my daughter because she has severe allergies to peanuts. So, I had a decision to make. I wish that I could tell you that I threw my daughter’s food away. Or, I did the noble thing and gave the food away to some less fortunate person who may have been looking for a handout somewhere in the street. Sadly, no. I ate the grilled cheese sandwich and fries.

I was weak and did not have enough will power to resist the temptation. This was almost a week ago. I’ve forgiven myself since then but I have to admit that I’m still pretty disappointed.

Well, four days are better than none. I do intend to try again… Perhaps this summer when I am less stressed during vacation.

Have you ever tried something like a juice fast?

How strong is your will power?

Learning to Breathe

Posted on February 24, 2013 by meinthebalance

It’s official. I have obstructive sleep apnea. Last month’s sleep study proved that my airway is being blocked during my sleep. So not only do I snore, but I’m only getting about 84% of the oxygen I need. Scary!

This week, I finally received my Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP machine. On Tuesday, I attended an hour-long training session on how to use it at Apria Healthcare in Brea. We saw a video and learned how to use and maintain the CPAP and accessories.

There are a variety of different mask options to choose from. I was prescribed the mask on the right since that’s the type I used during the sleep study. We’ll see how this one works for me in the long run.

So I’ve been using this for a few nights now. It’s taking some time to adjust. One night, my allergies were really bugging me so I could wear my mask with all of the nasal congestion I was experiencing. I’m also trying to figure out which humidity setting is ideal for me.

Although having to use and maintain this equipment is a nuisance, I know I need it. I hope this works. Perhaps, this will help me resolve some of my other health issues and I can get back to more regular and intense workouts.

Not Your Typical Day at the Beach

Posted on February 11, 2013 by meinthebalance

My son came home last week telling me his Social Studies teacher assigned a community service project. They are required to volunteer an hour of their time for the next four months.

I told him, “Great! You already volunteer at church to work with the first graders every Sunday. You’ve got more than enough hours.”

It turns out, the kids need to start something that they haven’t already been doing. At first, I was annoyed by that rule… then I realized that my kid (and I) can give an additional hour a month to help a cause in need.

I directed my son to REI.com because they have a link on their site that can connect you with a variety of volunteer opportunities. While I gave him the freedom to choose a job, I was really hoping that he would choose an environmental cause. I was stoked when he chose a beach cleanup project!

The beach cleanup was hosted by Orange County Coastkeeper. Every second Saturday of the month, CoastKeeper holds a beach cleanup to collect debris. They are also conducting research to monitor debris that may be washing up from the tsunami that occurred in Japan back in 2011.

Last Saturday morning we showed up at Huntington State Beach, at Tower 11 with our buckets and pinchers. I could think of worse places to spend a Saturday morning… it was a gorgeous day in Surf City. While we were out there, we also met the cool guys of Coastal Playground, a clothing brand that helps to promote coastal environmental awareness.

My son and I had a great time helping out. Surprisingly, we only picked up one cigarette but. We did, however pick up over 120 pieces of plastic and over 140 pieces of styrofoam!

Altogether, there were about 75 volunteers and we collected over 120 pounds of trash. Not bad for an hour’s time.

Next month, my wife and daughter will join us in the cleanup. It will be on my birthday weekend. It sounds like a great way to spend my birthday… seriously! My family and I enjoy the beach so much so it only makes sense to give back once in a while to keep it beautiful!

How do you serve your community?

Losing Sleep

Posted on January 30, 2013 by meinthebalance

My wife had enough! For too many years, she has had to put up with my snoring. Sadly, though, it was more than the nuisance of my snoring that prompted my wife to make me request a sleep study from my doctor. I would actually stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night. She feared that I have sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. This means
I may not be getting enough oxygen!

According to WebMD, if left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a growing number of health problems including:
• high blood pressure
• stroke
• heart failure, irregular heart beats, and heart attacks
• diabetes
• depression
• worsening of ADHD

Could this be contributing to my hypertension? My pre-diabetes? My allergies?

So, I finally had my sleep study last Saturday night at the St. Jude Sleep Disorders Institute.

The accommodations were nicer than I expected. I thought it would feel like a clinic but I was pleasantly surprised to find a room similar to a small hotel room or dormitory… except with cameras, a speaker in the headboard, and a network panel behind the nightstand.

My technician, Andrew, spent the next few minutes explaining the procedure and wired me up. I had probes and wired all over to monitor my brain waves, heart rate, muscle activity, and oxygen levels. I felt like I had been assimilated by the Borg from Star Trek.

I honestly wasn’t sure that I would be able to fall asleep in my cyborg state. Thankfully, it had been a long, tiring day so it only took me a few minutes to fall asleep.

A couple of times during my sleep I heard Andrew through the speakers telling me to roll over to my back or to go ahead and sleep in my side. About three hours into the night I was awakened by Andrew. He told me that I had stopped breathing and he needed to connect me to the CPAP machine and that I would need to sleep with a mask for the rest is the night. Falling asleep was much more difficult wearing this mask.

I had some serious anxiety about it. I could only breathe through my nose with this mask on. I felt like I was going to suffocate. Eventually, I did fall asleep again but only after what seemed to be forever.

Well, I survived the night. Andrew woke me up at 6:30 am and I was released to go home at 7:00 am.

While I am still waiting to have my follow-up appointment with my primary care physician, I’m pretty sure that I do have sleep apnea and I will have to plug into a CPAP machine at night to sleep. It’s going to take some getting used to but I’m hoping that getting enough oxygen at night will help me resolve some of my other health issues.

Trying to Simplify

Posted on January 27, 2013 by meinthebalance

It’s taken me a while to write and publish this post. It’s been written and deleted many times.

I was hoping to have an upbeat post with a list of my goals for this year. Sadly, this month had been a difficult month for me health-wise.

I’m still dedicated to improving my health and fitness but I’ve had to take a serious look at my goals. On a good note, I’ve been doing well nutritionally and started juicing again on a regular basis. My fitness goals are needing some revisions. While I did get a few runs and workouts in these past few weeks, I’ve had to deal with allergic reactions, high blood pressure, and the flu!

So instead of big, lofty, “all or nothing” fitness goals, I’m going to be working towards small victories first. Simple, right?

This month, I saw my doctor about my high blood pressure. We adjusted my meds a bit and it looks like things are getting better… back to normal.

So my simplified health & fitness goals for this year:
1. Continue my vegetarian diet & juice at least 5x a week.
2. Do something active for at least 30 minutes every day. (It does not need to be part of a workout program
3. Drink more water.
4. Get more quality sleep. (I will have a post about my recent sleep study soon)
5. Stress less. (Not sure how to quantify this one, though)

So, what goals did you make for this year/month? How are you doing so far?

2012 Year In Review

Posted on January 2, 2013 by meinthebalance

If you’re on Facebook, you have probably seen your 2012 Year in Review. I was less than impressed by the way FB showcased my 2012 in photos. If we’re friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram you already know that I took a lot of photos last year. Here are the ones I hand selected to represent the big moments of last year.

1. I started allergy therapy at the end of 2011 and continued it for a couple of months into 2012. It actually backfired! The injections actually made my body MORE sensitive to my allergens.

2. I was offered a free month at Barry’s Bootcamp in Irvine. It was a great workout but unfortunately, the distance from home and SoCal traffic made it too difficult to go regularly. It was really cool to meet Kara, the manager and trainer of the studio! You should definitely check it out if you have one near you.

3. After nine years of teaching at my school, I was honored with the title: Teacher of the Year.

4. Although we live only 10 minutes from Disneyland, we rarely visit the inside of the park. I’m thankful that my parents treated us to a day at Disneyland during Spring Break.

5. Miss K had appendicitis in May. My wife and I actually spent our 14th wedding anniversary at the hospital with our little girl. Thank God Miss K’s surgery went well and she is fully recovered.

6. @Gnarlynoel reached a milestone and graduated from the 6th grade. He’s growing up way too fast!

7. @Gnarlynoel and I attended Spirit West Coast in Del Mar and FishFest in Irvine. We got to see and hear a lot of Christian artists this summer.

8. We went camping as a family for the first time ever. I hadn’t been camping since college. We went with our adult fellowship from church.

9. This summer, we spent a lot of time by the water. We tried to make it out to the beach as much as we could. We also took advantage of every opportunity to visit friends who had access to swimming pools.

9. This year I visited a chiropractor for the first time and learned how bad off my neck and spine are. In this photo I am at borderline phase 3 subluxation. You can read about it in this post. I was getting adjusted 3 times a week for several weeks. Now, I’m only needing weekly adjustments.

10. Early in the school year, both kids injured themselves. @Gnarlynoel landed wrong jumping out of a tree and tweaked his knee. Miss K fell on the blacktop during recess and broke her arm. They’ve both since recovered and are doing well.

11. This fall, our dryer broke down on us all of a sudden. It was only 5 years old. Thankfully, it coincided with an appliance sale at Sears we went for a pretty significant upgrade. The new washer and dryer set have an setting that’s supposed to help folks with allergies. I was so excited about the new laundry set that I painted the laundry room.

12. I guess 2012 was the year of household upgrades. We sold our old dinette set to Kailey of SnackFace when she moved to LA to make room for the dining set my wife had been wishing for a quite some time.

We also updated our living room with a new sectional. We sold our red sofas to a former student of mine and the desk to a friend. We still have the coffee table and end tables in the garage if anyone is interested in them.

That pretty much sums up 2012 for us. It had it’s good and it’s bad but that’s life, right? How was your year?

Coming soon: My goals for 2013.

Boiling Point

Posted on December 31, 2012 by meinthebalance

So it was Friday evening, a few days after Christmas. I was calm… at peace. In about an hour we were going to be on the road to San Diego to visit my parents. Then it hit me. I started feeling “off.” I don’t know how to explain it. I just felt “off.”

I’ve felt that feeling before. It was my blood pressure. I had a feeling it was high, but I didn’t realize it was this high! I took my meds. I’m in the middle of vacation. It just didn’t make any sense why my bp was so ridiculously high.

Needless to say, we didn’t end up going to San Diego that night. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I decided to call it a night and try to relax some more.

The next morning (Saturday) I checked my bp and it was still elevated. Not as the night before, but still high. I felt the need to get away… to run away. Well, to run anyway.

I made my way to Huntington Beach. Being at the beach gives me such a calm. I felt my blood pressure lowering with every breath of the ocean air.

I went for a run. Not for time. Not for distance. But for me.

I didn’t push myself too hard. I took in the scenery. I took in the cool air. I smiled and nodded at others who were out there running, walking, and biking.

In the end, I ran/walked about 6 miles in about 80 minutes. I forgot my Garmin at home and my iPhone died on me during the 4th mile so I don’t have any exact stats, but I’m okay with that.

Thankfully, I made it to the car before the rain started to come down hard.

I tried to take it easy during the rest of the weekend. By Sunday morning my blood pressure was at a better level.

I’m sure I’ve internalized some stress that I haven’t come to terms with. That definitely contributes to hypertension. I’ll be working on using more effective stress management techniques.

How do you manage stress?

Me In The Balance

Balancing faith, family, fitness, food, and fun