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November 29, 2004
Nice Weekend, Treadmill Death Run
I'm sitting here at my desk, not too motivated to finish dinner even though it's one of my favorites (my mom's Filipino noodle dish called pancit) and contemplating how I'm going to encapsulate my long weekend in a relatively brief blog entry. My pre-California "to do" list seems to be growing as I cross things off and think of other things that I must do before I leave town on Thursday for work.
Friday, Nov 26
Bike on trainer before driving to VA Beach 40 minutes
The older I get and the more my mom becomes a home body, the more I appreciate our family time together. No longer does she drag us from Filipino party after party after party...mostly for the free food because that's how old school Filipino women are. Didn't you know that life's a buffet? All I want to do when I go home is relax and do things normal families do like eat dinner at their own table, play Scrabble, and not line dance to techno music with old foggies. Well, I got my wish. No parties today. We hit the Navy Exchange where my mom bought some plants for her yard, and I picked up some Christmas decorations and cheap PowerBars. We also visited a young, diabetic friend who had been in the hospital since early November because her blood sugar got in the 400s. Her recovery is coming along quite well, though she still has a lot of water retention in her legs. Seeing her made me really thankful for my own and my family's health.
Saturday, Nov 27
20 Mile Treadmill Run 2:50
I normally only do long runs on the treadmill when I seriously lack motivation and it simply becomes a matter of getting the task done. But today I had to run on the treadmill because I didn't have time to drive out to and explore a new course at Seashore State Park that a runner ex-boyfriend had verbally mapped out for me. I got kind of excited by the new trendy looking Life Fitness treadmills, one of which I broke an 1:20 into my run. Oops! The pace during the first hour felt kind of fast, so I toned it down for the second hour, then picked it up for a couple miles near the end. This run was so terribly boring that my mind was going numb.
As soon as I returned to mom's house, we ate lunch, I showered, and we all hurried out the door for a religious service and party. I was actually hungry again by the time the party started. Filipino food is like Chinese food; it fills you up fast, but then you get hungry again within a couple hours. We stayed long enough to greet all the "aunties" and "uncles" and eat, of course, before we went to visit my stepdad at his grave site. I am happy that he's in a better place now, but I do feel sad for my mom and 10-year old sister. I detect that there's an emotional, nurturing and disciplinary vaccuum between them that my stepdad used to fill. I wish that I could be there for them all the time...
On our way home, we stopped at my mom's neighbor's house. R. and I assumed they would be total materialistic snobs because of their huge home and luxurious cars in the driveway, but they were the warmest, friendliest people. The wife is an interior decorator who decorated her home in a cool, underwater theme, and she also designed rapper Missy Elliott's home, which was featured in the MTV show "Cribs". I felt like we were in Wyland Galleries.
Sunday, Nov 28
Lift arms and Bike on trainer 30 minutes
R. and I woke up early to beat the traffic back to NoVa. We spent most of the day cleaning the house, putting up Christmas decorations, and I also finished my Knowledge Management paper which is due.
Monday, Nov 29
Easy run 45 minutes
Legs were a bit tired, but overall a good run. I have lots more that I want to write, but I need to make a dent in my "to do" list.
Posted by Leilani at November 29, 2004 10:54 PM
Comments
I spent 3 years of Jr Hi/ High school on Guam and ate plenty of pancit ... and lumpia ... and empanadas. All very good stuff, man!
I've run a lot of miles on treadmills, but never - ever - have I done 20 miles. Wow.
Posted by: jenandmats at November 30, 2004 09:12 AM
Yeah, 20 miles on a treadmill. Wow, that's some serious will power. Go girl, Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at November 30, 2004 07:20 PM
Wow, I'm surprised you know about pancit and lumpia! It is good stuff. :)
Posted by: Leilani at November 30, 2004 10:21 PM