The Cake is a Lie!

So I have a few day off this week leading up to the new year. I decided to use my time wisely by catching up on a few things, namely chores/house work, creative projects, and video games!

Speaking of video games...

Just minutes ago, I completed one of the most satisfying single player gaming experiences I have ever gone through. I beat Portal, one of the best games of 2007. It had long been on my list of games to play. Knowing that the game was relatively short, I decided to sit down with it to see what the hype was all about. Boy was I totally NOT let down. This game is fantastic. I was really afraid all of the hype would just build my expectation to impossible levels and ultimately lead me to a major let down. Even with my knowledge of the general premise and unique game mechanic, the gameplay felt utterly refreshing. The game design was impressively elegant and the pacing was masterful. I think anyone who gave Portal a chance understand what I'm talking about. Portal easily lands a place on my list of "best games I've played this year." Speaking of best games I've played this year, I think I'm going to go finish Braid!

San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon - November 16, 2008

I had a successful weekend in San Antonio. I managed to finish in 1:49:14, which is a new personal best for me. Hooray! Here's the breakdown:

Official Chip Time: 1:49:14
Average Pace: 8:20 minute/mile

My Garmin 405 reported:
Distance: 13.22 miles
Time: 1:49:20
Average Pace: 8:16 minute/mile

I'm guessing the additional .12 miles can be attributed to the actual path I took while running which happened to be just slightly longer than the standard 13.1 length. With streets as wide as they are, this type of variance is understandable.

Overall, I'm very happy with the results. I managed to do a pace of 8:16 while taking a few short walking breaks through the water station. My actual moving pace stayed around the low 8s most of the time.

Also, I didn't have many complaints about the Asics SpeedStar 3 that ran in. I did have some soreness in the outside arch of my left foot, but the discomfort went away. I decided to go with the SpeedStars 3 instead of the DS Trainer 13 because I wanted to see how they would do in race day conditions. Also, they're slightly lighter than my DS Trainers. Despite the good results, I'm planning on using my second pair of DS Trainers for the Houston Marathon. For a distance that long, I'll feel more comfortable with the additional support that the DS Trainers have.

Happy running everyone!

Obama Endorsement

The Houston Chronicle does a good job at making its case for Obama. The Chronicle is historically very conservative. It is the first time that it has endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 when it endorsed LBJ.

I agree whole-heartedly with the endorsement. It's time for change.

Rant: Politics (read at your own risk)

I've been really perturbed with the recent tactics employed by McCain and his camp. Among the biggest sticking points for me are the attacks against Obama's tax proposal. So McCain claims Obama is a socialist for believing in "spreading the wealth."

As I struggled to find the eloquence to express my feelings about this, I happen to stumble upon this comment on a Digg article about all the political labeling going on that I couldn't possibly agree with more.

Political and social constructs overlap. It's dangerous and misleading to quote a line or two from one philosophy and label anyone who agrees with the quote as a believer in all aspects of the philosophy. I'm a fiscal conservative and social liberal. I believe that we should use our country's resources with profound respect and accountability. I also believed that a truly functional society requires that people take care of each other. All taxes spread the wealth around. The current administration did a massive redistribution by raising taxes on the middle class while lowering taxes on the wealthy, which contributed to the economic mess we're in. The "trickle down theory" has failed twice, spectacularly. The middle class is worse off by far now than 8 years ago. Obama's tax plan is breathtakingly simple: the wealthy will pay an additional 3% on taxable income over $250,000. (No change for taxable income below $250K.) The middle class will receive a necessary tax break with which to regain their financial footing. I aspire to be among the wealthy someday. I will not quibble about paying more if I ever break through that $250K level. I want to live in a society that values the health and fiscal well-being of all citizens.

Pre-Season Basketball!!!

I love this time of year. Plus, the second presidential debate is tonight. My DVR will be busy.

Lots of big announcements from Ninty

A lot of intriguing news came out from the house that Mario built yesterday. Here is a quick rundown:

News that made me happy:
-the new DSi (who didn't see that coming?)
-a new Punch Out!!! for the Wii
-a new Sin and Punishment 2 for the Wii
-the upcoming WiiWare titles

News that made me sad:
-Ninty's "storage solution" involves using SD cards (we want a HD!)
-all the awesome Japan-Only games (like Tatsunoko vs Capcom!!!)

News that I'm lukewarm about:
-the GC remakes for the Wii

Check out some of the screenshots here.

Whoops...there goes September

Man. That went by in a blink...

A New Beginning

Today was my second day at my new job. So far so good. I'm still waiting on the "bench", which is where consultants go when they're between projects. I'm just hoping my first project will be somewhere in town, preferably on the west side of town. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Alright, Alright...I'll Make a New Post

Okay, so I haven't updated my blog in a while. The truth is, so much has happened recently that I didn't feel like updating anything until I saw some of those things gain some sense of closure. Here's a quick rundown of the notables:

-I was part of a massive lay-off at work (May 29th)
-I spent 4 days in the hospital with my wife during a medical emergency (July 4th weekend)
-I got a NEW job

Alright, that's it for now. I've got to go meet my buddy Dan on the virtual battlefield.

A Blast from the Past: GEM City!

April Recap?

So I missed my monthly update last month. It's all a blur to me now that we're already past mid May. I'm having a hard to recalling all the April highlights. The three big things that come to mind are my wife's knee surgery, the release of Mario Kart Wii, and the release of GTA IV. That's not to say those three things are of equal importance to me. Obviously, my wife health is number one. (See honey, I DO love you more than games!)

She's doing fairly well. She's in the middle of rehab. The procedure went without a hitch so it's just a matter of seeing how well her knee responds. We're staying hopeful.

As for the games, I'm currently enjoying both still. I promise to post full impressions soon. I promise...

The Texas Independence Relay 2008 Recap

It has been almost a week since the relay and I still can't stop thinking about it. It was such an incredible weekend. I really don't think I could do it justice by describing it here. Everything was great. That's not to say that everything went according to plan, but we still had a fantastic time.

We got in on Friday evening and stayed in Flatonia, which was about 25 minutes away from Gonzales. We stayed at a lovely bread and breakfast called the Olle Hotel that I would highly recommend. The place was gorgeous and Katherine, the owner, was the sweetest hostess. We had a team dinner that night at this steak house a few blocks away. Most of us ordered pasta, of course. After dinner, we returned to the hotel and had a last team meeting before our early start to the race the next morning. We adjourned and tried to enjoy the last bit of real rest before our adventure began.

We got up at 4:30 AM for breakfast and checked out shortly after 5:00. We had a little bit of trouble locating the starting area for the race, even while using our GPS navigation systems. We had a scheduled start time of 6:24 and it looked as though we'd surely be late for it. They has us park a block or two away from the actual starting area, so we rushed to the check in table as soon as we could to get our race bibs and other goodies. We then had to rush over to the starting line while trying to pin our bibs on our shirts. We were late, but they allowed us to start about 15 minutes later than our scheduled start. Our race had officially started.

So the way it works is that your entire team runs this "Prologue leg" before starting on the actual legs. The prologue leg was just 1.15 miles long, but it was a great way to get the team pumped up for the race. My cousin Duy flew through the first leg then handed it to me for the second. I was excited to be the second runner and knew that I would benefit from the early start. A super dense fog still blanketed the area so it was difficult to see more than a few hundred feet away. I caught up to a runner in front of me and chatted with her for about half a mile. She was from an all teacher running team from the Woodlands. We had a nice little chat before we parted ways. I finished my short 4.85 miles at a decent pace and handed it off to our strongest and most experienced runner, Parker. This next leg was rated the most difficult due to its distance and net uphill elevation gain. I had complete confidence in him and expected him to run at a very strong pace, despite knowing that he had had kidney stones removed just a week before (for the record, his doctors strongly advised he not run). The leg was 8.78 miles long and since I knew he was capable of a long distance pace of 6 minutes/mile, we made sure to get to the exchange early. As we waited for his silhouette to break the fog, we starting seeing runners on teams I knew I had already passed. We looked at the clock and started to grow concerned. We called him on the designated runner's cell phone to check up on him. I asked him how he was doing. He replied "Bad. I'm really hurting." At that point I just wanted to make sure he didn't seriously hurt himself and hoped he was close enough to the exchange point where we could help him. A little less then ten minutes later, we see him. It's obvious that he's struggling but he makes a strong sprint towards us. He hands of the race bracelet to my cousin Quan, then just collapses to the ground. We did everything we could to rehydrate him and get him comfortable. It was clear that the race was over for him. On the drive to the next exchange, we were scheduled to meet up the rest of the team. I tried to figure out how I would break the news for them. Deep down, I concluded that our chances of finishing on time were shot with our strongest runner out and his three difficult legs remaining to be distributed among the team. Little did I know that this moment would be the defining moment for me for the entire weekend. I broke the news to the team and was totally impressed with how the team just pulled together to figure out the solution. We ended up switching up several leg assignments. Three of them volunteered to take on an additional leg, and we switched my brother Long to two of Parker's remaining legs. Though I felt good about the decision, I was serious worried about my little brother. I knew he had been training hard, but he was relatively new to running and had never run more than five miles in the gym. And now, I was asking him to run a mid-day 6.36 mile leg and a late night 6.76 mile leg. At the exchange where Long was to take over for Parker, I spent a great deal of time talking with him. I gave him pointers and reminded him to stick with what he felt comfortable with. I made sure he got his gear on and instructed him how to use it. I kept following him to make sure he was ready. And when he finally got the hand off, I watched him speed away. I was anxious and nervous to see how he'd do in the mid-day heat for such a distance. As soon as I got word that he finished, I realized that he had done great. At that moment, I couldn't have been more proud of him.

It should be noted that everyone on this team did an outstanding job. Everyone made huge contributions and I feel truly honored to have been a part of it. We had our ups and downs, but we kept at it and outperformed my every expectation. I am so proud of everyone and I can't wait to do it again.

One more running event weekend...

Just a couple of more days and we'll be off on the last (?) of the running events for early 2008. It's the inaugural Texas Independence Relay!! And since we are the first officially registered team in event history, hopefully we can make it a good one. Here's the brief skinny:
-200+ miles stretching from Gonzales, TX to San Jacinto, TX.
-12 Runners
-3 Support Team Members
-2 Vans
-Loads of fun and adventure!

I'll post the weekend details when we get back. Hopefully we'll come back with those phat medals and a boat load of great memories. Wish us luck!

Austin Half Marathon Recap

So I finally got to bed around 12:30 AM. After what seemed like a brief sleep, I found myself lying restlessly in bed. The alarm rang at 4:45 AM and I rolled out of bed. I didn't feel completely rested but I felt ready. I kept with my usual morning training routine and had a peanut butter sandwich, a half banana, and some juice (actually some mineral water since I had no juice with me). We parked in a parking garage about 5 blocks away from the starting line. I didn't mind the walk, but my poor wife had to endure the distance on her bum knee (she's such a trooper!). I had arranged to meet up a couple of friends prior to the start of the race. We started moving to our starting corrals around 6:40. The starting system wasn't done in waves like the Houston marathon so I was expecting a lot congestion for the first several miles. The race went well. The hills were definitely a challenge, but the course was fun to run on. My only real gripe was that the water stations weren't set up to be on both sides. Because of this there was always a lot of people cutting across to get to the side where the water was being handed out. The setup just made for more slow down and bottlenecks. All in all, it was a very enjoyable race that I'd love to do again. I finished in 2:02. Not too bad. I was trying to keep my expectations low since I was expecting the hills to be a challenge. And they certainly were. I chuckled every time the supporters would cheer us on by saying "Keep going runners! It's all downhill from here." The runners next to me would grumble and say things like "oh, I've heard that one before..." I kept telling myself to treat it as another training run. As the race progressed, I just couldn't resist the thought of smashing my previous half marathon times. I didn't exactly smash them, but I did improve from them.

I need to send a special thanks to my loving wife who subjected herself to the chilly weather and the constant walking. I love you!

Also, great job Rigo and Sheila! It was Rigo's second half marathon and Sheila's first. They both did incredible.

Austin Half Marathon!

After a rough weekend last week, we're in Austin preparing for the Austin Half Marathon. I'm pretty excited to run it since it's the very first time running an event outside of Houston. And what better place to do it then our lovely state capital. I'd like to talk more about it but it's getting late and I need some rest before my 4:30 AM wake up tomorrow. Wish me luck!

The Marathon!!

The alarm goes off at 4:45 AM. I check my knee. It feels almost normal! No significant swelling. No stiffness. I can finally walk normally! I'll have a chance to run the marathon today! I'm excited. I strap on the IT band and patella band as precautionary measures.

It's 6:30 AM, it's time to head off to the starting corrals. I can feel the adrenaline. Maybe I'll have a great run. I'm thinking "I want to get under 4 hours and 30 minutes." The gun goes off and everyone gives a loud cheer. Within seconds, I pass the starting gate. I can hear the chirps of everyone's stopwatch. I look to my right and I can see the sun come up. "Here we go again" I think to myself with a smile. Miles one through nine melt away. They're over in no time and I'm feeling fresh as a daisy. This is where the Half Marathon turn round point is. Beyond this point is completely new territory for me. This is the side of the race I have never seen. The crowd of runners thins out as well as the number of spectators. It gets a lot quieter. It starts to feel more like my weekly training runs. I'm well ahead of the 4:15 pace group. At this rate I'll finish around 4 hours and 10 minutes. I'm excited about my chances. Another few miles melt away and I find myself at mile 15. I'm expecting to see my wonderful wife soon. I just know seeing her and my family will give me some inspiration. I've got to make sure to look cool when I pass them. I have to let her know my knee is doing just fine. The mile 16 marker passes and I'm constantly scanning the crowds for her yellow sweater. My eyes are grabbed by any flash of yellow along the sidelines. I still haven't spotted her yet. All of the sudden I see a familar face. It's my cousin Frances! She yells "They're close! They're just two bus stops down!" My eyes light up and I push on. I spot the first bus stop about 300 hundred feet away. I see the second just after that. And then I see them waving. It's my wife and brother! It looks like she's asking me something. I figure she's wondering where my cousin is. I use my thumb and point backwards. Now it looks like she's asking if I want to take off my skull cap and gloves. I gesture as to say no and I run off. The next couple of miles go by and I start thinking that I should grab for some fruit. I grab a banana and an orange slice. Things are going dandy. I'm on my 20th mile and I'm starting to feel some lactic acid building up in my quads. They're starting to twitch. I worry that a cramp may be setting in. At mile 21, the cramps are setting in. I try to run through it but it is becoming difficult. I'll have to stop and stretch it out. I don't want to lose too much time, but the cramps are taking longer than expected to work out. I get back into the stream and continue running. I run for a few hundred feet and the cramps come back. I start becoming really concerned. I'm so close to the end. Only a few more miles to go. I have to fight through it. I run some more. I'm forced to stop again to stretch and massage. I continue this pattern until I get back to downtown. At this point, the 4:15 pace group and the 4:30 pace group have caught up with me and have passed me. I feel frustrated and disappointed. A part of me feels miserable. I hear the cheers of encouragement. "C'mon Phil! (yeah, many spectators misread my bib and called me 'Phil') You're almost there!" I try to push on but my quads feel like solid marble. I stagger into downtown and see my cousin Frances again. I see her aiming her fancy SLR camera at me and I think "I've gotta look cool for the shot." I start moving my feet and run. She says "they're just up ahead." I decide that I must run the last stretch no matter what. If my quads explode, I have to keep running. So I do exactly that. All of the sudden I see them. It's like a breath of fresh air. I see my wife, brother, and some good friends on the sidelines. I hear them cheer. "GOOO PHI!" The moment is incredibly touching. It's the beautifully pleasant sound of familiarity. I give the last few hundred feet my all. I'm amazed that my legs are still even able to move in their solid state. I see the big timer on the finish line gate. The pain is excruciating. I close my eyes for a moment and keep pushing. A moment later I find myself crossing the last timing strip. Almost immediately, a man comes to me and congratulates me as though he knows me. I'm almost startled by it. He grabs my shoulder and says "You did it! Even through all the pain, you did it! You did it!" I appreciate the camaraderie. I smile and reach out to his hand to say thank you. I notice he's got the finisher's medal already on. He must have come back out to support the other runners. I love that about the running community. Several other volunteers are also there to congratulate me. I limp forward into the convention center. Volunteers are lined up to pass out medals. I'm not sure which line to get into. I know there are some for the half marathoners and some for the full marathoners. I look around almost lost. And I see this lady rush up to me to congratulate me. She puts the medal around my neck and I finally know it's time to rest.

I finished at 4 hours 41 minutes 14 seconds (10 minutes after gun time). Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least I've got something to beat next year.

I'd like to send out a very heartfelt "thank you" to my wife, my family, and my friends who supported me out there. Your support meant the world to me. You see, the thing about running is it makes you feel like you're somewhere else. It feels like living an entire lifetime in the span of a few hours. And when you finally see a familiar face in crowd? Well, that's like finding home again.

-phi

Check out the last 30 seconds of my race. I show up around the 16th second. I'm wearing grey.

First Last Week's Recap...

So this is what happened last week. I bought those knee straps and knee sleeve. I did a couple of short runs on the tread mill in my neighborhood gym. It felt okay. I figured I could get used to it. So on Wednesday I went to the gym anxious to give it a full work out. I got in a few games of full court basketball before I hit the tread mill. Then lifted some weights with Dan. The knee felt fine. I even did some reps on the calf lift machine at 195 lbs. So I got cleaned up and went to work. A few hours of sitting go by before I get up out of my chair. I noticed that my left knee felt stiff. I checked it for swelling and I didn't detect much. As the day went on I noticed that the swelling and stiffness worsened. I grew quite concerned. I didn't remember doing anything unsual at the gym. No hard falls, no trauma, no anything. I decide I should ice it and keep it elevated. I do that for the rest of the day and hope for the best. That evening, I checked my knee before going to bed and I noticed that the knee was more swollen than it was before. Now I start to really worry. The next morning I was disappointed to wake with the knee in the same state. At work, I felt distracted the entire morning. Would I be able to run the marathon? Would I be able to walk to my car?? I didn't want to go so the doctor for fear of him telling me not to run the marathon under any circumstances. After a little talk with Dan, I decide to do the smart thing and have it looked at. So I call my doctor and leave early from work. The doctor checks my knee for any structural damage by bending it and torquing it in different directions. He tells me my ligaments seem fine and that I must have done something to my knee to cause it to start to swell. He tells me I should stay off of it and to take some anti-inflammatory medicine. I told him that I was planning to run the marathon that Sunday. He tells me that ideally I shouldn't and that in the worst case scenario I my cause internal bleeding in my knee, which would be very bad. He said that if I must run I should rest it until then and take it easy on the run. I did just that and fortunately the swelling subsided just in time for...

Just a few more days...

until marathon day! I'm feeling pretty good about it. However, I admit I am a bit nervous about my knee. My knee has started giving me some problems in the last couple of weeks. There is some discomfort in my left knee and I'm hoping it doesn't worsen during the run. I'm convinced that it's my iliotibial band (ITB Syndrome). It was worse last year after some careless training. This year, I decided to train smarter and I was hoping to stay completely injury free this season. All was going so well until a couple of weeks ago. I've just purchased a knee brace/sleeve and patella knee straps in hopes of reducing the discomfort during the marathon. I'll have to get out there to give those straps some test runs first though. Well, wish me luck!