I saw a movie called "Let the Right One In" today, and it's an amazing movie!! It has a lot of parallels to "Twilight," but in my opinion it's waay better. It's in Swedish, and it's really bloody, and the acting and plot are just incredible. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. If you're into vampire movies, I would definitely recommend it...again, "Twilight" can't even compare with it.
I ran on a treadmill for the first time in maybe a year today, since it was basically zero˚F outside,, and it was pure torture! I managed to do 7 miles within about an hour, but it was incredibly mind-numbing, even though I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean at the same time. I actually cannot wait to suit up and run out in the cold again tomorrow, since it's going to be in the luxurious twenties.
I am beginning to feel the onset of boredness, and I hate it. I'm used to going somewhere right when break starts, so it feels strange to just while away the days on the internet, playing videogames, or even reading a book. I wish I could get out more and hang out with people, but it's often so hard to find a convenient time for everyone. I've also noticed that there are all these great restaurants in my neighborhood I just never get a chance to eat at, because no one ever comes to the northside! It's unfortunate. I did go out with some people to see that movie today though, so I guess I can't really complain too much about things to do.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Cold Days
I suppose it's about time I update this thing, even though I'm pretty sure no one reads it.
It's gotten really really cold lately, but I've managed to keep up the running! I'm really happy about that. I got another pair of warmer running tights at Fleet Feet the other day, and when I layer that with my other pair, I can run in sub-freezing weather quite comfortably. Today I ran in 14˚F weather, and despite some loss of traction due to the residual snow and ice, it wasn't that bad at all! Ah, to be a runner is to defy the elements. I'm starting to get kind of sore from just doing LSD (long, slow, distance for you non-runners haha), despite all the literature I've read that advocate so strongly about just building up a base and not doing any intervals between cross country and track. I still do some core and weights, but honestly, I felt better when some of these long runs were interspersed with some speedwork too. Speaking of which, I got my medal in the mail today for getting 3rd place in my age group in the 8k Turkey Trot I did on Thanksgiving! I was actually pretty excited about that. I'm also thinking of doing another 8k this coming Saturday, but I'm not sure if I would do so well given the current conditions. I have to say I like racing that distance though...in general, I think I like longer rather than shorter distances. I think I might try doing a half-marathon over the summer...but before that, there's track season! And hopefully I can make it to State again.
In other news, I don't think I've ever been more swamped with homework in my life(or at least stressed by it)! :-( Besides running, I've just been studying all weekend, and I'm still not prepared for the multitude of exams this week! I just have to keep reminding myself that it's just two more weeks, and then freedom.
On a random side note, I definitely need a hobby.
It's gotten really really cold lately, but I've managed to keep up the running! I'm really happy about that. I got another pair of warmer running tights at Fleet Feet the other day, and when I layer that with my other pair, I can run in sub-freezing weather quite comfortably. Today I ran in 14˚F weather, and despite some loss of traction due to the residual snow and ice, it wasn't that bad at all! Ah, to be a runner is to defy the elements. I'm starting to get kind of sore from just doing LSD (long, slow, distance for you non-runners haha), despite all the literature I've read that advocate so strongly about just building up a base and not doing any intervals between cross country and track. I still do some core and weights, but honestly, I felt better when some of these long runs were interspersed with some speedwork too. Speaking of which, I got my medal in the mail today for getting 3rd place in my age group in the 8k Turkey Trot I did on Thanksgiving! I was actually pretty excited about that. I'm also thinking of doing another 8k this coming Saturday, but I'm not sure if I would do so well given the current conditions. I have to say I like racing that distance though...in general, I think I like longer rather than shorter distances. I think I might try doing a half-marathon over the summer...but before that, there's track season! And hopefully I can make it to State again.
In other news, I don't think I've ever been more swamped with homework in my life(or at least stressed by it)! :-( Besides running, I've just been studying all weekend, and I'm still not prepared for the multitude of exams this week! I just have to keep reminding myself that it's just two more weeks, and then freedom.
On a random side note, I definitely need a hobby.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Hello!
I haven't posted in so long...school has just been killing me lately. I thought at first that taking so many classes was a bad decision, but I think I am adjusting to it and starting to enjoy them more.
Cross country is probably the only thing that's keeping me going so far. I've actually been having a really good season, considering this is my first. I got second place at our regionals meet on Saturday, and the girls team got first place with a perfect score of 15 (winning the first five places)! Granted there wasn't much competition, but it was still exciting. That means we're going to sectionals this weekend, which should be a little more challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.
I don't know what I'm going to do over the winter in terms of staying in shape. It was frigid outside during practice today, and at one point it actually started snowing. I can't stand the cold! I can't imagine how I'm going to manage to keep running through the winter - and I generally abhor treadmills. Well I managed last year, somehow, so I guess I will just end up toughing it out. But it's going to be hard, that's for sure.
I've finally started practicing piano regularly, now that I'm getting more into the flow of school. Still, I find myself shirking all other activities, besides running and piano, in order to do my homework and study. That is, any prospects of a social life appear dim. The sad thing is, despite all the time I spend on work, I feel like I barely get by on the skin of my teeth! I kind of want to do some other extracurricular activities though, like community service or some club or whatnot at school, just to break the monotony.
I better get back to that homework...
I haven't posted in so long...school has just been killing me lately. I thought at first that taking so many classes was a bad decision, but I think I am adjusting to it and starting to enjoy them more.
Cross country is probably the only thing that's keeping me going so far. I've actually been having a really good season, considering this is my first. I got second place at our regionals meet on Saturday, and the girls team got first place with a perfect score of 15 (winning the first five places)! Granted there wasn't much competition, but it was still exciting. That means we're going to sectionals this weekend, which should be a little more challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.
I don't know what I'm going to do over the winter in terms of staying in shape. It was frigid outside during practice today, and at one point it actually started snowing. I can't stand the cold! I can't imagine how I'm going to manage to keep running through the winter - and I generally abhor treadmills. Well I managed last year, somehow, so I guess I will just end up toughing it out. But it's going to be hard, that's for sure.
I've finally started practicing piano regularly, now that I'm getting more into the flow of school. Still, I find myself shirking all other activities, besides running and piano, in order to do my homework and study. That is, any prospects of a social life appear dim. The sad thing is, despite all the time I spend on work, I feel like I barely get by on the skin of my teeth! I kind of want to do some other extracurricular activities though, like community service or some club or whatnot at school, just to break the monotony.
I better get back to that homework...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
First Week Back
The first week of school was probably as busy and hectic as it possibly could be. I definitely saw this coming because of the classes I signed up for, but that didn't make them any less crazy. I know I'm only going to get more homework from now on though, so I just hope I can manage my time wisely enough to keep up with the classes I'm in.
I am seriously considering dropping soccer, as it seems to be more of a waste of time and energy than anything else right now. I went to practice this Wednesday after going to cross country practice, and I could barely move my legs. So basically what happens is I'm too sore to properly sprint for soccer, and then I'm too sore from trying to sprint in soccer to run in cross country very well. Plus, soccer practice is probably twice as long as cross country's and half as productive. We didn't even do anything for the first 45 minutes of soccer practice, because there weren't any fields on the lakefront that were open, so we just kind of stood around. And then the rest of the time, we just did passing drills/half-hearted three-person scrimmages. It's kind of frustrating. I would rather not have any soccer and be able to do nice, long runs on the weekend and properly recover, because in the current situation my legs don't really get any sort of break. If they hadn't both been cancelled, I would have had a cross country meet yesterday and then a soccer game today, which I'm not sure I would have been able to manage. Quite frankly, I would rather just spend all of my time focusing on running. It's not that I don't like soccer, it's just that I don't like it when it coincides with my running.
Today I got up before the crack of dawn to volunteer at the Chicago Half Marathon. It was fun, despite the weather, which was lashing rain. There were between ten and fifteen thousand people there, which was pretty crazy. I helped with the gatorade/water stations at the finish line, which got pretty insane when the majority of the runners were finishing, which also happened to be when the wind and rain started getting more severe. I was so cold that by the time I got home, I noticed my lips were a deep blue! The last time I was that visibly cold was when I went bodyboarding in Ireland, haha.
Today I may see the Dark Knight in Imax with my aunt and uncle from Canada who are in town (who also ran the Half Marathon with my dad), then we are going out to dinner someplace. That's all assuming I get my homework done, which I have quite a bit of...
I am seriously considering dropping soccer, as it seems to be more of a waste of time and energy than anything else right now. I went to practice this Wednesday after going to cross country practice, and I could barely move my legs. So basically what happens is I'm too sore to properly sprint for soccer, and then I'm too sore from trying to sprint in soccer to run in cross country very well. Plus, soccer practice is probably twice as long as cross country's and half as productive. We didn't even do anything for the first 45 minutes of soccer practice, because there weren't any fields on the lakefront that were open, so we just kind of stood around. And then the rest of the time, we just did passing drills/half-hearted three-person scrimmages. It's kind of frustrating. I would rather not have any soccer and be able to do nice, long runs on the weekend and properly recover, because in the current situation my legs don't really get any sort of break. If they hadn't both been cancelled, I would have had a cross country meet yesterday and then a soccer game today, which I'm not sure I would have been able to manage. Quite frankly, I would rather just spend all of my time focusing on running. It's not that I don't like soccer, it's just that I don't like it when it coincides with my running.
Today I got up before the crack of dawn to volunteer at the Chicago Half Marathon. It was fun, despite the weather, which was lashing rain. There were between ten and fifteen thousand people there, which was pretty crazy. I helped with the gatorade/water stations at the finish line, which got pretty insane when the majority of the runners were finishing, which also happened to be when the wind and rain started getting more severe. I was so cold that by the time I got home, I noticed my lips were a deep blue! The last time I was that visibly cold was when I went bodyboarding in Ireland, haha.
Today I may see the Dark Knight in Imax with my aunt and uncle from Canada who are in town (who also ran the Half Marathon with my dad), then we are going out to dinner someplace. That's all assuming I get my homework done, which I have quite a bit of...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Impending Doom
School starts tomorrow. My time is going to be sapped into a black hole before I know it. No more time for leisure reading in bed, no more time to watch Scrubs online, no more time to go and see movies, no more time to really do anything for pleasure...and almost certainly no more time to blog. :-\ We will see how it goes though.
Well, I guess I get what I ask for. Last night I ate at Sushi Para Tu, and probably ate half my body weight in sushi. It was very good though - I hadn't had sushi in so long. I also watched Vantage Point last night, which is a pretty good movie despite all the negative reviews I've read of it. Very fast-paced and intense.
I also had a soccer game today in Oak Park, which was the first of the season for our team. We ended up winning 3-0, which was awesome. I can't say I played very well though, and I might have been one of the only forwards who did not score. I just don't know how well soccer and cross country compliment each other - I've definitely lost much of my touch for the ball, and my sprinting leaves much to be desired. But if I didn't play soccer, I wouldn't be sprinting at all, so I guess I can't complain. It's a fun game, but it comes with its own kind of aches and pains, being a contact sport. I'm still hurting a bit from running straight into a girl today. I don't really know what happened, just that I could barely walk right afterwards from the pain in my elbow and thigh. It's all part of the game though, I guess.
I also went to a cross country dinner at a teammate's house today. The house was both gorgeous and ginormous, and the food was good too. I was as delightfully awkward as ever.
Funnily enough, I think I am dreading the social aspect of school more than the academic part of it. I haven't talked to so many people in so long, and I fell out of touch with so many people over the summer...now I'm going to half to get over that awkward stage with people. I'm not looking forward to that. Well maybe I'll get to know some other people this year as well from my new classes.
Well, I guess I get what I ask for. Last night I ate at Sushi Para Tu, and probably ate half my body weight in sushi. It was very good though - I hadn't had sushi in so long. I also watched Vantage Point last night, which is a pretty good movie despite all the negative reviews I've read of it. Very fast-paced and intense.
I also had a soccer game today in Oak Park, which was the first of the season for our team. We ended up winning 3-0, which was awesome. I can't say I played very well though, and I might have been one of the only forwards who did not score. I just don't know how well soccer and cross country compliment each other - I've definitely lost much of my touch for the ball, and my sprinting leaves much to be desired. But if I didn't play soccer, I wouldn't be sprinting at all, so I guess I can't complain. It's a fun game, but it comes with its own kind of aches and pains, being a contact sport. I'm still hurting a bit from running straight into a girl today. I don't really know what happened, just that I could barely walk right afterwards from the pain in my elbow and thigh. It's all part of the game though, I guess.
I also went to a cross country dinner at a teammate's house today. The house was both gorgeous and ginormous, and the food was good too. I was as delightfully awkward as ever.
Funnily enough, I think I am dreading the social aspect of school more than the academic part of it. I haven't talked to so many people in so long, and I fell out of touch with so many people over the summer...now I'm going to half to get over that awkward stage with people. I'm not looking forward to that. Well maybe I'll get to know some other people this year as well from my new classes.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Running, Etc.
Yesterday I went to cross country practice and ran with the guys for our run, which was a little over 5 miles. I was super hungry from the outset, since I didn't really have breakfast - our practices are at 9:15 which I consider too early to eat a proper breakfast, yet late enough for me to be starving. So I was pretty tired at the beginning of the run, but by the end my legs were pretty sore. I think it was good to pick up the pace though, since I don't think I push myself hard enough when I run alone. I did 8 miles this morning, and the lakefront was super crowded! There was also a 5k Fun Run going on, and it was all I could do to contain myself from diving into the tents and stealing shirts, food, and water. Oh well, they're fun to see anyway. I also ran into Julia running with her dad, and a coach from school as well. It was pretty cool.
Yesterday afternoon I also biked downtown and got a new watch, a pair of shoes, and some jeans. Shopping has become so arduous, and the fact that I did it alone only proves how solitary I've become! I always feel bad when I'm actually shopping for stuff I need and other people are there though, because it seems like they get pretty bored.
I also biked to soccer practice today, which was pretty much a joke as usual. It's a bit sad when I enjoy the bike ride to practice more than practice itself. We did get these awesome Puma uniforms though, and we have a game tomorrow, so hopefully that will go well.
I really miss good food...we haven't gone out to eat in ages, and the food in my house is not always the most appetizing. I would definitely cook if I could, but whenever I find cool recipes that I want to try, I realize that we don't have half the ingredients they require. Maybe I should just go out and buy a ton, and cook up a storm one day...on another thought, I've taken quite a liking to figs lately.
Yesterday afternoon I also biked downtown and got a new watch, a pair of shoes, and some jeans. Shopping has become so arduous, and the fact that I did it alone only proves how solitary I've become! I always feel bad when I'm actually shopping for stuff I need and other people are there though, because it seems like they get pretty bored.
I also biked to soccer practice today, which was pretty much a joke as usual. It's a bit sad when I enjoy the bike ride to practice more than practice itself. We did get these awesome Puma uniforms though, and we have a game tomorrow, so hopefully that will go well.
I really miss good food...we haven't gone out to eat in ages, and the food in my house is not always the most appetizing. I would definitely cook if I could, but whenever I find cool recipes that I want to try, I realize that we don't have half the ingredients they require. Maybe I should just go out and buy a ton, and cook up a storm one day...on another thought, I've taken quite a liking to figs lately.
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