You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

My freshman year of high school, I used to do 1,000 sit-ups a day, every day, rain or shine. This started because of a magazine interview I read on Usher and how he got his abs of goodness gracious me-oh-my-ness. I figured if Usher could do 1,000 sit-ups a day, I could do 1,000 crunches a day. So, whether that meant doing them on the bleachers before a volleyball game, on the floor in my bedroom or on the grass during lunch, they got done. Did I get my Usher abs, you ask? Indeed, I did get some abs. I remember my friend Tori commenting about my abs as we were getting ready for winter formal. I was wearing a tight green gown and you could see the definition. My friends envied my stomach and you can be assured that I was proud of my work.

Well, freshman year came and went, as did my abdominals. I've always had a thinner middle, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that the definition started coming back. One thing I hate about California women is their tendency to run in their sports bras. Some women can pull it off, but others really should not try. I've always been scared that I fall under the latter category. Last Friday, on my way to San Diego, I stopped to run a bit. The sun was bright, the air was warm, my stomach was fish belly white, so I decided to take the plunge and run in my cute little Lulu sports bra. Honestly, I don't know what I looked like. The abs might have been firm... there might have been a jiggle with every step my foot took... the whiteness of my belly might have been enough to blind everyone who saw me so they wouldn't see the fat anyway... I really don't know; however, I do know I was a bit self conscious. I don't think the topless running will be happening again in the near future... at least not anywhere where I might run into someone I know.


Yay! Abdominals!

The run that day was good though. I was supposed to do ten miles, but really wanted to get down to San Diego for Dana's birthday dinner. I decided to squeeze in four miles and complete the rest later if I had time (which I never got to... so sad). I completed four miles in 30:00, maintaining a 7:50 pace. Not too bad. I was exhausted though. Four was about all I could manage. I still had to swim and finish my run, so I got in my car and started driving. Honestly, I should have stopped somewhere along the way and gone to a gym to use the pool, but I don't know the areas that I was driving through and didn't want to wind up in a sketchy neighborhood. I should have swam before I even left town, but I really wanted to get through the traffic. So much for missing traffic. Does 7 hours of sitting in traffic amount to the same power output as swimming for an hour and running an extra 6 miles? Let's pretend it does. At least I got my four miles plus an intense Pilates class in.
San Diego was awesome! I was able to spend the entire weekend with my bestie, Dana; my cousin Jack was in town, so I got to see him and my uncle; I had a delicious breakfast with my grandparents; my super pregnant cousin Lauryn and I got to catch up; Lara, Abraham and I had a wonderful time at church together. See? Great weekend! Saturday night, Dana made us all dinner for her birthday. We were supposed to go bowling afterwards, but we fell asleep instead. The next morning, Marissa, Dana and I had breakfast then went our separate ways. I met up with Lara and her baby and husband at church. It was such a great sermon and I'm so glad I went!

After church, I drove all the way back to Dana's, got in her car, which we named Einstein, and drove back up to have lunch at Fidel's. The food was completely worth the two hours of sitting in the car! Delicious. I showed Dana around Solana Beach, then we drove down to Coronado to have dinner with her fabulous parents. They live in the cutest house in the most adorable neighborhood; pretty much, I want to be them. Dana's dad barbecued for us and her mom made a fantastic salad. We spent the majority of the night in laughter. They tried to convince me to move down. I'm seriously thinking about it.

Sunday was my first rest day in... well, awhile. That was weird. So Monday, I went to the gym and did some unorganized cycling with some weight lifting. I finished earlier than planned, so I drove up to my grandparents' house and decided to run around their neighborhood. I ran about 50 yards before I decided I didn't want to run, so I turned around and walked back.

My grandparents' house is my favorite place in the world. Some people love Europe, some love Hawaii, I love my grandparents'. My Papa Jack built this oriental style house and everything about it makes me smile. I love being there. It may have something to do with the memories from my childhood, but I love that house. If I could own any house, I would spend the rest of my life in that home.

Mer and Papa took me to the La Jolla Shores for breakfast. Papa ordered the Belgian waffle with fresh fruit; Mer ordered the Eggs Benedict. It was my turn. The waiter looked at me expectantly. "May I please have the oatmeal," I placed my order.

"Really?" He looked shocked.

"Yes?" I was beginning to question my choice of breakfast.

"But that's so boring," he claimed. Ouch. I'm boring.

"No, it's not," I tried to convince myself. And it wasn't! It was a huge bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, brown sugar, raisins and steamed milk. Ha! So not boring! It was fabulous!

Boring? I don't think so...

When you are with your grandparents, you know the categories of conversations that must be had: 1. Any boyfriends? 2. What are your plans for today? 3. What is your next step in life? We didn't talk about the first category this time, but we talked about my plans for the day, which included looking for places to live and work in San Diego. Eyebrows lifted. "So, what do you plan to do here?" We chatted. I told them I felt I had found my passion in triathlon training and designing and implementing new classes. "All I have to do is marry wealthy and I'm set for life," I joked. Papa's response: "If you do that, you'll have other things to stress about." That is true. It is like the movie Midnight in Paris. Owen Wilson's character is so caught up in how great the 20's in Paris were, that he forgets to enjoy the present. When he gets a chance to live in the 20's, he realizes everyone there wants to live in the past, or what their idea of the perfect era was. No one is ever satisfied with the present day and living in the moment. No matter what I do with my life or where I live, there will be stresses in my life. I just need to enjoy every moment as it happens. I'm really happy where I am at the moment, so do I want to leave it to try a new adventure or do I want to stay in the happy zone until I'm ready for the next step?

Best Friends!

The rest of Monday was spent at my salon, getting my hair all pretty, then with Dana at BirdRock and Solana Beach. I am so glad Dana is my bestie. She is hysterical, loyal, patient and a great listener. We saw some great shops we really liked and ate some yummy food. Then it was time to get on the road. I left super late at night, so I didn't get home until past midnight. It was hard to stay awake, but I made it!

New Pretty Haircut

My energy to stay awake on the drive

My Tuesday morning class was cancelled due to no one signing up, so I slept in an extra hour then got up and cleaned. Sooooo fun. I was able to get a six mile run in though. The first third of it was all downhill with the wind to my back. I finished four miles in 27:20. That couldn't be right, could it? I had already started running uphill against the wind and it was brutal. There were times when I wasn't certain if I was actually traveling or if I was just running in place. In my head, there was no way I could finish six miles with that pace. Amazingly enough, I got back to my car at the top of the hill and saw that I had completed 6.01 miles in 43:24... that's a 7:14 pace. Uhmm.... hello! I'm a fricken stud! 

I drove home to hop in the shower and realized I had left my house key inside. Ugh... you would think I would learn... nope! So I kept my sweaty skin nice and salty all day until I taught circuit class then went to home group. Anyone that had the chance to sit next to me must have felt pretty darn lucky...

Wednesday's cycle class was a great one... lots of sweaty bodies left the room. Then came aerobics and balance. Just another Wednesday. I took Marcus' cycle class at noon and got some sprints in, then bricked the ride with a run. The run did not go so well. So much for being a fricken stud. I did some speed work, but it took me twenty minutes to warm-up and even then, I didn't feel quite warm. I finished five miles and gave up. Dumb. But it was time for work. I taught my classes then got ready to teach Pure Awesomeness. I thought maybe I would go easy on the class since I killed them last week, but there were three new people and I couldn't have them thinking Pure Awesomeness is easy. So I did some strength work. At the end, two of the girls said it was too hard for them and they wanted to leave during but didn't want the class to see them leave, so they stuck around. They told me it was just too hard and they wouldn't be back again. C'mon!!! You need to stretch your limits if you're going to improve!!! That's why I'm proud of my parents. When they text me and say they are going to the gym for half an hour, I tease them for only going for thirty minutes. Next thing I know, I have a text saying they stayed for forty-five... much better. I'm a firm believer in challenging yourself.

Last night, Richard gave me my check. "You have to promise not to spend this all at LuluLemon," he stated. "You have enough cute outfits. Haha, oh Richard. This morning, after finishing my 6 and 7AM classes, I stopped by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to get a tea latte. The barista saw me and his eyes lit up. "Hi! You're back! You must LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this place!" Shoot... do I really go in that often?! Maybe once a day is too much... I walked into my second job and Jameisha was going through a newspaper. "This girl looks like you," she pointed. "Hardcore. And she's smiling." Haha. Thanks, Jameisha. These are a few of my vices: Lulu, coffee shops and being hardcore.

Hardcore Me?

Breakfast... just for you, Weston.