Monday, August 3, 2009

There's an Imelda in Everybody

Imelda is the widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. She is the best known shoe collector in the world owning over 3,000 pairs! Can you imagine if she was a runner?! Her shoe closet would definitely be the envy of us all, right? I don't have the money to buy even a hundred pairs of shoes but this weekend, I managed to start with a tiny 0.1% start to building my personal Imelda Running Shoe Collection.

{Brand Testing: Asics, Mizuno, Adidas}
Each pair fit me really well. I gave them a test run at the shop and they feel exactly the way my favorite and well worn running shoes do. My plan is to test out these three different brands and then decided which one I feel best with. Then I'll probably stick with that brand after. We'll see. Another shopping score this weekend were these organic goya (bitter gourd) and cucumbers! I was hesitant on picking up the goya since the ones I had before very too bitter for my taste. Thankfully, these ones had just the right bitterness level and added a different flavor to my bento today. :D

{ODed on Veggies and Shoes}
After my first ever 12 miler, I didn't run on the weekend and cross trained with power yoga and biking instead. I did register for the November half marathon and only need to pay by September to make it official. Jo (Aki's husband) wanted to join to but he's expecting family from the States by then so it's a no go for him. Hopefully Rea will want to run at least the 10K. She's vacationing back in the Philippines so I'll ask her when she gets back. :D

After looking over some half marathon training guides, Hal Higdon's seems to be the best fit for me. With just two months' running experience, I think the Novice program's ideal. After all it would be my first race and I wouldn't want to overtrain and get injured. However, having done well with distance and wanting to work on my speed, I'm tempted to follow the Intermediate plan which includes speedwork. What do you think?

I had plans to ride a train to Nagoya to watch the World Cosplay Summit but the rain kept me from going. :S Maybe that explains why I ODed on shoes instead. :P With the rain turning everything gray outside, I had soulful food to warm my tummy.
{Udon}
Also, I had the last slices of the banana bread on a weirdly cool Sunday morning. This loaf lasted a week which was a miracle for me, a banana bread monster. A slice (plus some other food) before or after my runs was my "secret" running fuel the past week. As a matter of fact, I baked another loaf for this week's runs. Hope that one lasts at least until Friday. :D
{BB with Honey Roasted Peanuts and Coconut Flakes}
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Here's to a fantastic start to a brand new month!

18 comments:

  1. Wow, that banana bread looks amazing!
    Yeah, I'm using Hal Higdon's plan for my full marathon, and its been working well so far :) Good luck with training!

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  2. I keep hearing about Hal Higdon's plan...I need to check it out. Congrats on the 12 miles!!

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  3. I used Hal Higdon's half marathon program for my race and it worked like a charm!

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  4. Haha, I know everyone is saying the same thing, but I, too, use Hal Higdon and love his plans. Also, I only run 3 days a week (to keep my heel injury at bay) - so I just run one short, the medium, and the long run each week, and for me it works GREAT and I don't get burned out this way, either.

    So feel free to be flexible with his plan, as long as you get your long runs in you will be great.

    Also, I love my Brooks shoes! :)

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  5. Ohmygoodness, I LOVE my asics. I can't say enough good things about them!!

    I am doing a half on October 11 and am following a Hal Higdon program, so looks like we'll be training together!! Yay :-)

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  6. I'm drooling lookin' at that last pic :)

    I'm obsessed with my Asics. I can't ever run/walk/wear any other brand!

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  7. Cheers to a new month!

    That banana bread sounds deeelicious! Oh! I can't wait to get back to baking again :D I promise I will take lots of pictures of my new place.

    p.s. just watch out when you train, because sometimes we can overwork our body and cause internal stress that we may not even notice. I know that happened to me when I was training for a half-marathon. Just a tidbit ;) But I am 100% behind you and I admire your determination to do this!

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  8. wowsa! I have over 100 pairs of shoes, prolly close to 200, but gosh 3000???!? could you imagine? i am jealous you bought 3 pairs at once. that is so something i would do. and i have no money right now so i am extra jealous! hehe :)
    -muffy

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  9. So exciting that you've signed up for a half-marathon. I skimmed through the training plan you linked to, and they both look good. I am no expert, but I know that in the past I've been so excited about training, and wanting to improve that I have pushed myself too hard, so maybe go with the novice one? You could always do a couple of the speed sessions from the intermediate one anyway. Or go with the intermediate one, but really pay attention to what your body is telling you.

    About your question about strength training, I took a look at the routine you linked me to, and I think it looks excellent! It wasn't too long, and the exercises are really good ones. Just remember to keep challenging yourself by increasing the amount of weight you lift slowly over time, and also to change up the exercises you do every now and then as the body adapts to them. If you ever need tips on good exercises, I'd be happy to help!

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  10. Dude did you really buy 3 different sneakers at once for a test? Badass :)

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  11. that banana bread looks RIDIC!

    haha...love the imelda marcos reference. but i love running shoes even more :)

    happy monday!

    http://thehealthyeverythingtarian.wordpress.com

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  12. wow that noodle bowl looks amazing!!
    have a great day :)

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  13. Your banana bread looks fantastic. My favorite kind of bread!

    3,000 pairs sure is a lot, eep.

    - Sagan

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  14. Holy cow that bread looks amazing. AND that udon! Oh my, eerything looks so good, my tummy is rumbling!
    Hee, I only have like 3 pairs of shoes...not much of a shoe person!
    btw, I had to click like 8 times to get my comment posted! Help!

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  15. haha! my mom used to call me imelda b/c i would buy so many shoes...sadly my closet is only filled with sneakers and black pumps now haha.

    i've done hal higdon's half marathon (novice) and marathon (novice 1) plans and like them. i prefer the novice plans for the mileage (compared to the intermediate plans) and i just alternate speed and hill work each week (like one week, i'll switch a short run out with speedwork at the track and then the following week switch out a short run for a hill workout). totally flexible!

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  16. Yum- the udon and the banana bread both look amazing!

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  17. your photos are so beautiful! i can't believe you've only been running for a couple months and are already at 12 miles!? that is seriously impressive.

    i am beyond jealous of that shoe collection - 3000? incredible, running shoes or not!

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  18. duuuuuuuuuuuuude those pics just made my tummy rumble. I want udon! My brother is back in Tokyo for the summer now and I am so jealous of all the good food he's gonna eat....!
    can't wait for shoe reviews!

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