My Year in Review

We entered the year in recession. As a freelance carpenter this posed problems for me with finding work. Everyday more layoffs were being reported in the newspapers and television in all sectors of the economy. Construction being the most highly affected. Work was very inconsistent. Biggest project was a renovation in Alphabet City. Project entailed: crown molding installation, casement window installation, skimming, painting.

Anh and I participated in our first timed race. This race was the Al Gordon Snowflake. The race was a 5K run. Finished in 24 minutes.

We celebrated our second year wedding anniversary.

Relocated from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens.

After our move, and my new found interest in triathlon racing, I decided to sell my mountain bike. After two weeks of shopping around and getting reviews I bought my first road bike. 2010 Specialized Allez Sport.  Owning a road bike is definitely more versatile. In the city it’s the bike I would recommend for anyone pursuing longer rides, especially out of town tours. We even managed to ride to Nyack, NY. It was a fun ride. The ride is a bit challenging with some hills along the 9W.

In the spring of this year during a routine doctors visit I was admitted into the emergency room for observation. This was due to an abnormal EKG. While under observation heart illness was ruled out. The cardiologist said I had a very healthy heart. This was confirmed after an outpatient stress test in his office. I was hospitalized and diagnosed with rhabdomyolosis. I spent three days at the hospital. My physician said I was a border line diabetic. Both of my parents are diabetics. Occasionally I will come across drinks I consumed prior to this finding in shopping aisles, e.g Malta, Nutrament, usually amazed by the amount of sugar content in those drinks (i.e. 41g). After monitoring my sugar diet and training. I am happy to report that my sugar level is back within the normal range < 6.0mmg.

As a computer science major, I am still passionate about software engineering. iPhone programming is relatively new and very promising to tech enthusiasts and developers. The Apple app store has taken off. I began studying and developing iPhone apps earlier this year. In 2010 I expect to continue and become more fluent in development of apps and programming as a whole.

We participated in our first out of town race in August. The Cigna Falmouth Road Race held in Cape Cod, MA. A 7 mile race. Finished in 53 and 54 minutes respectively.

Enjoyed our sixth Miami vacation, just love it down there :) .

Failed to get accepted by the New York City Marathon lottery for 2009. Instead we registered into the Philadelphia Marathon. We both completed our first marathon in  sub 4hrs. We completed 2 half marathons this year. After successful completion of the mandatory 9 races + 1 volunteer race under New York Road Runners, we are proud to say that we got  guaranteed entry into the 2010 New York City Marathon. In August I participated in first triathlon. The NYRR inaugural Sprint triathlon.  In 2009 I participated in a total of 12 races.

Took up swimming this time with emphasis on form, technique and endurance.

Met Jim Cramer and Chris Gardner. Both very inspiring figures.

Overall, this year was a good year despite the mishaps. I am looking forward to a very productive 2010. Also hoping for a steady US and global economic recovery.

Yay! We got selected into the Cherry Blossom 10-miler

Among running many great benefits is out of town events. We recently registered for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington D.C. It is a lottery system. Today we are very excited to know that we were selected. Looking forward to touring the Nations Capital with Anh during that April weekend. The 10-miler will consists of approximately 12,000 runners. There will be six waves, with approximately 2,000 runners in each wave.

Here is what the course looked like for 2009. Course.

Course map for 2010 is up.

A Saturday run for a friend…..

Saturday’s run for Johnny was a great success. Due to scheduling conflicts 7 of us were able to make it. Apart from Anh and I, our remaining friends are not everyday runners, which made the event even that more special. We are very proud of them, especially given the fact the it was about 30 degrees out. We all walked to the start at Forest Park Dr and Metropolitan. The run course called for 2.79 miles. From the start to the end it was all about having fun out there, while recognizing and honoring Johnny. We were able to take quite a bit of pictures along the way.

Post run reactions: Some friends might have gotten hooked on running :)

Running for a cause….Running for Johnny

Since we began running this past February, Anh has occasionally printed on our race shirts. The prints are mostly in recognition of charities/causes that we may be representing or honorees. Anh’s latest print is  “Running for Johnny”. Johnny is a close friend, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is to face chemotherapy very soon. Anh, myself along with our friends decided to setup a race in his honor. The race will be held in Forest Park, Queens.  It will be a 3 mile run/walk, start time 11am, Saturday December 12th, anyone reading this entry is free to join us in running for Johnny. Map.

Colon Cancer Challenge

Philadelphia Marathon: Back on My Feet

Running For Johnny

Cat Litter Box

This cat litter box was a custom build in an existing kitchen cabinet. The litter box was built using birch plywood, the edges were finished with poplar. This project was completed in a day and half. The dimensions had to be altered because the valve would be an obstruction. Box was finished painted using Benjamin Moore high gloss white paint.

Proper Running Form – Newton Running

Newton running video. Video shows proper running form, emphasis on running on your forefoot, not running on your heel. Heel strike inevitably leads to more foot injury. In barefoot running we naturally land on our forefoot, that’s why barefoot running is recommended in occasional training to runners to get back in the habit of proper running form, thereby causing less injury and improving running efficiency.

My latest gadget – Garmin Forerunner 310XT

My latest gadget, Garmin Forerunner 310XT.  I have been reading reviews, shopping around for a deal on the Garmin Forerunner 310XT for a while now, maybe 5-6 months. Visited multiple forums, blogs searching for feedback, reviews. Some were mixed. Most reviews however raved that this is by far one of the best sports watches out there for a triathlete. I have been using the 310XT for couple days now since its purchase at SBR Shop and it’s been incredible.

My first workout with the FR 310XT was in the Flushing Meadows Aquatic Center Pool, and as advertised by Garmin, don’t expect a good reading from the GPS while swimming.

The minute I got home from swimming and approached my computer, the data that was logged while in the pool began to transmit to Garmin Connect online wirelessly. No need to manually update your log online or connect via usb, it just syncs!

Tomorrow I plan to take my FR for it’s first run workout. I am excited to use the “Auto Lap” function. The FR has an auto lap function that records your splits at every mile or user adjusted data. There is a wide range of functionality this product delivers, Virtual Partner, navigate a course, race against a friends course log, mark a point of interest, etc……. “Virtual Partner” is an exciting function. You can adjust the pace of your VP and run/train along side it, the FR shows you the distance you are relative to the VP. The benefits of which are incredible for your running/training development.

For ease of use I give the Gamin a 10. It is very simple to setup with your computer.  Syncing your data with “Garmin Connect” is flawless. I haven’t had any issues. Yesterday I took the heart rate monitor for a test while at work. My work is very physically intensive. It recorded a 117 max bpm and 70 avg bpm. Also recorded was a 59bpm recovery heart rate. I was amazed by how accurate the heart rate (bpm) graph represented my time at work.

My Garmin FR 310XT purchase was made possible with a birthday SBR shop gift card (thanks baby), an Amex gift card (thanks friend) and $9 from me. I expect to be writing more reviews on my 310XT as I continue to train and use it.

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