My brother bought me Asics Gel-Cumulus 9 for my Christmas present. I actually picked this pair of sneakers out on my own because they are supposed to help me land better when I run, especially on the streets or in Central Park. When I first put on the sneakers, I instantly felt taller because of the extra gel cushions placed from middle of the shoes (where our feet curve up) to heels. Because of the extra cushions at the heels, I had used shin muscles more when I ran with them, which caused soreness on my shins after my workout. However, the soreness was only temporary. After a couple more runs with these shoes, I have built up muscles around my shins and felt very sturdy with every step. These extra cushions help me with my bad habit of landing with my feet pronated. Choosing a pair of sneakers that fit your feet is very important, especially for athletes who look to improve their performance. Save up a couple bucks…buy yourself a pair of well designed sneakers. But first, know thy feet.

We have heard it all - exercising helps reduce bad cholesterol (LDL), but how? Exercising helps maintain a healthy body weight, which decreases the amount of Low Density Lipoprotein, LDL, in blood. Second, exercising stimulates enzymes that move LDL to liver, which convert cholesterol to bile for digestion or excrete it. In addition, exercising increases the size of protein particles that carry cholesterol. As protein particles get bigger, they don’t squeeze into linings of heart or blood vessels and create clogs that lead to heart diseases. Doctors, trainers, and medical researchers recommend exercising moderately 30 minutes a day everyday.

Many have debated that the “bad carbs”, high in glycemic index, have caused overweight and obesity. However, in terms of using and replenishing energy efficiently for athletic performance, no carbohydrates are bad carbohydrates. When carbohydrates with high glycemic index are consumed, glucose converted from the carbohydrates are pulled into body tissues and used as energy immediately. Therefore, consuming “bad carbs” shortly before, during, and right after (within 45 minutes) training is beneficial. I have avoided high glycemic index carbohydrates in my diet, but I am willing to give “bad carbs” a chance to fuel me up.

I recently came across an article on iron deficiency, which leads to fatigue, exhaustion, and poor performance. Although the article directs toward endurance athletes like myself, the article is informative and useful to all of us who want to make a difference in our training, either for general health or competitions. Iron is a mineral found in our cells and helps us with important physiological functions. Athletes who lack iron have the inability to deliver oxygen, which is vital when exercising, to their bodies’ tissues. There is one simple step to avoid iron deficiency - having a healthy diet. Some of the food listed in the articles are: red meats (lean red meats with portion control), lentils, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, soy foods, eggs, nuts, fortified breakfast cereals (I am guessing some boxes are labeled with “iron fortified”), and dried beans. Be an Iron-Man/Woman!

1. Getting drowned and overpowered by bigger athletes in the water
2. Falling behind when climbing hills or mountains on my bike
3. Dehydration, fatigue, heatstroke, and other sports related injuires
4. Can’t finish the race
5. MENTALLY UNPREPARED FOR ANY RACE

That’s why I train hard to minimize my fears

What are your fears?

1. Blueberry Ale, only having 1, the other 5 bottles are up for grab!
2. Any recommendations on salty snacks to go along with my “afternoon delight”?

Race Date: 11/11/2007

In shape or not, we will find out in about…72 hours. The night before flying out to San Francisco.

4:00 AM, going to the subway station to catch a train to JFK International Airport. That bike case was a piece of work!

Here I am, San Francisco! Gorgeous…that’s all I have to say.

Living it up – staying in a hostel and competing in an athletic event! No need for 5-Star Hotel.

Bottom left - college déjà vu.

Morning bike ride session to the Golden Gate Bridge. Felt so refreshed and relaxed afterward.

Finding my way to the race site: Treasure Island

Looking at San Francisco from Treasure Island.

First time doing triathlon, needed to scout out the “concept” of transition area and what people bring to the race. (Saturday was for Olympic Distance competitors. I raced in Sprint distance)

Say no to junk food, especially the day before my race. But they did look delicious though.

Ready…Set…Go! Olympic distance racers were off to a great start.

Some sightseeing the day before the race. Of course…must visit the ball park.

This is it…clear sky, time to rock the ride!

Never looking back!

Getting off the bike, finally managed to finish my ride after the crash.

Had a little trouble getting my shoes on…

But a quick and smooth run in the beginning helped me make up my time.

Coming around from the first lap – 1.5 miles, and 1.5 more miles to go!

Sprinting to the finish line…

My actual time was 1:02:04 and placed 89^th out of 336 participants. I was real satisfied with my time despite of the accident going into my last lap of bike ride.

Getting a well deserved “Finisher” medal from a volunteer.

Happy and painful - feeling happy because I finished, but painful because Treasure Island was a hard course.

Reason for crash? I was too greedy and aggressive when making a turn.

My greatest fans from New York came to see me. From left to right: Andy, me, and Peter. Sei-Wook, another great friend of mine, took the picture. Thanks for coming everyone!

Patching up and getting ready to enjoy San Francisco some more afterward. First thing first…let’s pop that wine!

Wine and cheese have never tasted so good!

Treasure Island 2008?

I could have pushed myself through another five minutes of speed workout on the stationary bike today, but I got off the bike when I felt temporary soreness in my hamstrings. I felt bad for five minutes about “quitting” on myself. But I had reasoned myself to believe that I made the right choice - I was tired, sore, and dehydrated; therefore, the last thing I needed was to injure myself. Picking a point to stop your workout can be frustrating because of the guilt that you may feel. However, remember, fitness is a lifelong commitment. Don’t push yourself over the edge when your body is telling you rest and recover, or you may end up with nagging injuries for rest of your life. I know you can go for the extra five minutes, but that doesn’t mean you should!

While endurance plays the bigger part of my triathlon training, I implemented speed-focused workout once a week to gain power on my core and leg muscles. Speed training uses more fast-twitch muscles than slow-twitch muscles. By gaining power, I will be able to explode and pick up my pace toward the end of race. Also, speed training helps me train more efficiently in a shorter duration, which gives me more time to rest and recover. In addition, but boosting up the intensity, my body burns off the extra calories from the beer and wine I have had more effectively. So, take your training up a notch and train like a pro.

Six small meals a day, lean proteins, six servings of fruits and vegetables…ok you have heard them all. With all of above taken into consideration, I have also implemented “time factor” into my new diet plan. My dinner, usually a tuna salad, is at 6 PM…sharp. Before I go to bed at 10:30 PM, I’d have 1/3 of cup of oatmeal with 1/2 cup of skim milk. I eat my dinner early because I am fairly inactive at night just like most of us, working or not. Therefore, I cut down the calories consumed in the evening. Some of us get frustrated from not seeing diet plan being effective even we eat healthy. I highly recommend that we re-evaluate the time that we eat. Losing weight is based on cutting down the amount of calories that you consume complement with exercising. Because most of us are sedentary at night, we should focus of fueling ourselves during the day and eating less at night.