One: Sparkly nail polish and a dainty headband I made
Two: This giant pom pom I made out of this cute ribbon yarn
Three: Fun colored salts
Four: This chocolate. Dark. Salt. Caramel. 
Five: This keyboard I found in my sister’s stuff (uhh thanks for lending it to me!!) that gives me a little less wrist fatigue while I study.
Six: Bowls of little oranges to brighten up the kitchen and for yummy snacks
Seven: My dog, when she’s pooped after running around outside!
… I was taking a shower when I realized I didn’t post my Sunday Seven. But, I have a good excuse. I’ve been actually behaving and focusing on studying so I haven’t taken many pictures this week. So, without further ado, the Sunday Seven (minus pictures).
What about you guys? What have you guys been enjoying this last week? (albeit a little delayed!)
I’m at the library studying but I thought I’d pop in and tell you guys that three smartest things I did this week.
1. Leave my laptop at home and study at the library.
2. Buy a PandoraOne subscription for good music while I study.
3. Finally order my RoadId (I’ll write more about this in a separate post).
🙂 I hope everyone is having wonderful and productive weeks also!
Xoxo-h
Boys, avert your eyes. Girls, perk up ASAP.
I recently ran across this amazing website… Le Parcel. Have you all seen it before? I believe it is run by the very friendly Amanda, who responds to questions and other inquiries. I might be wrong though.
Anyway… I thought it was a brilliant little website, especially for the overly busy career girl. I would (if I had an office job) this little box delivered to my job so I never run out of “that time of the month” products and chocolate!
Check it out!! http://www.leparcel.com/
I’m a day late, but I still named my post “Sunday Seven” because it is actually a combination of the things I liked from last week. I’m running a bit behind because I had family visiting from Korea. I love having guests, but unfortunately this time I wasn’t nearly as fun since I am still studying for my bar exam (slowly… very slowly). Anyway – on to the list and pictures!!
FIRST:
Hearts of Palm – I always forget how much I enjoy eating these, but my sister and mother recently picked up a few jars and I demolished them… and then went and bought more. I love them cold out of the fridge. I didn’t take a picture, but you should watch this awesome video about how hearts of palm are harvested… the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Xck6FjmV4
SECOND:
The ice and snow in the woods… and capturing these stunning icicles!
THIRD:
Remembering to take my camera while walking my dog, so I can capture moments like these: 
FOURTH:
Quinoa Cakes – a new recipe I came up with using leftovers in the fridge and turned out AMAZING. I’ll post the recipe in the next couple of days
FIFTH:
These gorgeous macaroons that my cousins brought over for dessert. Seriously delicious and beautifully colored!
SIXTH:
Chapstick. The original boring one! I was out and forgot a lip product and felt that my lips were too dry… so I went back to my high school standby and I fell in love with it all over again!
SEVENTH:
And… my readers!! I’m so thankful that you visit and read and give me motivation to keep up my little blog!
_______
What were your “favorites” from this week??
Like most runners, I hate carrying things with me. I hate extra layers, water bottles, watches… anything extra that i have to carry is a huge nuisance and commitment because I am stuck carrying it until the end. I want to be free when I run.
Conventional wisdom tells you to layer your clothing, but they don’t take in to account freezing fingers, numb ears and achy nose from cold wind.
I’ve been keeping pretty good track of what I wear at different degrees and I have found that if my core, my head, hands, and feet are warm that I can handle cold runs even if wear less layers. Here are some more essentials to battling out cold weather runs:
1. A hat – not only does the hat keep your hair out of your face but it keeps your head warm. On really cold days, I’ll put a really thin nylon beanie under my baseball cap to cover my ears, but this only happens when temps drop into the teens.
2. Gloves – I used to hate gloves because they made me feel numb and too covered up, but I do wear gloves once the temperature goes below 30 degrees. I noticed that once my hands get chilled, it’s hard to focus on running because I’m flexing my fingers to make sure they aren’t falling off my body. I have thin running gloves from Champion. I don’t see a dupe online but any gloves should do the trick. You should look for fitted gloves, I find that the fitted gloves bother me less and they tend to be warmer since you aren’t getting cold wind stuck in the fingertips or what not like you do with larger gloves.
3. Warm socks – the shoes aren’t what keep your feet warm, it’s the socks. I’ve already posted at length about my socks, so I won’t say much more here.
4. Vests – to keep your core warm. I never really understood vests. Like… Where are the sleeves?!?! But I bought a neon colored vest to throw over clothes to increase visibility during my late night runs… And I discovered it really keeps you warm. I started putting the vest over my running tops and hoodies and discovered that one extra piece of fabric was better than extra layers of shirts. I like the vests because they keep your core warm, and your arms aren’t hassled by bunching shirtsleeves.
In addition to adjusting my running clothing to include these things for winter, I find adding some really good moisturizer to my exposed skin helps keep it hydrated and prevents wind burn. On really cold and dry days, I swipe a little Vaseline on a q-tip inside my nose and under my lips so I don’t get dried out. I also add some good lip balm to the surface of my lips to prevent chipping.
What about you guys? What do you do during the chillier months?
(I’m writing this on my iPhone, so it might be a little garbled, but I hope it helps!!)
I promised a while back that I would share more about my running experiences, because I always find it helpful to read about other people’s races and how they felt. It’s a good way to determine which races you want to run, and just to see other people doing the same thing as you. When I started out signing up for races, I did it blind. I just googled random search terms and signed up for races as they popped up on my screen. Needless to say, I was pretty lucky because I lived in Baltimore and there are a ton of really good races in the area.
These are the races I have run:
| Date | Name | Distance | Time | Pace |
| October 10, 2009 | Baltimore Running Festival | 5k | 24:59 | 8:03 |
| March 20, 2010 | Carefirst BlueCross Blue Shield National Half Marathon | Half | 2:05:47 | 9:36 |
| June 19, 2010 | Baltimore 10-miler | 10 mi | injured | |
| October 16, 2010 | Baltimore Running Festival | Half | 2:03:03 | 9:24 |
| November 25, 2010 | Turkey Trot | 5 mi | sick | —– |
| January 9, 2011 | 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon/Half Marathon | Half | 2:26:01 | 11:08 |
| March 26, 2011 | SunTrust National Marathon | Half | 2:06:19 | 9:39 |
| April 3, 2011 | The Cherry Blossom 10miler | 10 mi | 1:32:05 | 9:13 |
| May 15, 2011 | The Maryland Half Marathon | Half | 2:09:58 | 9:56 |
| July 31, 2011 | The San Francisco Marathon | Marathon | 4:30:48 | 10:20 |
| October 15, 2011 | Baltimore Running Festival | Half | 2:18:44 | 10:35 |
| November 19, 2011 | TCS: Annapolis Half Marathon | Half | 2:17:33 | 10:30 |
| April 1, 2012 | Cherry Blossom 10miler | 10 mi | 1:41:58 | 10:12 |
| April 14, 2012 | St. Charles Running Festival | 10 mi | 1:43:42 | 10:22 |
| April 29, 2012 | Althea Columbia ½ Marathon | Half | 1:59:47 | 9:09 |
As you can see, I was pretty ambitious in 2011 and ran 101.7 race miles, but at the end of the year I felt broken. My times had really been dropping off, and I was cranky at the end of my races (totally not like me). I gave myself a couple months to get my head back in the game, and signed up for races for April of 2012. I had thought that giving myself 4 months of race-free running would be a good way to come back stronger and faster than ever.
I started off with two 10 milers. Both were miserable. My times were horrible, my legs hurt, my stomach bothered me, and I dressed poorly for both. These two races really took it out of me. I was mentally and physically tired at the end of each, and I knew it was time to take a break. I had committed to a half with my friend Courtney, and this race was where things “clicked” again for me again. (I wrote about it here). I know it’s really easy to get THAT feeling back and then sign up for more races, and push yourself… but I decided, for the first time in nearly 3 years that it was time to take more than a couple months off.
So… It has been nearly a year since that race, and my next race is April 28. When I run, it’ll almost exactly a year to the day of my last race in 2012. I am feeling good about running again. I am back to a good place where I am running for fun and not fighting with my watch, my shoes, or my head.
What about you guys? What races have you run? Did you ever feel like you needed to take a whole year off to get back into the game?
(Also! If you have any questions about the races that I’ve run, please let me know! I’d love to give my impressions of the races for those who are interested!)
I know… for most westerners, the New Year’s Day has already come and gone. However, for those people who follow the lunar calendar, it’s just approaching. This year lunar new year falls on February 10. We call it “Seul-Nal” (though, wikipedia tells me that it is spelled “Seoullal”). Regardless, Korean people celebrate Lunar New Year by spending time with family and eating dduk-gook… or rice cake soup. The Lunar New Year is also celebrated with folk games, dressing in traditional attire and paying our respects to our elders. Jjul (or bowing) is a ritual that is often performed by the younger family members to the elders. I always remember Lunar New Year as being a blend of tradition and fun. Growing up as one of the only ethnic families in my area, I was inundated with American culture, but I did find a fascination with this other part of me… the being Korean part. My mom would pull out these little boxes with Korean games, and I have this distinct memory of these chalky candies that a relative brought us once… and most of all? Staying up late to play games, eat good food, and laugh with my family. All good memories.
Last year, I spent the Gregorian calendar new year (January 1) with my uncle’s family. My aunt, who grew up in Japan, presented us with these beautiful little boxes filled with curious little nibbles. My aunt has an incredible eye for beauty and a great passion for food, so you can imagine exactly how beautiful and delicious these little bites were. I regrettably don’t have pictures. However, I was introduced to an entirely new world of New Year’s traditions… osechi ryori. Osechi ryori refer to special foods served on New Year’s Day in Japanese culture. Now, it turns out the Japanese follow the Gregorian calendar, so my little spiel about osechi ryori is a bit overdue. However, I did think it was a beautiful idea. Each of the foods served represent something for the New Year… the roe symbolizes fertility and the burdock symbolizes long roots and stability. There are many, many other meanings and beautiful symbolizations, but my take away? New Years traditions, no matter what culture or origin are beautiful.
The New Year means hope. To me, hope is the most beautiful of all human emotion because it holds such great strength. Hope carries all that is good in our lives and propels us forward. I think it may be the most universal of emotions, especially at the start of each New Year.
It may be a bit late for Gregorian calendar followers and a bit early for Lunar Calendar followers… but I wish you a Happy HAPPY New Year. I hope that your year is filled with hope, joy, new beginnings, and love.
Are you celebrating Lunar New Year? What are you New Year’s tradition, Gregorian or Lunar calendar?
And for those scholars and curious individuals, some reading:
More on Korean New Years:
More on Japanese New Years:
Eeek! I almost forgot that today was SUNDAY!! The weeks have just been whizzing by and I’m still studying… I need to do more!
Anyway! Here are my seven… I’ll have to load pictures later (also… I’ve figured out Instagram… so I put a little link in the left hand side bar. Click away! You can see live updates of what I’m doing!)
Kaprise! 