Lightning bolts are cool. It’s cool because it’s really powerful and shocking. And it’s really loud! That makes it even more cool.
My mom suggested to do this. When I did it it was actually really fun. It wasn’t scary at all. At the end, it was really slippery, like ice.
This is a late race report from an 800m I did at the University of Miami back in the middle of March. I would have preferred to race the 400m at this meeting but as I was coming off a small groin strain I figured it would be prudent to do an 8 instead. To be honest, in this race I had no inner drive to excel. This is because my focus had shifted to sprinting once I realised that my heart sings more when I engage in my fast twitch movements. Nonetheless, I wanted to share this video:
As of writing this, I am being challenged with what seems like peroneal tendonitis. Happened two weeks ago during practice when I was running 350s at 100%. Before doing the third 350 I felt a noticeable weakness in my left ankle. Not heeding the physical warning, I proceeded to push past the dysfunction and further damaged the area. Two weeks in to the injury, I am still dealing with pain and dysfunction. Now, to be fair, I have trained throughout and even did some 350s and 100s on respective days. Not the smartest idea, but I was successful in finishing the workouts even though I’m quite certain this has prolonged the injury. Yesterday I was supposed to run a 400m and here I finally exercised caution and scratched. Today it feels better! 🙂
I did my usual assortment of treatments: coMra-Therapy, grounding while doing taiji and yesterday I added ice after my strength and conditioning coach mentioned I should include this. Great idea!!!! My tendon feels better already with the alternating treatments from coMra to ice and taiji for the reopening of the area via silk reeling movements.
Intending for full healing this week and then a strong week of training followed by a competitive 400M race on the 2nd of May.
On Saturday I raced a couple of sprint events; the 400m and 100m. Initially I signed up for the 400m and the 800m, but in the 8 I would have been running alone and decided on the 100 for some fun. Here is the video of my first 100m race in over 20 years:
I didn’t want to come out of the blocks this time. I haven’t done blocks training in a very long time and felt like a standing start to explode off the line will suit me better. My time was 11.63.
Hours before the 100 I participated in the 400m, running a time of 51.8. It was earlier in the morning and my legs were feeling flat no matter how much I warmed up. Here is the race video:
Not sure if my legs feeling flat had to do with the distance training I was working on or the general load I put on my legs through over training, but either way I feel I should enlist the services of a qualified coach to help with my training program. I have a tendency to over train and once I get to the races I am taxed out.
Apropos, after running the 100 I finally realized that if I am going to run and train as I do I might as well do exactly what I enjoy no matter what. In this sense, I enjoy sprinting more than mid distance and distance work only doing the latter because I doubt my sprint ability. I figured that I’d have more success in the 800m rather than the 400m with the speed I have, but through the process of training the 8 I had a grimly determined view of the world pursuing mid distance with a scowl on my face. That’s no good and something I will presently rectify. In other words, I am happy to say I will now focus my efforts on being the best 400m runner I can possibly be through my Run Holistic approach. At least that is where I am at right now in this point of time. 🙂
En Joy!
Take off your shoes and let your bare feet touch the earth. It’s a liberating experience chock full of health benefits. For starters, your feet get the chance to splay naturally, you allow underused areas the chance to strengthen now that they are being activated, and most importantly, you’re absorbing some of the most potent antioxidants on earth. Don’t just take my word for it, check out this video from a researcher curious about the effects of grounding and the benefits of such:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HphzJmWKU
I hope you enjoyed the presentation. If you just started it, realized it was over an hour and are now reading this, I urge you to take the time later and investigate this as it will change your life. Tonight, do something different and invest in your Self. Trust me the benefits are worth it.
(As of 2021, this video has been removed from youtube due to the attempted cancellation of Dr. Joseph Mercola. His interview with Dr. James Oschman, PhD, regarding the scientific matter of grounding is no longer available. I hope it will be available soon through another platform.)
Once you finish the presentation, I’d like to draw your attention to a product I feel very strong about. They are earthing sandals that provide you with the benefits of barefoot walking, and running, all the while still
protecting your feet. They are called Earth Runners. Here’s a picture from their instagram account I think is worth noting.
Now that you are invested in your health and you’ve heard of these simple things you could do to improve it, then I have more great news for you. I’ve been fortunate enough to develop a relationship with Earth Runners and I can offer you 10% off your purchase when you use RUNHOLISTIC as a discount code. Not only will you get a wonderful product that will enhance your health, but you’ll also be buying from a small American business that is passionate about their craft, invested in helping people reach optimum health, and supportive of the community they live in. 🙂
Stay connected, stay grounded!
After #Zoorun5k
In one week I had the opportunity to race in both an 800m on the track and a 5K. As usual, in both cases we made it a family affair. It has been over a year since I ran a 5K and 3 years since competing in an 800m. I am having a blast right now as I’ve found a rhythm that works for me. Usually, I can be quite wordy with my posts, but in this one I’ll try and just share snippets of our events and describe the actions when necessary. Enjoy the pictures and videos and I hope this inspires you to get out there and have fun learning about what makes you tick and how to express your self through movement. 🙂
In the track and field meeting, Kanoa and Kaden both raced the 100 and 200, and I did the 800. I won the event with a time of 2:01. It was electronically timed, so accurate in its measure. Not bad for my first 8 in 3 years. My master runner friend Oscar is featured in the picture at the end of this gif. He’s a really fast 60, 100 and 200m runner; he gets off the line fast making others have to try and run him down.
Here’s the full video of my race. Do you want to do the macarena? LOL
I won my 5K! 🙂 
First one ever. Been a challenge developing an aerobic base coming from a sprinting background, but step by step I’m learning to pace myself properly. YAY!!!!
Below is a snippet of the events from my run to the kids run. It was a blast and I’d love to do it again next year. The best part was during the first mile I passed the gibbons (mind you we are yearly zoo members and frequent this location a lot so I like to think I have rapport with the beautiful animals there) and one was hanging on a branch watching me pass by as at this time it was only me and the bicyclist in front guiding me around the course. Next were the Rhinos. I was still conscious of my surroundings for this exhibit and one Rhino was clearly gazing at me and the bicyclist. It was very cool getting the feeling of these powerful animals while trying to push my own limits. From looking through the hashtag #zoorun5k on instagram I noticed others got great views of more animals while making their way around the zoo. Shortly after making eye contact with the Rhinoceroses I had only enough energy to focus on continuing to maintain my pace.
I’m looking forward to more races as each and every time I learn more of what I’m capable of and get the opportunity to push past preconceived mental limits. Remember, the sky isn’t the limit it is belief in Self. What can you do? 😉 Believe, practice, achieve. Don’t stop, the rewards are worth the effort.
Disclaimer: Minimal editing by parents with Kanoa present. 🙂
I was at the pool then I heard parrots flying over me. I then asked my dad if I can use his phone. I ran to the tree to take a video of the parrots eating berries. They ate the outside of the berries, but they spit out the seed. Then I ran to get my brother to show him the parrots. Together, my brother and I went to the tree. The parrots made a call to each other before they came flying at us and my brother and I tucked down. We looked at the tree and saw no more berries. Enjoy the video.
Hello Friends!
I wanted to share a picture of me reading to my boys right before bed time, as it gives me a better chance to bond with them and calms them down after a day filled with activities. I also wanted to encourage parents and/or care takers to making this a ritual as it can be so beneficial to their upbringing.
Here are a few tips and benefits to reading to your little ones:
Have a great one and I hope you look forward to picking up some fun books and snuggling together 🙂
Diana
Hello Readers,
I wanted to share four tips I live by to conserve the precious resource we know as water.
These are 4 simple tips to apply to your daily life that will help alleviate some of the symptoms of drought we are having in many parts of the country. Our community is our responsibility and we should do everything within our power to take care of it and its resources.
What are your tips on conserving water usage? Comment and share below.
Kanoa and I hiking Koko Head Crater (Oahu, Hawaii)
We have been a very active family from day one. As an avid runner myself, I find enjoyment in being able to move from sprint speeds to paced 5ks. For both of our kids, we had running strollers that weren’t just for show. Those things saw all sorts of miles, speeds and terrain. 🙂 Both of our boys were raised around running and even from an early age they were encouraged to walk with us to stores. Hiking trails, and running them, is a lovely experience that is enjoyed by all of us. Our eldest was fortunate enough to experience quite a few beautiful hikes when we lived on the island of Oahu. Where ever we found our lives, we would search out local trails and hikes and discover life as nature intended. This is something that I feel is being lost nowadays with the advent of so many different technological devices. On top of that, most kids are primarily already eating very unhealthily, couple that with the sedentary lifestyle of our modern age and you got a recipe for disaster.
The United States is undergoing an epidemic of childhood obesity and this has consequences way beyond the present. Our kids are the future and if they are not healthy then our communities won’t be healthy. I have a saying, “healthy individuals create healthy communities”, but the opposite is true as well. Hence, Diana and I have decided to focus our energy in this area and feel that is where most of our efforts should be placed. We want to bring awareness to this problem and offer the solutions as exhibited in our way of life. This is why we will feature prominently that every step in the right direction counts as they all add up in the end. What this means is that there is no miracle fad from exercise to diet that will change things over night, what needs to be done is just start from where you are at and make an effort to change.
For example, two days out of the week I walk to pick up my boys from school, it’s 1.2 miles each way. So, my boys cover that twice a week.
Even under hot conditions we make the effort. On the particular walk I am referring to, the temperature was very hot and humid. I remind my boys on the days we walk that during the early afternoon they should remember to drink water in anticipation. It’s a smart idea to stay hydrated while moving around in such weather.
There is so much to do and see while walking. The first thing to do is get out of your head and use your eyes and ears to take in the sights and sounds. 
The bonding experience with your children will be well worth it. Of course, with all the modern convenience kids, and adults for that matter, have grown accustomed to, it will be challenging at times to keep them encouraged and moving forward. The best thing for you to do is lead by example and just have fun with the experience. There will be many things encountered along the way; the kids will have an open forum to ask you all sorts of school related and life questions that at other times is hard because of our daily duties. And, on top of everything, you all get exercise in the process. Talk about the ultimate form of conscious multi-tasking.
One good thing we’ve encountered during our walk is a sea grape tree and it has fruits ripe for the picking.
The kids love this part of the walk and look forward to it. There’s nothing like finding edible food in the wild (read: not a supermarket) to revitalize one’s sense of nature. One word of caution, please don’t eat anything you don’t know for sure is edible as it can be harmful.
Our children will lead us into the future and continue the process of this experience we call life. Let’s leave our legacy healthy and capable to tackle all the challenges they will face.
What are you waiting for?!