Tag: running

Farmers Market Sunday

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"Fresh Veggies" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO200
 “Fresh Veggies” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today was a day, which started off with a trip to two different Farmers Markets. The first one was one we hadn’t been to, but it was very small – just a few different vendors selling crafts and honey. So, we decided to head to our normal Farmers Market over by Lakeline Mall. Not only do they have fresh veggies and meats, but also a wide variety of homemade pastries, coffee, and other prepared foods.

"Pasta Flavors" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/1600 sec, ISO200
 “Pasta Flavors” Cedar Park, 2018

We tried some gyoza and soup dumplings. They were yummy but not exceptional. I guess the wrappers were a little too thick than what we are used to.

"Soup Dumplings" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/180 sec, ISO200
 “Soup Dumplings” Cedar Park, 2018

After the market, we had some free time in the middle of the day, so we spent it doing household stuff like laundry, watched a little tv, and I went for a nice afternoon run around the neighborhood. Gotta keep in a little bit of shape!

For dinner, Mariko made a delicious stir-fry with chicken, jalapeños, and greens. おいしかった！

"Spicy Stir Fry" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/45 sec, ISO3200
 “Spicy Stir Fry” Cedar Park, 2018

In the evening I volunteered at the high school band fundraiser event at the stadium. The Marching Festival is a huge event, and I spent three hours working at the concession stand as a cashier, which was a challenge for me because my math skills are sub-optimal. 🤣 Since there was no register, all calculations had to be done mentally and it wore me out. Haha. But I enjoyed it and helping out the kids was fun.

"Amazing Cloud" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/15 sec, ISO1000
 “Amazing Cloud” Cedar Park, 2018

My shift ended at 11 pm, and then it was shower-time, relax-time, and reading-time. A long but fun day! And you know what? The afternoon run gave me energy to carry me through the evening. Yay for exercise! 💪

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

おやすみなさい

Run to Temple of the Sun

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"Temple of the Sun" Beijing, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/105 sec, ISO50
 “Temple of the Sun” Beijing, 2018

This morning I woke up extra-early due to jetlag and decided to go for a run. At 6 am, the streets of central Beijing were surprisingly empty. In fact, I could pretty much run in the middle of the streets if I wanted to! I guess most of the people were beginning their commutes outside of the city, so it wouldn’t get busy until they arrived.

Since I don’t know the city at all, I just ran with Google Maps on and I looked for interesting places and parks, which led me to the Temple of the Sun. It’s a cool little park which has a beautiful pond and other points of interest and is also very popular with runners and walkers. So I was totally at home running (more like jogging), walking, and stopping to take photos.

You know, I try to run in new places, like when I visited Stockholm for business. Running can get you to places really quickly, and since you can stop at any time to take in the sights, it’s a great way to get familiar with a new city. Especially if you can do it early in the morning. 😀

"Sunrise Over the City" Beijing, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/50 sec, ISO64
 “Sunrise Over the City” Beijing, 2018

Running Shoes for Traveling

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"New Clouds" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/200 sec, ISO50
 “New Clouds” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I ran for the first time in my new On Cloud shoes. I want to make sure they are broken in for my upcoming China trip because I think we might be doing a lot of walking and I’d hate to get blisters because of new shoes. I’m not too worried, though, because these are the same size and model of my old running shoes, and they feel pretty much identical.

But besides breaking them in, I want to improve my stamina for the trip. Before Bay and I went to New York, I started running again in preparation for lots of walking around the city, and it really paid off. I was able to keep up with Bay for pretty much the whole trip! 💪

I have to say though that it was tough on my feet the first two days when I was wearing the Converse High-tops. Once I switched over to the running shoes, it was so much easier! That change, plus leaving the messenger bag at the Airbnb and just taking a small shopping bag, were real eye-openers – travel even lighter than usual and the day is much more enjoyable.

With that in mind, I think I will be taking my lightweight packable backpack which I used on our Disney trip last year for our daily excursions. It weighs almost nothing, but I will be able to throw in my power bank, extra camera batteries, and a water bottle.

Since we are going on a cruise and tour, I am not sure how much walking we will be doing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. One scenario that I can imagine though, is getting tired on the Great Wall excursion.

When I visited China back in 1990(?), our tour group visited a section of the Great Wall, and we really wanted to reach one of the checkpoints to get a souvenir stamp. But dang, the wall was so steep and the steps were pretty big. And we were keeping an eye on the time since we had to be back at the bus soon. Wow, what a workout that was! But we made it to the checkpoint and got our stamps, then jogged back down to the bus. I haven’t thought about that in years, but it is truly a great memory.

Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if that same scenario plays itself out once again. So I ran today with that in mind. 😀

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Summer Mode and Running Shoes

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"Summer Evening Sun" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Summer Evening Sun” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Well, it’s August and we are in full summer mode here in Texas. The temperatures are in the mid to upper 90s so not too bad yet. I actually love the heat, but it makes it a little more difficult to go running. 🏃 Today I went out when the temperature was 92° F and it was kind of tough. Usually, that kind of heat doesn’t bother me too much, but since I just wasn’t feeling it, and also I just started running more consistently last month, I took it easy and walked for the second half of my 2-miler.

Walking around the neighborhood is fun though – I like seeing how everyone takes care of/neglects their yards and lawns. 😝 Exercising is a lot more fun if I don’t think about calories/working out, but just enjoy being outdoors.

Speaking of running, it’s time (long overdue, actually) to replace my On Cloud running shoes. 👟 These have been the best running shoes I’ve ever owned, so I think I will just get a new pair of them. Instead of my light grey/orange/white, I am getting the navy/white color scheme. I think they look nice!

I took my Converse High Tops and On Cloud running shoes to New York, and of course the running shoes were way more comfortable. So I am looking forward to using the new ones not only for running, but for traveling. Yay!

Today’s photo is of the evening sun coming into the kitchen. The sun sets after 8 pm now, so we get a lovely light to end the day. 😀

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Sunday Run

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"No Fire" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/640 sec, ISO50
 “No Fire” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This morning I decided to go running for the first time in a few months. I tend to go in cycles with my running, which is kind of odd because I enjoy it so much. I guess I just fill my day up with other stuff. But for some reason, I just decided I should go. So I laced up my running shoes (actually my On Cloud shoes don’t have laces) and headed out. I surprised myself because I had a lot of energy and my legs didn’t get tired when I expected they would, but I didn’t push it and walked about a third of the way. Maybe it’s because I do squats ever day? I don’t know, but I felt really good!

The Texas heat is coming on strong, though, and when I passed by the small park, I saw the barbeque grills were off-limits as you can see in the photo. It looks like it’s going to be a sweltering summer.

By the way, I use Strava to track my running. If you are on Strava too, let’s connect!

I hope you had a good Sunday!

またね～