Follow the White Rabbit.

2012!

2012-01-11T12:26:00.002-03:00

Ok, so I know everybody does resolutions for New Years and stuff like that. I've never done it before, so I decided it was time to set some goals and switch some things up. First of all, I got really motivated after seen my 2011 report:

Impressed... and proud! A year with its ups and downs, but I still can't help it but look back and feel like I did something good. Could've done better?! Definitely. But could've also done worse, so I just need to feel grateful and hope that this year is gonna be filled with even more accomplishments! :)

After seeing that, I felt like there was definitely room for improvement and the main thing I need to work on this year is consistency. I've lacked a whole lot of being consistent last year due to my addiction to procrastinate, which led me to either be doing one thing or another, but never a little bit of everything daily. So this year, I need to work on being able to fit everything into my routine without leaving stuff behind. That means buying a planner and writing stuff down daily.

So to jump start my year (a couple weeks late), I'm doing this challenge. I started yesterday and I'm gonna stick to it like gum in the hair. After this one is done, I'm gonna start a new one and so on. Those challenges are AMAZING. It keeps me focused, you can easily do at home (so no excuses) and they're hardcore. I mean, seriously. I want to track down my progress over the year and see how far I'm gonna go, which the blog is gonna be great for that. Once the word is out there, there's no turning back!

1) 30 Day Challenge
I started doing this 30 days challenge yesterday. It's from the BODYROCK website and it's awesome! So to keep you guys (and mostly me) updated:

DAY 1: FIT TEST

In the video, she's gonna explain all the exercises. Basically, you set up a timer 50/10 (50sec each exercises with 10sec of rest in between). Then you perform the following exercises and try to do the most as you can in those 50sec. Then you die. :D

*Squad Jumps: 25

* Push-ups (I did it girlie-style 'cause really which planet I've destroyed on my previous life?): 13

*Switch Lunges (with jump): 12

*Burpees: 13

*High Knees: 60

*Tuck Jumps: 13

*Straight Abs: 20

This stuff kicked my trash big time! After finishing I was sweating and breathing hard!

I literally, jumped outta bed and did the challenge, meaning I was still on my jammies d:

DAY 2: GOOD FEELING WORKOUT

Ok so this one was just INSANE. I seriously thought at first I wasn't gonna be able to do it, so I had to study the moves (they're a little bit more complicated), write down a bunch of notes, practice them so I could get them done. Still, I forgot to do one of them and had to switch it to the end and I also messed up one. No biggie. Instead of writing down my score on the 10" rest, I put my itouch on the voice recorder and just shout out my score (life saver, I would never be able to remember the number of rounds I did and them write them all down in 10sec!).

ps. I don't have a sandbag, so I did the other versions. And I did push-ups girlie-style :D

[10 x High Knees & 10 x Mountain Climbers] *4 rounds + 5 Mountain Climbers

[2 x Squat Jumps & 2 x Push-ups & 1 x Tuck Jumps] *4 rounds + 2 Squat Jumps

[Centre to Elbow Jump (L&R) & 2 x leg jumps] *5 rounds

[Clean & Press & Squat & Press & Push Up] *8 rounds

[Tuck Jumps x 5 & ½ Burpee & squat hold x 5] *5 rounds - messed it up and thought it was 2 burpees instead of 5 :S

[Spider Knee Push up & Straight Leg Push Up (L&R)] *14 rounds - did it one knee down, one up and switching legs

[Switch Lunge & Press] *11 rounds

[Side Lunge x 2 & L & R Side Punch & 2 Tuck Jumps] *10 rounds

[10 x Squat & 10 x Squat Jumps] *2 rounds + 10 Squats

[Elbow to Knee jumps 10 x each side] *3 rounds

[Wide leg jumps & Push up] *20 reps - holding the plank and just doing leg jumps

[Speed run] *93 reps - each leg

Total: 12min. What it felt like: 12h. The result?

Seriously, you can not underestimate those exercises!

2) Japanese classes

Last year, I decided to take a year off from my japanese classes. I wanted to dedicate my time exclusively to school, getting used to the system, the tests, the teachers and stuff like that. It took me a hell of a lot of time to adapt to all that, but now I feel more confident to get my classes back. One more reason to get a planner and stop procrastinating.

I think I might have more goals, but all I can think of involves either being consistent with something or not procrastinate, which one is basically consequence of the other.

I haven't been talking a lot about running 'cause I'm basically posting it all on my daily mile account. :)

With this in mind and determination, I'm sure I can conquer this year and improve more and more :) Happy running, everyone! :D

Geek momento: the new chapter of Naruto's manga is out and I'm rushing this post 'cause I can't wait to read it, so sorry about the misspelled words :D

The cousins left and running with the sun rising.

2012-01-08T23:48:00.005-03:00

I've never thought I'd miss my cousins so soo much :( They went back to Brazil today after spending 2 weeks here with me in Buenos Aires. The house is so empty and quiet, it's depressing. It was great having them around always wanting to do stuff, talking every night 'till 6, 7am, eating like crazy... family is family... right? I kind of had forgotten what that feeling was after not being home for so long.

My cousin Isaac and I a couple minutes before New Years! :)

Frozen yogurt... seriously, this thing was so huge I couldn't finish it (now that's something you should take into consideration).

Tales, the other cousin... touristing around Tigre, Buenos Aires.

Moi :D

After waking up every day at 2pm, waking up early to get them to the airport was hard work. Since I was already up, I decided to go for a run after they took off. So worth it.

The airport is by the coast, which made my run a total blast :)

And I got to see the sun rise for the first time in AGES!

After I got home, I thought I was gonna be boomed, but I was all high in endorphins, so I decided to enjoy the day and go to church. I was feeling a little sad and didn't want to stay alone at home like at all. I don't know what got to me, but the views today just kept getting prettier and prettier...

On my way to church :)

After sleeping all the way back and almost missing my bus stop, I made back home, ate a sushi my cousin forgot in the fridge and took a "nap" of almost 5h :D Now I'm battling if I should start another korean show or not. I've been dying to watch The Princess Man after reading the reviews about it... it won several awards in Korea as being the best korean drama of the year. I couldn't watch anything after finished City Hunter (which became my very favorite tv show of ALL TIME, either from the US or Korea or any other existent country for the matter - and it also just happens to have the hottest man alive as its protagonist (aka Lee Min Ho - or Lee Min HoT, if I may).

Sorry for the random post. It's hard to have a blog which talks about nothing and, at the same time, has to cover my love for running, health eating, cult movies, indie music, japanese language, pop culture, philosophy, korean tv shows, asian bands, med school all at once. And since I can't decide which one I like best, all you have left if a lamesauce inconsistent blog which basically talks about everything but gets to nowhere. There's just too much of myself inside of me.

This goes specially to moi, who takes even something like "my socks don't match" as an excuse to procrastinate.

Dear diary - part 1.

2012-01-07T01:00:00.002-03:00

I've been missing a lot of this lately:

I was only 20 years old when I decided to leave everything behind and move to the US. Alone. I've never left Brazil before and didn't know a single word in english. Leaving was actually pretty easy. Getting paperwork done, buying stuff, goodbye parties. It's funny to think how innocent I was about the whole moving thing; which was actually a good thing after all. I had no worries. I just wanted to leave.

The first time I felt the change was while I was walking up the stairs of the airplane. I looked left and I saw my family and friends up there inside the building, waving at me. The tears started coming down and didn't stop. I was alone. Like all alone. From now on, every single thing I had to do it was all up to me. I don't know the language. How am I gonna live? All the questions people usually think about before they decide to move just popped out in my head.

For the first 6 months, I lived in Baltimore (I went with an exchanged program and was staying at an american's family house). They were nice... but weird. I didn't feel very comfortable there and all I could think of was NY. Nothing else. I needed to get there. Somehow, I've learned english pretty fast (although, as you can probably see, I'm forgetting it even faster). I made friends. Got a boyfriend. Broke up. Went to Cancun alone for 2 weeks. Made more friends. 2 days after I came back from Cancun I was in NY. All alone again. With all my life packed in 2 suitcases.

For the next year and a half, it was all about NJ/NY, back and forth. Made more friends. More break ups. Parties. Jobs. Freedom. NY was everything I've expected it to be - and more. It felt like home for me, a feeling I've never had back in Brazil. That missing thing I had back then was gone. It could have been a happy ending if I haven't decided I wanted to go to med school. I had to weight everything I had in my hands back then. How much I really wanted to do that versus how badly I loved NY. I can always come back, I thought. But I knew, deep down, I'm not the kind of person to come back to the same place. I barely even go to Brazil. I look at the world, how much I'm missing, how many things I wanted to know, to visit, to learn. It feels like it's a waste of time to go back to the same places.

To leave NY was much, much harder than to leave Brazil. I had to leave really important people to me. I was crying all the way to the airport. At the airport. On the plane. I started regretting my decision right away. When I arrived back in Brazil after 2 years, it was great to see everyone again. Family. Friends. What wasn't so great was how much I've changed. My feelings for everyone were the same, but still, something was off. While living in the US, I've crossed so many different people from everywhere. I've learned more than I could have in a lifetime. And, somehow, I couldn't be the same. And I felt like everyone was still the same. Which made me realize I could never again go back home for real.

Only 2 months later, I was already in Buenos Aires. All alone. Zero knowledge of spanish. I had a month to get my shit together. It was a really weird year. I just had NY all over me and I felt like I was going backwards by coming down here. I started to resent everything around me. The weather. The food. The places. The language. I couldn't fit in. School was good and I did well, so I just sucked it all up and kept on going. I wasn't a runner back then, but I was teaching spinning and going to the gym. The second semester was bad. I had an almost anorexia and was totally overdoing it with my exercises. I was kind of alone and didn't make any effort to meet anyone. I had so many things to talk about, to share, to listen to, but I felt like I couldn't meet anyone with the same interests. I know I was being an arrogant bitch.

By the end of the year, I went back to Brazil and traveled a lot around the country. I barely met any of my friends, mostly because I wasn't really in a party mood. Vacations went like crazy fast and I was back in Buenos Aires. Which brings us back to 2011.

(to be continued...).

Me, myself and the many other sides of me.

2011-12-29T01:22:00.001-03:00

I'm a weirdo, I know. I have so many sides of myself and want so bad to keep them all that sometimes people just don't get it. And I know because I don't get it either. I've changed so much and learned a lot this past 5 years. I'm still young, but I've lived alone in 3 countries so far and have wild plans for the future. I just get bored easily and like to change things up. Going to med school was probably the most "stable" decision I've made my whole life, because it's gonna make me stay still for at least 5 more years. It scared the hell outta me just the thought of being stuck in the same place for that long, but I guess it's for a greater cause. Meanwhile, I've doing the best I can to accomplish things that are gonna come after those 5 years.

Two examples so you can get the point of it.

1) I wanna be a Sports Medicine doctor and specialize in Physiology of Running. So, I run. Not only I've grown to love this sport, but it's a good way to get to know the runners from the inside, their weaknesses, strength, fears and hopes. I think this is gonna make me more attached to my future patients once I can connect with them not only as a doctor, but as a runningmate.

Can you find me? d:

2) I also want to do some kind of studies about Traditional/Ancient Medicine, specially Oriental Medicine. I think countries like Japan, Korea and China has so much to offer us with their culture, their eating habits, their respect for the the tradition an so on. I've been studying japanese for 1 year and a half now. First, I started because I'm really into mangas and animes. Then I got to know more about the culture, fell in love with it and then it was too late. Most people have such prejudice with everything that sounds too unfamiliar and I really don't get it. I love all countries, all cultures and I could live 1 year in every country for the rest of my life. Maybe I'm too fearless, but I just don't see the point of doing the same thing with the same people forever. That's just me. Anyway, the point :) Now I've found a more honorable reason to keep my japanese studies on track. I think it's really good to have this sort of alternative medicine side on me, so I can offer my patients more natural treatments, which I believe is gonna be a huge influence on their performance.

Can't express how much I love this :)

So I have to run. To go to japanese class. To go to med school. To watch 11 tv shows/week. To watch one whole season of a korean drama/week. To stalk blogs. To go out. It really isn't easy and this year was all about trying to sort things out. I've slacked on school when I was running pretty good, then I slacked on running while I was having my finals. Maybe that's just how things go. Maybe we can do everything after all, just not 100% of all of them at all times. Usually, I'm pretty hard on myself and start blaming me for not being able to accomplish everything I want. On the top of that, I'm oh so darn impatient. But this year, with all its ups and downs, I've survived. So I can only look forward to the future and believe that things will start falling into places - a 42h day also wouldn't be bad at all :)

My cousins are in Argentina visiting me for Christmas and New Years, so my days are filled with tons of walking on a 100F sun, 5lbs of ice-cream, lots of 1pm wake-up call and so on. I'm loving it.

Specially to myself, who became the queen of excuses lately :)

So, it has been so long I don't remember what vacations are anymore.

2011-12-16T20:17:00.000-03:00

Yes, YES! I did it! I don't know how and I think I'm still high from it, but I've managed to pass every single exam and now I'm finally FREE! :D It took everything I had, but darn it it was worth it! I basically hibernated for an entire week without even stepping outside the house to see sunlight. And, no, I'm not exaggerating. When I'm down to business with school matters, I'm all in. I don't know how to do things like normal people... like you do a bit of everything every day. No. I have to do nothing at all while I procrastinate everything else 'till the last minute. Always.

sourse from 9gag, the cool-kids version of that pinterest lamesauce page old people spend their days on lol.

Now that's finally over, I've realized:

1) I haven't shaved for like... forever.
2) I haven't paid any bill since last month.
3) The dark circles around my eyes due to lack of sleep are so deep that I don't think they're ever gonna go away. And I've just noticed them now because...
4) I haven't looked in the mirror, like REALLY look for the past 2 or 3 weeks. Today, I almost had a heart attack when I noticed how destroyed my face is.
... and last, the saddest one...
5) I haven't run in... oh gosh it hurts to say it... a whole... week. I know, who am I?

So, all this time while I was studying, not sleeping, leaving off oatmeal and greek yogurt all I could think of was:

-"I'm never gonna do this again",
-"If I ever make it through this test, I'm never gonna procrastinate EVER again",
-"When this is all over, the last thing I'm gonna do is stay home",
-"The first thing I'll do is run like there's no tomorrow".

So, today is officially my second day of vacation. Do you know what I did so far? Let me see if it's gonna fit in only one post:

NOTHING.

It's been 2 days and I haven't left the house. I haven't been at the gym. I haven't met with my running group. I haven't been to the saloon, or to pay my bills, or to the market for the matter, since I have no food at home.
No.
All I did was:
Wake up.
Turn on the computer.
Sleep.
Repeat.

I know I'm exhausted from having a test every week since October and that I should give myself a break, but still... it frustrates me to stay home just being lazy and not enjoying every single second of my so desired vacation. In my defense, I have a total acceptable excuse. The koreans have slaved me. I don't know what they do, but I'm pretty sure those koreans are up to something. Their k-dramas are so addictive that, once I start watching one, I can't stop until I'm done with the whole thing. Just so you can get a picture of it, I've watched a whole season of Secret Garden (a korean show), which has 20 episodes of 1h each in 2 days. How on god's creation I did that, I still don't know. Yesterday, I started watching a new show called Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, which is actually currently airing in Korea and it has 13 episodes so far. I've watched the whole thang. I mean, seriously. I was never into the whole Korea thing before, I've always been really into mangas and animes, but they were all japanese. I've also taken japanese classes for about 1 year and a half now. But Korea has been growing on me after all this shows I now I'm actually so excited to get a chance to go there someday :)

I know this is a total random post which no one probably cares about (have you ever seen any american watching anything that it's not in english? lol), so I'm just gonna keep being lame while I watch another korean show and wonder when will my life begin.

One of my favorite scenes <3

Hi, endurance, welcome back!

2011-12-01T17:40:00.004-03:00

I ran and didn't wanna puke for the first time since my injury! Now that's some great news! :D

And since we're talking about great news, it made me think of how much our perspective of things can influence our mood and how little things can make us feel so much happiness that your problems seem really really small compared to all of the blessings you have... so, here are some really small things that I've been lucky enough to acknowledge so I can say thanks for all of them :)

This necklace Janae, from HRG's blog sent me and that I've been using it everywhere!

My new toy!

A new vegetarian restaurant I found just around the corner from my school and that makes my tummy really happy :D

Having blisters on my fingers from too much writing before a test, but being able to conquer all of them :)

This new gmail program that allowed me, in Argentina, my sister, in Brazil and my best friend in Portugal to chat together and see each other all at the same time... priceless.

My runningmates, who have always been there for me, inspiring me and making me a better runner every day :)

My family, specially my aunt and my grandma, who basically raised me. Thanks for always showing me the bright side of everything in life. Thanks for being an example for me so I can always have someone to look up to and be proud of :)

...and last, but not least... FRIENDS!

..those who are close...

...and those that are far far away, and yet closer than lots of people :)

One more thing...

My sister :) Although I'm really lonely sometimes and wish I could talk to her more and she just ignores me because that's just the way she is, I still love her and wish she could be by my side right now :(

ps. I was blond once a loooooong time ago lol

It looks like a Thanks Giving post, although I've never celebrated it outside the US. :) Well, it's never too late... I guess :)

IT'S THAT SIMPLE! :) Happy running, friends :)

Living and learning.

2011-11-27T15:05:00.001-03:00

I admit it, I have zero talent to do anything that requires consistency. Blogging only represents one of the many other things I suck at keeping up to date. Actually, the only thing I've been able to do religiously is to follow the 13 tv shows I'm currently watching... weekly. Then I wonder why my house is a mess, why I haven't been studying at all, why I'm not out and about doing something important.

Running has also been having its ups and downs. I was on the top of my fitness level when I first twisted my right foot, then I did it again a week after (no, I didn't twist it while I was running, somehow I manage to walk on the street like I've been chased by the police, so this kind of stuff always happens). It was a major back down for me, but I've managed to push through it and came back strong.

The Buenos Aires Marathon was around the corner (no, I wasn't gonna run the whole thing, no way Jose), but I did meet my friend at the 20K mark and we ran together the rest 22K. It was a blast! She's a rock star and was talking the whole way 'till the very end!

Maria, her daughter and I after the marathon :)

At the very same week, I had to do 16 sets of 100m. Somehow, I understood I had to do them all at 17sec, which I surprisingly did, just to realize at the end that it wasn't 17, but 27sec the real time I was supposed to do! When I finished it, my right foot was really hurting me. Since I had a 8K race on the following Saturday, I've decided to take it easy and rest the next 2 days. I thought it was gonna be ok by then but it definitely wasn't and I ran it anyway. I know, big mistake. Big, really big.

Pain, pain, pain!

I could barely walk and I ran a 8.1K at 44min. I know it was extremely slow (hm hello, I couldn't even walk), but I shouldn't have run it in the first place. But you know how it goes, you get there, you feel the atmosphere and when you realize you're at the starting line and it's too late. As soon as I crossed the finishing line, I couldn't take one more step. I knew then I had done something reaally stupid and that it was gonna cost me. And oh boy it did.

It's been almost a month now and only last week I was able to finally run pain free. But the timing couldn't be worse. I decided to get injured right when I had all my tests from school and that wasn't pretty. I've managed to get through some of them, but others I just couldn't concentrate at all to study. I know if I was running I would have managed the stress and pressure much easier. Living and learning, right?

Now, my only problem is to get my resistance back, which now is close to hm zero. Nasty Buenos Aires summer is around the corner, with its 400% of humidity. I go to run 40min and come back with 30min and dying. You know how it goes, you feel frustrate and suddenly you panic that you're never gonna get where you were before. And this only gets you unmotivated even more to run harder. Now, it's time to be patient and to not let this take the best out of me. I know I'm gonna get through it and I'm gonna come back smarter and stronger than ever :)

ps. Sorry for the really lamesauce post, I've been feeling kinda down lately :( Hopefully, it's gonna get better and better from now on:)

2 5K and a PR :)

2011-09-25T18:59:00.004-03:00

Hey blog world, long loong time no see. I've been away from the virtual world in general 'cause I was really late with some subjects at school and needed to get them done asap. It was either running or the internet. Soo hard, right? (not)! :)

Last Saturday, it was about 9pm a friend from my group told me about this 5K they were running the following morning... I was like "oh well, it's not like I have to study 39483 things for school or anything right" :). So let me try to describe it: I'd rather ran 15 half-marathons than run a single 5K race. It's painful. It hurts. I don't enjoy it. I've cursed every single step of the way why the hell do I have to run, why couldn't I choose some other sport, why whyy whyyyy. But then it ended and I was like :D (ok maybe 15min after it ended when my lungs went back to my thorax and my heart stopped trying to pop out of my ribs.

Don't get fooled, I only sprint out when I'm SURE I see the finishing line within no more than 200m lol

The elites - and moi :)

Ahnm, excuse me, my bff from my running group won the race?

So today it was another 5K, a group race. Total of 20K covered by a group of 4. If I've suffered so much finishing the other 5K why would I do another one a week later, you ask? Glad you've asked, because I don't know why EITHER! Next thing I new, I was signing up and ready to roll. So you might think that, since I've run a 5K a week before, this one would be a piece of cake, right? WRONG. It hurt. My lungs were burning crazy, I could feel my heartbeat all over my body, I was wondering WHY WHYYY WHYYYY do I have to run, I should be sleeping like all the (un)cool kids, whyyy. Oh well. I still don't know why I do it, I just know I keep doing it. It's an addiction, isn't it? I just wonder... will it EVER ever get a little easier?

My group of today's race and our running couch. They've LIED TO ME. I told them I was gonna slow the whole group down and they said no one was worrying about time. Their 5K times? 17, 20, 21min. Yeahhh right.

Of course the boys took the podium. :)

The gals who kicked major bootie.

Hanging out with Laura to see if I can catch "speedinitis" from her.

Runner's idea of partying hard. :)

Overall, it was an awesomesauce race. I hated every minute of it while I was running, but the before and specially the after feelings make it ALL WORTH it. Can't wait to suffer on the next one :)

Help me here, peeps: do you guys also suffer while running short distance races or even while doing speed training or that's just me?

The perfect distance and pace ever?

21K. The perfect pace for me would be around 8:40-ish. It's the kind of pace I totally forget I'm running and keep going on and on and on and on. It's a reminder of why I like running so much and is a MUST on a weekly basis lol.

This takes a special meaning for me. I used to be one of those people who always HAD to overdo it to think it was worth doing. If I only had time for a quick 30min run, I'd rather NOT RUN AT ALL, because I thought it was lamesauce. Now I know how MEANINGFUL those precious 30min are and I treasure every single second of it :)

HALF-MARATHON REPORT!

2011-09-16T09:47:00.001-03:00

Personal note: don't try running a half-marathon when you have the hardest test of the year 2 days after.

Woke up thinking I had plenty of time ahead of me, but as it turned out, I ended up getting there with only 30min to prepare. The weather was amazing...

Probably around 75F, no wind... couldn't have been any better!

Almost 15.000 runners! It was a major record this year... I think half of Brazil was here lol

Let me know if you need any help with making such sexy poses for pictures :)

Finished it in 2:10! I was so soo proud of myself, I can't even start describing it... my couch was expecting me to finish at 2:20, so when I saw the clock I was like "wow"! I really felt the last 2K (the longest I've ever run in my life before was 18.5K) and, somehow, I've sprinted out the last K... I wasn't out of breath at all for the whole race, but those last 2K my legs felt it a little... still, when I've crossed the line, tears came down like instantly because I still didn't believe I had finished it... And I started thinking that 5 months ago I was wondering if I run a 8K without dying and look where I am now! Between an injury and 2 months without training, med school, gym I have NOTHING to complain about; I'm grateful and proud of my accomplishments this year. When I look back at this very same time of the year in 2010, I was such a different person than I am now... I was going through some serious eating disorders, I battled an almost chronic anorexia on my own without anyone (not a single person) knowing it (to date); I was dating a stupid guy who didn't give two craps about me; I was slacking on my studies and partying hard almost every day of the week. I still have a looooooong way down the road, but I can tell you that, from here, I'm only climbing upwards :)

After the marathon, I had to HIBERNATE for 2 whole days to try catching up on my test... In 48h, I slept a total of 5 hours. I went to the exam expecting the worst of the worst... but, somehow, I've passed it! I was exhausted out of my mind, but the feeling that I had passed on the hardest test of the year was way too exciting... now it's time to catch up with everything I have on "pending mode"somewhere d:

Thanks guys for ALL YOUR SUPPORT, you were truly amazing!

Inspiration of the day:

Tell me the last awesomesauce movie you've watched lately! I need to catch up with the world lol

HALF-MARATHON!

2011-09-09T14:44:00.003-03:00

It's coming this Sunday!

Wish me luck!

ps. goal time: to finish it alive ('cause that's how positive I am!).

Sucker for inspiration.

2011-08-24T16:01:00.003-03:00

I LOVE any kind of sports movie. They're so powerful and inspirational... they often impact me in so many ways I can't even describe. I'm always searching for new ones... running, baseball, football, basketball, surfing, you name, If there're sports in it, I'm watching. You put a very inspirational story behind (better yet if it's based on a real story), and I'm sold.

The one I've just watched is called SOUL SURFER. It's not a new movie, but it has just come out on dvd, so I've finally had a chance to watch it (I'm cheap, so I wait for the movies to come on dvd in the US so I can download them with a great quality :D ).

First thing you need to know about me: I'm a cry-baby in movies. I cry watching Disney movies. I cry watching youtube videos. I cry watching big catastrophes happening. I don't know why, I'm not really the sensitive type of person. But yet, I cry a lot with this kind of stuff. So with that said, you can imagine how much I've cried over this one. I've heard the story of Bethany Hamilton before, but I confess I didn't quite know anything about it at all - besides the fact that she was a surfer who has lost her arm due to a shark attack in Hawaii when she was 13 years old. The movie is based on her auto-biography book and she took very close participation on the production. Besides, AnnaSophia Robb plays her part and I love her to die since I've seen her for the fist time in Bridge to Terabithia (another really awesome movie).

For a 13 year old girl to be attack by a shark and have a come back like hers it just blows my mind. I can't help but get amazed by everything we can do if we really want to, if we really put ourselves into. Yet... we don't. Why the biggest tragedies need to happen to shake us off of our lame routine and make us realize all the potential we got?

The great things about sports movies (and I've said this a thousand times) is how much we can learn from other people's strength, courage, devotion, faith. This motivates me to be the best I can be with whatever I decide to be, you know? It's not always easy... some times along the way you'll find yourself complaining about lame things like how come I didn't run fast enough today, or why I couldn't get an A on this test, or why something this horrible happened to me. The truth is... bad things happen. I don't truly believe they happen for a reason (but that's just me). I think nature takes its course and we are the ones that are gonna define the intensity of the things that come to us and how it's gonna affect our lives.

When I've injured my knee, I got so pissed. I was depressed, I've cried, I've blamed myself, I've blamed others, I got jealous of others for their ability to do what I couldn't. I gave in. I decided running wasn't for me and I punished myself every single day for something that wasn't anybody's fault. But now I'm back and I'm much better, wiser and stronger than I could have ever asked for. It took me an injury to learn that we shouldn't try to change what has passed; it's better to just decide what to do from now on.

"I wouldn't change what happened to me, because then I wouldn’t have this chance in front of all of you. This chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms." [ Bethany Hamilton ].

"I don't want easy. I just want possible" [ Bethany Hamilton ]

Any really good inspirational movies to recommend?

Do you get motivated by other people's stories?

It's Not About The Bike.

2011-08-14T15:03:00.007-03:00

Yesterday, I started reading Lance Armstrong's book It's Not About The Bike. You can download it for free, it's a no-profitable autobiography about how he overcame his testicle cancer (which had spread up to his lungs and brain). I'm almost finishing it and I needed to stop for a while because it has really moved me. Sometimes, we're so self-absorbed in our own life, our own routine that we truly forget what the important things are. I mean, the really important things. For several months since I started running, all I cared about was timing, mileage, pace... I would beat myself up if I couldn't keep up with I was supposed to, I would not run if I didn't have enough time to do a proper run, I would just say I can never make it anyway if I couldn't be as fast as possible.

Today, as I was doing my long run (which is not that long after all), something hit me. I was doing the same trail I've been doing since I can remember. I didn't glance at the clock not even a single time to check my pace or mileage. I was just feeling so happy to be able to run, to be out there doing something for myself... I was feeling so in peace and I crossed a teammate running with another teammate who is an older blind guy... he was guiding him with a little rope all the way. That was such a nice moment right there. He's one of the elite runners of my group and he was sacrificing his own long run for someone else. How many times have we sacrificed our own workouts to help others with theirs? We're usually so blinded by our own numbers that we forget to see what's surrounding us. Of course we all wanna be better, quicker, stronger. We want PRs, we want to race, we wanna win. I do too. But after my injury, I've changed lots. I've learned and I've grown so much as a person. My priority now is to run. As simple as that. As long as I keep moving, I'm satisfied. All the other things are just that... other things. Sometimes in life you just have to drop all those small details and keep moving forward. I used to be so attached to those details that sometimes I would prefer not go for a run if that meant I wouldn't be able to do what I was supposed to. Lame, right?

There are people dying from cancer every day. People losing their motility. People who are just like you and me. But I'm alive today, and you are too. So let's just make the best of it, right? :)

"...I'd never ridden just to ride in the past–there had to be a purpose behind it, a race or a training
regimen. Before, I wouldn't even consider riding for just thirty minutes or an hour. Real cyclists
don't even take the bike out of the garage if it's only going to be an hour-long ride.
Bart would call up and say,
"Let's go hang out and ride bikes."
"What for?" I'd say.
But now I not only loved the bike, I needed it. I needed to get away from my problems for a
little while, and to make a point to myself and to my friends. I had a reason for those rides: I
wanted everyone to see that I was okay, and still able to ride–and maybe I was trying to prove it
to myself, too.
"How's Lance doing?" people would say.
I wanted my friends to say, "Well, he seems pretty good. He's riding his bike."
Maybe I needed to tell myself that I was still a rider, not just a cancer patient, no matter how
weak I had become. If nothing else, it was my way of countering the disease and regaining the
control it had stripped from me. I can still do this, I told myself. I might not be able to do it like I
used to, but I can still do it."

[ It's Not About The Bike, Lance Armstrong ]

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

[ Martin Luther King Jr. ]

So, back from the deep stuff, the best thing I've been doing lately is running to/from stuff. It safes me lots of time and it is also a great excuse. Like I run for frozen yogurt.

I run for sushi too, but that is just too obvious.

ps. My couch signed me up for a half marathon. It's in less than a month. I'm freaking out, obviously, I haven't run more than 13K my entire life. But I'm okay with that. I just want the shirt. Yeah, I'm lame this way. :)

ps.2 I'VE BOUGHT A BIKE! And I realized my legs feel much stronger when I run after I ride. Score.

What keeps you moving forward?

Personally, I love reading about other people's experiences, specially athletes. They're so strong and disciplined, they overcome so many difficulties in life... it makes me ashamed of most of the things I usually complain about.

Running has saved me from myself.

2011-08-06T16:38:00.002-03:00

Hello, peeps! Imagine this scene. Coldest month of the year. You wake up to go to run and it's 68F, sunny, bright... it feels like heavennnn! I twisted my foot a week ago and it was a little sore... and then again on Thursday, somehow I've managed to twist it the same foot again! And I wasn't even running, I was only walking with my friends after school to get some lunch... and then it looked BAD.

I know, it looks like a baby alien ):

Anyway, lots of ice plus two days on a row of cycling and upper body and you can imagine the results... I can barely raise my shoulders or laugh that it hurts like hell... (still worth it d: ). Today, as I woke up and saw this AMAZING weather, I couldn't help it and tried to run (on trails). It felt awesome. It was a little sore, like a bruise, but no major pain... score!

I really should be studying right now, but Modern Family is on my way between the books and my ~~gigantic~~ will to get smart, so I'll just ice this little monster and relax a little bit before I start tracking down all the elements inside the thorax cavity.

ps.

Just wanna leave a memo to this awesome people, runners and friends who have made me into such a better person each and every day. Your willingness is inspiring and all you guys put through to be able to be the best ones out there is amazing. I couldn't be more proud to be part of a little bit of it and I sure look up to each and every one of you and just hope that I'll train harder and harder to be as great as you guys :)

What has inspiring you lately?

Well, waking up in the middle of winter with spring weather is always inspiring as you'll ever get!! :)

But, lately, I've been really inspired by looking at old pictures of me and some really important people... moments are extremely inspiring. It's what you hold to when you're on those really dark days. It's what makes you come out and back stronger than you were before. Sorry for the cheesyness, the sun makes me like this. Cheers for moments!

HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND, PEEPS :)

No, Med school hasn't killed me yet - but man it tried to.

2011-08-02T11:21:00.003-03:00

Oh, right, I have a blog. :) So, exams kicked in and life kicked out. Between not being able to workout and run, and getting stuck at home studying like there was no tomorrow I kind of crashed at the third consecutive test. I didn't show up. Lame, I know, specially 'cause I studied the hardest for this one, spent tons of sleepless night on the microscope but, at the exact day, the alarm went on and I couldn't move. As I laid down there, staring at the ceiling, I started wondering why do I have to put myself through all this anyway. Do I really want to become a doctor this bad? This sort of thought crossed my mind over and over again, many and many times throughout all the time I've been away. At that very day, I've reached rock bottom big time. I had all those doubts in my head and I didn't know what to do, I couldn't run (which was basically what put me into med school in the first place), I would start crying out of nowhere several times a day, just imaging that I would have to study - again.

I still had one more test, but I decided to chill a little (actually, my mom came to visit, so she obligated me to chill). It was the perfect time for a visit. She left 2 days before my test, I had recharged batteries and was able to pull it off somehow. It was the last test of the semester. A friend from Brazil would come the day after the test, so it was perfect. I had 2 other dates to take the test I've missed, so I've decided to get my s* together. I really thought I would never leave the whole I've put myself into, I could just think how far from graduating I was, how many more hell-weeks I would have before actually living again and such. I know it sounds like I'm the biggest spoiled girl in the world, but you'll never know what first year of med school is if you haven't lived it. I've spent 5 straight days without seen sunlight or even getting close to the out door.

So, my friend came over, we had the best time and, after she left, I thought I could use a change. My knee was all better, I decided to take the risk. Went back to the gym and to running. It's been a week of heaven so far. And the most amazing thing happened. I was with the group last Saturday and one of the girls was complaining about a pain right behind her knee, saying it was probably muscle-fatigue. I told her that couldn't be it since we don't have muscles there. I took the itouch to show her some pictures from the Gray's Anatomy atlas and I started explaining to her all sort of things that it couldn't be and why. For a moment, it all came back to me. Why I wanted to become a doctor. That was it. That little moment was a piece of my distant future. I could see myself doing that for the rest of my life. How she was so interested, how she would listen to me, ask what should she do, should she run, was it serious... to see how the other rely entirely on your medical opinion and how they trust you so bad is something that, somehow, makes it all worth it. I know I have a long long way to go, but now I have clear in my head exactly where it's taking me. I have something to believe in. :)

Sorry to bore you all with my med delusions, but I needed to put it out there so, when school tried to kick my ass again, I can go back and read how blessed I am for having the chance to do what I do.

And of course I'll put up some (really only some of them, I might have way too many) pictures of the awesome weeks I had this winter.

...having my mom and my stepfather over, so I could eat something other than steamed veggies with tuna :)

... drinking wine and getting way too full...

... seeing whale's bones at the zoo :)

... horse riding with the gauchos heh.

DO YOU GEOCACHE?

[ http://geocaching.com/ in case you got curious ].

Hey guys, tell me only one thing... what was the most rock-bottom moment of your life?

I know it's kind of personal, but oh well, we're kind of in a virtual world and it's not like I'm gonna go hunt you with your stories heh.

I. RAN.

2011-06-10T19:55:00.002-03:00

I've been having some issues for the past 2 weeks. I had to much time on my hands and it was all wasted by complaining, sleeping, and being depressed. I was a mess. My trainer has been emailing me to keep up with what was going on with the knee and all that jazz, and so was the rest of the group. It felt really good to have all their support, but I wasn't knowing how to used it as a motivation so I could keep my hopes up.

Last friday, the trainer actually texted me saying he wanted me there Saturday night. Like an intimation. You bet I got off my ass and went there (apparently I like to be commanded. Maybe we need to talk, Freud). First, we did 1h of rehab exercises that they use on the clinics for injured athletes. Then it was time to run. You bet I was scared as hell. What if I can never run the same again? What if I can't handle to run for more than 1 minute? What if my lungs collapse? What if my starts hurting again?... and it went on and on and on. He said I should do 1K on the trail and see how it goes. He said to not worry about time and try to keep the heart below 160. Well, the first 10sec, my heart went 168 and if I started running any slower, I would literally have to walk. So I stopped checking it and went with the flow.

It was cold, but I was warmed up by the exercises. The sun was shinning. The park was filled with runners and cyclists. I've never felt so much peace in my life. I forgot I was running. Nothing hurt. Nothing bothered me. I was looking around me and everything was like slow-motion. The cold wind on my face, the autumn leaves all around... it was HEAVEN. I forgot what I was supposed to do and stayed in heaven for 2K instead of 1K and did it at 8:06. The trainer was so psyched that my knee didn't hurt that he didn't even get mad at me for overdoing it a little. I'm so back.

Let me see if I can sum everything that happened in a couple pictures (can you tell that I can't move my fingers to write because I've spent the last 12 hours making flash-cards and memorizing every single detail about the upper limbs?).
So, for the past 3 weeks I've been away from the blog world and...

...there were tons of food (literally), including this gigantic sandwich that I still can't get enough. Spinach, tomato, chicken slices and a cheesy omelet. Who puts an omelet in a sandwich? I do.

...fall has arrived.

...sushis were eaten.

...Pirates of the Caribbean was watched and lots of alfajores de dulce de leche were (heavenly) eaten.

...more sushi made my life worth-living.

...gigantic salads were craved.

...running buddies were given the blessing of my presence.

...including the couch.

...I got to watch the group do their kick-ass training while I was in between my ~~whole~~ 3 miles jog. Watch out kenyans.

...I got to feel extremely happy with those 3 miles. I mean EXTREMELY. Sorry if my face doesn't make justice to the feeling, I might have problems expressing myself with face expressions in pictures.

...my very favorite food in the world got to make part of my life twice a day. Greek natural unsweetened yogurt, old-fashioned oats, banana and a mix chia, quinoa and amaranth seeds.

...Su got to get her gift I brought her from Brazil 3 months ago. Sorry, Su! I mean, it's not like we see each other every weekend and get to hang and eat sushi all the time.

Well, peeps, that's pretty much all of it. I'm a couple days away of my exams and I'm freaking out (specially because I don't know what to expect), but I've been studying hard-core and I feel like I'm getting there. Been injured has taught me SO MUCH. Patience, moderation and not taking things for granted on the top of the list.

And guess who's running again tomorrow... and the day after? This gal :D I might even be able to run like 5 whole miles. I know, I know, you can be jealous, it's ok.

Have you ever had a major set-back from taking something for granted?

Lots and lots of time... the time I spend studying, the ability to run, the skinny genes that apparently run in my family, my friends, my family... but I'm learning, people, I'm learning. That's what matters in the end, right? :)

Get ready for tons of pics.

2011-05-25T20:50:00.001-03:00

Wow, how long has it been since I've posted... despite the fact I haven't been running or doing any kind of exercise, it still looks like there isn't nearly enough time to study everything I need. It's kind of frustrating. You give your all, you get bruises on your butt from spending so much time sitting and reading, reading, reading and, when you go to practice, it just seems like everything goes right out of the window. Med school is no joke. Next time you think about cheaping out on your doc, please don't. You were partying and living and enjoying life while he spend more than one decade barely seeing the sun light and living on coffee.

So, last Monday I went to the doc. I confess I was really scared and afraid he was gonna say "kiddo, you can never run again, your bones melted", or something like that. Instead, he examined me for 5min and asked for a MRI. Joy. He did say I apparently don't have any major inflammation, but he still needs to be sure I don't have anything going on with the meniscus or the ligaments. Oh and he also said that, if I plan on keep walking for a couple more years, I shouldn't be doing leg press with 220lbs on it. He agrees with my running couch that, since my knee doesn't hurt anymore, it was probably the stress of the weight training together with the increased of the running... and that I should just stick with running, unless I plan on getting a proper trainer at the gym (yeah, right). So I guess I'm leaving the gym - for good. I had a hard time convincing myself of this one, but I think I came to accept it. I'm looking into some yoga institutes, which it would be great to just run and do yoga - I'm fine with that. For the love of running, I'm willing to do it :)

So let's talk some positive stuff, shall we? Last Sunday, I went to Chinatown (duh!) and there was sort of a chinese festival going on... it was so awesome to just turn on the street and seeing all those stands and colors and dancing out of nowhere! I love, LOVE all Asia-related stuff (their language, food, culture, ancient medicine).

And the best part, my roomie went with me and she was blown away by all the goodies they had!

The market that takes half of my month's worth of money... I'm pretty sure I'm the one keeping that place running. They should like sponsor me or something.

This was a bread made out of... COFFEE. I know, bread + coffee together. That's just too good to be true.

Those ladies were giving a fruit called jaca in portuguese (jackfruit) for people to try it. I find it so funny that no one has ever tasted this fruit before, I thought it was so common lol. Oh those huge oranges I have no idea what they are.

... and what helps me to make it through the week.

My roommate (Damaris) tried sushi for the first time and she loved it. I'm so proud of myself. And does anyone know why I ruin all the pictures? (no, not YOU, Freud).

It's ridiculous how much I love this place.

Something cool I couldn't really see.

Kids, don't do that if there're some old ladies around you. They might think you wanna steal the coins that people leave inside the statue's mouth. Who knew I looked like a hobo...

And the weekly goodies...

Flaxseed crackers. Someone wanna to pluke my eyebrows for me? I'm paying.

How people manage their lives without those still amazes me.

Doubled-chia seeds bread.

As you can see, they ain't out of chia seeds any time soon.

Carob walnut cake that I've managed to eat in one sitting.

Ok, I'll spare you from the 384034 more pics I have here, you're welcome.

I need to study. As a matter of fact, I haven't been doing anything else besides study, thinking I need to study, and waking myself up worried I needed to study more. The few hours I spend buying sushi are literally the only hours I've been spending outside the house besides school. I know it sounds sad (and it is), but I don't think it's the main issue. I think my biggest problem is studying my ass off and still not knowing everything I should be. I'm extremely hard on myself when it comes to education and I can't be ok with not being good at what I'm doing. So if I have to sacrifice hours and hours of sleep to help improve my knowledge, you better believe I will. But, see, the issue with med school is exactly this: you'll NEVER know everything. It doesn't matter how many times you read and re-read lower limb anatomy, you still won't be able to say every single muscle with its insertions, its arteries, veins, nerves and glands. I've been trying to be a little easier on myself, but, the harder it gets, the more it drives me into it. Maybe I'm just having a career crisis.

Have you guys ever felt like you were giving your all and not being fairly compensated for your sacrifice?

Which country you dream on going to?

Since I can understand myself as a human being, I dream on going to Egypt. I don't know why, I just do, it has always fascinated me. But I must say that Japan has a BIG place in my heart as well. :)

Officially bored.

2011-05-15T10:35:00.004-03:00

One. Whole. Week. I've made it. One entire week of no workout. Guys, it's killing me. I have spent one week without working out before, but because I was on the beach, or on a trip, or busy out of my mind... but this time, I'm actually stuck at home staring at books with ice on my leg.

I think I have OCD, hyperactivity, something must be seriously wrong... I have one more week to go before the doc's app and I'm already wondering how on Earth I'm gonna make it to 8 more days of this! You may think I'm exaggerating, but I swear I'm not. And my knee still hurts.

First, I thought "oh well, I'll have way more time to dedicate on studying", which was true, but 80% of this time I was actually sitting down, staring at the books and reading the same page 10 times and still didn't had a freaking clue about what I've just read. Man I'm so screwed. My mind keeps going on and on, I keep stopping in the middle to stand up, to look at the window, to clean, to do laundry... I can't concentrate, my legs keep moving, I can't sit still, I get bored out of my mind and then the worse happens... (wait for it):

I can't stop eating!! I'm eating like I'm running a marathon every weekend! I sit down. I open the book. Ok, you can do this. I get hungry. But I've just had lunch! I get the peanut butter jar.

Finish the rest of it. No excuses now, let's go. I start studying. The terminal branches of the lumbar plexus are obturator and femoral nerves. So ok, the terminal branches of... of what again? I can't concentrate. Crap, it's been 10min and I can't read a freaking damn line! I get pissed. Ugh why are you so dumb, just memorize it already!! I go eat. Take this calories, you not-smarty pants!

Whole wheat carob and oats cookies.

Deep breath. Damn, still hungry!

Flaxseed cookies.

Now that I have no more food, maybe I can finally study. Back to the books. Damn, I'm so full, it hurts! Still can't concentrate. Maybe I should take a walk to clear my head (of what if you haven't gotten anything in it to begin with?). Go to the bread shop. Come back. With more food.

Ok this one is just usual chocolate, nothing fancy about it.

Maybe I'll just try a bite. Read a page. So terminal branches are: Ob... what was it again? Try to memorize. Still no freaking clue. Close the books and enjoy my boredom (and the rest of the chocolate, obviously).

This was kind of my whole week. I could spend 8h straight on that. I've had the least productive week of my whole life...

So, people who don't workout: how do you guys do it? No, seriously, how?

On the bright side...

Adidas, I love you. Thanks for sponsoring a newbie with a still unknown injury.

... and thanks Laura for helping me to get there! :) <3

I know, they ROCK big time :) Too bad I still can't review them... one more week, people... one more week and the doctor will give me the good news that my knee is awesome, it was just getting used to the mileage and I can go right back into doing everything I was doing the exact same way :) (and don't OH HONEY, me k?).

Do you eat out of boredom?

Please, guys, sisterhood here, don't make me feel so bad! If you don't, then lie about it, so I feel less weird.

How to deal with the stress of school AND the inability to workout?

Still figuring this one out...

How to get injured.

2011-05-14T14:25:00.000-03:00

0) Do your own set of workout routine at the gym and put more and more weight every time you think you ain't feeling your muscles screaming in pain.

If only I knew I was destroying my knee back then.

1) Start jogging like 12min/mile and broadcast yourself to the virtual world as a runner.

Now you feel obligated to run, so you have something to talk about on the blog.

2) One month later, go on vacation to Brazil for the whole summer and do nothing but eat crap and pretend you're trying to run.

3) Leave your brand new expensive snickers on the back of the seat of your stepfather's car, so they can get stolen while you're happily eating at the restaurant.

Don't mention the foot size. I think I've been a 10 since I was 5yo.

Then you cheap out and buy the cheapest snickers available. 1 week later, when there are a whole so big that your small toe hangs out of it, you ignore it and keep running.

Really, Lyvia... really?

4) After the whole summer losing all your endurance, go back to your routine and med school and join a running group filled elite athletes.

5) When your running couch tells you to run 2K in 12min, you run in 9:40min and think you're awesome for that. When he tells you to do 200m in 1min you do in 45sec. With your baby toe hanging out of your snicker.

6) Notice a pain on your knee, but just ignore it and keep trying to run like the other folks on your running group who have been running for over 10 years. When it hurts like there's no tomorrow, you do the smart thing: you just move to the trail. For 5 minutes.

7) After weeks in pain, you sign up for a race and run it while crying in pain. Then you walk the last 1.5K like dr. House and voila! You got yourself an injure.

If it looks like I was in a lot of pain... believe me, it was worse. And, no, I'm not the chubby dude with the backpack and the weird glasses.

Getting an injury is serious business... it's not easy and you have to try really hard to get a big one that it will prevent you from running. And here I am, sharing all this awesome knowledge with you guys. The things I do for our friendship.

Preparing for the worst.

2011-05-08T23:03:00.003-03:00

I've just got back from Rosario, a city close to Buenos Aires... as you may know, that was gonna be my first race ever (6K), which I was planning on running in about 29min. Ok, I ran it... sort of. First things first.

The city is amazing... pretty, by a huge river... we were invited by Adidas, so we got a private Adidas booth, with all kind of yummy foods you can imagine. I was talking with athletes that had competed in all sort of kick-ass races. Really elite folks. I've never felt happier. It just felt so right... I don't know if I can say that I belong there, but it just felt right to be there around them. The atmosphere, the stories, the experiences... I can't put it into words how I've learned just by listening to them telling me about their adventures, their expectations, PR's etc. They were mostly running the 6K too... but to win. And they so did. The top 3 girls were all from my group. One guys got the 5th post (funny thing is 3 or 4 guys from my group could have gotten between the top 5, but they got lost in the race when the 6K people needed to do a turn and get separated from the 21K folks, so that messed their times big time).

So we got there and went to get our shirts... then hotel, get changed and do a light jog around the city...

Our booth d:

Rosario's big symbol: the Flag's Monument, where they had their flag hoisted for the very first time.

I wasn't feeling anything at all on my knee. I've trained hard on Thursday and rested on Friday. I was so ready. 5min into the jog and I suddenly stopped. I couldn't raise my right let by itself. It just wouldn't go without me screaming in pain. I couldn't even raised like more than 5 inches that it would kill me out of my mind, a pain I've never felt before. I stayed behind the group, sat down and started questioning whether I should run the race or not the day after. I mean, so much training and effort putting into it, it was just so not fair that it would go all on waste like that. I was really freaking out... everybody was telling me not to run it, that it wasn't a big deal of a race anyway... but it was, at least for me.

Today, I got ready for the race. I was already expecting the worst. When we got there, this view just totally killed me...

C'MON! How was I supposed to miss my first race, by the river and with THIS view?

Inside the Adidas booth and the countdown.

Trying to live the moment and not think about the pain or anything like that...

Warming up...

...with this freaking view...

...feeling like this.

I kind of jogged 'till almost 5K and then I started walking. Like not normal walking, I couldn't put my right leg on the floor. I cried almost 'till the finished line out of pain, but I finished it. 38min, don't ask me how I've managed this. I have a doc's app on the 23rd, but I can't wait any longer. My running couch won't let me train this week unless I see a doctor. One of the guys from the group said he had hard times with his knee as well last year and had to take almost 1y and a half off from running. I think I died a little when I've heard that. He'll try to schedule an urgent appointment with his doctor, so maybe I can manage to go asap and solve this out for good. I need to know what is going on and I need to know that it isn't anything serious... and I also need to rest and try to be patient. This is in fact one of the biggest lessons that running has being teaching me. Patience.

"If you build it, they will come", right? :)

I'm open to all the positive you guys have to offer. I might really need some to keep my sanity this week. It's gonna be tough.

A HUGE shout out to my pretty friend Laura who got in 2nd, even tough she missed the turn for the 6K for about 200m. She rocks big time and I wanna be like her when I grow up :)

Have you ever being injured? How did you deal with it?

Trying to stay positive and finding really hard to do so...

chasing endorphin.

PS. In case you're wondering, and I know you are 'cause I'm a really interesting person and you know my routine like the palm of your hand, I did go to get sushi today :) Even tough I had a huge suitcase, a backpack and a fucked up knee. As soon as we got in Buenos Aires, I hopped in the subway and went to Chinatown... I couldn't eat it there and get a nice picture, first because I wasn't mentally in the mood, second 'cause it was so freaking full that I just wanted get the heck outta there. Third 'cause as soon as I got home as I was starving that I ate it in about 5 bites. :D Smart. Now I'm hungry again.

EDIT:

Videos from the "race" (aka House style).

Crossing the start line :)

This part was SO cool... the tunnel, the music, the people singing... I wanna to sprint out of my mind and my knee kept reminding me I couldn't...

When I started walking, House style. Except that I was crying in pain and had no Vicodin. Still trying to find out if I chickened out or if I did the smart thing.

When is it really time to stop?

2011-05-06T00:00:00.001-03:00

One of the great things about running is the ability we get to overcome things in all aspects of our lives, not only running related. As we become stronger and faster, we kind of translate that into lots of other stuff, like relationships, school, jobs... we get that extra confidence that we can do this, that, if we try harder, nothing can actually stop us.

So, how do we draw the line between being upfront and just pushing way between our limits?

Last Sunday, I did my long run (almost 13K, focus people, I've been training for 3 weeks, my long runs are really short). When I got back home, I was destroyed. The run itself was amazing... it was pitch dark, around 7ish pm... and it's also fall here, so the wind was out of control. But overall, it was an awesome run and I did it in 15min less than what it was planned. Score. But both my heels and my right knee screamed right back at me. On monday, I took it easy and just did yoga. It felt pretty good and my heels were ok. But not my right knee. Tuesday I was supposed to do 5 sets of 1K. As I started warming up... I just couldn't. I did 1 mile and I stopped. I stretched a little bit. My running couch and the rest of the group were worried because, like my couch said, "for you to have stopped, it must hurt really bad". It hurt like hell. I didn't wanna tell them how bad it was, but inside I was almost crying. I had to hold back the tears several times... I stretched a bit and went for another mile but did on the trail to lessen the impact. It still hurt. I stretched again, trying to smile, but I could barely walk, it was really obvious that something was going on. So I convinced the couch to just let me jog around the trail for about 30, 40min and so I did it.

Once I got home, it really hit me. I was depressed and started crying like no stop. I was so scared that it could be something really serious, like a ~~stress fracture~~ (knocking on the wood). I put ice on my knee and just sat here, speechless, imagining a life without running. My heart sinked.

Yesterday, the couch didn't even allow me to do yoga; he told me to just don't put any pressure on my right leg, try to rest it as much as possible and lots of ice. And that's when the conflict starts. How do we know the difference between chickening out or being seriously injured? I'm a newbie, my fellow marathoners, so enlighten me. I chose to be smart, took the couch's advice and stayed home. The whole freaking day. It almost killed not being able to do even a harmless yoga class, but I guess that's the sacrifices we do for running, right? If it means I can run stronger and better, check me in.

Today, I felt much better. I could still feel my knee, but I felt like I was gonna shut up and run. And I did. I was supposed to do 8 sets of 200m in 1:10min each, and ended up doing at around 41, 43 seconds each. Score. My running couch obviously almost killed me, but I just needed to get that extra energy out of me :) I don't know if I was pushing too hard, if I was trying to prove I'm not a chicken or a whiner, or if I was actually just using all the strength running has given me to go to the next level. What do you experts out there think?

Sooo let's talk good things. Last Saturday, I went to meet the running group (I know, I don't have a life besides running and school, and I love it) and tchan!, there was a race going on. It was called DogRun and the runners were running with their dogs...

I would totally run it to get that pink shit.

Sunday, I didn't do anything during the day 'cause it was raining... BUT... oh yeah, you know I was gonna do this:

Sunday's sushi. I really don't know why I have always the same face in the pictures. I guess trying to hold the sushi and the ipod at the same time on the street with people watching is kind of embarrassing. Like I care.

I also got dessert ~~duh~~ but when I remembered to get a picture of it, that's all I got left...

Do you also think I should eat a little slower?

HEEY! If you had any doubts that I was in a running group (like I would lie about something like that), I finally got my shirttttttt <3 Now it's official haaa :D

Really guys, I'm accepting advices about posing for pictures. Also don't mind all the clothes on the floor, it's part of the decoration of the house. And sorry fellow brazilians if I'm wearing an Argentinian flag... I'm still with you guys for the World Cup d:

The greatest thing about being a running maniac?

Extra-cheesy omelet with tomato and spinach, and some steamed broccoli, zucchini and eggplant. Probably serves 3 people, but I might have some kenyans possessing me lately and I've got to feed them well.

How do you guys know when it's time to stop and rest?

Are you the type that sticks to a tradition or always switch it up?

I LOVE to switch it up. I barely go to the same restaurant twice or order the same thing. Ever. Some things though do manage to stick around... like Sushi Sunday :) When something turns a tradition in my life, you know it for sure that I love it BIG TIME.

Run from the heart.

2011-04-30T21:17:00.000-03:00

I've just finished watching The Spirit Of The Marathon. I can't describe how I felt. It was like every single runner was carrying a piece of me with them. I cried the whole half ending of the movie. The tears would just come out one after the other, I couldn't help it. Just seeing those runners training so hard, giving their very best and crossing that line is just SO touching, so motivating, so inspiring... I can't get enough. Running is growing on me more than anything has ever had. I've never wanted anything more in my life than to run. I want to run more than I want to be a doctor. That's how strong it is. I can't help it. My days of a casual runner are behind me now. I run. I train. I see improvements. I see my body doing things I've never even considered possible. I would see how fast people were running at parks and only assume that kind of thing wasn't for me. That there was no way I could ever do that. Don't get me wrong, I still have a LONG way down the road. But I've crossed the starting line - and that means everything. Maybe I'll have to take a little walk in between. Maybe I'll get unmotivated. Maybe the finish line would be so far ahead that I will think I can't make it. I'll do my best to be strong. To not see so far ahead. To just keep going, one front in front of the other. That's all that matters right now to me. Running is teaching me to be patient. To trust the hard work and effort I've been putting into my training. It is making me believe in myself. It is allowing me to be powerful in all other aspects of my life - family, friends, school. Suddenly, you just want to try harder. Try harder to be a better daughter, a better friend, a better student, a better runner. Because I'm learning that persistence pays off. With everything. :)

I'm pretty sure my training is even interfering with my approach with the ~~bitch~~ anatomy... By the time I graduate, can you imagine how much improvement I will have accomplished? (we're talking around 6 years more down the road...). I'm gonna be a sports medicine doctor (you didn't know that, right? It's not like I've talked about it 394839 times here). And I'm gonna be a little bit of every athlete who enters my office. I'm gonna be able to share their feelings, their worries, because I have been there, I know how it feels, I know exactly what they've been through. Running is a crucial part of my career. Just remember that nothing you do is a waste. Everything has a purpose, everything can be used to make you wiser, stronger, or as a motivation for others. By this time last year, I was totally into a guy who didn't give a shit about me, I wasn't consistent with my workout, I was struggling with eating disorders, I was partying heavy, didn't give a shit about school, you name it. Now, one year after, I'm single, in total peace with my emotional feelings, studying my ass off to become a better doctor, to be able to help every single athlete out there, I'm a runner, I don't count calories, I don't try to purge if I eat too much, I don't binge on foods because I restrict them too much. Everything in moderation. When I compare what I was with what I'm becoming, I can't help it but smile and give myself a big hug. I'm improving, I'm learning, I'm becoming a person I've always wanted to be. And that is priceless.

Sorry, no sarcasm today. I'm too mushy. I haven't had my period for almost 3 months, ~~be jealous~~ blame it on that.

Have you ever struggled with anything eating-related?

Last year I was struggling with anorexia, then binge eating. Worst time of my life.

What is your biggest goal right now?

To run the Buenos Aires marathon by the end of the year. Is that even a possibility?

Speed and self-analyzing.

2011-04-27T14:36:00.002-03:00

When I'm running, I think I should be studying. I'm studying and all I can think about is running. Isn't it sad? I hate when I'm not able to enjoy whatever I'm doing WHEN I'm doing it. It's just a waste of time because then once it's all over, you'll realize that you had never truly enjoyed anything you have done at all because you were always thinking ahead of you. We do this all the time! We go to school thinking about college; then we go to college thinking about graduation and getting a job; then we finally get a job and we can't stand it and we only think about getting it over with or retire. That's just not right. If you're unhappy with your decisions, if you hate school, if you hate your job, well, then CHANGE IT. Most people didn't understand why I gave up Journalism school when I was 1 year away from finishing. Well, I was 100% sure that I didn't want that for my life. So what would I do with the diploma? Put on my wall to show people "hey look, I graduate at something I don't actually care about". And, if I had continued with it, the chances that I would get carried away by jog offers or influence from other classmates would be much bigger. Then I would be now sitting on a desk, whining and thinking "if I only had gave up when I had the chance". Thank God I did. And I couldn't have decided for anything differently. I don't say Med school is easy because it isn't. On the top of that, trying to keep up with a healthy life style plus running is definitely a challenge. You always have lots to study and it's pretty tempting to let it get on your way of doing things you love and that help you keep your sanity. I just have to remember how much running cleans up my head so I can study fresh-minded afterward. Yes, I have less time to study than the other students. But I'm up with much more energy then most of them and, the fewer hours when I'm indeed studying, I'm much more focused and learn things much easily then if I had potato-couched the whole day sitting on my ass and eating crap. Running has become a part of me now. I love it and I should be able to enjoy it while I'm running. I don't wanna be running thinking about studying or vice-versa. I wanna be able to give my 100% to everything I'm doing, so I have better chances to have fewer regrets later on in life. And if, at any given point, I realize that's not really what I want for me, well, I will have no regrets for doing it because I gave my all and best. :)

I have 6K coming up in a few weeks. The running group convinced me. It's my first race ever, but I'm glad I'm starting off with a 6K instead of a 10K. I know it's nothing for you marathoners out there, but it means a lot to me. It means I'm starting. It means I'm putting myself out there for good or bad. It means I'm doing something for myself and that, after that, I'll be stronger even if it's in a small way. And I'll also have running pictures, running shirts and running people to hang out with. Well, maybe that's the main reason I'm doing this d: C'mon, don't judge, I really wanna a running shirt :)

So Fall is finally here. Well, not really, it's really being a chicken this year. I don't complain. Like at all. I'm not a big fan of winter after all. But the leaves as falling...

Sorry I don't know how to pose for pictures at all.

Church gals d:

That was taken by Su after church... so you know what that means...

Sunday sushi's ritual. Su ditched me and went home. Something about having to save money and cooking I didn't quite get.

Today I had the class I fear the most... anatomy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the subject. But the class has always taken the best out of me. I used to start crying several times in the middle of the class (I would always blame it on the formol lol). By the end of it, I was so mentally devastated that the only thing I could think of what "why am I in this career again?" Anatomy is tough. Specially for me, who has always like humanities classes better since I can understand myself as a human being. I read Socrates when I was 13. Sophie's World 3 times when I was 14. Nietzsche and Freud joined me for my 15th birthday. I had a really messed up teenagerhood (is this even a word?), mostly because I was aware of most things that were happening around me and I couldn't just be ignorant about it. Ok, back to the point. Anatomy has been difficult to me because I'm not used to decorate things. I'm used to read and understand. Simple as that. So I've been spending several hours a day dedicating exclusively to anatomy and, you know what?, it's been worth it. At first, I wasn't seen improvement. I started thinking I just suck at it, something genetic (don't you also love to blame it on the genes when you can't justify it?). But, after today, I'm seeing things differently. I was really into the class all the time, I answered, I recognized parts, I felt like I knew every single word the teacher said. And I had one of those moments when you smile and feel proud of yourself. Don't you love those? I've been having them quite a lot lately.

Yeah, those are dead people. Don't freak out, they don't look nearly as exciting as they are in The Sixth Sense.

So, let's talk running. Yesterday, I went to meet with the group again. I got there a little late because my subway got stuck somewhere, somehow, I wasn't really paying attention. So I met them half way and started running out of nowhere to warm up. About 3.2K. Then we did a little of abs, lunges, squads, push-ups (as if I don't do those enough at the gym). So we were at a park called ROSEDAL, in the middle of the Palermo's gardens. Really famous spot in Buenos Aires. The group made marks around the park every 100m. A whole turn has 1.600m, starting from mark 0m. I asked the teacher "so what are we doing today?", he said "400m speed". 400m?, I thought in my naivety, that's not that bad, and walked away happy we were doing some shorter sets of sprints. I didn't walk away quick enough to hear we were doing 12 (yeah, you read it right) 12 sets of 400m. HA. I seriously laughed. First thought: there's no way in god's creation I'm able to do 12 sets. With that in mind, I joined a group of 4 and we started. I kept telling myself I was gonna do only one whole turn (the whole 12 sets resulted in 3 whole turns at the park). Pace? 7.42. By the end of the first whole turn, I was exhausted. It hurt like hell. We had 1min rest between every set. I couldn't breath, I was thirsty, I thought I wasn't gonna make it. Then the guys said "let's go" and I automatically followed them. I kept going. It grew on me. I was getting faster. I passed one of the dudes from my group (notice that I'm the slowest one so that gave me a huge adrenaline fix). By the end of the second whole turn, quitting was already not an option. I was strong. I could see myself running strong, I was faster, I felt like nothing could stop me. I finished the third whole turn. The teacher came to talk to me, really worried, asking if I was ok, saying that I shouldn't have tried to keep up with the boys, that I shouldn't have done all the 12 sets. I was smiling big time. I've never felt such an amazing sense of accomplishment in my life. I ran the fastest I've ever had. I didn't quit. I enjoyed it. Hey, you know what? I'm a runner. :)

Life's good, folks. Never forget that. "It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it." [ Lena Horne ].

How are you carrying your load?

What has made you proud of yourself lately?
I definitely need to say the running group. It has made me realize how much stronger I can become if I push it a little further every time.

Do you ever compare yourself with others?
Used to do it all the time. I would be my worst critic. I would look at how others looked better than me, were prettier, thinner, nicer... every quality I used to see in others were an excuse to put myself down for not having them as strong as everyone else. Little by little, I've been learning to only compare what I am with what I was. To see my own accomplishments. To feel proud for myself. To see my improvements, recognize them, reward myself for them. To see other's qualities with inspiration, not with jealousy. We all have something good inside to offer.

Keep it under the carpet.

2011-04-21T23:11:00.003-03:00

There's lots of advantages when you're living away from home. Most of them consist of preserving the view of a popular, hygienic and responsible person your family has of you.

While normal people are partying their Saturday nights out like there's no tomorrow and your family is thinking you're probably out on a hot date, that's what you're actually doing:

Did I mention I love red wine and blue cheese? You got the latest Harry Potter movie on and I'm sold!

Between the lame poses you do in front of the mirror while checking out your ~~hot~~ body, you can also spare your family from seeing stuff like this:

Spoons are so overrated.

You can also keep them from knowing that you and your roommate eat pizza with beer and wine at 11pm while watching He's Just Not That Into You for the 10th time and cursing all the XY species.

You better believe that was only half of the pizza.

You know that small detail that your fav sushi place is actually strategically halfway from the church you suddenly decided to go to? So keep that to yourself as well.

I swear that the sushi was delicious... I don't know why we have the moron faces on.

And they also don't need to know you're falling behind your classmates because you're workout maniac and, on the top of that, has just joined a running group (shhh more on that later).

I really need some running gear so I can stop using old clothes to workout.

AND, the biggest advantage of all, you can spare them the fact that you always need more money because you spend all your month's worth of cash buying ~~expensive~~ gigantic amounts of food so you can keep up with all the insanely activity you put your muscles through.

And I wonder why I never have money to do stuff like waxing.

Okay so big news. Today I had the first day with the running group. It was a small group because it's a holiday today and well you know. But I loved every single moment of it! Well, ok not every single moment, some random minutes I really wanted to kick their ass hard, but I guess it was totally worth it in the end. I got there, we talked, they said "we're doing an easy jog for about 1h, you're in?" The hell you bet I'm in. It turned out their jog is a 9:20 pace and that's like my sprint pace (ok not really but you got the point). So within 30min I was out of breath and I think I've cursed every single past generation of the whole group, but you know what? If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have make an almost 11K in 1:04h! Tomorrow it's gonna be a little easier they said (what could it be, 30min of sprints uphill? :S) so I'm confident. For the very first time, I'm trusting my own running skills, I'm trusting that I can improve, that I can get better, stronger, faster. Wait and watch me.

Med school is good by the way, in case you're wondering. It's killing me, but oh well I guess that should have been obvious for me since the beginning. I was very unmotivated to study yesterday, so I decided to watch the new House ep instead... and it just threw this right at my face:

‎- Sailing is amazing, but it doesn't mean I love every second on the boat... Doing what you love means dealing with things you don't.

[ House ]

Right? :)

Gotta go, good people. Running group tomorrow ~~way too early for me~~ at 9am :)

What do you do now that you live alone (or when you're away from home) that you're family is better off not knowing?

Random question... what moment of the day are you guys hungrier?

That would be around 5ish pm. I don't know what the hell happens, the hunger spirit possesses me and I can't stop eating 'till around 7ish pm. Like I.can't.stop. I don't know why, but you know when sometimes you wonder if you're normal? That's def one of those times for me.

Partying animal 'till 1am, wow.

2011-04-16T11:54:00.002-03:00

HOLIDAY! Remember it? No school, no homework, parties, friends and all that? ~~That's not my case.~~ I don't have classes for the next week and the only thing I can think of is "Thank God, now I have more time to study" (?). I swear, all doctors deserve their money big time. It's just insanely out of control what they put us through.

Just so you don't think I'm a total loser, last night's dinner looked like this:

Who could ever want anything other than blue cheese, bread and wine?

I ended up partying hard big time with my roommate until 1am. She was having beer and 2 glasses of beer later and one (yeah you read it right) one whole glass of wine we were so tired that we went to bed. On a friday night of a holiday. Why am I still single, you ask?

Last Sunday, I went to church. Figured I needed some me time with my girlfriend and it was awesome. We found out they had another building which is the central a little bit further but much bigger. So we're hitting it tomorrow morning... can't wait. It might be the most exciting thing that has happened to me this week. I know, lame right? If you want my address to send me chocolates, I'm accepting.

Don't matter the fact that I need a haircut really bad.

And we treated ourselves with THIS:

A pizza that costs 4 bucks HAS to be great in every possible way, right? :)

So anatomy classes are great, except that my group is SO lame. I can't believe I'm stuck with them 'till the end of the year. If you're watching the last House's season, you might be familiar with the new assistant who's actually a med student... yeah, the really annoying i-know-it-all one. Multiply her by 10 and voila, welcome to my nightmare. When we're dissecting the cadavers, they're just all over it all the time, it annoys me out of my mind. Thank God for the internet.

I was actually able to find a page that has dissections separated by members. So, SO useful. And I thought I would be disgusted by dead people, but nope. The alive ones are still much worse.

My training are SO great. I go to school with already all my gym stuff on my backpack, then I live school and the gym is right there, half a block away. Can't get any better than that folks. And I got on track with my yoga class and it's been a huge helper. Yesterday I did lower body training followed by a yoga class... so you can imagine how my ass is feeling, as usual. I wonder if it has anything to do with 220lbs I put on the leg press upward machine? d:

Today is upper body and Sunday I'm aiming for a long run before church. Let's see how that goes. I'm happy that I was able to run almost 11K on a treadmill this week, which is huge for me (I mean, running on a treadmill just sucks big time)... it could or not could have something to do with the huge gigantic cup of coffee I had right before it. I'm not a big fan of using anything to enhance performance, because I feel like I'm cheating on myself somehow... but I have to tell you, coffees have been great for me this week, specially for working out and studying... I still haven't bought any to have at home because I'm scared I'll be addicted all over again, but I'm this close.

You guys take anything before working out that gives you that extra energy? (come one guys, share your secrets with me, I have no friends and I take in all the advice you guys give me d: ).

I've never taken anything at all except for coffee this week. Kinda hooked.

How does your typical day looks like?

Well, wake up at 7am, breakfast, school 'till 12:30pm. Gym, home, lunch, books 'till I can handle it. Usually by 12pm I give up and go to bed. Party animal, right?

Any big plans for the weekend?

That would be church lol.

The sun works less than us, medical students.

2011-04-09T21:16:00.008-03:00

Great things that med school has been teaching me:

1) Multi-task.

That means pooping and reading Mental Health at the same time. That means showering and watching the last episode of your favorite show at the same time. That means sleeping and listening to your last class on your ipod at the same time. That means working out and naming all the muscles you're feeling at the same time.

2) The expression of your artistic (?) side.

If you're a bad drawer (aka ME)... well, you're screwed.

3) Lie to myself about others.

Every kid on med school that knows more than you do either are all virgins or have no social life. Or both.

4) Oxygen who?

You really don't need it 24/7 as much as you need coffee. Just saying.

5) The true meaning of the word "weekend".

Once upon a time, there used to be 2 days when you could throw everything in the air and lazy around, see people, have a couple (?) drinks, go out, do your nails, shave... Now there are 2 days where you thank God you have no class so you can get up earlier than your usual class time and starting eating up the books.

6) A deep remorse for Evolution.

If we were only still unicellular creatures on the water...

7) Priorities are twisted.

You don't dream about buying the coolest new dress you've seen at the mall. First of all, your dreams are all anatomy-related. All. Single. One. Of. Them. Second of all, where are you gonna where it? Third of all... mmm mall?

8) Hygiene is overrated.

So every time you see a girl at school with nails and hair done, you just repeat to yourself (lots and lots and lots of times 'till you believe it) that, while she was at the saloon getting pretty, you were at home becoming a better doctor.

9) Working out becomes your idea of hanging out.

The only people you get to see besides your classmates.

10) Your ass is the most important muscle of your body.

No comments on this one because I still can't feel mine after 11 hours sitting on it.

Now, time for more shoulder joint. Joy.

Hermiting, whatever this means.

2011-04-05T22:04:00.002-03:00

It's 9:36pm. I was all dressed up to go to the gym, but every single cell of my brain begged me not to. I'm physically awake, but mentally I'm dead. Class in the morning followed by 7 hours straight eating Anatomy books. I mean, it. Books as in not only more than one, but a whole lot more. Since apparently no one can make a real damn good book, we have to study with 4, 5 different books to get the most of all of them. I thought of doing a little break and going to the gym, but I just couldn't bring myself to stop it in the middle, so I just kept going. At some point, I'm pretty sure I felt asleep on the table for like 10min, and I'm not sure that's so normal. New plan: having gym clothes on my school bag. My gym is actually half a block away from school on my way back home. So it's just makes more sense to leave school and just go. Some other days, I'll have to go later on because I wanna catch some classes (spinning, yoga), but it's just much easier if you have a time that you need to be there :) Of course that all my gym stuff will have to compete for space with stuff like this:

God forbid I go hungry in the middle of a class. I mean, who carries a bag of bread on their backpacks anyway?

Being younger, I remember my aunt cooking something like an eggplant parmigiana but with soy meat on the top of it. I didn't have soy meat at home, but I did have some tofu screaming to be used. So I tried to crumble it and it actually ended up working quite well.

Eggplant on the bottom with olive oil, then unsalted cheese and a mix of crumbled tofu with ricotta cheese, tomato sauce and cumin on the top. And yes, I ate half of it alone. Hey, brains use up calories too.

Today, I got home from school at about 1ish pm and I was starving so I made the easiest thing I could find on the fridge and it actually turned out healthier than I even planned.

Steamed broccoli and carrots, tomatoes, the legume power mix and oysters. Hey rainbow.

Sorry for boring ya all with this lame post, but I swear I can't think clear in my head. I see cells, tissues, anatomic parts, muscles, bones all around me. Someone looks at me, I see their hole skull.

Oh, by the way, great news. I'm joining a running group, probably starting this weekend. Can't wait. Finally, I'm gonna have someone to talk to about running (actually finally I'm gonna have someone to talk at all, I'm telling you, hermit). Joining a group keeps you motivate. It bonds you with people who share the same passion as you and it makes it harder for you to skip your runs, 'cause ditching yourself is one thing, but ditching others is humiliating and it makes you a loser. Seriously. By you I mean, me.

What was your favorite dish back when you were a kid?

Milk's cream cookie and anything chinese food related.

Tell me the most amazing thing that has happened to you recently! I'd love to know!

That would be me joining the running group! I'm so excited! :)

First Global Warming... and now this.

2011-04-03T12:08:00.002-03:00

My life sometimes is so boring that I have to actually skip days of posting just so I don't bore cyber people out of their minds... but yesterday something really scary happened. I decided to go for a run at around 10pm with my dog... he's very small, but since it was Saturday night, the streets were crowed so no problem with that. I was around 3 blocks away from home and I had probably run a little bit over 8K, I crossed the street and there was this girl with a huge dog. Huge! And she was holding a leash, so I thought she had him like leashed. As Tino (my petit dog) approached to say hi to his fellow specie, the other huge gigantic dog, out of NOWHERE, attacked him. I mean, he bit Tino on the neck, and started shaking him one side to another, just like they do when they want to destroy a pillow... I had Tino on the leash, but I started pushing and screaming and the dog wouldn't let go!
And as it turned out, the other girl didn't have him on the leash (she did have a leash on her hands, it might be a new trend I'm not aware of, who knows, I'm a hermit). I started crying and screaming and I think the scene went on forever and I knew there was no way Tino would survive... until a guy came out of nowhere, stepped in the middle and took the other dog away... I was still crying out of my mind, I just couldn't stop, Tino was shaking and crying silently and he looked to scared, I could see pain all through his eyes... the guy took him and started analyzing him, looking for the teeth bites... after about 5min he found them and told me that I should medicate him with a syringe and put oxygenated water right into the bites. He also said the bites were subcutaneous, so no further damage was caused. It turned out he was a vet (what are the odds that you're running at almost 11pm on a Saturday night, your little dog gets attacked by this huge monster dog and there's coincidentally a vet walking right at the same moment?).

So I took him on my arms and walked the rest of the way back home... I was still crying and by the time we got here, he crawled under my bed and wouldn't leave... I tried talking to him, but he was just too scared... This morning, I woke up and he looks a little better, but he's still kinda down... wish him luck, guys <3

Saturday it was another holiday here (yeah, I know uh) and you know what that means... no gym! And I just found out about that later on when I actually getting ready to go... so I couldn't go, which crushed my little soul... so instead, I went for that miserable run... ): On Friday, I had the lamest spinning class ever. The teacher so not wanted to be there on a Friday night... she would stop pedaling or not put any resistance at all. LAME. The bad thing about being a spinning instructor... no class is your class, right? heh C'mon guys, let me brag about it a bit, I deserve it, I had a tough week, k?

Yesterday, I also cooked those babies:

Brown rice, brown, white and black beans, lentils and flaxseeds. This, mates, is more protein and fiber together than you'll ever get in any meal.

Ok so as I was talking to my roommate, I just remembered the funniest story ever... my dad used to have this motorcycle and he used to pick me and my sister up at school when we were younger. My sister would go on the front and I on the back (ok guys don't blame him, he was a cop back then and we were broke). I also thought it was too lame to hold on to my dad's back, so I would just hold the back part of the motorcycle. He used to come and park backwards, so it was easier for us to get on. One day, he put my sister on the front and I sat on the back. One of my girl friends then called me and I said "be right back" and I got off to talk to her (so remember that I used to weight probably 60lbs when I was a kid, no kidding, people thought my parents were starving me to death). With that said, you can imagine what happened. My dad didn't hear me saying that I was getting off the bike and he also didn't feel as I got off and walked back to the school. So he just went home. Guys, you don't understand, he went all the way home (that would be about 25min) without realizing I wasn't on the back seat. When they finally got there, he got off and he was like "holy shit, where's Lyvia?" He thought I had fallen off the bike, so he went all the way back, really desperate, looking for me on the streets or crushed under some car. For his surprise, when he got to the school, there was I, sitting on the sidewalk, with my backpack on my back and the helmet still on, crying out of my mind that my dad went home and left me behind. You guys really believe that any girl can be normal after such thing? I'm pretty sure you just had and insight moment... "oh so that's why she's like this.... oh honey". I don't blame ya, really.

My dad and I a couple years before "the happening" that probably traumatized me for life.

How is your weekend so far?
Is it weekend? I mean, really, weekend and weekdays have no difference for me anymore. It's all about books and more books. I actually had one Embryology class and I might have used 25 or 30 pages of my notebook. Talking about the miracle of life... try learning it.

Oh by the way, as I was trying to look up some videos so I could have a visual memory of what I was studying, I came across this:

This brought so much joy to a Saturday night post-dog attack filled with books.

Do you have any really funny (and dramatic) story from your childhood? I'd love to know it! C'mon guys, don't leave me alone on this one.

Suck. It. Up.

2011-03-31T23:36:00.002-03:00

I don't know about you guys, but going to the gym sometimes is a bitch. I mean, really. I don't get high all day just craving the gym time (ok sometimes I do, but it's definitely not every single day). Some other days, your couch looks appealing, the computer is tempting, the bag of chocolate calls you, you decide to study (?), clean up the house, organize your books... you just find every single excuse that's in the book to not go to the gym. Well, yesterday was one of those days. First, I started talking myself into not going "ok Lyvia, so if you take today off, you can run long runs on Saturday AND Sunday, isn't it much greater?". Then I realize "Sunday?, c'mon who am I kidding, not even I am that stupid". So I said to myself "fine I'll go, damn it". Then I realized I didn't have any clean clothes to go to the gym. Maybe I did, but I didn't have any of the ones I wanted at the moment; talking about making things hard hun. So coincidentally, I had dropped my dirty clothes at the laundry place earlier on, but I was sure they wouldn't have it done like on the same day. So I went there to pick it up, already knowing that they would tell me "sorry gal, tomorrow". When I got there, I saw my pile of clothes all clean and folded. Sigh. So I got them and came back home. I sat on the computer and my sister logged in, so I took the time to talk to her and said "oh well I don't have much time to talk to her, so I might as well take today off so we can have some girl time" and she said, like reading my mind "gotta go, I'm going to the mall". Darn it. I looked around, looking for any other excuse... didn't find it. So I sucked it up and went to the gym. I tried running (1K ha!), but every single step of it was painful. So I went to the stairmaster. Didn't last 5min. So I just went to do what I was supposed to do: lower body training. The very first set of exercise I have to confess it was like "oh God, why am I doing this again?, will I have to do this once a week for the rest of my life?, I can't live like this yadda yadda", you know the drill. So I started thinking about ya all, little bloggers, and how much I love reading your stories and how much I would much rather post about my great kick-ass workout than posting something lame about how I couldn't do it. So I did it. And you know what?, after the 2nd exercise, I was all in the groove of it. It lasted 1h and 55min of pure sweatiness. :)

I'll just share 2 meals I had yesterday because they were so darn good.

Pizza bread with cheese, tomato and oregano, plus a salad with spinach, ricotta cheese and oysters.

Tortilla with unsalted cheese, banana, cinnamon and honey. Is never anything better than the smell of cinnamon while is cooking?

I've just got home from school... I had an Embryology class and the teacher is a Neurologist... it was so freaking awesome... the afternoon classes aren't obligatory (they're seminars) and there were SO much people... the room is gigantic, it's like a theater... and there were people sitting on the stairs, on the floor, standing up for 2 freaking hours just for this class that. isn't. obligatory. When I left I was so blown away... it reminded me how great you can be at anything you want if you really want it. :)

Sadly I didn't have time to eat lunch, so I ate something quick and by the time I got home I was starving out of my mind. I cooked. Ate. Still hungry. Thank God the bread and the peanut butter are always here for me. I'm sorry, my dear stomach, that I didn't feed you well today. I promise you that it won't never happen again, k? :) Since yesterday I kicked ass with my lower body training, you can imagine how my ass is feeling today, right? And my legs are screaming... so I decided to switch up my rest day from Sunday to today... thank God I did that or I would end up wasting what could be a great workout day with a so-so one. So looking forward for a long run Sunday all the way to Chinatown to grab my sushi :)

How often do you talk yourself out of things you're supposed to do?

Pretty often. This little head of mine has a life of its own and sometimes we need to have a talk moment between us.

Aerobic or weight training?

I'm pretty into running at this point of my life (despite the fact that I'm a lame runner), but I must say... the weights and I are just all love. They kick my ass, they made me hurt, but they get me sweaty and high... isn't that what all girls want in the end? It reminds me of how much we put up with the crap that dudes sometimes have because of the chemistry... I guess it's the same thing here. (meaning: I'm a masochist).

It's late, you're hungry, too tired to cook. What's that food that's always there for you at these moment?

PB sandwiches. <3

Small things.

2011-03-30T11:13:00.002-03:00

Hey good cyber people! Long time! Sorry about my delay, school has been hectic and also my router somehow decided not to work. It took me 2 days to realize that I could just take the connection cable out of it and put it on my laptop. I know, lame.

So let's back up a little. Sunday, I took it easy with books and went to my favorite place in this whole city:

Chinatown. Get used peeps with me talking about this place. When I like something, I get hold of it hard time.

And why is it so awesome there?

Raw salmon with avocado and cream cheese for $17 pesos. This would be... $4.20 dollars. Yup.

And this is a happy girl with her roll of sushi trying to make it not look too compromising in the picture.

Ok it doesn't matter how you hold something penis-shaped, it's always gonna look bad. Sigh.

Another great excuse to go there (besides doing all my groceries and getting to see 99% of the costumers being old people who has to eat healthy for medical orders) is to buy something called alfajor.

It's made with chia flour, chia seeds and it has sugar-free dulce de leche in the middle.

Talking about a happy Sunday :) And also I'm not giving you guys the middle finger, my movements are usually awkward like that.

So Monday I didn't have classes but I went to check an extra class and see how it was. Lame. I stayed for 20min and left. There's a really good doctor teaching on Thursday, so I'm up to try him instead. This classes are called seminars and you aren't obligated to go to them. We have the classes during the morning and those seminars spread throughout the week. I had some good recommendations for 3 of them, so I'm checking them out later this week.

And my Monday lunch looked a little like this

Spinach, tomato, broccoli (again?) and chicken with a whole onion in it. 'Cause just about everything is great with onions and I'll never understand how people come to not like them.

So Sunday is my day off at the gym and Monday I was feeling a good vibe. I did 9 sets of sprints, 1min each. Fast, Faster, Fastest. 7.15mph, 7.35mph, 7.45mph (sorry guys I'm really lame with the mile/minute thing). When I got home, I was a dead body and decided to go with an easy dinner.

Spinach, tomato, tuna and ricotta cheese on a tortilla. The cheapest and quickest meal you'll ever find.

It was so satisfying that I just used the leftover for lunch yesterday on one tortilla and scrambled eggs with cheese on another tortilla. Life's good.

Yesterday, I did 10.5K on a treadmill. First time in my life. The pace was lame (9.20 and I just know it because it showed on the dailymile.com lol) but I'm still proud of myself. I felt such a sense of accomplishment! So great to feel like you can push further and further if you only try (not to mention that I got to watch 3 episodes of 6teen and that everybody walking behind me was wondering why a grown up gal kept watching teenager cartoons and laughing out loud like there was no tomorrow).

Ok you guys know that Simon left American Idol 'cause he's bringing X-factor to the US right? So Cheryl Cole is supposed to be one of the judges but Fox doesn't want to air the program if she's judging because "if viewers in the U.S. can't understand what she's saying, the show will be in breach of strict U.S. TV regulations." Sometimes I can't help it but feel really sorry for north-americans and their perception of the world.

What is something you currently need to work on?

My pace. I'm gonna try to stick with the 10K and get to a 8.3 (?) pace... or should I improve the distance as well at the same time? What you guys all elite runners think?

Have you ever left a class in the middle?

Always do. I mean, not always, but very often. If they're not obligated and if I feel that I could be learning much more if I was at home studying on my own, then I'm so outty. d:

What are YOUR priorities?

2011-03-27T10:36:00.002-03:00

I was wondering today how I manage to do things with my time that I see other people don't seem able to. I tell anyone I go to Med School and they look at me like "why are you here, shouldn't you be studying?" Well, yes, studying is never too much, specially in this area, but I do manage my time pretty well I guess. I have other activities like gym, karate, spinning... but I still have time to study... so why is it that none of my classmates seem to have time to do anything other than study? I truly believe it's only a matter of priority. For me, becoming a doctor is obviously by far the biggest priority I have in life. But I also believe that exercising and running help me big time to accomplish this goal. First, because it keeps me sane. Second, it gives me energy... lots of it. Yes, I lose 2h at the gym every day when I could be studying but the other hours while I do study I'm able to concentrate and learn much more then if I was just potato-couching the whole time. Third, at least for me, brain and body go hand to hand. The healthier I am, the easier it seems for me to learn. Today, I was studying muscles and cardiovascular system. And it was so much fun to study the muscles and imagine how to they work when I'm running, or doing weights... it's awesome and I couldn't be happier. I know I have lots to learn and that's what keep me going. Exercising is and should be everyone's priority... by priority, I don't mean that it's more important than your family or loved ones. I just mean that it's something you're doing for YOU, to help YOU to love yourself more every day... and if you love yourself and are happy about it, it becomes much easier to give this love to your loved ones as well. Vicious cycle, hun?

Today, something awesome happened at the gym. I was doing upper body weight training and there was this guy by my side doing some heavy stuff. I mean, the weights he was lifting were probably far heavier than me... and I was there, doing my thing, singing (yeah I sing out loud while working out), he came up to me and asked what was I training for. And I was like "excuse me?" And he said "you for sure are from some team, right? Voley? Runner? It's a really specific training you're doing, it kinda looks like you really know your stuff". Ok if he was trying to hit on me he truly knew where to go heh. I told him I wasn't training for anything specifically, I just liked to do weights... and he asked me who made my exercise list, and I said I do them myself, that I do research and write them down so I can change the routine always...Anyway, the point is the guy is a personal trainer and hearing that from him truly left me stoke. I'm serious business with my workout ha! Wait until I become a sports physician and you'll see.

As for my training, it looks like this:

*Warming up - 20min elliptical, level 15,

Upper Body Training.
*Cable Bent Over Triceps Extension: weight - 22lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Dumbbell Hang Clean: weight - 26.4lbs / reps: 8 (2 sets).
*Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension: weight - 17.6lbs / reps: 8 (2 sets).
*Thruster: weight - 17.6lbs / reps: 10 (2 sets).
*Barbell Upright Row: weight - 11lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Lat Mach: weight - 55.1lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Barbell Bent Over Row Plus: weight - 22lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Low Row - weight - 66.1lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Cable Face Pull: weight - 27.5lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).
*Dumbbell Cuban Press: weight - 17.6lbs / reps: 12 (2 sets).

*Cool Down - 25min jog.

ps here: I've been doing this for quite a bit and it's been awesome. Weight training is great for releasing fat from the cells but not really to use this fat afterward. What you should do is an aerobic exercise after training, so this fatty acids previously released can be used for energy. :)

Let's talk business, right? So it's been a while since my last post... sorry guys, for that I didn't make an extra effort at all. So here is Friday's lunch.

Oysters with onions, tomato and ricotta cheese, and my broccoli obsession continues...

So I mentioned it's a holiday here in Buenos Aires since last Thursday... gym didn't open on Friday, so I woke up at 7am, took the subway to where I used to live and came running from there. Best decision ever. It has tons of parks one next the other and I was able to fit in a 8K. So proud. I might be doing this all weekends now to improve my distance run... :)

Friday night went over my friend's house to hang out a bit...

Opening a wine with a knife is not just talent. It's art.

As for Saturday, my lunch was so so good...

This would be tuna, spinach, tomato, onions and ricotta cheese on a whole wheat 984393 grain bread and broccoli. Spread those babies on the toast and it's sex in the mouth.

I came back from the gym and ended up talking to my roomie about guys and all that... so when I realized it was almost 1am and I still needed to shower! So no mood for cooking, I used the leftovers from lunch and did a bread-pizza.

I spread the tuna mix on the bottom, covered it with unsalted cheese (I know I'm weird) and put it in the oven. Quick and yummy. It might have been followed by more almonds than people have in their lifetime.

How do you guys manage your time? How do you keep your mind set with your priorities? I would love to know so I can be awesome like you!

Have you ever opened and wine with a knife?

Tons of times... hey, it's wine and there ain't nothing that can keep me from drinking it.

Really random, but did you guys watched American Idol last Thursday?

Holy lord, I cried big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought Casey was going to have a heart attack... it was beautiful. (Steven Tyler style).

pps. I STILL CAN'T FEEL MY %SS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ouch!

2011-03-24T22:11:00.003-03:00

So great to be getting back on track with my life! Summer vacation is FINALLY over (and I've never thought I would be happy to say that and here I am... I know, weird, right?). My new roommate and I are getting along reaaally great. My things are finally fitting into the apartment. School is 4 blocks away. Gym is 3. Big supermarket is half. Can life get any better?

The best part of it is actually having something to wake up for. I really hate having nothing planned to do the whole day because I feel extremely unmotivated. I'm one of those people that need to always be doing something. I was finally able to get back on track again with my food after the long week enjoying tourist food with my mom. So lunch yesterday looked like this:

Spinach, broccoli, tuna and a 495804 grains homemade bread (not by me though, obviously, I'm probably a few generations away of being able to do that. Sorry future unknown husband).

So my gym pass here allows me to go to any of their gyms I want (kinda like it used to be with New York Sports Club). Yesterday, I finally went to the gym that's close by. It's gigantic. I used to love my other gym, but it's really far away from where I'm living now. This one is sick. I'm so stoked! So yesterday is was lower-body weight training. If you know how it would feel if a horse was stepping on your butt and legs for 1h then you might have an idea of how I'm feeling right now. It's insane how much I'm able to kick my own butt during weight training. I just love it. I love it so much that yesterday I planned on doing it for 1h and when I realized it has passed 2h and the gym was almost closing. I decided I would list the workout I did yesterday so you guys know for sure I'm not lying... (not that I think that you would even consider the idea of doubting my super strength).

*Cable Reverse Lunge - weight: 33lbs / reps: 12 (2x).
*Leg Extension - weight: 44lbs / reps: 10 (2x). - one leg at a time.
*Good Morning - weight: (heavy barbell, no weights) / reps: 12 (2x).
*Leg Press - weight: 220lbs / reps: 12 (2x).
*Stability Ball Leg Curl - weight: (no weights) / reps: 12 (2x).
*Let Press (horizontal) - weight: 176lbs / reps: 12 (2x). - one leg at a time.
*Dumbbell Sumo Squat - weight: 44lbs / reps: 12 (2x).
*Dumbbell Forward Lunge - weight: 44lbs (each) / reps: 12 (2x).
*Barbell Romanian Deadlift - weight: heavy barbell, no weights) / reps: 12 (2x).
*Jumping trampoline - weight: 26lbs (each) / reps: 12 (2x).

Based on that, how about 2 horses? Ouch. Let me stand up while I type 'cause... you know.

I think I forgot to have a snack yesterday afternoon... so I ate that awesome tuna for lunch, went to the gym and came back around 10pm starving out of my mind. I ate a whole plate filled with the legumes mix I bought yesterday. I'm pretty sure I got 398439493 grams of protein and that my muscles were happily being rebuilt, thank you. And of course there's no picture because we all know that I become a monster when I'm hungry and thinking is out of question.

Today's lunch was so yummy! I was really proud of myself (please note that it really doesn't take me much to be proud of myself in the kitchen, so don't get your hopes high).

Spinach unsalted cheese omelet, broccoli and tomato. I really love unsalted cheese, I don't know why... and I'm not sure what's up with me and broccoli those days, but my body keeps craving large quantities of it for some reason, so we shall go green then.

For some unfamiliar reason, today and tomorrow is holiday in Buenos Aires, which means NO GYM. I mean, really? So I got Tino (my awesome new dog - sorry roommate) and went for a run. My legs were aching and each step was so painful that I could almost hear my muscles screaming. So I took it easy and just went with 6.8K. Tino is the best running partner ever! When I start to go slower he pulls me right back on track :)

Don't mind the hair, really, I'm still those kinda kids who think that if they don't run they don't need to wash their hair.

So we were like running without destination when we came up with a gigantic festival that was going right in the middle of downtown... not sure what it was, never heard of anything... but how would I? I don't ever watch TV and spend half of my time working out and the other half trying to understand how the cells do the miracle of life. No kidding.

I think there was like 12 big screens showing whatever was going on all the way down there.

Since I've just got home, I was in no mood for cooking anything at all, so dinner is being served right at this moment:

Really guys it can't get any better than this :) Besides this bread has some compound extremely addicting, I'm telling you. One bite and it's over... it has oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and some other stuff I have no idea what they are.

So it's passed 10pm and I still have tons to study. And my classes haven't even started... talking about wanting to get rich in the future... :)

What usually your body craves the most?

Right now broccoli. But sushi is a constant crave for like forever.

Do you do weight training? If you do, do you feel your muscles sore the day after? If not, what makes you feel soreness?

Running doesn't make me sore, but training... it doesn't matter for how long I've been religiously lifting... every single week I will still feel like someone bounced me forever.

Are you a big tv fan kind of person?

Gosh no. I do watch lots of shows (House, How I Met Your Mother, American Idol, Skins (UK, of course; sorry Skins US, you suck) etc), but I download everything and watch it on my computer, usually during some meal (only time I have, like... now d:).

Change of blog's name.

2011-03-23T11:58:00.001-03:00

If you noticed, I've changed the blog's name. My mom was bugging me that she could never understand the old name... also, chasing endorphin pretty much represents what the blog is all about :) So don't forget to follow me or link me to your blog again, 'cause I think the old link won't work :)

Anyway, yesterday, my mom went back home... sad. Yesterday, it was all about unpacking things in the new place, trying to fit in all the space and such. Also, time to buy goodies heh.

Bye bye moms! ):

A little part of the goodies I got. Brown rice, black, brown and white beans, lentils and flaxseed mix. It has 44g of protein per serving ha!

Yesterday, I planned on finally getting my run going. I went downstairs, walked for a bit to warm up and, as long as I started running, my cramps decided to stop me. First, I tried pushing through it, but it was really strong. I turned around and came back home crying while I was still jogging through the pain. Usually, I would have just sat around the house feeling bad for myself and probably doing some sort of self-sabotage. Not. This. Time. As soon as I walked in, Tino (my new puppy! Ok, maybe he's my new roomie's puppy, but hey I spend more time with him then her so now he's officially mine) came running to me... so I got his leash and came back down. I was determined to run either if I have to run the slower run of my life. I ended up doing almost 7K... came back feeling much better, cramps-free and aware that I can do anything I set my mind to do, right? :) This includes all those babies waiting for me:

Think of that as a nice way of spending the entire day.

Have you ever had the feeling that you have so much to do that you don't even dare to start? That's this.

My plan for today: wake up together with my roommate, go to the gym, come back and finally getting started with those babies. Reality: my rommie's alarm went on, it was raining out of control. I somehow managed to the living room and kept sleeping on the couch (?). Now it's 11:30am and I just woke up. Damn.

Have you guys ever conquered a pain by working out through it?

I'm usually pretty good with that. Yesterday, it was the strongest pain I've ever felt while working out.

Do you also feel like the more you have to do the easier it gets to not get anything done at all?

Always. And I never learn to not let it accumulate next time. Sigh.

4 days off.

2011-03-21T13:46:00.001-03:00

Only one more day as a tourist and tomorrow... bye bye moms. Better enjoy it as much as possible! :)

So of you're wondering where did my workout out, let me just say that after lots of time spent self-analyzing the situation, I came up with this: 4 days off. Ok don't scream, I convinced myself of that so I wouldn't freak out. First of all, my mom's here and she is not a big fan of working out. Second of all, I'm moving to a new place, so I have tons of things to buy. Third, I go to the Medical building this year so I have to apply some papers, buy new books... Forth, to do all that, we start walking around 11am 'till 7pm, NO STOP, so I kinda convinced myself that this was a great workout after all, right? So instead of stressing myself about waking up before my mom, leaving for a run, coming back in a hurry to get the hotel breakfast, have to leave with a full stomach to walk around looking for places I have no idea where, I realize it would be much wiser to just concentrate on what it's priority right now. I mean, it's only 4 days, right? And also it's not like I'm sitting around and being lazy. Sometimes, we just have to be wise towards our routine. I used to get extremely freaked out whenever I couldn't get in any endorphin fix throughout the day. Now I'm learning that there are plenty of other things to get me stoked out there. It's a matter of being open-minded, right? :)

Okay, so, that said... yesterday, we went to the famous San Telmo Fair. It happens every Sunday and it's always full of tourists... they sell basically homemade and really reaaally old stuff. It's rather interesting...

Puppet show.

Natives.

Overall view of the street fair.

Let's talk food... yesterday, I think I had the most delicious lasagna I've ever had in my whole life... I swear, it was heaven. We stop at a place called Galerias Pacifico.

Veggie lasagna (carrots, pumpkin, peppers and lots of cheese) with veggies on the side (broccoli, eggplant, green beans, pumpkin).

Still not convinced? Try again.

Okay, now I got you hooked.

If you add those...

Wine + bread and people still don't believe in the bible?

... and you have...

A really happy tummy, thanks :)

I even convinced my mom I eat healthy... I rocked.

Salmon and rice with veggies.

Afterward, my brain convinced me to get this:

I haven't had ice cream in AGES. I don't even remember the name of the flavors, I just got the ones with the most chocolate in it.

It wasn't a very smart move. I felt extremely sick and couldn't eat anything else the whole day... I don't know if this happens with you guys too, but have you realized that the healthier you eat, the more you suffer when you eat junk food? It happens to me a lot. Yesterday was really bad though. And because of that, I missed this:

Mozzarella with tomato sauce and basil.

Just looking at it yesterday made me wanna puke (sorry guys too much information, I know). But then I brought it all back to the hotel, squeezed it somehow inside the mini refrigerator and I'm having it for lunch now as we speak. Pizza is just sooo much better when it's cold! (at least that's what I tell to myself every time I have leftovers).

Do you usually bring leftovers home after eating out?

Always do. Don't forget I go to med school and I have to save up as much money as I can so I can afford all the sushi I eat throughout the week.

Do you get sick after eating some kind of junk food you haven't had for a while?

Always do as well. My body gets spoiled pretty easily and, after trying the awesomeness of healthy stuff, it punishes me for not giving it what it wants.

Do you allow yourself more days off then usual if you are suddenly out of your routine and something really important comes up?

I wouldn't do it before, but now I'm learning that a couple days won't make me fat or make me lose my endurance. It's just about being smart with out choices. If I know that I won't be running around the whole day during stuff, I might try to sneak in a little run by the end of the day, but If I do spend the whole day walking around solving problems, I try to not stress myself about the fact that I didn't hit the gym. It's not easy, but I'm still learning :)

You've got to keep your mind wide open.

2011-03-20T00:13:00.003-03:00

Two posts in a day means that I rock, right? :) Today, I went to my gf's house to get my winter stuff I left there before going to Brazil so I could start moving... and after we HAD to celebrate with sushi, for the old times...

Ok don't look so surprise. It's like a to-go sushi... why do I need to cut my sushi anyway, if I can grab it and eat it while walking right? It's def that, not that we're broke or anything like that.

Suellen... don't know what would be of be without her! She was my rommie last year for like a month but I feel like I've known her for AGES.

So we walked around Chinatown in Buenos Aires (our fav spot ever), chat and had a bit of girlie time (aka talked about men; maybe she did that more than me... she has 3 men fighting over her, and I'm single by option. It's not like I don't have time to go out and meet anyone).

After that, came home and crashed. Woke up with my mom walking in. She decided to spend the day touristing instead of helping me move to my new apartment. Smarty pants. So we went for dinner. Besides wine, of course, we had:

Mom's choice. She has to have red meat with anything she's eating. Sigh.

I went with the veggie sandwich... carrots, eggs, hearts of palm, tomato, lettuce, asparagus, olives. No sauce. 'Cause salad is delicious the way it is. Ended up leaving both breads on the plate...

Tomorrow, gonna wake up and go to Puerto Madero for a run. I think I'm gonna get my subway card with me so I can just run straight up without getting worried about coming back and trying to track the miles while looking for a way to get back. If you don't know it, I always change the route. I get bored pretty easily, it takes a lot of effort to keep this mind of mine busy... so what I do it I look up on google maps some interesting place and see more or less how many miles I would run to get there and back... and from that I try to trace a way on my mind and just go with the flow. Maybe, while running, I find a more interesting place and just take a different turn. Because of that, I always get lost... but that also made me find out about awesome cool places I had no idea existed and now are my favorites. For example... last year, I used to live really close to the Hippodrome here. And I knew it was close by and I new that it was huge... what I didn't know was that they had this gigantic park right in the middle of it but you can't see it from the front. Like this:

I used to live right on the A stop. While running, I would follow this blue like but right by the Av. Del Libertador I would turn left. Always. I don't know why... 'till one day, I decided to go straight and I found all this amazing parks right by my house... it blew me away...

So what I'm saying is don't be afraid of changes! It doesn't matter if what you have is great, always have an open-mind for new things... new foods, new cultures, new languages, new ways, new routes, new experiences, new hobbies... have baggage to talk about things you've tried, things you still wanna do. You might feel amazed about what the world out there has to offer you. :) I've lived in 3 different countries and I can say that it still is one of the best things I've ever done up to date. Meeting new people means learning more about yourself. I always say that is in the contrast, in the differences that you start to find out your truly being... it's hard to define the "you" you are while everybody else around you speaks the same language, likes the same kind of movies, grew up doing the same things! Once you start to meet people who have had a whole different way of living for their whole life is that you're gonna start to finally realize who you are. Let the new begins!

You're moving to a new country right now. Where is it?

Japan!

Do you consider yourself an open-minded person?

I think I do! :)

Wine + the rest.

2011-03-19T11:26:00.001-03:00

Ok, I promise you guys that the fotolog section will be over by Tuesday when my mom leaves... then ya all will have the old-self blog filled with random boring posts about struggling daily normal stuff :D

Yesterday and the day before we walked lots. I mean lots. I thought about going for a run in the morning, but I just couldn't feel my legs... so I thought, since my mom's here and all that, I would save some legs for here. It wasn't an easy decision, the weather was screaming my name, but I sucked it up. So we walked.

Argentina's version of the Obelisk.

A closer look.

An old theater that now it's a bookstore.

Then it was lunch. We stop at this restaurant that you just pay to get in and they have TONS of food and you can eat whatever you want. I love this place because they have a huge variety of seafood...

I could def live out of this stuff. No kidding. Broccoli, green beans, squids, lobsters, oysters, cherry tomatoes = an extremely happy tummy.

Bye lobster.

Eggplants are a must <3

The famous "dulce de leche", homemade chocolate and cantaloupe.

Yesterday was filled with more walking. I had to go to school to get some papers and then we headed for lunch. The place is called Broccolino. I totally recommend it. It's an italian restaurant and you're gonna have the very best homemade pasta and sauce you'll ever taste in your life! And besides, they have some killer bread. (what's up with me and bread?).

Bread and wine are almost anything I need to keep on living.

Homemade "tallarines" with squid's ink with seafood sauce.

How all seafood should be eaten heh.

So leaving now to my old place to get some winter stuff I left there before going on vacation so I can take them to my new place. I've met my new roommate and she's awesome. Really excited :)

I also renewed my membership at the gym and the lady gave me 2 months free. That could have been the best thing that has happen to me this year. (so you would think that either my life is extremely boring or that I get excited way too easily).

Can't wait to settle down and get my life on track again... :)

Do you have any trips planned for this year?

If I can hold myself with the expenses, I'm planning on going backpacking around Europe by January... maybe I can use this as a motivation to finally save some money... (I always say that but then winter comes and with it comes all the cute boots and outfits that have me totally sold up).

Do you give yourself some kind of excuse when you can't workout?

I have to, otherwise I would probably go insane. So if I can't at all, I will sit down with the little brain of mine and have a one on one kind of talk. Like today "look, you could run, you definitely could... but your mom is here just because of you so it would be much wiser to just hang out with her so you won't feel like your legs are exploding while she decides to walk for 5 hours straight, right? Right, k thanks, nice talking to ya."

Pretending to be a tourist.

2011-03-17T18:56:00.001-03:00

Hey guys! How ya all doing? Sorry for the delay, I barely stay in one place... yesterday, we walked for like forever to buy the tons of books I'm gonna need for this year and then walk back carrying them all! Thank God my mom came with me, otherwise I would be lost out of my mind!

Today, woke up and ran light 3mi around Puerto Madero... I was quickly out of breath and I realize I need to get used to the humidity again... but it was amazing.

So, nothing like start the day with whole wheat french bread, white cheese and tons of fruits!

Ok I swear there was a lot of fruit a couple minutes before I realized I had to take a picture :)

Isn't it great to get to hang out with your mom when she's a tourist and want to get fancy every day and include you in all her plans? :D So that was lunch!

Breadland... heavenly.

After that amount of meat my mom MADE me eat yesterday, I MADE her go with a little fish and veggies.

Hake fish and steamed veggies.

I went with breaded baked eggplant, mashed potatoes and mashed pumpkin and tomatoes skins.

After lunch, we stopped in a health food store and got some dried fruits 'cause my mom was really into trying them out...

Dried papayas.

Dried plums.

At night, we went to the cutest coffee shop I have ever been in my entire life! It's called Artentino, it's on Avenida de Mayo, close to 9 de Julio... I took tons of pics, so get ready :)

It's an art and coffee shop

Pop art - best art ever. (Roy Lichtenstein).

I wish my room was like this...

I wish I could live there!

Ok, now you're probably bored, sorry.

Just one more of moi :)

Dinner was served :) I actually couldn't finish what I had for lunch, so I packed it and had the other half of it for dinner :)

My mom got pizza.

Then lemon pie for dessert (for her, I hate any fruity pie - except banana pie, of course heh).

This post is more of a fotobook than a blog but oh well, it's worth it more than 1.000 words. Hope you guys are enjoying the awesome weather :)

If you guys could have only one fruit for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Definitely bananas for me... I would never ever ever get to understand a person who doesn't like bananas or anything banana-related :)

What is the food you can't never get enough of?

Sushi. :)

Don't cry for me, Argentinaaaa!

2011-03-15T19:59:00.002-03:00

Hola chicos! :) Finally in Argentina! It's good to be home! (well it's not my real home but since I'm living here, so I feel like my home is here :) ). Yesterday, it was just insane... I woke up at 7am (I know, right?) to try to squeeze in a little run before the 3083403 hours I knew I was gonna have to be seated on the plane... Thank God I did that, a little 4.5 miles to get back in the mood. We left Goiânia (my city) on time...

I should get payed to travel.

Then we had to wait 2 hours in Sao Paulo to finally get in the plane to Argentina...

Moms and I :)

So we finally got here. Fall is definitely hitting in and it's that nice perfect weather to RUN :) So this morning, I woke up at 7am again to run 4 miles around the area just to get back on track with weather, location and all that. We walked the whole morning to resolve my pending stuff (books for school, apartment etc). For lunch, my mom was DYING to have argentinian meat. I was dying for sushi, but the place I wanted to go was a little far, so I had to gave up on my deepest passion to please the cow eater here d:

Grilled ribs, chicken and provolone cheese. You can imagine which ones I totally gave into.

Leftovers anyone?

Wine and french fries. Because we can.

After lunch, we walked again around downtown area.

Don't bother the purple mouth... it's wine, I'm not a smoker!

Definitely on my to-do list of cool places I need to go! :)

My mom then totally crashed at the hotel (wine!) and now we're chilling here and deciding what to do... I still can't think of food so not sure what we're gonna do... tomorrow is gonna be all about paying my gym (which I haven't done since last December), buying the rest of the books, going to Chinatown and stuff like that. Get ready for pics!!!

How do you guys manage your workouts on vacation?

I definitely have an issue with that. It takes me weeks to get used to a new place and that alone usually screws my workouts.

Have you ever eaten so much at lunch that you were only able to eat again on the next day?

Like... today. :D

Bye, bye, Brazil!

2011-03-14T00:46:00.002-03:00

First of all, sorry in advance for all the grammar errors you're gonna find today... I'm chatting with a friend from Argentina in spanish about the apartment I'm gonna check out with her tomorrow, my friend from Brazil is talking about her boyfriend in portuguese and I'm trying to think about all the stuff I need to post here today in english at the same time - and my brain is a little slow when it needs to swift to different modes.

Anyway, TOMORROW! By this time tomorrow, I'm gonna be already in Buenos Aires... Can't wait! Don't get me wrong, watching tv shows, working out, enjoying good food, eternal summer and hanging with friends are probably my idea of a perfect life, but I dare you to survive 4 whole months of pure laziness. Ok, maybe you would, but I'm hyperactive and I can't just have nothing to do the whole day!! I love waking up early and knowing that I won't be able to sit down until 10pm :)

My flight leaves tomorrow early and I started packing... today.

Thank God my mom's going with me 'cause they consider a flight from Brazil to Argentina as "national", meaning you're only allowed to travel with 1 suitcase weighting less than 50lbs. Not an easy task for me... so she's taking half of my stuff with her :D

While I was packing, I found the stuff I bought for Anatomy and Histology class this year and, of course, I took a picture of it because I'm lame.

Oh if you didn't know I'm almost blind and I wear contacts all the time because when I'm not wearing them I do like asian eyes to read stuff from far away.

Gloves, dissecting forceps and medical coat :D

Today I had a total family day... went to have chinese with my mom, stepfather and sista...

Why do we always take pics on the elevator is still a mystery to me.

Red meat with veggies. Didn't have this one 'cause I'm not a big fan of red meat.

Fried rice with eggs and some (?) veggies.

Kung Pao chicken. My fav!

Caramelized banana... SO SO GOOD.

So my sister and I met up with my cousins and we bought 2 chocolate boxes and headed to watch Rango... 'cause anything Johnny Depp related should be a duty to anybody's life.

Diógenes and sista :)

Tales and moi :)

Then we had pizza but we didn't have time for pictures 'cause we were starving out of our minds and started to rain and we got a take out so we had to get together on a random corner and eat it like there was no tomorrow.

Now I'm home and finally packed.

Pretend you can't see my underwear.

So wish me luck guys! See ya all tomorrow from Argentina :D Oh and in case you're wondering about my workout, I might have not worked out in about 3 days. I know, who am I, right? I don't know it either. But tomorrow is a new day... starting with a total SUGAR/WHITE FLOUR CLEANSE for as long as it takes. Minimal of a month, but I'm hoping to keep it up forever, as long as I can make my own granola, add some honey to it and so I can blend it with milk for my post-workout meal. That is gonna be my exception. Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, the health thing. Just checking.

What are the last trip you guys had?

I went to the Northeast of Brazil on January for a whole week living out of shrimp, coconut water, hot sun and beaches with warm water. It's amazing. All the beaches on the Northeast of Brazil have WARM WATER. Just natural warm water. I know, right? Wondering what are you waiting for? I am!

Typical (and predictable) reactions you guys have when you skip your workout routine.

I get grumpy, moody, I feel fat and I keep staring at me in any mirror I can find.

Countdown.

2011-03-12T19:32:00.003-03:00

Some pretty hectic days... I'm leaving on Monday and, despite the fact I've been here since December, I obviously decided to do every single thing I was supposed to now, which leave me stressed out of my little mind. The good part is that the good bye hang outs started, so I got to have tons of good times :)

To begin with, I baked a sick chicken with veggies on Thursday that blew me away - ok maybe it wasn't even that good, but it's a huge accomplishment for me to cook anything different than whatever you throw on a pan and wait 5min :)

Baked chicken (passed on an egg then whole wheat flour), onions, sweet potatoes (the brazilian ones are different than the ones in the US), onions and broccoli :)

Later on on Thursday, my ex boyfriend and my girl friend picked me up so we could hang a bit... wine, chocolate and hooka? Sign me up!

Haven't had wine in ages... it reminded me how much red wine is heavenly.

Hooka! :D

Sara (the hooka's owner). She's 16 but oh well it's legal and it didn't have nicotine in it. We got cantaloupe flavor :)

Pedro.

Moi :)

Sara's brother is one of my best friends ever and he's living in Ireland... so we included him in our get together :)

The one I've known since I can understand myself as a human being.

White chocolate... 'cause it's bad for us and we deserve it.

Also, yesterday my friends were "djing" a party called Battle of 80's x 90's... it was a back to back and we had SO much fun... I should have grown up on the 80's... it has me written all over it.

Today, I woke up with a HUGE GIGANTIC pms (again? I know right?), I got a box of chocolate and proudly ate almost all of it for breakfast.

They're still calling my name, but I'm playing deaf.

I felt so bad after eating them... I don't know if it's pms or what, but I still feel pretty bad when I eat something like "bad". Twisted mind of mine, behold little dude! I feel like I have progressed with my behavior towards food, but sometimes I'm not so quite sure... Ok, really deep stuff now, last year I was having serious case of anorexia, then bulimia. Somehow, I've managed to cope it with exercising but it's still pretty hard for me to not be scared of food all the time... I keep avoiding the "bad" stuff only to find myself binging on them later on. I don't consider the chocolate thing really a binge but it was definitely comfort eating. Stupid hormones, would you guys just quit playing tag already?

By the way, this was one of the reasons why I chose to be a doctor... I know most people want to be a doctor to help others, but my motivation is pure egocentric (sorry Hippocrates), but I think that if one's isn't totally in tune with his own self he can't never be able to help anyone... at all. I still got lots to learn and I hope this year only gets better.

To compensate my sugary breakfast, I had a veggie yummy lunch.

Arugula, spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumber, green beans, okra, and tons of sesame and chia seeds.

I'm still holding on to that lunch and I should be going to the gym right now, but I'm lame so I'm posting here instead to remind myself how much of a procrastinator I am.

What do you guys crave most when you're pmsing?

I never have pms... that's why I don't know how to deal with it pretty well.

Do you guys feel bad after indulging on something you're pretty sure you had way too much of it?

All the time... I miss the times when eating was something done unconsciously, but, at the same time, I had no idea about all the deliciousness of tons of healthy stuff... so I guess everything comes with a price on it?

Favorite music?

Definitely anything 80's related. New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Bowie, Duran Duran and the list goes on and on. :)

Speeding!

2011-03-10T11:14:00.002-03:00

Ok, I'm totally stoked. There's this park a bloc away from my sister's apartment and I was doing a hill training there (2/3 of the park are hills). Anyways, last time I checked (2 weeks ago), I ran 5.2K there and it took me 34min to get it done. During these 2 weeks, I started some serious speed training on a treadmill (Ok I don't know about you guys but speed is a really big thing for me, since I was never ever able to run fast my whole life). So, yesterday, I went there again, ran the same 5.2K and, guess what? In 20min! That's 14min less than my last time! Time to be proud of this little hard-work-little-butt here. I've never known speed training would pay off so well. :)

The view when I left to run...

Oh and by the way, on the way back, everyone was staring at me and I thought they could just smell the victory out of my porous, but as I realized later on after I saw myself in the mirror, it wasn't exactly that...

Oh and it wasn't just the hair saying hello to everyone around... I noticed later on that I was wearing my pants the other way around. Yup, that's me.

To compensate my humiliation, soy chocolate and 20 episodes of 6teen :)

Oh I didn't mention it was a cartoon? Now you believe I'm mentally 15 right?

Dinner was also great...

Chicken, zucchini, broccoli, rice and tomatoes.

4 days 'till I finally go back to Buenos Aires. I mean, vacations are great, but 4 months vacations can bore even me. Can't wait to go back to my own gym, spinning, karate class, school and all that jazz. Get ready for tons of pics, 'cause I'm just in the mood for some real action here.

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Workout in the morning or later on?

If I have nothing to do the whole day, I'm definitely working out later on... bad procrastinator. If I know I'll be busy though, I wake up earlier to get it done :)

Do you have any tv shows that you're embarrassed to tell people you're addicted to?

I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed, but I definitely don't broadcast that I've just watched 2 whole seasons of 6teen in less than a week.

The joys of a tropical country.

2011-03-09T00:15:00.002-03:00

I'm then officially nervous. In 5 days I need to head back to Buenos Aires and continue with Med school. But now the hard part is gonna start. Anatomy, Histology, Mental Health... it doesn't look like it's a whole lot, but believe me, it IS. And they're all annual, so it means that if I fail one of them, I need to redo a whole year again! Uh, I'm starting to freak out out of my mind! I've always had an issue of suffering for something before it actually happens. I don't know, my mind might think that it makes the real thing more manageable, but my sane being just thinks it's suffering 2 times for only one thing. Lame is the name of it.

Anyway, let's talk about food. Yesterday, as I said, I had 2 aunts cooking... couldn't be better.

Chicken sausage, avocado and a colorful salad.

Rice and beans (you are not in Brazil if you don't eat them every day), some chicken crumbs and a vegetable called scarlet eggplant or gilo.

I just LOVE rainbow plates like this :)

Ended up in bed late yesterday trying to finish the book Mind Gym I've been dying to finish, but 6teen keeps getting on my way of living. It might be a serious illness, don't try watching it unless you're sure you don't have a mental age of a teenager.

Today, the family got together and we decided to just eat out. It's an awesome restaurant called Chão Nativo. They serve regional food from a brazilian state called Goiás (which is where I am right now)... it's known as comida goiana. It's SO delicious... that reminded me how much I've hated living in the US where the good restaurants were way too expensive and they barely had what is the most common thing in the world here: you have tons of options of food, you choose it, weight it and that's it :)

Since their expertise is regional vegetables, I went vegetarian for a meal. My body seemed to have like it, but after 1h I was starving out of my little mind and kept on eating the whole day.

We got lost on our conversation and when I realized I was starving again. Sorry guys I can't fake a happy face if I'm hungry. No can do.

The other side of the table :)

Fresh squeezed orange/strawberry juice. Basically, in Brazil, you can ask them to mix any fruit juice you want. Like orange/carrots/papaya, strawberry/apple, açaí/strawberry... the joy of the tropical country... :)

I'm really really pmsing today as I was sleepy and zombing around with that weird face all day (that also explains why I was so darn hungry!). I had to really try hard to get my butt out of my nap (which I NEVER take!) and go to the gym, Workout was speed training. Harsh! 4x 500m sprints... by the last one, I really thought my lungs were just gonna walk away and quit the job, but I did it. And it felt GREAT! So I took advantage of my good mood and did some 25min cycling. :)

Dinner: Turkey, egg, tomato and cottage cheese sandwich on a flaxseed, whole wheat, yogurt, carrots bread and broccoli on the side with flaxseed on top of it.

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What has made you crack up recently?

Ok so my girl friend is in Buenos Aires and she has just sent me a message saying she got on the same bus with the guy I was dating before vacation started. I mean, I was. Actually, I really was until she sent me the message saying he was even hotter than she remembered and that I should start working on a killer plan if I still wanna get him, 'cause he was just the kind that every single girl he walked by out just stop and stare at him. Great. Talking about a girl with a challenge. (I thought about uploading a picture of him here, but first, I don't have a picture with him, so I would have to put a picture of him by himself - which would be already lame - AND I of course I have him on my fb and there's a link to my blog on my profile page... you know he might stalk my profile to see what I'm up to all the time or something like that... wait, that's me).

Are you single? Married? In a relationship? It's complicated? For how long?

I was last year for about 5 months, but then it ended in October... at the exact same date I broke up with my ex-bf, I went to this really cool saloon with my girl friend and I met the guy I was talking about. Talking about destine here.