Why did I decide to  run a race in San Francisco? It’s a beautiful city but it’s known for lots of hills! In September 2009, I was convinced and recruited to run the San Francisco Marathon scheduled for July 25, 2010. By simply helping the SFM team promote the race to Chicagoans, I was offered a free entry to run this race at the city by the bay. This is the first for me to ever  travel to by plane to a race longer than a 5k. I’ve gone to races in Indiana and Wisconsin, but never to one where I had to check in my GU in a quart-size bag through TSA officials. I was so excited to run this race and enjoy the time as a vacation! I trained hard and prepared myself to conquer the hills.

But by early June, I changed my event to the first half marathon due to priorities of my racing goals this year. On race day, I was greeted at San Francisco with wonderfully chilly temperatures and high hopes of achieving a half marathon personal record (my half marathon PR was 1:51:47). I arrived at the VIP hospitality site (the $100  tickets were kindly compensated by the SFM team) and happily took in the festive environment. I was very nervous, but held all well wishes from friends and family firmly in my heart and I was ready to run an amazing race.

The first 10 miles were breath-taking and I was on track to achieve my goal. The hills were tough, but I felt prepared from doing my long runs in the suburbs (which provide more challenging terrains than the lakefront). I saw many runners walking the uphills but I ran up all the hills and felt strong! Unfortunately, the last 5k (3.1 miles) were my toughest. I had some problems that forced me to stop and walk. It happens. It happens to some runners. It happened to me. I felt defeated and disappointed. But I finished the race, I finished six minutes over my goal time. I  felt sorry for myself and cried. I spoke to my coach but avoided talking to many friends.

Not all races can go as planned, which is probably one of the toughest things about running. You can train and prepare, but you cannot control everything.  But what I can control is how I handle these defeats and hope I learn some lessons. I am incredibly appreciative of the hospitality from the San Francisco Marathon and this wonderful city. In addition to running this world-class race, I was featured in an article about Asian female runners. I will never forget this experience and the people who supported me throughout my training. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year to race the San Francisco Half Marathon! In the meantime, I’ll re-focus my training for the Chicago Marathon after I get back from a trip to Napa

Pinstripes Bowling, Bocce, & Bistro - South Barrington, IL

Tuesdays are special days for my kids. They get to play bowling, bocce, and eat delicious burgers while I get to concentrate with work in a big comfy couch while served with a refreshing mojito and yummy food.

For a bunch of city slickers, Pinstripes Bistro in South Barrington is one place outside Chicago that I purposely take my kids to. What gives? Well, first the $2 burger Tuesdays. But altogether, it is really a place where I can mix the work and play scenario with my family. That’s besides the free parking, the free wifi, the delicious menu, the friendly staff, bowling, bocce, and the free cheesecake with any foursquare check-ins!

Photos by: Lahleyoo

Bocce

Free Cheesecake on Foursquare Check-ins!

Last week I was talking to fellow Chicagonista author Chanthana and how that I was excited about being added to a runners list on Twitter even though I am not one…just have a lot of friends who are and sometimes, luckily, I get mixed in with them.

This week I got to enjoy a #Runnerds tweetup. Of course I did not run, that would be expecting too much from me. What I did was wait for fellow running tweeps at Duke’s Bar and Grill until they were done with their evening run. I thought it would be intimidating, being around so many runners. What would they even talk about? Running? When to run? How to run? What “goo” to eat while running? Yes, they did talk about that but I had such a great time listening to them and being educated about the world of the Runnerds. Of course we also talked about other things…

It was truly a fantastic time. There were familiar faces. @Krzimmer, @HeathBar6 @Princess_Sean @MailOrderAndie (the other non runnerds besides me at the tweetup) were fantastic tweeps that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting before; however, I also got to meet new #Runnerds @LLANEZA9_RUNS @Shannanegans13 @mochaB128. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll start running. Until then, I hope that I keep being added on runners list.

Can’t get to Hawaii this summer? So, why not experience the spirit of Aloha here in the Windy City. Check out these great finds!

• Learn some ancient or modern Hula from  Halau i Ka Pono, a Hula school based in Oak Park. They even go beyond as to teach the spiritual practice of Hula in Meditation, La’au Lapa’au (“study of healing through spirituality and native Hawaiian medicinal plants”) and Reiki.

• Ohana Entertainment offer authentic Polynesian entertainment for your parties. They also teach Hula and Tahitian dance classes.

• Bring the tropical sounds to your private luau events. Check out Windy City Islanders and enjoy samples of their music.

• Merve Papa of Aloha Brush Art is an artist that makes tropical island style like calligraphy of your name.

• Hungry? Check out Aloha Eats for some Spam Musubi, Tofu Katsu and more…

• And since Hawaii is a melting pot of all the Asian cultures, why not visit Chinatown for dimsum, maybe some Pho’ in Vietnam Town, Kalbi in Korea Town, Filipino Restaurants‘ different variety of pancits  and of course,  sushi from Japanese Restaurants

• The Raging Waves “Hot Summer Nights” series continues with a Luau Night on Thursday, July 22. Guests can secure a $4 discount on a full-day admission by saying “aloha” at the ticket window. The day’s activities include mini luau food specials, and live music from 4:30 – 7 p.m. by A Bunch of Coconuts. More information about the Luau Night can be found at http://www.ragingwaves.com/events.html.

Mahalo!

Photo Credit: MJ Tam

I live in Chicago…and I love it! It’s rare that I leave the city limits. However, once in a while I venture out to the suburban areas if the opportunity presents itself and if there’s a promise of a good time at the end of the road.  That was the case this past weekend with the fantastic @TargetStars @WildfireRest @Houseonahillorg hosting a tweetup at the Wildfire Restaurant in Schaumburg.

It really was a great time. We were able to chat with fellow suburban tweeps and nibble on some tasty bites and go home with a wonderful swag bag. I suppose the suburbs aren’t that bad after all!

@WildfireRest is a great restaurant, whether a dinner for two or a family night. The menu is great and the staff is wonderful and I’m very happy that there’s one in the city.

My other favorite part of the day was enjoying the company of @Houseonahillorg. We traveled in the extremely comfortable Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. I actually enjoyed getting lost because then we got to call (you literally hit a button and you’re connected to them) OnStar and ask them to send us turn-by-turn navigation directly to the Tahoe Hybrid. Pretty coo, ha? Here are some photos and the rest can be viewed on my Flickr.

]]> http://chicagonista.com/featured/seven-1010-tweetup/feed/ 5 http://chicagonista.com/featured/clash-of-the-athlete-titans-venus-williams-vs-derrick-rose-2/ http://chicagonista.com/featured/clash-of-the-athlete-titans-venus-williams-vs-derrick-rose-2/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:28:50 +0000 mjtam http://chicagonista.com/?p=4008

It was a beautiful day this past Friday and the Chicago Park District camp kids were in attendance at the Daley Bicentennial Plaza to watch Chicago Bull’s very own Derrick Rose and Tennis Powergirl Venus Williams on a first time 1on1 tennis & hoops hosted by Powerade Play. The event was to promote and teach the importance of active lifestyle for youth. The winner are of course the hundreds of kids that witnessed this said event!

Miss Williams was also signing her new “Come To Win” book at State Street Borders earlier that day.

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was one of the first songs I learned as a kid and one of the first songs I taught my daughter. Her first Cubs game was at the ripe age of two months when the Cubs were in game one of National League Championship Series in October 2003. When we were planning on having a baby, my husband and I said of all things, we hoped that our child would love sports. Thank heaven for granting silly wishes.

Yet having a daughter makes one thing about sports clear – there is no clear road for sporty girls like the one we’re raising. Almost forty years after Title IX and the opening of athletics to girls, there are few career ladders for our daughters to aspire to climb. Yes, there are the Olympics and college sports, but what about a career that enables her to earn a paycheck from her hard work? Recent history tells us that there is no guarantee that the WNBA or Women’s Professional Soccer will be here next year much less in 15 years. And why is that?

Part of the reason is that we don’t go out to see women’s professional sports nor do we stay home and watch them on the TV like we do men’s sporting events.  “[The 2009] finals averaged 548,000 viewers, an increase of 73 percent from 2008, but still only good for a miniscule 0.4 rating. In the regular season, it was even worse.” Here in Chicago, “[the] Chicago Sky has consistently run at 50 percent or less of WNBA attendance norms, certainly not a reassuring number to Chicago fans.” That’s a lot of Debbie Downer stats eh?

But the magic of this is that we can change it.

That’s why in March I set up a Facebook group to challenge friends and friends of friends to attend one, just one women’s professional or college (some places just don’t have pro teams) sporting event in 2010.

Chicago’s lucky in this aspect. Not only do we have gobs of college and universities to support, but we have professional women’s soccer, football, basketball and softball. Roller derby was overwhelmingly voted as worthy of support since fans do have to pay to watch the athletics on roller skates, even if the derby women don’t get a paycheck. So why should you support the Chicago women’s sporting community?

1. I’ve attended every sport and they are all family and fan friendly. Roller derby does skirt things a bit. Their motto this season is “Talk Derby to me,” but overall, I didn’t cringe when I took my almost 7-year-old;

2. They are budget friendly. The Chicago Sky has the most expensive ticket, but they also have plenty of tickets in the $15 range;

3. If you have sons, it might be good to show him that boys can root, root for girls too. Not to mention having boys see women’s bodies in a positive manner compared to what we see in popular culture;

4. If you have daughters, having her see women use their bodies in a positive way is just awesome;

5. Because it’s fun. I’ve gone to see women’s sports with friends who like sports and friends who could care less. All have a great time. That’s what sports does. It’s entertainment and what better way than to share it with friends over a plate of nachos?

And because I think that watching sports is best done with a large group of people, I’ve organized a group outing to root for our Chicago Red Stars aka Chicago’s women soccer team. I’m getting nada from this. No kick back and the glory shall watching new soccer fans blossom.

Chicago Red Stars vs Boston Breakers

WHEN: July 25, 2010

TIME: 3:00 PM

WHERE: Toyota Park

PRICE: $19 a ticket includes a seat and a pre-game tail gate gathering with hot dogs and pizza. Purchase tickets through a special portal page to ensure this price!

SPECIAL INCENTIVE: After we reach 50 in our group, eleven children under 14 will be selected by the Red Stars to escort the players onto the field.

I hope to see many Chicagonistas out at Toyota Park in July! And if not, I hope you will  join the Facebook group and get yourself to any of our fabulous Chicago women sport teams in 2010.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Giuliana Rancic, star of “Giuliana and Bill “ reality show and host on E! Network on Thursday.  Giuliana  hosted a red carpet at the AMC North (600 N. Michigan) theaters for Chase. Chase was offering customers an exclusive screening of Toy Story 3 and will be kicking off its Buy One Get One Free offering on movie tickets that begins July 1st.

Chicagonista: How did this promotion come about with Chase?

Giuliana Rancic: My friend told me about this opportunity and I said absolutely.  My nieces are obsessed with Toy Story, I actually have 13 nieces and nephews and my niece said, ‘You have to go and see Toy Story 3,’ there is a bear in the movie (she likes).  She was like “Auntie will you bring me the bear home?” I’m like I’m just going to the movie; I can’t pull him off the screen!” (laughing).  Also I have been a Chase member for a long time.  I was happy to do it; I was thrilled to be in Chicago which is fantastic!  It was a no brainer.

I know you split your time between LA and Chicago with Bill Rancic.  How is that going for you?

GR:It’s good! You know we just started shooting season 3 of our reality show (Giuliana and Bill) and in the past it’s been 50/50- LA and Chicago. This season it’s about 80/20 -Chicago and LA.  Very excited, we are doing 80 percent in Chicago.  They tested the show and found that people really loved Chicago; people from the Midwest really love to see the Midwest.  I’m so excited that we get to be here so much, I love the city, I just need to move all of E! here to Chicago including Ryan Seacrest, but he’s a diva, he won’t move.

What are some of your favorite places in Chicago?

GR:I’m going later tonight to eat at Carmine’s, I love anywhere where I can sit outside when the weather is nice. I go shopping at Intermix or any of the stores on Michigan Ave. I love brand names, I don’t need boutiques. I’m like an H & M girl! I go to Blommie’s (Bloomingdale) a lot, I like regular stores. I find deals at Loehmann’s, I do it all. I’m a regular girl, I don’t do fancy stuff.  The best restaurants are here, we (her and Bill) do dinner and then take a 30 minute walk; we just love it (Chicago).

Tell us about the new book.

GR:We (her and Bill) have a new book we just wrote for Random House. It’s called: I do, now what? It’s a bible for newlyweds.  You get married, what happens now?  Especially now a days we are waiting till we are older to get married, we are independent when we get married, girls are working and it’s weird.  It’s about cohabitating and really locking down your foundation and creating a strong foundation.  So you will have a successful marriage for the next 50 years.  It’s been really fun, because Bill and I wrote it together.  It comes out September 28^th.

Tell us about the new reality show you producing?

GR:I have a new show called Bridalplasty, it’s basically the Swan meets the Biggest Loser meets Bridezilla.  Its 12 brides in the house and 6 weeks until their wedding and they compete for different things like their dream dress and a designer wedding cake as well as plastic surgery.  They are all very cute girls but they may want their nose tweaked or beautiful lips or more hair extensions.  It’s what they want but can’ t afford for their wedding.  It’s a fun show and they are going to look beautiful on their wedding day.

What can we expect from the new season of the show, Giuliana and Bill?

GR:It’s crazy! A lot of baby talk.  We have been very public about having a baby, trying for a baby and IVF and all that kind of stuff.  It’s been incredible. We have had a great response, we had no idea that other reality shows hadn’t talked about this.  People in Hollywood don’t talk about IVF, its more: “I’m 42, and my eggs are like a 20 year olds, my eggs are really special”.  Well they (eggs) are not.  So we wanted to bring it to the forefront and there is a lot of that.  We also just brought a house in Chicago, in Hinsdale – the burbs.  That’s exciting; it’s going to be a lot of crazy stuff on the new season.

Giuliana has been an anchor and managing editor of E! News since January 2005, an author of 2006’s hit Think Like a Guy, and married Chicago native and Apprentice winner Bill Rancic in 2007.

All media are asked to credit Chicagonista.com for any material used.

I love being pampered.  I love massages, mani/pedis, facials, etc. I also love being a stay at home mom to my son.  Which means my pampering income is seriously diminished!

Enter the Cortiva Institute, a school of massage therapy located on State Street near Macy’s.  Not only does this school offer classes for future massage therapists they also have a massage therapy center where you can book a massage with a professional or a student.  A 60 minute massage with a pro is $85.  With a student? $40!

I know some of you might be leery of being worked on by a newbie, but remember these folks are being graded, an instructor may observe your service and you are asked to fill out a feedback form before you leave.  They will give you great service because they want positive input from you and their teacher.

And how do I know?

Because I was lucky enough to visit Cortiva today.  I went in with a tight neck, sore shoulders and an achy lower back. (I blame my 1 year old; he needs to learn to walk!)  For over an hour my massage therapist focused on these problem areas.

And yes, I said “for over an hour!”  Near the end of my session, my therapist asked me if I minded if he went over my time a little.  Ummmm, NO!

When my service was over, I  felt so much looser, my back didn’t hurt and I also felt taller.  Now that’s a good massage!  As the day has progressed I’ve started to feel a little sore (he said that might happen as he was really getting deep into my muscles), but I have also remained so relaxed and calm.  I will definitely be taking advantage of these student massage services again. In fact, they offer a 5 massage package for $160.  Do the math with me, folks.  That’s like getting one FREE!

Yes, please!

Some may call it the big box retailer of music fests, but there’s no denying that Lollapalooza makes it easy to catch a mix of indie darlings, has-been rockers and live rarities in a well-orchestrated string of outdoor shows. The word “easy” is key. With a baby at home, those 11 p.m. shows at the Double Door just aren’t an option anymore.

While tens of thousands of people will pile into Grant Park to watch headliners like Lady Gaga and Green Day, the fests earlier shows can provide some of its finest moments. There are four months left until Lolla returns to Chicago, so now is the time to fire up iTunes and check out some of the lesser known acts on the bill. You just may discover your next favorite band one hot afternoon in Grant Park this August.

Here are a handful of acts (in no particular order) to consider for your Lollapalooza line up:

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – This crunchy, collective band will breathe a cool hippie vibe into Lolla with lead singer Alex Ebert heading this 10-piece group in grand fashion. You’re likely to get swept up by the act and find yourself singing popular track “Home” all the way, well home.

Yeasayer – A dash of world music, a pinch of folk and a helping of atmospheric pop make Yeasayer difficult to peg, and that is what makes them so enjoyable. After seeing them in a small Chicago club, I’m looking forward to experiencing the band’s most recent album “Odd Blood” outdoors.

Cut Copy: Chicago Sun-Times critic and “Sound Opinions” voice Jim DeRogatis has high hopes for this synth-pop band and its vintage, electronic stylings. You should too. Bonus, you may catch them doing a DJ set at the outdoor dance club that is Perry’s Stage.

The xx – The young Brits who make up The xx created a debut album that sounds well beyond their years with neat, captivating tracks. The indie pop band has been a critical darling and is worth a listen to see if “x” marks the spot on all the hype.

Temper Trap – With all of the 80s influence floating around the indie rock scene, Temper Trap seems to deliver some of the moody romance that made the decade’s movies so memorable. You heard them in quirky rom-com “(500) Days of Summer” for that reason. The layered vocals and nostalgic sound could sweep Lolla listeners off their feet.

Metric – Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw have been playing together for more than a decade but the band’s mix-up pop sound picked up steam with its 2009 album “Fantasies”. I know I’m curious to see how Emily’s mysteriously sweet vocals will carry along the lakefront.

Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls – Didi is the keyboardist for the sexy band Brazilian Girls that played a hot set at Lolla in 2008. Check out the band’s self-title album or “Talk to the Bomb” then find out what the seduction is all about during a DJ set at Perry’s Stage.

These are the acts that popped out to me at first glance. Like you, I’m going to spend the next several months digging around the Lolla line up to check out the unfamiliar names on the list. It’s the best way to get your money’s worth. Happy hunting!

Lollapalooza 2010 is billed Aug. 6 – 8 at Grant Park. For tickets and information visit www.lollapalooza.com

Photo Credit: Flickr by Nine Inch Nail Official