Mishmish

On Sunday we lost our 12 week old kitten, Mishmish, to Panleukopenia. Though he had only been a member of our household for 7 weeks, it was a tough loss for our household, specifically for my wife and I. I've had a lot of memories and reflections swirling in my head for the past 24 …

5 WFH Myths Dispelled by a Professional

Since a lot of people are now working from home, I’ve been hearing a lot of WFH tips that are useful and some that are just plain WRONG. As a WFH veteran I would like to dispel some of these myths. Myth 1: Wake up at the same time you normally would when you had …

Pre-Training Jitters

This week, I will officially start my training program for a big race in mid-July. During this upcoming training cycle I will attempt to focus on improving cardiovascular fitness and tailor my training specifically to the race I'll be running rather than just cranking out miles as I have done in the past. More than …

What’s my motivation?

Motivation. It is that spark that ignites our fire to do things that others may think are crazy. It is what powered me to train for 6 months and run 50 miles. It is what enabled me to sit and memorize page after page of Quran. It is what fuels my wife and I to …

Decisions: Good or Bad?

Note: This post is NOT about rock climbing. Though I did take this concept from climbing literature, it exists elsewhere and is broadly applicable in all spheres of our lives. Recently while reading The Rock Warriors Way, a book about mental training for climbing, I came across a very interesting concept. "Choices are not right …

Rock Climbing – Relaxing Excursion or Adrenaline Rush?

A few years ago, my wife suggested we go on a date to the local rock climbing gym. I didn't know much about climbing except that folks who did that crazy stuff on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley were bona fide adrenaline junkies. How else could you explain climbing 3000 feet up? I remembered back …

Tips for camping with children

For the past several years, I spend months (if not the whole year) looking forward to the annual backpacking trip I organize with my friends. For these few days a year we pack all our things and head out into the wilderness, scaling mountain passes 100 feet at a time, camping by and swimming in …

Race Report: American River 50 Mile Endurance Run

On Saturday April 7th, I lined up to run my first 50 mile race. I had never run this distance before and was unsure about what to expect. I hope to capture in this post what happened before, during and after the race. It is a bit lengthy because I want to make sure to …

Doing things with Kids – Part 1 – Family Time

"I'm not ready to have kids yet because I'm not ready for my life to be over. I still have goals I want to achieve and places I want to travel." This sentiment is very common. Many people face the conflict between wanting to start a family and their personal goals/growth. However, the reality of …

Race Report – 2018 Way Too Cool 50k

This past weekend I had the opportunity to run my first trail 50k. My plan was to use this race as a checkpoint race for the American River 50 miler in April. This training cycle I have tried to be a lot better about my nutrition and hydration during my long runs and I was …