WEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Last night was a TOTAL success! I raised over $1000 to my total goal of $3000! I had a great showing of friends and coworkers and I even solicited myself out to other bar goers by asking them to buy raffle tickets and a lot of them DID! I'm pumped, this is such a bomb diggity bomb bomb experience so far I can't even put into words how good I feel.

To celebrate tonight, I'm going to Yoga and getting a good night's rest before my 11 miler tomorrow....Not quite how you'd think I would celebrate but let me tell you, I'm EXHAUSTED!

Thanks to all who came out to support and those who couldn't make it and made donations online!

STRESSED!!!

Sorry mom, but I am your daughter, I get stressed rather easily. Yesterday I didn't have a moment to write in my blog and if I wasn't running around doing work, I was running around preparing for tonight. What is tonight you ask? Tonight is my fundraiser, "Have a Heart." A friend of mine helped me plan an Open Bar/Happy Hour/Raffle to raise money for the American Heart Association (the team I'm running with on November 7th). Well of course I'm also my father's daughter in the sense that I sort of (obviously did) waited until the last minute to tie up all the loose ends....UGH!!! Luckily it seems that everything has worked itself out and I am hoping tonight will be a success. In between stressing and running around today, I've managed it all by inhaling my fair share of dessert and threw back 3 delicious cookies from Hale n' Hearty...random, but oh so good!

I would like to add a disclaimer that amongst all of this, I have stayed on track with my running and got my 6 miler in yesterday morning and a 3 and 1/2 mile jaunt this morning....Where there is a will there is a way and I am WILLING! :)

Yup...I'm a Gazelle...

This morning was gorgeous for a run. Low 70s, little to basically no humidity and the sky was blue as can be. I'm starting to realize that my Tuesday morning runs are rather "kick ass" if I may so myself. I think its because I have had two full days to recover from the longer runs and my legs are just rearing to go. So much so that I felt like a Gazelle, gliding along the Hudson River. Oh so graceful and oh so quick....obviously I'm exaggerating...a little bit.

Anyway, there is a little more behind equating myself to the lovely animal to the left....One sunny summer day in Central Park a couple years ago, a few of my friends and I were laying out sunning ourselves. One of my dear friends Garabedies was present and I asked him if he knew of any flag football teams that I could join (I love football and I love to play football too). He tried to let me down gently by saying, "Well you have to be fast ya know."

"I'm fast."

"No, I don't think you understand. You HAVE to be FAST."

"Ummm... I know! I'm a GAZELLE!"

This had the others cracking up. I'm not sure if it was because of the random animal that I equated myself to or the pure fact that I was not gonna go down gently.

I'm not sure if that was a funny story...I have a feeling it is more of a "had to be there," kind of story...oh well, I can't always be on my "A" game!

Day 1 of Week 4

I am a shopper. I love to shop. Whether its for me or for my friends or my family, I simply love to shop. But lately I'm having the hardest and worst time and its all because of this crap that I need to buy for my long runs. I'm supposed to get one of those frickin' horrendous looking belts with mini water bottles on the sides. I am also on the hunt for semi-attractive looking running Capri leggings and a running watch to keep track of my pace, distance and time....All these things seem so simple to find, right? Well this girl (Me) is having the worst frickin' time finding this stuff to suit my needs and taste. I'm trying to keep the Capris to an affordable price (under $50), I'm trying to find a watch for under 100 smackers and to spend 40 bucks on this stupid belt thing is just so hard for me to wrap around when its so ugly it almost brings me to tears.

My hunt has brought me to City Sports, Sports Authority, Modell's, a specialty Runner shop on the Upper East Side, but I am yet to brave the massive Foot Locker on 34th Street. I am fairly certain that is where the treasure lies but the idea of braving 34th street takes a lot of mental preparation. Before I embark on this journey, I'll need to meditate, take a yoga class and listen to Enya. I am also thinking of wearing body armor covered in spikes so that the tourists don't bump into me or ask me which way Broadway is. I am fairly certain that if all of this falls into place before I go, everything will be there waiting for me with blinking lights around it. All that being said, I need to get my act together soon. I need all this stuff for my run on Saturday for it is my first double digit run since beginning my training. I'm excited for the big 11 miler but not about the accessories...DARE I even call them that!

End of Week 3...BEACH!

Kim Kardashian? What does she have to do with my training? Absolutely nothing....other than the fact that I hit the beach with Gumbi on Sunday and I'm pretty sure he would have much rather been throwing a football around with her than me! I only know this because we bought OK! Magazine on the way to the beach, he was flipping threw it, came across a picture of her on a beach, pointed at it and said, "HOT."

Anywho, so Sunday is my day of cross training and this is the second week in a row I've opted out of it to hit the beach. Its the summer though and there is no better way to spend a summer day than on the beach! I brought a football because Gumbi has ants in his pants and needs to be entertained so tossing around the football for 20 minutes was a good way to keep him entertained and get a lil' exercise. Aside from that, I did actually do some cardio later on and went for a 3 mile walk along the Hudson that night. The day started out really hot, then it poured, then it cleared and was comfortable to be outside again...YAY!!!

Annnd the Heat Wave Continues....

Saturday morning, my original plan was to get up, gear up and get up to the Upper East Side to feed my friend's cat (she's out of town) and then scoot over to Central Park for my 6 mile jaunt....That plan was squashed when I realized how frickin' hot it was going to be and knew I'd have to get up at 6 am in order to get up there for a run before it was too hot. I stayed in bed a little longer until 7am (is this really how I have to start my weekend? Tear.) then was out the door by 7:30 for one of my usual runs along the Hudson.

At 7:30am, it was already in the 80s and hot. I made sure I drank a lot of water last night as well as this morning and thought I'd be fine without any additional. As I trucked along I did get a little thirsty and began to notice something. I am still yet to get one of those "sexy" water belts (planning to purchase this week) and it was as if the fact that I haven't bit the bullet yet on buying that "accessory" was thrown in my face ten fold as I ran along. I kid you not, I seriously think every 1 in 10 people I passed by did NOT have a belt making me look like the foolish minority. I did not let this cause me to feel inferior for I felt my knowledge of where every water fountain along my trail made me COOLER because I didn't have to look like a total toolbox as I ran. Knowing I will have to become one of the water belt wearers, I am starting to wrap my head around the toolbox appearance. I can at least seek comfort in the fact that I will remain hydrated and avoid face plantation in the pavement! I guess one needs to make a sacrifice to avoid unpleasant circumstance...

Sore Sally...

No, that is not me. BUT that is a fairly accurate image of how my body feels today. Yesterday after work I decided to go to a total body conditioning class because I should work on building strength in addition to endurance. Well that smiling, tank top wearing, matching back pack carrying, Son-of-a-GUN KILLED me! My whole body aches (secretly I love this because I know it was a good workout) booooo....hissss...(disgruntled disapproving look to boot!) Luckily today is my day of rest but I'm contemplating doing a yoga class tonight to stretch some of these pains out. It sounds ambitious and I do have summer Fridays so who knows where the day will lead me....we shall see, I'll report back tomorrow.

Today also has me pondering that in addition to my donation link (on my blog) for the American Heart Association, is it possible to have a link for massage donations? It doesn't have to be a fancy schmancy place like Bliss....any takers or givers rather??? Just throwin' it out there if you ever feel so inclined, I will so feel inclined to accept!

Groove is in the Heart!

This morning was GORGEOUS for a run! It was around 74 degrees (the Today show informed when I returned) and the humidity was non-existent. The sky was clear blue and there was a slight breeze, basically a perfect morning to get a 4 miler in before reporting to work.

Lately I've noticed that I am in desperate need of new tunes for my ipod but I have been too lazy to get my computer fixed so I've been jamming to the same tunes for about a year now (note to self, just get it done this weekend). Anyway, I pretty much hear the same songs every run despite the fact that I have my playlist on shuffle. There is sometimes an occasion when a song comes on that hasn't in awhile and this morning it was Deee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart." As my ears were flooded with "Deee-Lite," I was reminded of a night out with friends and this song came blaring over the speakers. Instantly Gumbi broke out into "dance" swaying right, left, back, front, sideways, every which way...exhibiting that groove was not just in his heart but in every inch of his 6'4" body! Gumbi has earned his name simply because after a few Bud Lights, the man's bones turn to rubber and he sways all over the place....its truly a site to see and never gets old. Anyway, as this tune came over and I thought of that night, I totally had one of those "cracking up by myself moments"....while running...SPECIAL...I wonder if I'm in any other runner's blog for being the weird blond running by with a giant grin on her face???

Viva la Vida!

I kicked off this morning's jaunt to Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" so I felt it was a fitting title for today's post because I do feel as though I'm living the life. I have committed myself to an amazing journey and I've had wonderful people in my life completely support me as I do it. I honestly feel like life couldn't be much better right now.

This morning's run was my standard 5 miler along the Hudson. It was somewhat muggy today but I think I'm becoming accustomed to it because it really didn't bother me that much. Moving along...I'm not sure if I've divulged this information yet, but I can be somewhat competitive....yes, its true. How is one competitive while running you say? Well....I LOVE passing people! I especially get a charge when I pass by people taller than I am (use your gams for a longer stride!) and also passing MEN! AH HAHAHA...YESSSSSSSS!!! I love passing by dudes, its like, "You suckah!!! Get your act together for cryin' out loud!!! I'm totally kicking your behind right now....whooop whooooooooop!!!" Anyway, I passed quite a few peeps this morning and even two dudes running together and they seemed like they were in good shape. One was even so confident in his "physique" that he was sporting a pair spandex shorts....I'm not sure how I feel about guys in spandex ANYTHING but whatever works for him to get his "run on" I support, I guess....Luckily for him he did not look even remotely like the guy in today's visual, but when I googled images for "man in spandex" this came up and how could I resist??? Happy Hump Day!!!

And I was Running...

Remember this "Friends" episode? When Phoebe and Rachel go running together for the first time and Rachel is horrified because Phoebe runs like a five year-old running terrified away from monsters? Well I kinda felt like that this morning minus the crazy running "technique." I enjoyed being outside so much I felt like a kid let outside for the first time in months! I have to admit, this adrenaline or whatever it was had me FLYING! I finished my 4 miles in at least 30 minutes. I don't know if it was because it was my first time back outside since the "treadmill" incident or just simply that my legs were "feelin' it" but I had a great run and enjoyed every step along the way. I'm hoping runs like this will help me build up my speed and endurance. We shall see though, I'm only on day 2 of Week 15....there is a long road ahead of me, figuratively and literally!

Week 3 Kick off!

Mondays are a day of "rest" but I went for a walk along the Hudson because despite the heat, it was a nice night and I am loving summer and the long days. Its really nice to wind down the day as the sunsets over Hoboken. I later had a good chat with my mom and I'm so excited that she is making plans to be here for the marathon. She isn't one to rush to NYC for visits but as soon as I got in, she was on it. I'm feeling so honored that so many of my family and friends are getting behind me. My mom told me that my Aunt and cousin were also in the process of making plans to come down for the marathon. This is in addition to my sister and her husband, my other cousin and her husband, and possibly (though may require some force on my sister's end) my father. I am still 16 weeks away but my momentum is not going to slow down one bit....this has been an amazing experience thus far.

Final day of Week 2!

Today I'm supposed to cross-train, which means, bike, elliptical, swim or anything low impact. I chose to go to the beach instead. Being a lover of the beach, I sadly haven't gotten to it much this summer so having the opportunity to go with my beloved Nugget friends (I call my vertically challenged friend "Nugget" and her boyfriend gets "Mr. Nugget" simply by default) is something I quickly jumped on. When it is as hot as it was in New York this past weekend, escaping to the beach is similar to heaven on earth. The cool breeze off the ocean and the relaxing sound of the waves crashing instantly puts me at ease. I did get some "training" in by going in the water with Nugget. The water was warm so we swam around for about 20 minutes...not very long but better than nothing. The salt water also felt good on my "wounds" I encountered the day before.
At the end of the day, we packed up and hit a Mexican restaurant for some cold coronas accompanied with guac and chips. Not the best I've ever had but hit the spot, rounding out a perfect beach day.

Day 13 - 9 miles...On a Treadmill...NOT RECOMMENDED

This morning, this BEAST is what I encountered for my second long run of training. As you may have picked up, I am vehemently opposed to this thing as I train but my mother talked me into trying it out due to the forecast calling for, you guessed it, extreme heat! When I first walked outside and saw the clear blue sky, I was tempted to not listen to my mom and just hit the road running but then....the image of a broken nose and cracked teeth flashed before my eyes and I decided to go with the plan to hit the gym for my 9 miles. I tried out the TVs on 4 treadmills until settling on the 5th because there was no way I was going to endure this torture without visual stimulation aside from the occasional person walking by wearing spandex that clearly should NOT be wearing them....
I hit the "Quick Start" button, select an uphill grade of .5% and speed it up to 6.7 mph for 8:57 minute miles (when I run 5 or less its usually around 7.2 to 7.5 as a reference). I instantly feel my body revolt this decision to run on the treadmill but there is no turning back now. I try to focus on the top 20 countdown I've chosen to watch and pound away the miles. At mile 3, I'm happy to know that I'm at least a third of the way done. Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie" comes on my Ipod and I feel a lil' pep in my step. By mile 5, those pep steps begin to fade....I feel forced to reduce my speed to 6.5 (9:13 mile) and I'm annoyed. I have hit the point that I just want to be over with this but I am not even close to finished. I push through and come to mile 6....just 3 more left...mile 7 comes reluctantly and mile 8 feels like even more of a drag even when I push myself faster to 6.7 again. Finally I hit 9 miles, bring my run down to a walk and feel SO thankful that its over. That's when I realize some STINGING pain....I have a major chaffing burn under my right arm and my inner right thigh has had better mornings as well.....This has been the worst of my training thus far but in the scheme of things, I survived. I managed to run 9 miles at an average pace of just over 9 minutes a mile and that is an accomplishment I should comfortably rest my hat on for now.
For the future, I will suck it up on the weekends and get up early if its hot out to get my long runs done rather than suffer miserably on the treadmill. I shall also make sure I lather myself in Aquafor in any possible place that my clothes could rub me the wrong way...I do not wish the stinging pain I felt when I hit the shower on even my worst enemy! I had to bite my finger to avoid screaming bloody murder scaring my neighbors!

Day 10 - Rest before the 9-er

Today is a day of rest and not having to get up early this morning for a run was a nice break. I've mapped out my 9 miler but its supposed to be in the 90s tomorrow. I think if I get up early enough, I can get my run in before it gets really hot out but thanks to one of my friends I have "day-mares" of suffering heat stroke and collapsing. This dear friend warned me of the dangers of running outside and also graciously provided a frightening story of running in the heat gone bad. Her husband's coworker, also a runner, was out running a couple weeks ago in the heat and collapsed forward. She broke her nose and front teeth and was HOSPITALIZED!!! Thanks to this story, I have "day-mares" of falling face first into the pavement and experiencing this for myself first hand. I do not need any sort of emergency trip to the hospital or dentist right now.

Soooo...having this story in the back of my head and having images of my face and teeth (which my mother likes to remind me frequently that she invested a lot of money into) mangled, I'm not sure if running outside is the smartest idea. I think as of now, I will plan to get up at 7am (not ideal for a Saturday) and see how the humidity is. If its not so bad, I think I'll give it a try otherwise I'll be the disgruntled blond running for a long time on a treadmill at my local New York Sports Club.....

Oh Stella, how I heart thee...

This morning's run was slightly difficult due to falling weakness to one of my loves last night....Stella Artois. As soon as it hits the lips, its just SO GOOD! Last night I went out for HH (Happy Hour) knowing that I had to get up and run this morning because I have a customer dinner this evening. I had a couple cocktails and planned to leave shortly after but then I switched to Stella and all good intentions flew out the bar door. I must state a "pre-claimer" that it wasn't just her, it was the good company I was in and also the free reign over the jukebox that kept me out. Anyway, a night that was supposed to be just a few drinks ended up being a few more than a few and I got home at 11pm. Not incredibly late but when you've been throwing a few down in good company and have to get up at 6:15 for a training run, its really not the best scenario. So this morning, the snooze button and I were connected as "one" and I did not want to get up AT ALL. I laid in bed until the absolute last moment, got up, popped a couple advil, sucked down some smart water and got my butt out the door. As I was crossing 9th Avenue heading towards the Hudson, I did have a moment of "Ugh, I so don't wanna do this," but as soon as took a step forward and began my run I knew I did the right thing. Once I got over to the Hudson trail, I passed two older woman and a woman with a cast on her left arm that went up to her elbow. As I passed, I thought, "get your act together, you just had a Stella or two more than you should have last night, its not like you are 60 years older or have a cast up to your elbow (she is badass for running with that thing!)" So I did, got my 4 miles in and have been sucking water down since. I'm glad tomorrow is a day of rest though...

Its just a lil' rain....

This morning I woke up hoping the humidity wouldn't be too painful for my 5 miler....BUT it wasn't the humidity I faced, it was the rain! When I stepped outside geared up and ready to run, it was sprinkling out. I had two choices a) brave the lil' rain drops or b) treadmill. As you may have picked up, I am anti-treadmill at the moment so I decided to give this "running in the rain" thing a chance. It wasn't so bad at first, it was kind of like running through a constant sprinkler... Then the light rain changed to heavy rain. This happened around mile 2 making the rest of the run an extremely WET one. I had to keep wiping the water out of my eyes and my clothes were completely soaked and stuck to my body. There were times that I kept thinking to myself, "You are a stupid girl" but then I would run by fellow soaked runners and feel better that I am not the only fool running in the rain. Then I thought, "God I hope it doesn't rain the day of the marathon." That I responded to, "With your luck you better get used to the idea." Bad, bad pessimistic side of my brain! Of course it will be a glorious sunny fall day with temperatures high 50s/low 60s!

I finished my run in good time despite my water logged body. Of course by the time I was ready and out the door for work, it had stopped raining....oh well, at least I got to experience it for myself but next time, the treadmill may win this debate.

Getting my groove back...sort of...

Can I just say, I frickin' love whoever invented the snooze button?!? I mean REALLY!!??!! To me this is probably one of the best inventions. I set my alarm for about 20-30 minutes before I actually have to get up just because I am never one to just LEAP out of bed ready to take on the day. I like to ease into the idea of getting up. This morning...I took a lil' too much advantage of the snooze button and just barely made it up in time for my run. I even debated on whether or not I was fully going to accept the idea of getting out of my cozy bed and miss my morning cuddle session with my beloved orange and white feline. Knowing the consequence would probably be to have to run on the treadmill this evening, I choose to get my lazy butt out of bed and into gear. I threw on my tank, shorts, laced up the sneaks and brushed my teeth. I was out the door in a miraculous 10 minutes for what was supposed to be 3 miles but I went 4 because its what I'm used to. It was a hot steamy one this morning but I've got my endorphins back and feel much better today than I did yesterday. Maybe it was the additional slaps to the snooze that had something to do with it too....

Starting off Week Numbah TWO!!!

I'm not sure if the endorphins from Saturday wore off or if it was my participation in Sunday Funday that caused it but Day 1 of Week 2 was not my best. I felt tired and it was as if my brain never woke up when I did this morning. Originally I had grand plans of...I hope you're sitting for this one...cooking....I know, scary....But by the end of the day, that whole idea/thought/whatever you wanna call it wore off and all I wanted to do was go home, shower, put PJs on and eat Benny's Burritos Guacamole (which I did). I guess not every day will be blissful and we have to take the great days with the not so great days. My mom even tried to comfort me by saying that there was a new moon last night...I'm not sure if it affects people or if its just a title of one of the Twilight series movies but I suppose I'll take the excuse for today. Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Day 7 - Viva Espana!!!

So today is my "cross training day." I somehow miraculously woke up at 9am with enough energy to hit the gym for 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I then rushed to get some sunning in along the Hudson (I am all about having a lovely bronze glow in the summer) before meeting up with my buddy I love to call Gumbi for some World Cup finals action. Not really caring who wins since the US got kicked out by Ghanna, I decided to go with Spain on the pure fact that I loved chanting "VIVA ESPANAAAA." Clearly my dedication to the team carried them through to win the title...I'm so inspiring ;-)

Day 6 - Long Run!

After about an hour of searching on mapmyrun.com Friday, I came up with an acceptable route for my 8 mile jaunt. It entailed running up tenth avenue to 34th St, heading west to the Hudson, down the river to just past the World Financial Center Plaza and then back to my apartment. I believe it took me about an hour and ten minutes but I'm not sure what time exactly it was when I left my apartment but I believe it was around 8:50am and I walked in the door right at 10am. It was a great run, I tried to pace myself slower than I run 3 or 5 miles and felt really good afterward. So good in fact that its kinda crazy the amount I accomplished....I went and grabbed breakfast at a diner, did two loads of laundry, changed the sheets on my bed (and also repaired the frame of my bed which I discovered was unattached at one end)...Then I proceeded to dust the entire apartment, clean the bathroom, change my beloved furball's litter box annnnd....I think that's all...but then I did give myself a treat and went out for some adult beverages with a few fantastic ladies. I think its safe to say that I had a great Saturday :-)

Day 5 - Another day of rest...

I feel I've earned this day more so than Monday but so far I feel like I'm resting more than I am training...whatever, I need to get over that. Tomorrow is my first long run, 8 miles baby! I have figured out a route to take and I'm excited. Have a great weekend :-)

Day 4 - I braved it

I simply couldn't resist this image today....I hope it doesn't cause nightmares in the future but today I braved the heat wave and ran outside. The air did feel similar to running through a really hot sprinkler but I powered through and had a decent run. My legs were a little slow but there was enough going on in the scenery to keep me distracted and moving foward. Along my run I saw a Carnival cruise move up the Hudson to dock in NYC, I watched the Water Ferries make their usual trips from NJ to NY and then I saw two random row boats full of people....are people escaping New Jersey by row boats now like immigrants?

Despite the uncomfortable humidity and the sweat pouring out of my glands so fast that I was so soaked that I looked like I was just plucked out of the Hudson River, I am glad I braved the heat and got an enjoyable run for myself this morning. So in reference to the lovely image on today's post; in this dude's case, my look "post run" may have been comparable to his but for my personal health and happiness, my bravery was a good thing.

Day 3 - Boo Radley

This baby's face pretty much sums up my feelings this morning when I woke up and it was still too frickin' hot to run outside. I had been looking forward to the start of my first week of training and being able to run along the Hudson River which brings me such pleasure but no, no soup for me! I geared up this morning and hit the gym to get on the treadmill, yet again, this time for 5 miles. I can't complain too much, I at least didn't melt completely and I had a holder for my smartwater so I could keep myself hydrated while I ran without having to stop.

Regardless of what the weather report is for tomorrow, I am set on hydrating up the wa-zoo so that I can run my 3 miles outside and not pass out. Its not like I'm out of shape, I should be fiiiiiiiiine...

Day 2 - Holy HOTNESS!!!

Unfortunately one of the challenges a person faces while training for the NYC marathon is that the beginning of your training is done in the summer months. When I registered, I tried to stay optimistic that this summer wouldn't be too bad....Well Mother Nature has taken that hope and crushed it in her heat wave throwing hands! Today I decided avoid the possibility of heat stroke and opted to run my 3 miles on the treadmill. Since I could run at my regular pace, I was able to keep the suffering to 26 minutes (I prefer to run outside in the summer). As much as I'd like to be optimistic for a run outside tomorrow, the weatherman has not reported such reason to believe so....tear...

Day 1 - REST....No Problem!

After a long July 4th weekend, I gave no resistance to Day 1 of my training schedule provided by Hal Hidgon's website(http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm) instructing "REST." I know that as the weeks pass, all 18 of them, I will cherish those restful Mondays but for today, I will abide by the rules and limit my physical activity to my usual Target "run" with my mom that we enjoy together whenever I'm home.