Getting back in the game...

My puppy love is getting so big! I can't feel his ribs anymore, and then suddenly one morning I realized, he feels HEAVIER! Aw my baby is growing up. Shoot. I'm officially one of those lunatic people who talks to her dog like a baby.

Ok, confession time. I ran last Sunday with Laurie , and it was great. Felt good, 3 miles, decent speed, I was back. Monday came and I had tons of work to do. Tuesday was parent teacher conference so I was at school pretty much from 7:30am-7:30pm. Wednesday I spent the whole day writing a paper I thought was due that night, but was, in fact, due THIS upcoming Wednesday night. I went to the gym after class because I spent all day writing said (10page) paper, and only got 2 miles in the treadmill before I had to call it quits. TOO HOT in the gym! Made me nauseous. Blech. Thursday NO running, work then class till 9:10. Friday was yoga club, which for me isn't a work out because half the time I walk around check kids (Yoga club will be explained below). Saturday I waited tables, which is a huge workout, but not the kind I needed or wanted. And today, well, I was focused on home things; making a casserole, cleaning the kitchen, did a little Christmas shopping while watching Green Bay kick COWBOYS BUTTS!, and now it's my bedtime. Sigh. So confession: MY goal last week was 18 miles. I did 5. FAILURE. This week I have a new plan:

15 miles. PLUS, I am not allowed to get a gingerbread latte if I don't run in the morning. I'm starting smaller and working my way up.

This means getting up at 5am to go to the gym. EW. It grosses me out. I only get a 'special' starbucks drinks when I have to go to school at night, because I change trains in Times Square, where there is a starbucks RIGHT outside the subway station...convenient...tempting...I fall for the 200 calorie grande skim no whip gingerbread latte every time. So, new resolve: No "healthy-ish" gingerbread lattes for me if I do not exercise in the morning. I am determined. I am purposeful. I am SO not looking forward to this...but maybe I am in a sick sort of way.

Product review: Trader Joe's Gingerbread Coffee = AMAZING. Seriously. This stuff is goooooood. This is why I don't get a gingerbread latte everyday, because this is a superb substitute without the milk, fat, sugar etc, and it needs to be in your pantry NOW! I heard the winter blend from Trader Joe's is also exceptional, so I will get it and product review it asap.

Please kick me in the butt...I'm so used to not working out that I'm in a rut...and I have a 4.78mile turkey day race next week with Brian! Eek! My tall guy is going to show me up big time!

My schedule...

My puppy Lambeau..pronounced Lam-bow...the 13th love...I have 3 nieces and 8 nephews... 12 grandkids in my family.... 13th love?! Well, Kate is having her SECOND kid *(Who I think is a boy...but I haven't seen her! I've been right 90% of the time...) Lambeau is MY baby. He knows me as mommy. He knows I'm STRICT and LOVING. He's the best puppy ever, almost FULLY potty trained and a LOVING boy...all he needs is a strong guiding CRATE TRAINED hand which he is getting!

This is me turning 25 on 10/24/09 at 11:30pm:My hubby Brian (affectionately known as Bri) planned a PERFECT bday weekend! Saturday night: Birthday dinner with friends...4 different couples who didn't know each other but LOVED each other. AKA amazing. Brunch on Sunday was my college friends...and then Green Bay lost...WEEK RUINER.

Ok this deleted because of my stupid Vaio. I LOVE MY VAIO. Maybe it's blogger and facebook, but seriosly, when I click something BAM on the previous pg with no abilite to go back! Here's why I've been MIA...

So, happy bday 11/4 to the previously mentioned Kate! She's awesome and expecting...I love my sissy and get sad when she doesn't text me (I'm blessed with 3 AMAZING Sisters: Melissa, also known as Meliss, Jennifer also Known as Jen, and Katelyn, also known as Kate...Kate is my clostest in age...but we all have the middle name ANN!)

Anyway, here's my schedule, in case you were wondering schedule:

Mon: Work 8:10 - 3:07; really, arrival is at 7:35am (Homework in the evening) make a GREAT dinner

Tue: Same as Monday (Homework in the evening) Make a dinner with leftovers

Wed: 8:10-3:07 work, 4:50-7:20 college, homework done in breaks, on the subway, etc (hopefully Bri has leftovers

Thu: 8:10-3:07 work, 4:50-7:20 the HARDEST class, thesis class 7:30-9:10...I haven't weighed myself.

Every other day: I'm going up stairs, eating healthily, I'm doing as much activity, and I'm about to go back to the gym, maybe even Sunday. Go back to the gym, why do you ask? I pulled a muscle during EARLY October due to Bronchitis in my upper rib cage/chest, therefore disabling me working-out wise in every which way. The pain can't be described: laughing, pain. Turning, pain. walking, pain.

Now I'm back.

I have some inspirational stories for later. But how are you?!

alright seriously I'm so busy

AGH SOOOOOOO Here are the causes of my recent departure from blogging YET AGAIN:

- I got sick. Well, I was sick for half of September, and my little cold turned into bronchitis. Pretty sure I have accute bronchitis because I get it every time I get a cold. I finally got an prescription right after we moved, and then the next week I got a 48 hour bug; fever, dizziness, nauseous, the whole shabang. So yea, I'm finally feeling healthyish. Oh yes, and I coughed so hard I pulled a muscle right around the top of my rib cage, which has moved from being a STABBING PAIN every time I moved to an intense pinch. Running/gym has not happened in a while...since my half marathon...this needs to strange. Body, get yourself together and be HEALED!

- Work has been nuts. My commute is about 10-15 minutes longer, and has made me OCD with leaving early and ensuring I have a good 20-30 minutes to get my act together before classes begin. This means less sleep, more train time...and boy do I have stories!

- College classes are NUTS. I have one paper due this week, one huge one next week, and another the week after...they just keep coming! And with readings! This is getting a bit overhwelming, but I have to keep reminding myself that after this semester (Which can't end soon enough, I will only be taking one class next semester and I will be DONE!

- I am doing a Friday Club at my school. This means I stay for an extra 2 hours Friday afternoons and teach YOGA! I'm actually excited for this, first of all for the pay (It's like double time), but also because I get to help kids learn healthy lifestyle habits, which my kids NEED!

- Trying to be a wife. Shoutout to my Brian, he is seriously the best husband in the world. From waking up and making me bagels for breakfast, letting me turn on the light to find my clothes while he's sleeping, taking out the garbage, washing dishes, getting my prescriptions, unpacking, paying bills, dealing with the CRAZY cable people, and loving me despite being under the weather WAY longer than one should be, he is seriously the best husband in the world. I read the letter he wrote to me on our wedding day last night and I cried. He is more than I could have asked or imagined for.

Alright, enough of the gushing and soft stuff! HOW'S THE RUNNING?!?!? I'm so lost without it, and can't wait to be back in the game! Brian is joining me for the Thanksgiving day race.

Oh yes, and I turn 25 on the 25th, this Sunday. GOLDEN BIRTHDAY HERE I COME!

LET'S GO YANKEES!

moved in, yes. unpacked, no.

I hate moving. Let me say it again: I HATE MOVING. Seriously. I lived in the same house all of my life. my husband moved 13 times (military kid) and subsequently, because of my sickness, took over the packing. Well, we're moved! The unpacking has started, and will continue/end/wish it will end tomorrow. Bri is going to work at 9, I have till about 5 to unpack and organize (we have church at 6). The picture above is my next door neighbor. And no, this isn't any ordinary grocery store, it's an INTERNATIONAL grocery store, with all sorts of cool things. And when I say next door, I mean 15 feet from my front door. Ladies, this could be good/dangerous.

In other news, We're still trying to adopt a puppy (facebook friends know this), an English Bulldog to be precise. I'll keep you updated. And I'm joining the new gym tomorrow. Completely UNSORE from the half marathon = amazing. AND I waited on a major player in the Guinness franchise at the restaurant today...very good tipper. Serving Saturday coming tomorrow.

Half Marathon recap: lessons in humility

First of all...I DID IT! I survived and I made it across the finish line! We're in full move transition, moving day is October 1, so stay tuned for pictures!!!

Race report:

The course: AMAZING. It was 55 and SUNNY when we got to the start and that is my PERFECT weather for running! Half was on winding roads in the country in East Hampton, some was on a dirt road in a beautiful trail, and the other half lined a beach.

My race: UGH, if there ever a lesson in humility, this was it! As of Friday night before the race, I was NOT running. I was exhausted, sick, coughing and blowing my nose. I went to bed at 8:30 after a WONDERFUL meal cooked for us by Alyssa's wonderful mommy. I told Laurie that if I still felt the same way in the morning, this would not be happening. I woke up the next day rejuvinated and alive! I felt better than I had in a week. Sleep is a miracle worker. Why was this race such a lesson in humility? Well, I was slow. REALLY slow. But Brian had made me promise to come back in one peace, so I had to keep that promise. I started with Laurie but quickly lost her because, well, she's fast! (Her time was 145:49...CRAZY runner!). I missed the Mile 1 marker, and right before I saw the mile 2 marker I thought "I can not do this." But when I saw the mile 2 marker, the countdown began. If I could get to mile 9, I could finish. 7 more miles. My first three miles were 10 minute miles, including stopping at every water station and drinking/walking for 30 seconds. By the time I hit 5 miles, my time was about 1:01, still decent with all my water slugging!!! After mile 6-7, I started to fall into a SLOW rhythm, but it's where I needed to be. I made a few friends along the way; one liked my shirt and we discussed the red dress run. Another was named Carrie, who I met with her friends around mile 6, and then again around mile 10. She and I chatted for a mile or so; she had flown in from Hong Kong the night before to do this! Around 11, I met Wendy. I'm honestly considering doing a "missed connection" on Craigslist for Wendy! She lives 8 blocks from my new apartment, super funny, and I gave her one of my cough drops! She had been sick too, I didn't feel so alone. I lost her in the middle of mile 12 though; I felt nauseous and almost threw up! My lesson in humility took place as I was passed by every. single. person. I usually can do a bit of passing, but seriously, I got passed by everyone. EVERYONE. I was so sad, but I prayed the whole time for Laurie, my husband, my family, anything that came to mind to distract me. I kept repeating these verses:

-I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
- I submit my body to the plans of God (I think that's a verse...)
- I have the mind of Christ.
- No weapon formed against me will prosper.
- I am beautifully and wonderfully made.

And then, in mile 13, this was my mantra: YOU ARE INVINCIBLE. And the famous "Remember the Titans" line, "Fourth quarter...fourth quarter....fourth quarter...." Yes people, I needed extra oomph to finish this race!

Mile 13-13.1: I rounded the corner to the sound of cow bells, cheers, and race commentators on loud speakers. I saw people everywhere cheering me on. I saw the clock click onto 2:28. NO WAY I was having a 2-3-0 in my finish time! So I sprinted. I mean SPRINTED. 2:29:44! At the end I ran passed my new friend Marie, whose husband Steven was running in his first half! To add to the lesson in humility: I started dry heaving at the end of the race. Badly. Thankfully there was nothing in my tummy to throw up, but a few people stopped to see if I was ok...embarrassing...yes I got over it.

I got some post race goodies and split like a banana! We returned to NYC around 4ish after regrouping at my friend Alyssa's AMAZING Hamptons home. Pictures of the kitchen will be shown.

Final thoughts: This race was HARD. I was passed over. and over. and over. I had trained, but this flu/cold/sinus infection almost got the best of me. I am a runner. I ran a half marathon. I am a runner. My legs are sore. I am a runner. I will do this race again. I am a runner.

AND THE YANKEES CLINCHED THE DIVISION! WAHOO!

Half Marathon...less than 48 hours away!

This is a picture of me at my first half marathon in April! It has been that long since I've run 13.1 miles...SHAME! Race report to come soon....here I come Hamptons Half Marathon!

Here are my hopes:

1. That I beat the marathoners!

2. That I don't get sick

3. I'm not coughing up flem (sp?)

4. Blisters will be minimal

5. I don't get discouraged

6. 2:15

Brian has made me promise not to over do it...I haven't run in over two weeks because of stresses in life/sickness (I think I may have had the flu...swine flu anyone?!), and I'm still not 100%...perhaps 90%. So I've made various promises to walk if I feel sick, and there is no shame in resting. I'm leaving directly from work tomorrow with my friend Alyssa, who is GRACIOUSLY hosting us with her mom at their house in South Hampton! Her mommy is a GREAT cook and is preparing us a FABULOUS prerace meal! Yummy!

Wish me luck! GAH I'm so excited to get back out there!

Serving Saturdays...

So here's a quote from one of Bri's tables today (I had no entertaining stories)

Guest: "We'll have bbq wings and jerk wings."

Brian: "Ok."

Guest: "Aren't you going to write this down?" (With a LOT of attitude)

Brian: Pretty sure I've got it.

Word of advice: When ordering, even if it's complicated, don't mess with your server. Chances are we know what we're doing, or we can fix it if we make a mistake! ;-)

P.S. The wings came out without any trouble.

100th post! Giveaway winner! I'm alive! Big News!

Wow this is going to be a great post! Ha, it's bigger than I thought it would be...a few weeks AFTER the original deadline! First of all, congratulations to Melissa W, winner of the giveaway! I put all the names in a hat, for lack of a better system (I know some of you other bloggers had some site or something but I kept forgetting to look it up on your past posts!) and my New York City friend won! Melissa, your prize is coming!!!

So here's some big news...

WE'RE MOVING! Currently Brian and I live in a studio, which is subsidized by the school he works for. However, due to strange but true circumstances, Brian was laid off from his teaching job. Therefore, we lose our apartment...October 1. We found this out right before the Thursday deadline of the giveaway, hence the craziness of my life up until now! First of all, Brian began working full time at the restaurant we've kept as a part time job, completely a blessing and he's happy to have a break from the regular grind for now. Then we began apartment searching, which we started and ended the day we found out we had to move (Thanks, God!), then I began teaching and night school (3 classes), thus my absence from blogging! I've also been absent from running. I will now go through each of my distractions:

APARTMENT SEARCH: We found a great place. It's in Astoria, just 25 blocks from where we live now. Top (third) floor of an individual apartment building. The owner is a dentist, who has her office on the entire first floor, her family's apartment on the second floor, and two apartments on the third floor. We got the bigger of the two, a one bedroom with a balcony, nice size living room and open kitchen. Lots of windows and sunlight! I really like the area, it's halfway between where Brian and I each used to live, so we're very familiar with area. It's way more "city" than where we live now, which is more like a neighborhood. We're also looking for a dog to adopt...stay tuned!

SCHOOL: I don't really like to blog about my job because people can look me up, but everything is going well. I'm currently testing all the kindergarteners with my AMAZING ESL TEAM, basically to see if these new little kiddies speak enough English to not need ESL services. LOTS of official paperwork. We've probably killed a forest x2.

COLLEGE: AGH it's ok. Mulicultural Education, Theories of Second Language Acquisition, and Developing Your Thesis Question. Yes that's 3 classes, 8 credits total. YUCK! Multicultural class is actually turning out to be good, Theories is AWFUL, and Thesis Question is stupid. But this means I will be DONE this Spring! All I will have is the "Executing Thesis" class next semester!!! That's AMAZING! My master's degree completed in May...I'm so close it's RIDICULOUS! That's the only thing that's keeping me going right now.

...and my absence from running. No bold title here. My 1/2 marathon is next weekend, and I have run in 2 weeks. Ugh. I'm nervous to say the least. I ran a little here and there but nothing of substance. And now I have a cold. TRIPLE UGH. Thankfully I have the cold now and not next weekend. Brian has made me promise to take it easy and to not aim for time...and I've agreed to it. This is going to kill me, because it's in the Hamptons, and I know my friend Laurie is going to do an AMAZING job, but training in the summer was NOT for me. The heat negatively affected me numerous times.

So, that's all for now. I've been thinking a lot about blogging, but never got around to it. I will be doing a couple of different things, including Tales from the Subway Tuesdays (Anyone watch The Soup? Tales from Home Shopping???), and Serving Saturdays (Table stories when I wait tables...). I figured I needed to get some sort of consistency and use my HILARIOUS NYC moments to entertain the masses.

99th post!

YES! It's true! Giveaway time is upon us. I will write more about the past few weeks below, but first things first: GIVEAWAY RULES AND PRIZES! Get ready for...

THE ENDLESS SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

Note: This picture is only a graphic, has nothing to do with the giveaway! ;-)

Included in this giveaway are some of my favorite things; a good movie, good recipes and good wine! Now, if you don't prefer wine/alcohol, included will be recipes that you can COOK with the wine, therefore burning off alcohol etc (See I think of EVERYTHING!). Here is what you have have to do to get entries and BONUS (duh duh dunnn) entries:

1 Entry: Comment on my blog


2 Entries: Become part of my little army; also known as a Follower


3 Entries: Go to my friend's AWESOME gift basket blog and comment: http://gift-a-cupcake.blogspot.com/


4 Entries: Become a Follower on gift-a-cupcake!



Now, you will need to inform me about your entries etc...please leave a comment telling me what you did, aka followed my blog, gift-a-cupcake's blog, etc! This contest will run until midnight on Thursday, 9/1/09! GOOD LUCK!

Now on to bloggy things...

I've been all over the place this summer. Connecticut, Rochester, Virginia, Catskills, (Brian climbed Mt. Washington in NH! SO PROUD!), so much going on and so little time! This has been a nice long summer; however, my running is not so nice. Notice how I haven't blogged? Half of it is from being en route somewhere and not having time to blog, and the other half is being EXTREMELY discouraged. The heat got to me on my long run. Twice. I was supposed to do 9 miles and only did 8. I was supposed to do 11 miles and only did 10. My speedwork is non existent. My times are HORRIBLE. I HAVE A HALF MARATHON ON SEPTEMBER 26!!! I also begin work September 8, and I start my three class (Yes, THREE CLASSES) grad school night schedule next week. I need to get committed and get committed FAST (Literally and figuratively). So here are my commitments thus far:

- Healthy diet. Traveling was NOT condusive to this. Brian and I are going on a healthy diet. According to the USDA I should be on a 1500 calorie diet, which I've been doing for 3 days. It's easy to stick with because there's so many online tools to check calories and meal ideas. Why the sudden interest? Runner's Diet Mistakes (A MUST READ!) showed me that I was guilty of at least 3 nutritional no-no's.

- New Gym membership. I'm joining a national gym I think (Planet Fitness) which I can go to even when I travel. Therefore, when I go to Connecticut and feel lazy, I will have no excuse if it's raining or cold!

- No potato chips. EEK I know! I eat chips and salsa so much, it's just not cool. I'll do pita bread or baked pita chips, but I'm stearing clear for now.

- Drinking more tea and less coffee.

- LIMITED dairy. (Just enough for calcium)

- After half marathon is over, more cross training and better running. I want to just be better. I'm sick of 11 minute miles...yes, you read this right...11 minute miles :-/

- Sticking to working out in the midst of my classes. I will be going to school two nights a week: 1 class Wednesdays till 7:30 and two classes back to back Thursdays till 9:10. This is going to be hard, but I'm aiming for 4 workout days in the week.

That's all for now. School begins again soon. EEK! And the child running around in Panera is reminding me of how insane these said children can be. However, I love them still!!!

HAPPY BLOGGING! DO THE GIVEAWAY! I'll even give hints about the movie....

Summer Reading Reviews...

So, I've been running, but I'm also on vacation in the LOVELY VA beach! (Past posts from April will show you what it looks like around here!) I was in Rochester Last week, tons of pics to post, that will come later. I figured I'd do a fun little post about some books I've been reading and give them some reviews! My opinion of a good book is one that is decently clean, a little love, a little intrigue, and many changes in a character! So, here goes nothing!

BFF Forever was a really good book. It really made me think of my past childhood friends, and how strange it would be for those I've lost touch with to come back into my life suddenly; how much I've changed, how little we now know about one another despite having once shared EVERYTHING. An interesting aspect was that one of the main characters was formerly obese, so being inside her mind and thoughts was an interesting espect and hopefully eye opening for people who have never dealt with weight. I've never been obese, but I've been 20lbs overweight and often people just don't understand, even when you've lost the weight, it still feels like you have it sometimes. It was an easy book, decently clean and still though provoking.

Dune Road was a pleasant surprise. Jane Green has been one of my favorite authors for quick fixes and quick reads, but I DID NOT like her book last year, The Beach House. It felt rushed and silly. I didn't even finish it. This book was well thought out, many overlapping characters and plot twists but wasn't "heavy". I still figured out stuff before she wrote it, but it was ok because it was a good way to write the book. It is definitely geared more toward her age range (middle aged women), but I liked it because it spoke about friends, love relationships, and how typical materialistic behavior can bite you in the butt. My kind of lesson! The one thing with Jane Green you must know is that she never gives a definitive ending. I questioned her at a book reading in Manhattan about whether or not she would write sequals or why she doesn't give complete endings, and she said she likes to leave things open to interpretation like her life and real life; more often than not there aren't clear cut answers etc. Alright Jane Green, I'll try to comply.

Barefoot might be my favorite book of the summer. I cried, I laughed, I identified with how the main character was feeling, it was a great beach book. It got a little dicey with the love stuff, but I enjoyed it all the same. (I don't need to read about people's love lives, I HAVE ONE OF MY OWN! Ha ha) The premise is a woman has cancer and wants to have chemo in her favorite place, Nantucket, with her two young boys and her sister and a friend. All their lives are dysfunctional in one way or another, and Hilderbrand REALLY develops the four main characters evenly, while still surrounding them around the mom who has cancer.

Summer Reading is not for Summer Reading. I did NOT like this book, but read it because I had nothing else to read and it was only 250 pages. The characters were underdeveloped, they were spacey, nothing was really cohesive, and nothing was really solved or discovered. It was a silly book that really read like a smart person wrote it with hopes you would interpret a deeper meaning, when there was none. I didn't know enough about the characters to even think about what they might mean. Sigh.

Well, that's all for now! Tell me about any good books you've been reading this summer! These are my current conquests for the rest of my vacation while laying lazily on the beach after early morning runs (It's going to be in the 90's the rest of the week!):

TRAIL RUN!

THE TRAIL! The iPhone case looked like a cool camera trick ;-)
The end of the 8 mile run...MY THIGHS WERE BURNING!

Decided to do an 8 mile run in a trail in Connecticut...it was EXCELLENT! It was really hot out but the trail was completely shaded and kept me from the heat. It was 89 degrees when I was running...smart Kristin, REALLY SMART! Ha ha ha. I had a powerade and a bottle of water, and I stopped at my brother's house on the way back to refill! IT WAS HOT but great. I saw a group of three horseback riders, but unfortunately my mapmyrun app was working on the iPhone at that moment, so I didn't want to take a picture...and then it ended up stopping shortly thereafter! GPS signal is a killer in these rural areas! But it was wonderful.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! My daddy saved my ring yesterday...it's true! Brian is away camping on Mount Washington till tomorrow (He's been gone since Monday...ugh I miss him SO much!) and I dropped my ring down the sink! My dad got it out for me thank GOD, I almost fainted/threw up/cried but I was too in shock. It happened in slow motion. I can't imagine being a parent if I'm that dramatic over a piece of jewelry! Ha!

Off to watch HGTV...I should just read Sarah's blog because she is doing AMAZING renovations!

MY HUNDRETH POST IS NEXT! I may do a giveaway, but I don't think a lot of people read my blog. It's a combo giveaway/promo for a friend who is starting a business. It'll be my experiment for marketing on blog! Ha give me feedback. I can't do it if no one is going to participate. DO YOU READ MY BLOG?! LET ME KNOW! Pass the word. It's going to be a CUTE giveaway, a piece of me if you will!

Rainy Sunday wake up in the late afternoon

First, a letter to my Fuel belt.

Dear Fuel Belt,
I left you in New York City. I know I know, I always bring you, and often don't use you, but just having you around is always nice. This trip, however, I have run a lot. I have been in Connecticut for over a week, which means, yes, you guessed it: a long run. Plus it's been super hot. FUEL BELT I NEED YOU! I don't know how I survived before you came into my life, wrapping yourself around me, keeping me safe and hydrated. I miss you so much. I can only imagine you, collecting dust on my counter in front of the coffee maker, your cousin. Today I did a 10 mile run carrying a water bottle...A WATER BOTTLE. Singular. You give me FOUR water bottles. I can't believe I was distracted enough to leave you behind this trip, but I promise you: It will never happen again. NEVER AGAIN!

Sincerely,
The Waist You Go Around

But seriously, my Fuel Belt has left me lonesome! I had to carry my bottle, but thankfully at the 5 mile mark there is a Panera, so I drank the whole thing and when I got to 5 miles I filled up at Panera...hey, I've purchased enough coffee from that place to deserve a free refill on water! DON'T JUDGE! 10 miles was ok though, I ran 11 minute miles, but I wasn't trying for time. Honestly, on my long runs I could care less how fast I go, as long as I finish. I hope I burned calories though ;-) This run was great, it was sprinkling when I started but I said to heck with it, it's now or never for this thing! So I bit the bullet and set out. It sprinkled for about 4 miles and stopped. The humidity was at a minimum, and it was extremely overcast, but it wasn't sunny and blazing hot, so I survived! Best part of the run: A teenager in his souped up truck (I ran in a ritzy town next to mine!) said "Hey Baby" to me...through the loudspeaker on his truck! I would've flipped him the bird but it was so funny I started laughing! (If you don't get why it's funny, imagine a police speaker system saying hey baby...except no police car! I was caught off guard I guess!) All in all it was a good day. I haven't weighed myself in a while and I don't think I'll like what I see, so I'll just wait a little longer. No matter how much you exercise, some weight just doesn't want to budge!

BTW (And yes, I say those three letters in everyday life...) I want you to check out this giveaway! It's ladies only!!!

Speedwork, Annie Dog, and a scramble!

Yes, that's me, yet again jumping into the pool after a hot run with speedwork! It was hot but I knew I needed to get it done, so after coffee I went at it. I did a 3 mile speedwork run where I pushed myself consistently and focused on, well, being FOCUSED! I tend to go off in my mind and be smooth but not timely in my runs. So I stayed on straightaways and only did a couple of hills so I could really push it. Then, as a 1.5 mile cooldown/easy run, I picked up my Annie dog. SHE IS SO LAZY! My dad claims she's a "house dog"...SHE'S A BLACK LAB! She pooped TWICE, I know I know, TMI, but I had to clean it up! UGH! She slows me down but she needs the workout. She just doesn't work as hard as me in the heat! Poor old girl...at the ripe old age of 3, which in human years is 21. But today was the first day that the pool was WARM and not cold! Oh boy, that means the temp got high enough to keep the water closer to lukewarm rather than frigid.

On another note, I was a spectator at a race today! My sister Jen and her hubby Jon ran a 5k "scramble", which goes over all sorts of terrain; cement, stairs, grass, trails, everything! They were TIRED at the end, but they were encouraged by my BEAUTIFUL sign that I whipped up in a jiffy! I know how important it is to have support when running, so we (Myself, Bri, and my sis Melissa) cheered loud and proud for the Clark duo! My sign read "Go JC2" the two was the exponent 2 because they have the same initials "JC". So, great job Jon, who came in just over 24 minutes, and great job Jen, who came in at about 25:40ish! WAHOO! Still beat my 5k on calmer terrain!

In other news, I want a Garmin. I mean I REALLY want a Garmin. If anyone wants to get me one, by all means, I'm willing to receive it.

Oh Deer!

A DEER! Can you spot it?! Well, look at the group of 3 trees in the middle, and below the middle tree ....can you see it?!?! Well, if not, the iPhone doesn't have zoom, so sorry. I was running in the trail at the Community College down the street from my parents and decided to start by going left (I never go left first!) and at the top of a LARGE hill was a HUGE mommy deer! I got about 4 feet from it and it ran away, then two seconds later its baby came out to find it! CRAZY! Again 3 feet from me a BEAUTIFUL fawn (That's the right word right?) at 4:30pm. So quaint. After they cleared the 4ft tall fence (AMAZING ATHLETES!) I followed them for about a quarter of a mile and saw them go through the soccer fields into the woods. It was such a nice piece of nature, then it scared me because that mommy deer could have messed me up! Anyone seen Tommy Boy?! EXACTLY! I also got freaked out by two bunnies. Nature has become a foreign thing to me since living in the city! Also, the thought occurred to me that the trail is not that safe...when I was a teenager my sister Kate and I, maybe with a few friends, would rollerblade there ALL THE TIME...and I never thought about how UNSAFE it is! There's no one around! When it first opened there were a lot of people, and I'm sure the heat didn't help bring people out to exercise, but I was seriously the only one on the trail for 45 minutes...I saw a biker in the first 5 minutes but he left! Therefore, I may not be running there again on my own...even with a cell phone ;-)

But it was a nice run, VERY slow because it was about 90 degrees with 80% humidity, but since I had to bow out of a long run sunday because of lack of water and nausea after about 4.5 miles (My body is still getting used to this heat!), I waited till Tuesday to really go for it. I was unsure if I had made it 9 miles though, because I had on the iPhone with GPS from mapmyrun, and low and behold, the GPS lost signal way in the beginning! So I just kept going! Almost 2 hours later (Again, at a SUPER slow pace) I jumped in the pool with my running clothes on; possibly the best feeling in the world. I've determined through google maps that my running on actual roads was 7.8 miles, not counting the trail, and I guarantee it was at least 2 miles on the trail, so I may have even overdone it a bit! But it felt good.

Any other good running stories? How's training/exercising going ladies? My hubby, dad, brother, and his son are at a rock quarry park thing today with rope swings, cliff jumps and zip lines, OH MY! So I'm stuck all my by myself with my doggy Annie Girl. I like to refer to her as my sister. She's seriously the sweetest dog that ever existed. She follows me everywhere and is decently obedient and INSANELY quirky! I'll have to post some pictures of her.

So, in summary, training is going ok. I may be backed up a few days, but I'm getting my miles in!

10 miler story...one week later...

So I went on a 10 mile run last Monday because I skipped it Sunday, and it was interesting to say the least. It started out really strong, and finished REALLY weak. I hadn't done a double digit run since April, in fact, maybe since my half marathon! BADDDDD. So I ran over the 59th st bridge and into Central Park to the 6 mile loop where I did my half marathon (two times around the loop) and my 10k in June. I was about 7 miles into my run and I seriously felt like stopping and dying. I had stopped to fill up my fuel belt at a water fountain because I had already drained 3 out of 4 bottles of water, and I take the Ryan Hall approach of walking when drinking so you actually get some hydration in your body instead of the awkward throw in the mouth and hope it makes it down! So I walked for 30 seconds to drink MORE water, and I prayed and said, "God I really don't know if I can do this. I wish Brian would call me or ANYTHING to keep me going!" No more than 1 minute later a biker goes by me and comes up next to me and says, "Nice run. I saw you back on the bridge, that's impressive. Keep going." I was then INSTANTLY reminded of how Anna had written a blog about encouragement, and how she had encouraged me to go out on my long run, and this guy continued what she had started! He didn't have to say anything, my gosh it's NYC, people don't TALK to each other! ;-) So I then encouraged this lady (my hero) running while pushing a jogging stroller with a baby no more than 2 months old and told her she looked great and the baby was BEAUTIFUL. She was so thankful. So, the run home (which I thought was 2 miles including the bridge) was actually 2.66 miles, so when I got to the bridge and walked up the hill part I felt totally defeated, nauseous (I even bought a banana because I had remembered I hadn't eaten!) but I ran the second half because I figured downhill is easier....which it was. When I got home and checked, I thankfully realized that I had covered about 11.3 miles, so there's gotta be 10 miles of running in their somewhere! ;-) And this past week was an ATROCIOUS first week of training because of...

being in a parking lot for 3 hours...

being in an outdoor venue by the beach for...

Dave Matthews Band...

11 rows back from the stage!

After all this, the very next day we headed to PA for Jodi and Alex's wedding! We went through many thunderstorms and it was a bit scary for a minute there, but we made it and the wedding was BEAUTIFUL! Enjoy:

My favorite decoration: Green floral ball!

The beautiful altar

Communion; my favorite picture: THE BEAUTIFUL/YUMMY CAKE!
I didn't see my husband for many moons!
Chopsticks were the favor. They do missionary work in China

Friends forever! Sweaty and danced out! Possibly my favorite picture of all time:

I hope you all enjoyed this...I'm thinking of doing my 9 mile run now...I wouldn't call my first week of training a success...as you can tell, I was a bit busy!

GET OUT THERE! Happy Sunday!

7 months!

I know I know I sound like a silly girl in high school counting months...at least I'm not counting weeks! Ha ha but today marks 7 months since I married the love of my life. Here are some of my photog's pictures...forgive the scrolling message across them, copyright stuff you know! I'll discuss my 10 miler tomorrow...I'm just not ready yet ;-(

My dress & Sex & the City Shoes:

Our invite:

End of the night...blogger loads things backwards sorry!

The only time he said he'd ever dance for me:

My mini-me. She really did steal the show!

My party were TROOPERS! It was FREEZING! I had Uggs on ;-)

The snow backdrop is real. Trust me!

There was no heat except US in this gazebo!

Happy having only been outside 10 minutes! The red just POPS!

"You may kiss the bride..." I'm 5'2" he's 6'2"...do the math

The chairs were my "must have". I cut corners on a lot of things, but the chairs HAD to be covered. The elegance is evident ha ha ha!

I LOVE YOU BRIAN!

Running Behind...

THANKS SUSIE FOR THE ADVISE ABOUT THE TEXT/PICTURE/LINK PROBLEMS! Today I did 4 miles this morning then took the train into work (EEK! We were tired...) and ran my BUTT off at work! I do all sorts of things to make it a workout, such as carrying other people's dishes, stacking glasses even though it's not my job, just about anything to workout! So yes, I'm TIRED at the end of the shift! Thankfully we were busy, but I wish I could have done a longer run this morning. The picture above is where I will be running tomorrow! (It's the view from my Apt. Can't lie, it's wicked sweet) I'm contemplating how long my long run will be. Monday starts my training chart. Maybe I'll go for 10. Manhattan. I'll try to get some picks in Central Park...only problem is, I can't figure out how to get my phone pics off my Palm Centro phone! Ha ha, I'm sometimes so tech savy, and other times SO inept!

Yesterday we had a FABULOUS day at the beach with our friends Shaun and Amanda, but I woke up late (hit the snooze button 3 times, let's be honest) and didn't get a run in! Plus we went for wings when we got home...this being healthy thing just isn't goling well! I've pretty much eliminated sugar except in cereal, which I got Kix with barely any sugar anyway. Ugh. These 7 lbs have GOT to go! I feel like I'm always running behind, like my running isn't what it should be since I've been out of school. I guess I'll just have to work harder!

We're going to Dave Matthews Band next week at the Nikon in Jones Beach! So excited! And our friends Jodi and Alex are getting married next Friday.

I think tomorrow I'm going to do a random post...I found some pictures from April that I didn't post, and some cute ones of myself doing tricks with my dog...hold on to that anticipation, Annie is coming to my blog!

6 miles yesterday

Yesterday was a decent running day. We FINALLY came back from Connecticut and I took advantage of the wonderful weather! It was hot though. When I run in Queens I don't run for time, and I didn't make great time yesterday. I do the distance thing. I have to dodge people, wait at some crosswalks etc. Once I start up my half marathon training program I'll go into Manhattan to Central Park more often, which has a 6 mile loop just for runners and bikers. But I have to say, I LOVE my fuel belt! Sarah loves her fuel belt as well! As dorky as I look, it really helps when I'm running for over an hour! And I put my bottles in the freezer 15 minutes before leaving, which was GENIUS because it kept my water cold. Towards the end it got a little warm, so I'll just put it in for longer next time!

Today we're trying to go see Letterman because we're bored. The restaurant hasn't been scheduling us...darn recession! ;-) It'll all work out. I'm contemplating a spin class tonight, but I don't know if we'll make it back in time with seeing Letterman.

QUESTION! Runners: I need good running socks! I keep getting blisters and I don't think it's my shoes. Share your knowledge!

We went to the grocery store yesterday and tried to get the minimum amount of food for maximum price. With traveling so much (We have a wedding next weekend!) We're trying to only buy "bare neccesities" instead of stocking up on regular things that I'll always use. We'll see how it goes...and I'm going dress shopping for the wedding next weekend! Shockingly I don't have anything truly appropriate, so many of my friends got marred in the fall/winter/spring that I don't have a "summer" dress! I'm going to deal find at the Macy's

Training is about to begin...and more 5k pics!

1. That's me in the pink...my dad decided to try to give me the iced tea sample! (He's a trip, in case you didn't notice!)
2. All of us before the race....apparently Jen didn't expect me to be SO friendly!
3. Whole group after the race; the other two who aren't my sisters are Deb (Blonde) and Anne Marie (Brunette)
4. Part of our cheering section: OUR mom and dad! We felt like little kids!

I NEED BLOGGER HELP! when I upload my pics, all I see is script, not the picture. Hence my captions underneath. It used to be the full on pics, and now it's just codes and words etc. IT's annoying because I can't move them around. Anyone else experience this?! HELP! I also STILL can't figure out how to put in a link to someone's blog by using their name with the ability to click on it as a link. HELLLP!

I printed up my training chart again. It worked really well before, so I decided to stick with it for this half. It's Ryan Hall's Half Marathon Training Program: http://www.runnersworld.com/charts/hallchart.html I've decided this time to do the long program instead of the short program. We'll see how this goes. If time does not permit it, I will do a short program long run if necessary. I'm really excited to have a training schedule again, I've somehow been floundering without it. And I'm excited to do this on vacation when I'm in Virginia, because it's a GREAT running spot and scenic...I'll just have to wake up WICKED early to avoid the crazy heat! The longest run on this schedule is 16 miles. That's a personal best distance wise. I'm nervous, but I really want to try for the 20 miles to see if I can do it in order to examine if I can try a marathon. Wow that sounded WAY too teacher-ish!

Now I need your help for two things. First, does anyone know of a blog about buying houses? Or have you purchased a home? The hubby and I are considering purchasing a home in the next two years or so and I want to be more informed. He's good at this kind of stuff, but I want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly, in order to better prepare for this (sometimes stressful) experience! Second thing, now this is goign to sound REALLY strange: I rode horses as a teenager, and was helping my mom clean out my old room. I found a BRAND NEW pair of outdoor riding gloves...not leather ones, they're almost like running/biking gloves with grippies. If you ride horses, you know what I mean! So, if you know anyone who does ride horses, I would LOVE to donate them! They're probably worth $20 and never worn. It's not an official contest, I don't think THAT many people who read this ride horses ;-)

After reviewing this blog, I see it's very needy. PLEASE HELP! Thanks ;-)

Red Dress Run For Women 5k Report

HA! I've never done a 5k believe it or not! I've only done 4+ mile races, it's so strange but true! My sisters asked me to do it, all 3 of them, and we did! If you can't see it in the picture, we had masking tape on that said "Sister 1, 2, 3, 4" etc...we even counted off a couple of times! Needless to say, the winner did it in 18 minutes (Thank you Brian for telling me and making me feel TOTALLY slow!)

Unfortunately the day began with some rushing. I was supposed to meet my carpool at 7:20, and I got the call from my sister Kate (kateylnwaite.blogspot.com) at 7:23 and it went like this, "Are you coming?" Yea, I flipped! So I got ready in record time and made it to the car lot by 7:29 (It's 1.5 miles away!) I even remembered my safety pins!

The race was great. There was limited humidity, sunny, and only about 70! There were only 900 people running, and seriously, I've never been in a race under 10,000 people! Because I always run in NYC there's a HUGE turn out every time. Also, my hometown race that I always run (manchesterroadrace.com) has about 13,000 people run in it, there's no limit! So, 900 people in this race made me think that I could actually run a good race and a good time without dodging around thousands of people. Unfortunately, my CALLUSES did not go away, and they still hurt like a mother! I even shaved it off and got a buffer. They're better but not racing ready; but I did it anyway. So, my goal was 27 minutes.

I was doing great until I got nauseous because all I ate was a banana and we had dinner at 6 the night before, so I was STARVING! But everything so well put together, the volunteers were encouraging and there was a decent spectator turn out! I sprinted pretty hard at the end, and my cheering group was great! Thanks Mom, Dad, Dave, Evan, John, Roro, Andrew, and Ky!

My unofficial time: 27:33!

Not what I wanted, but it showed me I could do better once my feet are 100%!

Jennifer (Sister number 2) finished in 25ish, totally killing me, good job! She was waiting for me and cheered me on, so I continued with her to wait for sisters #1 and #3! Kate (#3) came around and we cheered! She then joined us as we cheered on Deb and Anne Marie (I was her flower girl!). Last and certainly not least, Sister #1 Melissa came in to a cheering squad! I ran with her a few yards to push her to sprint, she's great! GOOD JOB LADIES!

The post race stuff was AMAZING! For such a small race, Dunkin Donuts had iced tea, coffee, donuts, bagels etc! Popsicles were available, Smart Water was a sponsor, Whole foods had strawberry shortcake and bananas, there was AMAZING iced tea, irunlikeagirl was there, free massages, bloodpressure, rock climbing wall, McDonalds giving away coupons and toys! Whoa it was freebie overload! But we all had a great time.

More pictures to come! Enjoy the weekend!

ATTENTION! Giveaway heads up! Barefoot wine giveaway! It's a great prize from a really great wine company! Visit Misadventures of a Newlywed: http://www.misadventuresofanewlywed.com/2009/07/let-giveaways-begin.html