Glad Game Monday XI

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I promise!!! Hello readers! All two of you! ;-) Life has been very busy lately, so I apologize for my absence! Nah, I really don't apologize. Sometimes real life means giving up some things you like to do, even if it's just for a little while. Hey, wait, it's Monday again! Time to be glad, the funny edition!

I'm glad to be blogging! I've missed it. It's a creative outlet for sure.

I'm glad I have funny (AND lovely) coworkers! This is Mrs. L, and she is a trip. She had her personal blood pressure checker thingamajig, so I said, "Make sure I'm fit for testing!" We had to do it twice. It was a bit high. Because we were laughing. A lot. Note: This is TOTALLY on a lunch break. No children were ignored during blood pressure checking!

I'm glad we do cool stuff in NYC! We went to the comedy awards on Saturday night (To air next week I believe), and had a fun night. It was "black tie/formal dress code", to sit in the balcony NO WHERE NEAR cameras. Hilarious. Yet fun.

 I'm glad we visited a new venue! Despite living in the BEST CITY IN THE WORLD, we tend to go to the same places over and over. Branching out is the best here. You're (usually) pleasantly surprised!

 I'm glad I have funny friends. Mr. Miller's birthday was last weekend, and a great girls photo was ruined by some funny guys. The act all oblivious....they knew what they were doing!

 I'm glad Mr. Miller chose a funny cake! FUDGIE THE WHALE! Seriously, best cake ever. Everyone who had it LOVED it. So good. Mmmm.

I'm glad for a return run today! ALLERGIES, BE GONE! It's been a tough hiatus from running, er uh 12 days to be precise, and I was getting restless and annoyed. Today I woke up, barely coughing, barely sneezing, and barely using tissues, so I decided enough was enough. I had the best time. The weather was perfect, the park has filled in tremendously with leaves on trees (ie allergies...I'll take the good with the bad...) and EVERYONE was out! It was a musicless run and I liked it. I also had an okay pace!

WHAT ARE YOU GLAD ABOUT?! Did you get any good sales this weekend? Sign up for a dream race? Successfully cook a new recipe? Run a PR? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Glad Game Monday X

It's that time of the week again: MONDAY. The day we all dread, the day that finds us up earlier than usual, the day where we reminisce about the weekend. In case you're new to the blog, Glad Game Monday is a post where I say things that I'm glad about, instead of dwelling on things that aren't so great about Mondays. For instance, when a 5th grader claims they "left their spring break work packet at home, but I did my work." Oh yea, same 5th grader who said this about their holiday break packet. And their Winter Break Packet. Sigh. When will they learn we know they're LYING!? So, instead of dwelling on students thinking I don't know anything about anything, I'm going to list some things I'm GLAD about!

I'm glad that Lambeau Puppy and I went to the park today! After work I skeedaddled home, picked up the pup and headed to the park with my chair. I walked Lambeau Puppy for a while, and then we sat down for some tanning. Lambeau Puppy goes under my chair and people/puppy watches. 

I'm glad for warm weather, even if it is hot Hot HOT! I have a tan. Enough said.

I'm glad we put a deposit on a car! I prayed yesterday that a good car would come our way that was a good deal from a decent person, and it looks like we found one! Pending car fax and a mechanic inspection, systems look like a go!


I'm glad running has been going better. I think I was a bit stressed last week about the car search and my vacation change, so my runs felt labored and uninspired. It MAY have had something to do with a two week hiatus from running...nah ;-) The past few runs have felt good, despite the hot weather.


That's all for now, folks! After a busy day, I'm glad to be going to sleep.


What are YOU glad about? That you ran the Boston marathon? That you didn't run the Boston marathon? That your car or subway has air conditioning? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Weekend Update with Mrs. Miller

I won a blogging award! Here are the deets on the Liebster Blog Award:

Choose five up and coming blogs to give the Liebster award to.  Blogs must have less than 200 followers. 

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

Post the award on your blog. 

Don't leave your recipients in the dark! List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites.  Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know. 

Share 5 random facts about yourself!

So, THANK YOU to another Kristin who spells her name JUST RIGHT! I've loved reading your blog, and I feel so extra special that you would think of me for this award! 

Here are the up and coming bloggers you should DEFINITELY check out that I pass the Liebster Blog Award baton to:

1. San Juan Runner Girl at Running is my Diet

2. Christine at Traditional Life in Progress

3. Kelsey at The Secret Life of Kelsey

4. Samantha at Check My Pulse

5. Stephanie at Epicurious Runner

5 Random Facts, Weekend Update Style:

1. I woke up at 4:30am Saturday to stand in line for stand by SNL tickets. We thought Lambeau would bring good luck..

2. We didn't get in on stand by. We DID, however, spot John Legend and have a moment where we said hey and waved. Best friends now. Nice seeing ya, John.


3. I used to watch SNL every Saturday night while babysitting. My favorites were the Spartan Cheerleaders, Mango, and Mary Katherine Gallagher, just to name a few. This is officially entering the bucket list as something I must see filmed live!


4. I went to my first Yankees game of the season with Mr. Miller and friends! I've been to a Yankee game every year since I've lived here. And by a game every year, I mean several each season.

5. I started liking the Yankees because of a MINOR teenage crush on Derek Jeter. I'm not ashamed; he's a great athlete! I come from a Boston Red Sox Family. My love was strong. 

Note: I tried to get rid of my awful Friday tan lines...I don't think it worked :-(

Back to our regularly scheduled blogging next week! I wanted to finish my NYC Running Routes series with the West Side Highway, but having friends in town really puts a hamper on regularly scheduled running! So, in case you missed it, catch up on the NYC Running Routes series: East River Path, Queensboro Bridge, and NYC Beaches! 

Coming up this week:

- Glad Game Monday, of COURSE! Return to work after spring break...eek.

- West Side Highway Running Route review!

- A New series on beginning running! Start thinking experienced runners, there are a lot of people out there telling me they want to tips etc, so let's help them out!

How was your weekend!? Congrats to all who ran the More! Fitness Women's half marathon!!! You had a hot day and powered through! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

NYC Running Routes: Beaches!

Thank you all so much for your excitement for this series! I've really enjoyed reading your comments and tweets about the two previous entries! Sorry I skipped yesterday, I've been "out East", so, today's entry will be about beaches to run on near NYC! (Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert!)

The Hamptons: Beautiful scenery, beautiful beaches! I've been in Southampton for the past couple of days. Despite the weather claiming it's "only in the 50's", it has been beautiful!

Pre-or Post run, check out "The Golden Pear"! It's yummy food and coffee, and they have locations all over the area!

Location: If you're lucky enough to be anywhere in the Hamptons, you're lucky enough! Anywhere in this area is gorgeous. Seinfeld loves East Hampton, whereas Gwyneth prefers Southampton; hence my being in Southampton, because Gwyn and I are clearly sympatico.

Entrances: Leave the establishment you're at and get directions to the nearest beach! 

Oh the views! As you run toward the beach, the houses get bigger, and Bigger, and BIGGER! They're absolutely beautiful. Tree lines streets offer plenty of shade for the warm summer months.

The beaches! What a reward after a run!!! 

Top 10 beaches: The Hamptons are always on it! If you can get here, get here. The beaches are beautiful. If you think you won't be able to make it in the summer, why not try out the Hamptons Marathon? I did the half marathon a couple of years ago, and it is a BEAUTIFUL race, including pavement, trail, and beach side running!

Other beaches CLOSER to NYC! Think there isn't? Well, Jones Beach is the PERFECT run spot! 

Location: Jones Beach. This is a 45-60 minute drive from the city, accessible by train and bus.


Entrance: If you drive and park, simply walk across the underpass. If you're on a bus, they have designated fields that you are dropped off in.


Let the large boardwalk be your guide! This wide and spacious boardwalk is the PERFECT place to get a prebeach day run in. We usually show up early, husband enjoys the ocean while I get 3-5 miles in, then I cool down with a dip in the ocean and relax for the rest of the day! The breeze from the ocean is the perfect compliment to the exposed area, as there is NO shade. Put on sunblock BEFORE you run. The boardwalk is about 2.5 miles long, allowing you to span the beach and enjoy the sound of the ocean while you run. 


Tips for an awesome pre-beach run! 
 - Put on a sport sunblock, then reapply once you're done running.
 - Bring a gallon of water. You're SO thirsty, and buying water is painfully expensive!
 - Bring fruit. You'll be hydrating without even knowing it, allowing you to be safe in the sun the rest of the day!
 - There are bathrooms! PLUS ALL AROUND!
 - There is a Friendly's for those who love to fuel with ICE SCREAM!

Want to check this beach, or other New York State Beaches out this summer? You're in luck! There is a summer series that has a new beach every couple of weeks to race on! Check out their website with a list of locations, times and distances! I fully intend to add the Jones Beach race to my agenda in August! It's a night race! So exciting!

Have you run on any other beaches close to NYC? Do you run near beaches or water near where you live?  TELL ME ABOUT IT!

NYC Running Routes: The Queensboro Bridge

In Case you missed it, the first part to this series was The East River Path.

The Queensboro Bridge is a great running route to get in some hill work! The gradual incline can be very challenging (See Miles 15-16 of the ING NYC Marathon elevation profile). This is the only picture I got because my camera was fogging and I didn't feel like stopping:

Name: Queensboro Bridge (Ed Koch Bridge, or 59th St Bridge for Old School NYCers!)

Location: Connects Queens and Manhattan while crossing over (Not giving entrance unless you JUMP!) Roosevelt Island, providing optimal scenery. Goes over the East River. 

Entrances: This is a bike/walk path with plenty of signs along the way to direct you to the entrances. Manhattan side entrance is by 60th Street and 2nd Ave (Follow the signs!). From the Queens side, Cresent St. and Queensboro Plaza.

Oh, the views! The views are very distracting, which makes running the hills much easier. Running over Roosevelt Island is pretty trippy, and running by the Roosevelt Island Tram will often result in people waving at you!

The walkway is narrow. Despite the beautiful scenery, you must pay attention. I tend to turn my music down because of the NUMEROUS near bike accidents involving me, a little runner. Although the path is CLEARLY marked with a bike one one side and walker/runner on the other, bikers do not adhere to these suggestions and follow traffic directions instead. Let's just say, I've been nicked by more than one handlebar. So, be aware and be safe!

I encourage all ING NYC Marathoners to run this bridge BEFORE the marathon! (I know many of you are from out of state, so try running a gradual hill with a steady incline during mile 15/16!) See how most people look like they're walking? BECAUSE THEY ARE! It was so frustrating during the marathon to be excited about conquering this bridge, my bridge, that I ran every. single. long run! I had to dodge so many people! Grrrr. So, take the hill strong!

Distance: It's about 1.5 miles from entrance to exit, so a nice hilly 3 miles round trip!

I hope you get to try this route, it's pretty fun! It's especially fun when you're moving faster than the traffic on the bridge!

Do you ever run over bridges? Where do you get your hills done?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

NYC Running Routes: East River Path

I decided I'll run some new routes in NYC this week! Since I'm sticking around in NYC, I decided what better way to spend my days than checking out some running spots! Rather than stick to typical Central Park, or my local Astoria Park, I'll be checking out some other running hot spots this week! Whether you're a New Yorker, or visiting/moving here in the future, check out this weeks post's for running route options!

Name: East River Greenway (Or Path, Bike Path, etc)

Location: Starts at South Street Seaport, has a gap between 34th and 60th street, and goes into East Harlem. (Information cited from Here)

Entrance: I entered on 60th st and 1st Ave. This entrance was TOUGH: HUGE hill. However, you're rewarded with adorable dog parks (plural!) and great views shortly thereafter. 

Tree lined sidewalk!!! Although I'm ultra clumsy and usually would have tripped over the cobble paved walkway, but I was very careful. The trees added a "park" feel to the walkway. 

I was very happy I wore my hat! It was very windy today, like delaying the flights at airports windy! I thought my hat would fly off, but the East River offered a low wind, beautiful running path! 

 The views, in either direction, were beautiful! I love seeing the 59th Street Bridge from another angle! This path was also very quiet, albeit I had on earphones. The traffic wasn't too loud, and the path was desolate (Granted it was 2:30pm!). 

What better way to end a run than shopping and a smoothie?! I went to Uniqlo and picked up some cute essentials for the season; crop pants, vneck tshirts and chino shorts (think JCrew). Then, my favorite part of the day: I met Mr. Miller for a SMOOTHIE! He has this smoothie cart he goes to on 47th between Park and Madison. They let you drink some of the smoothie, refill it, and send you on your way! Apparently the business guys make sport of chugging their smoothie as quickly as possible...I let him do the chugging. I did the sipping!

Verdict: East River is a great running route if...

- You live near it (It's pretty remote).

- You like water, trees, and a nice breeze!

- You're a careful/sure footed runner.

- Feel like going shopping on 5th Avenue afterwards!

- Need a deal of a smoothie where you drink your weight in fruity smooth goodness!

Where do you run? Have you run any new routes lately? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Glad Game Monday X

Yet again, Glad Game Monday finds me in a pickle! I was supposed to be going to VA Beach with two fabulous teacher friends, and when I had contacted the gentleman who was letting us stay in his beach house (for free) he had mixed up the weeks and someone was in the house. Uh. It's 12 hours until DEPARTURE! So, my beach vacation, albeit chilly beach vacation, is now cancelled. In its place is a "staycation", so I'm glad I live in the best city in the world.

Let the Glad Games Commence! And may the odds be ever in your favor.

I'm glad we had a nice weekend in CT celebrating Easter! We even got a nice family photo:

I'm glad that I have sisters. Even though one is missing (Tear: Mrs. Waite we miss you!), they're lovely. Coach Jen keeps me motivated and gives me tough love when I'm a baby, and Mrs. Peoples continually seeks my (superior) fashion advice. Clearly I'm a fashion icon. (Missing is the picture where my STELLAR black pumps are located...apparently the grass isn't grown in enough for a proper photo!)

I'm glad that I have a running goal this week. Readers, prepare yourselves! I have a fabulous series that's going to happen this week. I'm going to run in different places besides my typical spots (Local park or Central Park). So, if you're thinking about visiting NYC or live here, don't miss reading about the different spots you can run in!!!

I am glad that it's not raining the entire week. At least I'll get to run NYC in nice weather!!!

I'm glad that Bubba won The Masters! No golf fan here, let me tell you that first and foremost. It's boring. However, his story was addicting, new baby, death in the family, wife survived breast cancer, FIRST Major win and it's THE MASTERS! Glory to God! (As his wife proudly proclaimed on Twitter. They know where their help comes from!!!)

What are you glad about?! Are you glad that you don't live in Panem? Are you glad that Easter candy will disappear and no longer taunt you?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!

300th post and back from retirement!

I just realized this is my 300th post! Wowzas! That's a lot of typing!!!

I've been in a personal funk. The car accident really upset me. I jokingly said I felt like I was going through the stages of grief (Which I *KNOW* is completely different!). After the initial shock of what had happened wore off, and we had to do lots of logistical stuff, I started getting angry. Like furiously angry. WHY did *MY* car get demolished?! I was working an after school program! I shouldn't have even been at work!!!

I didn't run. In addition to my car and my Nike Mandarins, my running was seemingly in retirement. My allergies came back in full force, which probably didn't help my stress level/exhaustion. I was sad because I wasn't running. Every time I would say, "Today is the day I'm going to run," and inevitably something would happen to prevent that.

We finally got good news Thursday. The car was, obviously, totaled. The adjuster called with GREAT news: the assessment was almost double what we thought it would be! This was a huge relief. Despite everyone assuring me, "You're getting a new car!" In the back of my mind, reality was screaming in my mind, "That car wasn't worth that much." Somehow, God knew, and everything worked out!

Today was my return to running. After a two week long hiatus, I called on Coach Jen to bring my legs back to life. Apparently, this was her first pre run picture ever! She needs to run, photograph and blog more apparently :-D
Introducing my new Nike Pomegranates!

We did 5 miles. Coach Jen said, "Can you do hills?" I said, "I can run anything. Speed may not be the best though." She wasn't kidding about the hills. There were at least two sets per mile. Hello country running! During our run we saw 4 wild turkeys, I saved a dog from being run over by a car, we were almost hit by two different cars...ah, life in the "burbs". (Two side notes: One, the word turkeys in the plural form doesn't follow the y= ies rule! Second, Coach Jen dropped me off and ran a total of 11. Jealous.)

The run was tough! I survived, but it was tough. I stayed a few paces back the whole time, and I struggled the first few miles. Finally as we started mile 4 and I figured I could survive. We kept a decent pace for hills, but Coach Jen was running backwards a few times to let me catch up. Looks like I have some work to do this week on spring break!

In honor of my 300th post, here is something completely different:
Two BEAUTIFUL American Mastiffs! The one on the right weighs 185 pounds. Yup. They were as big as the bench. I literally met dogs that were bigger than me in every way! They were big gentle giants.

So, there's my 300th post. I got over a personal crisis, as not-earth shattering as it was (Again, I know people who are dealing with things that are far worse!), and I had a great run with my sister.

How was your weekend? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Glad Game Monday IX

Hi, I googled the number nine in Roman Numberals. Don't worry, I WAS RIGHT! The things we don't teach kids these days...

It's Glad Game Monday, and I'm a Glad Game Grump! Bah humbug! I think the drama, excitement, shock and awe at my RANDOM car accident (See previous post) has finally settled into annoyance. WHY did this idiot have hit my car?! We're going to have to SPEND money on a new car. UGH. Not in the plan books. So. I have to choose to be glad. I have not run and I think it's needed. It tends to be a stress reliever, but I'm currently dreading it. Like it's another thing I have to worry about. This rarely happens, which means I'm truly in a funk. I have to choose to be glad.

Let's see how this choice goes!

I'm glad Mr. Miller won a Twitter contest for free Rangers tickets! I went to my first hockey game, it was fun. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost, capping off a spectacular weekend :-( I'm also glad that I got a Rangers kids shirt for $5! Yea for kids sizes!
I'm glad my bumper magnets survived. My friend, upon entering the accident scene, knew my car had been hit because my 26.2 and this bumper sticker were sadly on the sidewalk:
I'm glad Mr. Miller decided to come to my Yoga Parent Presentation Friday afternoon. He hadn't had the best week, and when I invited him, he accepted. If he hadn't come, I probably would've had a nervous breakdown. I'm so glad that he handles situations well that I get easily overwhelmed with. He's been to my school twice in five years; that's how rare it is for him to visit!

I'm glad spring break is 3 wake-ups away!!! We're going to Connecticut for Easter weekend, and then Lambeau Puppy and I are headed south with some girlfriends! No boys allowed...except Lambeau!!!

What are you glad about today?! Does running help you when you're stressed? Does it make you feel like another thing to add on your "to-do" list? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Retirements

So my car has been retired. It was parked and minding its business while I was teaching in school, when a driver of a 2012 RENTED mustang "hit the gas instead of the brakes" while turning on a one way street. The result was my car pushed onto the sidewalk and completely totaled. Thankfully Mr. Miller was watching my final yoga club presentation for the parents. I had 75 people in a room, and thankfully he was able to go take care of the situation. I didn't even Know it was my car until much later! I could only see the green suv from My window, which belongs to my classroom neighbor. Thankfully no one was hurt, we have a rental, and will get money toward a new car. This was a very stressful situation to say the least!

Another retirement is my Nike mandarins! They have been my old faithfuls through my first marathon, my first coaching gig, and traveled to Mexico, Rochester NY and Connecticut! They were amazing shoes. This week will reveal my latest running kicks.

Rip corolla and nike mandarins!!!