Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...

All the cracks and crooked cement,

contributed to Kristin's tragic descent.

Yup.

The cement owned me at 6am.

I was setting out on a fantastically cool morning for a 5 mile run, and my toe nicked some uneven sidewalk. Now, of course, my right arm was ready to catch my fall, but since I seemed to CATAPULT to the left, I skidded onto the graytop and scraped up my left arm pretty badly (mid forearm to just above my elbow). Yea, think about that for a minute....

I don't know how it happened either.

But you can be DARN STRAIGHT that I will be more aware on my drowsy first mile from now on. Thankfully my body is not too sore, but I have a horrible burning sensation on my arm at all times.

And no, no one was around. Oddly so. It was almost eery.

Brian told me I'm a real runner now. Thanks honey. (He also dragged himself from his slumber to assist in the clean up of tears, errr uhhh, I mean my injury.)

In CT for the weekend, so I'm hoping to make up some country miles and cross train (pool and bike). Also, I start SUMMER SCHOOL next week! I hope I can make it exciting for the kids. I'm crafting this weekend with my nieces, maybe I'll post if we, aka my niece, allows me to share her genius.

Official training starts July 4!!! I can't wait!!! I will run, walk, crawl, or even fall across that finish line.

128 days until the ING NYC Marathon!!!

Strength. Core. Ugh.

MY. CORE. IS. WEEEEEEEAK.

I did 10 minutes on the elliptical at a 10-12 resistance, and then did the following exercises in circuit form. Quick rotations. Lots of running in place/aerobic knee hikes in between.

Here are some of the things I did today:

Double leg circles; you start with legs straight up and make a HUGE circle with your toes pointed. The lower you go, the more ouch you get.

Arm dips. Yup. Take that triceps.

Did this with a 10lb circle weight. Planet Fitness doesn't have Kettlebells. Boo you PF. Yea for $10/month.

I channeled my inner Jillian Michaels. 25lb weight circle rotations over my head. Thanks to the only guy making it in this circuit.

12.5lb tricep dips. These hurt.

Weighted lunges. 12.5lbs.

Wall sits 25 seconds each with 12.5lbs weights above my head. This would have been a better weight position I'm sure!

Jumping squats! A new form of torture surely to induce vomiting at the gym!

I call these ab explosions; it's pilates. You gather up like this, then drop your appendages while contracting. Ab explosion, literally.

On to the next one / on to the next one / on to the next one...

Love these things!!! Just tried them on my long run Saturday and they were far less gooey and messy than Gu. I really liked them, and the taste was fabulous. Only downfall is that you take these every 20 minutes, versus Gu, which is once every 45 minutes-60 minutes. Now, on to the long run / on to the long run / on to the long run (Jay-Z style...)

This picture is in my favorite park where I do most of my 4+ mile runs. OBVIOUSLY Lambeau was not on my long run with me Saturday morning, but this picture was too good to give up. Saturday morning I awoke at 6:30am to get my 5 mile run in before my last day of Saturday school...and then driving out to the Hamptons. Seriously, the park could not have been more beautiful. Manhattan was surrounded by the most amazing fog and sunlight, I can't wait to do more morning runs there once school lets out and I can go there daily!!! On to the Hamptons / on to the Hamptons / on to the Hamptons...

Brilliantly beautiful. That's the only way to describe it. Perfect weather; not too hot, not too cold, fabulous friends, and a great card game called Trump It. We had such a nice time, which included obtaining two autographed bottles of Ramona's wine from Real Housewives of NYC! Yup, I'm a Housewife watcher, and (somewhat) proud of it.

Where have you been?!...

...is what I thought to my blog self. Ooops. Last post was two weeks ago. Double oopsies.

Training update: I have been CONSISTENT!!! It's a miracle! Yippee! I'm telling you, putting those checks on that training plan has been a huge motivator. It's smack dab in the middle of my fridge, staring me down daily. Even though the mileage is still a little low, it feels good that I'm completing what I need to do. Marathon training in t-minus two and a half weeks!!!

Child sponsorship update: 7 children have been sponsored through my marathon fundraising efforts! GO YOU PEOPLE SPONSORING KIDS, GO! I appreciate every single one of you. 19 more to go. If you are interested in transforming a child's life, and literally changing the course of their well being, contact me.

Fun things I've been doing update: I've done a lot in the past two weeks; saw Super 8 (Loved it), went to a fundraiser for tornado victims, went to an exhibition soccer game at Citi Field, hung out with the MAWGs, went to a baseball game, visited a museum, saw Shakespeare in the Park (INCREDIBLE), and much much more! Seriously, we are trying to enjoy NYC to the fullest. This is going to be an incredible summer...last day of school is 13 days away...or as we teachers have been counting down, "9 more wake-ups!"

143 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!

What Do You Run For?

This video totally amped me up today. I run for wellness: well·ness/ˈwelnis/

Noun: The state or condition of being in good physical and mental health: "stress affects every aspect of wellness

If you want to be part of changing the lives of children around the world, please scroll down to my previous post. In case you didn't catch it, I'm running the ING NYC Marathon for Team World Vision, finding sponsors to revolutionize the lives of impoverished children.

Training has been super consistent. I've gotten in all my long runs, strength training, cross training, etc. I need to work in some speed work, but it's so darn hot! 90's all weekend equaled sweaty me.

We spent the holiday weekend with my family in CT. I got in runs on Sunday and Monday. Here is what I noticed about running in the country vs. running in the city

Country: dead animals EVERYWHERE on the side of the road

City: Avoid flying pigeons at all costs.

Country: sprinklers are the BEST! Run through them! Instantly cooled off!

City: Avoid water dripping from ac units at all costs.

Country: The HILLS are alive with the sound of running...yea, complete hill immersion.

City: Go to the park or a bridge to find some version of hills.

Where do you run? Why do you run? Good questions to ask at the start of racing season!

ING NYC Charity entry info!!!

HERE IS MY CHARITY INFO!!! I'm running with Team World Vision. Below is my support letter, I have NO idea how to get it to be beautifully formatted into this blog!!! :-D By participating in this fundraising effort, you will literally change lives forever. Please consider being part of the resolution to poverty:

Dear Friend,

I want to share exciting news: I’m running the 2011 ING New York City Marathon!

Although running a marathon is an incredible goal, I have an even greater goal to accomplish. I am running with Team World Vision, dedicating my race to finding sponsors for 26 children living in poverty. In light of the challenging marathon training schedule, I know that training with this purpose in mind will keep me going. Would you be interested in joining me by sponsoring a child, providing them with opportunities that they are severely lacking?

As a child sponsor, you will be connected with one special child who will know your name, write to you and feel your support every day. The cost of sponsoring a child is $35 a month, about $1 a day. Your monthly sponsorship gift will provide a child with necessities such as:

· Clean water

· Nutritious food

· Health care

· Educational opportunities

· Spiritual nurture

My husband and I recently became child sponsors to a 3^rd grade girl in Uganda named Prisko. Through World Vision, we are able to send her letters and emails, letting her know that someone in America cares about her life and well being.

Will you consider supporting me by becoming a child sponsor through World Vision? You can sign up to make a tax-deductible donation one of two ways:

1. Speak with me and I will be able to connect you with a child to sponsor.
2. Visit my webpage to sign up online by emailing me for the website address link: kristinannm@gmail.com

Your donation will make a significant difference: it will impact the lives of children around the world AND encourage me to make it to the finish line!

Thank you for your generosity,

Kristin Miller

PS: You can learn a lot more about Team World Vision at www.teamworldvision.org.

Consistency

The Yankees have been struggling with it. Come on boys, get it together! Isn't this cool though? After church Brian took me to Madison Square park where they were showing the Subway Series (Mets vs. Yankees) on a big screen. Only in NYC! But let me just say, eating Shake Shack probably trumped the coolness of the game and Delta expo...Shake Shack is the best. If you haven't been, just do it.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 4 miles

Tuesday: 3 miles (tempo)

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: 3 mile (tempo)

Friday: 25 minutes Elliptical / core/strength/weights

Saturday: REST

I completed all my runs for the past two weeks. Consistency has been an issue with me in the past, especially since I work at school on Saturdays. My weekends feel shorter and crammed in so I tend to relax on the weekends. Hello long runs, how ya doin?!

After our baseball Shake Shack adventure, my running partner agreed it was time for a "long run". I did 5 miles, she did 6 (GO S!). Let's just say, eating a DELICIOUS burger and fries 3 hours before a 5 mile run is not advisable. At all. Never. Again.

But I finished. And that's what is important. This weekend was a tough one, last week threw me through a loop. If it wasn't one thing, it was something else; I was getting it from all angles. What is important is that, in the midst of it, my goal was still visible.

I've been making the sacrifices. Getting up at 5am when I DEFINITELY don't feel like it. Doing core work when I clearly feel like throwing up (ie realized how weak my core is this week!). Not hitting snooze. Oh snooze, I do miss you.

This week I will post about my fund raising goals. Please stay tuned, this is a really exciting opportunity.

I care. And so I run.

166 days until the ING NYC Marathon.