Good bye to an old friend

Ok I haven't blogged in a hot minute...my apologies to you adoring fans! But I've committed to a cleanse and it's REALLY unfortunate and I hate it...I've gotten used to it, but I still don't like it. I've also faced some personal setbacks, so this is also a sad blog.

Ok. So I've been having some issues with food and digestion lately, and a friend suggested the candida diet to do a "natural health cleanse". So far, I think it's helped. I don't want to list all the do's and don't's, look it up if you wish. But basically, it's no carbs, no sugar, NO COFFEE, no nothin' that isn't natural! I've enjoyed being more "natural", but my energy level, YET AGAIN, has been low. This has taught me (Minus any workout) to be more conscious of what I'm eating; aka white flour vs wheat flour, etc etc. But boy oh boy, have I found a love for organic buckwheat pancakes!!!

On a sad note....

4 years ago, a man named Kevin Greene hired me at ESPN Zone in Times Square. I only had hostess experience with the Olive Garden in CT. I sold myself by saying, "I was supposed to work as a server in CT. If you hire me here as a server, I guarantee you I won't disappoint you." 4 years later, the doors of ESPN Zone closed unexpectedly. It's pretty sad. For one full year, I worked there full time; Monday & Wednesday lunch, Friday night Saturday double. When I graduated (After paying my Nyack bill in CASH and debt free - thanks ESPN) I got accepted into the Teaching Fellows, an amazing program that, by God's amazing blessing, I got in to. After that, the lovely Dave Bryson, GM of "The Zone", let me stay ESPN on Saturdays during the school year while I taught, and allowed me to work during the summer 3-4 shifts a week. It was a great job. I loved the people. They became my NYC family. But, last Wednesday, we found out they were closing. Now it's all over. I've cried my tears, hugged my friends, and gotten my severance check (!). I got hired at a tutoring institute. Wow. No more restaurant work for me? We'll see. This summer seems like a big mystery. I'm really nostalgic concerning my Zone friends, and how my summer doesn't include me there a few times a week. I'll miss the "dead" cookie sundae, seeing random celebrities (especially visiting MLB players), and most of all, the people.

Kevin Greene, you gave me a job when I didn't have any experience but a lot of enthusiasm to learn. Johnny Brasco, you showed me the rules of the Zone and how to get things done and "manage" each table...especially world cup tables...Katie Xanthis, now married with a a beautiful baby, you gave me the in's and out's of having an overloaded section and how to handle Europeans. I'll never forget the Monday "Get Fresh Crew", as well as confusing Ryan Matthews for my (now) husband.

Thanks ESPN Zone, for 4 years of being a server, and making incredible friends and meeting/seeing some pretty cool guests (Mark Wahlburg, Andy Pettitte, TI, the dad from the OC, POD, all 3 top NBa drafts two years ago, Nadal, Elizabeth from the View, Vanessa Manillo, Pixie Lott, and many many more...)

Ode to ESPN Zone: I'll miss you; no, people of ESPN Zone, I'll miss you most.

Eating out...kid style!

SO this morning I did some cross training at the gym because, well, my joints were a bit sore. P90X is kicking my butt! Anyway, so I did the elliptical. My relationship with the elliptical is bittersweet: I forget to look at my pace, so I'm really lazy, and then I suddenly realize that I'm taking FOREVER! Shockingly, I find the elliptical pretty challenging. So this morning, my workout went like this:

Mile 1: 10:10. Thought to myself, "What the heck?! I didn't get up at 5:10am for THIS!"

Mile 2: 9:00. Thought to myself, "This is better. Could throw up. Might not. Wait and find out."

Mile 3: 8:00. Thought to myself, "Why didn't I do this from the beginning!"

Even though I have been doing early morning workouts, I've been finding it difficult to push myself because I get the sudden urge to throw up. So I have to be especially careful in the gym. Like, literally, I have gagged frequently while running outside. Don't know why, it just sucks. But I suck it up (literally, figuratively, whatever!) and run it out.

So, this evening, Bri went to a Yankee game, so I had the evening free. My friend Lyss came and worked out with me, and then we ordered take out. The best. Take out. EVER. BAREBURGER! Picture below:

Now, everything is all organic, even their wood for the booths is recycled wood. Amazing. So I went on the menu online to pick what I wanted. When I looked at the options, I stumbled upon the kid's menu called the "cubby menu". I had three choices, the Grizzly meal, a burger (Beef, turkey, or veggie burger option!), the Panda meal, aka chicken fingers, or the Polar meal, a chicken wrap. But these meals came with an amazing salad and fries...for $5.99! That's a complete meal for me, and I jumped on it; SO glad I did! I got the Cubby meal with a beef burger. It was so good. .....I also got a vanilla shake... but that's besides the point... Lambeau and I walked the 12 min walk to pick up our food. It was lovely. The air was finally cooling down and getting less humid. It was seriously a great meal and the cost was wicked great. Mmmmm. Tomorrow again perhaps?!

Did you run on "National Running Day"? I did the elliptical shamefully...

Welcome baby Ella Ann! June: You're not so welcome

This is my new niece!!! Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!? (And *I* bought her that cute little outfit!) She was born on Saturday, May 29, and I was THRILLED to be home for it!!! She arrived ON her due date, which happens 7% of the time...Ella, you're going to be EXTRAORDINARY!

So, June is here. Did my weigh in at home. Not. So. Good. ZERO change. ZILCH. None. Um, hello, *may*keover, I'm supposed to lose weight! However, I did not exercise as much as in the past two years. My fatigue surrounding working overtime and completing my thesis gave me plenty of excuses to throw in the towel. This is a new month.

June is continuing with healthy living, and my husband is on board! We started P90X together, which I'm doing slowly but surely (I'm completely sore but not crazy sore!). And I know I have to go at my own pace, so if I rest for a minute, I rest. But I had to do SOMETHING different. It's all about muscle confusion, which I think is just what my body needs!

Also, I've officially decided to aim for the Hartford Marathon, as my NYC Marathon connection couldn't pull through and sneak me in! ;-( But hey, Hartford, "New England's Rising Star", HERE I COME! My childhood neighbor, and still close friend Mark, is helping me train. Mark has run 5 (or more) marathons, including Boston, NYC, and Disney. He's also running the Hartford Marathon, and depending on his status come race time, might run with me. So, this week I'm doing 3-4 miles 5 days, and then 6 miles for a long run. I'll be building up my mileage every week. I'm switching it up with elliptical and biking, because I'm not in great shape and need to pace my progress.

Another addition: protein shakes. I did a bit of research, and it looks pretty legit. I was scared it would somehow make me bulk up, but it is supposed to help with recovery from distance training, injury avoidance, and energy level. I've been doing some morning workouts (yes, more on that later) and it's been a great way to finish my workout: 1 scoop of Whey Protein, 3/4 cup of skim milk, and a quick pour of coffee...mmmm....

Yet another addition: 5am. Yes, ladies (And I doubt gents), 5am. My new wake up time. This morning's run was almost too hot. Scary! But I did an 8:39 first mile this morning, and that's definite growth for this NON morning runner. (Huh hmmm the other miles were just par for the course and not worth mentioning!)

What do you do to switch it up? I know it seems drastic, but I feel at the ripe old age of 25, I've plateaued, and that SCARES me! :-D

And my last day of teaching the kiddos is June 28! CAN'T. GET. HERE. ANY. FASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maykeover...not so much

I HAVE ZERO ENERGY! GAH! I seriously have not exercised for a few days now, and I feel even MORE sluggish! Plus we were puppy sitting, and these doggies had me up EARLY because they needed time to adjust to each other, and were therefore up at 5:30am Friday, 6:10am Saturday (My sleep in till 7:30 day) and 6:30am on Sunday (My REALLY sleep in till 9am day!), so yea, I'm TIRED! (But the pictures and snuggle naps were precious!)

*May*keover advice: Eating out.

- It's really hard to eat out and stay healthy. Many factors render this a lofty task (Can you TELL I just handed in my thesis!?). One factor, which I think is the most important factor, is the unknown. Do you KNOW your chicken was grilled and not basted in butter/fattening oil? Do you know if that dressing is low calorie/fat? Do you know how much cheese they really put on the salad? When you read the book "Eat This Not That", it really opens your eyes. Did you know Panera Bread is one of the most unhealthy places to eat...EVER! I went there about a month ago, and was taking a while to order. This is how the conversation went:

Employee: "Can I help you pick something out?"

Me: "I'm trying to find the healthiest thing on the menu." (Thanks NYC for posting calories on EVER MENU!)

Employee: "Ha ha, you'll find good food but you won't find healthy food here."

I got a sandwich and ate half of it. I mean REALLY?! A place that boasts whole grains and natural ingredients should at LEAST TRY to be healthy! It's a miserable story, because I really love Panera...and the muffie is over 250 calories! SAD DAY! And Starbucks, well, don't even get me started. SKIM MILK is the way to go; if you complain that you don't like it, get used to it, or get a coffee based drink like an americano.

So the moral of this story is: WATCH OUT WHEN YOU EAT OUT! Don't be afraid to order things on the side. I serve tables on the weekends, and trust me, people are specific for STUPID reasons. Why not be specific for a GREAT reason! Be careful about the following:

1. Dressings. Any dressing can range from 10 calories (unlikely in a restaurant) to 150 calories per serving (Usually 2 tablespoons!) And the creamier it is, the worse off you are! Balsamic balsamic balsamic! Go for straight balsamic, it's tasty!
2. Get GRILLED....I know that breaded chicken avocado wrap looks AMAZING, but it's not worth the calories. Once in a while? Sure. But keep it to once in a very long while ;-)
3. Go for the skim latte...better yet, an americano with a fancy syrup.
4. If you go out, eat half then bring the rest home! Or, do what I do, and share a meal with someone!!! (Just tip a little extra....I hate people who under order because they're cheap!)
5. Most of all, EAT IN! Cook for yourself. We try to cook for ourselves even though we love eating out. I always feel better after eating the food *I* make vs. a restaurant. You always end up eating too much.

And finally: I HANDED IN MY THESIS!!! I graduate on May 28, it's going to be legend...wait for it...dary!

*May*keover 3!

For those of you who don't know the origin of my blogging, here it is: The *May*keover! It has begun again. I'm sorry for not posting in April/the beginning of May, but it's not too late to start! Look at the link for some of the rules. I have adjusted some of them:

- If you need to eat something like sweets or drink alcohol etc, try doing it one-two times a week!

- Once a week, try a two a day! (Workout morning and night)

- Take vitamins!

I also have been using this to become a better "housewife", or home caretaker! My big *may*keover step: Washing dishes as I cook! I don't sit down to eat until MOST of them are done! It's been working out well, and I think, SHOCK, I like it!

Sorry it's so late, still don't know if people read this...let's see how it goes!

The half marathon - that was not :-(

First of all, I met me idol Ann Curry. She's one heck of a lady and nicest person. That lessens the sad story about to be told...

DISAPPOINTMENT does not begin to describe this day. All this week we had BEAUTIFUL weather, 60-70's and sunny. And today? Raining. A LOT. And cold, like 47 feels like 44. And it's 11am. Therefore, my 8am start time temperature was 44 degrees feels like 41. And raining. I'm extreme, but I'm not that extreme. And I'm SO disappointed. Ugh. Can't fight it, I just have to accept it. (I write this as I stare at my race outfit hung over my kitchen chair and my gu packets sitting my table...AGH)

At least I got a great goody bag out of the wasted $55.

On to better and greater things. What should I do when despondent and sad? Look for other races! So, I'm doing a tristate search, because NYC is anti race in the summer, and for good reason. (It's gross and hot and pavement simmers and sizzles at 9am!) So, here are a few I'm looking at:

Amica Half Marathon June 6

X-treme Scramble Series in Hartford (I'd only go to 2 out of 3, I'm not out of school until June 28!)

New York Dash and Splash July 10 (10k)

ING NYC Marathon (11.7.10) or ING Hartford Marathon (10.9.10)

Yes, folks, it's true. MARATHON without the world "half" is at the end of that list. No jokes about this one. The husband gave the ok, I'm going to get the ok from a Dr. (Which shouldn't be hard because I'm healthy as a horse), and it's ON! Here's the reason there's two options for the big "M":

- I have a family friend who works for ING in their marathon foundation department. Last year she got my good friend in to the NYC marathon. When she heard I was a runner too, she said she would've gotten me in as well! I asked if I could do it this next year, and she said yes. Well, we've contacted her to no avail, she keeps saying she doesn't know yet. If it's a no, just tell me no! If she can't do it, I'll be totally fine, but hey, I would KILL to be in the NYC marathon! It's a dream. Unless all my bloggers want to pay my $2500 charity entry fee, it's only going to happen through this contact.

- IF I am unable to do the NYC big "M", I will go with the close second Hartford big "M". This would also be a big deal because it's in my hometown and I would have a great support system (5 brothers and sisters and 12 nieces and nephews BETTER represent! ;-) ) So, I won't be disappointed if I do the Hartford Marathon, I would just still have the illustrious ING NYC Marathon hanging over my goals in life still ;-)

Ok, that's enough contemplation for now. So, final thought: I am running a marathon in the fall.

AND SO IS MY FRIEND LAURIE! Congrats girl!

3rd half marathon....4th is 3 weeks away!

It's done!!! Here are the specks:

2:06.17 PR

THAT'S RIGHT! This girl got a GARMIN!

I ran it with my sister, as well as my friend Tristan! We had a great time. My cheer crew, Drew, Sarah, Melissa, and Bella were AMAZING! It was a lot of loops through Flushing Meadow Park, ironically the park next to where I TEACH! So, our cheer crew saw us 6 times I think, it was amazing!

What a struggle. I had bad allergies for 2 weeks beforehand, and wasn't training well with Claritan. UGH I was so dizzy! But God is good - I shaved 9 minutes off of my first one! (My Garmin had us at 13.1 2/10-3/10 before the finish! UGH!) So I have two finishing times...I like my Garmin's time better ;-)

I lost my sister Jen just before the race, because she decided to warm up, then go to the bathroom - it was like *I* was the older sister! I was so stressed! Thankfully, when I left my waiting spot to use the bathroom, some nice lady in line showed me how to set my goal pace on my Garmin! 9 min miles for me...it basically happened! I didn't find Jen till 2 miles in...of course the passed me (Her amazing time was 1:55!). She jokingly told me afterwards that I didn't hear her calling me for a minute or so, she tried all my nicknames and everything! (Trust me, I can hear the McAuliffe voice a MILE away!) But she finally found me, as did Tristan a mile later.

The race was great, 65 degrees and sunny! Got a bit of color. It's all a blur! Crowd support wasn't great, but my cheer squad was AMAZING! Thanks again guys!

My next half is 3 weeks away. Contemplating the NYC half marathon if I can get in through a connection who works for ING...unless someone wants to donate the $2,600 for me so I can go in on a charity bid! ;-)

More Magazine Fitness Women's half marathon is coming...watch out world, goal is 2:00! There were tears during this one and there will be tears through this one as well! 4 Half Marathons in 1 year is pretty darn good in my opinion.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and well wishes!

Ps. My hubby has been in LA for a week and a half and won't be back till Saturday night = I MISS HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!