the (new year's) situation

ahhh...first bloggy post of the new decade.  only took me 5 days! :)

so where did I leave off...oh yeah...fun and drama-free New Year's Eve.  may not scored an invite to the real big party of the night, but me and others held our own on the other side of the East River :)  Just knockin' back some good wine and champagne, not to mention laughing our a$$es off at the new episode of Jersey Shore.  As you can see, I couldn't resist making a reference to "The Situation" in this post title :-P  That show is such a train wreck, but now I am unfortunately addicted.  This show definitely has the makings of inspiring another drinking game...drink whenever someone says "situation", whenever the "duck phone" quacks, whenever one of the guys reminds us that he's "not here to fall in love at the Jersey Shore, just here to hook up"...I'm sure there are a lot more we can think of :)  But getting back on the topic, was a nice way to say goodbye to the old and bring in the new.  Thanks, "cool friend" ;-)

And if the last few days have been any indication...looks like 2010...well at least the winter of, is gonna be a brutal one.  Almost makes me glad that I'm not training for a spring marathon right now...or that could just be me telling myself that to make myself feel better.  Still keeping it short for now...can actually do the lower 5 loop (clockwise-don't have the nerve to hit Cat Hill just yet) with the (sh)IT band holding up.  (And I will share again an extreme-cold weather dressing tip of mine for the ladies-running skirt (the kind with shorts instead of briefs) over tights!  It actually does work...)  And yesterday I wanted to join the Flyers for the downtown "First Monday" run (plus it's good to get to run on the flat surface of the West Side path every now and then)  But I'm not quite up to their distance of 6-plus miles...thankfully Flyer EG also wanted to run shorter-4 and change-with me which worked out well-and we got to hit the bar first :-P  But after getting nice and warmed up indoors, getting back to the gym where my stuff was stashed was a rude awakening...brrrr!!  Man how 9 blocks seem so long...oh and being in the part of the city where numbered streets are mixed with named streets just seemed to taunt us so!!

So yeah, still just taking it day by day for now.  I do get my new orthotics later this week though...yay!!  Hoping they will help some.  Besides all that, I've just felt like hibernating...is it me, or does dealing with the freezing cold just suck the life out of you?

Oh-and a bloggy question for you all.  I'm pondering a switch from Blogger to WordPress (the free version).  From what I see, there seems to be more flexibility with the layouts/designs, can create pages (e.g., I can have a page for all my race reports instead of cluttering up the sidebar, or having to create a post dated way way in the past), and maybe is more stable than Blogger?  For those of you who use that/have used WordPress...or have used both Blogger and WordPress-which do you prefer/think is better and why?  Thanks in advance :)

the next move is yours

Maybe "the next step is yours" or "the next run is yours" would have been more appropriate but I just felt like using another episode title from The Hills.  I just love how K-Cav got asked on last nite's epsiode why she doesn't go after any guys besides Brody and Justin Bobby.  Uh...maybe because they are seemingly the only 2 single guys in LA?  And Heidi and Spencer seriously deserve the title of "Dumb and Dumber"...yeah brilliant plan Heidi-Ho, to "surprise" Spencer by going off the pill and trying to get pregnant to spite him.  They truly deserve each other.  And after last nite's episode of The City I feel like I need to slap some sense into Whitney, didn't she learn her lesson in Miami that hanging with Roxy is career suicide?  And am I the only one who's on Team Erin and thinks someone needs to put Olivia in her place?  And as for the third show on Triple Tuesday, reality-style, Dancing With the Stars...Joanna and Derek (not Jeter or Rose, hehe) wuz robbed!!  Alright, enough reality TV talk for now...

So the recovery progresses.  3 days in a row of yoga and weights...maybe make it 4 tomorrow?  Leg presses, leg curls and the hip adductor (sp?) machine have become a regular part of the routine.  Doing my PT homework daily.  Hope this will all pay off in the long run (ha ha).  And oh yeah-I actually did 15 minutes on the dreadmill on Monday!  This is where I get annoyed at my physical therapist.  So I see her Monday morning and she asks me if doing spinning has still aggrevated the knee...uh you told me not to do it!  I said I wouldn't try spinning or running until given the OK...I'm trying to be a good little girl here!  And I actually got the OK to try to "run a few miles" but of course I know better than to do a few miles now.  But I really wanted to see where I was at in terms of recovery, so i figure the dreadmill was safe, in case I needed to stop before 15 minutes were up.  And thankfully I didn't...there was some improvement, but not really 100%...still don't feel like I'm out of the woods just yet.  But no lingering pain yesterday or today.  So if 15 minutes every coupla days is what's gonna keep my sanity during this recovery period...I'll take it.

But really, right now I'm kinda biding my time til November 30th, when I have my follow up appointment with doctor #1 and if he gives me another prescription for more PT, I do intend to switch.  It's just really frustrating to not really feel like I have a game plan for recovery and for building back up...this is why I'd prefer to see one who is more familiar with runners.  But this is nothing that I haven't already talked about before!  So we wait...

"on to the next"

And this latest post title has been brought to you by the latest episode of The Hills.  Is it me, or has this episode finally brought back the show we all hate to love, or love to hate?  How staged was K-Cav and Jayde's catfight...I know there is only one club in LA and of course they will run into each other, especially when Kristin is with Brody, but still!  And I thought Audrina and Lo would "never be friends"...and now they are BFF's?  And WHY, for the good of all humankind, could Spencer have just gone through with getting neutered??? :)

I guess that title is just appropriate for lots going on lately.  Of course, the running stuff, but I'll get to that later.  Earlier this week, I had to let go of a wonderful guy who has been very near and dear to me for the last few months-well this was kind of a mutual "letting go."  (And he has never gotten a blog mention before...well at least not in the context of dating, so you know I was really into him and that it was going well! ;-) )  My heart said "stay" but my head knew what was the right thing to do, if we wanted to salvage any kind of a friendship...which I am optimistic about.  But it's tough all the same-we really shared a lot...between running and outside of running.  He'd be the first person I'd call/text when something good happened...or even when something bad happened and I needed consoling, or just someone to talk to.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't overdependent, but there is that comfort in knowing someone is there.  Luckily, it did end on a good note and we are still speaking and not arguing...so I am hopeful! :)  So in this case "on to the next" is not so much the next guy, but more the next phase of our relationship...never know where it can take me/us.  And some of you...and you know who you are ;-) ...this does not give you free reign to immediately fix me up with your coworker/cousin/neighbor/random acquaintance/doorman/etc. ;-)  Just need time right now...and as Natasha Bedingfield says in her song "Single"-I can't "romance on demand!"  (On that topic, has anyone ever checked out the lyrics to that song, and then to Natasha's song "Soulmate"?  Talk about one singer having opposing points of view!  The latter is a beautiful song, but I swear I can't listen to it without getting teary-eyed!)

And as for the running thing, I swear I really am trying to move "on to the next" as well!  Whatever that may be.  As I said in my previous post-I do have 2 races next year that I am tentatively penciling in as goal races (yes, one is a marathon but it won't be til the fall though.)  Little hesitant to post what they are now, so wait and see.  I have my follow-up appointment with doctor #1 at the end of this month, so I'll see if there is any positive progress made.  One thing I do want to explore, which was mentioned before, is new orthotics...my current ones are 5 years old and I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the culprits.  Unfortunately, I have different medical insurance now and I don't believe they will be covered, so it would be pricier this time around...but if it's something that will save my running future (and my previous ones did!) it's a worthwhile investment...especially stretched out over a few years.

And keeping with "on to the next"...I'm thinking I might like to switch physical therapists too.  My current one is nice, don't get me wrong, but...I'm feeling like there should be more progress by now, and I'd love to find one who is more familiar with runners.  I don't know if I can do that without another prescription for PT from the doctor, but if is indeed what he prescribes, that may be the way to go.  So NYC-area runners-if you have any recommendations for me, I'd be very grateful to hear them!!  Only prerequisite is that they must take insurance :)

So there you have it-I am honestly dwelling less on the past and trying to look ahead.  But I do still feel I need a little help getting there...more with game plans than anything else!!

fragile girl

Wow, it's been a few days...been busy busy busy!!  But thats ok, any posts would have been about taper madness...which I can just combine all into one post here! :)

Forget about last week, i think i am gonna have to handle myself with kid gloves from now until October 25th.  Seemingly everything that is supposed to be aching and/or going wrong during training decides to show up for the taper.

Like when running Monday nite downtown...my calves decided to cramp up...possibly due to dehydration?  My legs felt so fragile at that point, that one wrong move would put them out of commission...stopped and stretched and took it easy...and winced at any sign of bikes.  needless to say, I was glad when we finished the run and made it to White Horse Tavern where we had our burgers...and glasses of water!  Yeah, I am going to attempt yet again to detox during this taper.  So far so good-especially because...

....on top of it all, nursing a cold!!  arrrggghhh.  I took a sick day yesterday and would have loved to have taken one Wednesday, if it weren't for the fact that I had meetings I couldn't miss and a project that had to get done that day.  sigh.  one day off is better than nothing, right?  And lesson learned-never, ever joke about swine flu in a facebook status.  Anyways, I haven't run since Tuesday...Wednesday was a planned day off to do some much-needed yoga but skipped yesterday's run...and most likely will skip today to kick this thing.  Should I worry?  Or listen to my teammate who said "This is what's called forced taper - and you'll be better for it on race day!"

And because I must get in my reality TV fix to keep my mind off of other things....quote of the week from my brother regarding The City: "proof the city is completely staged and fake...how on earth would a dude selling counterfeit bags on Canal St have a mike on him???"  He has a point...

And glad to see the Yanks back where they belong-in the postseason.  Game 2 is tonite...GO Yanks!!  In a way, it feels like 1998...the year they were so dominant.  And I kinda look back at that year wistfully...when my life made some sort of sense and wanting to be that innocent college graduate again....

hell week

"Charlotte treated marriage like a sorority she was desperately hoping to pledge."
~Carrie Bradshaw in the season 1 Sex and the City episode "Bay of Married Pigs"

OK, maybe I don't view marriage like that.  Well, ask me again in a year or 2 :-P  But after hearing that line while watching a rerun of that episode...got to thinking about some other parallels...like maybe the "BQ club" is a "sorority" of sorts?  And if so, then this week is definitely hell week.  Yeah, hell week.  If you were a sorority girl or a frat boy, you know.  I was actually lucky in the case that we didn't have it as tough as others, but with the time commitment that week took, I was honestly surprised I still had a boyfriend after all was said and done...ok getting off the topic again.

So this is the last week before taper, the last 20-miler, highest mileage, the whole nine yards.  When everything hurts...legs, feelings...well maybe not as much the latter but seriously, your body is just tired and achy and doesn't want to do anymore, but the mind says to just hang on, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that is starting next week.  Needless to say, I am treating my legs with kid gloves this week.  Extra stretching, icing the legs, taking the pace easy.  My last 20-miler will be Saturday...will be running Grete's Great Gallop with 7 miles beforehand...and hoping to hit marathon pace for the last few miles.  We'll see how that goes.  And I am gonna treat it as a "dress rehearsal" of sorts for the big one...the clothes, the shoes, the accessories-if they can all work on a 20, they'll work for 26.2.  

What else...tonite was a 5-mile fun run in Central Park, a "benefit" run for the Central Park Conservancy and the cleanup efforts from the August 18th storm.  One of my Flyer teammates put this thing together and did a great job, there was a great turnout.  Was more than happy to swap a hard workout for an easy run for the cause tonite, especially since some teammates who I hadn't seen in awhile were out.  The next 2 days will be morning runs for me...good luck with that, especially Friday as I am anticipating a semi-late nite tomorrow nite...getting all the socializing out of the system before the taper. :)

And all you reality TV fans...anyone else think that The City will trump The Hills this season?  I'm not feeling the Kristin Cavallari love...bring back LC!!  And since when is everyone BFFs with Speidi again?  And can Justin Bobby just GO AWAY?  On a different note, I'm liking this season of Amazing Race so far...

And to sign off, I do have photographic evidence that I suffered through 18-rain soaked miles...courtesy of Crazy Bandanahead.  Thanks, bandana-brain :)  I believe this was on the second loop...why the hell was I smiling?  Oh, I probably saw the camera and just had to fake it til I make it...but I did :)  And I hit a mileage PR in September...204 miles!!  Eek...no wonder I'm tired...

bloggers block

the last coupla days i thought about blogging but just couldn't press the "new post" button...haven't had much interesting stuff going on the last coupla weeks to write about!! but now here's enough for a mishmash...

was a lazy runner last week. partially due to recovery from cherry blossom, other partially due to passover and assorted seders with la familia, and my snooze-button loving finger.

this week going a little better. and yesterday, i not only got the opportunity to lead a speed workout, but i actually led the workout. let's see if anyone gets what i mean here :)

The Hills!! It's back. And Spencer is even more of a douchebag than before. Such a trainwreck. I've really been getting into Dancing With the Stars this season though...rooting for Melissa and Tony to win-sentimental favorite after what happened with "The Bachelor." And Amazing Race!! How the hell can the stuntmen be so dumb to get time penalties on 2 consecutive legs??? Saved by the non-elim...meh. And didn't these guys learn anything from last season when one team lost their passports?? I'm rooting for the lawyer brother/sister team to win...

both of my parents are now on facebook. god help us all. and my dad thought he screwed up my mom's profile when supposedly his picture was showing up on comments my mom was making. ummm...did either of you look to see who's name was at the top of the screen, and logged in? or even think of logging out when you have a shared computer? too funny.

Brooklyn Half registration is up, but not sure I'm really up for a half right now. I'd rather keep my race efforts short and sweet for now. (I am signed up for the Mini 10K, but not counting on it being a great time if the weather is a repeat of last year.) Thinking a non-Central Park/NYRR 10K may be good!! Why? Well...take a look at my top 5 10K times:

1. 47:06-Kleinerman 10K 2008
2. 47:38-Kleinerman 10K 2004
3. 48:37-10K split in Philly Distance Run 2008
4. 48:56-10K split in Cherry Blossom 10-miler 2009
5. 48:59-Mini 10K 2004

The fact that 2 of those are 10K splits in longer races...I need to get the heck out of Central Park for a 10K just once. Anyone have any suggestions of good 10Ks in the area?

MCM is 98% full as of today!! Glad I registered when I did...

Alright-enough blogging, back to watching 13 Going on 30!! :)

ankles are the new cleavage

yes, i figured the title would be good for a laugh or two. that is in reference to the latest ridiculous thing from office life. luckily, the reprimandee wasnt me this time, but another girl. her crime? showing too much ankle. i kid you not. capri-length leggings and a dress over it, which actually looked nice, but apparently, too revealing. can someone please explain to me, how is this more revealing and offensive than wearing dresses, skirts or capri pants? i don't get it. needless to say, that was the latest joke on facebook amongst the work crew.

the rest shall be another mishmash post...

my ncaa bracket is officially dead in the water. shoulda picked louisville to win it all instead of pittsburgh, but hey i listened to my mom, who correctly predicted kansas last year...

now that march madness is all but over, i think there should be a new pool...
"when will brooklyn half registration be open?"
whoever guesses closest should get free registration courtesy of nyrr :)
speaking of the brooklyn half...i am...actually...considering this one. only thing standing in my way besides there being no set date, is not knowing how my calves are going to behave on the boardwalk (if they are going to cramp up again like they did both other times.)
and whats up with the rest of the calendar? no more NYC half (not that that one was a big loss for me), the queens half got moved to september 20th which conflicts with both the 5th ave mile and rosh hashanah. at the rate things are going, i am not getting in my 9 races this year...but thats ok because if things go well, i wont be doing a fall marathon in 2010...

the hills season 5 starts a week from tomorrow!!! yay for trash tv being back on monday nights. unfortunately the premiere clashes with the march madness final (mtv, what were you thinking?). thank god for dvr...

3 more days... ;-)

a "race" or a "marathon"

So for all you Amazing Race fans...

Anyone watch this past Sunday's episode? Where the Roadblock was an Underwear Run of sorts, except not in 90 degree weather!! ;-) The task description? "One team member must participate in a winter marathon running 1.4 miles in their underwear." Ummmm...since when has a marathon been 1.4 miles? And during the task, someone complained about "not having the right shoes for his long run." Ummm...1.4 miles is a long run??? I did 12 and change earlier in the day-now *that's* a long run!! :-P

OK, I guess I am a running snob :)

And yesterday's St. Patrick's Day festivities sorta reminded me of yet another thing from Amazing Race...any long-time watchers remember the ice bar in Stockholm in Season 6? OK, the bar we went to wasn't entirely made of ice, and we weren't sliding shot glasses on it, but was still cool to rest our pint glasses on the ice strip and keep em cool. :)

As for now...eagerly waiting for April to get here for 2 reasons-Cherry Blossom and my fall marathon decision will be revealed :)

off-season, in-season

oops, another week has gone by and no other posts. well, at least it was a relatively low-drama week. (and thanks again for those of you who left me comments, both on and off the blog.)

with the exception of the weather!! i was very happy to dial the IWH (inclement weather hotline) on Monday and find out that the office was closed due to the snow. But apparently, since I didn't check my email, I didn't know until the next day that I was supposed to be online and accessable. Oops.

Running-wise, did feel a little "off-season" in a way. 5K pace/effort is 7:30-7:40 as opposed to 7:15-7:20, etc. Which was demonstrated by Cherry Tree and a track workout last month. However, a workout this past week that included 5K paced-timed pickups was a bit faster than that. Maybe off-season is coming to an end sooner than I thought!! But then again, as I said to JS when we were discussing the workout post mortem...maybe it was the whole "ignorance is bliss" thing...like I just know the effort even if i dont know the pace/distance til afterwards, as opposed to the track where you are locked into "x:xx per lap" At any rate, I do have definitely 1, possibly 2 short races on the horizon before Cherry Blossom-I figure I need to test things out on a more traditional distance (and without that killer Prospect Park hill!)

And these last 3 days were such a nice spring teaser...or hopefully a preview of what will be sticking around in about 2 weeks or so!! I celebrated by breaking out the running skirts for both yesterday's long run and today's shorter run :) The park was absolutely mobbed, but the park drive time was minimal yesterday...and stuck to the bridle path today (yay for it being runnable again in record time after a snowstorm!)

And today was a "spring forward" day...yay for it being light enough after work to run on the bridle path now!! Though it was tough to lose the hour of sleep...as I didn't get home last nite til after the time changed...so didn't get til sleep til about 3:30-4!! Blame the fact that wine (especially riesling!) is just so damn easy to drink...needless to say, my run didn't happen til mid-afternoon. Such a waste of a nice day...

And for my token reality TV mention-The Bachelor. The finale this week brought a whole new meaning to "most dramatic rose ceremony ever."

One final note-I have decided on what my fall marathon will be!! It will be revealed next month, but I will keep the poll up in the meantime for fun :)

mishmash

Another random smattering of things...

OK, now that The Hills is on hiatus (and we still dont know if Speidi are actually married!) I've had to get my Monday trash-tv fix with The City. It tries, but lightning doesn't strike twice. Though I do like to watch to see what bars/restaurants they frequent (Brass Monkey was in this week's episode! And funny, I was there after the 1st Monday downtown run this past week), especially where Whitney pseudo-works is right by where I work. (Her job is more fake than Heidi's? For shame...)

We were told several times this week at work that 2009 is going to be a "very tough year." Yikes. Honestly...whatever happens, happens. It's gonna be a tough year for a lot of people...

So after threats of rain and wintry mix all day Wednesday, it was actually decent weather for a speed workout. It was somewhat similar to the last coupla weeks-shots of Jack Daniels (short reps and long recoveries!! not the drink :-p)-but for whatever reason, I didn't feel as good as I did the last couple of weeks...I mean, it felt so much harder!! But I kept at it til the end, and then looked at my splits...



No wonder it felt harder-it *was* harder!! And I tried to gun the last one, I really did, but when a hill is at the end, it'll get ya every time. At least I earned the sangria afterwards!! :)

Thanks to everyone for their input on fall marathons. At this point, I think cost may be the deciding factor...so no final decision will be made until entry fee info is posted.

I walked by Westside Brewery earlier tonite and saw it was closed...no sign, everything was dark, but registers were still on, XMas tree still up...very strange. Any NYC'ers know what's up with that? I hope it's not closed permanently...I'll be sad :(

Another snowstorm!! Will this mean another "fun run"? Can't wait... (thank god I did not sign up for that race...gotta love being on racing hiatus!)

And finally, obviously one of the restaurants in Chelsea Market can't wait until inauguration day...they're counting the days!!

blown away

OK, maybe sleeping in and running in the afternoon, when it was crazy windy, wasn't the smartest idea. And less smart would have been wearing shorts too!! (though better than the rains yesterday-kudos to all the runners who ran the 60K in that!) But it seemed as soon as I got going, the wind became a non-issue, and I actually had my best run since the marathon-all 7.2 miles of it. So yeah-I can officially say I'm recovered from the marathon.

Still not quite race-ready just yet, and in fact I'm glad that I didn't run the Race to Deliver 4-miler today-besides it being notoriously crowded, I heard there were major issues with the corrals (runners being assigned wrong) and baggage (major bottleneck, about an hour wait.) Crazy!!

I'm almost 100% sure I will be racing next month-the Kleinerman 10K and the Holiday 4-miler. The goals for each shall be as follows:

10K-just run a decent race for once. Under 50 minutes at least...but hopefully under 49. If I feel like I can do damage to the PR, go for it.
4 miler-get at least a 2-second PR :)

The nights before each race, I do have plans that involve alcohol. I'll just have to make sure I stick to red wine, as that has proved itself to be a lucky pre-race drink for me ;-) And pace, pace, pace!!

On a different note, I officially want none of the final 4 on this season of the Amazing Race to win...once again the team I was rooting for fall just short :(

terrific tuesday tidbits

First tidbit is that this is my 500th blog post!! Yep, 500 posts in less than 3 years. And 6 1/2 months to get from 400 to 500 posts. Yes, I do need a life.

***********************************************************************************
As always, I get a SkirtSports discount code when I really don't need to buy any more skirts. (but maybe I should try the running dress...do I really need it though?) I'm amused at the fact that it's a 23% discount...here's their explanation:

Why 23? Here are a few good-as-gold Olympic reasons...
The number of seconds it would take Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt to run 1 mile.
The combined ages of China's women's gymnastics team members.
The number of times President Bush actually thought about slapping Misty May-Treanor on her bikinied butt instead of the small of her back.
The number of hurdles Lori "Lolo" Jones could knock down and still look smokin' HOT doing it.
The number of Olympics Dara Torres will compete in before she finally gets tired.
The number of Olympic gold medals Michael Phelps will win in London 2012.

***********************************************************************************
Season 4 of The Hills is underway and hasn't disappointed yet! (The season started at the perfect time...now I have something to occupy my TV time on Monday nights again!) Happy to see all the drama is back. Anyone who is just starting to watch and needs a refresher of the previous 3 seasons...here is one, courtesy of my brother (who I think missed his calling as a celebrity blogger...)

"LC is mad at Audrina because Audrina was mad at Lo for making her hang out less with her, after LC was mad at Heidi, so she spent more time with Audrina after she moved in, but then spent less time with Audrina after Lo moved it because Audrina and Lo don't get along well, and now Audrina is talking to Heidi because she's mad at LC, even though she doesn't like Spencer, who doesn't like LC, even though LC is friend's with Spencer's sister, making Spencer and Heidi mad at Spencer's sister for being friends with LC, even if Spencer's sister used to not like LC because LC didn't like Spencer, and Spencer is mad at Brody because Brody is friends with LC, but LC is still mad that Brody won't settle down with her, and because Brody hooked up with Jen Bunny, thus making LC mad at Jen Bunny, so Jen Bunny be-friended Heidi, but then didn't like Heidi because she told lies about LC...."

Trash TV. Gotta love it.

is this really what it takes?

Well now that The Hills is on hiatus til August, that means I need to find some other show to occupy my time on Monday nights...and The Bachelorette has done that job. Last week's premiere was quite entertaining...but I swear, the things these guys do to get attention have gotten more and more ridiculous...

• There was the martial-arts guy, who I guess thought it would be impressive to kick a lemon off the head of another bachelor...
• The guy who stripped down to his briefs to jump in the pool...oh yeah, the briefs had the girl's name on the a$$
• The personal trainer who's 'roid problem was evident after he did not get a rose-after all, he should get picked because his body made him God's gift to women, right?
• Not to mention gifts that ranged from necklaces to "crab cocktails" (the latter made by one of the bachelors who was a chef)

I guess you actually had to watch the show to really see what I mean...as I don't think I do a good job describing (or actually, Entertainment Weekly does a better job here.)

But good lord...I know this is TV, I know this is "fantasy," but guys...please do not get any ideas from this. You really don't have to go this far to impress me (or most other girls, I'm sure!)

That being said, I didn't know whether to feel sorry for the guy who botched the National Anthem during the Dodger Stadium date on last night's episode...or think "come on-you should know this by now!"

number ones

Well apparently this is a March Madness first!! All four #1 seeds in the Final Four!! And even better yet, that means all my Final Four teams in my bracket are still in it :) Kansas over UCLA in the final, let's make that happen!! C'mon, I can use the $$$...

The rest of this post shall be a mishmash of things...

• Had to go to DC for the day last Monday for a client pres that one of our salespeople was making. What a long day-spent more time on the train than we actually did with our client. But thankfully got an earlier train home...the Acela rocks!! As did kicking back with Coronas and pretzels
• The Hills? To quote my brother "Whenever a show goes to Paris, it's usually bad (a la The Real World)" As usual, Gawker sums it up just nicely.
• For a change, I'm not listening to my commenters. In the whole Brooklyn-Broad Street debate, I am going in the opposite direction and leaning towards Broad Street. Brooklyn will just need to talk trash about me for another year. But honestly, I'd rather run a good 10-miler than a mediocre half-marathon, and seriously...is it really a smart thing to run on a surface that has caused calf pain in the past (the boardwalk) while coming back from a calf injury?? Didn't think so.
• me and some other Flyers did some volunteering work in Central Park yesterday morning...a little raking, weeding, bagging and other cleaning stuff. And couldn't believe some of the things we came across...including a syringe. yick. I know this is NYC, but still...
• Took pictures at this morning's race (the Scotland Run)...got another kilt picture for Crazy Bandana-head...not a huge Flyer turnout (either that or a lot of Flyers may have been running incognito) As the boyfriend of one of my teammates said "How much did the Flyers have to drink last nite?" But damn...was there really about 7000 runners there?? (It did sure seem like it...)

who needs a pointless race anyway

As some of my other teammates who showed up for the "fun run" on Saturday morning told me, the road conditions were actually fine for a race, the roads were clear...even though this was pretty much $20 down the drain for me, I do still think NYRR made the right call-partially-with this one. I definitely agreed with them not making this a points race...not sure what the temps would be at the time, if it were below freezing, there might have been black ice on the ground...which wouldn't be good for those racing this uber-aggressively (the top guys finish this race at a sub-5 minute pace!) As for turning this into a fun run instead of keeping as a scored race...I dunno, I actually agree with Runner26-that after the Chicago debacle, NYRR was erring on the side of caution...in any case, I don't blame them for making the decision when they did-as all the local team people needed time to update their teams, etc...

As for me, I did originally think of signing up for a spin class, but didn't feel like setting the alarm, and actually did a run in the early afternoon...the lower 5 loop of the park was definitely clear, not icy, conditions were great for a run with some flurrying at the very end. Oh-one thing I noticed-on the 102nd street transverse, there were a LOT of clipped red chip ties on the ground-more than I'd think there would be, considering the chips weren't being used...

Then today, a Flyer teammate held a "Yoga for Runners" class at Practice Yoga-a cute little yoga studio (definitely a far cry from the classes at NYSC!!) Runner26 and Crazybandanahead were there, in addition to other teammates. This was a quite fast-paced class (power vinyasa)-but having done a good majority of the poses for the past coupla months, I actually was able to follow along pretty easily, and do some of the more intermediate/advanced versions of the poses-this one (shoulder stand) is actually my favorite. However-as much as I tried-I could not do the crow pose-don't think my arms can support this much padding :-\ After the class, I said I felt like a "human pretzel." :-p And Runner26 and I decided that a cupcake was in order and hit up the UWS Magnolia Bakery and sung the praises of lavender-frosted cupcakes. :)

And finally-for some laughs (or not)-this is the latest "most annoying commercial that I can't seem to get out of my head." You all have my co-worker to thank for this, after mentioning it on his Facebook status. Tristate areaers-I apologize, but I have to show those who live outside the area what they are missing :-p

in with the new

found 2 heads ups in my inbox today!!

First off, SkirtSports has a new spring line...complete with updated MarathonGirls, GymGirls and RollerGirls in addition to other new stuff (including the UptownGirl...tee hee.) Though I'm actually not too crazy about the RollerGirl update...like the Classic version better. The other 2 look good though...but must wait til they go on sale :)

And The Hills' next season will be back on TV on March 24th. Thank God, I was going through withdrawal, I had to resort to Gawker's catty commentary on Heidi's so-called music career for some laughs.

what i've learned in the last few days

a bullet point list...

• Cigna has the crappiest.network.ever. It took me several tries to find a PT that accepted my insurance. Next year I think I will spring for the extra $5 per paycheck and get the PPO plan. But nevertheless, with the help of a co-worker, I did find a PT and my first appointment is Wednesday. Wish me luck.
• Maybe I needed to have someone tell me not to run for 2 weeks. The calf pain has definitely subsided, most likely because I've been a good little girl and stuck to cross-training. I do still feel tightness there though-which will hopefully be nipped in the bud with some PT.
• Surprise, surprise, yoga is actually a great workout. I have been hesitant to try it, as I have done Pilates before and that had just bored me to tears-and I expected yoga to be more of the same. I did a couple of hatha yoga classes at NYSC in the last few days and they are actually more intense than I thought-I definitely had to work at it!! But I think this and spinning will keep me sane while on the running DL and even off the DL too!
• On the topic of spinning, my Flyer teammate SW teaches a kick-ass spinning class. She subbed today for one of the classes i usually take and didn't disappoint. Highly recommended!
• But even though I'm getting into this cross-training, I'm still feeling out of the loop socially. Yeah, I got a little envious hearing about a great "run to food" that happened this past weekend. I know there will be other runs...but still, just because I can't run right now doesn't mean I want to be antisocial...I can still do non-running things...I dunno. I'm tired of feeling left out.
• How great has this season of The Amazing Race been? I can't wait for next week's finale...GO TK and Rachel!! (yeah, I like the nice teams)

Now if you excuse me, I think I need to make a prayer to the snow gods for a snow day tomorrow...or at the very least, a delayed opening :)

and speaking of the hills

no, not the hills in Queens, these Hills!!

I mentioned my addiction back here during the second season, now the third season is even better...

the tension between LC and Heidi!! will they ever be friends again?

who really spead the sex tape rumor?

who's the most evil guy on the show-Spencer, Jason or "Justin Bobby"?

Audrina and "Justin Bobby"-on again, off again?

how many more friendships will Heidi wreck?

and the infamous Heidi/Spencer wedding-will it ever happen?

(plus gotta love Gawker's catty commentary on the show.)

And to top it all off, for my b-day, my brother got me the 2nd season on DVD. I watched half the episodes the day I got it!! Such a guilty viewing pleasure.

spring-just what the doctor ordered

ok, forget about that the Central Park drives and the West Side Highway are suddenly more crowded than usual. Yeah, I may be complaining once again this summer, but for now I'm letting it go, the trade-off with spring weather finally sticking around-is worth it.

After the brief teaser a coupla weeks back, I just needed this big time. Forcing myself out the door to run is a lot easier, the attitudes seem to have lessened, everyone is just in "spring fever" mode.

i'll be toeing the line of yet another overcrowded NYRR race this weekend...first time in a month and a half. not sure i'm expecting much, just in it for the points race, to support the team, etc. but who knows, my last 3 speed workouts have been encouraging...not in PR shape, but hopefully all is not lost...

Quarterly company meeting with the financial update today...the smartazz in accounting decided to psych us out by playing "Bad Day" but then switched it to another song...

BCG is not the only one to have issues with NJ Transit...I was in NJ Sunday for a b-day dinner for my mom and the trip back...well, the train was 10-15 minutes late, meaning that it missed the connection in Secaucus by less than a minute and I had to wait about 45 minutes for the next train into Penn. However, as long as the parentals live in NJ, NJ Transit has a monopoly on how I get across the Hudson...

And what is up with the Yanks' bullpen? ARod's heroics as of late have been all for naught...

I'm not sure I want any of the final 4 to win TAR All-Stars! I've been so ridiculously hooked on The Bachelor this season-there's still hope for this one, at least this Bachelor cut the right women on last night's episode (the ones least deserving to get a rose...)

And speaking of bachelors, I've decided no more talking about guys who have potential. I jinx it that way. You'll just have to hear only the bad stories instead :-p

OK, this post has been all over the place...that's what happens when you're wiped out from a killer speed workout and you can't think straight!

now playing: "beautiful liar" ~ beyonce & shakira

down with winter

you've all heard me complaining about the weather before, but I'll do it again for good measure...

For the record-I am really and truly sick of winter. It's at least a week into April already, dammit-no more f*cking snow!!

I look wistfully at my cute spring/summer clothes and my singlets and shorts and want to be wearing those instead of layers and layers.

I want the weather to get and stay in the 60s regularly, not just a teaser here and there.

I want spring fever, enough of the winter blahs!!

************************************************************

OK, now I got that off my chest. I guess the lingering winter blahs have also led to me not writing many blog posts of much substance. (C'mon, you didn't like my reality TV blog posts? What do you all think about the new Bachelor?? I do want to like him...but then he opens his mouth.)

As for running...it's been seriously lagging. Been trying to maintain 20 mpw, but fell way short last week...I'm blaming the weather and the heavy workload though, moreso the weather. It's been tough to force myself out the door when it's still chilly out. This Saturday is the Brooklyn half and even though I know a lot of people say it's a must-do, I'm gonna be sitting this one out. Forget what I've said in the past about Brooklyn, I'm just not prepared for a half right now. Yeah, I'll miss taking the bus with the Flyers, hanging out before the race and having brunch afterwards, but I think it's the right thing. (still hope that Queens shows up on the fall calendar!)

Which leads to another choice I need to make...I have 20 days left to claim my guaranteed entry for NYC, and honestly, I'm not even sure if I want to run a marathon this year. I guess I can always sign up and eat the cost if need be, but do I really want to do that...?

I'll probably be at a couple of the short May/June races (e.g., the Healthy Kidney 10k, the Mini) but I think I'm also sick of racing in Central Park...the races, the starts are getting too packed to be enjoyable, or to really run/race your best. Don't have any time goals yet in mind for those races just yet...was pretty discouraged by my running the last few weeks, especially during speed workouts...finally had a good one today, 3 x 1.02 mile around the Delacorte Oval, done at 7:35, 7:45, and 7:51 pace. Not my best, but much better than I have been churning out recently. So I may have turned a corner there. I've also made an attempt to get some cross-training back in to mix things up (namely my old favorite cardio kickboxing class and/or spinning)...maybe that's helping too.

As for work...still busy, I can't say I'm totally in the clear, but I have gotten at least one monkey off my back. (I feel like being cryptic right now :-p) And after a good 3 or so months where I probably had no business doing any dating whatsoever (no fair to any guy to have to deal with my pissed-off/stressed-out work mode) there is a prospect on the horizon. A certain couple of my blog readers/wing-women seem to have given this one a stamp of approval ;-) but as always, wait and see. I've been thinking lately about how different dating is now compared to about 10 years ago and was gonna make a separate post on that, but will hold off for now.

Oh, and how glad am I that Passover is over?? I didn't break it this year, but it seemed tougher than usual, there were a couple of days where I was feeling very low on energy from the lack of carbs. I don't know how those on low-carb diets do it!!

And is anyone else besides me going to be unproductive this coming Monday tracking the Boston marathoners? With the new 10am start, now I can spend the whole day tracking as opposed to just the afternoon...yikes...

now playing: "makes me wonder" ~ maroon 5