a devil of a decade

Well first off, this is post #666 for me.  Hence the devil reference in the post title :)  No, I'm not saying I'm the devil...hahahaha.

So I'm watching "I Love the New Millennium" on VH1 right now...2000 was previously on, now this hour showcases 2001.  (Update since I started writing-now it's on 2003!  Boy this post took a long time to write...)  Holy shit-are we really on the edge of a new decade?  Was it really 10 years ago that we were all freaking out about the Y2K bug and thinking the world will come to an end on January 1, 2000? :-P  (funniest memory from that-my dad "stocking up" on 5 gallons of bottled water since apparently the Y2K bug would cause a lack of drinking water...oh the things people believed!)

Man-so much has happened this decade...if I thought 2009 was an emotional rollercoaster of sorts...well the whole decade was like the Great American Scream Machine or something like that :)  And since VH1 is looking back...I kinda feel like doing the same.

2000-my biggest memory of this year was breaking up with my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years...which as a lot of you long-time readers know, was someone everyone expected me to marry.  But no matter how great someone may be on paper, if you grow apart and become different people during that time...staying togehter for the sake of others can never result in anything good.  So for the first time in 5 years, I was single and it was really tough...partially because most of my friends were in relationships, but also partially because I was still living at home...

2001-fell in love, only to wind up getting played.  Moved on out of the parentals house and into the city.  9/11.  Seeing how the fallout from that brought out the good in people, but also brought out the bad in other people.  We were in a changed world, no matter how you looked at it.

2002-I think this year was officially the low point of the decade for me.  Still hurting from said 2001 player.  Dealt with some cash flow issues.  A friend of my brother...well, I will not go into detail about what he tried to do to me, but let's just say as a result of it, my brother terminated that friendship immediately.  Not one, but two roommate changes-and anyone in NYC knows how stressful it is finding a roommate!  Got laid off from my job...but thankfully I did find a new one and was only unemployed for 6 weeks.

2003-anyone else remember the blackout?  the day of my baby brother's b-day no less...original plan was to head to NJ for a b-day dinner right after work, instead we spent it grabbing beers from some of the 3rd Ave bars and him crashing at my place.  And thanking my lucky stars that I was still living in midtown then instead of uptown...yep, 2 weeks later I had moved into my little studio apartment on the UWS.  Can't tell you how good it felt to not have to deal with roommates.

2004-the running year, so to say.  Joined NYRR, joined the Flyers, opened up a whole new world for me.  Maybe this year was a turning point of sorts?

2005-learned and appreciated how tough it is to plan social events in NYC, thanks to my stint as Flyers' social chair :)  Was hoping to run my first marathon-NYC-this year, but a month into the training, a bad case of plantar fasciitis stopped me in my tracks, so to say.  And believe me, recovery was a bitch and then some :)  And oh yeah...I discovered this little thing called blogging and thought I'd try it ;-)

2006-busy year, I remember.  Had a Flyers exec board position-Member at Large.  And let me tell you, it really made me feel good that my teammates felt I was the best one for the job.  What a difference from 10 years before-when I kept getting shot down for positions on my sorority's exec board...i was too new, i was too shy, whatever, there was some excuse.  Met a lot more people in the running community...partially through this blogging thang ;-) and partially because one of my goals as MAL was to enhance relations between us and other clubs...with "mixer" happy hours, post-race softball games and other things.  Hit the big 3-0 this year...yikes :-P Work kicked me in the ass this year, partially due to one project from hell, partially because we were down one man and it took over a year to find a replacement!  But despite all that, I did finally run my first marathon...and broke 4 hours :)

2007-I think I was mentally in hibernation for a good portion of the first half of the year...yeah, work was still kicking me in the ass.  Just seemed to affect everything...my relationships, my running, as well as other things.   Things did get a little better through the spring and summer though.  Took my first real vacation in a very long time-to San Francisco...ran a half-marathon there and totally fell in love with the city...hmmm, could I maybe see myself living there someday, who knows.  (Or maybe I really needed a vacation and anything would have seemed good!)  Had my first serious relationship in years...which didn't end on the best of terms.  Learned 2 things-a significant other must respect my friends and if I need my space after said breakup, that needs to be respected too if there is to be any chance at a friendship.

2008-is it me or did this seem like the year of Facebook?  Almost every day, a new friend request, quiz invite and my personal favorite-the "SuperPoke" :-P  Halfway through the year, got a taste of what the state of the economy would be as we were told at work that "2008 is turning into a very tough year" and that certain big events would be canceled in order to make budget, that we'd have to do without some "nice to haves".  Running-wise, 2008 started off with a calf injury, I recovered from it and it did turn out to be my best running year in 4 years...ran 3:44 in NYCM and got goals in shorter distances that I had been chasing after for years.

2009-And so it brings us to this year.  Early months were kinda rough...close relative (my uncle) passed away...round of layoffs at work which thankfully I dodged that bullet, but me and others wound up absorbing a lot more work as a result...but at that point, just grateful to have a job.  Was vice president of the Flyers this year. The Yankees won their first World Series in 9 years!! Running-wise, was on track to have my best year yet...and it looked like not only was a BQ marathon in reach, but 3:40 was setting the bar too low.  But was stopped in my tracks at mile 21 of the Marine Corps Marathon with the infamous (sh)IT band injury.  As I said before, I am happy for the good running moments, just wish the year hadn't ended on such a bad note.  Was in 2 serious relationships this year...and I am grateful to still be friends with both of them.  Especially the latter...us getting together did cause me to lose a friend, but I feel I got a much better one as a result.  I never thought I'd be able to just hang out with an ex over a few beers and just enjoy ourselves...but we can and we do...someone I'm very happy to have had in my life this year...and in future years too ;-)

So I'm reading over this now and thinking wow...can't believe how much has happened in 10 years.  Even though I have said 2009 was a rough year, I will say that at the very least, this decade did end better than it started.  And have I learned anything?  Well I guess so...

Work-I felt like i worked away my 20s and don't want to do the same with my 30s...in my early years I put in the time because I thought it would get me more money, more power...yeah, at the time I did actually like my job...but by the end of the decade I learned that all the money in the world isn't worth it if you're not happy, don't feel fulfilled, don't feel like there is a good work-life balance.  Oh yeah-and getting involved with someone at work is definitely NOT the best idea!!

Love/relationships-and on that topic...well in the beginning of the decade, with a lot of my friends having the marriage bug, I kinda wanted the same...and I know I've felt like that for many years too.  But I've been thinking about this for a good part of this year.  First off, as I have mentioned before, I really don't like dating.  It's more...I feel like I'm putting on an act of sorts and it just gets exhausting.  I just want to be myself...and that was a sign that my last relationship was gonna have great potential, as I never once felt like I had to act, I could totally be myself.  And I honestly don't care that people tell me that "dating means free dinner and drinks" or something to that effect.  Seriously, I will gladly pay for my own damn dinner and drinks if it means I'm with a guy I can feel comfortable with and be myself with and enjoy myself with.  And I know I've said plenty of times before that I want to get married but...well as James Marsden's character said to Katherine Heigl's character in 27 Dresses: "I think you want a wedding-not a marriage."  I guess now I'm feeling the opposite...like it's more the companionship I'm seeking out instead of the shiny rings and wedding.  I do have friends who are in permanently committed relationships but havent felt the need to get married...and they are just as happy as those who have "made it official."  Maybe I'm not making sense here...but this is always a complex topic. :)

Well even though there are some things in my life that I do fell still need fixing...as I said before, this decade did end on a much better note than it started on...and I can only hope that will carry over into 2010.  As for tonight...I won't be running at midnight, I won't be smooching anybody at midnight, but I will be ringing in the new year with friends...just fun and no drama...all I can ask for.

So...long story short, I'm happy to be leaving this devil of a decade behind and can only hope for bigger and better things in the next year...or next 10 years...or more.

Happy New Year everyone!  Have fun, be safe...and talk to ya "next year"! :)

no MORE marathon

Now I'm not talking about myself there!  When I IM'ed a friend today and said to him "no more marathon next year-only the half" he interpreted it as I'm not doing a marathon, and only a half next year! :-P

But nope, I'm talking about what was the "More Marathon"...looks like in 2010 they are doing away with the marathon portion and only having the half-marathon!!  (And I guess also learning from last year's mistake, they also warned about the caps way, way in advance!)  Given the declining numbers for the marathon, I'm not surprised they did away with it.

But did anyone notice the price for the half?  $60 for NYRR members, $65 for non-NYRR members?  For what will most likely be 2+ laps of Central Park...a course we can do later in the year (i.e., Grete's) for $17?  I don't get that!  I can understand the fee for the NYC Half, as city streets need to be closed down for the event...but for running in Central Park?  My guess is that this will be mostly out-of-towners...since racing in Central Park is a novelty for them!  After all, I have paid around that cost for halfs before...but those were "destination" ones-e.g., Philly, San Francisco, Vegas.  Oh, and this half will be on the same weekend it was last year.  Another chance at unseasonable heat and a "fun run"?  And will the new March date for the NYC Half mean a snowstorm?  It's not like a race in March has never been turned into a fun run before...remember this one back in 2007?

Hmmm...speaking of halfs, looks like the one I am hoping to run next May will cost a pretty penny too.  But thats ok since it won't be 2 loops of Central Park, hell it won't even be in NYC! :)  Of course, that is contingent on the (sh)IT band getting better.  Yeah latest on that-not much to tell.  I decided to be brave and try the bridle path on Sunday, but the (sh)IT band was complaining by the end of the run.  Of course that may have been due to me spotting Creepy Stalker Guy and of course, I had to speed up :-P  (though I thought it's slower speeds that aggrevate ITBS more?)  But did the rez on Tuesday...not bad.  Just kind of taking it day by day for now...wouldn't say I'm out of the woods just yet.  Booked an appointment for next Wednesday with a new PT, one that was highly recommended by a couple of my teammates-just keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance thing works out!!  And that I can find some light at the end of this tunnel...

Office lesson learned this week, never, ever leave your computer unlocked.  Otherwise, the office smartass who has been known to hijack others email before will...well, hijack your email and send an all-staff email saying that this is the last day and that you're leaving the company to pursue a music career...and some other smartass stuff.  Yes, this is a true story.  No, it wasn't me whose email was hijacked, I know to keep my computer locked :)

And Happy Hanukkah...starts tomorrow nite!  Will celebrate it by partying, holiday-style with the Flyers...and maybe sitting on Santa's lap (oh the irony!)  Hmmm...I think I've been a good girl this year...what should I ask Santa for? :-P Well besides the obvious-a healthy right (sh)IT band!  And a BQ :)

running in heels

Yow.  My calves are actually sore right now, and surprisingly, not from running 3 loops of the reservoir yesterday.  Nah, I think it's more due to dancing and being on my feet for so long on Thursday wearing a pair of high-heeled black Mary Janes for the office holiday party...

Yeah, the annual holiday party.  Is it me, or is there something totally unnatural about a holiday party when it's like 60-something degrees out?  (Although it beats the hell outta previous years when it's been raining or snowing, meaning getting a cab home was just torture!)  At any rate, winter-y clothes didn't seem to be on the agenda, so I ignored the memo that black dresses with tights and boots were the attire du jour and instead decided to be different and wear a more colorful print dress by Pink Polka Dot (whenever those dresses/tops are available at the sample sale in my building, I always seem to snatch something up!)...hey if it's good enough for K-Cav and Audrina its good enough for me :-P  Anyway, the fashion section of this post is now over.

So instead of the usual drinks (mmmmojitos!), dinner, DJ and dancing...well actually we did have all that, but there was a coupla twists.  One being that there was also a private comedy show for us...which I guess makes sense, considering the party venue was a comedy club.  Was kinda "take it or leave it", though I (and others) found it funny that one of the comedians kept teasing the office troublemakers and ripping on others that well...couldn't exactly answer what exactly we do at work.  i guess you had to be there to appreciate it.  Even though the dancing resumed after that, it kinda upset the "rhythm" of the party...and a certain party tradition almost didn't happen.  But I guess others wouldn't have that and told the DJ to call out the CFO...and yes, once again while bustin' a move to "Baby Got Back", he ripped his shirt off...5 years in a row and counting!!

Then the after party...oh wait, before that, another "extra" that got added was this psychic lady who did "rock readings."  And according to her, I still can't let go of a former boyfriend, and I'll never be happy unless I do.  Tell me something I don't know.  Glad I didn't have to pay for this one.

So I was unsure about the after-party, I actually hadn't gone to it in years but this year what the hell, why not.  Originally was gonna be here-but like 15 minutes after I got there I can't remember why, but the consensus was to go elsewhere.  I think peeps were disappointed they didn't get a chance to partake in the chocolate covered bacon that this place offered.  Then the "plan B" bar was too crowded...and I said "Why don't we just go to the Monkey?"  And so we all did.  More drinking and dancing...and singing along to seemingly every song that came on, I most vividly remember all of us almost screaming along to "I Gotta Feeling."  I called it a night around 1 AM, glad I wasn't working Friday!

And thankfully not too too hung over, as I had to go visit the doc on Friday to get fitted for my new and (hopefully!) improved orthotics...and so I wait (I think about 2 weeks.)  And I guess keeping up with the same old same old for now.  Though I do feel like this whole "no running" thing is just killing my social life...yes, how sad, my social life is so tied into running.  But seriously, no one wants to do multiple loops of the reservoir-which is what I'm trying to stick with right now, since where I come from, thats the closest I can get to no hills.  Though I do hope to be able to run the 4-mile loop by New year's eve, so I can actually partake in my somewhat annual "let me try and forget that I don't have anyone to kiss at midnight" ritual.  (Though if I do get any better offers, I'm not object to accepting them.  I'm just not counting on it.)

And was it really 2 days ago that it was in the 60s...OMG it's, like, snowing!!  Wonder if NYRR will turn tomorrow's 10K into a "fun run"?  Well if they don't, good luck to all those running!!  Still undecided on whether I will actually go out and cheer...that 8am race start is a little much for me.

Oh and for all of you CrackBerry owners...or those who have not drank the iPhone Kool-Aid-this blog (written by the bf of a former Flyer who moved to the left coast a few years ago) is for you!!  And iPhone owners, I don't even want to hear that your precious iPhone has feelings :-P

"dummy quotas"

ok, now there is a random post title.  but it's a term I've been hearing about infinity times 10 times in the last 4 days for this one project I am working on.  I swear, I wish I could tell some people what to do with their "dummy quotas"...but I won't :)  So yeah, stressed out and all, maybe a good thing because it takes my mind off Sunday, right?  Thank god I am off from work tomorrow, otherwise I'd be totally useless...

So actually enjoying this quasi-cutback week of sorts, hopefully it means I will have the legs back on Sunday.  Yesterday I did a usual "before race" workout to get the legs ready prepared to run fast...this time 4 x half-mile at tempo (which I guess would be close to HMP?)...paces I cranked out were 7:56, 7:36, 7:46, 7:37.  Encouraging was that I felt much better than the week before Club Champs...and that 7:36-7:37 is a magic number of sorts...you figure it out ;-)

Oh and anyone think its crazy what they are actually charging for email/text updates for the PDR?  (Looks like it's the same deal for all the "Rock and Roll" family of races...)  Guess I will be telling friends and family to just go to the website on race day...track me for free!!

So short and sweet post.  I just wanted an excuse to use "dummy quota" as a post title :-P

sweets...not so sweet?

So someone in my division is leaving the company, and yesterday we get an email that they are ordering in dessert today to "celebrate" his departure...or something like that. And instead of thinking "yay! sweets!", i'm thinking "i'm running a 5K tonite. I don't really want to indulge. Not to mention that i am in the midst of marathon training. How can I refuse eating without seeming rude?"

And it's not just today, but it is something that has come up in the past and that I had wanted to blog about but for whatever reason, hadn't. During marathon training...and even when I'm not...I feel like I have to pick and choose my indulgences. And sometimes it's tough in group situations, like work lunches and birthdays. I'll occasionally indulge when there is something I really love on the dessert menu, but most of the time I'm happy to just get fruit sorbet (which I do like) and avoid the guilty feeling. But I still get the comments because I don't share it and I don't want a taste of what others ordered. Or I get comments that it's borderline rude to not partake in whatever cake or dessert someone brought in for someone else's b-day...even when it's something I'm not crazy about. Why do I get criticized for wanting to take care of myself?

And September is a tough month for this, between the jewish holidays and my b-day and others this month...but it's not just now, I feel like I struggle with this year-round (e.g., if I'm worried that i can't fit into my dress for the awards party because I'm not marathon training and therefore "slacking off"), that I can't afford to treat myself. And that's when the mental demons come in. "I'm not thin enough. I look so fat next to my skinny teammates, i want this picture taken off the Flyers website. Those people say that I don't have to worry about what I eat because I run? They don't know, I don't have their speedy metabolisms..." and so on.

And isn't running supposed to be a "healthy" lifestyle of sorts? Who knows. I will admit, I do deal with my body image issues better now than I did 10 or so years ago (i think the fact that I was comfortable enough to do the Underwear Run was a step in that direction), but I don't think this is something that will ever completely go away...

Moving on-yeah I mentioned a 5K tonite-really only doing for fun and for the post-race party. I'm sorta training through it as I am not tapered. In the 7-day period between last Wednesday and this Tuesday, I ran 54 miles! Needless to say, yesterday was a running rest day. But nevertheless, my only goal is to just not completely embarass myself with my time. And hopefully finish in the top half of the women (small race and I think a lot of the fast local women will be out.) And finish before they run out of post-race beer. (I budgeted this as my "indulgence" for the day :-P )

"somebody's got a case of the mondays"

Ahhh Office Space. One of those movies that just speaks to us peeps in cubicle life. C'mon, you can't say that you were never lectured about your TPS reports at least once in your lifetime :)

And of course, another unforgettable line from the movie is "Uh-oh. Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays." Yeah, don't we all. But it seemed like yesterday's case of the Mondays was worse than normal. Yeah imagine having a great weekend, then walking in to the office, checking your email to find a little controversy on a project you're working on, and the email chain begins on Friday nite after you leave the office (mind you, I didn't leave at 5 on the dot) But even better, someone else's misunderstanding is being interpreted as me screwing up. Talk about "guilty til proven innocent", huh. (Which brings to mind another line from the movie..."So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it." ) Thankfully, the issue got resolved and my semi-good name was cleared. Still doesn't mean I have to like it...or think it was a nice way to start off the week...

And what does having a case of the Mondays have to do with running? Glad you asked...well I decided to join the downtown crew after work for their usual 6 and frontloaded with a couple of miles on the West Side highway path. Went up north a little bit then turned around...and just as I turned around, a biker ran right into me. Guess it was partially my fault, I didn't see him as he was behind me and I guess I turned around without much warning. And thankfully I was OK (Mr. Garmin took a little bit of a hit, but I put him back together) but it was still scary, especially considering how a biker led to a certain injury a year and a half ago. Thankfully, the 6 miles with the Flyer crew was without incident...

So I plan on hitting the Central Park bridle path for a few miles tonite, and I totally expect that I will be knocked down somehow. Either by a biker, a loose dog, or my own klutziness. All I ask of you is if you see me down for the count later, please help me up. Thanks in advance :)

Now back to those TPS reports...

"please do not fret"

Sometimes I curse the invention of the "reply all" button-mainly when it is abused and I walk away from my desk for 5 minutes to return and see 15 new messages from the same damn conversation to catch up on. (Do I really need to know that one of my colleagues has a 10-foot pole...OK, guess you have to see the email exchange to appreciate the humor :-P) But sometimes it can be a source of entertainment. Like this one exchange between two people in my group which grew a little heated and the one who had the final word told the other one "please do not fret." (either that was the final word or "reply all" got changed to "reply" after that message) Anyways, don't ask me why, but me and my fellow (now ex) group-mate just kept laughing about it...became one of our running inside jokes or something. :-)

So why am I thinking about that? Well, because no less than 2 people have told me in the last coupla days not to "fret" about Saturday's race...and you guys know who you are ;-) I look back at last year at this time and remember just feeling excited and optimistic about the race. I'm still excited about the race, don't get me wrong, but I still feel like a bundle of nerves or something about every little thing. I'm in the yellow corral this time? But I was red last year for this race...damn, I've been demoted. :-P Easy 4 on the bridle path today, felt a little better than Tuesday but I still feel like I will need a miracle to feel good on Saturday morning. And can't forget the 10 AM start in the summer heat! Or maybe I just also have other stuff on my mind thats bugging me that may not necessarily have to do with running...

I don't even know why I'm nervous, it's not like this is marathon day! But I guess there's nothing I can do at this point but rest up tomorrow (thank god for a summer Friday!) and just hope that once the starting horn sounds, that the legs will just know what to do...

But to end this post on a good note-8th inning and the Yanks have a 9-run lead on the Sawx...gotta love that!! (of course now that I said it I just jinxed them.)

welcome to the central park zoo

Yeah I know I know...there actually is a zoo in Central Park. But it seemed last nite that the animals all escaped and spread out all over the park drives. Dear god, I know it was a Tuesday during marathon training season but the park seemed more packed than normal...this time Niketown and Team in Training being the biggest culprits. And those teams who decided to take your workouts off the park drives for the night...I thank you and say you were very smart to do so. And of course, it wouldn't be a normal evening without seeing a handful (or more) of Flyers in passing. Loop done and I look like I just jumped in Lasker Pool. And I was taking it easy too as I was planning on doing my speed workout in the morning instead of the evening!

And yeah...that workout this morning. A previous commitment in the evening meant I had to get it done before work. And overnight, Central Park had changed from zoo to sauna. Yeah the park was much quieter, but the humidity was deadly. But facing it head on, it's the only way I'm gonna acclimate. I had decided to do something simple but tough-5 x 2 laps of the Great Hill track (which is not 1/4 mile...339m, i believe?) with 1 lap recovery in between...5k pace or faster. Despite the conditions, it was actually a nice morning for a workout...the track was nearly empty, only 2 other peeps besides me there and concentrating on their workouts too. And sometimes it's nice to do a workout solo once in awhile instead of with a group...as sometimes you may have to fight it out by yourself in the last mile or 2 of a race and this can help prep for that. The conditions were tough, but I just stuck it out and was pretty happy with the workout and the pacing...

...especially since a check back to the logs said I did a near-identical workout back in July '06...and in near-identical conditions too. Only difference being that it looked like the recoveries in that workout were 90-second standing recoveries instead of jogging recoveries (which were over 2 minutes) And I had to do the comparison...

July 2009	July 2006
3:00	2:59
2:54	3:02
2:57	3:02
2:57	3:09
2:52	3:10

And I liked what I saw 3 years later :) Funny how the first interval was very similar...but this workout wound up moving in a different direction, a better direction. I don't know if it was being better heat trained or the mental game a little better but I'm taking it :)

And as for the reason why I had to do the workout this morning instead of the evening...eh, was supposed to go to happy hour with the coworkers...but being at the office til 8 tonite was a little bit of a buzzkill. Yeah I could have stopped by afterwards but after the day I had...was not in the mood for coworkers, especially one in particular and I didn't want to be responsible for "accidentally" spilling my drink anywhere or on anyone. It's all good...means I don't have to worry about being so wasted that I can't run tomorrow morning. (two mornings in a row? who am i...?) And thankfully it also meant I didn't have to run in this evening's torrential rains...

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... ;-)

welcome to my rollercoaster

Hello there!! Whoops, been some time since an update. But I'm fine-just have had a rollercoaster of a week or so...

The biggest part has been the job-last week was crazy with most of my group packing up our cubicles to move to temporary locations while our cubes were being renovated. I'm sharing an office with someone during this transition period-an office normally meant for one-but it's actually been good so far.

But nothing could have prepared me for when I walked in Tuesday afternoon. Being greeted by the news that there was a round of layoffs. And even though I survived, two others in our group didn't. I didn't know what to say. Of course I felt horrible for them-they were definitely more than just coworkers, they were friends too and will be missed. On the other hand-I felt like I dodged a bullet. Needless to say, it's been a very strange atmosphere at the office this past week. Not surprisingly, the workload has increased a lot as a result. But I'm taking this a lot better than the last time I was in my work hell. I guess I'm really trying to stay calm and cool-getting hysterical is not gonna help the situation. And I am going to make sure I make time for me this time around too. Which means not wussing out on running...

Speaking of running...yeah it has been happening. Around 20-25 miles a week in fact. Nothing impressive, but decent maintenence mileage. And I actually am gonna be participating in the Cherry Tree Relay this weekend!! Didn't get any takers for a Flyers team, but that's ok because I get to "crash" one of the Reservoir Dogs' teams (that includes a fellow blogger-guess who ;-) ) We have a fun team that is named after a popular TV show :) This race is really gonna be fun for me-and a good way to see "where I'm at." A track workout done last week that was supposed to be 5K pace...well, that effort had me more doing closer to 7:30 pace than 7:15 pace (which is what it would have been the end of last year.) So will take advantage of this wonky distance (3.34 miles, I believe?) as a fitness check of sorts. And at least I will have material for a race report! :)

Also speaking of the Flyers...I've got something in the works there and I feel like being cryptic right now. All will be revealed by this time next week. Trust me ;-)

And in other news-anyone else think that the NYCM fee this year is ridiculous? Almost $150 for NYRR members...that's crazy!! I think I will actually need to drop this one from consideration for my fall marathon...

party girl

Tis the season...3 parties in 3 days (not to mention a holiday lunch on wednesday that wound up going til 4pm!) First one was last nite, the annual work party. Surprisingly, I drank much less than I did last year-I figured I'd leave that role to other people this year :) As per tradition, the CFO ripped his shirt off near the end of the party (sorry...no pictures!! i know better :) ) I decided to pass on the after-party...as I need to pace myself!! Was a good time-and I know a few of my colleagues thought so too, as indicated in their Facebook status updates this morning (especially those who are newer to the company and this is their first holiday party!)

Round 2 is tonite, the Flyers' holiday party...and I think I will be sticking to red wine tonite and not a lot of it...you know, because of that little 4-mile run tomorrow morning.

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More pictorial evidence from Sunday!!


Yay, NYRR finally got a picture of me actually running!! Not chatting, posing with teammates, hanging out in lasker pool, dancing or any other assorted goofy things. Pretty cool :) Man...I'm all business here!!


My sole brightroom picture, and they just had to get me stopping my watch :-P

where i'm at

where am i at? well i'm here. for now :-p

yeah, i've been MIA for a week. lotsa craziness going on, not a lot of chances to blog. (and i know i've been bad about commenting too...but i've been reading!)

so turkey day weekend consisted of...
escaping the madness that is the Macy's parade (only day that I curse living on the UWS)
fighting the crowds at Penn Station
NJ Transit doing its NJ Transit thing once again
dinner at the parentals...on the early side (we were done eating by 5!) and quieter than normal. long story, not going into it here...
hitting the shops on friday and saturday (for the record, I waited until later in the evening to brave the black friday sales)
a 6-mile (training) run through the streets of NJ...man, couldn't believe how flat it was compared to central park!
sitting through the first half of the jets-broncos game and getting completely soaked in the process. you know the conditions were bad when my brother was OK with leaving at halftime!!

hectic week at work too...preparing for a client presentation tomorrow. and i took something else home to work on since it's the kind of thing where i need less distractions...but the document is in PowerPoint 2007 and I have 2000 at home. And they don't get along. Damn. In addition, our group head made me a little nervous earlier this week when she said she wanted to meet with us and didn't say why...I guess the current state of the economy makes everyone nervous, I thought it was something big (not in a good way!) Thankfully, it turned out to be nothing to get nervous about.

And tonight in speedwork...I got to see where I'm at, running-wise. The last few weeks have just been easy-effort slogs, so it was tough to judge whether I was truly recovered or not. And I thought I was gonna feel crappy and need to hold back...but that was not the case, in fact I was actually able to do the workout faster than what JS told me to shoot for...and ran negative splits too!! Welcome change compared to 2 years ago at this time, nice boost of confidence going into my last 2 races of the year. Will the 10K and/or 4-mile PRs go down? We shall see...

all dressed up and nowhere to go

that would be tonight! original plan was to go with a coworker of mine to a magazine launch party (we were invited by one of our clients)...showing up fashionably late backfired for us!! first off there was a crazy line...then as soon as we got close to the front, we were told that the party was "at capacity" and that they wouldn't let anyone else in...unreal!! (but for whatever reason, it didn't surprise me...) so glad i sprang for a cab and sat in 6th ave traffic for this!! not to mention dressed up looking nice...and there being no one to look nice for!!

but honestly, not all that bad...i was tired and it was nice to have an evening where i didn't have to either work out or socialize...i can't remember the last time that was. besides, the end of the week shall be exciting!! :)

So 2 days after the half-marathon, and surprisingly, not as sore as I thought I would be. Was definitely hurting more after Broad Street. Still gonna keep the intensity easy this week...no need to chance it, gotta keep November 2nd in mind. Did 2 recovery miles at around a 9:45 pace on the treadmill yesterday to shake the legs out so to speak...followed by an hour of yoga which my body greatly appreciated...needed some good stretching and relaxing.

Some other random thoughts...

• I was reading this article on LetsRun today, and found it very interesting. Especially the "Faster Doesn't Equal Better" section. Even though this was from 2 years ago, its like they were reading my mind :)
• OK, one of my recent pet peeves is those who say "the race course was long because my Garmin said it was!" And I've read quite a few of those about Sunday's race. Yes, my Garmin said 13.52 miles. Am I freaking out about that? No. It's always going to be a little longer because we're not always running the "shortest distance" that a course is certified by, aand in addition to that-the signal was screwy in the first 4 miles. If a mile marker is clearly out of place (as was mile 5), that's a different story. This is the reason why I don't use the distance field and I turn off the auto-lap in races...I basically treat it like a normal watch, anything else would be too distracting. Besides-I was better off running "by feel" and going for the 7:50s instead of "pacing" 8-minute miles.
• My 10K split in the half was actually my 2nd best 10K ever!! Obviously I need to run more 10ks...or actually be in shape for one!! Or not have the weather be like an inferno. Or find one eithout Harlem Hill!!
• An amusing moment in Philly: I was buying water and Gatorade and the guy in front of me in line asked "are you running tomorrow?" What gave it away...was it the water or the Gatorade? Well just the fact that he was buying the same exact thing!!
• Oh yeah...I did say this previously: "As for the Philly Distance Run...I'm gonna kinda sorta use that as my predictor...Whatever time I wind up with if I'm able to race it all-out, I will add 10 minutes to whatever the McMillan calculator predicts...figure that's the safest bet." Ummm...which would mean 3:45:49. That's crazy!! Funny...8:45s sound safe and doable, while 8:30s sound scary...what a difference 15 seconds makes. But as a friend said to me: "If someone told you back in March that you'd be running 7:49 for 13.1 miles, you'd be scared, too!" (in March, I had run a 4-mile race at 7:51 pace...my first race after my calf injury.) Who knows what is going to happen on November 2nd!!

yankees win...theeeeeeee yankees win!!

What a game!! Total opposite of last week's game, it was!! Giambi earned my All-Star vote by RBIing in the 1st...and it took an extra inning, but the combined efforts of Mariano, Jeter and Bobby Abreu made the Yanks victorious and a lot of peeps very happy :-p Quite a few of our crew left after the 9th, I'm so glad I stuck around!!

Happy Yanks celebrating!!!


Oh, and in honor of the "support the 'stache" campaign, there were lots of fake mustaches given out today :-p

what the hell is in the water?

seriously. is the marriage bug catching in my office or something? in the last coupla weeks there have been not 1, not 2, but 3 engagements (2 of the 3 just happening last week!) which i found out about yesterday and today. and my favorite part is being told "you're next." please. i've been hearing that for about 10 years, and it's really getting old...seriously, what do you say to respond to that? "No i'm not!"

so yeah, i think that left me a little out of sorts yesterday evening. i did participate in the Flyers' First Monday run...5 miles along the west side and around the bottom tip of Manhattan and ending at a great viewing spot to see all 4 waterfalls, then hitting up a downtown bar for drinks. Though I guess it was fun, I made sure to keep it a recovery pace...I dunno, my heart was sorta not in it...more emotionally tired, I think. (Legs surprisingly not sore-maybe there is something to those trail surfaces...) Hindsight, i probably shoulda just run solo and called it a day (night)

Wouldn't you know it-this was my horoscope for yesterday...
"Today you may be too overwhelmed with emotions to get anything done. Instead of repressing your feelings, give in and have a good cry. You'll feel better once you let everything out in the open."

and today...
"Romance is on your mind a lot today. You want to have a fairy tale love affair, but you're also unsure if you want to risk heartbreak. Keep in mind that a passionate relationship is attainable, but only through hard work, compromise, chemistry and a little luck."

I swear, how do these people know?

Yankee game tomorrow with work! This should be, uh, interesting. And speaking of baseball, anyone else see those baseball-themed Statues of Liberty promoting the all-star game that are strategically placed around the city? I snapped this pic of the Detroit one thats in my building...wanna get a pic of the Yankees one! :)

bridges and arches-and celeb sightings too!!

This past Saturday, I participated in a annual Flyers tradtion-the "Bridges and Arches run"-an 8 mile jaunt over bridges, under arches, and discovering many hills that should probably stay undiscovered :) I was tapped to be one of the "shephards"-cute name for one of the run leaders :) I had done that 2 years ago and was glad to do it again! This is definitely one of my favorite runs and I was a little disappointed to have missed it last year when I was in San Francisco. And if the run wasn't exciting enough, while at brunch we had a celeb sighting!! Check it out in the picture below :)

So...this run was the longest run of a 28-mile week (which also included 2 yoga classes and a spin class.) I will say though...the legs did feel tired by today!! Hope that is not a taste of things to come as marathon training begins one week from tomorrow!! In prep for that, I got new shoes...figured this week is as good as any to road-test the Asics Cumulus 10s...see if they feel as good on the roads as they did during the treadmill test run-or if I will need to stockpile several pairs of the 9's. Better to know before training starts, right?

Non-running stuff in the last few days included...

• happy hour with the coworkers at Red Sky Friday nite to welcome the summer interns-oh, and an excuse for an open bar too...
• saw Altar Boyz today-absolutely hysterical. Go see it if you already haven't. If you like boy bands-and/or mocking boy bands-you'll like this :)
• Jury duty is over with, done with, won't be buggering me for 6 years!! Came thisclose to getting picked for a case though...guess I said the right thing to not get picked! :)

One more week to go before it's time to get to work...man, it's so so close!! Though can the weather gods please spare NYC of the constant thunderstorms? :)

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...)

let there be light

Now that I've recovered from losing that hour of sleep, I say bring on DST!! Yesterday I didn't think it would be the best idea to subject my legs to the pounding of the West Side Highway the day after a race...and thank god when I left work it was light, and when I started my run it was still light out meaning...bridle path!! Yep, one of my favorite running surfaces in the park that lately, could only seem to take advantage of on weekends. 3 miles doing a "figure 8" variation of the full bridle path, then a loop of the reservoir-which had the perfect surface at the time...softened up due to the rain, but very few puddles so no dodging necessary. And my legs were happy about that!!

At work today-a bit of a shakedown. We'll be OK, but something happened that...was a bit of a surprise, but also saw it coming a mile away. Ah, never a dull moment...

scatterbrained

always seems to be the case for a Friday!! boss is on vacay, quite a few other people are out of the office, I have plans after work and just can't wait for it to be quitting time!! i want to be concentrating on work, but really there is nothing pressing. And facebook is the ultimate time-sucker as well :-p

oh yeah, today is February 29th, and I can't forget what I was told about leap day!! Apparently this is the day where the tables are turned and women can ask men to marry them. Nope-I do not intend on doing that tonite, not at all!! But hey-I say this gives me free reign to approach a guy at the bar and chat him up-right? :)

and completely off-topic...UWS'ers (esp. those around the 70's-80's)...have you noticed an "E 74th St" sign where there is supposed to be a "W76th St" sign (i think it's that block!!) on CPW? I noticed that when running up CPW last nite...strange. Just as amusing as the Times Square Shuffle (which I really thought was a mistake and was supposed to say "Shuttle"!)

and what were you doing on december 15th?

Well according to this, you most likely were attending some type of holiday party whose invitation found its way to you via Evite. And I was one of those, in fact, that would have been the last one in my 3-party weekend...

Thursday nite-work party. (The day of was such a wasted day with regards to being productive-between a long meeting, holiday lunch, and secret santa gift exchange.) Newer, bigger venue this year, consensus was that this was an upgrade from the past coupla years. The mojito was the choice drink of the evening, coupled with a coupla rounds of kamikaze shots (which I felt the next morning...first I was thinking "no more mojitos" then I remembered "oh yeah...i did shots too, didn't i.") which left me just beautifully buzzed and quite happy on the dance floor-but believe me, I was one of the tamer people there!! (though bosslady just had to ask during the evening how many drinks I had...whatever...) yep, it would not be a holiday party without our financial guy dancing to "Baby Got Back"-and ripping his shirt off near the end of the evening. (sorry-no pictures for public consumption!) Thank god I had off the next day, I had a killer headache and was thinking "oh man...I have to do this again tonite????"

Friday was HM's annual tree-trimming party, each year with a specific theme-this year was Mexican-complete with margaritas, mariachis, and pinatas. (And let it be known, I am dangerous when trying to break a pinata...) And once again, Santa made an appearance and was way too happy to have the women sit on his lap :-p Had fun, but left relatively early (little after midnight)-as I wanted to make sure I got up in time to get a long run in before the Flyers' "meet the candidates" brunch. (Did a full 6, then did the 4-mile loop in the opposite direction of the Holiday 4-miler to cheer the runners on, then did another 1 to get over to the east side.)

Saturday was SS and DM's tree-trimming party-and combination potluck too, my contribution was a dozen cupcakes from Buttercup Bake Shop :) (what...you dont think I really used my oven for anything other than storage??) We all wined, dined, and made the tree pretty :)

Needless to say, I was pretty much useless on Sunday, with the exception of spin class, watching the Survivor finale, and finishing up a work document I had been procrastinating on for awhile.

The festivities have died down a bit-had a holiday lunch and gift exchange with my group at work this week, and then have my last holiday party of the season tomorrow nite. (Unless you count the 2 things I am sorta on the fence about...The Ball on XMas Eve and the Midnight Run on New Year's...)

Pictorial evidence from the Friday night party is below (since I have no pictures of Saturday and I know better than to post any pictures from Thursday's party publicly :) )