Welp, it’s time. I finally am signed up for my first marathon.

Thanks to Jocelyn and Laura, of course! (My running moms who brainwashed me into believing marathons are NBD.) For my birthday they told me they’d register me for a marathon of my choice, and after some thinking, decided September or October would be a prime-time to race. (I’d rather train through the summer than run the marathon on a super hot day!) Soon enough, we found a marathon that fits the bill, and then some: The Wineglass Marathon. Need I say more?

Maybe just a little. The race is in Upstate New York by the Finger Lakes — totally fitting since I LOVE lakes (and fingers?). I actually just love it up north, seeing as I used to vacation there as a kid. And maybe even better: The word “Wine” is in the name! Still haven’t figured out when the free-flowing wine will become evident (mile 20? the finish line? when you drive yourself to a vineyard?) but I don’t really care. “Wineglass” sounds a lot cooler than “Rock n Roll,” in my opinion.

The course is also fast. I mean…look at that elevation. I basically just have to run down one long hill, right?! I’m also super stoked it’s a point-to-point course, not an out and back (oof) or loop. Just one straight shot to the finish!

But…now what? Signing up is, unfortunately, not even half the battle, and I need to figure out my training plans STAT. I’m a little nervous because training for a marathon is like another full-time job, and there’s a way to do it right. And of course I always try to deviate from the way things “should be done,” which may just kick me in the ass. I figured I could go about this race in two ways:

Train hard, run fast.  I can take this seriously. I know I have it in me to stick to a training plan, get up at 6am to get in my long runs, run fartleks and hill repeats (but where are the hills in nyc?) and get to the starting line nearly 4-months later ready to run a fast race. This course is fast, and maybe I could even BQ (ehh doubtful). Along the way, I could write about what I expect to be a humbling, hard journey, and know that when it’s over, I did my absolute best.

Go with the flow. I love running, don’t get me wrong, but I also love strength training, yoga, and….taking five days off and giving my legs a break. I’m worried that if I’m running 5-6 days a week, I won’t have the energy (or time!) to also make sure I’m lifting and doing other things, which I’m convinced is what makes me a faster runner anyway. So I can stick (loosely) to a plan, but make sure I’m lifting twice a week and still going to yoga. I already ran 20-miles on a whim, so I know I can probably run a marathon tomorrow. (How long it’d take me is a whole different story.) This may sound ideal, but I may not run the race I want, or get the whole marathon experience, which includes going way out of your comfort zone, sacrificing things, and …working really fucking hard.

Or maybe it doesn’t have to be so black and white….we shall see. Does anyone have an unconventional way to train for a marathon? Is sticking to plan necessary? Will you please run the marathon with me?! 

I remember walking in a grocery store parking lot with three of my college roommates. Two are swimmers. I was asking them if they would continue swimming after college, which they replied “Probably, somehow.” Then they asked me if I would continue running: “Will you do a marathon?”  “Probably not. I want to do a triathlon first.”

I totally forgot about that.

At the time, I never thought I’d have it in me to run 26.2 miles. But triathlons always seemed more interesting, more….fun. And for some reason, more feasible.

And since it’s tri season, I am itching to give it a go. However, after giving it some thought (with a dash of cynicism), I’ve run into some few problems:

• I can barely swim. Not totally sure if this will be a problem, but if I had to guess…I’d say YES. I just kinda suck at swimming. I can dominate the doggy paddle, but that’s the extent of it. And I hear when you’re swimming, you usually just get kicked in the face. (I don’t need any extra disadvantages.) Oh, and if it’s an ocean tri, it doesn’t help that I hate waves. (I don’t like large bodies of water crashing on me, weird I know.) 

This weekend I:

1) Learned how to make sushi and,

2) Learned that my feet are small and wide.

First thing’s first….(literally). I went to Long Island for Kati’s “surprise” bridal shower. And we learned how to make SUSHI. BEST BRIDAL SHOWER EVER. Makin sushi is obviously one of those “harder than it looks” type things, but I ended up not being as awful as predicted. Of course I over-stuffed each roll (“I’ll have one with everything”), but the best part is, pretty or not, it all basically tastes the same: delicious.

The next part of the shower included more friends and family, more food, some delicious punch that had lots of champagne (important) and…gifts. I was stuffed from three rolls of sushi, so decided I would forgo the “real food” and eat cupcakes for a “late lunch” while mingling, of course. I split my time wisely between chatting with people and playing with the four dogs in the house (omg) before it was time to open gifts.

The best part about the gift opening was learning what I would potential inherit from Jim and Kate. New toaster oven, you say? What are you going to do with that old one?  New sets of silverware? I could use a fork (or three..seriously). New bath towels?! You don’t need those old really soft ones you already have….(!) Below, you can see some of the gift opening in action. However, I mainly like the photo because there are as many dogs as there are people in the shot.

As for #2, My dad so kindly took me to get new running sneakers. I’ve been running in my old ones for WAY too long, and although I still wasn’t feeling anything fishy, it’s not worth the risk. Earlier that day I actually tried running in a veerrrry old pair of Aasics I found in my closet, but after three miles noticed my feet were bleeding (that’s why I replaced those…) so had to put my stubborn nature aside and walk the rest of the way home. 

Luckily though, I made up for my run cut short at Super Runner’s Shop, since I tried on a gazillion pairs of shoes and took each out to the streets. I normally go into these shops and know exactly what I’m getting: Aasics GT2170’s, size 8.5. I have been running in these since high school, yet was freaked out to realize the 8.5’s in the store felt too big. After trying on different sizes in similar styles, we learned my feet are actually size 7 and 7.5 (left one’s a bit smaller) and they are WIDE. The shoe-man had me try some Saucony’s since they have a naturally wider-cut but I was having none of it. I settled for a size 8 in the Aasics, which just so happened to come in a nice gray/purple color. (Side note: The thing with running shoes is you don’t pick by the color; you get your style and size and whatever color it is…you go with. The 8.5’s were all black so I’m slightly sad I missed out on the ninja look.)

Long story short, I was like a kid in a candy shop and wanted to try the shoes first thing. So I set my alarm a bit earlier Monday morning to squeeze in a six-mile run before work. (And took an “action shot” before because I was THAT excited. Those are my legs about to “step” out the door. Along with a shirt that I still haven’t picked up).  

The run ended up being marvelous. I think I will try to get back into morning running — even if it’s just a few miles to jump-start the day. It was fun seeing the youngin’s walk to school, the old folks out with their dogs, and not be bothered by the humidity and heat. That…. and the shoes felt great.

Aaaand, I’m out!

Aright. It’s June, it’s hot, I already have weird tan lines…it’s basically summer. And oddly enough, this is my first REAL summer in NYC. The past few summer’s I’ve been in and out of the grid, crashing with friends and family. But now it’s time to put this city to the real test, apartment and all, to see what I think.

To start it off, here are a “few” things I want to do:

Food/Drink/Fun

Summerscreen in McCarren Park — starting in July, movies are played every Wednesday at sundown in McCarren Park. I can’t wait for Princess Bride and a beer.
Outdoor Yoga in the Sculpture Park — my new pal who works at a restaurant I frequent recently told me about this yoga class in Long Island City. It’s on the water, it’s outdoors, and it’s free! I gotta go.
Jazz Fest on Governers Island — a 1920’s themed jazz lawn party. Ohmy yes please. 
Paulie G’s pizza — best pizza in greenpoint/NYC… or most unique at least.  I want a big one with kale, mushrooms, and sausage please.
Noorman’s Kill — grilled cheese and whiskey may seem like a winter thing, but give me a rainy day and I’m there.
Nitehawk Cinema — ok, guess this is another rainy day option. But they have a full bar and awesome menu, so the point is you spend a little less on the movie ticket and drop all your bills on a cocktail and small plate.
Biergartens/Rooftops — this is more general, but I want to check out both new and old biergartens (outdoor ones!) along with sticking to rooftop bars. No need to be inside in the summer…
Neighborhood Hopping — I want to make sure I take advantage of the warmer weather (that I may or may not particularly enjoy) and be able to do what I love the most: walking around and exploring different places.

Adventure

New York Backpacking Club — I definitely want to join one of the backpacking meetups for a day or weekend trip somewhere. It’d be a great escape from the city, plus a fun way to meet new people (ie hot mountain men).
Acadia National Park — nic and I have a weekend set for a trip up to Maine to check this park out. She’s been to almost all the national parks in the U.S. and I’m a ways behind her. But neither of us have been here so we’re gonna grab a tent and head up! Plus, we’re overdue for some hiking together.
Skydive — I purchased a skydiving groupon out on eastern Long Island, so I have to go before October. But I want to go SOON because I can’t wait/am totally stoked/completely terrified…
Hood to Coast — this one is hands down the best end to any summer. I am so stoked to go out to the pacific NW, run with Nuun, and meet everyone and make awesome friends. I just met with Nuun’s CEO, Mason Raey, who is incredibly nice and awesome and made me even moooore excited! (If that’s possible..)

Personal

Up my mileage — this one may be a bit tricky but I’d love to be running 40+ miles a week. It’s totally doable (5-7 miles during the week, one longer run on the weekends) except the fact that I want to also keep lifting, yoga’ing, and getting back on the track for speed. Unfortunately, there are not enough days in the week to do this all, so something’s gotta give. But I really…really miss logging in the miles.
Tattoo — i know what I’m getting and where it’s going, I just need to do it. Well, first I need to save up some money and stop spending it on stupid things and then, get it. Stay tuned!
Cook more — most of my stupid purchases include food that I can cook for myself. I just don’t spend that much time in my apartment during the week and get sucked into the $8 salads in Manhattan. (They add up!) Hopefully when I move I will look forward to coming home to a bigger, better kitchen/haus.
Move — speaking of which, I have to move in August. I’m more than stoked, I just hope Al and I find a reasonable place in a perfect location (south Williamsburg maybe, farther north in Greenpoint, or east toward Graham.) Fingers crossed.

It’s been awhile since I went on a really, really great run. I’ve been feeling a bit sick and tired the past couple weeks, so I’ve taken it easy as far as fitness goes and tried to simply catch up on sleep and eat better. But I was alsoooo reading McDougall’s Born to Run, which basically tortured me while sick in bed all weekend. (I almost tried to go run 26.2 miles on my own even though I could barely breathe…)

The book got to me for a few reasons. It talked a lot about running injuries, which I also happened to research and write about on Greatist. Long story short: Runners get injured a lot, and McDougall argues that barefoot running is the answer to preventing injury and boosting performance (!).

And while I’ve never tried barefoot running, I do wonder what my deal is. For someone who has run for over 10 years, I don’t know what a shin splint feels like. I suffered from plantar fasciitis, but I’m pretty sure that was due to getting a littttle too competitive during gym class floor hockey. I have mild knee pain but I think that’s from yoga. And (don’t kill me): I’ve been running in the same sneakers since last summer, and deffffinitely have put more miles in than what’s recommended.

Maybe I’m just really fucking lucky, which is probably the case. And maybe I still should buy new sneaks, which I will. Or maybe I’ll trust McDougall and get some vibrams instead. We’ll see. Moral of the story though: I’ve been itching to get back on the roads and feel healthy during a run, and today was the day.

I wanted to sneak in an afternoon recovery run to give myself time to brainstorm ideas for work. So I put on a rather mellow Pandora station, turned off the “average pace” audio cue on RunKeeper, and took it slow. The weather was cool and a bit windy as I ran up the West Side Highway to Riverside Park, then back down. I ran around nine or so miles, and felt like I could’ve kept going for nine more. However, the crazy part was when I checked my pace: an average of 8:10minutes per mile. Craziness. Maybe McDougall is right….we are born to run…. not to do Zumba (or any kind of dancing, really, for me at least. If there’s a book on this as well, let me know).

In lieu of this running high, I finally registered for the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Bethlehem, PA. It’s their first half & festival in their own backyard, and I was generously given an entry! If you wanna run with me (please), here is a discount code for $5 off either the half-marathon, or all three races happening that weekend! (5K, 10K, and Half): RWHALF12. It expires June 15th, so get on it soon!

Happy running!

It has almost been a year since I’ve had my lil’ tattoo: yebehyia bio. To quickly re-explain its meaning, when I studied in Ghana, the language I learned was Twi (Ewe, Ga, and English are also spoken). How to say goodbye in Twi is “yebehyia bio,” and its translation in English is “we will meet again.”

I love this. The idea that when you say goodbye to someone, you literally are saying we will see each other soon, whenever that may be. So a few years later I scribbled the phrase down like a maniac over and over and over again until I found one I liked, and then had it tattooed on my right forearm. Win.

Surface level, I do want to meet everything I experienced in Ghana again. I horribly miss the friends I made. I miss the long hours in rickety vans up to beautiful mountainsides and colorful, crazy cities. I miss dancing on the beach to P-Square and drinking gin out of sachets and  beers out of large bottles. I miss the markets where we’d buy plantains, yams, tomatoes, and beans, in order to concoct some sort of dinner on our little stove. Damn, I even miss the mall that was down the road and oddly felt like a mall on Long Island: air conditioning, bright lights, glass walls and all.

But it wasn’t always easy. There were certains days that I didn’t want to carry buckets of cold water up too many flights of stairs to shower or wash my laundry. There were long, hot, long, and..hot van rides where I was squeezed between women holding squawking chickens and women holding squawking babies. I got lost a lot. And I was sick a lot too, and lost nearly 20 pounds. Extremely limited wifi and weird telephone service made communication outside the country sparse. Running water was a luxury, and the electricity would go out most nights, which meant no fans — the only savior from the heat.

But I was happy. Every single day in fact, no matter what sort of situation I was in. They say happiness shouldn’t be a result of something, and this is a beautiful example. Many times, Ghana was really really hard, but no matter what I was content, joyous, relaxed. So what that tattoo truly means is those emotions are what I want to “meet again.” That feeling of inner peace no matter what’s going on.

And life now, though different in almost every way, shape, and form, is also remarkably similar. I’m constantly moving, interacting, learning, and exploring. I’m continually challenged, and will easily admit that on certain days, life’s also really hard. 

Which is fine. Because what I’ve realized is on my best days (super productive at work! amazing run! so much tequila!) and my worst (no sleep! too many skyscrapers! you are such a jerk!) there’s this underlying, fundamental feeling of contentment. Almost like a net that catches whatever is going on, keeping me level.

I spent all weekend sick, which I hate. So I pretended I wasn’t sick, and tried to do things. I ended up at a bar on Saturday night, and was there for all of five minutes before my friends forced me to go home. Frustrated, I cut through the park en route to my apartment, and was immediately struck by how beautiful it was: de-hipstered, quiet, pleasant. I stopped only long enough to take this picture, but it was long enough. And at that moment, while the rest of NYC was heading out for what I hope and imagined was a warm, wonderful, and social Saturday night, I walked home, alone. Quite happy. 

Yebehyia bio.

This weekend I attended my first bachelorette party.

It was great. No party buses, penis straws, or strippers. Instead, there was a beautiful backyard, a canal, vineyards, and eleven lovely ladies. My brother is getting married in July (!!) and I’m lucky enough to be close to his wife-to-be, along with many of her friends. It works out quite lovely.

So we piled into a few cars, rented a house on the North Fork, and spent the long Memorial Day weekend wine tasting, moving watching, snacks-for-dinner-eating, beer-ponging, downtown dock-dancing, game-playing, and rum-tequila-vodka-beer-wine-champagne…drinking.

So I’m never drinking again. (Or until I had a beer after yoga the other night. Just for hydration?)

Being in a house with ten girls was totally fun. Never before have I showered twice and changed three times in ONE DAY, but every now and then you do have to wonder: “Should I stay in this dress? Put on a skirt? Not wear my birkenstocks to the bar?” (I did.) We also managed to take naps when the time was especially right (aka after four hours of wine tasting and before dinner) along with waking up in the mornings…only to turn on the coffee and plop back on the couch to watch 27 dresses. 

All in all it was both a relaxing and fun-loving weekend which sort of kick-started the final countdown to the big W day. In other NYC news, it’s….fucking hot. And as much as I love being outdoors at all times frolicking around, I have many a bone-to-pick with humidity and high 80’s. Running has been a challenge, as my six mile run last night nearly cost me my life (although I think I’m getting sick too..eeek.) I probably should either wake up super early to run, or wait till at least 7 or 8pm, but usually by 4pm I need to MOVE. Either way, lessss than three months till Hood to Coast, so I must stay in speedy shape so I can bang out that final leg after already running 12ish miles and getting no sleep…. 🙂

Last thing! Speaking of Hood to Coast, the lovely Nuun Team sent me a bunch of boxes and water bottles, which I’ve been happily downing and (sorta) sharing with my coworkers. It came at the perfect time because I’m defffffinitely drinking more water than I normally do, which is much needed in this heat. The pink-lemonade flavor is…making my life so wonderful. So THANK YOU Nuun, and if any of you want a niiiice little discount, head over to the store and use the discount code bloggerslovenuun for 15% off! 

Lately, I’ve been conscious of the little things. The small tweaks I can make that really positively impact the day. It’s crazy how small and simple, yet powerful they are.

Shaaaaall we?

Having ample time in the morning to read. This one is the first and most important, in my opinion. I always, always wake up about an hour before I have to leave for work, so I have at least 30 minutes to read before I “really” start the day. Try it. Read more! Read a great fiction piece (uhh, Hunger Games duh) or something nonfiction and totally unrelated to anything and everything but let’s you learn about something new (Guns, Germs, and Steel?). I find that reading is a both great escape and push into the present. So instead of racing against the clock, rushing in the shower, and shoving a piece of toast in your mouth with one hand while simultaneously putting on your socks and throwing shit in your bag and washing out your mug (wow, way to go multitasker!), try to embrace that inner morning person and give yourself some extra you + book time. 

Drinking a fuck-ton of water. Well, maybe not a fuck-ton (how much is that exactly?) but drinking a lot. I try to always have a filled glass with me at work, so once I’m finished I fill er’ up again. I’m probably only drinking the normal eight or so glasses a day, and while it’s still debatable as to how much we actually need, I feel an incredible difference when I drink a lot of H20. 

Screwing the seat and standing. I have something to admit. As much as I despised my days in the good ol’ restaurant business, serving tables had one advantage: I was up on my feet all day. I think back to DC when I worked crazy hours and was continuously moving around, and I think I was in freakishly good shape. I’ve definitely felt a difference between then (read: standing) and now (read: mostly sitting), although my workouts have become more frequent, intense, and smart. Still, this can all be changed. At HQ, we’re lucky enough to have these things called mammuts, which are little IKEA stools that we place on our desks and plop our laptops on. I’ve been consciously trying to stand more throughout the day, and it’s working. What made me actually think about this was when reading Gretchen Reynold’s The First Twenty Minutes (in the morning) she explains that many exercisers are often more sedentary than those who don’t work out.  Wait…what?! It’s because you say to yourself: “Self, I ran five miles, so I’m good to go for the day” when in fact, that only took 40 minutes of movement, leaving the other 23 hours and 20 minutes to sit. I usually workout for an hour, hour and a half TOPS, so even that’s not enough standing time! Luckily I also walk to the subway, and usually get off one stop early to have a 15 minute stroll to the office. And sometimes I take evening jaunts. It’s quite lovely.

Being nice to people. All of em. The woman who sells you coffee. The AM newspaper dudeman. The lady stuffed next to you on the subway. Co-workers. Boss. Roommates. Whomever! If you try to smile and be nice to everyone you have an encounter with (small or large, friendly or personal or intimate or remote) it really can brighten your day. You have no idea how many times I’ve just said a quick hello or how are you to a Duane Reade cashier, who in turn smiles SO wide, as if I handed him a winning lotto ticket. And that small stuff can make your day. So even though your intentions shouldn’t be to make yourself feel good, it very well will (shhhh). So be nice to people for the sake of being nice, but realize that it’s good for your own soul too.

Throwing my computer out of the bed. (Lightly.) This has been the hardest one for me, but I think it’s making the biggest difference. My apartment is tiny. And I used to ALWAYS write and do work in my bed, since it’s a pretty comfortable spot and I don’t have many other options. But alas, working in your bed is stupid and makes it harder to fall asleep. So I went cold turkey. (Or maybe I’m lying and am typing this in my bed, how would you know?) … Truth is, I’m trying. Really hard. To not work in bed. And to work in my kitchen instead.  

Writing it all down. I’m slightly (and secretly, but I guess not so secretly anymore) neurotic when it comes to writing things down. From lyrics I’m listening to, to possible poetry, reminders, story ideas, to-do’s, goals,…I like transcribing bits of my mind onto paper. I make note of when I get to actually sit on the subway (does that contradict what I wrote earlier?) Or when the Mud Truck coffee guys gives me free coffee for being nice (win!). Or actually getting as much done as I plan to before noon at work. Or a surprisingly great workout. A random email from an old friend. A new joke. A quick interaction. Whatever it is, I like writing it down to steal the moment and make it permanent. No longer fleeting.

This weekend, SOMF began.

For those who don’t know what SOMF is (which I’m guessing is most people), it means “Summer of Mandatory Fun.” It was birthed a few summers ago when my friend’s boyfriend of too many years broke up with her on her birthday (jackass), which resulted in her choosing to make that summer FUN, no matter what, for sanity’s sake.

Since then, the term has grown up. Now I can say SOMF in casual conversation to many friends and they indeed know what I’m talking about. It has also become a verb (you can, for instance, go “somfing”), and there have even been new additions: WOMF and FOMF. And while the original SOMF had a slight negative connotation to it (this summer will equal copious amounts of beer and even more fuck-you’s!), it turned into a reminder to simply grab the people you love most and have fun.

Because no matter what happens and happened and will happen in life, having fun is, and should always, be mandatory.

Happy SOMF’ing to all,

I stopped posting poems on here because for whatever reason, they’re usually weird and cryptic and…what have you. But it’s spring, and I wrote these in winter, in preparation, and wanted to share.

Spring, Pt. 1

We were stupid to take sidewalk chalk. Drawing a map of the world on the roof, we discovered the earth was flat as we walked to the coast and fell three billion stories I’ve wanted to write but am waiting on endings. And it happened.  So it goes, went, became; there are reminders on my shoulder blades though we mustn’t remember every frame is neatly stacked on this street corner, the lamppost giving them life after dusk. A deep night I want you to sit on your heels and exhale with a clean lung, steady hands. I’m looking for the face I don’t want to see, I’ll move. Foot on the gas, plane, pedal, leaving creatures on platforms to stuff themselves in boxes. If patience is a virtue I am already divinity, waiting for the mane that stands above the gods.

Spring, Pt. 2

I threw the shoe across the room and it crossed oceans.

It never sank, the sole and everything.

And I’m loved and loving in these waters, tying laces, loose ends.

I’ll have another drink. You’ll smoke a pack whenever we remember.

Climbing into cabs: marred, never nearly touching.

Now I’m making double knots, for the shoe fits. And I’m walking east for once.

And when cherry blossoms bloom, Bedouin dress and all —

all things are all right.