it’s gotta be the shoes…

OK, I don’t really think the shoes are to thank for my running lately, but I realized I haven’t had a running shoe post in quite awhile and since this time last year, most of my rotation has been pretty much overhauled.  So I present to you, the the footwear that will get me through this NYCM training season:

Brooks Defyance 4 (8.8 oz)-the “workhorses” aka my go-to training shoe.  God bless Brooks for not messing with a good thing (yes, I’m looking at you, Asics!) as this is the third model of Defyances I’ve worn and they still work and work well.  To be used on easy/recovery days.

Brooks Launch (7.5 oz)-my “in-between” lightweight trainer.  Pretty much a lighter version of the Defyance, I’m really liking these so far.  Great for longer tempo runs and I’ve used them on my last 2 long runs as I’m hoping on making these my marathon shoe.  (and didn’t those last 2 long runs go very well?  hmmmm)

Adidas Adizero Adios (6.1 oz)-my wicked fast and flashy racing shoes, also used for track workouts.  LOVE THESE.  If you remember correctly, i did try these on last year and they didn’t fit right, well what a difference they make with a women’s-specific fit.  Minimal but stable-perfect!!  And unlike any of the previous racers I’ve used, I’m already looking into getting another pair-now the only question is do i get another watermelon candy green pair like the ones I have now or the flashy neon pink (on the shoes in the link?)

So this terrific trio of shoes are working very well together-and I can only hope they stay in perfect harmony for the next 3 months and longer!!

And of course, I gotta give some credit to the recently retired shoes that are gone but not forgotten…

Brooks Defyance 3-I went through several pairs of these and they did me good.  These aren’t completely “retired” just yet, I have one pair that’s used on bad weather days (or if I’m running on muddy terrain)

Adidas Tempo-I don’t know why, but this year I kinda stopped liking them.  I wore them in the Brooklyn Half and honestly wasn’t feeling the love for it.  They have since been replaced with the Brooks Launches but still have a place in my shoe closet as the shoes I wear to the gym

Saucony Fastwitch 3-my first pair of racing shoes.  Good for my first pair of racers, but I always felt something better was out there.

Nike LunaRacer 2-they may have looked pretty, but after awhile I felt like my legs/ankles were too wobbly when i was wearing them…not enough support, even when wearing my orthotics.  (you can sorta tell in this photo…especially on my right side)

Saucony Kinvara-oh man….I really, really wanted to like these shoes.  After they’ve gotten such great reviews from teammates and friends.  They have less than 30 miles on them and yet…I have no desire to put them on any time soon.  Just another one that I wasn’t really feeling the love for.  That said, when I was wearing them it was wintertime and I wasn’t in the best of shape…wonder if I should give them another try?  (but why mess with the equation if I don’t have to…)

I sorta feel like Carrie Bradshaw, talking in such depth about the merits of all my different shoes!

Finally, this is blog post #800!!  This time it took me a year and 3 months to get from #700 to 800…maybe I don’t need a life as much now than I did when I went only a few months between century posts?

2010 in review, bloggy-style

For shits and giggles…

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 25,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 3 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 111 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 776 posts. There were 191 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 26mb. That’s about 4 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was October 18th with 206 views. (hmmm, what crazy event happened on October 18th, I wonder?)  The most popular post that day was chi-town…one week later.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were nyflygirl.blogspot.com, blogger.com, peanutbutter55.blogspot.com, Google Reader, and marathon26.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for training hard hardly training, nyflygirl, training hard,hardly training, kevinrunningfree, and nyflygirl blog.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

chi-town…one week later October 2010
10 comments

2

About Me January 2010
1 comment

3

My PR’s January 2010
1 comment

4

Race Reports January 2010

5

was it all for nothing? October 2010
11 comments

hot mess

Got me hypnotized, the city’s your playground
I watch you take a bite, at 5 a.m. roamin’ the streets
Drunk all night, you think you’re hot shit
And ooh I love it, I love it, yeah yeah

Stumblin’ but yeah you still lookin’ hella fine
Keep doin’ what your doin’ and I’ma make you mine

Well you’re a hot mess and I’m fallin’ for you
And I’m like “hot damn, lemme make you my boo.”
‘Cuz you can shake it, shake it, shake it
Yeah you know what to do
You’re a hot mess
I’m lovin’ it hell yes!

That’s exactly how I felt throughout most of this weekend. A hot mess. And thanking my lucky stars that I chose what I did in my Brooklyn-or-NJ debate.  Yeah, the weather could be hot for Brooklyn too, but at least there are 3 more weeks to acclimate, and a 7 AM race start will be helpful.  (On that topic-Public Service Announcement to those running Brooklyn, the start has been changed from 8 AM to 7 AM!!  You’re welcome )  Plus I had an event to go to last nite which I really didn’t want to miss, and didn’t want to have to worry about an early wake-up call, or not getting enough sleep… 

So sleeping in today meant I got a late start on my run, was running in the heat of the day…hey, I do have to acclimate, and I’m gonna keep the effort easy.  My plan was to trek out to Prospect Park and familiarize myself with the hills a little more, especially the one evil one which always defeats me during the Cherry Tree Relay!  And just kinda help me with the game plan…like how much time will I lose, if anything?  So the plan was 3 + loops of the park…10 miles and change, 4 trips up the hill!!

And it actually went well.  It seemed like whatever time I lost on the hill, I did make it up on the downhills so it was pretty much a wash.  Even the 2nd time up that hill wasn’t so bad.  3rd time I was struggling a little, but it felt more heat-related than anything else (though I was definitely hydrating-I had a water bottle with me that I kept refilling, and I took a gel after the 2nd loop).  4th time, picked up the pace (if anything, just to get it over with)…finished strong…averaged 9-flat pace for the run.  And I couldn’t wait to get back to Manhattan, down an iced caramel macchiatto, and shower   So I think this one gave me a little more insight into a game plan…just hope the weather gods will cooperate on May 22nd.

And for those of you who ran NJ, Long Island, or whatever else…half, full…congrats.  The conditions today were no joke-I would not have wanted to run any longer than I had to!!  I think the weather this weekend was only good for one thing…sipping drinks outside at the Boat Basin.  Oh Boat Basin strawberry margaritas, how I’ve missed you…

And this is blog post 700 for me!!  About 10 months since post number 600.  Yes, I need a life.

mind games

OK, I know there are lots who say that Runner’s World is not a magazine for “serious runners”, that it just caters to the “casual jogger” set.  Say what you will, but I thought this article about Kara Goucher in the March 2010 issue was great.  Whoda thunk that one of the best in the world has the same insecurities about running/racing and fights the same mental demons that I do when it comes to this sport.  And I guess it once again touches upon the importance of having good coaching…good for the mind as well as the race times, I guess.  As I mentioned once before-I think lacking coaching in the last 2 months of my MCM training did play a part in things going down at the end.  Back in September, I felt insecure, doubted my training, and didn’t have anybody to tell me not to worry, or that my training was indeed on track.  Maybe if I had that help with the mental game back then, things may have turned out differently on October 25th.  But what’s done is done, all I can do is look forward to Chicago and just do my research in terms of coaching/coached workouts for now, so when June 7 comes around, I’ll be ready to rock and have a solid “team” behind me…

And with regards to that running thing, thankfully Mother Nature cut us a break the last coupla days.  so much, in fact, that I was actually a little overdressed for Monday’s downtown run.  Yeah, decided to join the group-cuz thankfully JG said he would do 4 miles at an easy pace which was exactly what I needed.  And a certain birthday girl joined along too!   So while most of the group did what seemed like a 6-mile tempo run, a nice group of us banged out an easy, chill 4 miles…and hey, that means we got to the post-run beer quicker too!   Post-run festivities were fun, especially learning someone’s aversion to Facebook…long story, guess you had to be there

In other news, it has come to my attention that the content on my blog-specifically, the non-running content, has left something to be desired.  I don’t know what to say about that except I’m sorry!!  I wish I had more running stuff to talk about, but injury recovery doesn’t exactly make for fun and interesting posts, and stories about 3 or 4 mile runs are not that impressive.  Yeah, there’s Chicago training to talk about, but that’s not until June…meaning I’d need “filler” topics for 3 months!  And yes, I know this originally started off as a running blog, but somehow personal stuff got added to the mix when I just felt like writing my thoughts…what exactly is the etiquette of mixing non-running stuff with running stuff on a “running blog”?  Anyways, just doing the best I can…all I can do, I guess.

bring on the gridiron

So against my better sanity, I actually signed up for a NYRR race for next month. I figured that 4 miles is a doable distance…and for once the Gridiron Classic is not the morning after the Flyers awards gala so why not. I’m of course expecting to be very embarassed by my time…but at least I’ll earn the right to eat on Super Bowl Sunday, right?

Oh yeah, the Gossip Girls will also be reuiniting for the Cherry Tree Relay. For me its just for fun and an excuse to wear a cute running outfit that will include a plaid running skirt (completely serious!). I just hope my 2 teammates will forgive me for slowing the team down…

And getting back to the previous football topic-once again, I still have the Jets to watch-who woulda thought this would happen so late in the game? In appreciation of that, I figure I should post a shirtless pic of Mark Sanchez…

OK…maybe I should post one of him actually playing football in Jet gear too

GO Jets!!!

Oh and if any of you have figured out there is still post content below the pics and are still reading, I do have to give a thumbs up to the WordPress app for the Crackberry. I just composed this entire post while on the subway, and just saved it and inserted links/posted the pics when I actually got to a computer. Big improvement from having to post to Blogger via email…

winter is long

So yeah, here is that ”longer blog post” I referred to in yesterday’s “welcome to my new blog crib” post   And rumor has it there may be other bloggy peeps looking to make a blog software switcharoo and join me here…ahhh once again, I am a trendsetter

So first off, how about those Jets?  Wasn’t sure how their chances would be yesterday, as I’m sure the Bengals gave them last Sunday’s game just so they could choose their first-round opponent, so to say.  And there was some sloppy playing yesterday, but it all came together in the end.  (And I just also have to mention that Mark Sanchez is good eye candy )  So they take on San Diego next week…can they repeat the magic?

And now that the new year has started…yeah winter really seems long…everything seems long(er).  Last week was the first 5-day week I worked in awhile and it just killed me   Well not really.  Though of course, the week cannot pass by without incident…well, besides being in an all-day training session for an online reporting tool and feeling so unproductive for one day, there’s a quasi-crisis on one project (thankfully was not my fault, and did not get fingers unfairly pointed at me!) and then I had to save someone else’s ass, who doesn’t follow directions when being told “re-map yourself to the new shared drive and don’t use the old one.”  Friday couldn’t come soon enough…

And on that running thang, I got my new orthotics in and have started breaking ‘em in…not sure if they are drastically different from my old ones, but they do feel good and seem to be better made.  And my PT is starting to kick my ass-literally-with squats and lunges…I think I am gonna have a chronically sore butt for the next few weeks

And a topic that I’ve mentioned briefly before, but just feel like raising the question again…what is the etiquette on family members being friends/keeping in touch with ex-boyfriends?  Like do I have any reason to feel bothered by the fact that my ex-boyfriend (who I havent spoken to in forever) is Facebook friends with my brother and I see him posting comments on my brother’s status?  (I give it 2 weeks before he friends both my parents…)  Never the mind that for 2 years after I broke up, my mom still had a picture of the 2 of us in her office…and would probably still have it there today had I not seen it that one time… :-\

The weather is supposed to get into the 30s this week!!  Break out the running shorts…

welcome to bloggy version 2.0!!

So I decided to make the move to WordPress…figured a new year/decade, a new “home”   And I’m liking this format so far!    (still leaving the old blog up just in an effort to prevent any broken links from old posts)

Any comments/suggestions about the new look/feel of the blog-let me know, would love to hear!!

In the meantime…I’m off in a little bit to watch the Jets in the first round of the playoffs…if you had told me 2 weeks ago that would be happening, I never would have believed it!

A longer blog post to come soon, but for now I leave you with this…

J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS!

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   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   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

i don’t wanna cry

This post title has been brought to you by some old-school Mariah Carey.  Yeah, the days of the “Best New Artist” Grammy, the days when she was banging Tommy Mottola…before she graduated to the likes of Derek Jeter (though doesnt he, to this day still deny it?) and Puff Daddy/Puffy/P. Diddy/whatever his name at the moment is…and of course, way, way before the career mistake known as “Glitter.”

Moving away from that for a second-no you’re not seeing things, the bloggy did get an Extreme Makeover over the weekend.  Yes since I’m not running, I have too much time on my hands, I know I know.  But also, my old-school template wouldn’t let me take advantage of any of the newer, cooler Blogger features & gadgets…and I guess after 3 years, was time for a change!!  Don’t like it?  Tough luck.  I’m keeping it.

So back to the title and what it has to do with everything?  Well the fact that I haven’t run a step since October 25th has something to do with it.  And if it were the winter OK maybe it wouldnt be so bad, but the fact that NYC has had 2 beautiful weather days in a row and I haven’t been able to enjoy it, have had to take it indoors.  And as I said before, I don’t mind cross-training too much, but I really have to enjoy it, and that took a hit when spinning was banned as the (sh)IT band didn’t seem to like it too much.  Yoga is fine and good, but the elliptical is just boring.  45 minutes on it yesterday and it felt like work!!  I really can’t believe how out of shape I’ve gotten in 2 weeks…not good

But it’s just I have had other things in my life lately that have either brought me to tears, or close to it…matters of the heart (i may be biased, but I don’t think I know anybody more unlucky in love than myself)…changes a-coming at the office (i will still have a job, but…things are happening where communication is shit, no real game plans in place except just “winging it”, attitudes flying, the wrong people IMHO being on the receiving end of it…long story, aint going into it here)  Yeah, I know having a coupla grain alcohol margaritas at a cool Murray Hill Mexican establishment with a cool friend can help but I’ve learned after my infamous 9-day drinking streak that it’s (drinking, that is-not girl talk!) just a temporary escape.  I miss being able to lace up the Brooks or Asics and being able to hit Central Park for a few miles, listen to some cool music on the iPod, seeing everyone I know or not seeing anyone, but just being able to forget my troubles for a little bit…sans hangover   And I think it’s really getting me down, cross-training doesn’t seem to be cutting it in that department.

Or I’ve read other blog posts about post-marathon depression…I think I dealt with it back in 2006…going from a high of a great first marathon back to reality which was a total mess.  Last year I don’t think I dealt with it but it does seem to be making a return appearance this year-and I didn’t even finish my marathon!  I’ll reiterate what I said in my previous post-I have finally come to terms with the events of October 25th-for whatever reason that I can’t comprehend just yet, it wasn’t meant to be.  But I want to look ahead, I do have a couple of races in mind for next year, but I just need this damn (sh)IT band to heal-not just for that, but for my overall sanity as well…

Well as the post title says, I don’t wanna cry, I want to be tough, I want to be strong, but sometimes there is only so much I can take.  And before anyone says it, I am aware things can be a lot worse.  But I just want to see that light at the end of the injury tunnel and all I see is dimness and uncertainity.  I don’t know what these next few weeks are gonna bring.  But I do hope that my next post title can sing a happier tune.

week 1: in the books

Am I really in marathon training? This week just felt way too damn easy. Well maybe not a total cakewalk, but easier than what the words “marathon training” would lead one to believe.

Well after Thursday’s woe-is-me post…Friday’s work day wasn’t so much better, but the weekend activities, starting on Friday nite, more than made up for that However, that means right now instead of getting my beauty sleep, I’m trying to prolong the weekend as much as possible, not wanting Monday morning to come…the fact that I am watching the last game of the Subway Series has nothing to do with that though

So being a little ahead of my mileage going into today, didn’t think too much of this morning’s 13-miler. I mean, 13 miles are EASY!! And I got more than half of it in while running in the other direction of this morning’s Achilles Hope & Possibility 5-Miler. And was more than happy to play cheerleader again, as these athletes seemed so grateful to have the support Definitely left me with a very upbeat feeling during my run…I’ve actually never run or spectated this race before, but when watching, I kinda got deja vu of some times when I’ve been watching the NYC Tri…seeing the determination of some of these athletes…well kinda puts things in perspective for me when I want to complain, ya know?

So anyways, after I had 7 miles under my belt, I hung out near the finish with a coupla Flyers for a little bit and chitchatted and cheered…and oh yeah, I was supposed to have a running “date” of sorts for my last 6 miles but alas…another missed connection. *sigh* But no worries, I’m tough, I can do those last 6 miles on my own, and in fact, I’ll do them iPod free too!! And actually wasn’t so bad, except my legs were really, really fighting for that last mile…even afterwards, my legs were still shaking quite a bit…not sure what was up with that. Maybe not eating enough…or not taking Gatorade or something? It’s still early, so whatever mistakes are made now have plenty of time to get fixed And wound up with 13.2 at around 9-flat pace…cool, a “long” half-marathon and I still broke 2 hours

Additionally, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot set foot in either Central Park or the UWS on a Sunday morning without seemingly running into everyone I know. And today, it was not just Flyers or other runners, but also co-workers too. (why, oh why, do I run into everyone except the one I actually wanna run into? hehe.)

And once again, I have learned that wine (especially Riesling) is just wayyy too damn easy to drink.

Finally, this is my 600th blog post. 10 months have passed since number 500…yes I know, I seriously need a life. or a hobby. or both.

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.

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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.

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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.

it’s voting time!

time for a poll…

What should my profile picture be?
( surveys)

Disclaimer: I will NOT be using any Underwear Run pics and/or Lasker Pool/bikini pics, so don’t even suggest that…you know who you are

400 down and ? more to go

Dammit, this has been my 400th post since September 2005. Man, do I need a life. :-p

I can’t even think of something “milestone-ish” to write about, so I will just write about random stuff.

Not much has happened since the awards gala…historically, I think February has been sort of a “let-down” month for me…December is packed with holiday madness, which does follow into January as well…making January a packed and festive month too. But February…not much on the social calendar, it’s still winter…oh and let’s not forget the fact that Valendoomsday is coming up next week. Blah. How can I forget, when every single store has V-day candy and/or cards shoved in your face ever since before Christmas? Not fair, singles deserve equal representation. As Carrie Bradshaw said once on Sex and the City: “… Hallmark doesn’t make a ‘congratulations, you didn’t marry the wrong guy’ card.” I do intend to wear black that day (and maybe something else will too)…of course if I am lucky, it will be another snow day and I can work from home and not have to go outside at all.

Not bored with cross-training yet, but a part of me wishes I was outside in this unseasonably warm weather. Up to a little over 2 miles and may brave the reservoir later this week. Hoping to be up to 4 miles in time for the Snowflake 4-miler…even if I don’t race it, as it’s a points race. Got 2 1/2 weeks, I think I can do it…

insert witty post title here

yeah i know, i’ve become a once-a-week blogger. (and i obviously cant seem to think of any cute post titles either.) i guess part of the reason is that on a day-to-day basis, i don’t have as much blogging material as i used to…or material that i want to mention publicly.

so yeah…since the marathon weekend, things have been sorta status quo. i’m glad to mention that my “do not slack off on running during the colder months” has gone well so far. the last 2 weeks have consisted of at least 30 miles each (a long run, a speed workout, and 3 shorter runs) and a spin class. I do have to admit that vanity is the main motivator at this time…I have a dress for the Flyers awards gala that I need to fit into-yeah Flyer readers, I know it’s early but hey-when you see a great dress on sale in June that you know would be perfect the following February, you snatch it up!! Plus I am a bit nervous about the upcoming holiday season…being surrounded by goodies like cookies and chocolate and whatever else is at holiday parties…

And on that topic, thankfully it looks like I am going to be able to celebrate the holiday season this year, as work is not the living hell it was last year (what a difference getting a monster project out of my hair makes…) Hell I am taking tomorrow off from work-can’t remember the last time I was able to take the Wednesday before Turkey Day off!! Will be heading home to NJ for the weekend-good news is my mom is cooking and she is the better cook bad news is my mom is cooking so more good stuff to eat (must…run….thursday morning…)

Racing? Probably only the Kleinerman 10K next month-only because it’s a points race, and really not expecting much due to it most likely being crowded…honestly, I’d love to stay away from all December NYRR races, since they are packed with people trying to get in the last of their 9 marathon qualifiers (thank god I had mine in by June!!)

And on the more mysterious side-there is something going on that I really can’t mention in detail-but I really wish I could because moral support would be appreciated It’s something risky…I would have a lot to gain, but it could backfire…but the thought at this point is “what do I have to lose.” Intrigued? I’m sure. (I bet I know what the obvious assumption is…and it’s not that!!)

Happy Turkey Day to everyone!!

moving on…

ok, you can all help me with a profile picture change.

i’m debating between 2…my current one…or this one from club champs…

(I wish I could nab bigger ones of my SF half photos so I could use one of those-damn marathonfoto!)

state of the blog address

well, seeing as I had been called out-and the fact that some of my other fellow bloggers have recently pulled the plugs on their blogs…felt the need to comment.

yeah, i guess my blog has been sorta blah now compared to the good old days. honestly, things are much different than 2 years ago…

work-well you know whats going on, dont need to go there. running-also not going as well as i’d like. Plus I think now that I’ve done my first marathon, that novelty is gone…and I don’t look to be chasing a BQ until 2011…and it seems like blogging about half-marathon training or shorter distance training isn’t quite as interesting. dating-I just want to keep that off the blog for now. And I guess in a way, I’ve felt like I’ve had to censor myself much more than I used to…

In a nutshell, life has been hectic lately, and I haven’t really been able to update this thing as much as I used to (hell, I still havent written my SF vacay recrap!)

But I’m still around. Maybe not as much as I used to be, maybe not as exciting as I used to be, but I ain’t going anywhere for now (whether you all like that or not… )

before glamour blogged about dating

was looking through a back issue of Cosmo that I had and saw my old favorite column-the monthly Dating Diary. written first by a couple NYC women, then a NYC guy, then a Chicago guy, it’s pretty entertaining.

i was able to re-read some of it thanks to the wayback machine…check it out here or here. it’s good stuff…

(though unfortunately makes my dating life look sad in comparison…)

the blog wore black

yes, it just wanted to match its owner today.

hopefully both will have color restored the next day.

hello again

ok, got my arm twisted to re-open this thing. gah :-p just an FYI-this was closed to everyone, not selected people. I really needed a time-out of sorts. I’m sure you all understand. (though i wish blogger would have let me put up a “on hiatus” page or something.)

a couple of things-there are some new policies with regards to commenting (which I will leave you all to figure out…) and while I can’t promise that this blog will be all cute happy fluffy bunny posts, i will make an honest effort to control the bitchiness.

job front-still not good. we just had someone quit with no notice last weekend (although the consensus was this person should have never been hired in the first place-only got the job through knowing someone…didnt even last 2 months!) so me and one other person are taking the brunt of it, and as a result, 12-hour+ days and weekend work have become the norm (I’m writing this post while at work!) As I’ve said before, it’d be one thing if all the overtime I put in would be worth it in the long run, but honestly-there is no future with this job and I am in “survival mode.” Job search-not going well either. Anyone know anyone in NYC who is hiring…?

Running/exercise-non-existent. Which is frustrating, because I really miss it, I miss running with my teammates and I know it’s not healthy to be so inactive (another reason why I am frustrated at my job-I feel they are really pushing me to have a very unhealthy lifestyle.) I’ve pretty much given up all hope of a marathon this year-I have just lost way too much speed, endurance and fitness-and even if I were able to start running again tomorrow, I don’t know if I’d get everything back in time to begin a marathon training program and do it right. Running a marathon slower than your PR is one thing…possibly DNFing is another. I guess there’s always next year, but that does not mean I am not disappointed, because I am. As much as I may have complained, I really enjoyed my training for NYC and was really looking forward to training for another fall marathon this year.

Probably the highlight of the year so far was the Flyers awards gala last weekend. Always nice to have an excuse to get dressed up (although I think I goofed with my dress selection-I needed a few extra inches of height and a lot less pounds to really have pulled that look off!) and kick back a few (although mental note-I am not 21 anymore, therefore I cannot drink like I am) and hit the dance floor (god bless the DJ for playing “SexyBack”-in addition to a lot of other good dance and 80′s songs) and to see a lot of people that I absolutely adore and that I’ve really missed. And I actually did get an award-was one of the “Frequent Flyers”-that award going to the top 3 in each gender who completed the most number of points races in ’06 (I had done 10 of 11-I skipped that 5k at that evil stadium.) So I get I think a free item of Flyer apparel for that-not bad. I may be biased, but I really like that award-and I would even if I wasn’t a recipient-as it’s one that really rewards participation, no matter what your pace may be. A few other bloggers won some well-deserved awards and our Flyer of the Year was very well-deserving as well. (I joked with him that he was like the “Susan Lucci” of the Flyer of the Year award-up for it so many times before finally winning!)

I don’t know how often I will be able to update…unfortunately, there really is nothing interesting going on in my life right now. (and yes, before anyone says it, I do know that it could be worse…) And I know that bitching about work can get old-it does upset me to write about it. But if anyone has any advice for me to escape from the work situation…I’m all ears. Please. I really want to start getting out there and living my life…instead of sitting at a desk and watching my life just pass me by.

And as for the big game tonite? I honestly don’t care who wins, as long as 7 and 7 come up at the end of at least one of the quarters…c’mon, I can use the $$$!! (I think these may be the best numbers I have ever gotten in a Super Bowl pool…)

Rx: martinis

so 4 Flyer bloggers chugged down some much needed martinis and gossiped about all of you at Kanvas last nite.

On the table are the remnants of a pomegranate martini, a strawberry martini and two chocolate martinis. Match the martini to the blogger and you win…nothing :-p

(and yes, 3 out of the 4 of us did get the memo that jeans and black tops were the designated attire for the nite :-p )