Tuesday, May 27, 2008

From the Sticks Back to the Subway

What a fantastic weekend!!! The weather was actually as wonderful as expected and I'm diggin' the heat. It's about time!

This past weekend I was in Harrisonburg, VA or more specifically, Mcgaheysville, VA (yes, the middle of absolutely friggin' nowhere!). After I got over my "city girl" hangups about how anyone could possible (even want to) live in the middle of nowhere, it was actually a nice and relaxing weekend. I was also able to get a few great runs in, which was sweet!

On Sunday, we went on a 4-mile Hike in Shenandoah National Park We hiked from Skyline Drive at Milam Gap back to Rapidan Camp , which is actually a 4.1 round-trip hike on "Mill Prong Trail" (gosh!, Wikipedia makes me sounds so smart!). Let me further "WOW!" you with my knowledge... Rapidan Camp is apparently where Herbert Hoover would stay to "vacation" from Washington during his presidency (prior to the building of Camp David). Now, I know you are all just dying to rush down to Virginia to visit this historical landmark! In all seriousness, if you do ever find yourself in the area, I recommend checking it out. It was pretty cool.

How the weekend's training went down:
Saturday: Virgina is for LOVERS!! - OFF - Lot's of driving
Sunday: AM: VA - Trail Run (VA) - 35 mins PM: 4.1mile hike
Monday: VA to PA... - Trail Run (PA) - 30mins - Ridley Creek State Park (an absolute favorite)

Plan Ahead (May 27th - June 1st):
Tuesday: PA to NYC - PM: Swim
Wednesay: AM: Bike, PM: Yoga
Thursday: PM: Run
Friday: AM: Swim, PM: Yoga
Saturday: AM: Run/BIKE
Sunday: AM: Run/Bike

Friday, May 23, 2008

"Favorite Thing" Fridays - SUMMER TIME!

This weather just gets me so excited! And the forecast for this Memorial Day Weekend - Summer kick off is looking fan-friggin'-tastic!
Now, I have to admit, I'm not much of a fan of the heat when I'm running. Some people can run mid-day during the summer and be just fine. Me, not so much! But mornings and late evenings are just golden. LOVE IT!
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Also, RUNNYC will probably kick up it's Nike Half Marathon Training Events soon which are always a highlight of my summer. The opportunity to meet up with running friends at various parts of the city... getting a quality run in and then eating, drinking and of course DANCING at the NIKE post run parties is definitely a highlight of any summer work week!
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This weekend I'm off to Virginia (it's for lovers, you know? ha! lame!!). But I'm hoping to get in some good runs now that things are feeling a bit better. I had my sixth appointment with the chiropractor today and she beat me up pretty badly with the graston tools, but things feel like they're shifting around in there.. so I'm taking it (still) as a good sign. It's small steps for me, but I'm feeling so much better about things!
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Here's how the past week's training shaped up:
Training Plan: - May 18-27
Sunday: AM: 3miles
Monday: PM: Run on the Charles: 35mins
Tuesday: PM: Traveling and tied up with work - DNR :(
Wednesday: PM: Bridge Runners Run- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN BRIDGE - 5miles
Thursday: PM: Swim - Workout:
WARM-UP: 300m, 200m (pull), 100m (kick);
Wkout: 3x200m, 3x100m, 4x50m (pull, finish), 100m
Total: 1800m
Friday: AM: Didn;t get to ride :( PM: Run - 30mins
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STILL AHEAD:
Saturday: Virgina is for LOVERS!! Happy Memorial Day (Weekend) Run/Swim - TBD
Sunday: VA - Off (should have brought my bike)
Monday: VA - Run: 35mins
Tuesday: Back to NYC - RIDE MY BIKE!!!!
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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, EVERYONE! Have a fabulously fit and exciting weekend!
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XOXO,
TheRunnerChick

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Who Wants To Be a Champion?

Champions are so much better than millionaires!
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Besides, what's ONE million dollars really worth anymore? Seriously!
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Champions accomplish great feats, get cool medals and get to take inspiring pictures with their fans; while millionaires just go crazy and spend their new found money on drugs, loose women, and gas for their ridiculously expensive cars. Trust me, I saw it on 60minutes!
Champions are so much cooler!
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So what are you waiting for? Be a CHAMPION!!!
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Oh, I forgot to tell you how..
The Parkinson's Disease Foundation has marathon spots open for Chicago or Berlin. You would have to raise $2,500 (yes, CHAMPIONS must sometimes solicit money from others to achieve true greatness!), but you get online training (from active.com), a personalized webpage, an awesome singlet, long sleeved tee, visor, some other cool freebies & fundraising tips from the staff. Plus you would get the satisfaction of raising funds for PDF, an organization which is trying effortlessly to unlock the mysteries of a Parkinson's Disease, a chronic and progressive movement disorder which effects more than 6million people worldwide!

Here's where to go for more information or to sign up!!

BRIDGE RUN -TONIGHT!!!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

So you think I can dance?

Boston, in all of it's Spring time glory, was a magnificent; blue skies and a crisp New England air that always spurs a feeling of nostalgia. I LOVE Boston!!.. and more specifically, running in Boston. However, what I don't like (or appreciate) is when my nagging hamstring pain disrupts my (close to spiritual) time spent running on the Charles river. As I barely made it through my four mile yesterday, I thought what could I have done to make my leg hurt this badly again?
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Suddenly, a light bulb went off!!! Visions of what can only be described as an "unruly" Saturday night dance party came flooding into my memory. For some strange reason these memories were repressed during my agonizing Sunday recovery. And it wasn't until documentation (in the form of a Kodak picture gallery) of the night's debauchery surfaced that I really was able to put my finger on the source of this recent increase in pain.
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Must I now do away with the other main joy in my life? Must I hang up my dancing shoes too? Oh,... I just won't do it! And anyone who knows me in the least will also know... that it's just NOT possible! As the amazing Patrick Swayze once said, "Nobody puts baby in a corner". Did I really just quote Patrick Swayze in reference to my uncontrollable addiction to dancing. Why yes, yes, I did!

And as I have said now a few times over, regardless of pain, this chick will continue to Run (and DANCE) on! :)

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Use Your Concentration Wisely

Today's Horoscope (ARIES):
Things are looking up, yet there's a stress that won't magically disappear. But even with too much happening, you can make time to enjoy yourself without going into denial about something important. You have an innate skill: you can stay focused in the present moment when you are passionate. Use your concentration wisely by preparing for what's coming instead of scattering your attention all over the place.

ok... concentrate, concentrate, concentrate..... :)

Yesterday's Training: 5miles!! .. and then literally hours and hours of dancing into the morning :) My legs and abs were on fire this morning from it. ha! I'm serious!
Today: "Hangover be gone" run - 3miles

Training Plan: - May 18-27
Sunday: AM: 3miles - hangover shake out run. ugh.. the pounding!! PM: traveling to boston
Monday: PM: Run on the Charles: 35-45mins
Tuesday: AM: Swim - Workout TBD
Wednesday: PM: Bridge Runners Run- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN BRIDGE - 5miles
Thursday: PM: Bike - 15-20miles
Friday: AM: Swim - Workout TBD - traveling to VA after work!! :)
Saturday: Virgina is for LOVERS!! Happy Memorial Day (Weekend) Run/Swim - TBD
Sunday: VA - Off
Monday: VA - Run: 35mins
Tuesday: Back to NYC - Swim- Workout TBD

Friday, May 16, 2008

I'm a New Soul...

"I'm a new soul, I came to this strange world, Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take, But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear, Finding myself making every possible mistake... "

This is such a great song.... And much like in the song, things are coming back together for me after weeks of ups and downs... :) Enjoy!




And here's what this New Soul has been up to these past few weeks:

Friday 5-16: Swim:
Warm Up: 300 Swim, 200 Pull, 100 Kick
3 x 200 moderate (1 min rest)
3 x 100 Descend 1-3. (30 sec rest)
3 x 50 Build each 50- speed increases as distance progresses. (15 sec rest)
4 x 50 Drill: 25- catch up, 25- finish
Total: 1850 yards
Thursday 5-15: Bike: 15mile ride - (10miles strong-steady)
Wednesday 5-14: Frisbee in Prospect Park (does that count??) :) Visit to the Chiropractor!
Tuesday 5-13: Swim: 2x 100m warm up, 2x 100m - catch up, 2x100m - pull, 2 x100m - (15 sec rest), 2 x 200m (woowho!! I was pumped I could do 200s!.. and wasn't even really dead at the end of each which shows improvement), 2 x 100m
1 x 200m - TOTAL: 1600 meters
Monday 5-12: Run: 35mins - 4.5mile loop Brooklyn -
Sunday 5-11: Off
Saturday 5-10: Run: 35 min - Philly - felt good (for the most part)!
Friday 5-09: Long Chiropractor Session - Hamstring bruised badly afterwards! I'll post pics, it's hot! :/
Thursday 5-08: Swim: 12x 100m (15 sec rest)
Wednesday 5-07: Run: 35min run @ lunch time - West side highway. Leg hurt, but it was manageable.
Tuesday 5 -06: AM Swim - Stroke lesson - LONG SLOW STROKES MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! PM: Chiropractor Appt!
Monday 5-05: Swim: 8x50 - prep for tomorrow's lesson, Pool Run: 30mins
Sunday 5-04: Bike:
15miles (10 strong - rolling hills)
Saturday 5-03: Run: 15mins OUCh!! Spin: 25mins


Rain or no rain, have a beautiful weekend! :)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Birthdays... How Exciting!

It's not every day that one of the most beautiful bridges in the country turns 125yrs old. Hopefully you know how I feel about the Brooklyn Bridge by this point
...words just can't describe!
Just be sure to be there on May 21st and be ready to celebrate! :)



HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN BRIDGE!

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Real Hero of the Story

As most of you know, I'm a Philadelphia native and so things have been interesting over the past few days as the Philadelphia Flyers battle the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. My fiancé is a Pittsburgh native and prides himself on having made me into a Pittsburgh sports fan. I'm still met with a significant level of moral dilemma when the two cities go head to head. I just don't have it in me to deny my roots!



But all rivalry aside, the highlight of last night's game (for me) was by far the interview with John Challis, a young Beaver County, PA resident and devoted Pittsburgh sports fan. John is an 18 year old who is battling terminal liver and lung cancer. Post-Gazette originally ran a story a few weeks ago titled, A tale of courage which focused on John's battle with cancer and his dedication to his high school baseball team. Since then, John has has been on a national radio show and radio stations in a handful of other cities as well as local television and radio stations. This all leading up to his interview on Versus national television (during last night's game), which is when I first heard of his story.

Last night, prior to his interview, Versus showed the teenager during a scheduled meeting with a few of his all time heroes at Mario Lemieux suite at the end of the first period of the game. In one greeting John met Pittsburgh Penguins owner, Mario Lemieux (whom my fiancé refers to as "Hockey Jesus"), Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. John appeared in shock and just amazed by it all. Shaking hands and taking pictures with a few of his idols.

The article in the Post Gazette which detailed the event quoted John as saying, "My head is spinning, this week has just been incredible and now this. It was like someone dropped me off at the wrong party." He continued on saying, "I felt like one of the kings of the city for a few minutes with those guys. I really can't think of experiencing anything better than this, except maybe going to Rome or meeting God for the first time."

During John's interview last night, after the second period of the game, John spoke mainly about his message which is for everyone to stay positive. He spoke about all the negativity in the media and how unfortunate it is that people focus on the negative stories over the positive. John's overall message is to, "Live life to the best you can every day and be positive."


John's story has moved so many people over the course of the last few weeks. His message and outlook have inspired and touched hundreds, if not thousands of people. Hopefully his outlook and clarity of what's truly important in life will resinate with those who have heard or read his story. And if there is one thing I can say for sure, it's that John's story has definitely touched me. I wish nothing but the absolute best for John and his family as they continue fighting his battle.

Friday, May 9, 2008

"Favorite Thing" Fridays - NIKE Discounts & Free Stuff!!


Okay peeps, this is two discount alerts in one week. So it's sort of obvious where my budget conscious mind has been these days.


First up, we have the 20% off code "MAYSALE" available for use at check out on nike.com until Sunday May 11th.. Does Mom fancy something nice from nike.com ??? Just asking!

Next up, for all you morning-sunshine craving, concrete treading manhattanites, tomorrow morning NIKE is generously giving a 30% post-run discount for RUN NYC members at NIKETOWN (located at 6 E 57th St btw Madison and 5th Aves) in manhattan. So get your run on and shop all before noon... what a fabulously productive way to spend the morning! :)

And for us Brooklynites, could there be a new Saturday morning run club option??? The answer is YES! A group will be meeting this Saturday @ 9am at the Starbucks-Park Slope, Brooklyn. This inaugural RUNNYC- BKLYN run will take place through Prospect Park and will offer Starbucks Frequent Runner rewards.

Personally, the 30% Niketown discount sounds like the winner in this Saturday morning runclub - borough rivalry (at least for this week), but we all know that for some of you, morning runs are more about the location convenience (if contemplated at all).

So.. there seems to be plenty of options out there for you to fulfill all (or most) of your discounted/free stuff cravings~



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Got Sole?





As you know by now, I like talking about shoes! Running shoes especially. There's an over abundance of discount shoe websites out there, but here are a few that I wasn't previously aware of offered by runtheplanet.com .

And for all my fellow ASICS fans, REI is having a sale for 30% off on ASICS until May 11th.

So, if you know what your feet like and you plan to stick to it, then save yourself a few dollars and stock up!

Also, if you have any new shoes that you've recently trialed and LOVE, let me know! I like to hear what other people are "treading it up" in out there!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Long.. Slow... Strokes

It was a beautiful morning in New York! So beautiful that I didn't even mind the fact that my alarm went off at the awful hour of 6am. I also didn't mind that I was only strapping on my trusty ASICS to head to the subway to come into Manhattan to then hit the pool (instead of the roads).

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This morning I met a good friend of mine and head collegiate swim coach to get some much needed feedback on my strokes. In just a few helpful tips, I was going longer and stronger! It was great! And it suddenly seemed pretty ridiculous to me how I had been approaching swimming over the past few weeks. I was pretty much starting off like a bat of hell and dying in the water after 50 meters. My friend is going to write me up a few work outs which, as we all know, makes things a whole heck of a lot easier. Also, I'm going to start a "gettin' back into a training plan, training plan" because this sad story is coming to an end.. hamstring pain or not!
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And speaking of my hamstring, today marked my third visit to the chiropractor where she did more Active Release Therapy and even broke out the Graston tools. OUCH!!!! Oh.. but it hurts so good! Sadly, I'm still in pain.. all day, every day. But for the five seconds after my chiropractic session, I feel great! I do think this is going to help, so I'm staying positive and sticking with it!

Friday, May 2, 2008

No Sleep Til BROOKLYN


Tomorrow morning, the third leg of the NYRR Half-Marathon-Grand Prix comes to my hood! Thousands of runners will trek out to Coney Island (the start of the race) to take on the best of the five boroughs, BROOKLYN!
Here are the main details for tomorrow's race.

You can read here to see how Brooklyn Half played out in 2007.

And if you are heading out to the race tomorrow, maybe I'll catch you in Prospect Park! I'll be cheering around mile 10-11!

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

BEAR IT ALL!

I don't know if anyone saw the Grey's Anatomy premiere last Thursday. I can't tell you how many times I gagged watching it! It was gross, but GREAT! Well, I might be the only one who still watches that show, but I couldn't help bringing it up since one of the main story lines has to do with a bear attack (or in the Grey's episode, the ugly aftermath). Coincidentally, the interview below by Runners World is with Johan Otter, marathon runner and bear attack survivor! However his is a story with a triumphant outcome. And darn straight you better believe that being a runner helped Johan survive!

I hope that no one reading this ever finds themselves in such an awful situation. But in our own little way, we're all survivors! Of course we are, we have to be, it's what keeps us coming back for more!

Keep on surviving my dear runner friends.. and stay safe! :)





3:30.. not too shabby. Great Job Johan!