Faux-thello: To Run, or Not to Run?

TO RUN, OR NOT TO RUN, THAT IS THE QUESTION.  Okay, so that's Hamelt, not Othello, but I just couldn't resist.

Really Exciting News and AliOntheRunBlog Rules! (does that kind of rhyme?)

And it's official!!!  James's + my offer/rental application has been accepted!!  I am absolutely smitten!! Smitten about my new roommate!!  Smitten about our new apartment!! Smitten!! Smitten!! Smitten [Can you tell?]!!

Hello, Exercise! Have You Missed Me??

After just about two and a half weeks of no exercise and signing up for the Brooklyn half along with a gaggle of awesome girlfriends [did I just call you girls a gaggle?  I'm not even sure what a gaggle is...] , I decided tonight's the night!  I have a few races coming up and cough or no cough, I simply couldn't wait any longer to exercise.

Fan Fare Friday - Texas Style!

Today's Fan Fare Friday is about Cam, who is the epitome of a good friend.  Whether she was getting me stoked for the NYC marathon (by sending good luck notes or singing "Baby You Were Born to Run" into

HUNGRY to run again!

Come onnnnnnn Amoxicillin! Between the amazing weather Philly and NYC have been experiencing and I am hungry to get run again.  Too bad my lungs still have the shake, rattle and roll bit going on.  The Amoxicillin must be doing something, though, because it is clearly wreaking havoc on my stomach.  (Did I mention I have a stomach made of steel?  Psych!)

Motivating Monday and a Crack Addict-esc Subway Ride...

Understatement of the week: Jen and Gillian did GREAT in their races this weekend.  Jen PRed by OVER 7 MINUTES and Gillian completed her very first half in UNDER 2 HOURS.  How's that for motivational?  The girls have each provided me with some juicy jems on speed-focused parts of their training routines that I will try (and share with you!) in the coming weeks.  Unfortunately, it might be a while before I get to try them, though...

Fan Fare Friday!

The original name of this post was going to be "It's My Birthday and I'll Run if I Want to [even though I don't feel 100% better]" but it turns out whatever % better you need to feel to be up for running - I was not today.  But....believe it or not...this really happened...super amazing awesome friend Jen and super amazing awesome sister Susan both got me a Runners World magazine subscription for my birthday - AMAZING!!!  That's right...if they thought they were going to make me faster, they were wrong - they made me DOUBLY faster!!! Woohoo!  I couldn't have been more pumped, surprised, or confused when the two RW emails came :-D  (I will have a little chat with RW to make sure they don't just send me the same one two times every month, cause that would just be ridiculous)  Thank you amazing lovelies :-D

Anyhoo...on to FAN FARE FRIDAY!!!  I'm excited to send some speedy vibes (okay, I don't really have any speedy vibes to send, but good will?  cheer?  love?) to my friends Jen and Gillian who are each running a half this weekend.  Let's go ladies!!!  For more on their respective goals, planning and races ahead, read on!

Thin Thighs Thursday and When the Heck Can I Run Again??

A good way to figure out if your loving parents read your blog or not: post about your 103 degree fever (I can't wait to be 100% over this thing!) and see if you hear from them to make sure you're alright.  It would appear my parents do not, in fact, read my blog.  Now I know why my mom was asking if I'm able to tell who reads my blog...

On to the nemesis of many a woman...the pesky task of obtaining thin thighs.  (Before I lose the boys...this post could alternatively be titled "Strong Legs for Strong Running and When the Heck Can I Run Again?)  After several days with the flu and not having the energy to eat, it's pretty much official: I will never ever have super model thighs.  That's okay.  I mean, besides the fact that Christy Turlington's super model legs enabled her to beat me in the marathon by about 40 minutes, most super model thighs would probably not support my goal of becoming a faster runner.  Doing loads and loads and loads of squats, however, will likely help my running (Incidentally, Minka Kelly claims that they are the secret to her bootylicious body, telling People Magazine that her key move is, "Lots of squats. Oh, honey, hundreds. It feels like a million!")

People always complain that celebrities only have perfect bodies because they have the time and money to spend on personal trainers and dieticians, etc.    While it's true that I'll never have the time nor money to devote to obtaining the perfect Jessica Biel beach bod, I realized that tons of magazines are throwing exercise routines at me every month - tailored by the very people who train these Adonis-like celebrities.  With workouts designed by the likes of Gunnar Peterson, Jackie Warner, Harley Pasternak, Bob Harper, and Jillian Michaels (to name a few) DELIVERED TO MY DOOR, what am I waiting for?  Why have I not been following their plans religiously? And how can I complain that I don't have access to the "secrets" that give the celebrities the upper hand?  Granted, the moves often look supremely idiotic and win you some really priceless looks from strangers at the gym, but whatever.  You're not there for them.  You're there for you.

Weekend Two: Epic Fail.

Thursday night I came home from a nice dinner with my relatives to feel one thing only: utter lethargy.  I was sure I'd be able to crank out a set of leg exercises and push ups, if not a few miles to boot.  But the only thing calling my name was a big fluffy pillow.  "No big deal, if I make it home to NYC early enough on Friday, I'll get a nice early evening jog in followed by me new-favorite-yoga class (6:30PM at NYSC on 62nd and Bway)."  Again, the pillow won out.  Not just for the jog, but for yoga and my whole afternoon/evening.  

Wannabe Wednesday: Fast-Legs-Megs!

As you may have guessed from Monday's post, you witty thing, you, this week's Wannabe Wednesday is inspired by my friend Megs, a true athlete whose ultra-competitive racing spirit is masked in day to day life by her equally sweet personality.

Megs ran in both of the More/Fitness Half-Marathons that I did and proved a supportive cheerleader in the run-up (pun obviously intended) for both.  I vividly remember Megs inviting me to join her for a long run in the lead up to what would be my first ever half marathon.  Although elated by the invite, I told her that I was pretty sure we can't run together given my pace and she cheerily responded that it wouldn't be a problem and she was sure I'd be awesome.  Flash forward a few weeks to the finish line: Megs comes in 13th.  Out of 6,385 people.  I came in, roughly.....3,168th place.  The following year an extra 1,150 runners participated, causing Megs to drop 1 - you read that right - just 1 place to 14th.

Weekend One: Off to an A-Okay Start!

Still not sure what would be considered a reasonable amount to lose to Neil by, but I used the weekend to start crossing things off my 31 Goals for the 31 Days of March list.

Friday night - took the most amazing yoga class.  Shoulder rubs in the middle of tough poses with minty-eucalyptusy icy-hot type lotion?  Yes, please!  The 55 minute class flew by and I left feeling like a new person. Cheesy?  Absolutely.  Refreshing - also yes.  Thank you, New York Sports Club. #18 on list of 31 - complete.

31 Goals for the 31 Days of March + a new Challenge

What better way to kick off a new month of running (or end to my umpteenth week on the road for work) than with....new shoes!!! Heeeeeey, I put some new shoes on, and suddenly everything is right... :)  Well, surprise flowers from the boyfriend was equally nice (even though I like the smell of the shoes better... err...for now anyway....that will probably only last until the first wear.....) 

Oooh, I love you, new shoes!  You even smell better than the flowers!! Mmmm!!!

Wannabe Wednesday and Some Pie

There's always going to be someone faster who you can look to for inspiration (unless of course you're Paula Radcliffe).  For the most part I'm inspired by everyday runners instead of professionals, because I mean, hey - I'd expect you to be fast if that's your job.  Ironically enough, though, I'd like to write my inaugural [that it hard to spell!] "Wannabe Wednesday" post about one Ms. Paula Radcliffe.

First things first, though:  Okay, so where did I leave off on my last post?  Oh, right...I'm soooooooo competitive and going to outrun Neil....who saw that I had pulled into the lead and texted me: