Wouldof made a good post...

I ran 20 miles this Saturday. I should have made it 21, just for shits and giggles because then I could make a real fun post comparing my feelings towards my 21 mile run and 21st Birthdays. Like I could talk all about how nervous and excited I was coming up to the big day. I mean 21 miles? Me? I don't think so... No more need for a fake ID? Now that's just crazy talk! Would I be able to make it 21 miles!! Would I be able to take 21 shots!! Then after I talked about my preparation, I could talk about the actual experience. How I've been training for months, running everyday, and slowing building my endurance up. How I trained for years, chalking ids, sneaking into bars, passing out under picnic tables, and slowing building my tolerance up all the while. Oh man, we could take a look back to the beginning, when I honest to god was dying after a 3 mile run. How we used to sneak Zima's into the back of TK's mom's mini van and be drunk off of them. After all that, I'd go into how much I built up this event. That somehow this was the run that was going to determine if I could run a marathon. This was the night I was going to prove (i dunno what) to my peers. Then I would finish by saying how happy I was that I was done with it. That I could finally get rid of my fake ID. I guess I'm a runner...and a legal one at that. Yeah, that would have made for a great post. Sweet Life...

13 miles is "semi long"????

Saturday was a "semi long" run. 13 miles at Sunken Meadow. Since when do I classify a 13 mile run as semi long?? Really Colleen? Really? Susan and I tackled those dreaded hills and finally at our last practice at Sunken Meadow discovered you can do a 3 mile loop and totally avoid both Snake and Cardiac Hills. Hmmmmm do you think the coaches strategically planned on waiting until now to share this information with us or do you think it was an ironic coincidence? I should also note that we got lost when attempting to run this new route and in turn, led 2 others on the wrong path. Guess that's what you get when you choose to follow me...

So during this "nice little 13 miles" Susan and Coach Dave started talking to me about being a mentor for the Long Island Marathon. Ummmm what?!! I don't know if its more crazy that they want me to be a mentor or that I'm considering it. I mean really, lets get through this one before we start up this crazy talk about another. Now, I'm not totally saying no to the idea- I'm just not saying yes either. I think practices start in February which would give me about two weeks off- which I need to take so A. my body will be able to recover from the severe beating it will encounter during the Marathon and B. so my body will be able to recover from the severe beating it will encounter during my first Friday Night Happy Hour in 5 months. But then again, I've already invested so much time, energy and money into getting in shape and looking good while doing so (minus the ugly sneakers and fanny pack of course) to not continue running. Buttttt- Friday Night Happy Hours are one of my favorite things ever. I've also heard that the Long Island Marathon kinda sucks. Apparently most of it is along the Wantagh Parkway and there are no spectators. That doesn't surprise me being its right near my house and I've never even heard about it until this year. I've also been talking to my college roommate and we might try and run a half marathon together. I mean I'm sure I can do 2 halves even if they are one weekend after the other as long as I train appropriately. Let's be serious- I've done AT LEAST a half marathon for the past 3/4 weeks in a row....Sweet Life.

18 miles of...fun?

Wow! So much to update about. I guess the biggest so far is that I completed my 18 miler on Saturday! Now, I want you to picture 18 miles- that's a looooong way. I'm sure you know that, but really...take a second and imagine to yourself how far 18 miles truly is. Now, picture me running all of it. Can't do it? Don't worry, neither can I, which is why I mapped it out. This map isn't the actual route I took but holy crapola!! I ran pretty much the entire height of long island! Pure craziness.

Susan, my running partner since like week 2 wasn't there because she had her first tri practice. She is starting to train for a Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run)! Yeah, starting to train for that while still training for Disney. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but she is training for the full marathon but competing in the half. Good thing Joanne was at practice because 18 miles by myself...would not have been fun. As much as I enjoy Joanne's company, I wouldn't exactly describe my workout Saturday morning as fun. Probably because of that whole I refuse to admit to myself that I enjoy it aspect. For the record, we will say that Joanne and I had a good run and workout and established pretty much everything for the big day. We decided that we are just going to have *fun* with it. Enjoy our walk breaks. Take them at each mile marker rather then every 10 minutes. (which is pretty much the same but we decided it would be easier to take it at the mile markers then have to keep worrying about looking at a watch). Take in the experience. Finish strong. More importantly, finish together.

Unfortunately I can't bask in my glory of 18 miles because I'm already freaking out about next week when I will actually have to do the entire height of long island...then a little more. Ahhhh and that's not even the marathon! It is however the day I have been freaking out about since I first saw it glaring at me on my schedule back in August...my longest training run ever. I'm not talking to date, although its obviously that too, I'm talking this is it. This is the dress rehearsal for the big day...20 miles! I think I'm freaking out about it more because I don't wantto do it, rather then I don't think I can do it. I mean I already did 18- I know I can do 20- but ahhhh its freezing out and lets be honest, I'm slow which means its gonna take FOR-EV-ER. Took me just under 4 hours to do 18, so I'm thinking its gonna be just over 4 for 20. That means we are looking at a 5-5:30 hour marathon! Now, I know I've said it before and I'm gonna say it again.

I don't care about my marathon time...I just want to cross the finish line.

This is actually the only long run I really know how long it took me to do, but for the most part we have been pretty consistent with a 10 min mile pace. I mean its probably good that I have some idea on my time... Anyway, I'm proud of my 18 miler, dreading my 20, feel absolutely fine about my 13 miler tomorrow, and can't believe the marathon is just over a month away! Ahhhhhh! Well the actual marathon freaking out can wait until the second I'm done with this 20 mile run. And I guarantee I will start really freaking out about it the second I'm done. Well, to be honest...I will prob start freaking out around mile 15 of my 20 miler.

In other news, I bought what I can only describe as a runners fanny pack.
Ha Ha Ha Okay, done making fun of me? I am doing this for you, loyal readers of my rarely updated blog. I am going to sport this pack so I can carry a disposable camera with me during the race. Good idea huh! Also, I'm going to need a place to keep my gu's, cliff blocks and salt. Yeah salt- weird right? Apparently you sweat all (or at least too much of) the sodium out of your body and need to eat salt in order to replenish it. Ummmm okay. Whatever. I've learned to trust my coaches without question and just do what they say. They say run, I say how far. They say eat this disgusting orange flavored gu, I say how much. They know what they are talking about and were able to get me to this point, so I'm not going to start second guessing them now. No, I'm just going to lace up my ugly sneakers, snap on my fanny pack and run...making sure that I don't forget to stop and take a picture with Micky Mouse while guzzling down a packet of salt. Sweet Life.

Turkey Trots and Treadmills

Against my better judgment, I went out Wednesday night for a couple drinks (and by a couple I really mean about 8 too many vodka's with splashes of cranberry). At least I successfully managed to over tip the bartenders by 300%, get in a fight with the bouncer because I didn't want him to put a stupid "x" on my hand, sneak my underage brother into the bar, and have a heart to heart with Frank, the taxi driver on the way home. Although I'm not positive what time I actually got home, I know the sun wasn't up yet so at least I had that going for me before I had to run the 5 mile GC Turkey Trot.

Let's just say that those 5 miles weren't my proudest, but that's okay because I finished. My time was like 52 min, so that's like a 10 something mile pace and although I know I could have pushed myself more, I'm not about to get all bent out of shape about it either. I haven't worried about time before, so I don't know why I should worry about it now. My goal’s never been to finish Disney in under x amount of hours, it’s just to finish.

But then again, I think it's the competitor in me that is still worried about the time. Not so much for the marathon, that I will honestly be happy as long as I finish. But this 5 miler…I should have done better. Regardless of what I did Wednesday night.

Saturday's long run was 13 miles again. We've done 13 a couple of times now and I feel comfortable with the distance. Susan and I were actually talking about how we could have kept going at the end. I mean I know I could have kept going another mile or 2 or 3 but 6…ahhhh yeah I don’t know about that. And that’s exactly what I’m going to have to do next Saturday. Ahhhhhh 18 miles! That’s redic. Literally crazy. I’ve been stressing about it all week. Actually, that’s a lie…I’ve been stressing about it since August when I first got on this whole “wouldn’t it be fun to run a marathon” kick.

Yesterday I was scheduled to do 5 miles and because my weekday runs are longer and I can’t really do them during lunch, I am forced to run after work which means…the dreadmill. Gross. I mean I got a great workout in last night and did a random hill workout at a faster speed then normal because I wanted to really push myself yesterday. I think it was really me sub-consciencly punishing myself for a shitty performance at the Turkey Trot. I did the entire 5 miles of hills and only stopped to walk twice. Both times were after long sprints at the utmost incline…thus well deserved.

I have to work out during lunch today which means I wouldn’t be able to do my scheduled 6 miles, but I’m gonna make up for it with another pretty intense workout. Unfortunately coach Dennis was doing the mid-week coached run this morning at 6am and I wouldn’t have time to go to that and make my 7:02 train, but he explained the workout to me at our coached run on Saturday, so I’m gonna try and mimic it the best I can on the treadmill today. It’s actually nice out and me, being totally unprepared, didn’t bring anything to run outside in. Although it is nice out, I don’t think it would be that smart to simply wear shorts and a t-shirt outside and run…especially because I’m still trying to get over this cold that I’ve had for the past 3 weeks. Ahhh I’m getting mad at myself because this morning I even thought to myself “o, you should pack some warmer clothes to run outside in…just in case. But beings that I was running late (obviously…I don’t think there ever is a morning that I’m not running late…) I just threw a pair of shorts and a short sleeve shirt in my bag and ran out. So I guess its another day on the treadmill…but I guess that beats another hung-over morning running through the streets of Garden City. Sweet Life.

Sad News

I just received devastating news. As you all know, I am running this marathon in order to raise money for Leukemia and other blood cancers through Team In Training. Every member of the Team has an honored hero, or somebody that we are running in honor of, somebody who is either fighting, successfully fought, or lost the fight to cancer. Deborah, one of my teammates just sent out an e-mail to the team letting us know that her honored hero, Brendan, lost his fight yesterday. He was 2.

This just goes to reaffirm why myself and thousands of other TNT’rs are doing this. Not because we like to run, not because we like to wake up at ungodly hours of the morning to train…we are doing it for kids like Brendan. We are doing it because we are healthy and we can...and we will continue doing so until we reach our goal. Not the goal of crossing a finish line, our goal to help find a cure. If you haven’t already donated, please consider making a donation by clicking the link to your right.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

(Happy) Sweet 16!

Happy Sweet 16 to me! No, I’m not talking about the crappy MTV reality kind of overblown drama filled show with annoying girls spending Daddy’s money kind of 16th birthday. I’m talking I ran 16 miles this Saturday!!!

No matter how much fun of the show I make, 16th birthdays are a monumental and changing point in most girls’ lives and I was no exception. It’s an age where you are no longer a child, really start to “find yourself” and form your identity as an adult. Does that mean that I’m starting to develop myself as a runner? It’s like I just finished my freshman year of high school. I have become close with my teammates and overcame so many obstacles to get to this point…but yet I am still a youngin. I am anxious but scared of what the future holds for me. I know with the guidance of my teachers, my coaches, I will be able to graduate. I will be a marathoner.

It’s weird because before this run I don’t think I really admitted it to myself. I also don’t think I really comprehended how long 26.2 miles was. I still don’t think I comprehend how long 26.2 miles is…maybe that’s because I have no sense of direction…maybe its because I’m scared to map it out…

I don’t know if I will ever consider myself a runner. It’s just not an adjective I would use to describe myself- words I would use? Well, I like to have fun, travel, and go out. I think it’s the word “like” that gets in the way. Do you have to like something in order to be it? Yeah, I talk about not being a runner, but at the same point I guess I am very much a runner. I mean, I’m logging between 20 and 30 miles a week, giving up my Friday nights to rest, Saturday nights because I’m exhausted from my long run, and all day on Sunday because my legs literally feel like jelly. Because it takes up so much of my time, I guess it’s only fair to call myself a runner…right?

I’m planning on signing up for a 5 mile “Turkey Trot” on Thanksgiving and another 5 mile race in the beginning of December. When I told Kate I was gonna do them, I immediately followed by writing “WHO THE F AM I?” (we talk via email like its IM). This is a sentence that pops up quite frequently in our emails. What on earth would possess me to voluntarily sign up for a race the day, oh excuse me…the morning, after what is arguably one of the biggest party nights of the year?!!! It’s not like I plan on winning the race…I just think it might be...I don’t know…fun? But can it possibly be more fun then the anniversary of never ending free buckets of Jimmy cosmo’s? (Side note…Jimmy is a bartender who used to work at the fill and he makes the world’s best cosmopolitan. No contest.) So what if I might get a t-shirt for the race, but who knows, after a night of “Jimmy cosmos” I’ll most likely be needing much more then just a free t-shirt. Then I’m planning on doing the Wantagh Snowball Run in the beginning of December which is going to require me to wake up even earlier then normal, map out a 7 mile run to do by myself, then end up at the start of the race and do the last 5 of my scheduled 13 mile run as the race. The reason I’m doing that? Simple…free beer at the end of the race!

So there you go. Thanksgiving eve I am planning on forfeiting a great night just to run 5 miles and get a crappy t-shirt. Then two weeks later I am redoing my schedule so I can get free beer at the end of the race. So that leaves me once again wondering WHO THE F AM I? At least I’m not on some self centered MTV reality show. Sweet life.

Half Way There...

Wow. This Saturday when everybody else was probably still sleeping, I was out running...13 miles! Yeah, I'll say it again..and again..and again. I ran 13 miles on Saturday!!! If you told me twelve weeks ago that I would be able to run 13 miles I would have laughed in your face. Thats a f'n half marathon...and I DID IT!

Last week was kinda a big week for me. It marked my half way point in training, my training mileage is up to just over 150 miles, and I am at the half way point in my fundraising! WOW! As excited as all this is, I am only half way...and the second half is going to be harder. It's weird because I still don't think of myself as a runner. Honestly, I probably never will either, but that's okay.

This week our Team is having a competition to see who can raise the most money online. So, if you haven't donated yet...this is the week to do it. Just click on the link to the right and donate. Remember, I'm doing this to raise money for blood cancer patients, their families and research. And come on...you know you've said that you would pay money to see me run before!

Okay, so it might not have to do with training but I do have some other big news! I got a new job today! I'll still be at the same company so that's good, but I am moving to a different division and a different title. My boss told me that its a lot different then what I do now because I'll actually have to do work. weird. Haha I literally sit in my cube and watch tv all day, have a two hour lunch (which I try to run during) and obviiii write in my blog. So, lets hope that this new job isn't too much! Sweet life.

Motivations

Another Saturday has come and gone which means so has another long run. We did 8 miles which was great because the week before we did 10 and you know what...8 wasn't bad at all. Okay, that's a little exaggeration...but I literally thought I was gonna die after the 10 miler and spent the entire day laying on my couch. After Saturday's 8 miler I was,to quote my mom,"alive, awake and enthusiastic"...of course running had nothing to do with my great mood- it was Irish Fest in Long Beach! For those of you who don't know Irish Fest, it celebrates the half way point to St. Patrick's Day...of course there is no "half" about the celebration part. So after my run, and attempted ice bath, it was off to Long Beach...to ahhhh...fill up on liquid carbs!

This morning there was an article on MSN about the dangers of novice runners and marathons. So of course being (insert very sarcastic tone) the dedicated marathoner in training I am, I checked it out. It made some good points but the reason I bring it up is they also included a poll:

"What would it take to motivate you to cross the finish line?" The choices were:

1. The sense of accomplishment from achieving a big personal goal.(79%)
2. Vanity, plain and simple: the vision of me with super-toned legs.(5.9%)
3. It would have to be for a really good cause.(3.5%)
4. $1 million, at least.(11%)

Well, I had to vote in order to get the results and when I read the choices I honestly didn't know what to choose. I mean, I'm doing it for all those reasons. Seriously, how many people can say they've completed a marathon. (Plus, I hear the after party is ridiculous). Second place was $1 million dollars. Well, okay maybe I'm not actually getting the money, but TNT is responsible for raising more then $700 million since it started in 1988!!! That's an average of $35 million a year that all go to finding a cure. Number three on the list...super toned legs. Obviously, that's would be awesome, but I think my "its okay I can eat (insert name of every unhealthy food you can think of), I'll just run it off" is kinda getting in the way of my supermodel legs. And the last option about it being for a good cause- I think helping find a cure for cancer and improving the lives of patients and their families could be considered good causes!

Training this week has been good. I had two four mile days and today is five. Then on Saturday I'm running 13 miles! Ahhhh thats a half marathon! Sweet Life.

Catching up

Okay, okay I know I haven't written in forever, but I've been pretty busy. I mean...I am training for a marathon..which is, fyi- very time consuming. On top of the running, and lifting, and eating much more then I probably should be, and running some more, work has also picked up quite a bit in September.

As many of you know all the new shows (and returning) have started which means I get busy. Too bad I don't have time to watch them at night because you guessed it...I'm either running or fundraising or running and thinking about fundraising, or fundraising and thinking about running. Pretty much TNT rules my life. Even though I may sound like I'm bitching about it (which okay, maybe I am a little) I really am enjoying it.

This past Saturday I ran the furthest I've ever run before. Well, every Saturday I run the furthest I've ever run before..but this week it really hit me because I did 10 MILES!!!I am still pretty excited about it because...omg 10 miles is long. We ran at Sunken Meadow which means not only did I run 10 miles...I ran 10 miles of hills (which includes Cardiac Hill two times). Michael John was home from school this weekend and I dunno...he is one of those crazy people who find running fun and got really excited when I told him about it. I don't get it. If he wasn't a splitting image of my moms family, I'd think he was adopted...

Okay rewinding a little- we had our first "society social" a couple weeks ago. It was really great to see everybody in normal clothes and after they've had a cup of coffee...or in this case a pint of beer...or 2 or 3. I had a good time and got to know a lot of TNT'rs better, which also makes me more excited for the Disney after party!

I can't write enough good stuff about all my teammates. Not to get sappy or anything, but they are some really amazing people. Last night we had a run on the Long Beach boardwalk and despite the rain and the fact that I got lost (don't ask...I know I've been in LB every weekend all summer) I had a great time...well minus the getting lost and running part. One of the mentor's who is running the Marine Marathon at the end of October hosted the run and after we went out for some sushi. I was the only "newbie" there but still had a great time. These people are seriously the nicest people I have ever met...haha I don't know how I fit in with the group!

So of course I was asked the usual questions: So, you ran in college? No. Oh, cross country in high school? No. Wait, you hate running and now you're gonna do a marathon? Yup. Pretty much. Why don't you start with like a half? Okay, I'll tell you why...in case you haven't picked up on the point that I hate running...I DON'T LIKE TO RUN. Pretty much, if I do a half I know I will never want to do it again...let alone do a full. So I figured, what the hell, I don't know what I'm getting myself into so I might as well just go ahead and do it all at once. Sweet Life.

To Be Continued...

Seas The Day

So this Sunday 7 of my friends and I participated in the Ocean To Sound Relay Race. It started on the south shore at Jones Beach and went 50 miles all around Long Island, ending on the north shore in Oyster Bay. For some reason, we thought this would be a "fun time". Yeah, I don't know...

We all spent Saturday relaxing, well I should really say stressing out, on the beach. It was the day before the race and we needed to find one more person to run because the team member who was supposed to run the hardest part of the race was injured. I don't know about you, but I don't know that many twenty somethings you can just call up and be like "hey wanna give up your Saturday night so you can wake up at the crack of dawn and run a 7 mile race with a bunch of people you don't know tomorrow?" Thankfully, one of my friends did know somebody crazy enough to do it, and problem #1 was solved.

So, we finally have enough people for the race but beings that it is a relay race, everybody starts off at a different location. So at about 11pm the night before the race we figured out a good system to get every member of the team at our respective starts, while still being there to cheer each other on.

To make a very long story short, I'm just going to skip ahead to my leg of the race. I ended up doing the 5th leg- 6.4 "mostly hilly" miles. Even though the race started at 8am, I didn't end up running until around noon when the sun was out in full force. Thinking I still had a good 5-10 minutes before my teammate would be there to pass me the baton, I was on the other side of the parking lot when I heard an official screaming my number. Ahhh my ipod's not set! My laces aren't tied tight enough! I didn't have enough time to flip out! Next thing I know I'm running up a huge hill trying to set my ipod to my play list and start my timer. Once I got all that figured out, I relaxed a little bit. Next thing I know I'm running and running and running and about to die as I look for the 1 mile marker so I can take my first walk break (Each mile along the course is marked). Next thing I know I look at my i-pod to see that I have been running for 18 f'n minutes. WTF! Colleen you need to pick it up you fat a$$! How the f are you so exhausted and you haven't even ran a f'n mile...oh wait why does that have a 2 on it? YOU IDIOT, you didn't see the first mile marker. Whew! Yessss..I get to walk now After I walked my much needed minute, I started to run again. Thank god Disney is flat because those hills really killed me. It was not an easy leg, and I did stop and walk after each mile (besides mile 1 because I couldn't find it), but only for a minute each, which is my marathon strategy also.

I finished in 1 hour and 3 minutes which is like a 9.55 mile...and I am perfectly happy with that time. After I was done running and rehydrated I felt good, but I'm not gonna lie...there were a couple times (okay the entire time)I wanted to run in the middle of the road and get hit by a car so I wouldn't have to run anymore. Don't worry...I didn't, I'm just saying the thought was there. Cool, Disney is quadruple the distance. Sweet Life.

Last Week

I didn't realize it's been almost a week since I last updated this, which I really want to try and start doing more often because...on three separate occasions people told me they are reading my blog. Weird, I thought my friend Meaghan was the only one reading it...and only because she was procrastinating at work. So, to the other three readers...welcome! haha im such a dork :)

I'm sure the anticipation has been killing you...Kate was able to join TNT and is now signed up to run the Disney Half Marathon! I'm so excited and we are already planning to stay in Disney for a couple days after our races for some much needed celebrating...and hopefully we'll make it on a ride or two.

So, last Tuesday we were supposed to have a group run...well I guess supposed to wouldn't be the right term because they had it...I just couldn't find it. So I ended up driving around Old Westbury for a good half hour before I decided that even if I did find the meeting place, the team would have already been gone, so I turned around and attempted to go home. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I didn't get home until 8: f'n 30 after ending up all over the island. Let's just say I was not a happy camper when I got home and still had to go on a 4 mile run. But I did it and felt great afterwards...although the "great" might be from the delicious grilled shrimp salad my parents picked me up for dinner.

On Wednesday Kate and I ran on the path from Cedar Creek Park down to Jones Beach. She did 2 miles and I did 4, so we did the first two together then I kept going. Then after my run I hit up the supermarket to pick up something for dinner. After spending a good half hour undecided I picked up some stir fry stuff and was on my way home. Me, being the idiot I am, decided I would make some rice and throw the stir fry on top of it. Did you know rice takes like 20 minutes to make??!!! WTF!? Haha I'm used to college and my 3 minute Uncle Ben's in the microwave. Well after I ate it was like 10 o'clock and I still had to get ready for work on Thursday and put together an outfit for a fashion show we were going to Thursday night...which I found out about on Wednesday. So long story short I didn't end up going to bed until after midnight.

Thursday I did Pilate's after work which I'm sure you can imagine was a sight to see. All five other people in the class were like masters...okay maybe not masters but at least they knew to take their shoes off before starting. I walk in and I can only imagine what these Pilate guru's are thinking when they see me rolling and falling all over my mat. I can only compare my experience that afternoon to the time when Jessi, Kelly and I went a drag show in Rehoboth Beach last summer. At first, we stood out like sore thumbs..beings we were the only females who were actually born female. But by the end of the night, we pretty much owned the place and were bff's with all the "girls"! Okay, it might be an exaggeration to say that at the end of pilates I felt as comfortable as I did at the end of the drag show night...but at pilates I only had some water to refresh me whereas at the drag show/bar, I had plenty of bahama mamas...

After my pilates escapade, I quickly showered and got ready for the High Life New York Fashion Show Party at Tavern on the Green. The night started off kindof awkward, but after a couple cocktails I relaxed a bit and started to have some fun. Rumor has it Derek Jeter stopped by, but I didn't see him so who knows. All in all it was a good night and I was home by 2...just enough time for a nice three and a half hour sleep before having to turn around and come right back into the city for work.

Friday's 5 mile run was probably the worst one I've had so far...and it wasn't because of my lack of sleep the night before, or the fact that I was giving up another Friday night to run...it was because of my sheer stupidity. When I got home from work, instead of immediately just going out and getting the running over with I sat on my couch to unwind and watch tv...and eat half a box of Wheat Thins. Ummmm eating half a box of wheat thins is never a good idea, eating half a box of wheat thins and immediately running in hot and humid weather is NEVER EVER A GOOD IDEA! I felt like I was going to throw up about a mile into my run and the feeling never left. All I wanted to do was turn around, go home, and curl up in my bed. I don't know how, but I finished...even though I did manage to get lost...in my own neighborhood...going there and back. I got lost on the back part...Sweet life.

Good News

First and foremost I need to thank everybody who already donated to my fundraising. The other day I procrastinated my run until after work and really didn't want to go. But when I got home, I was greeted by a very nice note and check for my fundraising. Beings that my goal was to be a quarter of the way done, and I hadn't received a single donation, that one was a major confidence booster. So I'd like to thank Lou and Beth Groia for being the first people to make a donation. :) That three mile training run didn't seem nearly as bad as I built it up to be.

Ahhh a three mile training run..those days are over and now my daily mileage is either four or five miles. Those numbers are very intimidating, but I know I can do it. Saturday morning we had our group run at Sunken Meadow at 6:55am. (Time I needed to leave my house- 6:15 Time I actually left my house- 6:25 Amount of time I spent lost on the way to the park- 3 minutes Time I spent lost on the way home from the park- 20 min...make sense??) At least I didn't get lost during the run...which I most definitely would have if I hadn't been running with Mentor Sue and another girl Kelly...who, fyi I convinced to switch from the half and run the full marathon. She was pretty much like if you can do it, than I must be able too. Hmmm...I dunno if I should find that insulting or not, but I'm happy to have another running partner who keeps the same pace as I do. Speaking of which, we did 6 miles including some major hills (Cardiac hill...the name alone is scary) in one hour and 5 minutes! That's like just over a 10 minute mile!! Susan suggested that we run a mile then walk a minute, starting with mile 1 to conserve energy and let me tell you it worked wonders!

Thursday's 4 mile run by myself was rough and I was exhausted when I was finished. During it I kept second guessing myself How I am going to run a f'n marathon if I can't run 4 f'n miles!?? Well, those walk breaks helped out so much and I felt like I could have done another 6! Well, maybe not another 6..but definitely another one or two.

Other good news...my friend Kate called me earlier today and expressed interest in joining the team! I think I might flip out (in a good way) if she does it! How fun would it be not only to be doing this for a great cause, but also to be doing it with a great friend?! She e-mailed the office today, so we'll find out if its not to late to sign up. (*hint hint if anybody else wants to join!)

Wow! I didn't realize all the good news I have to report! Well, anyway we had off from training yesterday (for labor day...haha I dunno why, but you don't have to tell me twice not to run!) so today starts week 6. We have a group run in Old Westbury at 7pm which is gonna be cutting it a little close because I don't get home from work until about 6:15-6:20, but that's alright, I'm actually looking forward to tonight's run....weird.

Note The Key Words

This past weekend I went down to Ocean City, MD to visit some friends and missed my first Saturday team run. Not to fret- all you readers (aka meg flan the sole reader of this blog) I didn't let that stop me. I woke up early Friday morning (on my day off nontheless) and went for a "nice 5 mile run" on the trail from Cedar Creek Park to Jones Beach.

I say "nice 5 mile run" in quotation marks because lets be honest, how nice can a 5 mile run actually be? It's one of those watchamacallits...unbiased opinion, pretty ugly, seriously funny...oxymorons. Sorry, I had a mental lapse. Must have been a result of my run and the lack of oxegen to the brain that came with it. Or maybe I'm still recovering from the weekend...

In all seriousness though, my run wasn't that bad. That being the key word of course. I did miss running with the team, but I suffered through the entire 5 miles in just over 50 minutes (51.55 to be exact). I don't know where this 10 minute mile pace comes from, but hey I'm not complaining! Well...I am when I'm doing it..but...you get what I mean. Running with somebody really helps and the past 2 weeks I have been running with this lady Susan, who is also my mentor. Team In Training gives everybody a mentor, somebody who has already participated in a TNT event before, who is there to answer any questions we might have. That is if we had questions that couldn't be answered by one of the coaches, fundraising coaches, or other 8 million resources we have. It's seriously crazy how much support the program provides for us.

Even with all the support, its still a lot of hard work and very time consuming...and we are only in week 5! Only being the key word here. I can't believe we are already in week 5..I feel like we just started and the coaches are saying we are still in the beginning, but wow! 5 whole weeks of running everyday. Go me!

Yesturday and today I had 3 miles. Word to the wise: Going out for a drink with co-worker before running 3 miles isn't the smartest idea in the world...especially after taking 2 days off. Anyways, I did my 3 yesturday after work (and possibly a drink with forementioned co-worker) and got in early this morning and did my run. I'm still not sure what time of day I like running the best, as they all have definate advantages and disadvantages.

1. Morning Runs- I like because I get it over with. I like running in the city and the streets aren't too crowded. It's not very hot out. I don't like because I have to wake up extra early and the day drags on for-ev-er(should be said in the same tone as Squints in The Sandlot).


2. Running during my lunch break- I reason that I'm getting paid to run, as I get paid for lunch. I don't waste time either before or after work. I don't like because I have to change in the middle of the day/run/shower/change and go back to work.


3. Evening Runs- I like because I don't have to wake up early or run during my lunch break. I don't like because it ruins any attempt of being productive after work and I sike myself out to much, dreading it all day.

I find it more enjoyable to run in the city, and because I have absolutely no sense of direction I have simply been running from the corner of 56th and 6th over to 5th and up to the Met (82nd)then back which is 3.03 miles. It's a nice run because it goes along side of Central Park and I don't have to worry about crossing too many streets. Thursday we increase our daily mileage to 4, which I'm starting to get a little nervous about. Okay, maybe not a little...a lot. Okay, now I just need to decide where and when to do this four miles...oh yeah and raise four grand.

Why Do I Bother

mapping out my runs before hand? I always manage to get lost anyway. Last night I was scheduled to do 3 miles, ended up off course and somehow managed to cross a major road...didn't realize it until I was on my way back and on the other side of Newbridge Rd. Hmmmm. When I got home and attempted to figure out where and how I ended up wherever I was, I was unable to figure it out...while looking at a map of course. Bad news: I added an extra half mile (at least) to my run. Good news: I still ran the whole thing. Better news: I finished 3.5 miles in 35 min...exactly a 10 minute mile pace.

So my car is broken and I have no idea what is wrong with it. Dad dropped me off at the train station this morning and I took the 6:52 train, got into Penn at 7:30, and was at the gym at like 7:45. Normally when I go to the gym before work I take the 6:18 train, but beings that I now have to adapt to my parents schedule, I took the later train. I had just enough time to get my scheduled 3 mile run in before work. Unfortunately, it was pouring out, and I really didn't feel like getting lost in the rain or slipping on the sidewalk, so I just ran on the treadmill.

You ever notice that the sidewalks in front of buildings is really slippery because they need to be stone or something, and not concrete? I slip on them all the time...especially when it's wet.

I'm not a fan of treadmill running for a couple of reasons. Actually, I should rephrase that- I'm not a fan of running, especially on the treadmill. I love to people watch. Being on the treadmill really limits my ability to do so. Nobody wants to be running next to the weird girl who keeps looking all over the place. I also don't like that you have to set the machine for the amount of time you want to run, I'd rather just put in that I want to do 3 miles and thats that. And then you have to worry about how fast you want to go. I don't know...I want to go as fast as I can to get the stupid run over with. Let me sprint this last half mile so I can be done already...no not on the treadmill. I mean, yeah I could adjust the speed, but then I'd have to adjust the amount of time I'm scheduled to run for, then I'd actually have to sprint, and lets face it- it's too much work, I'll just stick this last little bit out. But I do have to admit I enjoy the fan blowing in my face and this morning I watched a Yankee- Angels game from 2004 on YES, when the Yanks came back and won it in extra innings. What better way to wake up than seeing my boys come through with a nice win. Okay maybe treadmill running isn't that bad...I mean at least I didn't get lost. But I did almost fall off the side of it...good thing the hand rail was there...

What A Weekend...

So Saturday morning we had our TEAM 4 mile run at Cedar Creek Park. Might not sound like too much, especially when compared to the 26.2 we are gonna be doing in January and ya know what, it actually wasn't that bad. And that includes the 2 miles of hill repeats we had to do. I mean, lets be honest, who doesn't want to get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to run miles of hills. After the run, we had an injury prevention clinic at the Tacapusha museam in Seaford. I've passed it like a million times, but have never been there before. Beings that I was one of the first people finished running (Crazy right?!) I was also one of the first people there. Matt and I completed a complete tour of the museam...all 10 minutes of it and even managed to solve the bonus questions on the 2nd graders scavenger hunt. It was pretty educational.

Of course I didn't get back from the run and clinic until 11 and I was getting picked up at 12 to go to the mall to find shoes and accessories for Saturday night. I figured I would try some dresses on, but if not I would just wear a simple black one. Well of course I can't stick to my plan and ended up buying a new dress. But, for the record, I am obsessed with it and will be wearing it every chance I get. Anyways, all of Saturday was a big rush but ended up being well worth it. We managed to book a hotel last minute, which in the Hamptons is pretty much impossible...especially for one night, but we did it! Needless to say, we had a great time.

Sunday was a rest day...thank god...because I was exhusted from Saturday night.

Today is 3 miles and you would think I would have learned my lesson last Monday about procrastinating running until after work, but nope...thats the plan. Anybody feel like running in the rain with me? please...

101 Things About Me

1. I don’t make New Years Resolutions
2. I make them on my birthday.
3. I started that this year.
4. I always said if I could be 1 age for my entire life I would be 23.
5. I’m 23 right now
6. And determined to make it the best year of my life.
7. In January, I’m running a marathon
8. The furthest I’ve ever run is 3.5 miles
9. I hate running
10. I used to get out of breath from walking up 4 flights of stairs.
11. At that time I was also smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a week
12. And drinking almost every day
13. I quit smoking 326 days ago
14. I still love to party
15. I hate going to work hungover
16. But I do it anyway
17. I get paid to watch television.
18. In elementary school I wasn’t allowed to watch tv during the week
19. When my parents would leave the house my brothers and I would sneak in and watch.
20. Then army crawl on the floor when my parents pulled into the driveway so they couldn’t see us leaving the tv room.
21. I have one older and one younger brother
22. And a dog
23. Besides my own, I don’t really like animals.
24. The other day I locked myself in my car because I saw a raccoon.
25. I thought it was going to attack me.
26. I am definitely not a country girl.
27. I went to college in the country.
28. I hated not being in an urban area.
29. But loved college
30. And wish I could go back
31. I spend way to much time on facebook.
32. I can’t complete a sentence without using the word “like” or saying “ya know”
33. I don’t really wear makeup
34. But I can’t go 2 weeks without a mani/pedi
35. My biggest pet peeve is when people mix black and brown.
36. I literally just go the chills thinking about it.
37. My college roommate pointed out facts 32-35 to me.
38. She’s my best friend
39. We were randomly placed together freshman year
40. There was also another girl
41. We kicked her out after 1 month.
42. She thought I hated the world.
43. I didn’t…I just hated her.
44. On average, I read a book a week.
45. I still live with my parents
46. I can’t wait to move out
47. I want to live in Manhattan
48. But will probably end up in Brooklyn or Queens.
49. Besides Long Island, I’ve lived in Maryland, Deleware and Budapest, Hungary.
50. I’m from the same town as Lindsay Lohan.
51. People constantly say I look like her.
52. I don’t get it.
53. I have dirty blonde hair.
54. I carry an umbrella and sunglasses with me everywhere I go
55. My sunglasses always have to match black and brown too.
56. I also always have my cell phone, i-pod, train pass, a book and pen
57. I can’t wear closed toed shoes in the summer
58. I’m not a big fan of them in the winter either.
59. Everything hanging in my closet must face the same way.
60. I have separate closets for tops and bottoms.
61. They are in different rooms.
62. Everything hangs in color order.
63. My tops go from darkest to lightest.
64. The bottoms from light to dark.
65. My dresser is also color coordinated.
66. I’m a very picky eater
67. I’m not a vegetarian but don’t really eat meat.
68. I love seafood
69. I hate cheese.
70. I can’t be in the same room as an open bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos.
71. It will make me throw up.
72. I love coke.
73. But hate pepsi.
74. When I was in second grade I got my tongue stuck to a pole.
75. I hate the movie A Christmas Story.
76. I can recite every line in the movie Newsies.
77. I also know every song and dance.
78. I’m tone deaf.
79. Literally can not hear the beat…ask anyone.
80. I have no sense of direction.
81. I normally don’t realize I went the wrong way until I’m over a bridge.
82. I’ve ended up in New Jersey when driving to the Hamptons.
83. Growing up I wanted to be an astronaut.
84. I’m deathly scared of heights.
85. I hate walking up and down stairs, being on escalators, and walking in and out of elevators.
86. I love the ocean.
87. I love the New York Yankees.
88. I have season tickets.
89. Two words…bleacher creatures
90. My goal is to visit all 7 continents.
91. I’ve only hit 2 so far.
92. I studied abroad in college.
93. Freshman year was my favorite.
94. I met my bff’s the first week of school.
95. I am still best friends with all of them.
96. Growing up I couldn’t sleep without my stuff animals- “lambie” and “teddy”
97. I brought them to college.
98. I lost “teddy” at a rest stop in Delaware in Jan ’04.
99. I couldn’t sleep for weeks.
100. I still miss my teddy bear.
101. Growing up scares me.

A Week In Review

Last night we had our Fundraising Seminar which gave a lot of ideas to help with fundraising. I have spent every night of this past week writing letters and addressing envelopes and am nowhere close to being done. I knew putting in the training was going to be difficult and time consuming, but I didn't expect the fundraising aspect to be so hard.


On a positive note, I have been keeping up with my training and haven't missed a day yet! I talked to one my college roommate last night, and like most of my friends, she still can't believe I'm doing this. I think they all thought it was a joke or something, but its not- I'm running a marathon...in January (ahhhhh)! The thought of it is exciting and scary at the same point. I've never been a runner and still don't classify myself as one, but I'm slowly making the transition. Keyword there being slowly.


Monday was my last 2 mile run, which I completed while doing a 9 min mile pace. I was tired all day and procrastinated, so didn't go out until after work. (Note to self- I am not a fan of running after work.) I think about it to much and it almost gives me anxiety. Even though it was only two miles, the thought of having to go home and not be able to relax or have the evening free sucked. I would much rather wake up and get it over with. When I run in the am, it makes me feel good about myself. Bad part being I say "its okay, I ran today, I can eat that huge ice cream". I find myself saying that almost everyday... I think I'm gonna be the only person in the history of the world to get fat while training for a marathon. I'm serious..I justify every chocolate bar, blt, and ice cream on "oh, its okay, I'm training for a marathon".


Determined not to have a repeat of Monday's lousy feelings I went running during my lunch break. Tuesday's run had to be 3 miles. So, like the responsible, directionally challenged person I am, I mapped out a nice run through Central Park. I have run there before and always manage to veer off course somehow, all the while staying on some path or another and eventually ending up back where I started. Well, that was the truth- at least until Tuesday. I finally figured out the right place to turn around a mile in..which I did fine. Then I was just supposed to follow that street along and I don't know how, but I ended up in the middle of nowhere. I was no longer on the road, no longer could see anybody, and was surrounded by wildlife. Not like deer or bears or anything, but squirrels and chipmunks and birds. Nontheless, I was not happy, I was tired, and I was lost. But I still kept running. To make a long story short, I spent most of my run lost in the woods of central park, but I do think I managed to find almost every hill there. Sweet life. I got back to the gym and when I checked my ipod, I saw I ran for 40 minutes without stopping! Whooo who!

Wednesday is cross training and I decided to bike, lift and do abs. Pretty uneventful.

Thursday was a pretty exciting day. My friend called me and invited me to a party in the Hamptons on Saturday night to celebrate Boulevard Magazine's upcoming issue. Of course I had plans- but come on, we're talking VIP party in the Hamptons. Obviously I dropped all other plans and the search (well more like panic) of planning began. I still had to run, go to my fundraising meeting, and get a bunch of work at the office done. Not to mention, find the perfect outfit and a hotel for Saturday night. I decided a nice run up and down 5th Avenue would put me in the right mindset to mingle and party with people who are so obviously out of my leauge. I ran along 5th up to the Met and back to the gym which is just over 3 miles in 32 minutes. I don't know where I am getting this 10 min. pace from but hey, I'm not complaining. After the fundraising meeting I did a little unsuccessful shopping than came home, ate dinner real quick, and went to the pool to swim some laps.

And so it begins...

Well, I officially signed up with Team In Training last Wednesday. Unfortunately, I was unable to convince any of my Long Island friends to join me on this "journey" but I still have some hopes for my McD bias....(ahem Beth..Jessi...Nicole).

This past Saturday was our first "Group Training Session" and I think it went pretty well. On our training manual (yes, I have a strict manual that I have to follow everyday) it said we were running 2 miles. So of course I think to myself that 2 miles really isn't bad and I've been running 2+ everyday to start training (albeit on a flat treadmill with a fan blowing directly on me) so it would be okay if I go out on Friday night before my MORNING run on Sat. Good thing I kept it easy Fri because Sat was the most humid disgusting day ever. Oh, and just for good measure we did 3 miles with the first one being all up hill. Sweet life.

I ran with another girl and 2 guys all around my age. It was weird because I was in the front of the group and haha I have *never* been in the front of any type of run. I was pretty proud of myself being able to run with them for the most part. Eventually the other girl and myself fell behind into my more comfortable spot towards the middle/back of the pack (but not until the 2 mile mark so...) while the guys went ahead. While we were running, the four of us all talked about our running experience. Well, I guess I should say the three of them talked about their running experience and I just thought to myself "what the @#$@ did I get myself into"! The one guy Matt's goal is to finish the marathon in under 3 hours, the other guy Peter has ran a bunch of races before but mostly 5 and 10ks, and the girl Barbara has completed 2 half marathons and is training for her first full. So yeah, I felt a little out of my league but everybody keeps reassuring me that a lot of people start with no prior running experience. Everybody was really great helping each other out. I think I ended up finishing toward the middle-back of the pack. But for now, I don't really care...as long as I finish.

After we completed our run they had bagels and energy drinks for us. Then we had a shoe clinic to find the perfect sneakers for our feet. Not gonna lie, I can't remember the last time I bought a pair of shoes based on comfort with no regards to what they looked like. It was a whole new world to me and although I might not have the cutest pair of sneakers (def not my color) they are pretty comfortable. I guess when I'm running 26.2 miles comfort is more important than looks. (NOT to be misunderstood with any other time when style clearly outweighs the importance of comfort!)

Yesterday I went for a run during my lunch break with a plan of starting at my gym and running up and doing a loop in Central Park. I mapped out my required 2 miles and was ready to go...or so I thought. Of course I got lost in the park, didn't turn where I was supposed to and ended up on 72nd street. I ended up just running along the outside of the park down 5th Ave. and back to the gym on 56th. When I got back to work and mapped it out, the run equalled just over 2 miles. I attempted to do the same run this morning before work- just backwards (starting at the gym to 5th then finishing through the park and back to the gym) but ended up turning a little to soon. Whateve, "little miss directually challanged" still did the required 2 miles. Tomorrow we are scheduled to cross train which I'm pretty excited about because let's face it...I'm not a big fan of running.

I really need to start my fundraising and I'm more nervous about not being able to raise $3800 than actually completing the marathon. Please help and donate http://www.active.com/donate/tntliny/tntlinyCDummey as it goes to a really great cause...and come on who hasn't said "I would pay to see YOU run a mile"...well now you can..and I'm not just doing "a mile"...I'm doing 26.2!

Who Says I Have No Idea?

Next week I am signing up with Team in Training to run the Walt Disney World Marathon. For those of you who know me, you're not hallucinating- you did read that right. For those of you who don't, lets just say back in college I was not exactly what one would consider a marathoner, unless when you say marathon you really mean endless all nighters, keg stands and case races. If that were the case, I would probably already have a couple Olympic medals under my belt.

But, unfortunately for this recovering sorority girl, by marathon we are not talking about pounding down a 30 pack, we are talking about running 26.2 miles. Of course, I'm sure the two aren't all that different. Right now I think I'm at the same stage in my marathon training that I was back in high school when I snuck into the bar for the first time. (Oh remember the days of chalking your permit to be 18 to get into Boggarts!) Right now I don't exactly "enjoy" running, but I've heard that with time it grows on you. Hey, lets be honest, who actually "enjoyed" their first sip of Natty Light? For me, beer was an acquired taste and I must admit I have acquired quite the taste for it. Hopefully my running will have similar results. Actually going and signing up for Team In Training is a terrifying thought...almost as scary as the fear of being rejected in front of all my peers by the Boggarts bouncer for being underage. At least this time I can't get arrested.

I remember that night- being in the bar having no idea what I was doing. I probably looked just as awkward and uncoordinated as I do on the track. I had no idea what to order...there were so many options. Do I want beer or liquor? Draft or bottle? On the rocks or frozen? Actually I don't think I knew that many options and I ended up with a Long Island Ice Tea. Probably not the smartest drink to start off with, but hey I guess a marathon isn't the easiest race to start with either! I don't remember the exact number of drinks I downed that night, but I'm guessing around three or four. The most I've run so far is three miles- after which I could barely stand, felt like I was going to throw up and was begging for some water to stop spinning. Good thing I have prom, graduation, my last summer home and all of college, not to mention a good five months of TNT to help get my tolerance up. Who ever said drinking wasn't a sport?