born to run?

I have never loved running.  It's an activity I do to stay in shape, but I'd really rather be doing something else.  I have always been an active person.  I grew up playing sports and haven't ever really stopped.  I have fun, feel healthy, meet people, and build friendships.  Along the way, running has interspersed itself in my fitness life, but am I born to run?

After high school, when I would have practice 5 days a week for 3 hours a day, it was clear that I couldn't JUST play sports to stay in shape anymore.  SAD.  I gained my freshman 10-15 in college (really have no idea how many) and decided it was time to start using the gym to supplement my intramural sports games.  This was also the time when I started to run for exercise.  I didn't like it.  I stuck to 1-2 mile runs, and on occasion, when the guy I liked wanted to run, I'd do the 3 miles.  Berkeley is hilly too - torture.

When I went to UMich, it was the same deal.  I got involved in intramural sports (by this time, it was the old student league, couldn't hang with the undergrads) and also had a great group of people who also liked to get together to play basketball, volleyball, or football, and well, an occasional old person's Field Day (water balloon toss, kickball, 3-legged race, etc).  Winter wasn't too conducive to all the outdoor activity though, so again, I had to resort to running... indoors, at the gym, around a track that was something like 1/10 mile, in a circle, over and over again.  I tried to entertain myself with music and by speeding up on the banked corners, which would whip me around.

This is also when I ran my first real race.  The graduate department wanted to encourage fitness, so they paid all grad students' entry fees for the Ann Arbor-Dexter 5K Run.  I almost died.  Kids, middle-aged, and even seniors passed me on the last hill.  It's what kept me going - the humiliation.  However, I did see some of the appeal when I finished - there was a lot of cheering at the end and lots of free food and drinks.  Festivities!

I once had a bad day and ran 5 miles.  That was the farthest I had ever run.  I was pretty proud of myself, but I never did it again.  It was the stars aligning that made me do it.

It was a challenge after first moving to NYC and out of the academic environment.  I joined some adult sports leagues, but I couldn't seem to find a fun group.  I refused to join a gym because gyms are so depressing to me.  I like being outdoors and don't see the point in getting on a machine to get your body to move yet stay in one spot at the same time.  I had also never paid for a gym membership and couldn't fathom adding that to my list of bills.  I fortunately found a fabulous running buddy, who motivated me to run even in the dead of winter and summer.  Sometimes we even ran in the MORNINGS BEFORE WORK.  Wuut?  I became one of those people?  We had fun hanging out and running, but still it wasn't my favorite way to exercise.  I did get somewhat used to it, extending my range from 1-2 miles to more like ~3 miles.

Then she moved away.  :(

Then I joined the gym. :(

It's okay, I think I'm stronger now since I have what P likes to call my "guns class," aka, a weights class.  Good for bone health.  I'm okay with that.  And there's someone there to tell me what to do so I don't have to think about it.

Earlier this month, my friend W proposed that we run a 10K race at the Lobster Festival.  I agreed since it's fun to do these things together and it's a good balance to all the lobster I was expecting to eat.  So P and I got to training.  By this time, post oppressive summer heat, I had fallen off the wagon and had to get my mind prepared. During our short training session leading up to the race, I completed 2 5-mile runs in 2 weeks.  A record frequency for me!  I felt pretty prepared for the 10K, and when the race came around, I was proud that I completed the longest distance I have ever run!

I hadn't been to my guns classes in awhile for various scheduling reasons, but when I went after the race, everything was easier!  My arms were stronger, my core was stronger.  It was surprising and amazing!  All from running?  It was really exciting... but encouraging?  I'm still not sure.  I told my friend all the benefits that I was observing from my running, and when he asked me if I was going to continue, I said probably not.  He pointed out to me that that sounded silly, and well, I agree.

Running is a mental game for me more than a physical one.  It's the boredom, which allows me to focus on the run and how horrible I'm feeling.  I notice that I'm usually very good on the first half.  I'm mentally prepared for the long road ahead.  But then I cross the half-way mark, and I start to falter.  I can feel the end coming, and I just want it to be NOW.  I negotiate with myself, "okay, I can start walking after I get to the bottom of the hill...", "I can just walk a little bit, and then I'll start right up again...."  It's when the negotiations start up that I know I'm hurting.  My question is, why put myself through so much torture?  I believe I can be runner, I believe in the benefits, but it's just not FUN.  You know what's fun?  Finishing the run and getting to walk!  Okay, the satisfying feeling of just having completed the run is also nice.  Is the end result what people like, or do people actually like the activity of running?

I'm on the waitlist for Born to Run from the library.  I'm hoping that that will give me some insight.

subway etiquette

We all have our gripes about our commute, but for New Yorkers, it's a tad different.

My coworkers and I were discussing what annoys us on the subways, so I decided to summarize here a list of subway etiquette rules.  I find that when these things happen, it is because the person is (1) entitled or (2) oblivious.  I am sometimes guilty of breaking these myself, but I try to do my best.

1. First and foremost, able-bodied people should give up their seat to the elderly, disabled, or pregnant.  Open your eyes! (The Oblivious)
2. Wait for people to get off the train before getting on.  Still a difficult concept for everyday subway users to grasp. (The Entitled)
3. When holding the pole, your arm should be extended by at least 120 degrees if there are other people sharing the pole.  For some reason, I run into a lot of women who like to hug the pole while I'm holding onto it, thus obliviously pressing their boobs onto my hand.  I don't want to touch your boobs. (The Entitled and Oblivious)
4. Try not to touch others.  Why do people always want to touch??? (I'm not really sure if it's The Entitled or The Oblivious.  I don't understand why people do this.)
5. If you are standing near the door, stand sideways to let people in or out of the subway car. (The Entitled)
6. In a crowded train, take backpacks and purses off your back/shoulder and hold them in front of you at your feet.  (The Entitled, Oblivious or The Weak - I break this one sometimes because I have to carry heavy things sometimes! And it's too gross to rest anything on the floor.)
7. Move into the center of the car to let more people on.  Honestly, it's the better place to be since people pack in like sardines in front of the car doors anyway.  (The Entitled and Oblivious)

see, he's her lobster!

Main Lobster Festival, Rockland, ME

Saturday
9 lobsters eaten between the 4 of us in 1 day (lobsters for lunch AND dinner OF COURSE)
2 lobster rolls
2 lobster stews
steamed clams
smoked mussels
fried scallops

Sunday
10K run - still came in toward the latter part of the pack even though we were late by 10-15 minutes
Stayed at Inn at Ocean's Edge - stunning, quintessential Maine experience

Mainers, as we refer to them, are SO nice!  We experienced lots of simple acts of kindness, but what really stood out was the staff from the Inn - yes, I know hospitality is their profession, but it was really above and beyond.  Since we had to skip breakfast for our early morning run, the head of the kitchen packed us a hot breakfast, retrieved one of her personal eco-shopping bags from her car, and packed REAL silverware for us to take on the road even though she knew we wouldn't be able to return any of it!!  She also wanted to give us a to-go cup of cream for our coffee but then stopped herself saying, "Is that too aggressive?" LOL

So happy to have shared such a wonderful weekend with such wonderful friends.

Remember this from Friends?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU39sqEQOms

Team MMT-KWJ

Misty May Treanor and Kerry Walsh Jennings are my favorites of the Olympic games.  I've watched them feverishly since Athens, and really, I've watched Kerry since I was in high school.  How?  She went to Mitty, a high school near mine.  Oh yes, she was famous even then!

Last night's win over the Chinese team was epic and was everything I love about this team!  They work so well together and step up when they need to.  They are so good at digging deep and pulling out clutch plays when the game gets close.

Props to the Chinese team who put on an impressive defensive display.

It's USA vs USA in the finals.  I feel bad for the lesser known US team, but I'm still going to be cheering for MMT-KWJ!  I'd hate for them to tarnish their undefeated Olympic record.  Interestingly, they were not favored in this Olympics!

the urban hunt

Summer season is winding down, which means lots of great sales for bargain hunters like me!

I grabbed these deals at Reiss over the weekend!  70% off!

from scratch

Saw these guys on Gilt, and I decided that these are earrings that I can make myself.  I'm in need of a crafts project.  I just need to find the parts, but from experience, that could be the hardest part!

The squash bounty is starting in P's garden.  Here are the pickings from today, in orderly fashion of course, from smallest to largest.  The 2 largest are 10" and a foot long!

I had a dream last night that in addition to our precious Jake, we had a pet baby elephant.  We were preparing his daily helping of ice cream.  What a nice dream.  :)  I was also going to have a platonic lesbian marriage.  Don't know what that's all about.

half-hearted hunt

The Start

Rest of the hunting party

Advancing

advancing...

advancing?

turns out, this one is just going to observe

cubs in training 

the lone hunter

hunt abandoned, wildebeest take a stand

Click here to see more pics!

the lion and cub series

I only dreamed that I would be able to see something like this.  I didn't even count it as a possibility when we started the safari, but as luck would have it, 2 lions with 5 cubs in tow showed up in the Serengeti!

jambo mambo

After 30 hours of travel, we are home!  Poor Sister had another 5 hours of waiting (including a 3-hour delay at the Newark airport) and 6 hours of flying to finally get home.  I have a thousand (literally) pictures to sift through and organize before posting, but here are some of the highlights (good and bad :) ).

• Waking up the morning of our departure to find that Sister's flight was delayed 9 hours and that she would miss her connection and our meeting point in EWR.  We were only given the choice of rebooking the next flight out of SFO, which allowed only a very tight connection.  United continually gets worse and worse.  But she made it!
• Getting through the night in one of the nastiest hotel rooms I've ever stayed in in Arusha.  Power went out in only our room, coincidentally while I was on the pot.  Nice timing.
• Getting wonderful Abdul as our tour guide.  We thought we were sneakily talking about money in front of him in Spanish, but it just so happened that Abdul spoke Spanish too.  Foiled!
• Encountering a lion family, a hunt, and a cheetah (so hard to find!)
• Never getting tired of watching elephants and giraffes roam the African landscape
• The breathtaking Serengeti
• Using the bush toilet in front of a zebra/wildebeest herd, a safe time since they gave no indication that any predators were lurking. 
• Both P and I getting sick in Tarangire.  Rough night, but we still managed to survive traveling the next day to Dar es Salaam.
• Swimming with the dolphins despite being swindled by the tour guide
• Doing nothing but read and take naps in Zanzibar
• Bonding with Sister and Husband and forming unforgettable memories together

<3

congratulations Angela & Geo!!

Meanwhile, we will dress up and make faces.

A perfect day in Tiburon, CA

Where am I?

SPOTTED! - Fred Armisen @ 73rd/CPW

For the SECOND time! ON THE SAME BLOCK.  My first sighting of him was also on a rainy day like today on 73rd/Columbus Ave.  That means he's gotta live near me.

Adding him to my list of NYC sightings.  Not to mention I saw Russell Simmons coming out of his pimp car with an assistant last weekend.

Liza Minnelli
Lance Bass
Ashley Angel
Kristen Scott Thomas
Carey Mulligan
Shaquille O'Neal
William H Macy
John Legend
Jay Manuel
Denise Richards
Steve Nash
Grant Hill
Kate Walsh
Russell Simmons
Fred Armisen

memory lane

Each new stamp in my passport is like getting a badge on my nonexistent Brownie uniform.  I've been working on it for 10 years.  But this passport is now retired, and I have a stiff new blank one in its stead.  It's like a new chapter in my life although I haven't really achieved anything and nothing will really change going forward, but it certainly is a ride down memory lane.


A milestone - my first trip to Europe in 2004.  Amsterdam, Paris, and London.

Also in here is Peru, where we saw the breathtaking Machu Picchu and had countless, unforgettable experiences.

Japan.  P showed me the country in a week and introduced me to his favorite places, food, and friends.  I ate too much white rice, but oooh, was it good.








Ireland.  The stamp just LOOKS SO IRISH.  Sister and I went on the best bike ride ever here on the Aran Islands, and I did an Irish jig (which my friend renamed "hoedown") in front of a bar playing Irish music.  Here, "Irish bars" are just called "bars."






Well, I'm now working on preparing for my first stamp in the new passport.

1. Get passport - CHECK!
• Cool photo cropping and sizing tool provided online.
2. Get my medicines - CHECK!
• Note to self - received latest tetanus booster on May 10, 2012
3. Put deposit on safari - CHECK!
4. Backpack - CHECK!
5. Camera lens - CHECK!
6. Kindle - CHECK!

Now I gotta start packing!

9/11 Memorial

Getting Malaysian food at Nyonya afterward

AFRICA. ME!

We booked our tickets last night!  I am both nervous and excited, which I find is always a good combination for an adventure trip!

A little flight to Amsterdam, where we will undoubtedly pick up some cheese, and then...

Flight summary   Flight 1: Amsterdam - Kilimanjaro Sat 2 Jun 12 Flight 2: Kilimanjaro - Dar es Salaam Fri 8 Jun 12 Flight 3: Dar es Salaam - Amsterdam Mon 11 Jun 12

OH YEAH.

Well, first I gotta renew my passport, and then get a yellow fever vaccination, and then I gotta go shopping to look the part.

I must have a safari hat, right?

Happy 1-year anniversary!

I cannot believe that we have already reached our 1-year wedding anniversary!  I've gotten used to saying things like "husband" and "married," and now that tax season is over, our social security numbers are married too.  But other things I'm still getting used to, like saying my new hyphenated last name and not having to be as independent.  Just yesterday I realized that I don't have to make an effort to learn how to make Thai curry from scratch because P will always be here to make it.  Hooray!

We celebrated with dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which while delicious, had some of the worst service we've ever experienced from a high-tier restaurant.  Waiters are usually engaging, friendly, relatable, and ready to describe any dish/ingredient in any detail desired.  Our waiter at Blue Hill was SNOOTAY with a capital S, didn't come for drink orders until after our amuse bouches, and didn't tell us what was on any of the tasting menus when asked.  We waited 20-30 min between courses, so the whole experience was just tiring.

The food itself was delicious although somewhat repetitious.  The ingredients they use all come from the farm on premises, so the repetition is somewhat understandable, but then again, French Laundry also uses ingredients from their garden without the same type of repetition.  Everything came to a head when we got to our duck course, which was cooked rare, and for P, was considered undercooked.  I would say that for most of the population, it was underdone.  P had a few of the outer pieces and then sent it back.  What came back from the kitchen were the same remaining pieces, grilled to a char.  This type of restaurant should be (1) cooking a new piece of duck of similar size to what was remaining, (2) cooking it in the same way as was originally intended, and (3) cooking it to the desired rareness.  What they did was something that I'd expect out of a Chinese restaurant.  I admit it, they're known for horrible service. :)

Dessert was lackluster.  Waiter was indignant that he didn't get a bigger tip.  Uh... do we look like chumps or something?

Anyway, putting that aside, our year has rounded out quite nicely.  Per tradition, we froze our wedding cake topper and we're enjoying eating it over a couple of days.  So small, why are cake toppers not any bigger!  Also,  I sold my wedding dress last week!  We had a good time together with many memories, but now it's time to get some money back for it and for it to make someone else happy.

bumpin'

Houston Street

The things people spend their money on.

St. Paddy's reunion in chi-town

80 degrees in March?  Whaaaat????

better late than never

Our engagement pics finally came!  Can't complain since they were FREE, but happy they came within a year.