Last Day of Vacation

Today is my last day of freedom before returning to work. Thankfully I like my job, so I'm not overly upset, but I have tried to jam as much stuff into today as possible.

Welcome to Operation Reunion Weekend

I went to MC Dance & Fitness for Kick Kamp with Yves this morning. It was great to spend some time with him and Coco. I felt a thousand times better today than the last time I went and my knee didn't really bother me at all. We ran laps in between kickboxing segments and dear lord was that hard. Some of the ladies cut the corners on the laps and I always feel like a tool making sure I hit the truck and then the street sign, but then I tell myself that I'm getting the better workout. It reminds me of sleep-away camp when some of the girls in the older bunks would half-ass boxing class and somehow I was made to feel stupid for my energy and their laziness. Anyway, class was amazing as usual and I loved it.

Everyone takes selfies before class.
I'm loving these Champion bermuda shorts FYI.

I skidaddled on home to call my shrink from the backyard. I kind of prefer our phone sessions because they allow me to chain smoke and avoid eye contact. Nothing new to report on that front. I still don't know how to make friends and the entire world revolves around me.

I housed a large Dunkin ice coffee while on the phone and then drove to Beach Bum Tanning. I don't advise that you consume 32 oz of caffeine and then hop in a tanning bed because I had to pee the entire time and it was not fun. I also think the girls that work there think something is wrong with me because I used their bathroom when I arrived and as I was leaving 16 minutes later.

Behold the Kiwi King!

My usual beds, the P90 and the KBL America, were in use so I used the Kiwi King and I am a big fan. The top is much closer to your face than the other beds but who the hell cares - it reminds me of the old fashioned kind we used in Wallingford. You can adjust the face lamps, which is awesome because I turned them down with 5 minutes to go. My face is a little red on my cheeks and nose to mimic a real tan. The tell-tale fake and bake is a uniform tan across your face so I make an effort to redden up a bit.

Skin brown, teeth white, clothing glowing.

I took a quick shower, dropped by Angel Tips for some waxing, and then headed to Morel Hair Design for a haircut with Jorge. My hair looks great as usual.

Now I'm at Westbury Chrysler waiting for Petunia's oil change and for her AC to be fixed. The air coming out of the vents is even hotter than it is outside and now my blowout is all wind strewn from having to drive down here with the windows open. FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

I took this lovely photo of myself using Photobooth. Now I am getting funny looks.

Westbury Chrysler service station has free wireless but it blocks Facebook and PicMonkey. Clearly the two things I wanted.

CrossFit Hell's Kitchen

I know I've been saying I was signing up for CrossFit since 2010, but I finally did it. I cannot wait for June 17th.

Not So Sunday Funday

I survived the wedding.

Realtree

I love Realtree. I don't care if I don't have a reason to look like a Mossy Oak or that the only thing I ever shoot is a target inside a range. My favorite thing to do when I get to Iowa is go to Walmart and check out the Realtree section. Yesterday I scored this sick hat.

My mom was going on and on about the time she squeezed out night cream and it looked like a penis.
I've heard this story numerous times since the day it happened and it doesn't freak me out any less now.

It's a lot colder in Iowa than I had anticipated. Crazy, but for some reason I thought it was supposed to be warm in May. I found this swoutfit in my grandma's closet.

the BEST outfit I have ever worn

Being a huge fan of Realtree, I have embraced their expansion into womenswear. And this is why I am seriously considering buying this dress just in case I decide to get married in the future.

source

Casual Jog to Walmart

Greetings from Centerville, Iowa! Right now I'm at a Super 8 for the night on a small road trip down to Missouri and back. This morning I was in Independence, Iowa, where my grandma lives, and where my amazing friend Jacqie will be getting married this weekend. Eeek!

Anyway, since I have a bridesmaid dress to fit into this weekend, I went for a casual run around town. My knee was killing me on my flight yesterday and I swear it felt like it was trying to get out of my leg by any means necessary. Thankfully I was able to keep a nice consistent pace going today for my 3.52 mile excursion.

I recently went to the Champion store at the Tanger Outlets and picked up some sick new gear. I wore these fitted bike shorts, performance tank, and sports bra today for a test run and I love them.

These shorts are great because they are on the longer side and they stay where they are. I hate when my shorts ride up my ass making me look like a hoochie mama and then I spend the entire run picking a wedgie. I think these are perfect for my 50 mile bike ride next month.

The fushia sports bra is the same C9 by Champion sports bra I always wear but in a better color. The tank is performance material and the back is mesh. I am a big fan but I think it could stay in place a bit better. I'm also rocking a sick pinot grigio gut so that might have something to do with it. On a side note, my mother says I am looking slimmer these days.

I ran from my grandma's house to the Walmart, cut through the parking lot, and then ran down the highway and back through town. I'm okay with my pace for each mile because I was really just trying to shake my legs out.

I saw this couple on the way to Wally World. One day I hope I have someone who will walk along my Jazzy. Although, to be honest, I'll probably be running circles around the Jazzy, but I hope to have someone who will scoot along beside me. Taking applications at inshapeoutofmind@gmail.com.

#truelove

I was greeted at the back door my the little cat. His name is Alex and he's actually huge, but his brother Alvin is even bigger, which is why we call him the little one.

I was gross anyway so I hung out on the porch to dry off.

sweaty on the back porch

Do these pictures look out of focus to anyone else? I'm wondering if the new version of Blogger for iPhone screwed around with the pixels. Let me know.

Reader Mike Plans to Run R2R

Today I received an email from my friend, my hero, and an In Shape Out of Mind reader Mike congratulating me on Rock The Ridge. Mike is awesome and he is a Marine currently deployed in Afghanistan. I'm kind of obsessed with him and you should be too.

Mike tells me that he's planning to run the Grand Canyon rim to rim when he gets back. R2R is supposed to be amazingly beautiful with breathtaking views. A little light research (Who am I kidding? I've googled this so many times) reveals that the R2R run can be started from either the North or South Rim. Those who want to go bold, run R2R2R. R2R runners start on the North Rim and R2R2R runners start on the South Rim because the climb up the North Rim is a major pain in the ass.

To read more about running the Grand Canyon, head over to this post that I really liked.

So now I am super excited for Mike to run the Grand Canyon. I also just want him to come home.

Thank you Mike for doing you. Stay safe!

Pressure to Drink

Now it's no secret that I'm a pretty big drinker. Hell, I have a compelling argument to be a Dewar sponsored athlete, but there's times when I just don't want alcohol. As co-Queen of Sunday "too much fun can't work Monday" Funday, it's in my best interest to lay off the wine at Sunday night dinner when Monday is the only day I'll be working this week.

source

But at dinner, "No thank you" apparently translated to, "Badger me with your carafe of Cavit, please." I get it. My dad does legal work for this restaurant and the owner was just trying to be generous with the free Pinot. But after the third time, I smiled sweetly and told her I am alcoholic. Oops.

Not to undermine those who are struggling with alcoholism, but honestly, this woman has no idea why I'm saying I'd prefer seltzer with my calamari. It pisses me off that she has no regard for why I might be saying no. If she wants to go into the office for me tomorrow, then fine, I'll take two big gulps and a to-go cup. Otherwise, no thank you means no thank you.

Happy Feet

I hate blisters and foot pain. This is obviously nothing revolutionary. I'm sure most people hate blisters and foot pain, but when you're into covering long distances by foot, it's kind of par for the course.

You need to have proper footwear for a trail race. I own La Sportiva Wildcats and Brooks ASRs. As a wear tester, I'm really fortunate that Brooks sends me pairs to test out. I'm a big fan of the ASR 9s.

I wore the ASR 9s for the first 25 miles of the race. They are pretty lightweight for trail shoes, 9.5 ounces, and they're really similar to the Adrenalines I wear on the road.

I packed my Wildcats in my drop bag and switched pairs at the halfway point. I am so glad that I did because they have a lot more cushion and the ankles are higher for more stability. Different shoe models mean that my feet weren't subjected to the same pressure points, which means less pain and risk of blisters.

This kid did not come with two pairs of shoes and tried to run the trail in road Vibrams. Eek. He was hurting pretty bad so I offered him my ASRs for the last 17 miles. I was happy to help him out and glad he had small lady feet.

Always bring two pairs of shoes!

I've found myself in a bit of a predicament. I track the mileage on my shoes using RunningAHEAD. If I switched shoes in the middle of the run, how do I track one run with two pairs of shoes? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because it's keeping me up at night. That's not a joke.

Knee Pain

There's a 72% chance that I hurt my knee worse than I thought. Last night's 4 mile run hurt and my knee is swollen.

The pain started flaring up at work and got worse as I walked to and from appointments near the office. Maybe liberally lathering myself up with Tiger Balm provided me with a false sense of security.

Athletic Supporters

"If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter." - Principal McGee, Grease

The best part of Rock The Ridge was my wonderful friends coming to see me. Fifty miles was a very daunting distance for me (and still is to be honest) and knowing that people I care about bothered to come to New Paltz was incredibly motivating.

I was running along mile twenty when I saw my friend and spinning instructor Tripp Doherty and his lady friend Janene. Tripp had told me that he would come up and ride the course on the day of the race, but to be honest, I didn't really believe it. It meant so, so much to me to see them both and I felt very loved. Tripp is a big inspiration in my life. Spending time with him has motivated me to push myself farther and harder than I had ever imagined. He also makes me want to be my best self. After one spin class where Tripp spoke about forgiveness, I ended a fight between my aunt and me that had become a major family argument. I don't know how many workout classes you have gone to that have changed the way you think and act, but I've been blessed to go to quite a few since Tripp started teaching at my local Equinox in 2007.

Tripp and me at the waterfall.
Photo courtesy of Janene

I met running friends at mile 19.4, named Kelly and Tommy. We stayed together for the rest of the race, but more about them later. Tripp and Janene rode their bikes along with us for much of the course. I really appreciated when they rode ahead and took awesome photographs for us.

photo courtesy of Janene

I cannot thank my friends Christina, Audrey, and Alyssa enough for coming up to watch me finish. Not only did I underestimate my finish time by over an hour and a half, forcing them to wait around, they missed the Kentucky Derby to watch me cross the line. They made me the beautiful banner you see below and came armed with yellow Gatorade and a sandwich. They also drove my car back to Westchester and set up the shower so I could wash the grime off my body. After so many hours on your feet, simple things like finding soap is a lot more difficult than you would imagine. These are real friends and I am so lucky to have them.

Running can be a pretty solitary sport but I have found trail running to be a community effort. Maybe it's the added distance, being surrounded by nature, or the type of people drawn to these kinds of events. I am so thankful for my wonderful friends traveling to share this special day with me.

Morning Run with T

After more than a week of taking it easy, I was itchy to get out and run. Yesterday I asked T if she'd be up for a 6 AM run in the park and because she's awesome, she said she was game.

I stayed up a little later than I wanted to because I had to see the Rangers school the Caps in a 5-0 shutout in Game 7. I'm not sure if I've ever shared my love of hockey on this blog, but it's my favorite sport to watch. And like many women, I want to have Lundqvist's babies. When my alarm went off at 5:30, I was surprisingly well-rested and got out of bed at 5:35.

It was really cold this morning. I wore pants and a long-sleeved tech shirt and I was still pretty chilled on my way to the park. This man, however, didn't seem phased by the frigid temperatures.

Our run was casual but not easy for me. My left knee feels a bit wonky, my right ankle is acting up, and my right hip feels a little geriatric. I feel pretty good though and I'm glad I managed 8.62 miles without collapsing on Cat Hill. The being said, I skipped Cat Hill the second time around and exited the park at 72nd.

My average pace was 9:35 but only because of my speedy first mile. I left my running keys (a specific set that only has the two keys I really need and no fobs, chains, or extras) with my super recently and I was concerned that my other set was going to leave me locked out of my apartment. The 3 minutes I spent testing  my door over and over made me a little late so I picked up the pace to meet T. I wish I had given myself enough time to get there on the front end and used that energy for the hills.

Where to Start?

I had the most incredible day of my life on Saturday, May 4 when I ran the Rock The Ridge 50 Mile Challenge. I have so many stories to share, I don't know where to begin. Send me your questions and requests and I'll get posting.

I can be contacted by posting below, Facebook, email, and carrier pigeon (but only if that pigeon is bringing me Pinkberry.)

Drop Bags Whole Foods Style

Today I learned that my anti-hoarder mother tossed all of the bags I had planned to use as drop bags for my race. No worries. I went to Whole Foods to buy two insulated bags. I use a black one as my everyday gym bag in Manhattan, but I love these bright blue and green bags.

The best part of these bags is that you can toss clothing, water bottles, sweaty shoes, you name it and not be worried about them leaking.

Rock The Ridge requires bags to be clearly labeled so I used a Rub a Dub marker to write my name and info.

Yipit

I signed up for Yipit a few months ago and I am a huge fan. It compiles deals from Groupon, Gilt, Lifebooker, LivingSocial etc that fit my preferences and then sends them in one email to my inbox.

I found out about Bikram Herald Square in a Yipit message and I purchased kickboxing classes from a studio right near my office today.

Now that my Equinox membership has expired, I am going to look for more deals near my place of employment. I'll be more likely to go and will also save a ton of money.

Run in Piedmont Park

I finally went for a run here in Atlanta. Today's weather is a bit bleak but the cool overcast weather is perfect for running.

We're staying at the Regency Suites right next to our office in Midtown Atlanta. I asked the friendly folks at the front desk to recommend a running route and they told me to run down 10th Street towards Piedmont and then I would see the park.

According to Wikipedia, "Piedmont Park is a 189-acre urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about 1 mile northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods."

According to me, Piedmont Park is lovely.

the entrance I found

I wasn't looking to do any amazing run. My 50 miler is Saturday so this was more a get moving because you are slowly becoming one with your hotel bed run.

I found a dog park and watched the puppies play. Then I found this trail path and decided to see where it led me. It led me back to the dog park.

I got a little lost and confused about where I had entered. I found an exit and then figured out I had exited on the opposite side of the park. It was easy to figure out where I needed to go to get back to my hotel so I wasn't concerned.

Including my photo shoots, shoe retying, music fiddling, and GPS mapping, I ran 3.70 miles in 37:54 minutes.

hotel mirror shot - wouldn't be a business trip without one