Civilian Military Combine - New York City 2014

This past Saturday Team CrossFit Hell's Kitchen took on the Civilian Military Combine (CMC) - New York City 2014, and as Social Director, I felt that it was my duty to be there. That, and I just really like my CFHK friends and signed up months ago because I knew I'd be in New York for weddings in September.

Brooklyn Boulders

I'm back in New York this week because I flew up for my friend Tai's wedding, which was beautiful. On Saturday, before the wedding, I went climbing at Brooklyn Boulders with Ryan and our friend Adam.

I've been climbing at The Cliffs and Island Rock, but never Brooklyn Boulders. I like The Cliffs better because it smells less like feet and lets in more natural light, but I don't have anything negative to say about Brooklyn Boulders.

Bouldering scares me because you're not hooked into anything. Going up isn't so bad but coming down makes me squeal in terror. I made it up to the top of the first V0 problem I tried but kept getting stuck on the second one. During my last attempt of the day, I finally made it up there as you can see in the photo collage above.

We went to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for Shiner Bock and ribs afterwards, which is really the whole reason that I went to climb at all.

Thank you Adam and Ryan for including me in your Saturday ritual.

Summer Soccer League

I have joined a soccer team and I love it. After realizing that I hate kickball and that I think volleyball is stupid, I was ready to give up on the whole club team sports thing. But then I met Lauren from my office and she invited me to sign up for NYC Soccer. This is not regular Lauren who I have a borderline unhealthy relationship with, but rather the girl in the photo.

Tonight was our first game. I hadn't played soccer since I was 14, but I think I was able to get back into the swing of things pretty quickly. The rule is that two women must be on the field at all times so Lauren and I played the entire game with no subs. Good thing we're both long distance runners.

 I played right fullback because that's what I played in middle school. I'm actually not very good at soccer, but I'm fast and I have no problem using my body to block the ball or the opposing team. I took the ball straight to the chest (which made an awesome sound by the way) and it knocked the wind right out of me. I guess I didn't tighten my muscles before it made contact and then I thought I was going to hurl and it felt like I might have swallowed my tongue. I was able to walk it off and I believe that the play ended in a goal for us.

I'm going to buy a pair of cleats (there was some miscommunication around if we were allowed to wear them or not) because I'd prefer the traction over crosstrainers. I also found blood blisters on my feet after the game.

I really like my teammates, even thought I can't remember all of their names right now. Our team name is Just For Kicks - clever huh?

Our game tonight was at 9:45 PM in Williamsburg, effectively putting a damper on any postgame celebrations. We're going to go out for drinks after the earlier games but I hope it doesn't turn into NYC Social level of celebration. I was so hungover the morning after volleyball every week. I'm really psyched for this summer and looking forward to our next game.

Now if I can only avoid sleeping with the goalie.

Three Boroughs Run

Today the Professor and I ran a casual 10 miles over the Triboro, through Astoria, over the Pulanski, through Williamsburg, and over the Williamsburg Bridge to the Lower Eastside.

I've tumbled off the Paleo wagon so hard, I've got bruises - or maybe those are because I like to drink? I woke up in my own bed this morning, wearing sweats, and my phone was in a bag of rice. I have little recollection of my Irish Exit last evening, but when I wake up in a winning situation, I don't complain. I had more than enough time to chug seltzer water and eat a nutritious breakfast slash watch The Young and the Restless.

The Professor and I met outside of 7-Eleven at noon and took off towards the East River Esplanade.

The bridges in the distance.

We ran over the bridge to Ward Island. I really dislike that bridge because it makes me feel nauseous. I'm convinced that I am going to slip and fall right off of it.

Ward Island

We ran to the entrance of the pedestrian path on the Triboro Bridge. This lovely cage doesn't last for long. The concrete walls that you can see below are that height all along the bridge WITHOUT THE CAGE. Between the cars and the snow and the lack of protection from falling to our deaths, it was a little nerve-wracking. I handled it better than the Professor, but I don't blame him for being less than pleased by the situation. I am afraid of the Brooklyn Bridge so I'm not sure why the Triboro didn't get to me.

I appreciate that the Professor wears shorts over his tights.

We ran through Astoria, making a pit stop at the car wash so that I could use the restroom. My healthy breakfast of chicken and vegetables had come back to haunt me. Or maybe it was the pickleback shots from the evening before...

It's interesting to watch the people and neighborhoods change throughout this run. At about mile 5 (still in Astoria), we saw our first hipster. Brooklyn was full of them. Hipsters make me itch.

BROOKLYN LOVE

The Williamsburg Bridge was probably the coolest of the four bridges we ran on today.

The Professor on the Williamsburg Bridge

a mural

Selfie on the Williamsburg Bridge

The ascent of the bridge is pretty challenging with the wind, but the descent is awesome. I just trucked it the last mile downhill.

Right after I took this picture.

My Garmin satellites didn't catch until about .4 of a mile into the run, so I think I ran closer to 10.5 miles.

We had brunch at a place we passed called Donnybrook on the Lower Eastside. Brunch is $14 for a meal and THREE alcoholic beverages. Amazing.

Culture Club - Williamsburg

My colleague and I had a playdate on the calendar that we had scheduled after kickball one evening when we snagged seats at the bar and left our coworkers/teammates to stand and wait for our table. I'll be honest and say that I actually just wanted to go to the gym last night and then go to sleep super early but a playdate is a commitment that must be honored.

My magic Googling skills found The Heaping Helping's potluck dinner at the Brooklyn Kitchen. That's what you find when you browse the Brooklyn Brewery's event calendar and your plans are dictated by where you can find pumpkin ale.

We ventured into Williamsburg and had I known this when I got up in the morning, I would've worn my plaid  shirt, leggings, boots, Native American inspired shawl, seventeen necklaces, knit cap, and eyeglasses. Instead I wore dress pants, a mock turtleneck, one of those oversized pashmina-like white girl scarves, and Uggs. Yes, Uggs. It was too cold for my leopard print flats so I left them at my desk.

All the desk essentials.

The food was amazing but I scarfed it down too fast to photograph it. Those hipsters sure know how to cook. Since Ritalin and frozen lightly creamed spinach were not acceptable offerings, I gave $20 instead of a dish. Best $20 I spent all week. In addition to all you can eat (and I mean all you can eat - we were so stuffed we couldn't eat anymore) dinner, Brooklyn Brewery beers were sold for $1. Therefore I had $5.

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale

I ran into my friend and former boss Viviana. I see her everywhere - Harlem, my office, Williamsburg... It's always a pleasure but it's beginning to get a little creepy.

The band Skunkmello provided the musical entertainment. They were actually pretty good. The lead singer doesn't wear shoes while he performs. How Taylor Swift of him.

I literally ate the most delicious treats. There was butternut squash soup, pumpkin twinkies, chicken pot pie (with biscuits as the pie top), risotto, mashed potatoes, white chocolate key lime cheesecake (which I didn't have because I didn't have anymore room!), and personal pecan pies made in cupcake tins. It was everything I dreamed of and more.

I'm not really sure what the Brooklyn Kitchen is. It seemed like a home goods store but it also appears to have a butcher's shop. It was cool in an, "Oh we're in Brooklyn and everyone looks like Buddy Holly" kind of way. Their bathroom was pretty nifty though.

The King... and a changing table.

You can see the sign for the Meat Hook behind my head.
You can also see my double chin.

After gorging ourselves on homemade food and locally made beer (although the pumpkin ale said something about Utica on it?), we went to Refugio Cigar House down the street. I still haven't had a cigarette since last Saturday, but I did have a cigar last night while we watched wrestling and hung out with the owners. Although I don't think that really counts as smoking, I felt guilty about it this morning and felt compelled to confess to my friend from high school who inspired me to stop smoking after she did. It was a Romeo + Juliet and it was delicious.

Valentine's Day 5K

Last year I signed up for the Valentine's Day 5K in Prospect Park, but I had had a crappy weekend, flipping out about some boy (this seems to be a trend, no?) and my running buddy Palindrome ditched me because his foot hurt. Really? Your foot hurts? You're a runner. Most runners have feet that hurt. I sent an email to the race organizer, Mike, and being the great guy that he is, Mike said I could run this year instead.

I went to my parents' house for the weekend (doesn't that sound so much more grown-up than saying my house?) and decided it was best to drive to the race. I worked in Brooklyn for two years, and there is no excuse for how I managed to miss all the exits I did yesterday, adding thirty minutes to my trip. My GPS just hates Brooklyn. We don't have problems anywhere else, but the minute we get over the Jackie Robinson, she's adding distance, removing streets, and claiming all other sorts of nonsense. I managed to get my bib from PS 154 before the race began and I found parking right next to the park's entrance.

I decided to finally take my red Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11s out of the box. The Adrenaline GTS 11s went on sale last month and I snapped these pretty babies up. I was saving them for my birthday, but then realistically assessed the situation and decided I couldn't wait that long. I want to wear them for the Caumsett 50K, but I couldn't resist wearing red shoes for a Valentine's Day run.

I love brand new white shoe laces.

I obviously made my mother take a picture of me.

I wore black matty m leggings, my red C9 by Champion for Target pullover, white Old Navy athletic socks (3.1 miles didn't warrant ruining my outfit with day-glo Balega socks), my patriotic Knockaround sunglasses, and an awesome faux-fur headband. I had planned on wearing my bright yellow Brooks gloves but I decided I didn't need them and left them in the car. Poor decision.

Female finishers received red carnations at the finish line.

We all lined up for the race somewhere between the entrance closest to 10th Avenue and Center Drive. I do not understand Prospect Park and I spent four and a half hours running around it. It confuses me, the landmarks look all the same, and I wouldn't be able to find you if without a compass and a map. I thought I had placed myself up towards the front, but the race volunteers asked everyone to get in the rec lane and suddenly I found many more people up ahead of me. I surged forward at the start and found that I was running something like 4:37 miles. Obviously not sustainable, but it got me out of that crowd. I reined it back in and finished my first mile in 6:37*. (These times are subject to change. My Garmin is on my kitchen table and I am at work, so I am writing this from memory.)

Leaving the park after the race.

I was feeling pretty great heading into the second mile. The second mile is the never-ending hill that the Professor and I battled over and over and over and over again during the Brooklyn Marathon. It's not that steep, you don't even really notice it at first, but it just keeps coming at you. I kept telling my legs to speed up, but my mind had my body trapped in marathon mode. I was able to run at 6:58 pace a few times, but I also kept stalling out at 8 somethings. I think I completed mile 2 in 8:02 (need Garmin verification.)

I am a big fan of the t-shirts.

The last mile remind me of mile 20 of the marathon. It was either run it and shut up or cry and go home. I started chanting beast in an even more beastly voice than usual. My real-life friends can attest to how years of smoking, chanting, and chugging has given me a deep and sometimes sexy voice. It's usually strongly disliked by children and high-strung women, but it has given me a fall-back career in the adult phone industry.

I came in at 22:40 according to the Garmin. The course was exactly 3.1 miles. I like consistency between my wrist and the race officials, so I am looking forward to when the official results are released.

I had to work after the race, so I didn't return to the school for celebratory cups of hot cocoa. Instead I drove into Manhattan to drop off my clean clothing (thanks Mom!) and pick up my FWF (favorite work friend) before heading back to Brooklyn. We were site leaders for administering a survey on Universal Pre-K in Bed Stuy. When I am not running drunk, I care deeply about ed reform. I am multi-faceted. FWF shared her new ginger treats with me after we each inhaled a #13 while we waited at McDonald's for our volunteers to check back in. They're really tasty and would probably have killed me appetite if I wasn't already stuffed from chicken mcnuggets and fries.