Sippy Cup Optional

I am anti-juice, so much so that it's banned from my classroom. Juice is not a necessary part of a healthy diet for children or adults. Juice is full of sugar and calories - especially fruit juice cocktails. You are much better off eating a serving of fruit than you are drinking 8 ounces of sugared juice product.

Although I rarely drink juice, I occasionally drink water-diluted 100% pure cranberry juice. Sometimes I feel dehydrated but can't stomach anymore plain water. Other times I crave something tart. Yesterday I thought my kidneys might have finally gone on strike and began the process of shutting down.

I love breakfast sandwiches, and I have a gluten intolerance. I drink too much alcohol, and I get horrible hangovers. I wake up at 5, and stay up until 11. I work out intensely, and then go out even harder. Last week combined all of the above, and it was definitely taking a toll on my body. I knew I needed more water, but drinking any made my stomach hurt. I had a pain behind my eye and a dull headache all over. I entertained the idea of eating a stick of butter.

It took only about 20 ounces of pure cranberry juice, but I feel human! I pour about 4 ounces into a large tumbler and then top off the rest with ice water. Remember to only use 100% pure cranberry juice. Take a lesson from Regina in Mean Girls.

Cheating on My Running Partner

After busting my ass at Titan Method tonight, I met up with my best friend's roommate's older brother who just happens to be my neighbor (got that?) for a run. I'm always looking for someone to go running with because I find that it helps to keep me motivated, varies my running distances and paces, and distracts me when I might decide to stop early in favor of soap operas and beer. The new neighbor made for a good running partner. I have to admit though, I felt a little guilty. I felt like I was cheating on my other running partner. This new one was faster, better, and had new stories to share... It was like test driving a new car while worrying about your current one sitting alone in the parking lot. Fortunately, running partners are like rich people's cars - you can have one to suit your different needs. This gets back to my point about varying your pace.

You shouldn't run the same distance at the same speed every day. You're not doing yourself any favors. You need fast days and slow days, short runs and long runs. I am horrible about planning my runs - I like 5-7 miles at 7.35 minute miles, and no matter what I say I will do, that's what I end up doing if I'm on my own. I'd rather rotate my running partners and improve.

NYRR Mini 10K

My missed call log tells me I went to bed sometime around 12:43am... with my contacts in and in my clothes. I woke up around 4 and tried to remedy that situation. At 6:40am I got out of bed and realized I was making rice and Ezekiel English muffins in the middle of the night. I shoved my contacts back into my eyes and got dressed. Then the nicest thing happened - this boy that I kind of like called me at 6:57am on a Saturday to make sure that I got my drunk ass out of bed for my race. Who does that? Oh wait, that's something I would do. #finallyappreciated?

Today's Mini 10K started on the westside of Central Park. No me gusta. Despite this annoying inconvenience, the 40th Mini 10K rocked. I'm not normally into girl power, or any of that nonsense, but I was pretty damn proud to be running with those women today. It was a feel good race... except I didn't feel so good. I'm actually kind of embarrassed to admit how much I had to drink last night. By my calculations, I had 1 bloody mary, 4 vodka martinis (not allowed to drink gin anymore - I get violent),  3 vodka sodas, and 3 Thayers (vodka soda with pineapple juice). I have absolutely no idea if I had any shots, but I bet I did simply because that seems like something I would do. Despite all my drunken midnight cooking, I skipped breakfast because I was sure I would boot if I ate anything.

I finished in just under 50 minutes. I wanted a bagel so badly; I would've done anything to get to that finish line. Today was the first day I tried to run a race with music. I dropped my phone and had to dive down around runners to get it back. Never doing that again.

When I got home I found two bags of popcorn and a package of Tate's cookies sitting on my kitchen table. Why was I cooking if I purchased this? Where is my credit card? Why can't I be civilized before NYC races?

Barefoot Fitness

Last night I had a training session with my trainer Morgan. Morgan recently got his first pair of Vibrams, although I think they irritate his (mildly) webbed feet. I told him I was going to tell everyone I could about his foot condition, and what better way to do this than post it on the Internet? I've been hesitant to wear my Vibrams since I got my new tattoos, but they really do give you superior grip and stability while lifting. I showed up to the gym in a pair of Nike Lunar Glides, which Morgan promptly made me take of. I worked out in my socks.

I think Morgan has it in for me because we did squats, dead lifts, shoulder presses, and pull-ups (double-assisted, it's okay). It's difficult to remember to keep the shelf on your shoulder blades, draw your shoulders back, keep your abs tight, push your knees out, and keep your weight in your heels. Sometimes I miss the body bar...

I have another training session tonight and I packed my Vibrams. They were easier to fit in my bag than my sneakers. I just hope they don't mess with my tattoos.

Love Yves Maco. Will Travel.

I woke up on Sunday morning with all intention of going for a run, but then Coco Loco kept appearing on my newsfeed. I needed to get my Yves fix and knew I'd be kicking myself if I didn't get my ass kicked at this 90 minute master class.

The class was held at Life Fitness down in Lawrence. Now I once dated a guy whose parents have a membership at the Lawrence Beach Club. LBC is beautiful and I don't remember driving through any unsavory neighborhoods to get there. Any illusions I had were dashed by my GPS's direct and dirty route - I recognized the area and realized I was uncomfortably close to my place of work!

Life's facility is quite lovely despite the nearby bodegas. The staff is friendly, the floor is equipped with new Cybex machines, and the locker room is clean. The juice bar appeared to be well-stocked and attended. If I lived anywhere near there, I would consider joining.

Our class was held on the racquet courts. It was weird to kickbox without mirrors! I was just so happy to be back, I didn't care where we were. I wish more of my Great Neck Equinox friends had shown up, but the crowd from Fusion, Life, and Lifetime were pretty cool. I felt extra special because Yves gave me a big sweaty hug. I felt like the prodigal son coming home, even though Yves was the one who left this time.

90 minute master classes are a mash-up of Yves' kickboxing, Dance Fusion, and boot camp classes with Coco's Zumba expertise. These classes are fun, intense, and burn tons of calories. Check out www.yvesmaco.com regularly to find upcoming events.

Shellac

I noticed my sister's nearly perfect manicure at the Quarterfinals two weeks ago. The polish looked immaculate. The only indication that these nails were not freshly painted was the gap between the polish and the nail bed. As UVA took the field, I couldn't help but ask about this manicure.

The answer is Shellac. Shellac has been out for a while, but I'd always dismissed it as a damaging gel manicure. This is not the case. Shellac is a gel hybrid that stays on for at least two weeks with minimal damage to your natural nails.

Last Wednesday I went to Angel Tips and asked Amy for a Shellac manicure. I chose a buff pink color that would go with everything and camouflage my "I sat in traffic on the Bourne Bridge for an hour" bite job. Six days later and still no chips! This is particularly impressive because I am responsible for all the heavy lifting around the classroom. I have noticed the polish edge is lifting as they grow out and this gets snagged on my hair. The same thing happens with a regular manicure, but instead chips the polish. I would recommend using an orange stick to push back the cuticle as this happens to avoid ripping your hair out.

The Running Company

Today I decided to walk from the East 80s to 36th and 8th for a meeting. It was beautiful out, and if I couldn't run because of said meeting, I was going to enjoy a nice leisurely stroll. My local JackRabbits epically failed me today, and I was forced to figure out another place I could purchase particular running accessories. Conveniently, The Running Company is located on Third Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Street.

So I'm bopping along (literally - I have a very distinctive way of walking) and I spot the store, and head on in. I find one of the items I'm looking for, but I have a question about the other, so I go to the counter to talk to the cashier. I am going to give this man, who shall remain nameless although the website has a nifty Meet the Staff section and I could easily identify him, the benefit of the doubt. He was probably just crabby because he was stuck inside working on such a beautiful day, but - he was really snarky. The reason I had so many questions about these items is that they are gifts, and I do not want to give gifts that suck. I think he interpreted my questions as ignorance about running. Perhaps he would've been nicer had I worn my running clothes. Instead I came dressed in my puppy skirt!

After about 3 minutes with this guy, I start getting annoyed. Who does he think he is? I may look super adorable in my pooch-covered silk skirt, but I am a badass runner. I've completed 34 miles of trail - with a bum leg! I won my last 5K! I wake up at the crack of down, spend all day battling for control of my small nation, work out for two hours, and then still greet everyone I see with a nearly glow-in-the-dark grin. My hair looks like that from sleeping on it! Clearly he did not understand he was in the presence of greatness... so I signed my receipt, wished him an awesome! afternoon, and left.

The Running Company has a sick store with awesome-looking inventory. We haven't decided if we are going back yet.

16th Annual Bayville 5K

I determined that my tattoos could withstand a little sneaker action and decided to run the Bayville 5K. The course is very similar to the Michael Trauma course, but instead it began and ended at West Harbor Beach. The weather was beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better racing conditions.  I decided to do things a little differently this time and started up at the front of the pack. I think this was a good decision as I finished my first mile in 6 minutes and 43 seconds. Miles two and three didn't go by as quickly as I would've liked, and the run from the police booth back to West Harbor beach felt like it took forever. I finished in 22:14.7 - nine seconds longer than the Michael Trama race. I think my extra weight is slowing me down.

I won my age group (it's actually not that hard considering very few 19-24 year old girls run these races) and received a spiffy medal. This guy Chris came up to me after the race to thank me for beating his friend. This guy had pulled ahead of me between miles 2 and 3, but he didn't bring enough to the finish line. I easily passed him with 500 yards to go. This just proves that every little bit counts, especially at these Long Island races where there is room to move around.

I Can't Run on National Running Day

Today is National Running Day, and I'm not allowed to put on my sneakers. One of my oldest friends (we went to Nursery together in 1989) is a very talented tattoo artist and he is back on Long Island for a few weeks. Luckily, Luke had an opening and was able to fit me in this week.

Now I have winged feet like Hermes/Mercury. Unfortunately I cannot cover these with socks or sneakers for at least five days. Seriously considering running barefoot.

Luke is working at Station 1 in Huntington Station for a couple of more weeks. Call the shop at (631) 935-1008 if you're interested in scheduling an appointment.

Grumpy Run

So while I was on the Cape this weekend I decided I needed to use at least one set of the workout clothes I aggressively packed. The group wanted to grab brunch at Grumpy's so I offered to run the half mile there so we could take one car. Dressed in my favorite black running shorts, my awesome day-glo Champion C9 sports bra, and a black C9 technical tank top, I took off down the road. I tell my companions they need to leave immediately because I will be there in 4 minutes. I do my little run with a flaming hangover, my hairclip pulling at my scalp, sure I'm going to boot all over Route 134. I get to Grumpy's, salivating over my future breakfast sandwich (I hadn't eaten since lunch the day before!), and sit down on the bench in the parking lot. Seventeen minutes later those boozy Susies roll up. What part of a 7 minute mile didn't you understand?