15 Weeks to NYC Marathon: Ramping up
28/07/2010 § Leave a comment
Last week: ran 13 miles total (3 miles, 10 miles)
Goal this week: run 18 miles total (3 miles, 12 miles, 3 miles)
This week marks the start of my real training. I already work out about 5 days a week, but since running the Miami half in January I have made a concerted effort to mix it up and do less overall running. It keeps me interested and better yet, it keeps my body guessing (if you are in search of results, you really have to cross train). I don’t really want to give up my variety for running drudgery and I don’t want to live at the gym — as much as I love my gym — so this is going to be a bit difficult.
Tip #1: My secret to running is having someone to run with
Running can be boring. Especially in the beginning when all you can think about is “Why did I decide to do this? How far have I gone? How much longer do I have left? Am I dying? I must look like a fool out here with all these people passing me…” and on and on and on! I find that if I have someone out there with me, especially for the long runs, that internal monologue quiets and I run farther and enjoy myself more. The trick is finding someone that is close enough to your pace/style — if you’re both talkers you can chat, or if you’re both competititve, you will end up pushing each other along a bit faster.
I have a few friends who are almost always down for a few miles on weekend mornings. They are my most important secret weapon this training season and I am very hopeful that they will turn out on raceday to run a few miles with me. I really hope I don’t have to beg them…
Freebies!!
For my NY runners in search of a group to run with, Well+Good NYC has compiled the deets on FREE group runs throughout the city. Find it here.
In LA, many lululemon athletica stores have FREE running groups on various days of the week. Check out Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Calabasas, Pasadena, or the store nearest you. Lululemon is great — all levels are welcome and most have a “no runner left behind” policy. Similarly, the NIKETOWN stores also have FREE running groups. Get more information here.
Happy running!
I am a runner because I run
27/07/2010 § Leave a comment
On November 7, 2010 I will run the New York Marathon. All 26.2 miles of it. All five boroughs of it. As long as it takes. I’ve never run a marathon before, so the task seems a bit daunting. Especially since I only have 15 weeks left until the race…15 WEEKS!!
I suppose I should start this story a few months back. About a year ago I joined Team in Training for the winter season, to train for the Miami Half Marathon on January 31, 2010 . Through TNT, the largest sports training program in the world, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society trains thousands for endurance events. In exchange, team members raise money to fight blood cancers. I had a number of reasons for joining: I wanted to do something charitable, I wanted to meet new people, and I wanted to see if I could run that far. I raised money for a great cause, I met some wonderful people, and I found out I could run 13.1 miles, no sweat. (Ok, maybe a little sweat)
Training for the Miami half was difficult. I went from doing no exercise at all (except maybe running to the subway) to running multiple times per week. Training in the snow, rain and wind was tortuous. I discovered my hands were very sensitive to the cold — I had to wear a pair of gloves, with hand warmers, INSIDE a pair of mittens. I effectively lost my Friday nights, since we met for our long runs early on Saturday mornings. I learned about things like GU and Body Glide and wicking and ice baths.
It was hard, but I did it. I finished the Miami half and was presented with the opportunity to run the 2010 New York Marathon soon thereafter. I’ve decided to do a few races along the way, to keep things interesting – just training can be a little boring for me. I’ve already done the Brooklyn half and I will run the Disney Wine and Dine half in Orlando in October. I am seriously considering the Bronx half, even though it is just a few weeks away and it is ridiculously hot in New York lately.
I never really thought of myself as a runner until recently. Even though I have spent many hours over the past year running, even though I have spent way too much money on spandex and even though I have a small collection of race bibs, the thought of me as a runner didn’t really enter my mind until a few weeks ago. I was at lululemon — buying spandex shorts to run in — and the salesgirl asked me brightly, “Are you a runner?” And I thought about it. And I realized I was. Talk about a delayed epiphany, right?
Anyway, I have 15 WEEKS (!!) to go until raceday. So this is me in training. Again. I promise to update periodically on my progress and post on other topics related to my training. I would love to discuss training or running or whatnot, so do let me know what is on your mind. I might think myself a runner now, but keep in mind less than a year ago, I couldn’t keep running for more than 20 minutes…
Let’s git-r-dun!
“…like a white girl dipped in chocolate.”
17/07/2010 § Leave a comment
“The Colour of Beauty” is a mini documentary that follows a black runway model and her (unsuccessful) attempts to get hired for New York’s Fashion Week. See the documentary here.
It is an old problem. Runway shows have historically had very few minority models and there are endless justifications for the lack of diversity: that ethnic consumers do not have the same buying power as white consumers, that black models don’t move product, that black models are not thin enough through the hips, etc. Furthermore, the black models that have been the most successful have tended to have white features…like “a white girl dipped in chocolate.”
This film does a good job of re-introducing this issue to new audiences, but falls short when it comes to offering a solution to change the status quo. Do we start with the fashion show producers? The designers? The fashion editors? Or is this a larger problem? Is this an outdated standard of beauty that society has forgotten to modernize? How do we do that? In a country as beautifully diverse as America, a paradigm shift like this should have occurred years ago.
Gratitude to Spare
15/07/2010 § Leave a comment
Recently, I started writing gratitude lists. It’s a wonderful exercise to think about the things or people we are grateful for. To focus on the things we have, instead of the things we want or things we feel we are owed. Like many people, I frequently find I am far too wrapped up in my day-to-day dramas to notice, let alone express, my appreciation — just “too busy” to give thanks. Total nonsense! Side benefit: by focusing on the positive aspects of my life, I always lift my own spirit with hardly any effort. Give it a try and see how you feel afterward.
While it may seem hokey at first, try quickly writing down 10 things that you are grateful for. Don’t belabor the process. They can be whatever you want, there are no wrong answers. If you are grateful for portabella mushrooms and your orange sunglasses, they go on the list! After you have your list, take a moment to concentrate on that feeling of gratitude, and then put the list away — you’re done. Try to write a new list the next day. Try to write one everyday…
On thxthxthx Leah Dieterich gives thanks daily in the form of clever, hand-written thank you notes. If you’re looking for inspiration for your own list, head over to her site here.
Here’s a quick list of mine.
I’m grateful…
- that my nieces still think I’m cool.
- for mangoes…
- and the fruit truck man on my way to work who sells mangoes.
- for abundant creative inspiration.
- for my parents.
- for sangria.
- for red toenails.
- for yoga — even if I am not very good at it.
- for trips to the beach.
- for summer.
I would love to hear yours.
“Vanishing America” by Michael Eastman
15/07/2010 § Leave a comment
Michael Eastman turns his lens on the disappearing American landscape, gorgeously capturing its dramatic beauty.
Eastman has such a masterful sense of color and composition. The buildings and interiors seem proud, yet resigned to the fact that they are last members of a dying breed. Each frame evokes faded layers of history baked in by sun and time. Upon viewing Eastman’s collection, you yearn to discover the stories intertwined with the halls and doorways and forgotten passageways.
See more of Eastman’s Vanishing America, and other works, at his site.
Via: WebUrbanist
Classic Los Angeles: The Theme Building Reopens
05/07/2010 § Leave a comment
There are a few things I must always do and see when I make a trip home to Los Angeles. The Theme Building has always been on this shortlist (if not for the lucky coincidence that it happens to reside at LAX). Completed in 1961, it originally was meant to serve as the central hub for LAX’s terminals and parking, but building plans were scaled down. Instead, the Theme Building became a futuristic icon for the airport and for the city of Los Angeles itself.
The Jetsons-like structure is not the location of LAX air traffic control — a common misconception — but rather is home to a restaurant and observation deck. The structure has recently undergone an expensive and lengthy renovation, its first in 47 years. The observation deck was closed after 9/11, but it will reopen on July 10, 2010, giving a new generation the opportunity to see what Los Angeles looks like from the top of a flying saucer.
Via: Los Angeles Times
Quite Continental 