A Mile or More in My [Running] Shoes
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#flashbackfriday
My Father. Canberra Marathon 1992.
I think of him every time I go for a run.
When I was 13, I announced to my Dad that I...
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Life Update.
People always say that when you break up that it’s time to focus on you, that it’s time to be the person that you want to be: to get...
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I did yoga last night and I’m proud of myself. I always talk about how I need to cross train but don’t. I have done yoga a handful of times in my...
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Have decided
I am going try and be “glass has water in it” person, as opposed to declaring the glass “half full” or “half empty”.
It is a glass. It...
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GPOYW: Me with my two favorite guys in the world edition
My dad, me, Mr. B
My move-in process is finally winding down… I forgot what an exhausting process it is. I’m finally starting to feel settled, and will feel even more settled once I get some pictures on the walls and I make the trip to Ikea to pick up the few pieces of furniture I still need to make my house apartment a home.
Moving into a new place has meant going through the arduous task of changing my address for every conceivable account my name is on, finding my new neighborhood grocery store and go-to bodega, adjusting to the commute (which is MUCH shorter than my previous commute - not much to adjust to really…), restocking my apartment with those little, seemingly insignificant things that you find too insignificant to actually pack up and move, and getting used to the actual apartment and the new noises.
I think the one that struck me most (perhaps due to the weather that rolled through New York last night and was still raging this morning as I left for work) was the noise thing. My other apartments were high rises and they were both in the thick of the Financial District. The only discernable noises there were the taxis honking outside, the slamming of a neighbor’s door in the hall, and the occasional roar of a bus as it passed. In my new apartment up in Harlem, I’m finding an abundance of new noises. The tick-tick-tick of the radiators, the occasional creak and settling of the old hardwood floors, the noticeable absence of honking and street noise, and last night, the clear (and very welcome) sound of falling rain. All of these things have endeared my new apartment to me and I’m finding that it feels like home much faster than I expected it to.
I don’t know about healthy (this time of year allergies are bad any time of day), and I can certainly say not wealthy (though you don’t know how much I wish this were true), but early mornings in Central Park do have some significance for me. I do feel wiser for being here at this time.
There’s something about the City this early in the morning that makes it completely different from the New York City that most New Yorkers and tourists know. (Forgive me for sounding pretentious, BUT) I think we runners “get” New York when we wander out of our apartments to the train stations and make our way through Central Park to the start line for a race. It’s a certain calm that you never find in the otherwise busy, buzzing, electric streets of New York. Being out this early in New York (especially on the weekends) is like sneaking downstairs to see the presents under the Christmas tree before you even think of waking your parents up. It’s that same promise of something infinitely exciting and new. The City That Never Sleeps is the closest it will be to sleeping and for a moment, the world is your playground.
Happy Sunday runners and New Yorkers! Good luck to you all as you begin your day/your run/your race…
I’ve been incredibly absent since my half marathon and I apologize. Since finishing my race I have been busy, busy, busy. Drew and I tackled the task of finding a new apartment, and that’s no easy feat. It isn’t easy anywhere, but it seems even more impossible in New York. What neighborhood do you want to be in? Studio or 1BR? Broker or no broker? Is it close to the subway? What will the commute be like? What amenities (if any) do you find absolutely necessary? We were extremely spoiled by our gorgeous Financial District apartment (gym? roof deck? washer and dryer in unit?!) and we knew we would have to come back down to Earth when searching for our new place. Fortunately, we found an apartment (that we absolutely love) really quickly - as in, we went out looking and a day later we submitted an application.
Once the search was over, the packing and moving began. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we have a TON of stuff. An obscene and unnecessary amount of stuff. Check out Drew’s blog to see what we did with said “stuff” and the changes we’re instituting. I mean, I love my “Like it. Love it. ADPi.” shirt* - ahhhhh memories, but as a 24 year old who is two (almost three - weird!) years out of college, it’s probably not worth keeping.
Packing is one of my least favorite things. When traveling, I often put off packing until the last possible minute, and the move was really no different. The night before, I started throwing things into boxes and bags. We got our keys on a Friday and because our new apartment is a walkable distance from our old apartment, we started moving the little things over that evening. We did the bulk of our moving on Saturday, and it went pretty smoothly with only a few bumps and bruises and no arguing to speak of. Drew and I rented a Uhaul and moved everything by ourselves. Poor Chino was a wreck and was pretty clearly terrified that we were going to forget him.
So now that life has settled down a little bit, I’m getting back into the swing of things. I haven’t done any running since my half marathon (tsk tsk) but my left knee thanks me, and I will begin my running regimen again beacause… I have applied and entered the lottery for the New York City Half Marathon in March 2011 and I’m really hoping I get in. So, expect continued running posts and half marathon excitement.
A quick congratulations to all of my other favorite Tumblr/Fitblr folks who completed their half marathons and marathons this fall! I apologize for not being able to offer more individual messages and I’m sorry for not being able to offer encouraging words approaching/on the day of your races, but you are all truly inspiring and amazing people. I followed along and loved reading the recaps of your races. Keep up the fantastic work and if you find yourself in NYC and you’re looking for a running buddy, give me a shout!
*Note: sorority girls look for any and every excuse to make t-shirts, so I am the proud owner of at least a drawer full of ADPi shirts.
This rainy day is making me extremely sleepy. I’m thankful for a good night’s sleep last night though. Something tells me tonight is going to be a little restless…
This was just me… Not Hippo Lady, Rocko.
Allow me to explain…
On my way home from work I was seated on the train like any other normal day. A woman got on and stood in front of where I was sitting, holding onto the handlebar above my head. For non-New Yorkers, this is pretty normal, nothing out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, I notice the woman digging in her purse for something with both hands and also note that we are pulling into a station and slowing down. Before I can react, the woman loses her balance and topples forward, elbowing me in the side of the head while simultaneously sandwiching my head between her sizable boobs and crushing my TOMS-covered and thus, relatively unprotected right big toe. She then panics and tries to get off of me but still hasn’t found her footing and wiggles from side to side. (Yes. I have, at this point, motorboat-ed a complete stranger.) She finally manages to stand up and elbows me in the head again on her way, while I sit there absolutely dumbfounded and feeling a little bit violated.
To be fair, she was mortified and apologized profusely and I was too embarrassed for her and myself to look her in the eye but managed to mumble, “it’s fine, it’s fine.”
So now I’m home and my toe hurts a little, and I have a bit of a headache, and an absolutely ridiculous story that I knew I HAD to share. I hope you’re laughing.
Hoping to walk this this Saturday if my knee is feeling up to it. If not this weekend, I always have two others. :) I love living in New York.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml
Damn you, New York City! *shakes fist* Before laying down for my nap, I decided to check the weather and an Air Quality Alert popped up. (This type of “severe weather” - as classified by the Weather Channel - is new to me having spent my formative years in the wide open, pine-scented, clean air of Michigan.) This alert let me know that because of high levels of pollutants in the air, strenuous physical activity outdoors is discouraged. Guess I’m a slave to the treadmill tonight… 6 miles will be mine, oh yes, they will be mine…
