June 2009
63 posts
Testing, testing!
I’m at JFK, in line at the Iceland Air check-in counter and posting from my Blackberry, only to find out that it doesn’t open for another 30 minutes. I could have spent those minutes with Mark before embarking on this nearly-month long trip! Boo, Iceland Air, boo. PS - I am not traveling to Iceland.
Child survived Yemini plane crash, found alive in... →
Ahh! Don’t put these bad stories in my head! I have three very long flights, over very large bodies of water happening in the next 7 days and I have no Xanax! I don’t even know what Xanax IS. How do I get some!? heylaney:
sabine:
A young child has been plucked alive from the waters of the Indian Ocean by rescue boats searching for survivors of a Yemenia Air flight from Paris...
Today is the day.
Hopping on a flight this evening to London. Followed by one to Delhi and then one to Afghanistan in a few days. I’m not nervous for the trip and I don’t mind flying but I’m just ANXIOUS about it all.
Mark is sweetheart and stayed home from work to spend the day together and then drive me down to JFK tonight (in rush hour traffic, nonetheless!). I’m going to miss that guy...
Oh, what a beautiful morning!
The weather right now is gorgeous and it’s mornings like today where I actually enjoy coming into the city.
Is summer finally here, New York? If so, you have PERFECT timing. The weather gets nice and I leave for 110 degree India.
Awesome.
I'm running a 5k race in a couple hours...
…and even though I’ve been hitting the pavement at least 30 miles per week and am more than prepared (training for a MARATHON, here!), I still feel nauseous about it.
Here’s hoping for a quick 3.1 miles (maybe even a PR!) following by a huge corned beef sandwich and Irish music at the festival this afternoon.
I've been absent from pretty much everything since...
Absent from my home, from prior-made plans, from running, from Tumblr and the internet, from everything except the confines of my office.
I am leaving for Afghanistan via London and Delhi on Tuesday and I’m just NOW able to take a breath as I feel like I’m finally making progress on my never-ending to-do list.
We had a fantastic time in Miami last weekend. Lots of silly girl time...
CARY RANDOLPH'S TOP TEN RULES FOR...
I needed this today. After 3 days in Miami with heat indexes soaring past 110 degrees and a resort fitness center that wanted to steal my $10 for an hour on the treadmill, I needed some motivation to get my ass in gear again today. It would be so easy to make excuses and simply relax tonight, but this reminded me that I AM A RUNNER and I am training for a MARATHON and my sneakers are calling my name. Thanks, Cary.
---
Plan that shit. Don't skip out for a thirty minute jaunt and say after the first mile or two, "Hmm, I think I'll run ten today!" This never works.
Run when you run best. Sure, we've all set our alarms for six a.m., vowing to complete a half-marathon with time to shower before brunch, but um, YEAH RIGHT. I run best in early evening. Find your magic hour and stick with it.
Turn down your iPod volume. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Well, you'll thank your lucky stars I suggested this when you round out mile sixteen and your ears aren't bleeding.
And on that note find a balance between the super peppy jams that help you speed up and more mid-tempo zen songs. A typical musical salad, for example, might swing from the National (zzzzz) to Phil Collins to Sublime to... Get the idea?
Hydrate thyself. Because you're probably hungover and need the water anyway.
If you plan to run more than thirteen miles, tuck a Gu pack in your sports bra. It will come in handy around mile ten when you start to ask yourself, "Why, God?"
Inform someone of your whereabouts. Look. I went to summer camp. What's the first thing you did before hitting the wilderness trail (to smoke cigs and make out)? You told your camp counselor where you were going and when to expect you back just in case a bear attacked you. Camp rules apply here. Bonus points if you find a make-out partner on or before your turn-around point.
Run in the sun. Now that I have a job and I never get to the beach except once in a royal blue moon, I rely on my weekend runs for melanoma time. That's right, I'll be rocking the racer back tan line all summer long, and you can too!
Talk to yourself. Count steps. Sing along with your iPod. Practice sign language. Play the license plate game. In other words, do whatever it takes to keep those hours entertaining.
Remember that all this bullshit --- all these sacrifices, all the cocktails left unsipped, the Friday nights spent scowling over a bottle of O'Doul's while your brosephs dive into the prosecco punch, the black toenails and chafed thighs and wind-burned cheeks and chapped lips and faded highlights and stinky sports bras and roadside vom sessions and cat calls from passing construction workers --- ALL THIS BULLSHIT will pay off in the form of one finisher's medal, one goody bag full of sunscreen packets, one tee shirt, one free bagel, and the incredible high you get when, come Monday morning, your coworkers ask, "How was your weekend?", and you can shrug your shoulders and stir your coffee and say, "Eh, I ran a marathon. How was yours?"
I just ran 5 miles...
when, according to my training plan, I should have run 6. However, around 4.5 miles, I got a debilitating cramp in my right side that I simply couldn’t run through because I literally could not get enough air.
I don’t usually get cramps while running, so I don’t know how to get past it and keep going. Any suggestions?
I think I love Hall & Oates more than the...
I have NEVER been to South Beach. If you have,...
I second that! Any suggestions?
(via stylebunny)
I love bookstores so much.
About a month ago when I confirmed my trip to Afghanistan, I debated buying a Kindle, but couldn’t bring myself to spend the $400+ on the gadget plus $10 for each book. I decided that instead, I would purchase four or five used paperbacks to tote with me from London to Delhi to Kabul and back, and as I finish the books I will simply leave them behind, reducing my luggage weight and letting...
What do your dreams say about you?
Seriously, I wonder.
Last night I had a dream that my mom brought me back to a house where I had previously been tortured by a serial killer. I was freaking out at being in the same place where I had such horrible memories, and THEN, that same serial killer showed up again to haunt me some more.
My dreams usually involve serial killers, stalkers, home invaders and the like.
Mark’s...
I am so sick of being cold.
My office is freezing despite my flirtatious and firm attempts and pleas with the maintenance guys to turn down the air-conditioning. The train (where I spend 4 hours every day) is an icebox, even on the chilliest of mornings. And this bullshit excuse for an NYC summer doesn’t help either. I’m so sick of wearing pants, long-sleeved shirts, scarves and shoes in mid-June at an attempt...
Hi, I'm weird and think about names for my unborn...
Wait - is thinking about names for your unborn, not-conceived children weird? Is it even weirder to actually keep WRITTEN lists of those names? If so, then I am perhaps the weirdest of them all. But while we’re on the subject, let me pull out my handy little Post-it of Baby Names (omg, I’m seriously not even kidding) and regale you with my favorites:
Girls:
Madelyn
Kyla
Morgan...
I ate 4 cupcakes yesterday.
But I also ran 4 miles. Do they cancel each other out?
I would like to compile a book of the brilliant...
(via caryrandolph)
Love this! I, too, have so much girl friend Gchat material (that I sometimes enjoy going back to and reading a year later!) that could fall into the following categories:
1. Boyfriends/husbands/guys in general. (“Um, can you believe Mark said XXX?!”)
2. Jobs. (“OMG, my coworker is driving me BATTY!”)
3. Shopping. (“Is this dress ugly?”)...
I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. I’m leaving my house on Friday for Miami, to return on Tuesday. Not only do I need to pack for that, but also cram in my last class of the summer semester, start/finish a gigantic project, get a TON of work stuff done and begin SERIOUSLY thinking about packing for my Afghanistan trip (which is in two weeks, OMG). Oh, and also squeeze in Marathon...
I just finished a REALLY hilly 6 miles, and you...
Dear Marathon Training,
I really love you this week.
Love,
Dedicated Runner Steph
City Chase - July 25! →
Mark and I signed up last night for City Chase, the Amazing Race-like event where you run around New York City for six hours, completing various physical and other challenges (um, I think we might have to eat a bug) and picking up clues to solve a puzzle.
I am SO EXCITED. Yes, it is in the middle of July and it’s going to be hot and probably humid, but Mark and I ALWAYS comment on how...
Calling all New Yorkers!
Quick! What’s your favorite Italian restaurant in Manhattan?
I’m hosting my aunt in a couple weeks and I have too many favorites to choose from, so I’m seeking NEW favorites! Bonus points for anyone who suggests good restaurants near Grand Central and/or the 4/5/6 train.
Mediocre weekend turned fun!
Mark and I are the “friends” referred to below. We had a low-key weekend planned, just the two of us, but when I got the text on Saturday morning, we both jumped at the idea to spend a couple days with some of our favorites.
It was the quintessential perfect summer weekend - grilled food, pools, good friends, ice cream, amazing weather. Could the rest of my summer be as lovely?
...
Capricorn
This one hits the nail on the head. I’m pretty sure this was written about me.
allthingsalishan:
blissfulself:
“The Go-Getter - Patient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be Good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what...
Mark had a strange, random craving last night for rotisserie chicken, so off we went to Boston Market. I was initially skeptical, but honestly? That shiz was GOOD.
