Happy Halloweeeenn brrr!

Happy Halloween!!! With you today I share my favorite halloween picture by yours truly! 

Meet Adhesive, he's Mandy Malkin's cat & entirely neurotic but awesome at the same time. He wishes you a Happy Halloweeeeenn. 

This morning's run was FROSTY! Its that time of year again when we start to see the beautiful frost on front lawns. I used to admire it from my car on the way to school but now I'm all up close and personal with Mr. Frost and it feels good! So normal run this morning, felt ok.. hip was hurting a tad but I took it easy & I'm just focusing on building strength and endurance. I really want to start increasing my mileage, I'd love to try that half marathon in January. Last night I did a core workout for an hour while watching The Office and 30 Rock. I must say I'm a little disappointed in the office this season thus far. Its not the same with Pam so far away! I can relate to her in many ways. 

Here are my workout logs from yesterday & today:

This morning on the subway I was semi-subway surfin' when three happy foreigners walked on the train and stood in the corner with me. Two men and one woman, all speaking a language I didn't understand. She was wearing a hat like me and smiled at me when they walked on. I thought oh what a nice thing to see in the morning, someone smiling! And then I noticed one of them was wearing an ING NYC Marathon badge. I got so excited.. I was in the presence of 3 other wackjobs that want to run a marathon! There were four of us in one spot! As I got off at my stop I tapped the woman on the shoulder and wished them all luck in the marathon. They turned around and with big smiles all said "THANKS!!!" and waved goodbye. Made my morning. Its cool to see people from all over the world come to the city to run a race. Very cool indeed. Maybe someday I'll run the NYC Marathon. But first lets see if I can even make it through half of one let alone a full one!

What are your plans for Halloween?

subway surfin' shannon style

So we all know about my train sprints. I make those count. In my never ending endeavor to entertain myself I've come up with yet another way to get a workout on my way to work. Subway surfin'. That's right Mr. Wall Street, I don't want your seat. I'm workin my core. You see its quite similar to balancing yourself on an upside down bosu ball. So stand in the middle of the train, renegade, you don't need no steel bar to balance yourself. You're already equipped with everything you need. Firmly planted feet shoulder width apart, strong thighs, abs tight, and elbows bent at a 90 degree angle slightly out at your sides for balance. Do this for the entirety of your subway ride and you're sure to see results in a few short months. So no thanks mr. "sorry I thought you were pregnant" or mr considerate nice guy who leaves you some bar holding room, I'm making the most of my time. I've got a marathon to run. So I'm closing my eyes and envisioning the cool breeze of ridin' a wave. Because surely anything is better than the reality of being shoved between a sumo wrestler and the natural soap enthusiast.

half marathon?!

will I be ready for a half marathon on January 25th? Y/N? I have no idea..

Its in beautiful sunny Carlsbad, CA. I could plan to visit Jon that weekend. I love Carlsbad! Oh my gosh there are so many races out there in the San Diego area. La Jolla! America's Finest City Half!

If I'm training for this Marathon in May I should squeeze in a couple of races before right? get used to the weather out there? excuse to visit jon? not that I need an excuse :).

Maybe I'm dellusional?

I need to gradually start increasing my mileage on the weekends. I really would love to run some races before May.. and I love California..

rain rain go away

I had a rough night last night. Couldn't sleep, went to bed at 11pm with the intentions of waking up at 6:15am. Well I woke up every hour instead. My eyes are all puffy and swollen from last night, I still feel like they're half closed. I got up got dressed put on a hat and ran out the door only to be slapped with ice cold rain. Insult to injury aye? I wasn't stopping though, that marathon in sunny San Diego doesn't care what the weather was like in Jersey! It was kinda fun running in the rain although it was dark out and I was afraid cars weren't going to see me. I got hit with flying puddles a couple of times from passing cars, thanks! It was colldd out too. I think the coolest thing about my morning was the condensation on my tights that formed while I was running. How cool is that! SCIENCE! I noticed it while I was inside stretching. I took a three minute shower and was out the door in 5 minutes, hair still wet. Didn't matter anyway, we all got soaked waiting for the train. Its so windy out here umbrellas don't matter.

Wish I could play out in the rain like a kid instead of sit on a train soaking wet to go to work.

I feel like my spirit is broken right now. My amazing mom and jon were great in talking me through to help me see things a different way. Lydia too. I see opportunity, everything happens for a reason. I feel stagnant and I'm getting restless. The next couple of months are going to be a transitionary period for me. Maybe now is my chance to go back to China and teach for a couple of months. Lydia inspires me to go out and explore on my own. Who wants to come with me?

Oh and my run was alright, I don't know how long it took me, I was in rare form this morning and just left without my stop watch or looking at the clock. It was interesting running against the wind and rain but I think I did my normal 30ish min for 3.3 miles. Maybe a min or two longer. But who cares really!

workin the core

goooood work out. worked off all the wine i drank last night. amazing wine i might add. i was all sweaty. like dripping. and i never drip sweat. gross. sorry!

great weekend :)

Back at it this weekend! Yesterday was a drag. I did the 4.6 miles & I felt like I was going to die. I came back after the run and said to my mom "I'm so out of shape." I also didn't take into account I had just kicked a migraine in the arse.. or rather the migraine kicked my arse. and i was in migraine recovery mode... feels a lot like a hangover without the headache. Anyway afterwards I thought to myself.. man.. I ran almost 5 miles without walking and I think I'm out of shape? some people can't even run half a mile let alone 5! Then I realized I'm pretty hard on myself. Thats no revelation though. I'm always at competition with myself. I guess part of this journey for me is learning not to be so competitive and to listen to my body and appreciate it for what it can do, not punish myself for what I wasn't able to do..
Then I went running this morning and it was amazing. Amazing! I felt great. I brought Mei-Mei too, lately she's been depressed I think. She hasn't been the same since Ebby died :(. I still can't believe Ebby is gone. I see it in Mei-Mei's eyes she's sad & I feel I owe it to her to take her out on more runs. And today I even hit a new personal record! I ran my 4.6 route in under 45min! With Mei! And it was a personal record for her too, she's never done any more than 3 miles :) She keeps my spirits up, I love her.
I ate really clean this weekend too. Fruit, veggies, homemade hummus, butternut squash soup. oh I love fall :) great weekend. now I'm off to work a charity wine auction! I have to get all dressed up. fancy schmancy deal. its at Nicholas in Red Bank, voted in the top 10 restaurants in the US. I we're auctioning off vacations, bottles of wine, season tickets, you name it. its a pretty crazy event but it will be interesting to see how people will be spending their money this year. Last year I had no problem coaxing $3,000 out of the gentlemen for a bottle of wine. this year my job will be tough. work it vana! The proceeds go to The Manna House, a shelter/support organization for women who are victims of domestic abuse or just need help. Its a great event, looking forward to it!

thank you mr train man

So lately my schedule's been a lil rough. Been going to bed late, not getting up early enough to run, or make the train on time...I am determined to make that train every morning so like we discussed, I think in place of those mornings when I'm not able to squeeze in a run, let's get stuck behind an old person or better yet a school bus and sprint to that train as fast as you can because it'll already be in the station waiting to leave you behind. That's what I've done the past three days and today I really I mean really went all out. I made it onto the train and sat two seats behind the room where the train conductor sits. Well at the next stop he took a short break from the wheel and stepped out and said "man, I've never seen people run like this until I started driving this train!"I started laughing and he looks at me and goes "yeah, you! don't think I didn't see you!" He laughed then said "you're looking like a marathon runner!" I took a sip of water and replied "I'm training..."

Lol. Good to know these train sprints are doing something for me. And hey, my hip feels great! Maybe the break was a good idea.

I might have a weekend running buddy, my friend from high school/long lost sister Dana likes to run in cheesequake park. I asked her if she wanted to run a marathon and she said "hell no! But I'll run in the park with you!" Yay! An excuse to hang out with Dana. We always have so much fun together working the auctions and we always wonder why we never hang out, every. single. auction. And then when we leave we're like hey let's get together! And then we don't. So I'm going to call her one of these weekends to go for a run.

So here's to mr train man (not to be confused with mr ice cold beer man) , thank you for making my day. "You're looking like a marathon runner!" Not yet mr train man! But soon! God willing!

a break

After this weekend's runs I decided to take a rest on monday, my left hip has been hurting me more than ever. I was on my feet all day at work for a shoot and then going up and down stairs with 75lbs worth of equipment. Not sure you could call that a rest day though maybe more like a strength day? By the end of the day on the train I was in a lot of pain, its hard to describe.. Its not that sore muscle kind of pain but it came in more of a pulsing form up and down my leg with some muscle twitching here and there. Really strange. And really uncomfortable. I couldn't sit still. And I walk like I need a hip replacement. I've taken aspirin 3x in the past day and a half with no releif. The only way I can describe it is growing pains. You know those pains you'd get in your legs when you were a kid? I used to get them real bad. That's what it feels like. Maybe I'm going to grow 5 inches. But I like my height, no fair!
This morning I planned on getting up and going for a run but I saw that the trains were running late and we have another shoot today so I can't risk being late for that.. I had to skip the run and catch the earlier train. Just as well, I think two rest days are well deserved, I bust my ass on that pavement.
We have an auction today too so since sunday we've been setting up and I've been going to the auction hall after work. Lugging heavy boxes, furniture, and today mental excercise dealing with smart ass dealers at the sale. All that has got to count for some form of cross training. I just know I'm tired. Can't wait for the weekend, think I'm going to see a doctor about my hip. I just know there is a dumb way to do things and a smart way. And if I want to seriously make it to May,do well and go beyond that, I better take care of myself now.

I'll be back at it tomorrow, depending on what time the sale ends tonight.

9.2 miles in two days!

I've been bored with my normal 3.3 mile route so this weekend I decided to change it up a bit and incread my mileage a tad. Keep in mind.. although I started this blog on my birthday a couple weeks ago, I was running semi-consistently since July this summer & I haven't changed my route since. So this weekend I gave 4.6 miles a try and the results were good. Not only did I change my route.. but I also tried eating before my run which made a difference. Normally I don't eat before I run because I get up so early and I need to wait 2 hours after eating before I run. If I don't I feel it. Believe me, I've tried. with not so great results. So I tried some new things this weekend and I feel good about them. Not sure I can eat before I run in the mornings but maybe I'll try something light like a banana before I head out the door. Its been taking me 45min to run 4.6 miles so I think I can manage that in the morning provided I make it a point to wake up earlier. We'll see about that.. lol. I increased my overall mileage this week by about 4 miles too. Lets see if I can keep myself at 4.6 every morning. maybe I'll try a long run over the weekend next week too. I haven't done one of those yet, I'm a little nervous.

In other Shannon's smokin' hot bod news I have something going on that is really attractive. my hip is snapping when I run. you can't hear it but I can definitely feel it and its mildly painful. i think its related to my hip pain that i've been having, which seems to be more intense after a period of rest. any ways, i did some searching online for what i can do to help stop this phenomenon and it turns out i have to do more stretching and strengthening exercises for my left hip flexor. big suprise! my hips hate me so much. they are very tight. my flexibility is fairly good in all areas except for my hips. take a look at what i have to do to remedy this problem. i don't think i have torn cartilage like the article says because i am no where near an elite athlete lol. in fact, when i mention i run people look at me weird.. like.. reallly? you? shannon? run? what? even when i mentioned i was going to run a 5k with Jocelyn I was met with speculation. whatever. forget it when i mention a marathon. people laugh. in reality that translates to "I can't imagine doing that myself.. and the fact that you want to do that makes me feel uncomfortable. you can't do that." oh well.. that's their problem!

i am so sleepy

So today I got my locker for the year at the gym! Yayy!!! I'm so excited now I don't have to carry my ginormous bags everywhere with my sneakers and gym clothes. Much easier.I went to girls night tonight after the gym and I felt incredibly weird and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized, I'm an old person now because usually I'm in bed by 9:30-10pm! I missed the train so I sat in newark for 40 minutes. I was on the phone with jon, I must have yawned 50 times I felt bad. I'm still on the train. This late night train thing is a pain in the you know what. Its going to take me 2.5hrs to get home. At least I worked the hell out of that stability ball at the gym. Crunches, roll ins, pushups, squats, reverse crunches... If there's one thing I've been slacking on its core stuff because honestly I'd rather run. I need to find a happy balance. Lydia wrote a beautiful post today, reminds me of something I read yesterday. Ill post more about it tomorrow when I'm more awake and not freezing. Why is the air conditioner on in the train? Ps jenna is going to run in the marathon too, along the spectator lines. With margarita in hand! Haha, it was great to see everyone tonight. I feel so disconnected sometimes. I'm sleepy and my stop iis coming up. Night night :)

double the pleasure double the fun

So good news is I haven't stepped on the scale in two days. I have no idea how much I weigh and honestly its probably not a good idea to look at the scale for the next week and a half if you know what I mean, it will not be in my favor. The end.

As I was running this morning I was thinking about when I used to do a mile or two on the treadmill at the gym and then I would immediately go lift. I'd spend about an hour and a half to two hours at the gym depending on what I did in cardio that day.I'd do that 3-4 times a week. So I realized that now I'm doing 30min of running 3-5x a week with strength training on my off days. That's a lot less time exercising than I'm used to. No wonder I feel like I'm not seeing any results. So I was thinking what if I run in the morning before work and do strength training in the evening or after I get off the train for those 30min before I have to be at work? Sounds like a good idea to me. Hmm. That is, if I'm home for any length of time.. I *might* be leaving town off and on the next couple of weeks.If I do, its going to throw a wrench into my routine. And I might just throw a temper tantrum if I can't continue to run like I'd like to while on the road. Most hotels have a gym but the problem is having the humane schedule to use them (or the hotel not charging 25 bucks a day to use the gym- The Phoenician, Pheonix,AZ anyone?) Jocelyn gave me an exercise band that I can pack in my luggage though so that is cool!
So anyway, double work outs? Or probably the more appropriate way to look at it, splitting your work out? What do you think? Yay? Nay?
P.s. I'm on the train updating via my blackberry. How fun. AHEM someone I know (who's name starts with L and ends with A) has a blackberry but has been slacking on the blog front. Where are your updates woman!?
Xoxo

attack of the foam roller

did the morning run, felt better today. my mind was in a better space. i can't wait to attack that foam roller while I watch the debates again tonight lol.

step away from the scale. i repeat step away from the scale

took it easy this morning, wasn't feeling so great. i think a lot of it is mental. when i'm not feeling so  great about myself my runs are harder. when i have a good positive attitude and i'm not so in my head and consumed by my thoughts my runs are much more enjoyable. i need to stay away from my scale, i feel like it assaults me with its flashing numbers every time i step on. remind me not to step on the scale before i run. its bad news. 

lydia said my hip flexor problem might have to do with the length of my stride.. i think that comes from playing soccer & coaches always telling us to lengthen our strides. my x-country coach used to tell us that too. i never thought my stride was that long though. i'll have to pay attention on my next run and focus on taking shorter strides. it also doesn't help that my legs are shaped very oddly. i remember the doctor telling my mom about my oddly shaped legs. i also remember the doctor telling her that my leg type makes for a faster runner too. i wonder why & how it relates to the mechanics of running. i want to find a good visual site that shows me this because i can't read about this stuff. i have to see it. anyway, want to trade legs? mine look funny. 

my sad hip flexor

i think my left hip flexor is strained, it hurts to lift my left leg and the pain isn't coming from the quad area. its been hurting me for a couple of weeks now and I thought it was just tight so I've been trying to stretch it but i realize now I have to work on strengthening it.. but it huuurrtss! i did some core exercises tonight but wasn't feeling the greatest. I felt sad & i'm not sure why. tomorrow I wake up to run, so I'm going to bed now. nite nite

morning thoughts from the train

I felt so good yesterday after that run that I wanted to do it again later that day but I forced myself to rest. I wanted to go running again this morning but I told myself yesterday I'd let myself rest since I've ran 3days in a row. If anything I'll go to the gym when I get home.. After a couple drinks at ole's last night I wasn't feeling getting up early to catch an ealier train today. I have a gym in nyc that I now will be able to get a locker for the year! Thanks to Sarah for that generous birthday gift! No more dragging gym clothes and sneakers back and forth. So now its a matter of getting up early and catching the train on days I want to strength train. Their night classes are good but all of them force me to take a much later train home and then I have no time to eat dinner before I go to sleep and get up to do it all over again. And I am not bring dinner into the city with me too. I need to feel grounded and its not going to be at work. I will go insane. I need homebase to be HOME. I love the gym at home, its not that crowded and the people are nicer. Also the lighting doesn't make me want to fall asleep. I like dim lights but not when I'm struggling to see what weight I've chosen on a machine. Plus there are a lot of macho hard body men at the nyc gym and I hate their type. Ugh! That's the after work crowd before work is a different story and I much prefer that scene...
the reality of not having a car is settling in.. I'm pretty upset about it, Jimmy is in the hospital and I don't know if he's going to make it. I also have zero money for a car. I'm living paycheck by paycheck now as it is. I'm pretty bummed.
In other news IM SO PROUD of jocelyn for running that 5K! She did amazing and has only been at this for a week! Welcome to week #2!

Jocelyn is running the 5k today! not me :( car broke down, didn't make it there.

I ran the best yet this week! I am happy about that but I am pretty bummed out because today I was supposed to be running with Jocelyn in the 5K. I was really looking forward to it and was so excited for us to run our first race together. This morning I stopped by an ATM to get cash for the race entry and then I was going to get on the Parkway to drive to the Bronx where the race was when my car started to make this very strange and disturbing noise. I sounded like someone was farting on the radio! I thought to myself.. "damn, that's an annoying commercial" but then I noticed when I slowed down the noise would subside a little bit and then music started back up and the damn farting noise was still there. then the brake lights on my dashboard started to flash then the check engine soon light then they all flashed and my car seized up and stopped! mind you, this all happened in less than a minute. i could hardly believe it was happening, i was so excited to race with Jocelyn today.
Fortunately I was at the base of the hill near my house so I called my dad and he came down to check it out. he brought a battery jump starter and we tried to start the car when the alternater started to smoke.. doesn't look so good for Jimmy. I'm sad. We waited about 30 min for them to come tow my car away to the dealership to be fixed. We think the battery shorted out and by the looks of it maybe zapped the alternator too.. smelt like burnt electronics :( I was so sad to see them take Jimmy away. It was like he was going to the hospital or something. I wanted to cry. Might be time for a new car soon, Jimmy seems to be struggling as of late. Lets pray its just the battery.. financial times are tough right now..
Weird thing is my dad was worried about me driving there when I left, he didn't want me to drive there. and he rarely worries about me like that. but this morning he was really uneasy. So I've decided not to tempt fate and just to take this day at home as a gift. I'm staying in today.
Anyways, maybe I'll start running to the train station! I'm sure Joe Wall Street will not appreciate a sweaty girl sitting next to him on the train though. or maybe he will. i am pretty cute.
I would call my run today a tempo run. I pushed myself to run a pace the whole way that was uncomfortable and I would have been happy to slow down.. there was no holding a conversation with me! But I just kept thinking about Jocelyn busting her butt to run this race today on her own and how I better bust my butt and work equally just as hard holding up my end of the bargain. I also changed up my run a little bit and ran a bit further than my usual 3.3. Probably did more like 3.4-3.5. In 28:30! thats a pretty good time for me. I feel good.

little jaunt with the poodle

What a beautiful morning in the neighborhood! Its weekends like these that I really appreciate not living in New York City. The morning dew on the gorgeous green lawns, the houses decorated for halloween, the sun streaming through the trees onto the pavement (and into my eyes)... so pretty! I decided to take Mei Mei out with me on my run and boy was she excited. I think it was good that I brought her, she forced me to slow down and take it easy. My goal was to not push myself too hard today so I am ready for tomorrow! I am a tad nervous for tomorrow though I have to say.. I have this fear that all the sudden I won't be able to finish the full race. I just have to remember that I'm racing myself and no one else. I don't think I'll run this race much faster than what I've been doing already, I haven't been doing speed work or anything.. Maybe I'll run even slower depending on the terrain. We'll see! Either way the goal is for Jocelyn and I to complete our first 5k!

How bad is it I don't even remember the distance that I used to run for the cross country team? I don't even remember my best time. I just remember there were a lot of hills in that holmdel park, a lot. That was about 11 years ago!

p.s. sorry that hip lift thing plays automatically! i can't figure out how to get it to stop!

p.s.s. i just figured out how to stop the auto play, i edited the html. i'm so 733T!

feel the burn in your butt!

this is what i do when waiting for the train or waiting to cross the street. its fun! do it! feel the burn in your butt!

good morning

I ran this morning, did the usual 3.3 miles. Ok run. I think my muscles are still fatigued from my late work out last night. I'm incredibly hungry. I ate a banana but I think I need to eat more. I'm also very confused by my metabolism, I really have no gauge for how many calories a day my body actually burns. Fit day tells me one number and I've seen my number on other calculators but I never believe them. I feel like I've been eating a lot less in calories than what these calculators tell me. For a long time. So I think my metabolism is pretty slow.. but hey that's okay. A slow metabolism = longer life span. Its proven! I just have to eat for my metabolism I guess, not some calculated average based on the masses...

Caloric restriction optimum nutrition anyone?

where's the gun show, yo

Very glad I went to the gym after I got home, I feel so much better now :) I was there for an hour and did all sorts of fun things that look sexy. I am such a hard body I can't stand it. WHERE'S THE GUN SHOW!?

Good news, my headache is gone! I'm up early to go for an easy run tomorrow, I think I'm going to try for 4.75 miles this time around.. depends on what time I get out the door though. I bet I'm going to be pretty damn sore from the gym today too. So maybe I'll just stick with the 3.3ish miles that I've been doing.

In other news, Jocelyn fell today :( this makes me very sad and worried for her. I think she should go to a doctor very soon. GO TO A DOCTOR JOCELYN BEFORE I TAKE YOU TO MINE! we are supposed to run a 5K this Sunday but I think right now it depends on the Joc Joc's leg/knee situation. I want her better ASAP! Lyddie is doing well, sounds like today she hit the gym Shannon style 30min before I'm supposed to be at work. I'm usually running out the gym while putting on my clothes & doing my hair so I can make it in on time and look half presentable for my 5 min walk to the office. lol. Lydia worked it double time. GO LYDS!

on the train

I have a mild headache, I think its muscle tension related. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a migraine.. I still have to pick up my meds at the pharmacy. After seeing that both my partners in crime kicked butt today I am determined to go to the gym after I get home. So yes, I'm going! Maybe I can watch The Office online later. Or on the treadmill!

today is a rest day

today was supposed to be a rest day but before i left for work i hopped on the scale and was 2.5lbs heavier than i was yesterday. this makes me very upset. so after work i'm going to the gym. i'm very upset about this :(

i love my Under Armour

This morning's run was good. It was chilllyyy! My senior year (the first senior year..) in college i invested in some under armour so I could run in the freezing Rochester climate. I think I went running around the loop once that winter, that was the first time I realized I could run 3 miles no problem! Victory. Then I never did it again.. haha. Instead my investment sat in my drawer and I only wore it on Mt. Hope photo shoots with Lydia in sub zero Rochester weather. I have a feeling I'm going to put it to good use this winter, I'd like to continue running outside as long as the winter is tame and the hills aren't too icy. 

So I have a dilemma. I want to take my dogs running with me but sometimes I feel like holding the leash hinders my ability to move my upper body freely when I run. Normally this wouldn't be a problem if my beloved poodles would run right along side me, but Mei-Mei the nut will take a mile if you give her an inch and Guinness hasn't been out running with me yet. Guinness finally has a hair cut so he looks like a normal handsome dog  so I'm thinking I'll give him a shot. He's not as obedient as Ebby was, and he is Mei-Mei's son so I'm expecting a stallion out of this one. Although he does seem more attentive and thoughtful than Mei-Mei, he's like Ebby in that way. So we'll see. Maybe I'll try him over the weekend. I feel guilty not running with my buds. I did notice my time was better when not running with the Mei-Mei but that might have just been the day..

In other news, at the suggestion of my dear Jaime the physical therapy student she recommended I get a foam roller to help with my IT band pain. THIS THING IS AMAZING. It allows me to practice Self Myofacial Release techniques on myself to help with the pain and releasing tension. It was really painful at some points but I felt so much looser in my hips and legs when I was finished. So yes I watched the presidential debates in the most weird positions. I'm going to get addicted to using this thing, I think it will really help me. Here is one of the exercises I did last night (this one was the most painful..):

I LOVE this thing. I am hurting right now. I wish I could stuff it in my purse. But the thing is huge! its 3ft long and 6inches in diameter. Cue jocelyn "that's what she said!"

does running to the train count as training?

Seriously. If I leave work at 6:03pm I make the 6:09pm path train that gets me to my train in Newark with enough time to actually be civil to my fellow commuters. If I leave later than 6:03 I miss the 6:09pm path train and catch the 6:12-6:14pm one instead. Now a few minutes might not seem like a big deal, but when you get into the station and see the 6:43pm train sitting there you run to that train. I mean RUN. Don't get in my way, I need to get on that train. Because when I don't make it, I sit in newark for another 45 minutes listening to a room full of smelly obnoxious people talking loudly in another language (usually hindi.). UGH! So yeah, I all out sprint to that train. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I fall on my way down the ramp and my blackberry goes flying (that's only happened once haha..). I figure that 30 second sprint has to count for something. Maybe speed work? And hey, if I'm running late in the morning and I sprint to the train (like I did this morning too) that's another 30 seconds! That's a whole minute of train sprints. Maybe I'll log those. Better yet, maybe I'll wear my heart rate monitor and start recording these express sprints. Maybe I can start a class with my fellow commuters while we wait for our next train. Newark Penn Station needs an aerobics studio. Or a track. So I can get better at these train sprints and it doesn't take me 2.5 hours to get home.

I'm not bitter...

/Rant

In other news my gym at home in nj has spin classes at 8am on saturdays and sundays!!!!!! This is soo exciting. I never could bring myself to make the 5am class...

Was planning on going to the gym tonight to do a more substantial work out than what I did this morning but the debates are on! So I'm going to watch those instead. I'll run tomorrow morning. I better. I ate some things I feel guilty about now, going to have a very light dinner..

That's the other thing! I don't eat dinner until 9-10pm at night with this damn commute. UGH!

morning thoughts

On the train, don't feel like reading so I'll post here instead. I am sore. The end.

I did get up and do some core exercises this morning though. And then I ate a banana. My hip is hurting especially, going to stretch that as much as I can today. Doesn't help that I sit at a desk most of today. In the weirdest chair I've ever sat in. Its supposed to be good for your back but I think sometimes it ends up giving me a headache! Blah! Must be the position of the chair relative to the desk, it can never get close enough for me so I end up leaning forward. Kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me...
Work time. Going to Ole's sometime this week for my birthday! Yay! And then getting my hair done on saturday! Yay! I need a massage but I don't have the $$$. Maybe someday.

Its My Birthday! 25! Here's to 75 More!

Woke up at 6:45am this morning so cozy I didn't want to get out of bed. I leaned over to check my blackberry & I saw an email from Lydia that said "I'M IN!" yay! she's starting a blog too! and so is Jocelyn! Jocelyn set up her blog already, the link is to the right. So yes, I decided to get up out of bed and was out the door by 7:15am. If I hadn't seen those emails I may have just gone back to bed! Afterall, its my birthday today & I can do whatever I want! I still had to go into work though, grr.

It was chilly this morning so I dressed appropriately & was glad I did. Normally I run right through the morning sprinklers but this morning I ran around them, its too cold to get wet now! I did something I never do before, I stopped after 1 mile to stretch for 5 minutes & then I made time to stretch when I finished the run. Hopefully these things will keep my hip & knee from hurting me again. I also think I need to do more strength training exercises for my hips, glutes and quads. From what I've been reading that will help with my IT band issues.

Hey, its my birthday! I turn 25 today. That sounds so weird. I never thought I'd be 25. I mean I guess its inevitable but I don't feel 25! I still have this strange habit of telling people I'm 23... weird right? So yeah, I can finally rent a car without all the hassle, my boss will be THRILLED!

Oh yeah, the real live Aaron Neville sang Happy Birthday to me over the phone today! That made my day! Yeah, we're buds.

25. Here's to 75 more great years! (filled with love, health, happiness, & fitness!)

p.s. i have a confession. i binged on kettle corn today. i'm allowed to, its my birthday. shh.

the day before the fun begins

Yes. Wine festival. Birthday weekend. Lydia's suprise visit!
While at the wine festival this weekend Lydia, Jocelyn, and I decided its time to do something we've never done before. A marathon! So we're going to make it happen. I decided to keep a blog to track my progress and hold me accountable. I'm going to see if I can get Lydia & Jocelyn to commit to doing a blog too. I love to run, I used to run cross country in middle school & I wasn't very good, but I busted my butt and stuck with it. I stopped racing and started playing soccer for my high school & that kept me in pretty good cardio shape. Since high school I've been running on my own, off and on. I've been running semi consistently now 3-5 miles 3-4 days a week for the past couple months & I'm ready to kick it up a notch. I took a break from running outside for a month due to an injury, I hope I can stay injury free while I train.. getting adequate rest & making time to stretch properly. I'm also going to keep my diet in check so I don't carry around any unnecessary poundage! yeah, good luck shannon!

So! The marathon we plan on doing is the Rock n' Roll San Diego Marathon on May 31st in California. That is 34 weeks from now! My boyfriend Jon lives in San Diego, it will be a nice excuse to visit him that weekend too. He is a constant source of support and inspiration for me and it will be great to do this out there in sunny san diego running with two of my best girls and my man cheering us on along the sidelines. I hear this is a great marathon for first timers so I'm looking forward to it!

I must admit something. I haven't raced since middle school. Not one 5K, 2K, 10K, Half Marathon, nothing! So this will be a great challenge. Maybe I'll squeeze in a race or two between now and May 31st. Until then, I hit the pavement (or the treadmill..) so long as my hips and knees allow it.

I'm siked. And as I turn 25 tomorrow I also start day one of fulfilling my commitment to doing this for myself and for two of my favoritest people. We'll cheer each other on :)