Pathetic

This is what I looked like most of the week:

Although not this cute.

Pathetic. I got hit hard by a nasty cold- I don't think it was the flu, but it knocked me on my tushie for a solid week. Headache, body ache, runny nose, sore throat... not fun. I learned mucinex was a wonder drug, learned to love tea, and spent most of the week planted firmly on my couch, working from home and watching Gilmore Girls.  

Which meant no running... just the thought of it made me tired. I was feeling better on Saturday, but instead of jump headfirst into things (my boyfriend jokingly suggested I run a casual 20 miles to make my weekly goal), I ran an easy 6 miles in the comfort of the gym. No running outside in the cold quite yet for this girl!

I'm going to play this week by ear based on how I'm feeling... no need to rush back just to get sick again! Especially since the Myrtle Beach 1/2 is 3 weeks!

To end on a humorous note, when I did go into the office I found this little pile of gummy bears hilarious: 

A health-conscious gummy bear fairy

Total miles this week: 6!

The Best News Ever?

Who knew Lululemon had warehouse sales?!?!

Spotted on Racked NY:

DEALFEED

 

Lululemon Yogabowl Warehouse Sale

Deal: Markdowns on men's and women's athletic and yoga wear at the brand's massive warehouse sale. At the previous sale in Vancouver, merchandise was priced between $4 and $99. Credit cards and cash will be accepted, but no gift cards. Parking at the stadium is $10, and it's cash only.

When/Where: Friday, February 1 through Sunday, February 3. Fri—Sat 8am—8pm (last entry at 6pm), Sun 8am—6pm (inventory dependent). Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale (no phone)
Link: Lululemon

Ends: Sunday, 3 Feb 2013

Um, really? Get me on a train to Long Island! (Seriously, it's ~1.5 hour train/bus ride!)

Although I must admit I'm surprised Lululemon has warehouse sales-- for a brand that doesn't have a designated 'sale' section in their stores and refers to discounted items on their website as 'we made too much,' a warehouse sale seems like a departure from their typical strategy. Especially since they seem to make such limited runs of hot items (like the shorts I'm craving) and cycle out inventory faster than most stores... will the sample sale just be a bunch of rejects? Or will there actually be real treats to be found?

Logical marketing hat aside... I'm dying to find out if it's worth the trip!

A Christmas Gift To Myself

Do you buy Christmas presents for yourself? I decided to buy one for myself this year... mainly because of the stigma attached to the gift.

...

WEIGHTS! ;) My boyfriend told me he considered buying them for me but decided against it because even though I had been asking for them, he didn't want me to think he thought I needed them. (Did you follow that logic? It's like that old wives' tale, 'buy petite, save the receipt.')

I decided to buy a set of light hand weights- I have zero upper body strength, so this set that included 3, 5, and 8 lb weights was perfect starting point. I'd also read good things about the Jillian Michaels DVDs, so I tacked one onto my gift so I'd have an idea of what I was doing. 

My little 'exercise' corner of my room

Whew! Even though the workouts are only 30 minutes, they are tough! Every time I do a workout I think, 'I can run for 12 miles but I can't do pushups for 30 seconds?' It's amazing how a different routine can remind you just how many different muscles are in your body and have you reevaluate your level of fitness!

Just Do It Already

Today I faced my fears and joined a Jack Rabbit group run. I signed up for their Resolve 2013 program and one of my January goals was to attend at least one event. Solo. Terrifying. But I decided this weekend it was time to just do it already and the 9am Upper East Side run looked like a great fit- the schedule said it would be 7-10 miles and for runners with a pace of 9 minutes and faster. Easy peasy.

I went to bed early last night, woke up in plenty of time to get to the store, but found myself more nervous than the morning of the Philly marathon. I was second-guessing my decision, thinking thoughts like: what if everyone else is best friends and I'm the only one who doesn't know anyone? What if they're all faster than me? What if I can't keep up? Ah!

But as I ran from the subway to the Jack Rabbit store this morning (of course there were major delays on the 4,5,6!), I forced myself to think logically: Runners are generally nice people and my Garmin tells me I've consistently run under a 9 min pace for 10+ miles for the past 2 months. All I needed was some confidence.

And then I walked into the store.

I was one of the last people to get there and everyone was already paired off, chatting as if they had known each other for years. Fear realized, strike 1. I then looked around and realized I was the ONLY person wearing a fuel belt. I felt like a kindergartner trying to fit in with high schoolers. Strike 2. My confidence was waning.

We started running towards Central Park and I immediately thought I was sprinting. I fell to the back of the pack, and even though mile one clocked in at 8:34, I was struggling to keep up. Strike 3. This was not looking good. At this point my confidence was totally shot and I started toying with the idea of just fading into the other Central Park runners to finish the run on my own.

We headed towards the north Harlem Hills, and that's when magic happened.

I powered up those hills, passing half the group in the process, and started to feel like maybe I could hang. My Garmin beeped and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my 2nd mile split- 8:09. My confidence returned and I settled in for the rest of the run. Everyone's pace evened up, and I ended up running in the middle of the pack for the rest of the run.

It was a hard run-- there were some tough hills and a SUPER strong headwind along the Hudson River, but I ended the run smiling. It was a great experience and I'm definitely planning on going to more events. I learned I should probably listen to my logical side a bit more-- even though I started out shaky, I was more than capable of running with the group, I met some really great people in the process, and now I'm one step closer to meeting my January goal! (and getting those cute Lulu shorts! ;))

My splits:

The miles in the 9s were on city streets, where the Garmin always has trouble keeping a strong signal!

Total miles for the week: 25.7!

On Goals

Presented By Chick-Fil-A... I'm feeling good about this race!

I'm officially signed up for my first race of the year! My parents and I are going to run the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon on February 16th. We were originally supposed to run Hilton Head, but the weekend ended up not being great, so the beach it is! I'm excited to go back down south... hopefully it's not too warm out!

This will be the 3rd half marathon we've done as a family- in 2011, my mom, brother, and sister ran the Nashville Country Music Half- my dad and I were sidelined with injuries so we sat out until 2012, when my mom, dad, sister, and I ran the DC SunTrust Rock & Roll USA Half. None of us are what you'd describe as 'runners,' but it's a fun way to get together and stay in shape as a family!

Short sleeves in January? I'll take it!

As for goals, I'm really hoping to break 2 hours. I ran my first half-marathon in 2009 and got my 'PR' of 1:54:38-- since then, I haven't been able to break 2 hours. I ran 11 miles in 1:39 this Saturday (plus another 1.5 without my Garmin), so that puts me right under the illusive 2 hours if I can maintain the pace for the last two miles!

As for another goal? We're roughly halfway through January, and I'm keeping up with my goal of 20 miles a week, but I'm still so nervous about going to a Jack Rabbit run by myself! I'm thinking this weekend I just need to man up and do it. And if I do, I'm buying myself these snazzy little shorts as a reward:

Sadly, all the normal girl sizes are sold out online. Thank goodness most girls in NYC wear the smaller sizes, so the normal ones will hopefully be in store!

Here's to pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and going for goals!

Vegas: Sleep Or Run?

I'm back in NYC after a whirlwind trip to Vegas. Did I love the opportunity? Yes. Do I feel the need to return on vacation? Nope. CES was great, but I found the city itself to be anything but desirable.

The one picture I attempted of 'The Strip'

Everything is BIG, a SPECTACLE, a SHOW. The hotels are designed to keep you underground and gambling/drinking/spending money, and I firmly believe you could easily spend an entire week not seeing the light of day. I found it very disorienting - and coupled with the fact that night clubs and gambling aren't my scene (at all), Vegas just wasn't for me.

I went to dinner at Caesar's Palace, and the place was SO BIG the concierge's directions spilled over two maps . TWO MAPS! ONE HOTEL!

CES, however, was amazing. Seeing the latest ridiculous TVs, gadgets like forks that yell at you when you eat too much, people walking around wearing Google glasses like it ain't no thing, and running into my old coworkers (arguably the highlight, as I had zero clue they'd be there! Ah, the power of social media and hashtags), was such an eye-opening experience.

And oh, there were brain wave reading cat ears.*

Every day was jam packed, and I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep since Monday. But last night when I found myself with about 90 minutes of free time between work and dinner, dead tired, I made the decision to go for a run rather than nap.

It was only 30 minutes. On the treadmill. Without music. (rookie mistake of CES- protect your power cords with your life, preferably wearing/holding them in your hand. You will lose them and then learn how vital they are)

But it was great, and I felt so much better after the 30 minutes. And so much better than had I taken a nap! Before the run, I didn't know if I'd make it through dinner I was so tired. But after the run? I managed to make it out until 11:30 (easy now!) before heading back to my hotel to pack/nap for my pre-5am wake-up call. If I had taken a nap? I either would have woken up groggy and miserable, or wouldn't have waken up until the next morning. A run was definitely the better choice ;)

*I promise I have more thoughts than 'cool!' and am slightly more intelligent than I sound. I'll be posting them on JustAllie in a few days.

On-The-Go

Today's run can be characterized as 'on-the-go.' I was rushed for time (hello Monday morning snooze), my Garmin wouldn't connect for the first mile, and 25 minutes in, I was desperate for any semblance of a restroom. One of those days.

Yeah, I usually stay on the loop... not today.

Thankfully, today's run did not turn into the most embarrassing day of my life. Another 'on-the-go' moment? Registering 8 months in advance for the Hamptons 1/2 Marathon! The race isn't until late September, but I tried to register last year and it was already sold out in June/July. So... yes! to ridiculous planning. And there are multiple advantages to registering early-- lowest cost and time to book accommodations before everyone else jumps on the Hamptons bandwagon!

The rest of the day proved to be just as rushed as my morning... cramming a full day's worth of work into a half day, part of which was spent searching for travel sized Tom's toothpaste. Fun fact- after years of expensive dermatology visits and products, I learned I was allergic to 'normal' toothpaste... which was making me break out. Thankfully, after my 3rd drugstore visit today (thank you Whole Foods!) I found the illusive little toothpaste.

Some people use toothpaste as a cheap acne solution... me, not so much

But the best 'on-the-go' moment of the day? Running between 3 different terminals to find and devour a CHICK-FIL-A Sandwich during my stopover in Atlanta ;)

Heaven.

Embracing My Roots

Friday night, I let my Southern show... cowboy boots and all. A group of friends went to the PBR Bull Riding event at Madison Square Garden, and although I'm not entirely sure how the point system works, it was a blast. Especially entertaining was the lead clown, who I'm sure was a dancer in a previous career because he was breaking it DOWN in between runs.

I don't know if this is something to be proud of or not, but I wore my boots to work and NO.ONE.NOTICED.  Everyone else in our group commented on how many people in their offices noticed their 'cowboy' get ups... which made me wonder, did my office just expect that one day I'd show up showing my Southern pride? Something to ponder. Also, even though I'm from the South I have to admit I felt like a poser- surrounded by guidos trying to say 'y'all' and pretend they were rednecks, I identified more with them than the few true bull riding fans in the arena. Am I slowly turning into a Yankee?

Redneck Zamboni

The rest of the weekend has been low key-- a 10 mile run on Saturday that felt much harder than it should, some Christmas returns, and a Saturday night in watching The Graduate and eating ice cream. Now I'm settled in for a full day's work... I'm headed to CES tomorrow so there is a ton to get done before getting on the plane to Vegas!

Seen while returning a Christmas present at Bloomingdales-- don't you just love this sign? 

Playing dress up sounds way better than going to a  'fitting' room

Run Stat: Saturday, Central Park run, 10 miles at 8:49 average pace
Run total for the week: 25.3! 

Why I Love The Queensboro Bridge

The first time I went over the Queensboro Bridge, I almost cried. I was on my bike, and halfway up the bridge I had to stop and walk. I was petrified of running over it during the Marathon, but after a little pity party, I decided the only option was to run over the bridge. Even if it was awful, I'd know what to expect come Marathon Day. And to my surprise, it wasn't bad-- I even liked it better than the rolling westside hills of Central Park. Now, I run the Queensboro at least twice a month, and it's one of my favorite routes. Here's why:

I see you enough as it is.

It's not Central Park. I love Central Park, but I do all of my long runs in the park. My 'bridge loop' is 6 miles on the dot, so not a 'long' run, but a really good midweek longer run. And it's nice to mix things up.

A Doable Challenge. The bridge itself is only about 3.3 miles. And that's there and back, so roughly 1/2 of that is downhill. Garmin tells me my elevation gain over the bridge is 372 feet, and my elevation loss is 237 feet. A very doable challenge. 

Roosevelt Island, right in the middle. Also, not my photo

Forward Progress. The bridge spans from Manhattan to Queens. It's very clear where you are on the bridge and how much further you have to go- Roosevelt Island is situated roughly halfway between the two boroughs, so it's a good spot to focus on as a 'mini-goal.' Get to Roosevelt Island, and you've got a downhill coming up.

Well, not today. But proof you're high enough up to see the skyline.

Free View Of Manhattan.  Rooftop bar, Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, living in a Penthouse... you're going to have to pay to see NYC's famed skyline from any of these locations. Sure, there are other locations you can look out on Manhattan, like the Brooklyn Bridge, but you're going to have to battle the massive hoards of tourists- especially not fun if you're running. The Queensboro Bridge is NEVER crowded. (except maybe for Marathon Sunday! ;))

Inspiration while going up.

People Watching and Other Oddities. There are some interesting people on the bridge. And unlike in Central Park, most of them are not runners. One lady I pass every time I run the bridge sings opera as she walks her bike up the incline (catch her around 8am), another one is always reading a book on her way to Queens, and I always make it a goal to pass one struggling biker on the uphill ;)

Here's To 2013

A new year, a fresh beginning... or as I'd like to think about it, the motivation to recommit to goals already in motion. 2012 was a big year for me- job changes, relationship hurdles, and a major lifestyle change. Here's what I learned and how I want to recommit in 2013:

If you're not reading PSFK, you need to. Especially my articles.

I quit a job I hated and took a chance in an entirely new field.  I left my job as a senior analyst at a major cable channel (cushy salary and benefits included) to be an intern again at the age of 26. I'd read PSFK for years and  had always wanted to find a way to be a part of the organization. When I saw the internship posting, I knew I had to give it a try or always be left with a 'what if' feeling. It's been a humbling but hugely satisfying move. After 6 weeks of working harder than I ever had before, I received a full time offer at the company. I'm much happier than I was at my old job, but it hasn't been without challenges, especially the significant pay cut. After I switched jobs, I really had to reassess how I was spending my money- bye bye barre classes, a 5 day a week Starbucks/Mud coffee habit, and buying new clothes 'just because.' The change has forced me to really think about a budget and what I'm spending money on- which made me realize how poorly I had been handling my finances before I changed jobs.

2013 Related Goals:

- Be smart about a budget, and Save More. Make 2013 the most 'financially savvy' year on the books.
- Continue to grow my position at work

In California, celebrating a very special day

My boyfriend moved to California for 4 and 1/2 months. From January to mid-May, my boyfriend was on the other side of the country. He received an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity and I would have killed him if he didn't take it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't really challenging. It's hard to be separated by 3 time zones and not to have your best friend with you, and there were times I just felt lonely. But it was also an opportunity to reach out to friends and strengthen other relationships when he was gone. I'm so glad he's back, but I'm grateful I had the opportunity to push outside of my comfort zone and learn how to better balance our relationship with relationships with friends.

2013 Related Goals:

- Continue to reach out to acquaintances and newer friends and commit more time for 'girls nights' and 'me' time.

The sweetest feeling

I fell in love with running. I ran track and cross-country in high school, but if we're being honest, it was mainly a way to boost my college application with a team sport. I have the worst hand/eye coordination ever, so running was just about the only sport that made sense. I ran off and on in college, and then in 2009, ran my first 1/2 marathon with Team In Training. I loved it, and when I moved to NYC later that summer, I vowed to run the NYC Marathon before I ever moved anywhere else. I took a NYRR running class and had never been speedier... until I fell off a treadmill and twisted my knee cap a few months later. I wore a brace, went through physical therapy, but never really regained full confidence. I kept putting my name in the NYC Marathon lottery, but only ran a few miles here and there, never committing to another race until 2012. In 2012, I ran two half marathons (DC and Brooklyn), both of which I under trained for and felt awful (even throwing up yards from the finish line at the DC half in March) after finishing. And then, after 3 long years, I made it into the NYC Marathon. I didn't want to feel like I had after the two half marathons in the spring, so I made a serious commitment to training, nailing a calendar with my schedule on my bedroom wall and documenting every run on Just Allie.

And I fell in love.

I decided to separate my running adventures from my regular blog, and Just Allie Runs was born on what would have been the day after the NYC Marathon. I love the accountability of blogging, even if I'm the only one reading it. It's great to be able to look back on how I felt and what I was doing... so welcome to my running diary ;) I'm also learning about the great community that is the running blogosphere, and have loved discovering new blogs and learning from others.

2013 Related Goals:

- Run the NYC Marathon (duh). And although this is scary to put it in writing, run it in 4 hours.
- Run a half-marathon and feel GOOD about it. GOOD=PR. I'm already signed up for the Hilton Head 1/2 in February and NYC 1/2 in March, so hopefully this goal will be a reality sooner rather than later ;)
- Get to know the running community better. Here's the deal. It's easy to read blogs and 'feel' like you know a fellow runner, it's harder to go to a Jack Rabbit group run solo. I have an irrational fear that I'll be the only person who showed up by themselves at the run, and everyone else will already be paired up, and not talk to me. I know it's silly, but it's true. So I've taken the first step and signed up for the Jack Rabbit Resolve program, listing one of my January goals as going to a group run. Gulp. Like Jason told me whenever I complained about a training run, Just F'ing Do It.

Here's to conquering fear in 2013 and recommitting to goals already in progress! Wanna run with me? ;)