ive been awful about updating but thats only because the real world and the running world have been keeping me either in the office or on the road. its a fun busy but still very busy!

okay back track...

Nike + human race kick off - August 17th 2009

The LLS partnered with Nike as the official charity sponsor for this years Human Race event. On October 24th, or better known as the day the world runs, runners from across the globe will compete in a 10k. Its a virtual run meaning anyone with Nike+ technology can compete and upload their results to the web but there are also host cities where an actual head to head competition will take place. New York City is the official US city.

On Monday night, August 17th, a few TNT'ers joined the Nike team to kick off the event at the South Street Seaport beach. Yes, beach. Our 5mi run concluded with a trip over the Brooklyn Bridge. We ran single file all wearing red glow sticks. It must've looked awesome. Luckily there was photographer and the pictures are to be used in the national campaign for the race!

You can join the race by registering on the Nike website.

Ryan Hall, 3rd from left, came for a Q&A. He's kind of a big deal in the running world.

Erin & Lindsay's Fundraiser at the Mean Fiddler - August 27th, 2009

My girlfriends had a joint fundraiser at a bar in Midtown West on Thursday night. The raised over $800 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

[lindsay, erin, me]

Sunset & Suds 5k - August 27th, 2009

Urban Athletics & the New York Harriers hosted a 5k that started and ended at the Hudson Beach Cafe (yes, beach again!) It was a quick fun race that ended with free beer. The event technically ended around 10p but the party didnt stop then. Thursday night is karaoke night and so we moved our party to Brother Jimmy's and sang into the wee hours of the morning!

TNT ladies [ dani, tracey, leanna, erin, me ]

it was robs birthday!

Tuesday night I graduated from hills! Below is my official TNT Hill Certificate!

ive been reading a lot about how cycling for cross training and recovery is very beneficial to runners and has even been proven to help you run faster. ive tried spinning once before at my gym. it was awful, so naturally i was hesitant to try again despite all the good things ive been reading.

my girlfriend leigh is an avid spinner and raves about her spinning studio. on friday morning i decided to put all her good talk to the test and join her for a class. the experience i had at soul-cycle was amazing! it completely changed my strong feelings of hate towards the sport.

as apposed to my last spinning experience the instructors at soul-cycle understood i was a first timer and really took the time to make sure everything was just right before class. they made sure my shoes were the right fit and i was comfortable on the bike. proper seat and handle bar adjustments were made for my body. there was no guess work on my part.

the studio was kept dark and the music loud. it was sweaty and motivating.

i usually rest on fridays in order to give my body a break before saturdays long run. the class was challengeing enough to make me feel like i had a good workout but didnt exhaust me either. i would love to be able to spin every friday morning from now on but its a little on the pricey side so its not really an option. however, im now armed with new knowledge of how i should feel on the bike and i am open to trying another class at the gym.




my long run this morning felt really good! im not sure if it had to do with the weather, all the yummy food i ate for dinner last night at landmarc, the spinning, or a combination of it all. all i do know is that i ran 17 strong miles today and it felt awesome!!

there was no picture taking during our last week of summer streets because it was raining and my camera is already crappy enough, no need to add water. we started at bethesda and ran south to chambers street where we crossed over to the west side highway. normally running the highway on a sunny day is brutal, theres little shade and water fountains are sparse. but because of thunderstorms lingering in the area it was cool and pleasant. we headed back to the park at 72nd street and finished our workout with the 6mi loop. my running buddies for the day, stephanie and natalie, kept conversation and encouragment flowing and we all survived the 17 together strong.

i sleep in later on weekday mornings than on the weekends due to the early start times of all our running events!

sunday morning i was up at the crack off dawn to go cheer on my fellow teammates who were running the nyc half marathon! the race started at 7am at the engineers gate in central park (90th & 5th ave) so i knew i needed to make it to times square before 7:30 to see the front runner come through.

the nyc half starts in central park and completes 1 and half full loops before sending runners through the heart of times square and over to the west side highway. the race continues down the west highway finishing at battery park city.

by attending other races you pick up pointers for when your own race day approaches. things like where to put your name on your singlet so people can see it clearly and cheer your name. big black letters on a white background stand out or big white letters against the purple of the TNT singlet look great too!

as people run by and see the race photographs they throw out different poses like two thumbs up or victory arms. i think that peace signs are way over done and making a sad face just sends the wrong message.

the last important thing i learned is to always make sure you look like your enjoying yourself. you never know where your teamates are going to pop up and be cheering you on!


here are a few of my photos from sundays race...




team in training on the reuters big screen in times square!


the front runner & winner of the 1/2 marathon





here they come!

saturday morning continued our out of the park running adventures! this weeks long run took us from battery park city, over the brooklyn bridge and into downtown brooklyn. we ran through fort green and williamsburg and then over the williamburg bridge back to manhattan. our route joined with a few blocks of summer streets before cutting cross town to the west side highway. we ran down the west side of the island finishing back at urban athletics in the downtown winter gardens of bpc.

i was resting and stretching with a few of my teammates after our run and i made a comment about feeling gritty and gross because i was covered with dirt from the road. turns out it wasnt dirt i was covered in, in fact it was salt that i had sweated out during the past 15miles!

generally when we sweat it contains salt (our pee too)- it's what allows us to excrete water and helps to cool us down. because we were running in extreme heat yesterday our sweat was evaporating and leaving the salt crystals behind. kind of cool, right?!

losing too much salt during a workout is a bad thing and can ultimately lead to a condition called hyponatremia, which means low sodium levels in the blood. sodium is required for our bodies to function properly so while working out its not only important to hydrate and replace the water that is lost but to also maintain sodium levels.

sports drinks are a good way to replenish the body of electrolytes and salt but they arent for everyone. personally, gatorade during a run upsets my stomach. instead i opt for "salt licks" or "salt shots."

licks and salts arent too glamours, they taste like the ocean, but desperate times call for desperate measures! we took a pit stop at a mcdonalds and grabbed a few of those mini salt packets from the condiment trays. all you do is pour the packet in your palm, lick it all up and chase with water. very simple and very necessary.




the red lines marks our route






Brooklyn Bridge



not all graffiti is ugly





approaching williamsberg hill... i mean bridge





mile 7 and still smiling [ erin & me ]





"oy vey!"





willys bridge

regroup at the end of willys bridge

hydrate! hydrate! hydrate!

crunch gym outdoor fitness class

at the start



breaking the tape



go team!

there's a rule in distance running that states "nothing new on race day" meaning dont wear a new pair of shoes, try a new brand of gels, change your stretching routine, etc, etc. you dont know where those new shoes might rub and cause blisters, what the gels might do to your tummy or accidently pull a muscle- you dont want or need any surprises on race day.

pretty much every week i add something new to my training and take it for a test drive. this weekend kicked off summer streets and i really wanted to bring my camera so i introduced the runners pak. now, this isnt your mothers "fanny" pack from those summer family vacation days, its sporty and chic!

it held my camera and 3 gels and wasnt a nuisance. it stayed snug around my hips the entire workout. the pak is definitely a keeper and will be with me on race day! (i recommend nathan sports 5k runners pak)

the first day of summer streets was great! tnt kicked off the event at 7:30am along with the commissioner of transportation, janette sadik-khan at foley square. i ran a half marathon distance (13 miles) in 2hrs and 15mins with bathroom and water breaks along the way. it was awesome to be able to run freely down the streets of nyc and not have to worry about being hit by a speedy taxi or tourist bus. im looking forward to this upcoming weekend when we run over the brooklyn and williamsburg bridges!



tnt booth at foley square




coach ramon giving us his pre-event kickoff pep talk


getting ready!



the girls who keep me going erin and tracey