Friday, May 31, 2013

runDisney Updates

So runDisney has been busy this week!  With less then 2 weeks to go before Princess registration opens (June 11th for those interested), they finally updated the website with all the appropriate information.  'bout time!

They have confirmed that the 5K is moving to Friday and the 10K on Saturday.  This is what I thought would happen once they announce the 10K.  Half is still Sunday.

But most importantly, they announced the prices!  As usual, my wallet already groaned in anticipation of paying for the Glass Slipper Challenge!


The only item they did not have prices listed for was the commemorative items.  I always buy the pins (don't ask why) and put them on my medal ribbons, so I am hoping they are available when I register.

I am excited for Princess this year - it's going to be a family affair!  My mom and aunt are doing the 10K, my cousin the Half and I'm doing the Glass Slipper Challenge.  I think another aunt may be coming and my friend Pam and her mom might also come.  

As I said, registration opens on June 11 and you can sign up for a reminder email at runDisney.com

In other runDisney news, there is a course map going around for the Disneyland 10K.  It's not the official course map from runDisney, but it looks like the map submitted/approved by USATF for course certification.  I didn't find it, but some other intrepid runDisney fans did.  I have seen it, but I'm going to wait until runDisney announces it before I get too excited.  My guess is if it's USATF certified, it's the course, but I'm still going to wait since you never know.  I did like what I saw, so that's good!

Either way, it's been a big day of runDisney updates!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Back in the groove

I was in Boston today for work, so I had moved today's scheduled run to last night.  I worked late last night so I didn't get to run as long as I planned.  My Hansons training book says it's better to do a shorter run then a longer run, so that's what I did. 

And you know what?  I am really excited to get out for my run tomorrow morning.  I may have even described it as 'jonesing' for one.  It has been a long time since I've felt this way.  I was so burnt out over the winter that I barely ever wanted to run, so I am pretty glad I am feeling this way again.

Just in time to start speedwork next week! 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

New sneakers (again... finally...)

Since the new Nike Pegasus' did not workout, I headed back to Jack Rabbit to try again.  This time it was a success!

The guy at Jack Rabbit (whose name escapes me now) who helped me was awesome.  Listened to my concerns, took everything into consideration, knew a lot about the differences between the shoes and explained the benefits of each shoe brand and type.  I tried on a bunch of shoes before finding a pair I liked.  It took a while and there were a couple of close seconds, but find one I did. 

And here they are:

Tada!  They are the Asics Gel-Nimbus 15.  Aren't they pretty?

 

I don't know all the technical terms about them, but they are incredibly comfortable - cushioning without being overly soft and still supportive.  They felt kinda like my old Pegasus' did, which was exciting.  I've already done a couple of runs in them and I feel like I am floating.  It's a nice feeling!

Downside?  They are not cheap.  Total price?  $145 (full price).  Fortunately, I get a discount at my favorite running store and of course, I can keep a look out for them online (when it's time to replace them).  But since they are so comfortable and (clearly) my new shoe, I will pay it.  It's annoying (especially since my Pegasus' only cost $100), but considering I didn't like any other shoe as much, it is what it is.   

What shoes do you run in?  
Totally love my new sneaks!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

2 on Tuesday


This is the house we stayed in over the weekend.  It was a log cabin!  It was absolutely perfect and a great way to spend the weekend.  The kitchen was great and we took full advantage of it.  Cooking all meals, spending time around the kitchen table, laughing, making s'mores by the fire pit, swimming in a freezing pool.  We all get so busy with our own lives, it was nice to spend some serious quality time with friends.  As I get older, I realize how important my friends are.  Nice to take some time and remember that.


The great sneaker hunt is over!  My second trip to Jack Rabbit was much more successful (full post coming later), but I can confirm I did find a new pair of shoes and they came in this box.  I wore them this weekend and they felt amazing.  Like floating on air.  On my run on Sunday I felt so great in them I could not slow my pace down (bad Sarah) but it felt amazing.  Yay!

Training recap: Week of 5/20 (DDD / DLH Week 4)

Hope you all had good weekends!  I had such a perfect weekend with friends relaxing in a beautiful cabin in Dover Plains.  Since I didn't get to post my recap yesterday, I am going to treat you all to 2 posts today!  Contain your excitement!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest of Cross Training
Actual: 35 minutes on the elliptical

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 5 miles, 51:50, 10:22 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: Off
Actual: Off

Thursday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: Off

Friday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 3 miles, 32:36, 10:26 pace

Saturday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 5 miles, 51:26, 10:17 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 5 miles long run pace (9:53)
Actual: 5 miles, 47:06, 9:25 pace

So I did not accomplish my goal of 5 runs this week.  I went to a fundraising event with some friends on Wednesday night and was out later then expected and had a party to celebrate another friends graduation from med school on Thursday night.  These are the sacrifices we make sometimes! 

Total scheduled miles: 21
Total actual miles: 18.13
Total May miles: 75.46

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

New sneakers

The time has come for me for to retire these bad boys:

My loves
My awesome custom Nike Pegasus 28's.  As much as I love them, the time as come for them to be moved to the gym pair category and to get some new kicks.

They came out with a new version of my Pegasus' so I wanted to try them on first.  It's also been years since I tried other sneakers and wanted to make sure I didn't like anything better.

I went to the Upper West Side Jack Rabbit.  The women who helped me was very nice, but I felt like she wasn't all that knowledgable about what makes the sneakers different (I love Jack Rabbit and have never had this problem before).  She was helpful, but when I asked the difference between sneakers she never gave a definitive answer (for example, I asked what the difference between 2 neutral shoes from the same brand and her answer was one is nicer then the other - not sure what that means).

After trying on a couple of shoes, I ended up going with the Pegasus' again.  Unfortunately, they only had the Breathe version in my size.  She told me they were "the same", so I went with it.

Nike Pegasus 29 Breathe
Unfortunately, after running in them for 2 runs, I can confirm they are not the same.  Now, it might be the 29 vs. the Breathe type, but they felt completely different.  The arches were in different spots and the right heel kept slipping off.  Definitely not what you want on a run.

Old (L), New (R)
After doing some research online, they do seem like different shoes.  The descriptions other websites use to describe them are completely different which leads me to believe they are not the same.

I thought you needed another picture of sneakers.
So they will be going back to Jack Rabbit and I will be trying again.  I am really hoping it was just the Breathe style and not my beloved Pegasus.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

2 on Tuesday


Per my post yesterday, I saw the Great Gatsby over the weekend.  Personally, I really enjoyed the movie, but I do know some people who didn't.  I haven't read the book since I was in high school, so I don't really remember all the plot details so I have no idea how faithful it was.  It is a Baz Luhrmann film so it was definitely non-traditional.  I also loved the music from the film.  Jay Z did the soundtrack and it was great.  Definitely a little unconvential for a movie that takes place in the 20's, but really helped make the movie (in my opinion).  Definitely think I am going to have to pick it up. 


Now that I've seen the movie, I want to re-read The Great Gatsby and see how different the movie was from the book.  As I said above, I haven't read it since high school, but I remember really loving it in high school, so I am excited to re-read it.  I read so many books in high school for class, but I definitely did not appreciate them (at all) at the time, so I have a long list of classics to read again.  Any suggestions on what other classics should I re-read?

Monday, May 20, 2013

Training Recap: Week of 5/13 (DDD / DLH Week 3)

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a good weekend.  Mine was pretty great.  Saturday, I ran, met a friend for pedicure's and a boozy lunch.  Sunday, another run and saw the Great Gatsby (which I really enjoyed!).

I accomplished my goal of getting all my runs in.  It felt good to get them all in!

Monday
Schedule: Off or Cross Training
Actual: 35 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes walking on the treadmill

Tuesday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 4 miles, 41:28, 10:22 pace

Wednesday
Rest day

Thursday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 4 miles, 41:52, 10:27 pace

Friday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 4 miles, 41:49, 10:27 pace

Saturday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace (10:09 - 11:09)
Actual: 4 miles, 40:18, 10:05 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 5 miles long run pace (9:53)
Actual: 5 miles, 49:19, 9:52 pace

Total scheduled miles: 21
Total actual miles: 21
Total May miles: 52.33

I don't know about you, but I can't believe it is Memorial Day already.  This year is flying by!

My goal for the week again is to get all my workouts in (need to get consistent with this!).  I am going away to a Bachelor/Bachelorette party in the Hudson Valley (up past Poughkeepsie near the NY/CT border) this upcoming weekend.  I am looking forward to a weekend with friends, bbq'ing and spending time outside.  I plan on bringing my running stuff and running while there, but I think having my mini-goal will help me get them in.

How did your training go this past week?

Friday, May 17, 2013

Book Club Friday: The Dressmaker

It's been a while since I've joined in on Book Club Friday, but I'm glad to be back today!  Let's get to it.

This week I am reviewing The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.



From Goodreads:

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.


Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.


On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My review

I really enjoyed this book.  I find the Titanic so fascinating (I know I am not alone in this one) and I really liked the fact that is book focused mostly on what happened after the survivors made it back to New York.  We tend to focus a lot on the actual sinking, but I honestly did not really know much about what happened when they got back to New York.  I also like that it was told from the point of view of one of the servants vs. a first class passenger.  If you enjoy historical fiction and find the Titanic interesting, I would recommend this book to you!

What should I read next?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

10,000 Steps

 
So my company is doing a walking challenge.  We are taking part of something called the Global Corporate Challenge.  We are on teams of 7 people.  I am one of the team captains for my company.  There's a global challenge (obviously) and then a competition within our company and then of course we made a side competition within our division. 

The goal is to take 10,000 steps a day.  I do have a slight advantage with the running, but I am still excited to participate and challenge myself to make the goal.  The pedometers they sent us are pretty small and can be attached at the waist or carried in a pocket or bag. 

It doesn't officially start until next Thursday, but I started wearing the pedometer today to get a baseline of what my steps currently are at and how much more I need to step it up.  Should be interesting!

The pedometer compared to a pen.  Pretty tiny.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Kona Kase Review


I got my first ever Kona Kase today!  Yay!  Kona Kase is a monthly subscription box with no commitment that is made for endurance athletes.  I've been getting Birchbox (same thing but for makeup) for a while now, but I am excited to get one made just for athlete's! 

Upon opening the box, you are created with a motivational quote.  Always a little nice to have some inspiration.  Inside, the box was packed full of treats!  Sitting right on top was a package of Popcorners, which I've had before and really enjoyed. 

Also inside was the full line of GU products - GU Brew, Gels, Chomps and Recovery Drink.  This is great, these will last me for a while and I'm excited tor try some new items (Chomps and Recovery Drink).  I'm also excited to try the GU Brew.  I'm looking for a new electrolyte drink other then NUUN. 


It also came with 2 protein bars (one Luna and one Go Yeah).  Never heard of the Go Yeah, but looks good.


The last item in the box was completely new to me and I am interesting in trying it.  It's from Powerbar and it's a energy source.  It's fruit based - Apple Mango Strawberry flavored.  It says to take either before working out or during.  Just like an energy gel.  I do get sick of the gels after a while so I am excited to try a non-gel for workouts (sometimes the sugar is just too much, you know)?  I will definitely let you know how it goes.


Overall, I am excited to try all my new products.  It's only $15 a month and you get lots of products so I think it is worth it.  Anyone else ever tried Kona Kase

Want to try Kona Kase for yourself?  Get your first month for only $7.50 by using this link: http://curebit.com/x/nHlkF

Disclosure: I paid for this box myself (I doubt Kona Kase even knows who I am) and just wanted to share my excitement about the items.  All opinions are mine.  I am part of the referral program and do get a perk for referring new members.  Hope you enjoy your own box if you do buy one!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

2 on Tuesday

FYI - This post contains a spoiler alert from last nights How I Met Your Mother.  If you have not watched and want to remain surprised - do not read!


I had to have some blood work done for my doctor's appointments this past weekend.  I don't particularly love needles (although I don't really know anyone who does) but at least this time I made it out unscathed.  I gave blood once in high school (believe it or not in an attempt to get over my fear of needles, but it actually made it worse) and it did not go well.  Not to go into too many details (because it's gross), but basically my vein collapsed with the needle still in it and then when they tried to get it out, they tore skin and then my arm wouldn't stop bleeding.  Then when I sat up, I passed out.  Outside of a giant bruise on my arm afterward, I was fine, but it definitely has stopped me from ever signing up to give blood again.  This time it was (relatively) unpainful and I did not pass out, so I am calling that a success!


Who watched the season finale of How I Met Your Mother last night?  HIMYM has always been one of my favorite shows and I am so glad that we are finally meeting the mother!  I like that she is not someone who dated Ted in the past and she's a new face.  Also, I know it's insane, but she is exactly what I imagined Ted's wife to look like.  While I am sad next year is the last season (sniffle), I am excited to get to know the mother and see how her and Ted meet and fall in love.  Great job HIMYM!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Training recap: Week of 5/6 (DDD / DLH Week 2)

Another Monday, another training recap!  This week I did not do as good on my schedule, I missed my Friday run.  I don't really have an excuse, I just didn't get up early enough in the AM to do it and I spent the day at 3 doctor appointments (I am fine, I just do all my checkups on 1 day as they are all in PA) and had a sleep over with my niece on Friday night.

Let tell you - 4.5 year olds are exhausting!  I was in bed by 10pm on Friday night.  She was also wide awake at 5:15 am.  No kidding.  Saturday was rough.  But she's adorable so it's okay.

My goal for next week is to do all my scheduled runs.  

Monday
Rest day

Tuesday
Scheduled: 2 miles easy pace (10:09-11:09 pace)
Actual: 2 miles, 21:18, 10:38 pace

Wednesday
Rest day

Thursday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace (10:09-11:09 pace)
Actual: 3 miles, 31:05, 10:21 pace

Friday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace (10:09-11:09 pace)
Actual: Rest day

Saturday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace (10:09-11:09 pace)
Actual: 3 miles, 30:33, 10:11 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 4 miles long run pace (9:53 pace)
Actual: 4 miles, 41:29, 10:22 pace

Total schedule miles: 15
Total actual miles: 12
Total May miles: 31.33

Friday, May 10, 2013

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Medals revealed!

Earlier this week (Wednesday to be exact), runDisney released the medals for the upcoming Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend including the inagural medals for the Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare Challenge.

photo from runDisney
I have to say - I absolutely love the Dumbo Double Dare medal!  Dumbo looks so adorable and I love that Timothy Q Mouse is represented on the ribbon.  I have always been a big fan of the Disneyland Half medal - it looks so classically Disneyland.

I am not 100% sure about the Disneyland 10K.  I think some of it might be the photograph and all of the detail not showing well in it (since it's all gold with no color to break it up).  I like that it is Alice (in a teacup no less!), but it's really hard to see everything on the medal in the photo.  I'm sure it's just the photo and it's going to be awesome in person.  I am still really excited to run it!

Now if only runDisney would release the course maps!

Only 16 weeks until I am on a plane heading to Disneyland for the race!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Race recap: Flying Pig Half Marathon

Flying Pig Half Marathon
May 5, 2013

State: #12 (Ohio)
Half: #33

The weather forecast for race morning wasn't the best.  There was an 85% chance of rain and this is what the weather map looked like before I left my hotel:

slightly ominous, no?
But the temperature was perfect.  It was slightly humid but as the rain got closer that dissipated.  Our hotel was only a 10 min walk from the start line which was right next to Paul Brown Stadium (the football stadium).  Fortunately for me, it did not start raining until after I was done.

Before the start, they had a brief prayer (as someone reminded me, we were in the Midwest), followed by a moment of silence and bagpipes for Boston.  While waiting for the start, I knew the rain wasn't going to stay away for the entire morning.  I grew up on boats and there is an old sailor motto "Red sky at night, sailors delight.  Red sky at morning, sailors warning".  Let me tell you, while the sunrise was pretty - it was RED.  Knew the rain was coming.  The below photo (borrowed from the Flying Pig facebook page) does not do the red justice.

Pretty sunrise, right?
After the bagpipes, they had some brief announcements and then off me went!  The humidity was gone by mile 2 for me which was fortunate.  The first part of the course took us through Kentucky and back into Ohio.  The first 6 miles were pretty flat.  I had looked at the race course and knew there were about 4 miles of hills starting around 6.  And let me tell you - those hills were no joke.  We'd go up, they'd flatten out or go down slightly and then go up again.  I tried not to push it too hard on the hills as I didn't want to die towards the end.

What goes up must come down, right?
Fortunately, just past the 10 mile marker, the elevation went in reverse and gravity gave us some assistance.  My pace definitely picked up for the first downhill mile, but it was pretty steep and I didn't want to risk tripping so I tried to control it.  But mile 12 I really started to pick it up as it was going downhill, but not as steep.  I think I conserved too much in the beginning because my last mile was a 7:48 pace!  The downhill helped, but I still had energy left to push it.  Good to know I can hold that pace (even if it was gravity assisted).

I finished and made my way through the finishers shoot.  It was pretty well organized - heat sheets, medals, water, Gatorade.  Then came the food section.  Holy cow!  I have never seen so much finishers food in my life.  And it was take as much as you wanted.  There was fruit, chips, Powerbars, candy, soup, peanuts and more.  It was awesome!

Some of my finisher's food spread
Following the food, I got my baggage and made my way to cheer for the rest of the girls.  I missed Michelle, but got to see Nicole, Megan and Pam head to the finish!

All in all, I was very impressed by Flying Pig.  The expo was solid and had lots of stuff to check out; the start was organized and well set up; the course provided some challenges but ended on a nice downhill; the finishers food was some of the best I've ever seen.  Plus the medal is super cute!

Of course there is a flying pig on it!
If you are looking for a race in Ohio, I definitely recommend the Flying Pig events.  It takes place during the first weekend of May every year.

Results
Official results: 13.1 miles, 2:03:54, 9:27 pace
Garmin: 13.31 miles, 2:03:55, 9:19 pace

Splits
Look at those finishing paces!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Flying Pig Half Marathon: Expo


I arrived late Friday night and after sleeping in, getting a quick run in and breakfast, we headed to the expo.  The expo was at the Convention Center which was literally right across the street from our hotel.


Upon arriving, the first thing we saw was a wall to sign for Boston.  They were also giving out bracelets for donations to the One Fund.  I donated and am proudly sporting my Boston Strong bracelet with a flying pig on it.

Porkopolis to Beantown
After signing the wall, we headed to number pickup.  It was quick and easy, with minimal wait.  The area where number pickup was had these great balloons:

How cute?  There was pig stuff everywhere!
After number pickup, we headed into the expo.  The shirts were the very end of the expo and we had to walk through the entire expo to reach it (great plan for the expo, bad for my wallet).  The first stop was the official merchandise.  I picked up a really cute t-shirt that says "Run the Pig", a wineglass and waterbottle (the waterbottle says 'Oink, oink, oink' which I love).

Love it!
Cute shirt
Following official merchandise, we headed into the beast of the expo.  There were a lot of the usual suspects - local running store, other races, snacks.  I picked up a couple of headbands at the Sweaty Bands booth: a blue and white Boston Strong headband, red sparkle headband (for my Snow White costume) and one with Flying Pigs on it.  They are super cute.

We continued to make our way through the expo, tasting some samples (they had a frozen greek yogurt that was delicious, some yummy cake and others).  There were some weird items (google Period Panteez and you'll know what I am talking about).  We found some ideas for races (Bluegrass Half in KY looked like lots of fun and has a great medal) and generally just enjoyed strolling through the expo (so much we came back later because a couple of the girls wanted to pick something up).

Pig cake
Finally we made it to the t-shirt pickup.  In addition to the t-shirt (which is a nice quality Asics shirt), we also got branded Flying Pig Marathon coolers.  What a nice addition to the usual race shirt.  We also got a poster for the race.  While the poster was cute, I did not bring it home (no room in my suitcase).

Race shirt
Flying Pig cooler
Overall, it was solid expo with lots of vendors and good merchandise.  I was pleased with what we got with our registration fee.

Up next - the race recap!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

2 for Tuesday

I made a new recipe last night for dinner - Spicy Thai Noodles.  It came about pretty quickly - I saw it on a blog I read, realized I had all the ingredients except 1 and knew I could put it together (even though I had been away all weekend and not grocery shopped).  I stopped for my one missing item and threw it together.  It was quite delicious and made lots of left overs!  Grab the recipe here.

Which brings me to my next find - Pepperplate.  It's a great website - kind of like Pinterest, but better for recipes.  When you find a recipe you like, it adds it to your pepperplate account - includes a picture, the ingredients and instructions.  You can even add notes and labels (thai, dinner, smoothie, etc).  It even has a meal planner and then you can add the items to your grocery list.  Pretty nifty app for keeping recipes and lists.  I love pinterest, but you still have to click through for the recipe - this keeps the recipes for you!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Training recap: Week of 4/29 (DDD / DLH Week 1)

Happy Monday!  This recap is going to be a brief one for me - I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open.  This past weekend was the Flying Pig half and it was a really great weekend.  The race went really well and it was such a fun weekend with the girls.  I will have a full recap of the expo and the race later this week.  But I did fly home this morning on the 6am flight, so I've been up since like 3:15am.  Hello exhaustion. 

This past week was the first week of Dumbo Double Dare / Disneyland Half (further more known as DDD / DLH) and it went well.  I got all my runs in and felt solid (especially in the half).  Week 2 might be a little tougher since I am going home for Mother's Day and some doctor appointments, but I am going to do my best!

Monday - Rest day

Tuesday 
Schedule: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3 miles, 30:48, 10:16 pace

Wednesday - Rest day

Thursday
Schedule: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3 miles, 30:27, 10:09 pace

Friday - Rest day

Saturday
Schedule: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3.01 miles, 31:28, 10:28 pace 

Sunday
Schedule: Flying Pig Half Marathon (13.1)
Actual: 13.31 miles, 2:03:55, 9:19 pace

Total weekly miles: 22.32
April total: 77.70
May total: 19.32

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Race update

Today was the first day it was warm enough to wear shorts on my run.  Outside of the fact that my legs are shockingly white, it felt great.  I am so happy it is finally getting warm.

I am off to Cincinnati this weekend for the Flying Pig Half, Ohio on my 50 State goal.  The weather this weekend has a wide swing of temps with a chance of rain.  So basically I am over packing for a weekend trip.  My suitcase is packed.  I am the world's worst packer.  Ugh.

Anyway, I have a couple of more races that are looking likely for the rest of the year.  They are not 100% (still trying to work out travel plans) but here's what's next:

6/23 - Governors Island 10K, New York, NY
8/17 - Madison Mini-Marathon (aka Half Marathon), Madison, WI
10/12 - Hartford Half Marathon, Hartford, CT

Hopefully these ones will all work out and I'll be able to get 2 more states off my list.

Anyone else running Flying Pigs this weekend?

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Remembering 1999

I cannot believe it is May already.  I feel like this year is just flying by.  It is crazy.

This is totally random, but has anyone seen this video compilation of all things 1999?  I was 16 at the time and remember way too much of the items in this video (minus the video games).  I am embarrassed to admit how many of the songs are still in rotation on my iPod (and most are on my running playlist).  This was time before smart phones (heck I had a cell phone that charged by the minute, was only good in a 3 state area and was for emergencies only).  There was no Facebook or twitter.  We went to the mall to hang out.  People saw movies in the theater (there was no Netflix or online streaming).  Movies did not cost an arm and a leg.  I really wanted one of the brightly colored clamshell Macbooks (Felicity has one so I had to have one - remember that show?).  iPod's weren't around either - I was still making mixed CDs on my computer.

Ahh, the times of my youth.  It scares me that my niece (who is only 4.5) already knows how to use an iPhone and will never know a time when we weren't all glued to them.

Check out the video here and tell me what your favorite memories of 1999 was.