More East Side Escapades

In the last 24 hours, I’ve done a lot of sweating.

Some of you may find that gross. I find it pretty awesome.

Last night I hit up the gym, as promised, to get back to spin class and a little jaunt on the dreadmill. This has sort of been routine in the last few weeks, so you probably don’t care to hear the deats, but I thought I’d let you know last nights instructor was pretty kick-ass. She was almost up to par with the first-ever spin instructor I came across almost a year ago (you know, the one I thought was an Army Seal fitness coach). I’m pretty sure I was one of THOSE people who left a few drops of sweat on the floor under my bike. I used to be grossed out by THOSE people. Now I’m pretty proud of a sweat that good. Bahaha.

Cycling split up two, two-mile runs on the treadmill, and by the time I got home I was worried that I’d jumped back in the saddle too quickly after my foot had finally started feeling better. Aka, I was worried that I’d slow Laura down this morning, as we jogged over to the East Side for a Fat-Blasting Cardio sesh at the Athleta of the upper east side.

I’ve never done a bootcamp class of any kind before, so when Laura asked if I was up for this, I was a little hesitant. Aside from my recent enthusiasm for spin, group classes have never been my forte. But the class was FREE and it involved cardio, so I figured why not? A plus, was picking up a new running friend on the UWS (wootwoot).

Well the class was indeed free (and the people hosting it were all super nice and peppy at the lovely hour of 7 a.m., and provided free bottles of Hint and luna bars on top of the freeee class) and it certainly involved a bit of cardio…but it also involved a LOT of lunges, planks and push-ups. Within the first 10 minutes I was dripping in sweat and cursing myself for not doing more weight exercises over the last few months. My muscles were feeling the burn. Fortunately (or not, if you’re the kind of person that likes it when your quads and shoulders scream at you so early in the morning), the hardcore stuff only really lasted through the warm-up–not that that makes any sense. I think our super peppy and friendly instructor got a little intimidated when his tai-chi kicks weren’t having the desired effects on the class, and he slowed things down and slowed them down fast. Overall though, I’d give the class a thumbs up, and would definitely go back for more…after I spend some quality time in the weight room. Big thanks to Athleta/Zeel for fitness for the people

And after this whirlwind day of work I’ll return to the UES (forget twice in one week, twice in one day?!) to pick up my race packet for tomorrow’s 10k. *This may very well result in us perusing the restaurant options in the neighborhood, as we continue to try to figure out where we head next (thought more and more people have been cheering for the UWS these days). I’m debating wearing my marathonwiner tshirt for the road runner race (courtesy of the JD) that I sported on real Race Day (duh), but not sure how fast I’ll be, and therefore not sure if I’m brave enough to draw attention to myself during the run. We’ll see what happens…

Afterwards I’ll head straight to a Gotham Writer’s Workshop for the rest of the day. I purchased a Groupon for half off a class back in July and I’m finally cashing in on it! Better late than never, eh? And Saturday night is set aside for a special dinner date for me and the JD. I can’t wait

Sunday morning will (foot-permitting) bring another 6-mile run with the lovely Laura and some other ladies she’s rallied to hit up Central Park for a jog, followed by a Cassoulet Cook-off at Jimmy’s 43 in the east village. What better way to top off a nice run in the park than by stuffing our faces full of….(hold while I look up what cassoulet is)….bean stew and casserole?!  That’s right, I jumped on board for this event without having any idea of what the food I’d be consuming was because I figure you can’t go wrong with combining running and a cook-off of any kind.

So that’s the weekend line-up. It’s busy, busy, but filled with lots of fun events. Just a few more hours of work til it all kicks off!

Have a very happy Friday, and an even better weekend

Empire State of Mind

A few weeks ago when I was fueled with ego and courage and excitement (most of which was maaaaybe provided by a few drinks) after my big Ashlee Simpson-inspired return to karaoke, I also signed the JD and myself up to do JayZ and Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind.” Unfortunately, even though I very patiently waited [read: whined like a little girl "when is it myyyy turn"] and waited and waited, the mean karaoke DJ announced he was shutting down for the night JUST as it got to our line on the very long list. Not cool mista dj, not cool.

I wanted nothing more than to belt that song out into a mic in front of a room full of strangers and a few close friends. In hindsight, it’s probably better for all involved that that didn’t happen. It would have been painful for them, and highly embarassing for me. So I’ll stick to waiting until the apartment is empty and belting it out at the top of my lungs for only myself and my kitty to have to bear.

The song has been my theme song for a while now.

While the JD and I mulled over where he should take the bar exam (i.e. where we should live for five years post law school), everytime JayZ and Alicia came on the radio I’d get a little thrill and say “that’s it! that’s it! New York is where we belong!”

And it turns out, it was it.

And New York is where we belong…at least for now (I still miss my fam too much to ever commit to this amazing city 100%. So I’ll stay at 98.9%)

This city helped me run my first marathon. I don’t think I would have been able to train the way I did had I lived anywhere else for those 16 weeks.

And Empire State of Mind brought me to this city.

And the Empire State Building helped me fall in love with it.

(I used to get tingles every time I got off a bus or came out from the LIRR at Penn Station and looked up and saw that glorious piece of architecture. And grr. After I got drinks with Katherine last night I took some awesome photos of it covered in fog, but of course I forgot to grab them off the camera this morning).

So to bring my whole love of NYC/theEmpireStateBuilding/EmpireStateofMind/running full circle…it makes perfect sense that I signed up for the lottery for this “race” this morning:

this may actually invoke more fear in me than the idea of running 26.2 miles. wait--yes, yes it definitely does.

Getting a winning lottery ticket into this race may be just the kick in the toosh I need to focus on non-training fitness for the next few weeks/months. Yes, this is still a race. And yes, I’d need to train for it. But that training would entail taking the stairs up to my office on the 11th floor every single day, and spending my mornings racing up and down the stairwells in my apartment building (instead of lapping Central Park), and using that scary stairclimbing machine at the gym (instead of the boring old elliptical). It could totally shake up my workouts, while providing a new goal to work toward. This excites me.

However, the act of actually racing up 1,576 steps does not excite me so much….details, I guess. Details.

Anywho. That’s that. Outta sight outta mind until…Monday. NYRR has a VERY short turnaround time on selecting the random winners for this guy. Luckily Monday, I’ll be in the Dominican Republic. Likely laying on the beach with a margarita in my hand when NYRR alerts me whether or not I get to tackle this mammoth of a race. Regardless of what that message is (yes, you DO get to attempt and likely fail this feat or no, you were not chosen, go back to your idle non-training fitness slump) I will likely chug whatevers left of my margarita when I find out.

Crap, I just said outta sight outta mind. Oops.

Let’s focus on the fact that I’m going to the DR next week!

Don’t worry, I’ve spent zero time fishing out my summertime clothes from under my bed or packing in any way shape or form and lots of time trying to figure out how I will continue to keep YOU entertained in my absence (because you will still be sitting at a desk and I will be sitting in a beach chair. That was mean, I’m sorry) and how I will be able to get all my runs in. I wish Central Park had a sister park in Punta Cana.

In the meantime, I’ve been working to keep my workouts strong leading up to my departure. I ran 6 very happy, albeit wet, miles yesterday morning (all of which were basically killed by the wine consumed at HH with Katherine followed by a JMU Alumni meetup in midtown last night–any other dukes out there?), about 4.5 this morning, and I’m really hoping to hit another 8-10 tomorrow or Friday morning. Or both? No, calm down Katie.

Have a very happy Wednesday kids!

And keep your fingers crossed for me on this whole 86-flight race…:)

– Would you participate in a staircase race like this? Did you sign up for the lottery?

– If I can’t find a good place to run a good distance while in the Dominican next week, any recommends on how to keep my cardio up? Thanks in advance

You Know You’re a Runner When…

Since yesterday’s workday turned into a bit of a whirlwind, and I was unable to give you the details of my stellar morning run until later in the afternoon yesterday (all of which I’m sure you were so anxiously awaiting)…

And in the hours since that recap all I’ve really done is sat on a bus to New Jersey, went to sleep, at on a train to New York and come straight back to the office…there’s very little marathonwiner running news to share with you today.

With any luck, I may make a quick appearance at the gym tonight. But now that I have two boxes of Christmas decorations and tree trimmings under my desk:

my coworkers think i'm so cool. i bet you do now too.

…and a free evening ahead of me, chances are…the gym won’t make the cut. Que sera, sera. At least I’m hoping to knock out a 10-miler with some lovely ladies tomorrow morning!

In the meantime…

I will entertain you (not that anyone really reads this…especially, on Fridays) with thoughts that often pop into my head while traversing Central Park loop.

That I’ve been meaning to collect over the course of many runs, and put into one big post, and dub it:

You Know You’re a Runner when…

1. You see the name “Tebow” all over the newspaper and ESPN and think “OMG whyyy do they keep spelling Fred’s name wrong?” No seriously. I’ve been told who this Tebow guy is but I still get a little flutter of “omg NY running news on TV again?! Why’d they spell it wrong AGAIN? Oh wait, I’m dumb. It’s just stupid football” every.single.time.

2. Every time you go away for a week, weekend, whatever, you’re left with a suitcase full of workout gear and no room for “street clothes.” (this will be me in one week) This drives #3 home even more so.

3. You’d rather go to an event (dinner with the boyfriend, holiday shopping, etc) stinky, sweaty and embarrassing to all other parties involved than skip a run. Better than canceling completely, right?

4. You’d rather go to an event work stinky, sweaty and embarrassing to all other parties involved of your coworkers than skip a run. Or call in sick altogether…Oh, please. Like people haven’t called in sick for worse reasons. Don’t guilt me!

5. Your entire Christmas List consists of running gear or money to go toward race entry fees (this goes for almost any other shopping you’re involved in a yearly basis). Race fees are the better option (hint, hint, Christmas shoppers), because there’s no more room in the average runners closet for any more shoes. Or if you’re a New York runner, there’s really no more room anywhere for anything. Gifts bigger than a $20 bill (or 50, or 100…) are difficult to find a home for. See #6.

6. You have no room in your closet for your winter boots and/or new work shoes because you have 4-pairs too many of running sneaks. But you cannot let yourself part with any of them because they all serve a very important purpose. What hurts your toes more, blisters from heels or blisters from a long run?

7. You’ve woken up at 4 a.m. to get a run in rather than forgo it completely. Because why sleep when you can run?

8. When you see bad weather outside your first thought is not “back to sleep” or “there goes my workout for today.” It’s “guess I’m wearing the visor to keep that rain out of my eyes” or “better whip out the Under Armor so I don’t freeze to death in that snow.” It’s normal, really.

9. You have more Clif Bars and GU in your cabinet than “nonfuel” [read:real] food. This makes your friends and family very happy a bit grossed out when they visit and need a bite to eat.

10. While most people spend their web time staring at their outlook calendars, googlemaps, and nbcny.com, you’re filling out your calendar on runningahead, clicking away on mapmyrun and perusing nyrr.org. Obsessed? No, not at all. You’re perfectly normal…

I actually had many more relevant thoughts (i.e. #1 above), but of course forgot them before I even got into work yesterday. So perhaps this will be reoccuring as my muddled brain remembers things.

Next up on the “I have no running news to post” chain? My Central Park (and other sweatastic environments) Pet Peeves. That list is very long, and seeing as its peeves, not very nice. So perhaps we’ll hold til after the holidays.

Have a very happy Friday, kids! Can’t wait to hear how everyone’s weekends are! And more importantly, can’t wait to post pictures after the grand illumination of the Charlie Brown christmas tree being erected in our living room tonight!

Go time!

Happy Thursday kids! And a happy one it is…in just a few hours (well, a few more than a few), I’ll be en route to Richmond for Marathon Weekend!

Holy crap, how is race weekend here already? It seems like I just ran my first half marathon Philly. And I just started stalking the lottery for the ING NYC Marathon. It was only yesterday that I religiously watched as they unveiled the lottery winners on the NYRR live stream, right? Of course, only to learn that I had NOT been chosen. But the marathon bug had bit. And it was only moments later that I signed up for the Suntrust Richmond Marathon…that seemed so very far away.

But it is upon us! Yesterday at work I 100% could NOT focus on anything other than marathon thoughts. If I wasn’t in meetings and needing to contribute words, I was hovering on the race web site willing some sort of update that would make my nerves disappear. Not sure what that update possibly could have been–oh, buses ARE allowed for the last 10k in this race? sign me up! oh, a marathon was recently redefined as a mere 21.5 miles? piece of cake! But alas, no changes. And that’s okay. If it wasn’t so very nerve wracking, sleep stealing, stomach churning and flat-out terrifying, everyone would run marathons…right?

I bet you’re well beyond sick of hearing me whine about how “race day is here” and “I’m so nervous.” I wish I could say I had something else to talk about, but like I said, I’ve got a one-track mind right now. Sorry kids, but just bear with me for a few more days.

Last night after leftovers of pumpkin mac n’ cheese (umm Christine, not sure if you saw my comment to you, but this dinner was a freakin HIT–amazing!), I deliberated for far too long on packing my marathon bag. And I’m still not sure I have everything, but I do have two pairs of sneaks, two pairs of shorts, compression socks, regular socks, two long sleeve tech tees and my marathonwiner shirt, courtesy of the JD. I’ve also got GU, sportsbeans, Gatorade chews and other fuel galore…which as I learned in my 21.5 miler, is really just a big waste of valuable luggage real estate. Oh, well. Better safe than sorry.

And the two most important pieces of all–my very nerdy white visor and my participant information packet, which will get me into the expo on Friday for packet pick up! Wootwoot!

The expo may be one of my favorite parts of any major race. My friend is driving in from Maryland to run the half (yay!) so we are meeting at the expo, then posting up for a night of relaxation and carbs with the fam. I’ll keep all of my attention focused on that fun stuff for the next few hours of work, and hopefully stop reading marathon recaps and other race related web pages until my eyes bug out…Oh and p.s. I SLEPT IN TODAY AND DIDNT RUN. Total rest day. Who whoulda thunk it?

Have a great day guys!

Hey runner friends–quick question…I’m signed up to do a bus tour of the marathon course Friday afternoon. Do you think it’s a good idea? Or would I be just as good being surprised come race day? My friend can’t make the tour so I’m not sure if I want to bother…

Any last-minute tips? Feel free to share

Clicking of the Heels

I want to jump right to the heel clicking, but I’ll bring you completely up to date first.

So, as I mentioned was likely going to happen on Friday, it was a gorgeous day and I absolutely, 100% could not stop myself from going for a run. In fact, it was the first time in a while that I just got excited at the very thought of lacing up the sneaks and going wherever I felt like going. It was that kind of day. And that’s what I did…laced up the sneaks and just let the sun direct me.

It ended up directing me through my normal loop around the upper bridle path, then reservoir. And I thought that was going to be it. But then I somehow ended up down around Columbus Circle. Which brought my little “do whatever feels like in the pretty sunshine run” to an end at about 7.something miles. Oops.

Afterwards, I was still on a high from the happy fall weather and headed down to the Highline for some moseying (I hadn’t been since they reopened the second half and wanted to check it out). Just as the mobs of tourists and NYers whose lives I want (because they had nothing better to do on a Friday afternoon than putz around some elevated old railroad tracks) escalated to the point of breaking my patience, the JD called. He and some other very important lawyer friends were having a post-workweek drink down near Wall St., so I hopped on a downtown train to join…aka, meet the dudes who the JD spends 90% of his waking hours with. From there, it was a low-key Friday evening with some order in Thai (it turns out, tofu pad thai is not a bad pre-run meal), a documentary on the tube and an early bedtime.

Saturday morning I was up early–but not nearly as bright and early as is required by most NYRR races, as the gun time on Grete’s Great Gallop was not until 9:00! It was nice getting to sleep in a wee bit (if you consider 7 a.m. on a Saturday sleeping in…), but weird getting started on a long run at such a “late” hour.

Unfortunately, I woke up just not feelin’ it. Not feeling the thrill that often accompanies a good race or a long run. I’m not sure why, as I had really been looking to this race for lots of reasons…

- I have conquered a distance of 13.1 multiple times over the last few weeks, and I think it’s actually become one of my favorite distances.

- I was still riding a confidence-boosting high from the previous weekend’s 18-miler.

- It was my first officially timed run since my first-ever half marathon, last November.

But as I made my way down Broadway and across Central Park Saturday morning, all I kept thinking to myself was, “well, you don’t really need to race this. Just finish it, and call your long run for this weekend done.” The same negative/sluggish/IwishIwasstillinbed thoughts were roaming through my mind even as I lined up in my corral (okay, it wasn’t mine, I snuck ahead a few because I just get so antsy!) and faked a few last-minute stretches.

The gun went off (after a lot of inspirational words about the legendary Grete, who the run was in honor of) and I had pepped up a bit, and just said “sera sera”…no real plans to race the two loops or walk ‘em, just get them done and see what happens.

The first loop went down as a loop of the park normally does for me–a bit slow at first, with a small pick up at the end. Unfortunately, with the way this race was laid out, Harlem Hills hit toward the end of the loop. By the time I got down them and reached mile marker 6, I was ready to pop a GU–my first vanilla GU since my first half marathon, at that. I took it down while walking through a water station and couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed the taste of the weird ooey gooeyness. No wonder I stalked up on two boxes of them in the months leading up to marathon training. Now if only I had actually used them before now!

After walking the water station and drinking down the runners version of a can of spinach, I hit a little lull and thought, “oh shit, maybe I do need to walk the entire second loop.” Coming down around the lower east side of the park was obnoxiously and painfully slow, but as I rounded past Columbus Circle and started back up the west side, the spinach kicked in, and Popeye Katie was ready to pump out some miles. I felt like I was flying from mile 7 all the way through mile 10! Again, NO WONDER I had invested so much confidence in vanilla GU. It’s got the touch! Again, unfortunately mile 10 hit right at the end of the Harlem Hills, and the gu’s magic was starting to wear off. I didn’t have any others on hand (you know me and the poor fueling techniques) so I fell to mind games to get me through the last 5k.

I had a great time people watching and having fake conversations with said people in my head. For example, to the woman running in khaki capris, complete with leather belt and tucked in collared shirt: are you late for an appointment or is this your favorite form of exercise apparel?

To the man (in race bib), donning jean shorts (jorts, if you will…): oh wait, I have no words.

To the gal decked out in a banana costume handing out bananas: you are both adorable and amazing. if i had any real fueling strategy i may have grabbed one of your lucious handouts.

To the non-Grete Galloper out for a morning run in the opposite direction and calling the thousands of half-marathoners (squished to one side so runners like himself can still hit the pavement) “assholes” for not squishing to the side enough for his liking: really buddy? REALLY? if you are like 90% of other runners and use the sport to de-stress and make all right in your world, i’d HATE to see you without a pair of Brooks on your feet in the confines of anything other than the Outer Loop.

To the 5445234 other runners going counter-clockwise and offering high-fives and smiles and “you’re looking strong”‘s: I LOVE YOU. you make me proud to be a runner. warm and bubbly and fuzzy happy proud. thank you for your cheerfulness.

And so I found myself at mile 12.

And did some quick math and realized that if I put some pep in my step I might actually beat my previous half time. I took a deep breath. Cringed for a hot sec, and then went balls to the walls and actually tried to power through/sprint the last 1.1 miles of the race. As I neared the finish line and saw that no matter what, I was hitting the finish line in under 2 hours (my one and only record time racing this distance), I actually did the arms-up-in-the-air, glowing smile, mini-leap over the finish line that I always see other people do in their finish line photos (and that I’m usually very jealous of because my own depict me with a grotesque frown on my face looking like I’m returning home from a grueling game of football with NFL stars who don’t go easy on weak, non-football playing girls…during a famine, in the Sahara. yes, usually my photos are HOTT). I’m not sure I really clicked my heels (you know, I tend to black out on big runs), but if I didn’t I’m sure I would have wanted to. This was the first time I ever set out with a goal (granted, the goal was set days prior and I sort of ditched it minutes before the race) and achieved it. And I was elated.

oh, now i know what all the hype is surrounding "PRs". shaved 5 minutes and 30 seconds off my half time!!!

[Note: AND it was my final race in the 9+1 for the 2012 Marathon. Mission=complete!]

That smile stayed planted on my face (I did put my hands down though) all through my very long 9.5 hour shift that followed and into yesterday morning…where I finally did that rest day I had been meaning to do. And by rest, I mean very easy cross-training. Because the JD and I rented some bikes and had an awesome 15-mile ride all the way up the Hudson River and back down, through Central Park to the UES for lunch, and back to the bikes rental owners just below Columbus Circle. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day, and the perfect end to a very exciting weekend.

hello hudson. sometimes i like you even more when i'm on wheels.

whatup GW bridge?

And today? Oh, today I’m REALLLY getting some much-deserved rest. In the form of my FIRST EVER MASSAGE. It’s of course a coupon I purchased on some social media site or other (ha, so were the bike rentals), but its an hour of time dedicated solely to these lovely limbs that have been carrying me through marathon training. I’ve actually heard massages can be scary–sometimes even painful–but I know my body will thank me later!

Happy Monday kids!

- How was your weekend?

- Have you ever had a massage? Thoughts?

- Tell me your first PR story!

It Smells Like Thanksgiving

….in my apartment at least. I got my Izzie on last night and baked a big whopping batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies, courtesy of a recipe Kelly posted a few days ago. I guess since it’s almost October (what?! how did that happen) it’s okay that I’m finally inviting the fall into my home. And the aroma of fresh-baked pumpkin last night got me super pumped for Turkey Day in Richmond [read: the greatest/most anticipated time of the entire year].

I should go ahead and throw a giant thank-you to Kelly for the recipe, as the cookies are absolutely delish. But they are so delish that I can’t stop eating them. And I imagine training will only get harder as I lug around 434 extra pounds of pumpkin/chocolatey weight. My tum thanks you, Kelly, but my legs may feel differently.

The cookies proved to be decent fuel for an early morning run though! I met an old RB down near the river around 8 today (you may remember that my main RB moved to Brooklyn, and its been tough scheduling miles together since). This RB just returned from a summer of volunteer work in Africa. Where she taught adorable little kids and even climbed Kilimanjaro. And she was so busy out saving the world and climbing mountains that she had little time to keep up with her training for the ING NYC Marathon. Yet since she’s been back she’s already surpassed me in long-run mileage. Needless to say, she’s a badass in many, many ways. And she’s an angel for putting up with my slugness when we run together

We spent the morning sort of just looping up and down Riverside Dr. along the Hudson and playing catch-up…aka, I grilled her about Africa for the first half of the run then spent the second half picking her brain on thoughts surrounding grad school and different grad school programs. For those of you who don’t know (which is probably all of you), I’ve been toying with the idea of grad school for a looooong time now. But I’m more indecisive than a hungry fly at a picnic and cannot for the life of me decide what I want to go back for (granted, I have three general “areas” but they are all so different and far out of the others realms that in shouldnt even count to say I’ve narrowed it down that far), much less…where. And it seems there are just far too many options for a fickle-minded girl such as myself. (This is the point where all of you grad-school goers or grads shower me with wisdom and advice)

Anywho, as always, part of our convo also circled around running and where we are in our training. This RB is on marathon like 89 (ok, it may be closer to 10, but goodness, that’s still an insane amount of running), so I’m thrilled that she’s back and can answer all of my annoying omgimsoscaredofmyfirstmarathon questions. She seemed to agree with my decision to keep the run short today and possibly even take a full rest day tomorrow to ensure the success I want at Grete’s. So I wrapped things up after a little over 5 today, and hopefully will heed both her advice and my own hunch regarding tomorrows routine. (Thanks for all the tips, my 26.2 guru!)

Hopefully I can find other ways to be productive between now and my afternoon shift at NYRR. If you’re running this weekend, come get your bib and say hello!

Happy Thursday. And apparently Happy Coffee Day? The Twitterworld is telling me it’s National Coffee Day. Now that’s a holiday I can celebrate!  :)

-You saw this one coming….if you have ANY experience in grad school…pass on what you know! How do you decide what program is best for you? How do you begin the process? HELP!

- What’s your all-time favorite time of year/holiday? Thanksgiving blows the rest of the year out of the water for me.

Hello world!

Everything about this blog to date is misleading (and its only about 5 minutes old). As I’m sure you oh-so-savvy and seasoned blog readers noticed, I was trying to be creative with the title.

Let me back up a minute. I graduated from JMU in the Spring of 2007 with a degree in Media Arts and Design (concentration: print journalism, minor: writing and rhetoric). Beginning in some of my earliest SMAD classes (abbrevo for school of media arts and design that I will use often) professors were urging us to start blogs–they were the “wave of the future,” “the future of the industry,” “The Reason magazines and newspapers were on their way out the door.”  I never had any desire to, and for a number of reasons:

1. While I missed the leo-line by a mere two or three days as far as birthdays go, I am lightyears away as far as personalities go. It’s hardly ever “all about me” in my own little world, so why would the world wide web have any interest in what I have to say?

2. I don’t have that much to say. At least, not that much that I think is deep and profound enough to shoot off into cyber space. 

3. I don’t even read blogs, so don’t know the first thing in the world about starting one, keeping one going, finding and maintaining a readership, etc. etc. etc.

All of those reasons still ring true as I begin this blog–with the exception of numero tres. Since moving to New York City, joining New York Road Runners and signing up for my first-ever marathon (much more on all of that to come), I have become quite literally obsessed with all-things running…specifically, blogs devoted to running.

So I promised myself that to enhance my career (if you can call it that) and recommit to the fall marathon I’m running (you know what they say, the more people you tell the more likely you are to reach your goals), I would sync up the launch of my first-ever blog with the first training day of my first-ever marathon.

Well, that first training day wassss….last Monday. But better late than never, right?! I did at least begin my training according to my coach’s plan the Hal Higdon marathon guidebook and the delay in the blog was due to lack of creativity in coming up with a name. Which brings me back to where this all started.

I need to to be clear to all those who dare to read any further, that if “Winer” is supposed to be a clever spin on words, its a spin of “whiner” and never “winner.” I by no means consider myself a winner when it comes to running–I still have trouble convincing myself I’m a “runner” at all (I did after all opt to follow Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 program. What, Katie?! Couldnt even buck up for Novice 2?!). And while I do love, love, love my red wine, I am also by no means, a wine connoisseur. I don’t really plan to ever become a wine connoisseur either. But I do plan to become a better runner as I train over the next 16 14.5 weeks, and a better blogger as I track that training. And you better believe that after I hit my first PDR (personal distance record…which will be anything beyond 13.1 miles) my reward will be a glass of wine. Well, I’ll indulge in such a reward for many distances before 13.2 as well, but thats besides the point. The point is, I do love to run. And I do love wine. And after two weeks of trying to sum all that up in a blog name and finally get this party started…and failing…I shared those sentiments with my geniusly creative cousin, and such was born: Marathon Winer.

And for those of you completely uninterested in everything I just said and planning to never return to this site again, I will leave you with this: When I’m not running or enjoying a glass of wine somewhere [preferably outdoors], I am for certain traipsing all over this awesome city–hitting every tourist spot in sight (I’m not afraid to say so) and discovering every little street festival, sidewalk art, musical act, workout freebie, restaurant gem and turning over every other rock this dear old dirty town has to offer. So if you’re not on the island–live quasi-vicariously through me. And if you are–return to this site for tips on whats cheap fun and/or free ( I swear I can give couponmom.com a run for its money) or at the very least, to critique my opinions on what is cheap fun and/or free.