This race was a while ago, but I wanted to post some funny pictures of me running it anyway (courtesy of brightroom). Cheers and congratulations to all those who came out that day to run. A HUGE thanks to those who came to support, including my amazing, fantastic, darling, wonderful, lawyer-to-be, non-runner husband Ryan; my younger brother who was visiting from out of town and gave up a morning of real sightseeing to see the spectacularly funny sight of me running a half marathon; my friend and Councilman Steven Fulop (ward E, Jersey City); and my friend and fellow runner Donovan Bezer (who was there in spirit while running crazy hills at Bear Mountain).
Enjoy!! :) http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=47217&BIB=3745&S=230&PWD=
So, I’m still running the ING NYC Marathon on November 1st (which is in exaclty 66 days, 10 hrs, 58 mins and counting) and I still have to raise $1,770 for NYRR Team for Kids. That means I need to get 70.8 people to give me $25.oo or 17.7 people to give me $100 or 1,770 people to give me $1 or… well, you get the point.
With that in mind, I’m appealing to you for help. If you like to support kids sports programs, prevent childhood obesity, play a pivotal role in building kids’ character from the innercity of NYC, and generally help kids build a healty future, then you’re in luck!
When you donate to or raise funds for NYRR Foundation programs, kids benefit. The funds you raise pay for: training for teachers, coaches, field managers, and coordinators, most of whom are volunteers and run the programs; entry fees and transportation costs so the kids who participate in our programs can compete in races and attend running-related sporting events and so much more.
Please consider making a contribution of $25.oo (or any amount you can give) to help my fundraising campaign. To donate, click on the following link. Make sure to use my participant number 332814.
https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2009/donations.htm
So, until November 1st (and long after for those of you smart enough to not run the NYC marathon) I wish you MILES OF SMILES!
I am running this year’s New York City Marathon with a great organization called Team for Kids, which raises money for the New York Road Runners Foundation to foster healthy, fit, and motivated kids by bringing free and low-cost running programs to schools and community centers. The NYRR-F programs currently serve more than 50,000 children a week in almost 250 schools and community centers. Having proven successful in New York City, programs are now being established across the United Sates and Africa.
I have committed to raising $2,500 for these programs that can sometimes be the difference between success and failure for the children we serve.
Please click on this link to make a donation. My participant number is 332814.
It has been a loooooong time since my last post. Reason being (in part) TRAVEL. As a result of my travel for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and the Avon Foundation for Women I have been to Houston, TX; Charlotte, NC; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; and Chicago, IL. All this in the last 6 weeks. What I learned while traveling (and trying to run and eat healthy) that maintaining your fitness level (and schedule) is VERY HARD.
There have been tons of articles written on the subject; like this one from CNN or this one fromMyfooddiary.com or even this one from Lifehacker. I used to ignore them thinking “Anyone who really wants to run or go to the gym in the hotel, will. How hard can it be?” Now that it is my life, it IS hard. You get in late, you leave early, you are working 24hrs, and you never know where your next meal is coming from. Room service doesn’t always have healthy options, and the hotel gym doesn’t always have a wide selection of equipment or decent space or decent open hours. You are dependent on other people’s schedules and availability, and sometimes, you don’t pack enough (like only 1 shoe or no sports bras.)
I have now been training for the NYC marathon for a grand total of 3 days. My next trip is to the Rocky Mountains, two hours north of Denver, to raise even more money for Breast Cancer and there I will be dealing with high altitudes (high attitudes) and the continual struggle of blending regular life with work outs.
Kudos to you traveling salesman who stay fit and don’t have high cholesterol. I hope to one join your ranks.
Til then, Miles of Smiles!!
So, in writing my lovely blog (with my many thousands of readers), I have been struggling to come up with a good way to end each post. Some come more naturally to a close than others, and I want to have a succinct and appropriate way to wrap each one up. A good example of what I mean (for those of you who read Runner’s World) is John Bingham’s column, the Penguin Chronicles. He ends each one with the phrase “Waddle On.”
It’s cute, catchy, and the perfect ending to his writing, tying everything together and creating a nice little package. I think mine will be “miles of smiles”. If you have a better suggestion, send it along!!
Til Next Time, Miles of Smiles!!
Today marks the 113th annual Boston Marathon. It is an exciting day for runners around the world, both those participating and those watching, wishing and waiting for their turn (like me!). First, I wish love, luck and great running to those who are part of the 25,000 runner field. Second, I am proud to say that running stimulates the economy!!
The Boston Globe reported this morning that this year’s marathon is expected to bring in over $73MM (that’s $73,000,000) to the city with most of those traveling spending an average of $1,500 for a three night stay. Those interviewed for the article even used the term “recession-proof” when talking about this race and all the money that is being spent in association with it.
Speaking from experience, I can certainly understand why there is so much spending on commemorative paraphernalia for the marathon. I personally spent over $100 on extraneous “this-is-my-first-marathon-and-i-want-to-make-it-special” purchases in Nashville at the ‘07 country music marathon. The intense emotion and superhuman commitment necessary for completing a race like this propels you beyond your budget.
Also, this is yet another reason that running is awesome. You can get healthy, achieve personal goals, and stimulate the economy! Today, I am proud to be a runner.
Miles of Smiles. :)
We are each responsible for the decisions we make and the resulting impact those decisions will have on the world around us. Not returning an e-mail to a colleague, drinking an extra beer at dinner with friends, or skipping a few runs here and there can have a major effect on our lives.
When it is just you making a decision, like whether or not to eat that “love-it” sized cakebatter with coconut, white chocolate chips, and raspberries from cold stone or to skip that run because of wind or rain, it can be so easy to think that because no one is watching you it doesn’t really matter or count. Oh, but it does, as your waistline and finish times will tell you. :)
When I trained for my first marathon, I got a Runner’s World Training Journal (from Barnes & Noble) and it made a huge difference in whether or not I got up to run. That training journal helped me to be accountable to myself (and eventually to the people who will read about my running in the Kara Ann Silverman Presidential Library) and motivated me to really try.
That marathon was in April 2007, and it is now April 2009. I just got another training journal and am starting the process all over again. I managed to get up this morning at 5:30am and run (even though it was 35 degrees in the middle of April) because I knew I had to write it down for the historical record in my training journal and I didn’t want to disappoint myself.
Miles of Smiles, friends :)
We are nearly two months out from the most exciting event of the year, the innaugural NATIONAL RUNNING DAY! Taking place on Wednesday, June 3rd, this will be a day for all of us who get up at crazy hours, sometimes ditch lunch, or drink one less beer — all to make sure we get that run in, to celebrate who we are and what we love.
I just heard about this amazing new event this week and I cannot wait to see what they roll out. I know that I will personally be dragging my fantastic, amazing, georgeous, funny, brilliant, adorable, smart, witty non-exercizeing-non-running husband out for a loop in Liberty State Park for a loop or two.
I am also challenging all the readers of my blog (which now includes my Mom, my husband, AND my Aunt :)) to get out there and go for a run, no matter the distance, on Wednesday June 3rd. Take pictures and post them to my site! I will definitely want to capture these moments.
61 days and counting….
Damn. Emergencies can really set you back. For example, since Friday afternoon I have been completely consumed by one of my dogs’ broken leg, need for emergency surgery and then paying for it all. I missed half a day of work (so far) rearranged an entire weekend and am now broke. Or at least I will be after I get my taxes and pay my mom back the money she fronted so we could afford this surgery. Now that I have zero disposable income, I will be spending a lot more time doing that cost little to no money.
More running, and afternoon bike rides. Lots of tennis on the free courts at Hamilton Park, leisurely dog walks (first only with Cinnamon my non injured puppy and then with Bella as well who is healing as I write), and again more running. In a weird way, this back to basics lifestyle might turn out to be very good for me.
All week long (pre emergency surgery) I had been craving this brunch place, Brownstone Diner, that is up the street from me and has over 30 different types of pancakes and is incredible! I’d been scheming up ways to convince my husband that we just HAD to go. However, come Friday, Brownstone or dinner out is now completely out of the question. This is bad because I love restaurants and food and trying new things. This is good because I do not need the calories and subsequent full feeling from the pancakes at Brownstone or the burgers from Five Guys the chips/salsa at Mary Ann’s - okay, I think you get the point.
Cooking at home, will help me be healthier. Doing outdoor activities that are low cost (but high fun) with my family and friends will be refreshing and help bring us closer. Focusing on my running and cutting out unnecessary and time consuming activities like shopping or surfing the net for great deals on ebay will help me be more successful professionally.
The bottom line here is that while emergencies can be all consuming and huge set backs there is also a silver lining. OH, and if you have pets, GET PET INSURANCE RIGHT NOW
