Never Say Never

Hi friends! It’s been awhile (again). Let’s catch up.

Since the Join the Voices 5M that I ran in early December, my running hasn't exactly been happening. Afterwards, I couldn't run for more than a minute without my IT band hurting, so I laid off. It was frustrating at times, but I came to love strength training instead. I can proudly say that I increased my push-up max from 12 to 25 (maybe 30 if you had a prize for me), and I can do about 6 pull-ups (on that pull-up assistance machine, not by myself. Let’s be real). I can feel myself getting stronger, and I’ve noticed small, but good changes in my body as a result.

I also focused my attention on friends and family, and in attempt not to bore you, I will recap you on the past two months as quickly as I can. A story in photos, if you will.

Failed attempt at cooking flan. It was one of my 2012 resolutions.
Hence, the reason why I didn't make any in 2013.

Meggie was competing in the 3rd Annual Mustache & Beard Competition in Brooklyn.
She competed in the women's division with a marshmallow beard. Need I say more?

Christmas Eve with my sis! I will probably be just as excited about
Christmas when I'm 65 as I was at 5.

New Year's Eve! Champagne and tequila in Brooklyn,
par for the course.

Jillian put together an awesome BYOB Painting class!
Pinot Grigio + Craftiness = Great afternoon

One of my favorite restaurants in Greenpoint hosts a Chili Cook-off every year. Keith
and I were finally around this year to go, and it was awesome. Plus, I won a
$25 gift certificate to the restaurant in a raffle! I was a happy gal.

To put it simply, it’s been a good winter so far. I haven’t had a specific fitness goal in mind, but I've been really enjoying that.

But now that spring is a couple months away, I've recently been deciding between a few different races. This is the short version of what my thought process has been:

Spring Marathon: Um, no.

Spring Half-Marathon: Perhaps. But I have a busy spring, with a wedding and my boyfriend’s scholarly law school graduation in the mix. And I’m not sure I really want to start hardcore running just yet.

Triathlon: Why not?

I have definitely said to friends (and on this blog) before that I would never do a triathlon. I am not a strong swimmer, and it sort of scares me. I like to swim doggy paddle, I like to bike, and I love to run, but I’m not sure all three would go together that well. But here I am, taking it all back.

Meggie signed up to do the NYC Triathlon in July with Team in Training, an organization that supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). She asked if I wanted to join her, and my initial thought was YES. Don’t ask me why. But it sounded so much more appealing to me to try something super scary like a triathlon, raising money for a good cause with a group of great people, than to train for a half-marathon by myself and for myself.

I know that running is a selfish sport, at least for me. I think the positive-selfish part of it (getting fit, relieving stress, reaching a goal) outweighs the negative (putting your training needs ahead of others’ schedules, talking about it endlessly to anyone with two ears). But it is a solitary sport, and the only person who really benefits from my crossing that finish line at a random race is me. I wanted to change that.

Me! Me! Look at me!

There were definitely a few things that made me hesitant about signing up, though. For one, I have virtually no swimming or biking gear. Or a good race bike for that matter. I have two bikes at home that I could use to train with, but one is heavy and has few gears, and the other is my mountain bike from years ago that I may have grown out of with my 5’7” build. I also had to think about bringing said bike up my 4^th floor walk-up. I’ve done it before, and it’s no fun. And beyond that, do I need to buy a new bike? I know those things ain’t cheap.

My other big concern was the fundraising. To be a part of Team in Training, you have to raise a minimum to pay for parts of your training and coaching, as well as to give back to LLS. This is New York people, and spreading your paycheck between rent, taxis, and cocktails is about as far as most people can afford to do.

So while those two things are genuine concerns, I didn’t want to turn down what could possibly be a life-changing experience because of them. I wanted to do something that scared me, and would force me to go out of my comfort zone both physically and personally.

Here’s to a scary, fun-filled six months.

New Year's Resolutions - Hello 2012!

While I was sitting at dinner with Keith on New Year’s Eve, munching on yummy nachos and burgers (hey, we were in for a long night of carousing), we discussed our adventurous New Year’s Resolutions.

I remember being excited about my resolutions for 2011; I set out to read more challenging books, be healthier, do more crafts, and run a half-marathon. While my library didn’t exactly include the likes of Jane Austen (though, the Hunger Games trilogy was awesome), I did manage to run the Brooklyn Half-Marathon and the Cape Cod Marathon. Running the marathon was by far my most proud accomplishment last year, and I wouldn’t have traded the experience for more historical novels in my repertoire. So in an attempt to do something really cool this year, here’s the list for 2012:

1. Eat Healthier
Living in Brooklyn and working in Soho lends itself to craft beer and turkey burgers. I always set out to eat healthier each year, but I’m finally going to make a more conscious effort to eat more veggies write down my food intake. I may even start making those Shape Magazine recipes I keep reading about that somehow combine tomatoes, acai berries, and tofu into a delicious meal. Yum.

2. Make More Phone Calls
Most of us have become pretty content with handling all distance-interaction via text and email (hint hint Keith). It is so rare to get a phone call out of the blue now – though I’ll admit that I am a repeat offender in screening calls. I’m taking a stand against SMS – expect more phone calls from me!

3. Travel Somewhere Fun
I’m keeping this open-ended because resolutions should be fun and attainable! And I live on a 23-year-old’s budget… in the great recession. Though, I will not allow Six Flags or my parents’ backyard to count on this one (But I do love a good roller coaster….).

4. Run Over the Brooklyn Bridge
Pending I run another marathon this year, this shouldn’t be too out of reach. I do want a buddy to do this with, as I’m strangely nervous I will enter the car lane instead of the pedestrian walk way. However, I’m pretty sure the Real Housewives of New York did it in one episode, so it can’t be that hard.

5. Learn How to Make Flan
At Christmas, my parents got me an awesome vintage kit of pans to make flan. I’m hoping my temperamental oven has this on its resolution list as well.

That’s the shortlist! If I’m still on track come February, maybe I’ll add a few that I didn’t get to tick off last year. And maybe even Elizabeth Bennet will get lucky in 2012 - she’s been known to be pushy.