Thanks to that Volunteer!

Insulindependence.org. (If you like this story, please give $10 or more to the organization that means the world to me, and the reason I did this past marathon).

Marathons should not be taken lightly, no matter how many you do, or how well you think you can do. Its still a long way to run. When you do it without your own shoes, it seems even longer.

You read right, not my own shoes.

This all started back in October-January. I needed to get new shoes by October, but I waited, waited, waited, waited. Procrastinated, procrastinated and procrastinated. Sure enough it was Wednesday before the marathon. I have the most broken down shoes I have ever run in. I did not want to run in them for Sunday's race. It wasn't ideal, but I decided to get a new shoe, run in it a couple of times, and then race. If your counting this is dumbness number 1, and 2.

Dumbness 3 was the kicker. As I was focusing on the nightmare of taking public transportation to Newark airport from Brooklyn (3 trains and 12.75 if you wanted to know) I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Almost off the subway at Penn Station, people in the next car could see the white of my eyes. The expression "Oh S&!!" written all over those eyes and face. I never tied those new shoes to the side of my backpack, my only luggage. Oh well, I guess Ill just buy more in San Diego.

As soon as I got there, surfing came up, good friends and food. The procrastination continued It comes down to Saturday night, and I have no shoes. A great friend asked if I wanted to use his size 10 shoes. Yep, there my size, why not? Dumbness number 4.

Sunday morning comes, I put his shoes on and get ready to run. Sure they're a little snug, but they're okay. Mile 6,7,8,9 somethings not right. My toes are starting to hurt. Downhills are especially painful. Mile 10,11,12,13,14,15. DANG Im slowing down. Was doing 6:20 minute miles now doing 6:35's. Okay not the end of the world. Turn around comes at mile 18. Two things came to mind "either I ask for shoes at the aid station from volunteers or I go barefoot, not going a foot more in these shoes!" Being unbashful I yell at the crowd. "DOES ANYONE HAVE A 10 1/2 or 11 SHOE!!??!!" (Didn't want them to be too small) Sure enough a great and awesome older gentleman says "YA". Right there at the aid station at mile 18 he takes off his shoe and gives me his super supportive "Avia's" I untie the double knots he had on, tied 'em up and we discussed really quickly that they will be at the "Shoe-Giveaway" at the end. I ran from mile 18-26.2 in his shoes. Second pair of shoes that I didn't own, but ran in. The timing chip though was still on my left shoe. What to do? What to do? No time to think, I ran with that shoe in my hand from mile 18-26.2. Every checkpoint on the ground, I bent over so that the shoe could connect with the ground electronic timing device." Quite the scene, according to the spectators.

I went from a possible PR of 2:55 to finishing a "save face" goal of under 3 hours. 2:59.40. Thanks to my friend who gave me his shoe, and thanks to that VERY Special Volunteer. In 2011 with all the bad news, you don't always get to hear about that "special volunteer" Thanks to him! Thanks to him! Thanks to him, I could still break a 3hr marathon. And yes. I have VERY black and blue toenails!

Oh, and if you want to race a marathon, my advice is BRING YOUR OWN SHOES.

Video of me crossing the finish line can be seen at Brightroom at http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?92094626 (SUPER FUNNY, but painful)
You can see the early morning photos' I have a yellow shoes on, and towards the end I have large white ones on.

Tattoo

Am I Cliche? Have I done the ultimate "hipster" "Trying to be a bad ass but not" "DUMB" thing by inking myself for the rest of my life.

So Let me explain myself and then tell me if my reasons are FUll of S#!T. K? thanks

1. Been A triathlete since Freshman year of college. LOVE IT, Train for it 6 days a week, usually more than one hour. Thats commitment
2. Reminds me I have to keep it up, cause its on my body permanently, so I should be active permanently
3. Reminds me not to get fat. (Not superficial, but being healthy all life can have its rewards)
4. Wanted one since I got my ear pierced when my friends got little tats in Dec of 06. I think I waited long enough.
5. It was a great time to do it, My friends from PHX and NYC did it with me
6. After that many free mimosas, why not.

7. Thoughts???

Williamsburg Biking extravaganza.

According to my friend Paul, Williamsburg, is not bike friendly. In-fact on the main drag Bedford Avenue, People in the neighborhood tried to get rid of bike lanes.

Now I don't want to seem anti-semetic, PLEASE don't take this post this way, this is just my observations.

I bike from Kips Bay Manhattan, to Bedstuy. To do this I go through the very observant Jew neighborhood. Now I have had NO physical or verbal exchanges with this culture group in South Williamsburg, But I do have to bike there If I don't want to pay 2.25 each way to go to work. (Thats one beer both ways in a bar).

First off Bikesnobnyc.blogspot.org (thanks to my friend Paul) told everyone that there is going to be missing bike lane in this neighborhood on Bedford Avenue. My return trips main drag.

Im no hipster, and most people would think I am if I bike here, but its just my carbon free- saving for beer way-thrill seeking way of traveling.

Okay, Ways this community doesn't like bikers.

1. This is the land of the Honda Odyssey and BIG SUV's. YEp there is a neighborhood in Brooklyn that is known for this.

Sub Problems with BIG cars in Brooklyn

A. Every woman (who always has a stroller) that walks perpendicular in the middle of the street cause they can't see around their cars when walking.

B. Bad driving in New York City, Erratic

C. Doors fly open FAST here,

D. No one watches for bikers here, just cars watch out for cars.

2. They DID get rid of bike lanes! WHY????????????????

3. The Buses Stop Diagonal to let kids out. WITHOUT FLASHING LIGHTS till the VERY END.

A. Safe for kids, MAYBE, but not for Bikers.

4. ITs just a weird subsection of Brooklyn where you just don't feel welcomed. Especially Bikers. Doesn't feel bad when a sub group just doesn't invite another group to be part of their neighborhood, no matter your race, color, religion, or sexual identity?

Pic of Bike Lane getting ripped up (the bikes on the lane are paint thinned out) THe massive amounts of vans on the right, and the diagonal bus on the left. Yes Im close to the front of the diagonal bus, cause it almost caused me to be in an accident.

No Point to be this pointy

My Friend Mach1, thinks that Its not okay to bike in the winter, in the road, even though I bike everywhere in the winter. Today on the other hand I took the subway and walked a bit to get to my work, because on a flat tire on my fixie, and the sickness factor that actually made me not want to bike for once.

Walking,(even if to the Subway 4 blocks away) in Bedstuy Brooklyn is ALSO an experience I found out.

Scene: 30 degrees, Blistery, Ice on most corners, Just damn cold. Blowing through the buildings, And this woman... LOOK AT HER HEALS. Do you think she uses those for a defensive mechanism? How does she walk?

'Nuff Said

PS Taking this picture on the fly/sly was difficult

Gym Time

Ok so I am a gym rat. There's no way around that. I have to admit it. But I HATE all the other gym rats. I think mostly cause Im a self gym rat. I don't go with someone, or "have a workout buddy." Currently I attend a gym at my Graduate school, with a ton of undergrads. So I think I should educate these undergrad gym rats on etiquette of the gym.

1. I don't CARE what your work out is, you don't have to say it so aloud to your buddy so loud that I have to hear it across the gym.

2. Please don't grunt.

3. Don't drop things. They are too heavy for you.

4. Don't look in the mirror every 2 seconds after you lifted. The muscles haven't changed in 20 seconds! The mirror is to make sure you are doing your exercises correctly, not AFTEr you are done.

5. Don't wait on the machine if you are taking a break between sets. That just pisses everyone off.

6. Workers: do not eat fast food in the gym. Just doesn't seem right to be smelling that there.

7. Workers: I don't know what you do, but please don't gossip while I can hear you from everywhere in the gym. I don't care that your boyfriend is being mean to you. I really don't care.

8. Spring Breakers/New YEars resolution people: Please don't say it will die down when the spring breakers and resolution people give up. You are these people.

9. Socialite girls and gays. Gym is not a place to be social, especially a small gym. Go to a coffee shop.

10. If you are sweaty. please wipe the machine.. Thanks

Well theres my 2 cents. I hope this curbs my anger tomorrow at the gym.

Other than NYC

I know I said I would talk about NYC and how awesome it is and I think Its great being back in the city. But... these pictures from this past weekend. I was on the beach, racing in San Diego/Carlsbad, and in between enjoying the sights of the mountains on the layover in Denver. See pics. Am I crazy or sometimes Man Made buildings in NYC has nothing compared to this Earth.

Walk Through Time

My Aunt was in town from Boston this weekend visiting her "companion" and me.

Side note (I use companion cause I've never seen them kiss, never seen them touch. But they are in there 50's, won't ever move in together, so I think "companion" is the right word even if it seems cold. )

Long story short, Aunt S coming into town meant that I finally had someone to go to the MET with me. My favorite exhibit there is the Greek Rooms. They are partitioned exactly by the art periods according to my Greek Art History Professor. Anne the professor was the quintessential absent minded abroad teacher who teaches little classes like mine to keep up her tiny apartment, with no bed, but is truly an archeologist. She knows her stuff and loves doing it.

The Rooms start off in 900BC and statues look like Ridged Egyptian statues, and move through to The Hellenistic Period after Alexander the Great. What a great exhibit. Go SEE it.

I just remember when we weren't in classes at the Ancient Greek Art Museum in Athens we would have slide shows. Almost ALL of those slides I saw at the MET. It was truly amazing to see them not in a slide but up close. I think my aunt got a little bored when I went so slow through the Greek Rooms. Ooops.

This photo up top is my favorite from that Art History class in the Fall of 2005. The caption at the Met says in my abridged version : Frame is missing, have no idea who the deceased is on the grave stele. Who is looking where? Who is dead? The man, the daughter, or is she the sole survivor of the group?" (MET Rogers Fund, 1911)

Anyone want to take a guess?

I think the man is dead and the little person is a midget.