Marathon Madrigal

2012-02-12T20:25:00.002-05:00

rest is piece Ms.Whitney...

i remember the first time i saw the video to "the greatest love of all". i had to be seven or eight. i remember thinking wow, she is amazing and i have loved her ever since. rest in peace.

The power of vulnerability

2012-02-09T22:00:00.002-05:00

have you heard of brene brown? if you haven't watch this quick 20 minute video. it is making me re-think my life, where i want to be where, i want to go and what i want out of this life and to find true love.

if you don't want to watch the whole 20 minutes because you are so busy (sarcasim) here are the highlights:

~let yourself been seen

~love with your whole heart...without holding back

~practice gratitude and joy

~to feel vulnerable is to feel alive

~believe you are ENOUGH!!!

apartment post coming soon :)

a picture of our return from kili and tanzania

2012-02-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

where am i?

2012-02-05T22:38:00.003-05:00

i moved....to brooklyn and i love it here! i will update pictures to show you my apartment soon.

till then congrats to the giants for winning the super bowl!

see you soon...

reflections on tanzania

2012-01-26T22:08:00.003-05:00

while i was on my "blogger break" i came across this blog . this blog is about laura her life as a wife, mother and founder of an amazing project that is near and dear to my heart.

laura, started the grace project after a summer (i think) in tanzania (my new favorite place). laura reflects on tanzania: But she had made a mark on my heart and burned a desire to give in my mind that couldn't wait a year. Grace gave to me in a way that I had never experienced before. She didn't have much to hang her hat on, but she had a wealth of hospitality and was rich in the kind of faith many of us only read about. Here I was, a young, bright-eyed, college student thinking I was going to make my way to Africa and make an impact on someone, and I left there feeling overwhelmed with the impact that Africa had on me.

before you see the pictures i want to share a video with you, these are our guides singing to us after we made the summit on kilimanjaro

From Africa (Picasa)/ December 2011

i have been so lucky to have lived and experience tanzania has to offer. here are some of my favorite pictures from my trip.

state of the union...yes please

2012-01-24T22:28:00.002-05:00

blown away from mr. presidents speech!

thank you for finally running down a list of items we have accomplished. i am so honored and beyond excited to have you leading our nation.

proud to be ameri-can!

my favorite highlights:
As long as we’re joined in common purpose...the state of our union will always be strong" -President Obama

As long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward... and the state of our union will always be strong

Our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong." #SOTU

"This nation is great because we worked as a team, this nation is great because we get each other's backs"

crazy crazy crazy!!

2012-01-24T21:26:00.003-05:00

sorry all, i promise to update this website soon but i am currently in the process of moving....and well i am slacking. i am moving to my own new space on the 1st!! cannot wait!!

all pictures are ideas, thank you pinterest

Source: google.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: potterybarn.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: firsthome.tumblr.com via Jackie on Pinterest

oh yeah and if only i can get one of these...

Source: petfinder.com via Jackie on Pinterest

2012 movie list

2012-01-18T20:36:00.003-05:00

i cannot wait for this movie....tearing up right now

yes, i will be at the movies to watch this and cry. i love romantic movies

i finished reading all three hunger games...amazing simply amazing, i cant wait for this movie to come out

that is it for now happy hump day all

happy new year!

2012-01-16T18:00:00.005-05:00

happy new year all!!

well i am finally back from my lovely, amazing, incredible, and the most amazing vacation ever!!

what did i do? i along with six other friends headed to tanzania, africa to climb a little mountain, mt. kilimanjaro...have you heard of it?

i left nyc on december 27th and came back january 14th...best time ever! i will be honest though hiking up kilimanjaro has been the hardest thing i have ever done ever. some highlights from my trip:
1. i fell into a river, the water came up to my boobs and i was drenched. did i mention this was within the first 30 minutes of a 5 hour walk. i took the fall with a smile and kept it moving.

2. i kissed a rock, seriously i did! part of walks/climbs/hikes included rock climbing. yes you heard correctly rock climbing...guys i have never ever done that and i didn't have a harness or anything. i was so scared but it was so much fun. i am totally going to look into this more.
3. first time sleeping in a tent. enough said. lol
4. we made it to the summit. this was by far the most emotional, physical and mental thing i have ever done but when you see the uhuru sign...you forget the pain and you finally catch your breath you realize to made it to the top. i completely lost it at this point. i knew that i would make it but i never thought it was going to be so hard.
5. chilling at the safari! :)

so now you know i have to get corny right? reaching the top of uhuru peak made me realize that i am the only person that can make my life what i want it to be. i came away with such an appreciation for my life, my family, friends and my career. i have a plan and now its time to put it into action.

after that amazing part of my trip we headed to zanzibar to rest up on the most amazing beach. here are some pictures for ya!

can you tell that i got some sun!! so excited!!

all ready

2011-12-26T20:31:00.003-05:00

hey all i am leaving for kilimanjaro, tomorrow at 5 a.m. i am off till the 13th of january.

see you guys in the new year! when i return i will come back with tons and tons of pictures..till then enjoy your new year.

jm

here is a picture from a friend's wedding in b-more city also known as my love affair place with crab dip!!

happy holidays

2011-12-25T16:05:00.003-05:00

hey all--i wanted to wish you all a merry xmas, happy hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa and a happy new year.

i am still packing for kilimanjaro. i think i am almost done...lord blessed, i just want to be all packed, done and sitting on a plane...for 16 hours! lol.

also my new camera is busted, i will be running over to best buy tomorrow..lord help me to return it. good thing i checked it before i took off to africa.

other than that i had a great christmas i spent the holiday with my two best friends eva and gina and their familes. thank you again loves!!

can't wait to see the bulls play the lakers!

here is mariah carey and john legend wishing you the best.

do you pinterest?

2011-12-22T11:12:00.000-05:00

i totally love pinterest and you should try it. if you don't know about it..i think you should totally google it.

i just found this and i needed to share it

my family

2011-12-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

i love my family so much,not going home for christmas stinks but i am trying to keep it positive here so instead of getting down in the dumps. here is a picture of my favorite people:
my nephew marco, i mean how could you not love the most amazing cutest little kid in the world??

marco's dad is my brother luis, he has become one of the most amazing father and even better brother. i love him dearly and i am so so proud of him and all the decisions he has made.

this is my little brother fat boy, little monkey also known as benny. he just turned 21 years old and i still can't believe it.

then there is my sister sabrina, isn't she pretty? i know she is right. she is an amazing cook and i always love test tasting her stuff even when she doesn't let me.

these are my siblings and my nephew. in no particular order..well maybe for my nephew he comes in first on all of our list's.

i hope you are spending your holiday's with those you love and if you are not embrace it and don't look at the negative think about the positive. happy holidays.

love jm

in love...

2011-12-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

currently i have the biggest crush on all of the above and then some :)...i am watching the notebook before going out...i love this movie, i really am a hopeless romantic at heart..noah, where are you??

happy weekend all

jm

thoughts

2011-12-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

ele

2011-12-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

worth watching...please watch

happy 21st birthday little benny!

2011-12-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

today is my little brother benny's 21st birthday.

21, wow i can't even believe your 21 today. i remember when mom told me you were in her belly. i was living in california and mom wanted you to be born in mexico, but dad found out he was surprised and made he maid mom, luis and sabrina move to chicago. i soon followed back to chicago.

its safe to say that you brought our whole family back together. we were all over the moon when you were born. luis was so excited to have a little brother to play with. and now now your 21, a man in college and you turning into a man. you are doing so great in school getting amazing grades but to me you will still be my little ham of a brother.

benny i tell you all the time but i love you and i so proud of you. you are an amazing man and i know you are going to be great in whatever path you select.

once again happy birthday i love you. your big sister.

xoxo
jm

hopeless

2011-12-04T20:55:00.000-05:00

i admit it.
i am a hopeless romantic, and i mean serious hopeless romantic. the type that every.single.time the notebook is on, i watch it and still cry and get the goosebumps when he tells her "it wasnt over, it still isnt over and kissing in the rain..love.
i have love jones on dvd and a vcr tape because i love that move. i do not even own a vcr player anymore but i cant get myself to throw it.
i love love and basketball, and how about the original amazing movie gone with the wind.

here are some of my favorite clips...i.e. what i would love to experience ;)

i found this

2011-11-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

on my friends blog you should check it out

and as she asked her readers "what's your passion"

thankful

2011-11-25T20:05:00.000-05:00

this year i am thankful for so much...
my family, my mom especially.
my friends, i really do not know where i would be without them.
god, i am thankful to have found faith in him again.
myself, i am grateful that i realized my mistakes and am working on them.

the things i am looking forward too... :)
kilimanjaro
a new romantic relationship, and i mean one that is going to knock me off my feet. a true love from an amazing man.
a career, that i know is close to finding me and i finding it.
my faith, i know only more amazing things are on the horizon.
a better version of myself for my family, brothers and sisters, and nephew

....and i think mr.thicke is back....

2011-11-23T17:36:00.000-05:00

i now proudly present "love after war"

starting this week

2011-11-21T21:19:00.001-05:00

i will be adding more personal pictures of mine. i have events everyday till thanksgiving so i will update you all on friday!

happy thanksgiving wishing all of you the very best the start of this holiday season.

xoxoxo

jacks

a book everyone should read is...one day it will all make sense by common

2011-11-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

if you haven't picked up his book i highly suggest you get it asap! it is probably one of the best memoirs i have read.

can we talk about how sexy this man is??

here are some of my favorite parts:

"growing up in chicago, you learn how to survive- some people call it a hustle. rick or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white, you'll find hustlers of all kinds in chicago. for me hustling meant that even as i grew older and got more education, i was able to relate to people on the streets. it meant that i could make a way out of no way, even it if meant bending or even breaking the rules sometimes" --mahalia ann brown (common's mom)

"no longer am i going to dim my light for anyone or anything. i'm going to let it shine. that is what god gave me, so i'm going to wear this. i'm going to wear my greatness" --common

i would give you more but as i mentioned earlier "i highly recommend that you go out and buy and read this book!"

here are some more pictures because he is that fine!! where is my "common"??

happy birthday!!

2011-11-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

this post is for my nephew. my little munchkin just turned four. wow four years old, i cant even grasp that you are four. you are my world and i love you so much, i know that you mean the world to your father and i know he is always there for you but i want you to know that i am always going to be here for you mr. man!! i love you so much.

i want you to know that although i am in new york, i want you to know that i think about you daily. i miss you so much. i miss watching you grow up, i miss kissing you endlessly and just loving you.

it makes me happy that you have an amazing father that loves you more than anything.

i am going home in december to see you and i cannot wait!!

this makes me realize that i clearly need more pictures of him and i!! :)

need to find your mojo?

2011-11-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

hey all!!

as a runner sometimes you hit that "wall" during a race and sometimes you just hit a running wall.

i hit the wall in a way that made me hate running. i dreaded my long runs, i didn't look forward to speed workouts, and the bridle path...dear lord did i dislike/hate/dread/wanted to kill my self if i had to run on the bridle path.

thankfully after a long time off i got my mojo back. how? well, i ran with my friend's (b-bop) mom jill. we ran from brooklyn (my favorite part) over two bridges, and onto fist avenue to the 18th mile. jumping in on marathon sunday is not the best idea but i was there for support. my goal was to get jill through the tough parts. it was jill's first and probably only marathon and she was so nervous and i was so happy to pick her up in brooklyn and run with her.

today i went on my first run in central park in what seems like forever. it was a nice 5 miler (slow) but it was glorious!! it was so much fun running and running in my park. it had been so long that i forgot about the rolling hills on the west side, but i finished and it felt amazing to run in my park again.

Here is a picture of jill and i just after the 59th street bridge.

ok that is it for now. peace out

New York City Marathon

2011-11-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

do you know what tomorrow is? i will give you a hint...its the first sunday in november and in new york that only means one thing....its marathon sunday!

after running quite possibly the most amazing race ever i decided to take a break from new york.

i did get the chance to volunteer with my charity team for kids on thursday. that had to be the best day. i had the chance to talk to first time marathoners, experienced ones, nervous ones, ones that could not stop asking questions and i loved it.

running the new york city marathon is by far the most amazing race. i have also run paris and berlin but new york, new york is just breath taking.

starting at the verizzano bridge, before the gun goes off they play frank sinatra's new york new york. when you cross over the bridge you are in what i think is the best boro brooklyn. you smell bacon right off the bridge, then you hit 4th avenue and the people..ohhh the people on 4th avenue are amazing. there were times i had to hold back my tears because it was so emotional. from brooklyn to queens over the 59th street bridge which has to be the quietest place, it could be a good thing or a bad thing. then you are hit with the "wall of noise" first avenue. it is pretty awesome but brooklyn you are still in the top spot. its a quick stop in the bronx and then onto harlem where the choirs are out singing to each runner..after that its 5th avenue. you gotta keep it going all the way up a hill...which no one tells you about. then its back into the park down cat hill, out to the street and back into the park..you can see the finish but you want to take it in because once you cross that finish its done. the people cheering your name, the emotion is amazing. if you only run one marathon...make sure its new york you will be carried by the city the whole way.

i am so excited for all the first time marathon runners, the experienced runners and the professionals. i wish you all the best of luck and i will be in brooklyn cheering you all on!!

this here is mr. fred lebow...everyone should know who he is, and this is his best friend the only woman to win 9 nyc marathons, greta. both of them are now on to better places but they were such amazing people that have added so much to the nyc marathon

why did i defer my entry again??? lol

happy birthday luis

2011-10-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

luis is my younger/older brother. he is an amazing father to my one and only nephew marco. growing up we clearly didnt get along the whole time. because we were siblings, i wanted a sister, he wanted a brother was one of our many arguments :). he has always been a quiet guy, the guy that didnt talk much but you always knew he was there for you.

my favorite memory of my brother is a recent one, it is just watching him with my nephew. i have never seen so much love between a father and a son. marco is very lucky to have such an amazing father.

luis, i hope you know that i love you so much and i look up to you in so many ways. you are an amazing person, brother, friend, son and father.

happy birthday to one of my favorite brother. :)

my sister

2011-10-24T20:11:00.000-04:00

yesterday my sister turned 25.

my sister sabrina is an amazing sister, friend, cook, and i love the way she lives her life.

for a while my sister and i were not close, that broke my heart and it hurt everyone in our family. sadly we were not the closest of families but we are trying to fix that. because as we all learn family is the most amazing thing.

today is not about the past today is about my sister. my sister sabrina, who my brother wanted to name samantha, because of alyssia milano from who's the boss. but because i looked up to a girl by the same name i begged my mom named her sabrina. she did and i dont think that my brother or sister have forgiven me for that. that is one of my favorite memory of her..anyway here are some pictures of my lovely little sister sabrina. i love her and i am so happy to be working on our sisterhood.

oh yeah and she is silly!

loving life

2011-10-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

this past weekend was awesome.

what did i do? volunteered with kids that reminded me that life is pretty darn good. i enjoyed my friends. we laughed and i am again reminded how lucky i am to have amazing friends in my life.

my good----no its actually amazing.

also i have an interview with lululemon this week....wish me luck!

aye dios mio...

2011-10-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

ever feel a little lost?

that is how i feel right now. do not get me wrong i have so much going for me i have a job, is it the best ehhhh the people i work for somehow believe that we save the world...but we don't.

i have great amazing friends...clearly my saving grace.

but there is something missing. i am going to try some new things this weekend. i know that i am going to find my way...sooner than later.

here is to a positive, loving and amazing weekend.

this past week an amazing person i never meet passed away. steve jobs was a great person and his perspective on life is amazing...i am going to try to find what i love.

berlin update

2011-09-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

the berlin marathon has come and gone...and i stuck to the plan of drinking beer, eating such amazing food and running.

this marathon was probably my hardest one thus far. i ended up getting two blisters while running (that has never happened), my left foot somehow got bruised. clearly it was not good---also my time....well i finished a lot slower than i thought, 5:54:34----that is my gun time and that's what i am sticking to. lol

the rest of the trip was amazing my rode buddies vane and e-nessy were the best combo for an amazing time. we rode bikes, drank beer and ate.

oh yeah did i mention that i meet and took a picture with the winner of the berlin marathon patrick?? Oh yeah..proof to come. here are some pictures from my trip...enjoy!

now i get to take a year off from running and i am looking for it! :)

my plan for berlin

2011-09-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

if you are not aware, this sunday i am running the berlin marathon.

this is my plan.

1. have fun
2. run with a camera
3. take pictures with amazing monuments
4. take pictures with hot men..yep i am putting it out there
5. shop shop shop
6. eat, drink, eat, drink, eat, drink, run, eat, drink, drink, drink, drink
7. i will be taking tons of pictures so i will add them on here

i tried to be super savay..clearly it did not work. my picture is suppose to be in this picture....just picture my pretty smiling face with that time...hahahaha didnt that kind of make you laugh...well at least giggle..see you when i return.

2011-09-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

today one of my good friends lost her mom totally unexpected. when i found out i was blown away. it reminded me of my other amazing friend lissy, and when she lost her mom unexpected.

life is so short. sometimes too short for the wrong people. i know that things are meant to be but i never understand things like this.

to my jazz, i hope you know that i love you more than anything and i am here for you always and no matter what you need i have your back. i dont know why things like this happen but there is a plan...hopefully its makes sense to us soon. i hope you know and realize that you were probably your mother's greatest joy. since i met you --you have made so many amazing changes, accomplishments know that she loved you and held you close to her heart. i never met your mom but i am sure she thought this. i love you so much jazzy and i am here for you...always.

god bless you your sisters, their children and your family.

10 years ago

2011-09-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

10 years ago---i woke up to go to class. it was my senior year. my first year living on my own. i remember going to turn on the tv. i heard matt lauier say...a plane just hit the world trade center. i thought to myself what. i will never forget that day.

state farm came out with these commercials today and they are amazing.

do you know.....

2011-09-05T21:20:00.001-04:00

this week in the good old nyc...

2011-08-28T20:16:00.000-04:00

last week i lived through a earthquake..yes an earthquake on the east coast, trust me i didn't believe it either....until my desk started shaking then i believed it.

then this past weekend we lived through "irene", this lady came through the middle of night i personally did not feel her wrath, but a lot of people did. it was no bueno here on the east coast.

i also went for run on saturday and although it was not the my ideal run i have decided to scrap it and move on.

from now till berlin i will not run. i will only spin, strength training and swim and on sept. 25 i will lace up my sneakers again and run the hell out of berlin.

i know i will rock it out...and worst case scenario i will drink beer on the course and eat a pretzel it is berlin after all!! ;)

here is to a nice relaxing no earthquake, irene, no running week. :)

happy monday!

left knee

2011-08-10T21:45:00.000-04:00

i dedicate this video to my left knee.

berlin is sept 25....you have till then to get it together.

thanks

mm.

My life via my iphone

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

2011-07-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

i know i havent been around sorry about that. my new job has kept me busy and i have also been traveling, hanging out and loving brooklyn. next weekend i will be traveling again for miss maria and mr. gio's wedding to my home town of chi-city!!

i promise to do an update after the wedding...

i saw this picture and i thought everyone could use it..

weekend extravanganza!

2011-06-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

this past weekend was an amazing one.
friday night drinks with pals at a german beer garden, saturday double fun with the pride run and then celebrating miss. maria's last fling before the ring. :)

best pride run ever!

changes are always needed

2011-06-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

holy wow where in the world have i been? clearly not posting....sorry about that. i have been working on a couple of things so i have been a little out of it.

oh what have i been working on you ask...well here is a quick run down.

1. dallas beat and by beat i really mean slaughtered the heat, in miami which was pretty flipping awesome. as vane mentioned...i never thought i would cheer for anything from dallas but the mavs are an exception...happy happy dance!

2. spending some quality time with my girls. :) i feel so special to have such amazing group of WOMEN in my life!!

**pictures will be posted this weekend**

3. i was offered and have accepted a new job. i am beyond excited because this new job comes with a promotion. ;)

as you can see all good things and all positive things...only positive vibes allowed on this ride.

chicago bulls no matter what i am a fan!

2011-05-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

last night was tough. it was hard to watch emotionally and at the end of it we didnt come out on top. i am still a die hard chicago bulls fan.

this morning i recieved my first text from a heat fan, thank you...we shall call him bandwagon fan # 1. here is our conversation this morning.

b#1: Good morning! :) nice day to be a bull fans :p

me: Didn't your mother teach you manners if you don't have anything nice to say.... Lol No matter what I will always be a Bulls fan with my MVP mr. rose :)

b#1:So you ignored the "good morning" part?! :)

me: Lol yep read right over it

b#1: That's the spirit of the fan. Relish the 90s and remember you have wrigley!

me: Hey hey hey!!!
You leave my cubbies alone they are my team also.

me: Yeah 6 championships so many MVP by Jordan too bad lebron will never get that.

b#1:Hahaha Mr "let me try 2 step back jumpers(that I don't have) to win the game 6 turnover" Rose. Yes! :) Take me out to the ballgame! Take me out to the losers(cubs)

me:You know he took a risk although lebron is way taller he still took the shot sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

b#1: Lebron is working on #1!

me: Please don't tell me your a Yankees fan

me: He has been working and still what does he have?? 0!

b#1: Excuses??

me: Lakers, Boston, Bulls and nothing from the heat.

b#1: Nope not from me I'm from Cali...Dodgers!
Its been 23 yrs for us now

me: Thank god!!

b#1: The bulls are a good team. The lakers are my fav! I just want the heat to get one. I hate the celtics!

me: Why why why???

me: You can't hate the celtics they are a dream team I love them right behind the bulls.

b#1:I like lebron and wade!

now this is another reason i do not like miami...all their fans are not real. bahahaha sorry bandwagon #1

me and my bulls shirt (thanks claudia)

can you see my tan from miami?? yes, my hair is curly the humidity in new york has been too much to try to blow out my hair, and yes maybe i have been a little lazy.

it. is. official.

2011-05-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

i have given my deposit i along with "team kili" will be climbing mt. kilimanjaro, on dec 28th can i get a hell yeah!! (the crowd screams HELL YEAH)

this week has been super wet here in nyc. rain, rain and more rain this whole week and honestly i am over it.

good news: tomorrow i get to see adele in concert! friday morning i am off to miami to see two amazing people get married.

:) will upload pictures later.

happy wed.

xoxo

2011-05-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

today i woke up sore. sore in a way i have never felt before ever. why you ask? well last night tiff, maggy, vane and all the other crazy people that take curtis's running camp. took a double session with mr. williams. the outcome..soreness in places i have never felt and didnt know i could feel.

check out his tweet from this morning,lol:

Curtis Williams (@CAWilliams17)
5/5/11 8:47 AM
Waking up with random pains all over...fuck I'm getting old!

happy thursday!

the love i have for lulu

2011-04-29T08:54:00.000-04:00

as i am working on my goals i wanted to share these pictures i took at lululemon while in boston. yes, i am pretty obsessed with everything they do and one of my year goals is to get a part time job with them. i hope you enjoy the pictures and i hope they inspire you the way they did me.

now go out and do something! have a great weekend guys!!
:)

i, v, and x year goals..

2011-04-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

one, five and ten...my goals i have broken them up the way lululemon does it. i have my first year down and now i am working on my five and ten year goals. i will keep you posted now back to working on my goals....

clearly i am a little bored at home and after half a bottle of wine...anything is fun. hahaha. now back to the telenovelas...i swear only spanish soaps are this good! lol

phil!!!

2011-04-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

this blog post is dedicated to my work husband and great friend phil. i wish you the best on your three month sabbatical!! please keep a blog and send updates, pictures and bring back lots of pictures along with your Jew fro!! wishing you the very best phillippee!!
xoxo

**pinching phil good luck!**

good times last night. see you in three months phil!

my love/hate letter to training c.a.m.p.

2011-04-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

dear training C.A.M.P.
i am writing you this love/hate letter because you should know how i feel about you.

i make it my job to attend you on the regular. every monday, wednesday and friday. and now if that wasn't enough i recently signed up for your running club on saturday's. since november, your class has been a regular in my day to day life. currently my problem lies with the fact that every. single. time. (yes, it is that serious.) i take your class i feel defeated, beat, out of shape but when i look around and i notice i am not alone. everyone in the class is sweating, dying, trying to keep up with you. we try but and sometimes some of us get it and sometimes we don't. i look around and i realize that i am not only person that follows you around from one location to the next, so yes clearly i am a groupie. i sometimes have to tell a little white lie to leave a little early just to be a part of your class. week after week i am there two, three times and now if that wasn't bad enough i have started to bring friends, since all i do is talk about this darn class. but after the class they realize why i love it so. although i may curse your name when we are in the middle of class. it never fails after every class i feel amazing. so thank you for that.

anyway the point of this is to tell you that i love how you keep me coming back for more and one day, i will beat you.

and this is curtis the owner of training c.a.m.p.

besides training c.a.m.p. i have other things i am looking for first up is berlin in september for the marathon and afterwards october fest.

one other thing just popped up on my list....an expedition to summit mount Kilimanjaro in january.
isn't she pretty?

now i have to decide to climb or not to climb that is the question.

yep this is me at in my cube at work.

happy wednesday.

smile with your heart does it again

2011-04-07T13:50:00.000-04:00

take the risk another great and amazing post by jenn read her post...totally worth it.

take the risk on something today.

this song makes me smile..

2011-04-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

i am at work...rocking out to pandora and then i stop. i gotta be by jagged edge comes on and i smile i love this song.

enjoy.. ;0)

Don't wanna make a scene
I really don't care if
People stare at us
Sometimes I think I'm dreamin'
I pinch myself
Just to see if I'm awake or not

[Chorus 1]
Is it real
What I feel
Could it be
You and me 'till the end of time
Never part
Take my heart
Hold it tight
It's true love you know I gotta be

[Chorus 2]
I gotta be the one you touch
Baby, I gotta be the one you love
(I'm telling you that)
I gotta be the one you feel
And I gotta be the one to fill your life with sunshine
I gotta be the one you know
Cuz I will always love you so
(I'm loving you, girl)
I gotta be the one you need
I'm just telling you that I gotta be
*I Picture you and me
Starting a life together
We could be
We'll take this vow to love one another
Make this thing a reality, oh

[Chorus 1]

[Chorus 2]

You make me whole, you make me right
Don't ever wanna think about you leaving my life
Repeat above until fade

2011-03-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

march madness how i love you, even though my picks have been wrong and my bracket was blown out of the water when ohio lost to kentucky who saw that coming? i didnt and i clearly missed the memo, and how about vcu, they have played their hearts out and have beaten purdue and flordia state way to go vcu! i also love butler, wow i feel that you are a lot like the gonzaga team from a couple of years ago your amazing truly a great team.
none of my teams made it to the final but i love the fact that these supposed "underdogs" have taken over march madness and that totally makes my day. my final pick is going with vcu or butler.

my life hasn't all been march madness, work, running and Curtis it also involved some qt time with tiffiania and hazelnutty (i am still thinking of a name for her so hazelnut is not my final answer) it was filled with food, laughter, drinks, visions and a random trip to philly. yes with no real plans we headed off to philly at 10p.m. and arrived a little after midnight. philly was great as usual. we did learn the following: in philly the ladies show their woohah's all night long, the fashion is quiet interesting and people don't wear coats.
we do! here we are enjoying a little soda with our vodka on a roofdeck..points for philly (they also had heating lamps)

tiffiania and hazelnut...

all tiffinia wants is for hazel to love her....and she refuses...lol pretty funny

needless to say the night was so unexpected and yet so perfect. we also came the conclusion that pandora radio rocks and aol radio stinks and that r&b music just isn't the same now a days. oh how i miss that old school r&b baby making music.

do you remember any time any place by miss jackson.... *baby making music*

happy thursday.
mm

today's question of the day is..

2011-03-24T10:51:00.000-04:00

are you where you thought you would be? and how can you be sure you are in the right place?

i keep asking myself if i am because honestly not sure and i don't have a clear answer. but, am i suppose to know. when people ask me what do you want out of life, my answer is always i do not know.

currently i am in a spot where i don't know if i should stay, go right, left, up or down. now if only we could all get our britney on, sing a song, win a contest and head out to the city of angles and everything would be ok...lol ...but alas i am at a crossroad in my life and i am not sure if i should stay in nyc or try out another state or take the huge plunge and go abroad to spain, rome, barcelona, the list is endless. i am just not sure.

i keep looking for these "signs" that are suppose to be everywhere but clearly i don't see them. but today i thought to myself "what if you don't want to see them". insert shocked face! and if that's the case then i am in more trouble then i thought. -hahaha-

i have a good thing going here in nyc but i feel like there is so much more out there for me. the question is where and how can i know for sure. as many friends have told (nortie) you don't, move and try it out for a year if you hate leave.
it seems so easy but still i am here...argghh.

now do not for one second think that i am down in the dumps because that is furthest from the truth. i have had the most amazing birthday month ever. as it comes to a close i feel that i should go out with a bang.

i have amazing friends and the most amazing family ever. i am in the process of making a scrap book for this lovely lady right here..this is my grams. isn't she the cutest ever in life! and check her out when she was just a young little thing. this is on her wedding day.

i cant wait to make it out to california to see her and celebrate with my whole family in may. my goal to get a picture of her and her ten kids....i hope they all show up!!!

lyrical tuesday is back

2011-03-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

lyrical tuesday is back...but i forgot to post it last night..whomop whomp! as i thought about which song i would pick i had to go back to my favorite group of all time 112, and their song *only you*

p.s. i cut out the annoying p.diddy part in the begining because this song should really start with Notorious.

[Notorious B.I.G]
Je-sus the notorious just,
Please us with your lyrical thesis,
We just chillin,
Milk em top billin,
Silk and pure linen,
Me and little Cease,
Malibu sea breeze,
Dom P's,
Palm trees,
Cats lay in Pablo,
In milked out diablos,
The Williest,
Bitches be the silliest,
The more I smoke,
The smaller the phillie gets,
Room 112 where the players dwell,
To stash more cash than Burn and Hale,
Inhale,
Make you feel good like Tony Toni Tone (feels good),
Dig up in your middle like Monie (yeah),
Don't know me,
But your settin up to blow me,
Try to style,
Fly up north with a homie (yes),
It's style is dondatta,
Playas stay splurgin',
Game so tight,
They call it virgin...

[112]
Oh I need to know,
Where we stand,
Do we share this special thing called love,
I know I do,
What about you,
I just can't get enough of the time...

I need you in my life,
Where do we go,
What do I do,
I can't live without your love,
Thinkin' of you,
Makes me feel,
Like I am the only one for you,

[Chorus:]
Girl I want to be with you,
No one else,
Only you,
Why can't we just,
Make it happen,
Baby, I need you in my life...

Every time I'm with you,
Never want it to come to an end (thought I told you that we won't stop),
You always make me so happy,
You'll always have a place in my heart...

I need you in my life,
Where do we go,
What do I do,
I can't live without your love,
Thinkin' of you,
Makes me feel,
Like I am the only one for you,

[Mase]
Now you can hum all you want to,
Cum all you want to,
Money I'mma front you,
Girl I wanna flaunt you,
I'mma always want you,
When nobody want you,
If I die now my love will still haunt you,
Mase ain't the one that will pay for your phone,
Mase be the one that will take you home,
Even though I'm not the one that gave you the stone,
All your nights alone,
I could make you moan,
Everybody know I got more bounce than the ounce,
Bad Boy get more money than you can count,
Why I'm buying things you can't even pronounce,
I'd do it to your cat for a large amount,
And when the beef come you know where to be found,
Why I be around till the winner is announced (the winner is),
So there ya go girl with thousands in ya palms,
Why you can't let by gones be by gones...

[112]
Where do I go,
What must I do,
If I can't live without your love,
Thinkin' of you, makes me feel, baby,
Like I am the only one for you,

[Chorus]

here it is....

2011-03-17T09:45:00.001-04:00

here is my bracket...

illini...every year i play with my heart you every year we get so close, not as close as 2005 i hope you understand that although i love you....50 bucks in on the line. ;)

have a great day.

it is it is

2011-03-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

today is my birthday!

woo hoo!! i have already had an amazing day and i cant wait for the rest of it. thank you for all your well wishes, calls, texts and fb messages! i love it all!!

totally random but yesterday i was at my favorite store lululemon and i was speaking to a lovely sales assosiate her name is emily---anyway i told her how i loved that lululemon makes you write down your goals for a year, five and ten years. they make you think of what you want out of life and by doing that it is so much easier to get whe i told emily that i didnt know what i wanted to do in 10 years to which she responded if you dont know where your going how will you get there...and i thought wow. how will i get there? not sure but i am determind to figure it out. asap. or else how am i suppose to find my way.;)

--ncaa tournament---

2011-03-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

hello sweetness! oh how have i missed you but alas you are back in my life again. and i welcome you back with huge march madness arms.

now lets get down to the nitty gritty. this is my favorite time of year not only because its my birthday everyone get up and dance now back to the purpose of this post... march madness baby!!

this sunday (march 13) is selection sunday. what does that mean? come on peeps get it together its when the 68 teams are selected that will play in the tournament.

first round will take place on my birthday!! whoot whoot!! march 15 and 16 games are in dayton, ohio...not an ohio fan.

second and third rounds will range from denver, tampa, tucson, charlotte, chicago (sweet home chicago), cleveland, tulsa and d.c. all during march 17 through the 20.

then come the regional's...
southeast (3/24-26): nola...my new favorite place..hummmm maybe i should swing down there...pondering pondering

west (3/24-26): anaheim

southwest (3/25-27): san antonio

east (3/25-27): newark----this one might be a little more doable.

national semifinals...houston (april 2nd)

championship game april 4th in houston.

who will be the big upset? still not sure if i am ready to announce it.. but yes i have my pick already.

who will win the whole enchilada? of course i am going to say illini! but my bracket is not yet final.

as of right now ohio state (thumbs down) is in first place, this is better than the usual duke or north carolina.

although my team is not ranked...yet they are still number 1 in my heart

and seriously how cute is my little ham sporting my number one team! that would be my cute little nephew.

a blog i now stalk...

2011-03-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

maybe stalk is too strong of a word...but check jenn out. she truly has an amazing blog and story. smile with your heart

smile with your heart,...i borrowed the following from the lululemon website "Meet Jenn, lover of marathons - literally and figuratively. We caught up with her after the latest Runner’s World photo shoot to talk goals. (She’s got plenty to say on the subject.)Jenn Thiel is quickly becoming a familiar face. Not only is she an alumni ambassador at our Kitsilano store, she’s also the face (or should we say torso) in our latest Runner’s World ad. Between training for the Honolulu marathon, writing for her blog, and tackling her bucket list of goals, she’s got her work cut out for her. (Did I mention she’s also pursuing a career as a cardiac surgery nurse? I think all her training will help with the nerves.) After spending some time with her after the shoot, it didn’t take long for me to make the connection: in all aspects, Jenn is the definition of a marathoner. "

i included the lululemon manifesto because i like and it hits home. today i was going to write a blog about not being positive but this little picture and jenn's blog changed that.

happy wednesday :)
mm

my birth month....

2011-02-27T18:11:00.000-05:00

holy smokes, could it be true? my favorite month is just one day away? yes it is and i cannot wait.

here is a quick list of things i am excited about doing during my birth month:

1. first thing first its my flipping birthday!! the special day is the 15th is in case you were wondering

care to join me for a beverage? ;)

2. march madness!!!! i love and i mean love college basketball. of course i will be rooting for my ill-ini, but with that said i am also a realist. once i have my picks i will share them with you all.

2a. i will be uploading my picks for march madness and i have to place my bets also.

3. march 1st is fat tuesday...and i want to go out. a couple of years ago blondie and had an amazing time and i kind of want to do it again.

4. lent begins! i have my two things i will be giving up and trying to do for 40 days and 40 nights.

5. hitting up both dc and philly. i have never been to do dc so i really want to go.

6. on the 20th the nyc half marathon is taking place and all of my idols will be out there so i will be supporting them and all my friends running. my goal is get kara and meb to sign my jersey!

amor a primera vista... ;)

2011-02-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

that's it...it is official i have fallen and i have fallen hard...i fell in love this past weekend. and its for real---well as real as it can be. this past weekend i was in the big easy yes good old naw'orlins and i must say it was love at first sight.

i fell in love with the charm, their southern homes, the food---dear gosh all mighty the food---delicious. best. thing. ever. in. life. the people and last but not least the one thing that used to make me love nyc...there is no hustle and bustle and that makes me love it 1000 times more.

i know i have been saying and i have been thinking that maybe spain was in my cards...but maybe i need to get out of this big city world and move somewhere with a little more piece and quiet. either way you can add naw'orlins to the list of maybe's ...now its time to figure the rest out. feel free to enjoy my pictures from this amazing little city.

oh right the reason we went to this amazing city...to run a half and we did...here is the proof ;)

kissing you....

2011-02-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

silent tuesday has been replaced today by lyric tuesday...today's song...kissing you by total.

Kissin' you is all that I been thinking of
Kissin' you is good

Don't matter who knows
I don't care who sees me
And thinking about you makes my life complete
And what I mean by that
That my whole world changes
You make me feel things that I never felt
I wanna kiss you

Repeat 1
Oh yeah, I wanna kiss you
Repeat 1

When I'm with my friends
I'm trying to figure out a way
To leave 'em behind just to get back to you
Oh, you're my best kept secret
And that's the way I like it
You're my pride and joy boy
That's why I'm dreaming of you
I wanna kiss you

Repeat 1
Kissing you's so good
Repeat 1

2 - You're my pride and joy
You're my baby boy
People ask me how I feel about you

They ask me if I love you (yeah)
Am I crazy for you (yeah yeah yeah)

Repeat 1
Oh yeah, I wanna kiss you
Repeat 1

Repeat 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Kissing you is so good
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh yeah, I wanna kiss you
Repeat 1

I been thinking 'bout you, dreaming 'bout you, thinking about, you yeah, y eah
Repeat 1

i have been singing this song in my head all day..... ;)

100---well I am aiming for a 100

2011-02-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

100 things...
i've seen more and more bloggers with their own lists so i have decided to try to do one of my own. and since today i am at jury duty it seems like the perfect day to start....lets see how far i get.

100 Things about Me:

1. my name is jacqueline, when I was little I hated my name now I love it and embrace it and use it more and more.

2. when I was little I would kick boys in the private part because I thought it was so funny to see them grab, drop and ohhh...wow as I write that I sound terrible.

3. in high school i "borrowed" my mom's car and got into two accidents!

4. ever since I got my license I have a perfect driving record.

5. like most woman am in love with the idea of love but have yet to find such romance...

6. for as long as I can remember when i tell people when my birthday is they always say: "ohhh the ides of march", it wasn't till i read julius cesar that i got that.

7. i realized late my in life that i love to run, currently i have "lost that loving feeling" but i am working on getting it back.

8. my favorite book is the "the notebook", see # 4, cried throughout the whole book.

9. i am working to get passed some current issues i have.

10. i work hard and i party harder.

11. when i was in 5th grade my parents moved us to tamazula mexico.

12. i hated it i spoke spanish but i didn't read or write well enough, looking back it was one of the best times of my life.

13. my brother had braces...and i always wanted them..why i have no clue i have perfect teeth :)

14. i love 90's old school r&b, and i mean love it i can listen to it all day.

15. i have been to: london, paris (3), spain, turkey, greece since 2002 and this year i am going to germany!!

16. i loved spain the most....because of the food, culture, clothes and i could speak the language.

17. i have come to conclusion that come this time next year there will be some huge changes coming my way.

18. i wish i could decorate my room. its soooooooooo blah....i am trying to change that.

19. sitting in a jury selection room is not ideal.

20. i have huge expectations for my friends.

21. i have never broken a bone.

22. i have one tattoo and i don't want any more.

23. i love haagen daz coffee ice cream but i cant remember the last time i had some.

24. i am the oldest but i always act like the baby especially with my momma, i want all her attention.

25. sports are what i love and yes i am a do or die chicago fan all the time...even for the white sox (only when they are not playing my lovely cubs.)

26. i plan on attending the 2014 world games in brazil----that world cup fund needs to start growing.

27. my first crush was ben, he was in 6th grade and i was in 4th i told my cousin who had class with him to give him a note, she told he me didnt like me and that too much of a baby.

28. that same cousin years later tells me she lied and that she never gave him the note.

29. proof why you should always do things yourself.

30. i want to start going to church more often.

31. i am so blessed to have found so many amazing friends. i love my tfk crew!

32. it was recently brought to my attention that in 2010 i ran 3 marathons, 7 half-marathons and did all my long training runs...maybe that's why running and i cant see eye to eye.

33. one main reason i go to my training camp class and boxing class is because the instructors are hot.

34. i am a firm believer in what comes around goes around.

35. when we were younger we moved around a lot i went to 10 elementary schools in: chicago, burbank, anahiem, mexico, burbank and back to chicago.

37. my nephew marco has brought me the most amazing happiness ever...i love my ham!!

38. in an ideal world i think i would love to live in barcelona....

39. and that ideal might become a reality soonnnnnnnn

40. i need to stop putting off my DIY projects....

its 3 p.m. and i wish i was at work...now thats sad. ok i am done for now. happy tuesday

First trip of the year...

2011-01-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

heyllooo all! so yesterday i was super busy at work and with my baby apimac (my mac computer) being out for service, i didnt have a chance to do my new favorite thing...silent tuesday!!

with that being said i thought i would let you all know about a great little trip i will be taking with some of my favorite people..where i plan to hit up bourbon street all night long and i mean all night long.

yes we are going to good old new orleanes where the gumbo is amazing---it might be just me but man oh man do i love southern cooking...if only i would learn to cook... maybe...one day...till then gumbo and new orleanes here i come!!

i love the fact that there will be jazz all night long i love jazz and by love i mean love i defenitly to do not get to experience it the way i would love too...but maybe i will start.

oh and yeah the reason for the trip we will be "running" the half!
and by running i mean maybe jogging, walking and who knows maybe even crawling across the finish line. my goal here is to have an amazing time in good old new orleans. there will be no pr's here the only goal to have fun while i trek it through this amazing city.

also our group that is going has strict orders from our "general" miss.vane
and i quote "MOST importantly…Please confirm that you are leaving your sad, depressed, stressed, unhappy, flustered ..etc..selves at either JFK, LGA, or Newark…only those who are ready to party, have fun, and live it up-Mardi Gras style should show up…I have rules, I will enforce them" i can tell you one thing for sure....she is so serious and does not kid around.

i cannot wait ;0)

how shall i manage my night?

2011-01-20T16:29:00.000-05:00

tonight is the night! are you asking yourself what is she talking about? well let me tell you, tonight is probably only the best night for reality tv...sad, yes a little but still it makes me happy...and the harm is zero.

tonight its going down on two of my favorite shows....jersey shore and real housewives of beverly hills. how will i ever manage to watch both shows at the same time? dvr? i could but i feel like i need to watch both at the same time...lol. again i know the shows are a little crazy but in a world with so much drama it makes everything disappear for at least an hour.

i really do not know how my good friend minnosota disconnected her cable!! !!

so i hope your in front of your tv tonight too we can share stories. here are the questions that are pondering my mind:

is sammi for real with her apology to snikers?

what are kim and kyle fighting about?

is camille really that crazy?

are ronnie and sammi really over?

so many questions will all be solved in an hour? not at all but it will be interesting to find out what does occur.

just need to hit the gym with my workout bf...curtis. i have moved on from my crush now i just attend his classes for the weekly kick ass he gives me...but with looks and his zero body fat body in tight lululemon pants..it is so worth it.

silent tuesday....

2011-01-17T21:52:00.000-05:00

Did you hear?

2011-01-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

unless you were lying under a rock and missed two great games this past sunday. for me the most important game was clearly the 1 p.m. game where my chicago bears sent the seahawks back home! the final score 35 to 24.

our next game is against out enemy's those silly green bay packers...so until next sunday....i will keep all my comments to myself.

.

Slient Tuesday's

2011-01-11T14:45:00.001-05:00

today i learned

2010-12-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

today i learned that when you think you have everything covered and a back up plan...god will throw you a curve ball and smile.

i was suppose to be on the 7am flight this morning get in by 10 and then partake in a little day time drinking with mt, yoda, b and yazmine. clearly that did not happen since now i am not flying out till thursday. ~things could be worse~

i also learned that i have awesome insurance. why you ask...well i went to pearl vision to reschedule my eye exam (which was suppose to be tomorrow in nyc) they took me right away. my eyes are a.o.k. the lovely young lady tells me my insurance is great that i can get a pair of sunglasses for probably nothing. how is that you ask..well my insurance covers $120 bucks of any glasses and well hello ray ban. now i am a proud owner of these ray bans the cost...only 15 bucks..thank you mr. insurance.

my boss is great,instead of taking vacation she arranged it so that i can work from our downtown office...double score my gym is right across the street.

i have learned that i loved my mommy she is always there for not just me (her favorite) but my two brothers and my sister. she is an amazing women and i am very blessed to have her as my momma.

this is my aunt queta, my grams, myself and my momma.

if i dont get back on this....happy new year propospero ano nuevo!!

<3 MM

90's R&B Music

2010-12-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

have i told you how much i love 90's r&b music? well i do. i love listening to the aol 90's r&b station all day long. i can sway from side to side everyday all day. what happened to all these groups? where did the good baby making, sweet loving music go? didn't any of these youngsters learn from all of these amazing artist...i question that everyday. dont get me wrong there are some good artist but nothing like back in the day....

i remember when i used to make my famous "love tapes" well i thought they were pretty good and famous...lol

now lets take it back with....
112 (cupid), tony! toni!tone! (its our anniversary), xscape (let's kick it), maxwell (sumthin sumthin), tlc (red light special), shai (comforter) , jodaci (feenin), mary j. (real love), keith sweat (twisted), aaliyah (back & forth), tamia (so into you), arron hall (i miss you), boyz II men (its so hard to say goodbye in spanish) and mariah carey (if it's over)

i can totally keep going but i am at work so i will stop here.

have a great Friday people.

Thoughts

2010-11-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

What are your first thoughts when you see the following:

Here are mine: The moment you think you shouldn't...that's when you should! Why not right? What do you have to lose? I bet you its not that big of a loss.

Plans are never fun, it is always better to go with the wind.

For the rest of the year and next I will be following this mantra the most. Why be negative nothing good comes from it. If you are around me and I hear you start ranting and raving about negative stuff I will have to tell you to "Build that Bridge and Get Over It".

You want to see changes, start by making them. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Holiday!!

XOXO
MM

New York, where dreams become reality.

2010-11-15T10:33:00.000-05:00

Hey All!!

I have been thinking about how I could sum up this years marathon and as I tried to write I could not get it together. So instead of writing I thought I would show you through pictures.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words so here it goes!

I have tried and tried to save this picture correctly but it's just not working out for me. This is my favorite t-shirt from the NYC Marathon that I bought...

Incase you dont want to strain your neck this is what it says:

bang, cross the verrazano easily, crusin'through brooklyn, over to greenpoint, boom, i'm 1/2 way done already, no problem, pulaski bridge into queens, but i'm the queen tgoday, the east river, you look marvelous, queensboro, i got this, i love you manhanttan, bronx for a hot minute, harlem, wish i could stay, through central park, i can see it, damn, i can make it there. i just did. see ya next year NYC. Run faster.

Brought to you by New Balance...HOTNESS!!

Thank you for all your support and yes I am enjoying my break! :)

Thank you!

2010-11-10T08:08:00.001-05:00

Hey All!! I promise a post is coming soon where I will try to recap my marathon experience!

But before I do that I want to take this time to thank all of NY who came out, cheered, clapped, scream and high fived us.

Also Thank you thank you to all of my TFK peeps for 2009
Bricar
Little D
Jess
Huggy Bear
Lauren
Jesse
Yogi-Becky

Also a huge thanks to Sofi for jumping in and keeping us entertained,
B Aponte BB Aponte!
Mr and Mrs. NYC Fins
Katie
Phil
Mr.Clark Kent
Yoda
MT
G-Man
and of course my lovely B!!

I love you all and you all made this experience an amazing one! Here is a picture of V and I at the finish line with an amazing woman from TFK!

Two days left...

2010-11-04T08:53:00.000-04:00

Only two days left till the most amazing day in the world for a runner.

Tonight I will be picking up my bib and I am super excited about that. Last night I enjoyed a little run on the West Side Highway with Ryan Hall, Bart Yasso and 70 of their closest friends and guess who else was there...ME!!

Here is a picture at the end of the night...and shall I say....Ryan is sexy! That little smile/smirck so attractive. I know I know who would of thought but I guess it can happen. No worries Sara Hall I was just admiring your view ;).

Also I was able to get both Bart and Ryan, to sign my TFK Singlet (I know running nerd) as Ryan signed it he said wow, "Paula Radcliff, I'm in great company". Now I only need to get Kara Goucher, Meb, Hallie and Dana to sign my TFK singlet.

Love you all!! Have a great day!!

5 DAYS!!!!!

2010-11-01T08:52:00.000-04:00

Holy cow!!
Well hello there Mr. Five days till I begin that AWESOME journey through NYC’s 5 boroughs put my body some grueling couple of hours, and be part of one of the most amazing sporting events in the world.

Marathon Sunday Game Plan:
I run in the middle of the road and will
be wearing the TFK Jersey NEON green **Please do not tell me if I am running (get it) late :)** feel free to come to CPW/70th St-.

Otherwise, we will be enjoying some celebratory cervezas at Johnny Foxes (2nd btwn 80/81st)- I would say 4:30-5pm-til I pass out. So come on by!!

For those who will not be in NYC-
Check this link after Nov 1 to download the marathon tracker apps or pay the $2.99 to txt track me
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/athlete_alert.htm
my race # 40524

**If you cant be at the marathon but still want to send me your support follow this link
http://supportyourmarathoner.com/

Thank you to everyone for all the support you have given me on my third marathon in a little over one year. Clearly I have lost it because as my doctor told me...."elites only do one a year what makes you so special" and to answer his question it was me being naive. Oh well lesson has been learned and I will be sticking to my one marathon a year. With that said I have already signed up for my next marathon.....drum roll please..........Berlin!!! Who wants in??
Again thank you so much for everything you all are amazing. I cannot wait to take on this great city with 39,999 other runners!

Still interested in donating?? Follow this link: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

I'm bad, I'm bad you know it...not really but I have been bad about this blog :(

2010-10-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

Hi Bloggers!!
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego, ok not her but me Miss. Marathon Madrigal??

Clearly I have not been updating this blog, to those few souls that read it...sorry about that.
With traveling to California, Champaign, my last 20 miler and work in between it has been just un poco loco.

Overall I have been super happy and super blessed. This past weekend I was at my homecoming and I saw people I had not seen in years. I thought about them before I saw them how would I react what would I do would things be the same? The answer to my questions were all different but I noticed something, that I am so happy and love where I am that nothing else mattered. I was with my girls and we had the best time! Oh and PS Illini beat Indiana!

So I was thinking what to write about.....so as I was roaming around in blogger planet, I found a fill in the blank and so I decided to do it. :) Have a great Wednesday!! :)

1. I am a tough cookie, that wears her heart on my sleeve and loves everything about being in love, falling in love and loving...currently I am not in a relationship but the idea of being one makes me so excited for the future.....hee hee

2. I wish for happiness for all my friends and family. I know that might sound corney but i do...for reals.

3. I like uhmmm cheese, running and traveling. I am super excited because I will be going to Berlin next September and I will be running the marathon too! I knock out two things at once..sweet!

4. I can hardly wait for Nov 7th!! Whoot Whoot NYC Marathon here I come are you ready for me and all my TFKer's!! Everyone should totally do a marathon they are amazing!

5. I hope you know that no matter what although I might get mad I would forgive you.

6. I think love is amazing and everyone should totally be in love.

7. I was thinking holy crap 10 days till the Marathon!!! Aye Dios Mio!!! This day is going to come and go before I know it, and that makes me a little sad...I have to make sure I enjoy the whole day and those leading up to it.

One more thing next week is CARB WEEK!!! I swear the fact that I get this excited about Carbs is a clear reason why I have to keep running...;)

I saw this video and I like it :)

2010-10-15T12:02:00.000-04:00

I'm In!

Are you?

Make sure you watch Nov 7th as the world comes to watch 40,000 runner's run through Five Boroughs, over Five Bridges and end up in the best park in the world..Central Park.

Come and watch the most amazing sporting event out there where I and the rest of the clan are the stars!!

I CANNOT WAIT for Marathon Sunday.

I got it!!

2010-10-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

What you ask? Well the Asics ad's of course!! As I was reading my Runner's world magazine today on the train I saw it and just like last year's I LOVE IT!!

Ready?
Set?
GO!!
Here it is!!

26.2 Steps to shedding your doubts (doesn't it give you tingles?)

Mile:
1. Start running.
2. Keep running.
3. Don't worry, the race isn't all bridges.
4. Don't look at your watch.
5. Keep the faith.
6. Hydrate.
7. Remember, you paid good money to run.
8. Enjoy the Bishop Laughlin band.
9. Find a running partner.
10. Make sure your running partner isn't an elite runner.
11. Savor the downhill leg.
12. Dont eat blintzes while you run.
13. You're halfway home, woohoo!
14. Pace yourself.
15. Enjoy the Manhanttan skyline.
16. Feed off the raucous crowd.
17. Ignore your aching legs.
18. Watch out for banana peels.
19. Don't stop for pizza.
20. Stop thinking about pizza.
21. Imagine all the calories you've burned.
22. Don't window shop.
23. Visualize the finish line.
24. Take in the Central Park scenery.
25. Listen to the cheers from the finish line.
26.2 Stop running, you did it.

I will add imagines as I find them on line ;0).

One last thing I want to give all my TFK peeps that ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday on 10-10-10 a huge round of appluse. It was hot but they did and had some amazing times!!

Sarah M.
Jessica D.
E-Nice.
Little D.
Henry
Sondra

NYC Marathon we are up next...let's get this party started!!

Two in one day!!

2010-10-05T13:41:00.000-04:00

Check out ASics Ad for NYC Marathon...go through the whole interactive map...AMAZING!!

http://www.asicsamerica.com/nycm/map.htm
The marathon course offers runners and spectators an amazing taste of New York's culture and history, but also poses some challenges for marathoners. Click on the blinking mile markers to find out more about that portion of the race. ASICS Athletes Deena Kastor and Ryan Hall provide some insight into what to expect from the course.

To advance the map, use the mini navigation map in the upper left corner and drag the 'highlighted' area to the new mile markers.

As I keep finding these Ad's I will keep posting them...I hope your enjoying them as much if not more than I am!!

32 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes and 30 seconds to go!!

Did Miss. Marathon Madrigal Show up on Saturday?

2010-10-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

Are you wondering if Miss. Marathon Madrigal showed up on Saturday?

Well the answer is YES, Hell Yeah she did!! This past weekend I took part in Greta's Gallop a half marathon in Central Park, and we can say she came and ripped up the course, a hard course two loops of the Central park. (yes, twice around those Harlem Hills) in 2:18 (which is my best thus far in CP), that is also the same time Vane and I had in Philly and Philly is flat and an easy course. I guess you can say we both got our Running MoJo Back!!

I felt no pain...not in my knees, my hips nothing. I did feel the love, my love for running has come back to me!

Vane and I have added one thing to our running routine now...T-Shirt TIME!!! What is T-Shirt time you ask, we say this if one of thinks we are getting a little too serious and there are other reasons but you have to be there to really feel T-SHIRT TIME!! Thank you Vinny and Pauly!!

What was different this time around you ask, well I went into it with my new outlook and like Meb told us, I had a fun, actually I had the most amazing time! Now I cannot wait for the marathon Sunday it is going to be truly AMAZING!!!

This morning I received this quote from Runner's World and it hits home on a day like today: "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tell you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go tto far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon Champ.

My will is back and so is Marathon Madrigal!! :)

Run when smiling :)

2010-10-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

As much as I want you to be over, I really don't want November to come.

As much as I want to stop running... I actually don't. I am finally starting to remember why I love this sport so much.

As much as I want Nov 7th to come and go, in reality I don't. I don't want this day to come because I wait for it for 11 months and in a couple of hours its over just like that.

Last year, Nov 1st, was an amazing day for me. My mommy was here to see me run the NYC Marathon. Lissy and the Buddha surprised the heck out of me at George's thanks to B Aponte (they made me cry). I had the most amazing time training for this run. Gina my Awesome big trooped it out to Brooklyn from Long Island on Marathon Sunday (peeps from NY do not do that) with my two little nephews. Having my girls MT, Tiff and of course my Kermit all over the city with my mom cheering for me, running up and down stairs taking train after train to try to catch me in Brooklyn, they missed me at mile 18 (they were eating so i guess that's ok...lol) but they finally caught me at mile 23...I will never, ever be able to thank you for all you ladies did. Having Krystal run with me at mile 22 was great and can we talk about my AMAZING posters?? My sisters, my friends and my mom were here to watch me run the most amazing race ever! Friends, family and NYC I will never, ever be able to tell you how much you meant to me on that day.

I love to run, I do.Yes, my body is tired, but I this is what I love to do. I love going on a long run, either alone or with Vane and company. I love the way I feel after a long run with the sweat dripping down my face, having my tired body screaming THANK YOU, I needed that. The love I have for the sport of running is something that I cannot explain unless you are a runner. There is an instant gratification you get from putting on your sneakers and heading out for a 6 to 20 mile run. The twitch in your leg that is telling you, oh maybe you went too far but then your heart screams: Nope! You're good, keep your head up and keep going... you got this. I love to run. I love the feeling of euphoria I get when I go a little faster or run a little longer than I have. This sport is amazing and I am glad that I have fallen back in love with it.

And the Marathon.... well, that my friends, is a whole other level of euphoria that unless you have run the NYC Marathon, I cannot even get you to that level.

I love the friendships I have made over a year. I cannot imagine my life without any of my TFK peeps in my life today.

This past year I have questioned myself. I have doubted myself... but I have to remember the important things. This is my FAVORITE run ever!! Why have I been doubting myself? I mean I am not winning the marathon, I will leave that to the pro's like Meb or Haile. I need to remember how much fun I had last year and go with it. I need to remember those amazing Asics ad's that I loved....Hello NY, Goodbye Old Me. Hello Queens, Goodbye Doubt! Where is Miss Marathon Madrigal?? I am not sure, but all I need to know is that on Nov 7th she better show up! Actually, I am going to give her till Saturday when TFK will be running Greta's Gallop, a lovely Half marathon in Central Park, which means Harlem Hills twice. I can do this. I know I can, and I will. I need to stop with the self doubt and just enjoy the one thing I love, and I mean LOVE to do....run!

And now as I do it all over again, I cannot tell you how excited I am. Nothing will ever compare to last year because being a Marathon Virgin and debuting in New York is something like flying your first flight in first class premier, or eating the most amazing food ever for the first time. I truly cannot explain to you how amazing this race is. I know now that this year's marathon will be amazing. I am going to stop trying to compare it to last years because it will never compete and that's ok. This training season was a tough one on me, but I know that I am going to have an amazing run and it will be awesome!! I will smile more and think less, I will run with my heart and not worry about my legs or feet, I will let the great people of NYC carry me from Staten Island to Brooklyn to Queens over the 59th street Bridge up to the Bronx into Harlem and back to my home turf Central Park. No matter what the clock says on Nov 7th, I know that as long as I cross that finish line with a smile on my face, that is all that is going to matter, because this is an Empire State of Mind.

Thank you to my coaches who without them I would not be here! Coach B, Niel, Sid, Asteria and Skinny Vinny!

How much do I love Asics's Ad Team?

2010-09-28T18:27:00.003-04:00

Check out their amazing site!! Nov 7th, I am ready to go!

http://www.asicsmarathon.com/en/im_start.html

SECONDS TURN INTO AN ETERNITY: THE LAST MOMENTS BEFORE THE START. ON YOUR MARK!

TO NEW YORK!

The race is over, the winners have declared. It was a tough contest and to be the first one always needs a bit of luck. We congratulate the winners and wish them joy with their prices. Keep on running!

WE HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO YOUR VOICES...

...and the intensely personal thoughts that have been passing through your heads throughout this 42,195 kilometre long course. We shall be immortalising the most impressive of these thoughts on the ASICS Marathon Site at the appropriate kilometre stages. What’s it like to be in the thronging start? At the 35 kilometre wall? When you finally see the finishing line appearing on the horizon? We have already received the first of your impressions ... throughout the course, enthusiastic runners have revealed how this Olympic distance really feels.

THE INTERNET MARATHON

For the first time, you can take part in a marathon and understand what goes through a runner’s mind - at home, online, in front of your screen. It’s definitely the toughest distance on the World Wide Web.

Guess who I met last night??

2010-09-21T12:41:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to our TFK practice tired and sleepy, in a way I didn't want to be there. But man oh man, am I glad I did go though. Why you ask? Last night while we ran on the Bridel Path with Coach Sid, we saw Meb Keflezighi, lasts year's NYC marathon champ!

We looped us three times, and when we got to Engineer's Gate on our second loop he was there! Coach Sid and Asteria stopped and said a quick hello and we all got to shake his hand and say hi as well. He is such a nice man and has a very welcoming smile. As we got ready to start again he tells us, "have fun out there".

Meb, thank you. Thank you for being the amazing person you are. Because of the four words you said last night changed the way I looked at this past weekend's Philly Half. You are an amazing person and amazing runner. I cannot wait to see you again on Nov 7th!

A great friend of mine we will call her Huggy Bear, sent an email to a couple of last with Nike Ad she saw. I thought it was great and I wanted to share it with you also:
“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.

You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior.

You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer’s tan.

You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it. You decided to be woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer. For 25 years, you ran. And we ran with you. How much farther will we go? As far as you will.”

Oh yeah, here I am.

2010-09-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

Like anything or anyone else I encountered a challenge...a running challenge. With the help of my friends (love you guys), my coaches (Skinny V, Sid, Asteria, Coach B and Neil) and with my new favorite book of all time, Born to Run, I worked my way though it. It was a hard battle but I did it, I fell back in love with running, its a sport you have to love. I feel that running humbles you, breaks you down but then on a random whim you either PR at a race or you run longer than you ever have. Its an amazing sport and for those that love it the way a runner loves it you can appreciate the love/hate relationship you have with it.

Thankfully I didn't quit and I was reminded why I love the sport and how it has changed me and has made me. I know that the book changed the way I look at the sport here are some amazing quotes from the book:

"Your body becomes so familiar with the cradle-rocking rhythm that you almost forget you’re moving. [Eventually,] you break through to that soft, half-levitating flow. You have to listen closely to the sound of your own breathing; be aware of how much sweat is beading on your back; make sure to treat yourself to cool water and a salty snack and ask yourself honestly and often, exactly how you feel. What could be more sensual than paying exquisite attention to your own body? "

"That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they’d never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind’s first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain"

"You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running. "
"Strictly by accident, Scott stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner’s arsenal: Instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well you’re not afraid of it anymore.”

last but not least, " Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running"

Holy Wow!

Sorry I haven't been around for almost a month! I cant believe it has been that long. Well the good news is that I haven't been around because yes, I took that week off. I did however pick up this great book titled "Born to Run". I cannot believe that this book moved me the way that it did. I realized I needed a break and now, well, now I am over it.

"Light, Easy...Smooth". That's from Born to Run, and I kept telling myself that as I ran my 20 miler. Yes, you read correctly I ran 20 miles last Saturday. It was an amazing run and my favorite course Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park City all the way up the West Side Drive to the George Washington Bridge and back to 72nd and the West Side. It was a great run and I finished feeling great!

Vane and I ran the whole thing on our own. This was a training run, not a race, and we both wanted to feel good afterwards.

"Light, Easy...Smooth". That's from Born to Run and I keep telling myself that as I ran my 20 miler. Yes, you read correctly I ran 20 miles last Saturday. It was an amazing run and my favorite course Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park City all the way up the West Side Drive to the George Washington Bridge and back to 72nd and the West Side. It was a great run and I finished feeling great!
Vane and I ran the whole thing on our own this was a training run not a race and we both wanted to feel good afterwards.

This weekend I was Philly to do the Philly Half, a flat course. I loved Philly it was so nice there and the people super nice...and the food oh the food!! Insert picture of my very first REAL Philly Cheesesteak from PATS!

On another great and positive note...do you know what time it is?? It's Football time!! Yes, it is that amazing time of year again. Man do I love Football! I prefer College Football, but I also love my NFL teams, in particular the Bears. Uhmm yeah can we not talk about the win on Sunday.

Who is my college team you ask?
Well I love my Fighting Illini....and I will leave it there.
Other teams I root for are:
Bama
Wisconsin
Gators
I will throw in LSU in the loop as well.

As I said this weekend I will be in Philly (First time) rolling with Vane and Kevin and I cannot wait to see what will come out of this weekend.

PS...Question have you donated? Please do if you haven't!
http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

Love/Hate

2010-08-30T13:48:00.001-04:00

I am currently on hiatus from one of my favorite activities...running. Why? Simple, I just don't want to do it anymore. Right now I am at the "hate" part of the relationship and in order to get it together, I am taking a break. No running, thinking about running or the lack of running. I am cutting running out of my life starting today and ending Saturday.

By next Saturday I hope to miss it so much that I cant wait to put on my new sneakers. I want to fall and I want to fall hard in love with running. I want to miss it and feel the freedom I used to feel when I ran. No more breaking down, No more saying I cant, No more tears! Only tears of joy for this sport. I will get past this running block I have created for myself...I will. MIND OVER MATTER.

I know I will run on Nov 7th, but I want to feel strong and in love with it.

Till I love it again, my running shoes are officially on break.

2010-08-17T14:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, I admit it, I was one of the hundred if not thousands of women that went to see "Eat Love Pray" Friday when it came out. The tremendous trio (Vane, Blondie and I) decided to see the movie together, but only after enjoying some great pizza, I personally wanted to have my own "love affair with my pizza" and we did. I love pizza and like the Blondie said "I don't know what I would do without pizza or cheeseburgers", AMEN and true story to that.

So what does a women in her early 30's think about this movie, on a side note I did try to read the book a while ago and I thought it sucked I could not get through the damm thing to save my life. But I really loved the movie more than the book. I knew we were in for it when the three of us started tearing up through the previews. I thought great, what the hell did I get myself into. My personal review of the movie is I give it two Marathon thumbs up. I enjoyed Julia (yes, we are on a first name basis) a lot and I thought she did an amazing job playing Liz Gilbert. As I watched the movie I thought to myself wow, Liz was not happy being married, she had everything she thought she wanted and just like that she realized she was living someone else's life. Someone else's dream and not her own. The only problem was she didn't know how to get out. What is she to do? She asks for help from the man upstairs, a simple sign (uhm how many times have you done that? I know I have many times over) something, anything. I believe that there are signs everywhere and it really is up to you if you want to / are ready to see them. As of lately, I myself have been in a "is this really what I want for my life" kind of mood. I have some of the same thoughts Liz Gilbert had going on in my own mind. Am I where I am suppose to be? Should I be in NYC? Should I leave? Where is my Javier Bardem ? One of my favorite lines his character says is "you don't need a man, you need a champion" (damm that Penelope is a lucky chick), am I happy or am I just living a life I thought I wanted when I was 23?

For me this movie was amazing because it makes you think. Think about your life and what you really want. Yes, Liz, left her husband and he felt betrayed and hurt but why stay in a loveless marriage? Is that fair to either of them? Yes, she took off for a year away from family and friends and everything she knew I personally think that takes a lot of courage. I know there was a time when I was afraid to leave because I might miss out on something or someone, now I take every opportunity I can to go away just to make sure that I live my life. I think that was the point Liz was trying to make. This is her life. This plan might not work for you but it worked for her, because she did it for herself. When everyone told her not to go and that she was crazy she went anyway and made the change. How many times have we been scared to change because we don't know what is out there? Ever since my cousin passed away at the age of 18 I have made a pact to live my life to the fullest no matter what. Life is way to short to try to plan it out perfectly. You spend so much time planning your life, that in the midst of it, life winds up passing you by. Someone once told me: "Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relieve the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to the realization that if I worry about what might have been, I will ignore what is...learning to live for today." From now on, I plan on living by that mantra. Living for today, and living for myself. What is in the past isn't changeable, you can't sit there and wonder how your life would have turned out if you went left instead of right. We all make decisions in the moment because they are what is right for us in that very moment. The only time it becomes the wrong decision is when we feel trapped by it and can't move on past it.

So in retrospect, I have decided that I am going to make a change. Not to sure what it is but I am making moves here and there. To end this post, in the movie the medicine man Ketut said to Liz, "to lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life", so sometimes when things don't make sense and everything seems out of whack that's when your the most balanced. Well that was my interpretation and at the end of the day that's what is important. My interpretation.

The Bronx.....Here we go again.

2010-08-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

The BX Half Marathon is this weekend and here is what I am hoping for:

1. GREAT WEATHER----Running Gods: This is my plea to you: please do not let it be super hot day like Queens. Ideally I would be so happy if we can have weather like we did for the Brooklyn Half where I achieved my PR!! That would be fabulous if you can arrange that...much love, Marathon Madrigal. As of right now this is what the weather is suppose to be like: http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/sports/wxdetail/10028?dayNum=3

2. If I can hit my time of the BK half of 2:15 I would be extremely happy…. False! I would be so EXCITED! I would jump up and down, maybe even do a cartwheel after the run!!
Me crossing the finish line with my PR!!

3. No Humidity...I think that falls under my first point but it is such a strong one that I need to say it again.

4. If it is that hot again...please all men take your shirts off. Sorry, it is what gets me through the run :).

5. On Sunday my friend B-Aponte-B-B-Aponte is running her first Half Marathon lets give it up for her!! Whoot Whoot!!

6. Friends near and far if you're in the area, come out and root for us on Sunday Morning at 7:00 a.m....Yes, I am excited (sarcasm at its best)!

7. Although there are turns and cross-overs, the course is nothing like Queens, which is a positive.

8. One last thing... Please, please, please, no chaffing.

Again, if you're not doing anything, come and cheer us on in the Bronx!
Here is the map:
http://www.nyrr.org/races/2010/hms/pdf/BronxHalfMarathon_Map_2010_new.pdf

Also one last thing: Blondie and I are guest bartending and serving up some delicious drinks @ Choice Bar (380 3rd Avenue btwn 27th and 28th Avenue) on August 26Th. From 6 till your ready to go home. Come support us as we raise money for Team for Kids!

If you would like to donate follow these links:

Alicia: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/432

Jackie: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

Funny Random Post...

2010-08-03T16:01:00.000-04:00

The other day a friend of mine, we will call her Bethany,
(I like to add pictures to add to the post)
said to me that maybe going with the safe option in love is the best deal. She brought up a guy she used to hang out with and said maybe she should've stayed with him. I couldn't remember this guy, but I asked her if this was the guy who she kissed and felt nothing with? She reminded me that yes, he was, and said "I felt like I was kissing my brother". I then asked her "Why would you bring him up"? She told me that the guys that she does feel a spark with are usually the douche bags and act like little boys that keep her on her toes, but treat her badly. She reminded me that although those are not the ideal type of men you want in your life, it is what keeps her entertained. I gave her my take on the situation but as I always say, what do I really know? I am a single gal, but come on, what are we supposed to do? Wait around until you figure it out?

Now as a woman, I know how true this is. Usually we love.....well maybe that's a strong word... usually we like those boys that just don't fit with what we want or what we are looking for. They might be a little cuter than your average Joe, but I have realized that the older I get, the more I want to find a man, not a boy, that is going to love me with all my crazy ways and will have my best interest at heart.

As I look back at all my "great loves" I laugh a little, because at one time I thought they were "the one" that if I didn't end up with, I would die, I mean die!! Clearly that did not happen because I am still here alive and breathing. I have learned that there is a reason for everything. Let me explain by running down my list of boyfriends/friends with benefits/etc in no particular order with fake names of course to protect the innocent and not so innocent. Not that they read this, but you never know:

Sal: Broke my heart to the point where I thought I would never come back from it. Three years later, after we had become are friends and I find out he is gay (see what I mean... things happen for a reason).
This is not Sal and his partner but they are just as cute as this couple...hee hee.

Jeremy: High School boyfriend, did I really believe it was going to work out? I mean come on we were both in high school...lol.

Mike: Crazy! I mean crazy! Would show up at my house because he "missed me". Cute at first and then I realized he was way too needy.

Ryan: College friend with benefits....uhmm never a good way to start anything. Hard to be with someone who doesn't know who he.

Peter: In my head he was everything I thought I wanted and I later realized it was more physical then anything else.

The Chef: An older man living a young man's life...still makes me smile when I think of him...always have been good times :)

The Oil Man: Ohh this one hurt my ego a lot. I won't lie. There's no point, right? Really liked this guy but again, things happen for a reason. Currently I don't know what it is but I feel I will figure it out one day and hopefully when I do it really won't matter.

All in all each relationship I have mentioned taught me something, whether I wanted to learn it or not.

Love is not about always being in love and happy. Its about going through ups and downs, finding love in the strangest of places, learning about yourself and how much you really can love another human. My love life may not be the best because…. Hello?! I am still single, and I am enjoying my life but I do realize that I want to find the love of MY life and I know I will...soon.

Someone once said... "Someday, someone is going to walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else"...so true.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a friend about his wife and how he knew, and what he told me is what I wanted to hear. He said "I saw her and instantly I knew. I knew she was the one for me and I knew I had to make her my wife". He also said he was happy he meet her at work because had he met her at a club he it might not have worked. Yes, they did get married and they are very happy. I guess it is true, a guy really knows when he sees the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

On a running note....I will be running 14 miles alone on Friday morning so if you're interested let me know! ;) Here is a picture of Vane and I running at Van Cortalnd.

Queens Half..almost almost broke me.

2010-07-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

Why do I do this to myself?! I ran a half marathon on the hottest day of the year and on the craziest course!

Let's start with how scared I was to do this half. I have to say, I was more scared then I was for my first Marathon last year. I got up at 4:30 Saturday morning, wiping the sleepiness out of my eyes. I turned on the TV to see what the weather was....I thought to myself maybe the weather dropped like 15 degrees overnight. It did rain, right? That would have been heaven. The outcome...uhmmm yeah a whopping 83 degrees. I had to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but I wasn't. It was 83 and it was only going to get hotter!
As Blondie and I walked to meet Vane, I was getting more and more nervous. I thought to myself - "Will I walk? Can I even run in this heat?" All these questions were coming at me and then I stopped and thought - it's mind over matter. No matter what, I have to go into this run knowing it will be hard, but I can do this. I know I can. I am stronger then I think I am. As we meet Vane we noticed her OCD self was out of wack…The girl did not wake up two hours before to eat her bagel, so she too was a hot mess. This is not good, as she is the one that keeps our group calm and collected. This time that was not the case. The drive to Queens was filled with laughter and fears and maybe some tears. As we got to the course we found our coach, Skinny Vinny, who told us to tack on at least 15 minutes to our normal time. It was way too hot to try to be a hero on Saturday.

Now the course... I must say, it SUCKED. There is no other way to say it. See the attached picture so you can understand. Anyway, I stuck with Vane as we ran these 13.1 miles in some of the worst weather conditions ever.

Lets move to the positive sides of the race. There are not many so we will do those first:
1. Sprinklers at every other mile were my salvation. There was a point when I stood there and just let the water fall on me.
2. So many HOT men!! Funny enough, usually when I see a hot guy, I am rather shy (shocking I know), but on Saturday I was engaging in a lot of yelling, whistling and shouting. Listen, before you go ahead and judge me, it was super hot that day and I needed something to get me through that run. Plus what man does not enjoy a little cheering to get him through that run especially. :)

3. NO WALKING!! We did not walk. WHOOT WHOOT! That was a major accomplishment.
4. I finished the run, which was my goal for this race.

Yes, I think that was it on the positives of the race. Now we shall move on to the negatives:
1. I chaffed between mile 1 and 3!! Man did I ever! I had applied so much body glide on my body, but it was so hot and I kept getting soaked with water. I somehow managed to lower my shorts to where I was able to run the last 10.1 miles.
2. No PR, but I am ok with this as I know sometimes you cannot beat the elements.
3. Did I mention the course sucked?
4. Had some pain in my hamstring.

All in all I ran the race. I didn't run it but I ran it. I completed another half marathon on the hottest day of the year, but I did it! I could have easily said no way I am not going and stayed in my nice, cold bedroom, but I didn't. There was only a little over 4000 runners which is not a lot for a half marathon. I congratulate everyone who crossed that finish line, whether you walked or ran. You are still a great runner for coming out in the heat and completing 13.1 miles.

After that, we went to a local diner in Queens and I enjoyed a nice, cold, chocolate milkshake. The best recovery drink ever.

I want to give a shout out to my girls Vane and Blondie. I really don't know what I would do without those two in my life. We go through so much together and that's what makes it so much fun and better to deal with. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you the most and to be that shoulder I cry on, lean on and sometimes pull on.

One last thing last night I recieved my New York Running Magazine and guess who made it twice? Yes, me along with Blondie and Vane. I guess you can say we are the new unoffical faces of TKF check it out!

Till the next run.

Happy Running.

Yep, its still hot!!

2010-07-20T13:23:00.000-04:00

Man has it been hot these last couple of days in New York City. We are experiencing one of the worst heat spells and it does not seem to be letting up at all. This is not a good thing especially since I will be taking part in the Queens Half this Saturday (7/24). Have I told you guys how much I dislike running in the heat? I must have because I think about it all the time so I figure I must be blogging about it too..lol.

This Saturday goal is to keep my PR of 2:14 or better. My only concern is this darn heat! On the positive side we will be starting at 7:00 a.m. and I am excited and lucky because Coach Skinny Vinny will also be running the half so we will get a great stretch before and after the run.

There has been so much that has been going on these last couple of weeks. Let me give you a quick recap:
World Cup has ended (insert sad face), Spain beat the Netherlands...which I still don't understand how that happened but, oh well, such is life. My favorite moment is still when my dream team of Germany beat, slaughtered Argentina 4 to 0 (insert Happy Go Lucky Face)

World Cup 2014 fund has started!! I along with other die hard fans have started a saving fund. We started with $25 dollars a week. We figure (by we I mean Vane and I) that we need to save around $5,000 to attend a two week session of the world cup. The problem now is trying to figure out which two weeks we can attend. If only we can go for the whole month...auhh to wishful thinking.

I had my first trip to the Catskills. The weekend of the 23rd I, along with Blondie, Vane, Mattie, Ren and Kelsey, went to Ren's house and I have to tell you...it was amazing. I had never been up there and it was unbelievable. There was no humidity, it was quiet and Ren's parents are amazing. We went for a nice, but hard 5.1 mile run while we were up there and then jumped into the lake which was amazing!! The rest of the weekend consisted of putting together Ren's grill which was done by Blondie and Mattie (we later cooked Alaskan Salmon YUMS), napping in a hammock and tubing for the first time. This was awesome. I even have the bruises to prove how awesome I was. My favorite part of the weekend had to be Ren's mom making her famous Blueberry pancakes...man do they live up to the hype.

Now its back to training and I mean hard. Our mileage is going up for sure and with this heat I really need to buckle down and get my act together. I need to start doing more cross training....I have been saying that for about a month now...maybe putting myself on full blast will push me to make it happen.

Last but not least I found the 53 Runner's Commandments by Joe Kelly, check them out..
1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don’t let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who’s missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner. “Singlets” are worn on warm days. “Tank tops” are worn to the beach.
18. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don’t always run alone.
20. Don’t always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
27. Be modest after a race, especially if you have reason to brag.
28. If you say, “Let’s run this race together,” then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.
29. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
30. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
31. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
32. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
33. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
34. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
35. Don’t trust runners who show up at races claiming to be tired, out of shape, or not feeling well.
36. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
37. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
38. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
39. Without goals, training has no purpose.
40. During training runs, let the slowest runner in the group set the pace.
41. The first year in a new age group offers the best opportunity for trophies.
42. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
43. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
44. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
45. “Winning” means different things to different people.
46. Unless you make your living as a runner, don’t take running too seriously.
47. Runners who never fail are runners who never try anything great.
48. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.
49. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
50. Never apologize for doing the best you can.
51. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run!

10 Miles....no, no just 9 (pancakes still were needed) :)

2010-07-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend our TFK team (DONATE DONATE DONATE http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74) went up to Van Cortland park in the Bronx. I remember this run from last year and it was amazing. Thinking back I was so excited about the run, the hills were tough but it was such a great run and its a lot of fun to get out of the Central Park every now and again. We arrived via Blondie's chariot the train ride alone is reason not to make the trip out there but after each run we get Carrot Cake so totally makes it worth the trip.

Yummy right?

Any who we arrived just in time with Vane, LD and Mags we warmed up and split up into our groups. Vane, Mags and I were in the 9:30 to 10:30 group and Blondie and LD went to the 8:30 group (yes, they are a lot faster).

As we started Mags, Vane and I felt great. It was super humid and as we started off on the back trails I felt the sweat in places I didn't think I could sweat. But I was prepared and ready to go. I think that I start to block out bad memories because man were those hills a lot harder than I thought. The hills were a total of 3.1 miles long and these were a lot harder this time around. I have to remember that I do NOT like running in this heat. It wears me down both physically and mentally on this past run I kept telling myself "you can do this keep going". Which I did, I did it at my own pace it was so humid that I didn't want to push it so hard I would pass out...ok that might be a little dramatic..lol. Once the hills were done we had another 6 miles to go but this was on flat land and I was looking forward to that as we ran to get some water our coaches said not to do 10 miles only 8 it was too hot. i thought to myself "they are right, but lets see what my body can do".
I ran and I was feeling good when I got to the where Coach B was I took my GU and asked him if I should keep going, he said "do what your body tells you, do 9". So I did I ran a to the 9 mile marker and I was feeling great. I had a bottle of water in my hand which I kept throwing on my head and chest to keep cool. As I turned around running alone it was nice. Although I love running with Vane sometimes it nice to run alone and take it all in. I paid close attention to my body, breathing and form which I have realized I have the marathon shuffle..workin on it workin on it. This is what I see when I run in Van Cortland

Let me know if you ever want to run up there..happy to take any virgin's :)...lol.

As I was running I saw Coach Sid, who told me that my partner in crime got hurt...she is suppose to update her blog so make sure you bug her so she will send her a note @ http://vanerunsnyc.blogspot.com/

Till next time..or a funny life experience happens...keep it moving.
<3 MM

Holy Canolie is it HOT!

2010-07-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

Guys its been so super hot outside and I just don't want to run. Who would? Only the crazy nuts that do not realize its CRAZY to run in this weather. As I see people running in this heat, all I can remember is last year's NYC Half Marathon, and if you read my blog, you know it was a killer. This heat is brutal but I have to put on my big girl panties and get it done. I will be running with my team tonight and doing speed workouts (insert crabby face). I know I have to, especially if I want to hit my target time for the NYC Marathon this November. I really need to get it together and work it out. With that said, I think this posting says it best.

I also have the Queens half marathon coming up and as my lovely sotto coach Vane reminded me yesterday, we have not run more than 5 miles. Yes, that is a huge problem. A half marathon is 13.1 miles so just doing 5 miles is kind of a road block in my training. And I really want to either keep my BK half time of 2:14 (So proud of my PR, once again Gracias Vane) or beat it by at least a couple of minutes.

It has been a record heat here in NYC and with everything going on, I have a lot on my plate and on my mind (lol) with that being said life keeps moving along. Time does not stop for anyone. I, along with Blondie and Vane, went to visit Nortie in Bmore this past 4th of July weekend and her Birthday Happy Bday Nortie. Being there made us all open up our eyes to what we really want out of life. I think I realized that as much as I love NYC, I don't think I want to be here forever. I know... Shocking, but it is true. I am not sure where I will be going or when, but I have realized that a change needs to be made. With that being said, I am doing a lot of soul searching and trying to find out what I love, or at least something I like, and also locations. Here is what is at the top of my list and in no particular order:
B-More
Dallas
San Fran, still need to visit to confirm so this is a MAYBE
Spain
ATL, man this might be heaven for me...maybe I can find Slim or Q from 112 and one of them can finally fall in love with me and sing in my ear all night...lol wishful thinking.

Places I would not go, also in no particular order:
L.A
Florida - Only because of the weather. Otherwise it's perfect and is home to the greatest football team EVER! Go Miami Dolphins!! :)
Houston

This weekend is the last weekend of World Cup and it's a little sad. Our crew will be getting together to watch the championship on Sunday and then I will be putting my drinking cup away. This last month has been a killer on my liver.

With love in running,
MM

Picture from BK Half

2010-07-01T14:27:00.001-04:00

Here we are Vane and I running the BK half...when I hit my PR!!

THANK YOU VANE!!! ;)

Rock it out!! :)

Holy Bonkers!!

2010-06-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

Holy Bonkers,
Its that time again already? How did that happen?! Yes people, it is that time again. I am raising money for my NYC team - Team For Kids. I know that many of you donated last year and I cannot thank you enough. You helped me train to run one of the toughest marathons ever, but you also helped children all over the world fight childhood obesity.

http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/74

If you can donate please do so and follow the link. Thank you so much in advance. Your donation helps so many children. This year I promise to update you all with more stories on the children you are helping.

Happy Running :)

You've Changed...and Change is the only constant.

2010-06-25T16:33:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but last night I finally let my emotions out. All of them. And I have to admit that I felt like a new person this morning. I woke up with a smile on my face. In love with the chance of new opportunities and new interest in everything from work, life and especially love.

I wont lie, I was bummed by the fact that things didn't work out, but what am I suppose to do, be upset forever? No, you cant live your life that way. Plus I did that once and I wont do that again (see from every relationship you learn something). Last night it all came together for me. I realized that things happen for a reason (There is always a reason. The point is do you want to see it or do you ignore it?). My situation didn't work out but that's ok, because for the first time in a long time I opened up my heart and that right there is a mini miracle in a way. Maybe not a mini miracle but it did make me see that I am ready for love and the next chapter in my life.

On my way to work I had my ipod on and I started listening to Keyisha Cole and then I heard a song that I hadn't heard in a long time. Its called "You've Changed". Now this song is not what happened in my situation, but it did open my eyes even more. People change. One day you're up, one day you're down. Either way, you need to do what makes you happy. Here are the lyrics to the song. I love them so much that I have the song on repeat. I hope you enjoy it!

**Keyshia Cole, You've Changed**
I already heard your side of the story now hear mine,
Ima tell you why cause you changed when you got doe no you listen

I remember like yesterday the very day I met you,
you was lookin fly I was actin shy so when you walked by
I ignored you good thing you turned around and asked me my name in an instant
my attitude changed swept me off my feet you were so sweet feelin kinda deep
you amused me gave you my number next day you called askin if you can see me
so I said alright you can stop on by it gave me butterflys,
30 minutes knock knock its you I'm glad to see you but I keep my cool from day one
I fell in love with you but now I ask myself who are you.

[Chorus]
You changed You changed you got doe and changed you got doe and you changed baby
you changed it wasn't the same you got doe and you changed you got doe and you changed what was I to do.

You were never there why should I be there, their know one there to hold me I am workin hard
and late these are the day's when a girl like me needs lovin if he's not
then someone else is getting what he causes you wasn't takin care of home
left me there alone so whats a girl to do when she's feelin in the mood we were together
but we grew apart thinkin with my mind and not my heart packed up all my things left the engagement
ring
cause from the looks of things I can't do this live this life that I call my life
and if this is what is like being your wife I'd rather be your friend then through thick and thin
but now it's the end my sufferin.

[Chorus]
You changed You changed you got doe and changed you got doe and you changed baby
you changed it wasn't the same you got doe and you changed you got doe and you changed what was I to do.

What was I to do, sit around and wait for you to call
when I wanted be in your arms missin you every minute
you were gone you were gone to long doin who knows what who knows where
you act like you didn't care when I wouldn't be here, cause you changed.

[Chorus]
You changed You changed you got doe and changed you got doe and you changed baby
you changed it wasn't the same you got doe and you changed you got doe and you changed what was I to do.

No it ain't about the house with rims and the range
no it ain't about the cars and houses and things
no ain't perpetraintin with the clothes broken promises please.
No ain't about the hype that you given to me.
No it ain't about it, No it ain't about it, No it ain't about it,

Oh no what was I to do about it.

No it ain't about the house with rims and the range
no it ain't about the cars and houses and things
no ain't perpetraintin with the clothes broken promises please.
No ain't about the hype that you given to me.
No it ain't about it, No it ain't about it, No it ain't about it

World Cup Fever!!! ~ Pictures will be added soon~

2010-06-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

Hola!!
Yes, I know I have been kind of absent. Sorry about that, but guys, the WORLD CUP is on and unless you have been living under a rock you have to understand that this alone is the best time ever. The world cup comes along every four years and every four years, for a month, I devote as much time as I possibly can to the game. Back in 2006 I was supposed to go with my cousin Laura to Germany and watch the games but that didn't happen due to work (I hate that excuse) and money. Back then I was not where I am now. This year I really don't know why I am not in South Africa rocking my Mexican jersey. Part of me regrets not going, but part of me knows and understands that I had to be here, which at times like this SUCK... but I digress. Right now there is so much going on in my life that I need a little stability. I have to admit that watching the World Cup at work and taking days off to watch the games have not been the most "stable" but hey this only comes around every four years so to hell with it.

On Tuesday June 22nd, I took the day off to watch mi Mexico play against Uruguay with Vane, Dom, Alexis and then Kevs joined in later. The Mexico game was a hard one for me to watch because I really think that we lost it somewhere even before Uruguay scored. Although we did advance to the next round, I really, really am hoping that we can make it past Argentina. I guess we will see how that goes. After the Mexico vs. Uruguay and France (Wimps) vs. South Africa game, we trekked it all the way downtown to another bar to meet up with Kevs to watch the next two games. I wont lie although I am not a fan of Greece and their team. I was hoping they could score at least one goal against Argentina but unfortunally that did not happen. Argentina won 2 to 0. Saturday will be an emotional day for me to say the least.

After that game Kevs of course wanted to keep going and we did we hit up the Rusty Knot. Great bar. Vane and Alexis made friends with the bartender and Kevs made a bet that he will beat Blondie in a half marathon. Is he serious? I guess we will all find out in three months or so.

Mi Mexico will be playing against the Argentine's which I am not a fan of. I will explain later. Really not the place to now, especially not before the game on Saturday. This will be a very tough game for Mexico, but I think we will be able to hold our own. I want Mexico to come out on Saturday and play the game they did against the French, a confident game have my little sunshine "Chicharito" play and score the way he can. If we go in there and play right and hard and if the outcome is not what I want I will still wear my jersey with pride because they played with all they have.

On Saturday our team is running in the Front Runner's Lesbian and Gay Pride Run in Central Park. If you are around you should come out. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. and I am hoping that it will not be that hot out there. Come and support. If you look for me after the race I will have gotten a PR because I will be running to a bar to watch the games.

Keep Running
XOXO
MM :)

NY Mini Finishers

2010-06-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

Check out my pictures with Mrs. Kara Goucher with her cute little 5 month old Belly.

http://www.nyrr.org/resources/photos/2010/mini/more/gallery.asp#18

After the race, Vane and I love the bagels and fruit.

http://www.nyrr.org/resources/photos/2010/mini/event/gallery.asp#16

To recap the race, Vane and I pushed way to hard on Harlem Hill, so when we hit Engineers gate and we had no steam left,but we still pulled through it and finished. The best part of the race was that we meet both Kara Gougher and Paula Radcliffe.

Till the next time. :)
MM

Tomorrow's Mini 10K

2010-06-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I along with Vane and Blondie and about 4,000 women will be running the Mini 10K, along with two of our hero's Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe (who are 5 months pregnant) in Central Park. If your in the area come and cheer us on we will be wearing our lovely TFK jersey's.

Yes, I am a nerd because I will be taking my camera to try to get a picture hopefully with them!! I will update you guys on Monday. After the run its off to watch the WORLD CUP!!

Till then Happy Running!

MM

Marathon Training has started!!

2010-06-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!!

It is that time of year again when all the crazy people start by giving up their Friday night outings for early Saturday morning runs, Blondie will start to make her lovely lasagne's and of course body glide...yes it is here Marathon Season is among us!

Today will be my first practice back with my team TFK so be on the look out of all of my fundraising activities and if you can please donate ;).

So excited as last year's NYC Marathon was amazing. Here are some highlights from last year:

Having my mom try to find me in NYC, along with Miss MT, Tiffany and my Kermit.

Lissy, Buddha and Ken surprising me at George's and supporting me in BK, thank you B Aponte BB Aponte.

Short Michelle, I love ya for all that you do :).

I do have a thank you for all my TFKer's but that has to be a seperate post...up next.

National Running Day

2010-06-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

Today June 2nd is National Running day!!!

Here is some information I "borrowed" from NYRR on National Running Day.

What is National Running Day:
National Running Day is a national initiative of the major organizations within the running industry to join forces in an unprecedented unified effort to nationally promote running as a healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. The second annual National Running Day will be Wednesday, June 2.

From New York to San Diego, the day will celebrate the benefits of running as part of a healthy and active lifestyle aimed at combating some of today’s most pressing health issues.

You can participate in National Running Day anywhere—you don’t have to be in one of the cities hosting events to take part. At the least, all it takes is to wear your running shoes throughout the day, go for a run, and invite a friend to join you.

So, what do you think? Ready to get out and run?

For those that are not runners, thats ok: Read below.
It’s easy to get started running. Here are some simple guidelines everyone can follow to safely and pleasurably develop their ability to run.
Relax. Running is a natural act, like breathing or walking. Just about anyone can do it. It is, however, recommended that you consult a health professional before undertaking a serious training program. You may wish to start by walking first, and then gradually incorporating running into your training program.

Think positively. Don’t be discouraged. If you can get through the first several weeks of training, you will find that what seems like a big effort at the start will soon feel natural and easy to you. Within a few weeks, you will experience the pure joy of running down the street or along a park path.

Buy quality gear. The only equipment you will need is comfortable exercise clothes and good running shoes. Go to a running specialty store and get advice about the right shoes for you. You can get good running shoes for $80-120.

Train with a plan. Choose a running/walking course that is readily accessible to you. During your first two training weeks, try to run two or three times per week, on alternate days. When you feel ready, increase to four days a week, then five days. The idea is to build up gradually. Even top competitive runners take days off regularly to rest and avoid injury. Stretch your muscles on both your running and non-running days.

It’s okay to walk. Begin your first workouts with 15 minutes of alternating walking and jogging: Walk for five minutes, then run easily for two or three minutes; repeat. If you are comfortable jogging from the start, that’s fine, but do not run the entire time even if you think you can. Don’t worry about the distance you cover. On your third or fourth workout, try increasing your time to 20 minutes. After three or four more workouts, move to 25 minutes, then after another three or four workouts, try a 30-minute continuous run. Don’t force yourself to go farther or faster than what feels comfortable to you. The idea is to keep running regularly, and you’re more likely to do that if you’re enjoying yourself and looking forward to your next run.

Run at “conversation” pace. If you can’t chat with your running companions, you are going too fast. If you are running alone, try singing to yourself, out loud, to make sure your effort and breathing are under control. If you can’t sing, slow down.

If your schedule allows, include cross training. Biking, elliptical training, and lifting light weights can help strengthen non-running muscles and prevent injury. Swimming and deep water running can also be helpful in balancing your training and avoiding injuries.

Aim for a race. Pick an event that’s at least six weeks in the future. An ideal distance for your first race would be 5K (3.1 miles) or four miles. This is short enough so that you can truly be ready for your first effort, and long enough to give you the sense of accomplishment that will fuel your future running. Your goal should be to finish, enjoy the event, and look ahead. Start at the back of the pack, hold yourself back at the start, and run within your comfort range. If your time was slow, that’s good—now you have a base from which to improve.

For your next race, try a few short speed workouts. After a mile warm-up, run a series of faster intervals with jogging in between. A good “starter” workout is a sequence of about 400 meters at a quicker pace, followed by a slow 400-meter jog, repeated six times. This will loosen up your legs, lengthen your stride, and give you the confidence you will need to race.

**Food for thought: No one starts off a runner we all worked our way to where we are now. Example me, I was never a runner I was on the track team in high school and HATED IT! Now I am working towards my 3rd marathon. If I can do it so can you!

Enjoy the day!!

MM

Hello Brooklyn. Goodbye Fear

2010-05-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Finally, Finally, Finally. I finally had an AMAZING run!!! I have said it before and I will say it again THANK YOU VANE!!!

I would have never been able to do this without her. She was there with me even though she was in pain from her hip, but she kept me on track and just when I thought I could not push it anymore she yelled to me "COME ON GIRL, YOU GOT THIS" and just like that, I did. Then I saw Ren, Kelsey and Blondie cheering for us, that I had to push it and you know what it felt great and I also received my very first PR!!! What is a PR you ask? Well, simple//// Personal Record with a time of 2:14:29 for a half marathon, which is great because my last half I completed in 2:24:45.

Vane, Blondie and I all headed up to Brooklyn together in a cab and I have to say. no one was feeling this half marathon. We were all very quiet which is always an odd thing for all of us. My goal was to leave all my fears in Prospect Park because these last couple of run have not been the best since Paris. My stomach was in knots and I was really nervous once we showed up. I told myself it was ok to feel it now as long as I left it in the park and I did.

The Highlights of the Brooklyn Half were:
1. I GOT A FLIPPING PR!!
2. Vane and I crossed the finish line together for the first time ever.
3. Seeing Ren, Kelsey and Blondie at the finish line.
4. Seeing Michelle and Alex at mile 11.5 I think..lol

The one and only low light of the race....was watching a squirrel commit suicide as we did the first lap in Prospect Park. The poor squirrel fell out of a tree to its death, was actually a very very sad moment.

Other than that, the run was great! We all celebrated together and enjoyed a wonderful Saturday morning Run.

Thank you to everyone for all of their support and well wishes...I have broken the mental wall. :)

Need to leave it all behind

2010-05-21T09:39:00.000-04:00

Oh Paris, Oh Paris, how you have scorned me. You all have read how Paris has been the hardest race for me to date and I guess I still haven't gotten over it. Its been a little over a month and when I enter the corrals to start a race, my stomach turns into knots and I literally want to curl up into a ball and just lay there still and motionless. I didn't realize how bad Paris hurt my running ego, but it really did quite the number on it. When people ask me how Paris was, the first thing out of my mouth is "Terrible, I hated it with a passion". The truth is that for the first 20 miles it was a great race, but dammit those last six point two. I cant get those out of my mind. Since I have been back, I have done two races. One was the shameful 4 miles, and the Healthy Kidney 10k. With both, I didn't feel as comfortable as I should have.

I know that I have hit a mental wall, maybe even a physical wall. How do I get over it? At the Healthy Kidney run, Vane and I spoke to two elite runners and Vane told them about her experience in Paris which was also bad. Then the runner asked "Well why was the race so hard"? Vane responded "Because I was injured". The runner looked at her and said "Why did you run"? It was like the messiah himself came down and shed light onto our little running feet. Then I asked the other elite runner how to get over a bad run, and he said "You just do". You leave it behind. Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days. You just need to leave them behind. When Vane and I walked away we couldn't get over the simple sentences that these elites had shared with us.

But as much as they are simple, they are still very hard to overcome. I need to get over my mental hump I have the Brooklyn half tomorrow and I want to do well. NO, not well…. I want to do AMAZING! I know I can do this I just need to get over the fear that I have. The fear that keeps growing when I put my chip on my shoe, when I enter the corrals. I need to leave them behind and Brooklyn will be the place where that happens.

My goal for this half is to not let my mind beat me up, not let the walking word enter my thoughts and most importantly, to enjoy this run. Brooklyn was by far my favorite borough during the NYC Marathon and I know tomorrow will be just as amazing.

Vane sent me a blog entry she found about hitting the wall. My favorite line from that is the following: "I wonder if it's possible to imagine drawing a new starting line just when we think we can't muster another step. Some experienced runners say the race doesn't even begin until mile 20...until the wall. Thats when you really find out what you are up against, and in that same sweet moment, what you are really made of.

Hopefully come Monday I will have a different outlook on running.