Monday, November 26, 2012

well that was just spectacular.

lo, ali, andy, uncle a, aunt brenda, gamma and mom...thanksgiving totally kicked ass.
dinner friday night with babuski...priceless.

between the florida weather, hilarious memories, private pilates class with a few of my favorite people, spin class with my uncle, massages, baked brie, movies, stories, games (ian, we all still think you cheated!!), and good, deep convos had over the past few days, this was the most fun holiday weekend i have had in so long i cant remember when the last one was.

i have a feeling i will be suffering from post- thanksgiving awesomeness for a while. it was just TOO fun. the things that makes it ok...i will see my bro in just a few short weeks for christmas and then im heading back to florida with lo and ali in february. holy hell yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

since i went to florida as pale as a vampire, i did get a bit of sun but i need more. hilster needs a tan!!
hurry up february. until then ill keep the memories alive and hit the bike at flywheel. see you soon FL!!


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

post marathon

everyone tells you how sore you are going to be after running a marathon. while thats true, i dont remember anyone mentioning how utterly EXHAUSTED i would be. i have been in bed by 8:30pm for 2 days in a row and i am still so tired.

i give credit to awesome friends for helping me focus on other things than pain after i was done. i did wear compression pants (ive worn them everyday) and have foam rolled, iced and hit the gym to keep my legs from getting too stiff. suffice to say i planned well for the soreness. the exhausted has been kicking my ass, however. holy balls!


as i prepared for the marathon, and now as i sit back and enjoy the completion of it, i have a few favorite lines and pics that kept me motivated. below are a few. enjoy!!! :)





marathon - ANYTHING is possible
 marathon: anything is possible




philly 2012
philly 2012, baby!!












truth

one day :)
#teamkelley philly 2012

thanksgiving.

as thanksgiving approaches id like to take a minute and express just how thankful i am for so many things this year. (since i will be with the armstrongs in florida, i know i wont be posting...)

my dad. he tops the list every year, but since his passing i am so thankful for the  relationship i had with him when he was alive. for 24 years he shaped me into the woman i am hopefully becoming.

my brother and mom. together were a team. a trio. we are the kelleys and we have been through so much together. i couldnt be prouder of these 2 and couldnt be more lucky and happy they are with me (via email, text, phone, FB, etc) each and everyday. i cant imagine running a marathon and making dad prouder than doing it with my bro. #teamkelley

myself. yea, i said it. i work hard, dammit, and deserve to be thankful for it. ive got a lot of strength, ambition and zest for life in this body and refuse to let anyone stop me. but i obviously dont do it alone. see this list as proof of that :)

my friends. you guys are constant reminders as to why i try so hard, aim so high and try to be better. you guys are the ones that are with me at 2am when one of us is sad, happy, drunk or scared. were all conquering this crazy world together and i am so humbled that i have you guys each and every day.

my family. every extended member. there really isnt a need to elaborate...they are all spectacular and all mean the world to me.

sometimes life hits me hard...sometimes i dont feel so happy or funny or pretty. sometimes i struggle, or get frustrated at seemingly unnecessary stuff. sometimes i feel like shit (you with me girls!). however, throughout this year i have also found myself having moments of awesome strength, self esteem and unbridled sacrifice. (in some religions they consider foregoing plans on friday night in nyc for a 6am wake up call on saturday AM and 20 mile run a sacrifice, haha).

as i recover from a whirlwind weekend spent with a few of my most favorite people, i have come to discover this: i am thankful for so many things and i want to thank those that make that statement true. life is short and who you fill it with make all the difference. #teamkelley


Monday, November 19, 2012

you think you know, but you have no idea


the title of this post is how id like to sum up this past weekend.

marathon weekend 2012 is officially in the books. led by coach susie kelley, the entire weekend was flawless. lets recap, shall we:

mom and i met at the philly train station around 1pm on saturday. already on a high from getting to hug her, we hopped in a cab and went to our hotel. hello holiday inn express!!! all checked in and snacking away in our room (i came prepared, haha), we awaited the arrival of DK. about 15 minutes later, he arrived...shaved head and all!!!!!

we went across the street to grab some lunch and then headed on over to the expo! once i had our gear in hand it all began to feel real....i kept saying to drew "dude, i cant believe were running a marathon! i mean really!"

we walked around the expo for a bit enjoying all the excitement of the city and all the runners! what was cool was that all of this stuff was happening right where i used to live...on our way to the convention center we actually walked right past my old apt!!

we headed back to the hotel to rest a bit and get ready for dinner with a fun crew. trish, dean and matt joined us at a sports bar for a fun, relaxed dinner. it was the perfect way to end the day! tons of laughs, memories, stories and jokes were shared (it was really such a special dinner!)

we hit the hay around 945pm in anticipation of a 5am wakeup call. it was hard to go to bed cause drew, mom and i were still  having fun and laughing but we had to do it!

5am hurts. no matter how often ive done it, it never really gets easier. especially if youre cold. or trying to mentally prepare for a marathon. per usual, drew woke up last :) haha. once he got dressed we headed down for some breakfast (i stuck to water, as i dont like to eat before i run). drew munched on a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, mom had eggs. the breakfast area was packed with runners! it was fun!

we ran back upstairs to finish getting ready and headed out around 615am. thinking it was supposed to be a nice day, i sported shorts and a tshirt and zipped up my fleece for the walk to the start. i was about 5494590 layers short of being warm/comfortable. IT WAS FUCKING FREEZING. i mean it, STUPIDLY, FUCKING FREEZING. from the moment i stepped outside to the moment i crossed the finish line my legs never really got warm. id like to blame me not getting a better time on that. its my story, im sticking to it.

drew and i started together...and stayed together for about 10 miles. with the amount of bodies, it got harder to stay right next to each other, but it was fun! he then went ahead (go drew!!) and i tried to mentally prepare for another 16.2. miles. running a marathon was a mind game for me. miles 14-19 were tough in the sense that we had been running so much (i mean in every other day in my life, anywhere between 14-19 miles is A LOT!) but you have to remember you still have SO much longer to run. miles 21-23 were KILLER. my legs legitimately stopped functioning properly. i stopped for a moment and told myself i would just walk the rest. i then started to think about what i would say to all my family and friends who cheered me on and who i would now be letting down. i pushed through the wall (veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy slowly) and got to mile 24. i stopped again for a moment thinking how in the hell i was going to do this. i told myself to go! go hil! as soon as i hit mile 25 and saw the thousands of people cheering i knew it was almost over. (no way in hell id walk in front of all those people). i ran...fast. i ran strong for that last 1.2 miles...and ceossed at 3:56:28. i crossed with a high-5 and "congratulations hilary" from bart yasso. yea. i know. it still hasnt sunk in. drew finished with 3:43:xx (not sure of his seconds)

we are now marathoners! for life!

and then my mind was blown. i was walking to where drew, mom and i decided would be our meeting spot...the fountain close to the finish. as im walking i hear my name being yelled and it was christine!!! roommate christine!! roommate who flew down to see me from her trip to boston christine. i know, ridiculously impressive! the funny part was she was wearing a #team kelley shirt with the slogan "beating cjd one mile at a time" and handmade posters! what was she doing here?!??!

THEN i see my mom whos also wearing a tshirt and holding posters. in shock, i was like "what the hell is going on?!" she told me that my roommates came to surprise me. right then i turned around and had janine sprinting at me also wearing a shirt! she was literally the happiest, most excited thing i had ever seen....she gave me the best, most awesome hug ever. wait, what was SHE doing here?!?!

as you can glimpse on FB, my roommates schemed with my mom to come surprise me with shirts, posters and spirit!i am the luckiest girl in the world. it funny, i was in such euphoria the rest of the day i forgot about all the pain and tiredness.

i am so proud to be so close with janine and christine, and so humbled that trish, dean and matt made the trip. this weekend was so special on so many levels...and the amount of support drew and i received throughout the months leading up to the event ($880 raised to date!!), and the entire weekend during, i am so thankful to everyone!! it was such a special moment...finishing the marathon, that i can imagine spending it with anyone but our close friends and support crew. it was such a cold day and everyone had to get up so early...true sacrifices. special shout out to christines amazing looking posters despite being hungover. true talent sister :)

a very special thank you to everyone involved in #teamkelley marathon 2012. drew and i are very humbled and very lucky to have such amazing friends and family.  same time next year???








Monday, November 12, 2012

a marathon. my birthday. and my thoughts.

this week is a BIG week! its my second week at maxim (already have a ciroc party to honor the troops this afternoon), my birthday and the philly marathon. i cant even begin to put into words how psyched i am to spend the weekend in philly with my bro and mom...running a marathon, no less!!

its hard to believe im 29. i realize thats not old, but i still dont think i feel 29. 29?! i mean i am almost 30. i still love the backstreet boys, nickelback and sleepovers. i mean i really dont feel 29 at all. until i realize how comfortable with my life, body, friends, family and job, do i realize i guess i am 29. ive gotten to a good place. its a tough time since everything i am doing is either for my dad, or something he would be proud of, want to take part in, or talk about. it helps that i have such an amazing support system...always have, but it always hurts when i think about him not being here. #loveyoudad

while i dont want to hurry the week (it is my birthday on thursday, afterall) i am just SO excited for saturday. the moment we all arrive at penn station is going to be so fun!!! #teamkelley

                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Monday, November 5, 2012

reflections

new york has had better weeks. id like to reflect on a few of my favorite things, times, memories and highlights of the past 2 years.

- brooklyn heights -- one of the most historic and scenic neighborhoods in the borough of brooklyn was home for my first year in new york. its amazingness isnt lost of me now that ive gone all manhattan.

- readers digest. now maxim. my head is spinning.

- marathon training with niketown run club. despite not knowing anyone, i am so happy i chose to run with this group of people to train for the philly marathon. #teamnike rocks. so does #teampink (go gav!)

- friends. family. shopping. ice skating. good food. roommates. new friends. crushes. tears. the giggles. isnt it all worth it??

as i start my new gig today at maxim i just want to remember a few things that have made me feel so lucky and blessed over the past 2 years ive been in nyc. sure, life has thrown the kelley's a tough road but im doing my damnedest to make my dad proud and work my ass off for myself. so far so good :)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

did a time warp happen?

so yea, i skipped blogging in october. not intentionally mind you, but i woke up today realizing i had a few things to talk about and saw i took an unanticipated break. no excuse, but i have been busy. ready for an update?

ive taken a few pictures over the past few weeks and in order to share lots of them, i mashed em up into collages. highlighted below are some of my favorite memories over the past few weeks.




i cant believe it, but the philly marathon is 2 weeks away from TODAY! 2 weeks! i remember counting down with drew when it was still 6 months away. i feel ready. i am so excited to see drew, run a marathon, be 29 and hang with mom and he in philly (is my life coming full circle or what?). my post college life started in philly and ive been through a lot since then, all of which started in my time at urban.

in the collage you can see some cute posts of my new favorite training buddy, tennis partner and all around sweat buddy (and crush). i met gavin at nike running club and weve hung out a bunch since. hes an awesome training partner, though hed never admit it. he ran the savannah marathon yesterday in 3:56:30 (sooooo proud!!!) so in true hilary fashion i want to beat it (bragging rights!!). he treated me to tennis under the lights at arthur ashe a few weeks back....WOW!! after being there for the US Open, it was fun to hit on the same courts! crazy magical.

after 2 weeks of interviews and what i considered a tough (but very challenging and fun) project, i have accepted a new job! i will now be the associate manager of integrated marketing at maxim magazine. im so super excited for this new opportunity. what i find interesting is that there were countless people from readers digest who didnt seem at all happy for me...goes to show that sometimes coworkers really are just that. i made some really amazing friends and contacts at RD that i know i take with me so i know there will always be people that dont care. thats ok. (hello real world).

since accepting my new job, id like to point out that uncle d now considers most of my actions "so maxim"...thank you uncle d for still being the most hilarious person i know.

hurricane sandy. i dont need to elaborate on the devastation (its still being felt) but i will say this...never have i felt so lucky to have such great friends and live in such an epic city. thankfully we never lost power, but many of our friends did so we opened up the doors to our place for everyone to come over (unannounced if they wanted) to shower, eat, hang out, watch some sports, play some games, drink and laugh. thanks friends...you made the weirdest week new york has experienced (since what, 9/11?!) pretty special.

so i really love coffee. i know thats not super important, but it needed to be said :)
happy sunday!!