Forever Celebrating the Boston Marathon

Official Boston Marathon finisher certificates are being sent to runners - as if I needed another reason to just fall in love with the entire experience.

The Boston Marathon is so iconic and maintains its old school way of doing things unlike any other marathon. The six months following registration (September) until the race (April) we received so many letters, directions, packets that it felt like Boston Marathon Christmas every week.

The entire experience was incredible {and hard, freezing, encouraging, blessed, did I say freezing and soaking wet?} BUT SO FREAKING WORTH IT.

I can't wait to run it again next April {and just like last year, fresh off a December marathon}. Only this time it's Hawaii, not Kiawah. I admit, I dig this annual tradition of a marathon on 12-13.

While I anxiously await the delivery of my certificate, race pics will have to suffice. 

uffice for now. One of the greatest weekends of my life.

Early Birthday Wishes to the Best Dad Around

I am not entirely sure how it's already the end of July, but that means it's time for my dad's birthday. Or as I like to call it, one of the hardest days of the year.

Birthdays, by definition, celebrate ones birth, which is excruciatingly hard when that person has passed away.

Spending the weekend at home this past weekend {and nabbing a first place AG race win in the local 10k} really brought me back from the ledge. The ledge, as it pertains to my dad is just a place of confusion and sadness and is a place I find myself when an anniversary, birthday or holiday is near. Spending a long weekend around my mom {and getting a lot of sleep} really help me.

It's been 7 years - thats 7 freaking birthdays - we have had to forego buying my dad amazingly awesome boxers. Wait, are boxers even still made - I mean, we haven't helped that market in 7 years. Haha!!

It's been challenging without my dad and yet, since we had no choice in the matter, been very prideful knowing the three of us are unbreakable.

My mom and I have been having dreams that include my dad where he is there but just out of reach. She dreamt she couldn't reach him while he was in front of her, whereas I saw him in the crowd of a race cheering for me but I just couldn't get to him. THATS HIM SAYING HI!

We both believe he's around - my brother too - but we'd love more visits!

Happy early birthday dad! I've eaten my fair share of M&Ms this week just for you! We LOOOVE you!

monday funday

Well summer hit this weekend. like HARD.

I was starting to worry we were experiencing all the summer we were set to experience. Buuuut then a heat wave hit. Like, heat advisory's, stay inside warnings and dehydration scares. I went running, natch.

I learned during my time in Arizona that running in the heat is fun. I know, its sadistic and crazy - but its fun. There is no better feeling (to me) than just going out and getting so sweaty and hot. You get a bit of sun, you sweat out all the bullshit and you finish feeling great. Well, you sweat for hours and endure flushed cheeks, but believe me, you feel great.

As I heal up my shins - a combo of overuse and getting hit in the gym by a crazy biker -  I have been mixing running and walking. Its hard to walk, especially alone, but its been nice. Still aiming to get in a lot of miles, but balancing it with the impact of running and the lower impact of walking.

Soaked - yet SO HAPPY - about Saturdays PR. Love you #26!

this big city girl is heading home to the burbs

Its been a fun - but seriously chaotic - few months.

Let's start with the highlights - I started working at WIRED mag. I'll be honest, seeing your name in a masthead NEVER gets old! I also ran the Boston Marathon, which happened to be one of the most amazing and emotional experiences of my life. I ran a 3:30, so I'll be heading back to beantown to do it all again next April!! Drew and I, with out bud Reinaker, ran the red rose run a few weeks back - now THAT WAS FUN!! I rarely do races as short as 5 miles, running at a faster pace - basically running with that feeling like you're either going to throw up or shit your pants - is so hard!

I'm heading home this weekend. I think wherever my mom is is where I will always call home. She moved in with Bill and they live in York, so not really home to me at all, but she's there so it feels like home.

It'll be fun to run a local 10k tomorrow and spend the rest of the weekend entertaining people at bills family reunion - mainly the kids :)


--- edited and updated ---
I meant to write and publish this on the train but Amtrak wi-fi is embarrassingly terrible.

Home was amazing. I PR'd the 10k by about 40 seconds (still waiting on official time), and if I placed in my AG. I wanted to stay post race and collect an AG award but it took too long!

It was about 10000000 degrees yesterday - heat advisory and all. I have to admit, I arrived back in the city at 3pm, got home around 330 and went out for the sweatiest, hottest, most need 5 mile run!!!

Heres to a great week, a new motivation to blog again and getting all healthy/healed up for the summer and marathon season!! 

turning 31 is just the beginning

On this - the eve of my 31st birthday - I would like to take a minute and celebrate 31 things im thankful for. These are not the only things I'm thankful for - and they arent listed in any particular order - but they are really important to me, and deserve to be credited with a list :)

1. Running
I'm in love with the sport and all of its challenges. Have you ever gone for a run after a 2-3 week hiatus? Brutal! The ultimate calorie burner has given me some amazing friendships, memories and training opportunities, reasons to binge on ice cream cake, ways to meet boys and to prove myself worthy of the sports ultimate unicorn - the Boston Marathon!

2. Coffee
ALL.THE.TIME - not always Starbucks, but always black. (Dunkin, how have you managed to mess that up every time I ordered from you?! Is it because you know I am not really a fan and only come when I am desperate?)

3. PT
Being a distance runner means accepting a whole host of nagging issues. Learning how to fix them? Priceless. Massages & stim don't suck either - thanks boys!

4. Writing
Whether at work, on the blog or as a caption for insta photos - words are my drug of choice. Well, words and running.

5-15. Coffee
Like I said, ALL.THE.TIME

16. Lululemon
Noone ever needed an explanation for Lulu.

17. Friends
The running kind and the we-are-real-people kind - and those that are both!

18. Family
Cause, DUH. 

19. I should probably mention popcorn. And apples. I eat both the way some women eat chocolate.

20. Runners World magazine
I am so thankful for the 2-year sub my bro got me last year - getting my nose stuck in the pages of RW is my happy place when I'm stuck on the elliptical!

21. Neon
Neon compression socks, sports bras, shoes and bracelets. Neon shorts, shirts and watches. NEON!

22. Laughing
There are a million reasons to laugh everyday - make sure to find at least one :)

23. A good cuddle
Been a while - no crushes. Step it up boys!

24-31. Coffee
The funniest thing is I really don't drink that much coffee. Max 2 cups/day. Its just THE thing thats clutch everyday. Living is NYC can sometimes feel so goddamn uptight - coffee makes me happy.



The takeaways? I love coffee, running, neon-colored anything, my friends & family, snacks and laughing. Im simple and easy to please - and I like it that way. Cheers to life - and all its incredibly funny, chaotic, happy, sad and stressful moments. They are all worth it. 

be in love with your life - every minute of it

last weekend was that time of year we "fall back" - which basically just means it now gets dark at 4pm - and i feel like ive been up half the night by the time 7pm rolls around.

but this time of year really is one of my favorites. there is the feeling of magic in the air around the holiday - it actually feels warm and cozy!

there are about 50 days left in 2014 - and aside from a really annoying, sometimes achingly painful left calf muscle, those 50 days should be great! im lucky enough to see DK at least twice, one of those times being a race in Kiawah! there is nothing better than earning sibling race medals! I am signed up for the full marathon so that calf muscle I was talking about REALLY needs to right itself.

31 hits me on Saturday - I'll be doing yoga with my mom and then going shopping - seems like the perfect way to casually ring in a new year. a little namaste and a new pair of nike something - I'd say that describes me pretty well!

I don't really make longstanding wishes or hopes these days - im too busy trying to go after my dreams - and God already knows I want to be wealthier, skinnier, a tiny bit taller and in love. WITH HEALTHY RUNNING MUSCLES FOR GOODNESS SAKES! I pray to my dad for some of these things (no pressure dad!!) but also just try and focus on everyone's overall health and happiness and the ability to always find humor in life. after all, that's what really matters.

touching ever so slightly on the love part - how we doing with that?! hey God and dad - you guys shooting a cupids arrow at someone or...?? just kidding, im in love with coffee - and were very happy!

while I mentioned before that the holiday season - the white lights and beautiful music - is one of my favorite times of the year, it's equally one of the hardest. I miss not being able to give my dad the girliest, most ostentatious cards for the holidays - cards he happily saved and kept stocked away, or being able to go for a run together - me  always falling back and needing him to push me (and im a 3:23 marathoner!). I miss talking boys with him, throwing all my ailments at him and having him make sense of it all (no google needed), or just staying up late and laughing over ice cream. I miss the big stuff too, of course - the help with life decisions, money talk and body hang ups (amazingly he had none and helped me realize I'm simply beautiful the way I am). the guy never lost his patience with me - and always made me laugh. he never faltered in his belief that I would grow up to do amazing things - all things I desperately miss. as I write all this down though, and my head and heart fill with equal parts joy and sadness, im reminded that my dad is with me - and always will be. my biggest goal in life has always been to grow up and make my dad, mom and brother proud. the beauty of the legacy my dad left is that I never have to worry if I succeeded - even if/when I faltered he made sure to tell me he was proud. "it's not always about the outcome, hil" he would say "sometimes things just don't go your way. but it is  always about how hard you tried. and you - I don't worry about you. but I'm always here if YOU start to worry."

im cheersing the closing of 2014 - with my grande bold starbucks coffee  in hand - by ringing in 31, running one more marathon, hanging with the big bro and creating about a million or so more memories.

and cheers to you dad, you deserve it!! xo

just about 31

i am 15 days away from turning 31. lets reflect, shall we...

its been another hell of a year traveling all over the US with nic to run races & cheers life! over the past 12 months we've battled twinges & mild injuries, celebrated new PRs, gotten much better at yoga (all while seeing and smelling things we should never have had to - im looking at you, dude who couldn't seem to keep his pants up in bikram), and just so much more!

as i reflect back on the past year, i realize that life is funny - and figuring out my path and place is a  continuous challenge. as i turn another year older i notice small changes in myself and the way i live. it's in my DNA to always think I can do better, push further, achieve more, but i've noticed that i truly believe that "me" - who i am, what i stand for, my character and all of my achievements - is good enough.

not every run will be a PR, not every boy i meet will want to fall in love with me and not every interview will end with a job offer. i've always pushed myself really hard to achieve things because i come from an amazing family and i want nothing more than for them to be proud of me.w hat i have come to realize is they love me and are proud because of who i am; job, status, money, notwithstanding.

it's the same with my running crew - even during a 4 month hiatus from running due to a stress fracture, we remained friends. close friends. best friends. turns out running is a bonus quality we all share, a fun and healthy obsession that gives us excuses to travel and never change out of dri-fit, but not THE reason.

do i wish i was 1-2 inches taller? sure. do i wish i was richer? definitely. fundamentally though, neither will make me a better person. i train hard, work hard and aim high. my friends, family and i - we are always going to be ok - because we're fighters.

so here we are at 31. completing my first year in my 30s feels exciting - i feel strong, healthy, happy, settled.

life is challenging - and it always will be. but 3 marathons deep, with 2 more on the near horizon leads me to believe that i have surrounded myself with some good, crazy people. cheers to the next 31 and beyond!!


now, for a look back at some fun memories...



cheersing my new apartment! and laughing at the fact that we have a race in the AM!


yea, i dont know, i need to work on flexing. nic nailed it.


meet my boyfriend, nick.


running the chicago marathon together! #matchymatchy

 
running ragnar DC - 10 miles in the middle of the night, baby!