marathon (and some recent photos)

Last weekend was the NYC Marathon and I was so happy to have it back after last year's race was cancelled. It is hands down my favorite event in the city. Kurt and I watched on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn and while it was nice and cool for running, it was a bit chilly for spectating. We stuck it out for a couple hours and saw lots of determined athletes, including some in hilarious costumes. A few of people in our crowd were cheering on the runners with bunches of kale. It was a huge hit with everyone!

some other recent happenings:

view from a current project // apartment therapy design evening with dana tanamachi // modern townhouse studies

park slope halloween parade // flaming cocktails // scalloped potato experiments

aubie helped me with the halloween decorations // fall flowers // pumpkin bread

getting lost

So blogging has taken a backseat to real life lately. Sorry for the absence but it's been one busy summer! Here's to July posts well into October...

I normally take my runs through Prospect Park but have been getting bored with the basic loop. So one day I decided to get lost. Take trails I had never been on. Climb stairs with no destination in mind. Try and learn the ins and outs and secrets of the park I consider my back yard. 

I had so much fun! It required lots of stopping and starting, so the exercise was sort of compromised but it ten times more interesting than mindless laps. I found Lookout Hill, the Boathouse, the Camperdown Elm and many gorgeous views. I can't wait to get lost again!

brooklyn half marathon

I did it! I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon! Constantly moving for 13.1 miles and I didn't collapse! Yay! Overall it was a really great experience. I don't think I'll be running another very soon, but it was a fun time and I felt pretty accomplished when I crossed that finish line.

All us runners crowded into our corrals at the starting line in front of the Brooklyn Museum very early on Saturday morning. The day was overcast and cool which was actually perfect weather. Just standing around waiting to start made me so nervous! I was convinced I wasn't prepared and was going to have to be picked up by an ambulance in embarrassment. Everyone around me seemed so calm and experienced. Thankfully, once we got started, running felt good and I calmed down a bit. 

20,000+ people ran this thing! I know they do it all the time but the NYRR did a great job organizing. I was amazed how well people were coordinated and how much support staff was around to answer questions or hand out water etc. Kurt got this shot in Prospect Park when the crowd was still pretty dense. I'm usually a solo runner, but it was nice to find a neighbor to keep pace with.

I couldn't have done it without my cheerleaders! Kurt, Jenn, and Kristin rode their bikes and met me with cowbells and words of encouragement at several places along the route. Kristin even went to the trouble to make me neon Gravytrain themed signs! I love them! Thanks, guys!

Kurt had a hard time spotting me at first, so a lot of my action shots are from behind. I like to think it's because I'm fast as lightning :)

After leaving Prospect Park, we ran a long, straight stretch out to Coney Island. It's pretty flat and even slightly downhill, but the scenery is a little bleak and monotonous. Thankfully there were water stations at each mile marker to look forward to.

We're almost to the finish here! (I'm right below the 400m sign in the lower left corner) I'm not going to lie, I was hurting at this point. I didn't even think to look for my cheering section. I was only thinking one foot in front of the other....you're almost there! 

We just crossed the finish line on the boardwalk! I was so happy at this point. My hips and knees were howling, but I was thrilled to be there. I finished without major tragedy and did just about as well as all those people I was intimidated by at the starting line. I didn't even care how fast. I've never been much of an athlete, so I felt pretty accomplished to make it that far.

And we got medals! In my exhausted, dehydrated haze, this made me so excited. Why yes sir, you can take a photograph of me AND my medal even though I look disgusting.

This is the family reunion area after the finish line. So many people! Apparently you and your crew need to approach this thing with a plan since there is zero cell phone service with this many people around. Eventually, I found my cheerleaders and we all went to a delicious brunch at Giovanni's. I've never been so deserving of unlimited mimosas before!

I finished in 2:07:02 which is certainly not fast but I am very happy with it. Maybe next time I will train a little harder in preparation and shave a few minutes off! :)

And now that I've tooted my own horn more than enough, it's time for some gratitude: Thanks, of course, to my cheerleaders. I've never been more happy to hear your obnoxious cowbells. Thanks to Kurt for taking photos and encouraging me when I was feeling lazy. Thanks to Jenn for helping motivate me in those first training days. I certainly would not have made it to those early morning gym sessions without some peer pressure. And thanks to all you blog readers for your support and advice along the way! Your tips and insider secrets were more helpful than you know. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

9+ miles

This weekend, I ran the farthest my legs have ever carried me. The guys at the food blog Immaculate Infatuation have been organizing a couple training runs/food outings in preparation for the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May. This weekend, they proposed a loop around Central Park which is about 6 miles. (I was scheduled for 8 miles, so I squeezed in 2 miles before joining the group.) Somehow I convinced Jenn (a self-professed hater of running) to join me for the group run. She was a trooper!

I wouldn't say the other people in the group were hard core runners, but they certainly weren't the take a break by walking for a moment people either. I happen to enjoy the occasional walk break and have no shame in doing it when I run on my own, but something about peer pressure kept us plodding along for the entire loop. (That girl in front of me in the neon jacket and her friend were amazing. They were a great pace to follow.) Due to a slight planning oversight, we did more than an entire lap in order to get to a park exit close to our after-run meal. In all, we did 7.2 miles together and I did 9.2 for the day! There were definitely a few aching body parts by the end of it.

All those miles deserved a healthy reward of calories, so we headed to the UES Shake Shake for lunch. Pictured: Captain Lawrence Sunblock Wheat Ale, Shackburger, and Cheese Fries. I had grand plans to get a milkshake to-go but was stuffed after that burger and it was unexpectedly freezing outside. Early spring is a tricky one.

Once I got home and took an incredibly long, hot shower, Aubie and cuddled up for an intense nap. All that running/eating really takes it out of me! I'm going be wiped out after 13+!

running tunes

{image source}

Since getting over being sick, preparing for my half marathon has been going pretty well. Thankfully, Jenn has been training with me (until she can resume biking) so I've had some accountability to get up for morning workouts. Mostly, we've been meeting at the gym, running on the treadmill, and watching HGTV to pass the time. However, once it starts getting warmer and I start upping my mileage, I'm going to need hours and hours of good music to keep me motivated while running through the park or around Brooklyn. I tend to lean towards upbeat pop stuff or repetitive sort of techno. Anything that keeps me moving! I've put together a preliminary list of songs I want for my runs, but I need more! I need your help! What are your favorite workout song(s)?

Nighttiming - Coconut Records

Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding

Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

I Love It - Icona Pop (feat. Charli XCX)
Suit and Tie - Justin Timberlake

Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

Die Young - Ke$ha

It All Began With a Burst - Kishi Bashi

Midnight City - M83

Who's That Chick? - David Guetta (ft. Rihanna)

Calabria 2007 - Enur

Tongue Tied - Grouplove

Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

This Head I Hold - Electric Guest

Cracks - Freestylers (ft. Belle Humble) (Flux Pavilion Remix)

Ghostwriter - RJD2

Ghosts n Stuff - Deadmau5

Bass Cannon - Flux Pavilion

Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem

The Re-Arranger - Mates of State

Tony and the Beat - The Sounds

Madder Red - Yeasayer

Mondegreen - Yeasayer

Too Close - Alex Clare

Please leave your music suggestions in the comments. There is no judgement here. The trashier the pop songs the better :) Thanks!

training begins! (sorta)

Remember goal #1 from my New Year's Resolutions? Well, I registered for that Brooklyn Half Marathon, so I guess it's happening! The race is set for May 18th, so I need to get my butt in gear. I'm loosely following this training program (thanks, Colleen!) which starts your workouts about twelve weeks out from your race date. Coincidentally, my first week of training aligned with getting pneumonia, so needless to say, things aren't going so well already. Before finding out how sick I was, I managed to drag myself to yoga and a 3 mile run which made me feel like I was going to die. I don't recommend running with compromised lungs!

I'm a little worried about being set back before even really beginning, but I hope to get back to 100% health soon and really start hitting the pavement. Any training tips out there?

nyc summer streets

Three Saturdays during the month of August, the city shut down almost seven miles of roadway in Manhattan for Summer Streets. Park Avenue was completely open to bikes and pedestrians from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way up to 72nd Street and Central Park.

decorating, running, and yummy food

I wish my life could exist of those things alone. 

Like I mentioned last week, while Kurt and his brother were out of town skiing, I was going to redecorate their bathroom. Well, I did it! After a week of running around like crazy gathering supplies and a very late night of painting, it pretty much came together. There are still a few touch ups to be done and a few additional elements, but I am pretty happy with the end result. And the boys approve! I hope to have a full rundown of the makeover this week. Stay tuned.

I ran my third annual Coogan's 5K on Sunday. 

It was very cold and very early. My headband got a "War Eagle!" though!

It's hard to take pictures while running but I wanted to show how the front runners are coming down the home stretch while us slow pokes are barely at a quarter mile. Granted, they started a little earlier but I feel like a 5K is a stroll through the park for them. They are crazy fast!

Eventually, the crowd was just us normal runners and we all commiserated on the hilly course together. I've decided my spring/summer running regimen is going to focus on hills because they always kick my butt.  

The race is so fun because every couple blocks there is a band and lots of fans cheering you on. It's no marathon but I love to see all the support.

Jenn and Majo at the finish line. We all made pretty good time!

Our tradition after running the 5K is to consume three times as many calories as we just burned at some of the amazing restaurants in Harlem. We particularly target chicken and waffles, so this year we hit up Melba's.

The last couple years we've gone to Amy Ruth's which is also delicious but Melba's is a bit swankier. We were lucky to slip in with the early church crowd and only had to wait a little while for a table. I hope we didn't stand out too much in our grubby running clothes. However, my Auburn headband got some more attention although this time by an Alabama grad! Even though she assailed my ears with her "Roll Tide" she was super sweet and just moved to the city. I tell you, the South is taking over NYC :)

Mmmmmm! A huge plate of fried chicken with three cute eggnog waffles. Heaven. Early morning + tough run + food coma = falling asleep on the train home and taking a generous nap in the afternoon. I wish every Sunday could be like this.

In other news, there have been a few new additions to the Gravytrain household:

Besides fixing up Kurt's apartment, I added this beauty to my bathroom. I am so ready for summer!

My iPhone got a little fancier. Society6 was offering free shipping and I couldn't resist.

Kurt brought me back Whiskey from his ski trip! It's from the Roughstock Distillery in Bozeman, Montana. Apparently I need to get an ice cube tray so I can offer this on the rocks to all my guests. I guess I should acquire a taste for whiskey too :) Thanks, Kurt!

marathon time!

The NYC Marathon was a held a couple weekends ago on the most gorgeous fall day ever. It was so perfect for the runners. Unlike last year, I didn't have any friends running (no dog in the race, per se?) that I wanted to see, so Kurt and I leisurely watched on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn near my apartment. We grabbed some coffee and found a spot on the route. Hilariously, we were watching near a banana station which held more entertainment than you would think. 

I can't describe how much I love the marathon. There is nothing but positivity buzzing through the streets in a city that can sometimes seem rough around the edges. Over forty thousand people are attempting an amazing feat and they have the support of thousands of strangers to help them get there. I'm such a sap, but I'm practically in tears every year. It's so touching! You must experience the marathon at least once! Plan a trip for next year. Hotel Melissa is currently taking reservations for November 2012 :)

{good photos by Kurt}

Saturday run

NYC is finally warming up a little. It's not quite sandal weather yet, but outdoor activities are expanding beyond dashing from my apartment door to the subway. I told myself I should be able to run whenever it is above forty degrees and Saturday delivered a beautiful, sunny day in that range. It was a little crisp but once I got going, I was thankful it wasn't too hot.

I've been toting my iPhone with me on my runs (in my nifty little belt) and snapping pictures when I get the urge and need to catch my breath. Lately, its been a lot of Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO.

When my run takes me past Vinegar Hill and the Navy Yards (map), I like to peek at these houses. Apparently they are called Admiral's Row but I don't know very much about them. They are abandoned and in complete disrepair. In a city so obsessed with real estate values and optimizing every square inch of space, its bizarre to come across a little forgotten corner of Brooklyn. Reminds me a bit of Alabama.