10.5 miler & the Brooklyn Half.

‘ello buddies! Ya miss me?

Well you are in for a random Ten Things Tuesday. Just cause.

1. I love Starbucks for 5 reasons. Número UNO – free WiFi. Número DOS – Madeleines Petite French Cakes (if you’ve never had them, they are right by the register at just about every Starbucks & they are delicious!). Número TRES – Greek Yogurt & Honey Parfait. Número CUATRO – they are typically located in the lobby of staffing agencies so if you get to your interview early you can spend your time blogging rather than wandering around. & Número CINCO – coffee, duh.

2. I ran 10.5 miles last Monday when my schedule only called for 8. This just proves even more so my love for running on the East River. Love. The run wasn’t all great though. At around mile 3, while running through Chinatown – all distance stopped. My Garmin did not register for almost a half mile & I saw many many weird things. I saw a few people practicing some sort of martial arts, people punching themselves, people walking backwards and more than 5 people chillin’ with one leg up on the fence next to the East River Path. I think my Garmin was confused, so it decided to stop working.

Also, at mile 7.5 – I totally wiped out. I hit an edge, tried to catch myself…but no. Luckily, I landed on my hands & somehow only had a small scrap on my knee. A couple people saw me fall but no one said anything. To be honest, I’m glad they didn’t. I just got up, paused my Garmin (yes, this was my first thought) looked around, wiped my hands off and continued running another 3 miles.

My battle wound.

Wipeout – totally worth it. Wanna know why? I had my first celebrity sighting at mile 10. Well, some may not consider him a celeb but ehh, close enough. Wanna know who I saw?

The Situation from Jersey Shore! Ha! He was with two guys who looked maybe like security & no one seemed to notice him (or care) so I definitely did a double take. But it was for sure him.

Either way, eventful & wonderful 10.5 miler (I know I’m slow but keep in mind that time also included the .5 miles that my Garmin decided to leave out. My goal pace was 11:11 so I was pretty close)

3. I had Japanese straightening done to my hair & had 4 inches chopped off. When I was in college, i had my hair straight my junior and senior year but before I moved to San Diego I grew it back out to it’s natural curl. So since I met my husband in California he has only known my hair curly so this is a big change for him. I was just getting a little sick of my hair & needed a change. Plus, now that I’m close to the place I used to get my straightening done..it’s so much easier. (I used to take the train to Queens to go to this place that was crazy busy but crazy cheap…& now they opened one in Brooklyn that was dead but the same price!)

So here is a quick run down of the process:

First, bye bye frizzy curly hair!!

Second, the stylist shampoos my hair then blows it out to its natural, ridiculous state.

Third, she applied the straightening agent. It stayed on for about 40 minutes, then she washed out the ends, then 10 minutes more, then she washed it all out.

Then, two stylists blow dried & flat ironed every little piece of hair on my head. They were very precise.

Next, a sealer was put on my hair for about 10 minutes. That was washed out & my hair was blow dried one more time. Only this time, it was straight.

The stylist trimmed my ends & told me not to wash my hair for 48-72 hours.

Then 72 hours later I got my hair cut…

Voila! I’m still getting used to it but I definitely like the change!

4. I love Bryant Park.

It is amazingly beautiful & I will totally be bringing BLC to check it out soon. Love.

5. I have been pretty good with my 30 day yoga challenge…but I will admit, I missed one day

But if you needed any more reasons to do yoga, please watch this video. I totally cried. I’m a sucker for transformation/dedication stories.

Also, here is a yoga series for runners video. Enjoy!

6. My other little brother just graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a Masters degree in Medical Physics. Whaaaaaaat? Little smarty pants. No but for real, he is brilliant. & he just got a residency at Penn starting in July. If you couldn’t tell, I am pretty proud of him.

Little bro with my mom & dad. Oh – Happy Mother’s Day Mommy! I loveeeee you.

Me & my two little brothers. Two graduations in two weekends. Woo!

Me, little bro & BLC.

Congrats, Dave. Love you!

7. Freckles did not get me a Mother’s Day card. How rude. Just for that I made her take Mother’s Day photos with me.

The ears only a mother could love <3

8. The Brooklyn Half is on Saturday. My second half & my first running it on my own. I'm nervous/excited again. I have to leave my apartment at a little before 5a because the only subway line that makes sense for me, drops me off about a mile from the starting line. I figure I can make that my warmup. Either way, I don't want to be late!

Cross your fingers it isn't too hot! As much as it sucks to have to leave so early…it will be cooler & I should be done before 9:30a.

More on the Brooklyn Half later in the week.

9. I don't know if this really should count as a number but it will any way – here are some running links I found informative:

4 training techniques every runner needs

Tips for running with your dog

Eat vegan & run

Half marathon recovery

Rethinking junk miles

Get the most out of outdoor runs

10. I bought an umbrella for $5 at a bodega right before it started pouring. Alex – 1, Rain – 0.