Happy Thanksgiving

I got in a quick run this morning. Jaclyn and I made our own turkey trot. Now I have a helper. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Apparently everyone is supposed to hug me today. Today is "Hug a Runner Day!" Find the nearest runner and give them a big fat hug. Or for more awesome ideas on how to hug your runner, like interval hugging, click here. Runners give the best hugs :)

Catching Up

These last few weeks were a little surreal. I was in full on NYC Marathon prep mode, then came a storm, the marathon cancellation, and disappointment turned to a day of volunteering. I have to admit, when I was in Staten Island, it didn't really hit me. But then I went back to work on Monday and it felt weird to be going about my day like normal, when others were standing out in the cold, without power or their homes. I think my head was in a weird place last week. The experience seemed to stick with the rest of the group too because they organized another trip to help clean up, this time in Union Beach, NJ. I have to say this trip was pretty rewarding. We were divided into groups and sent to different areas to help clean up. When we got there, the whole street looked like a construction zone. Piles of furniture, trash bags, dry wall, sea grass, etc in front of every home on the street. Two hours later we turned around and the street was COMPLETELY cleared. We had a small bite of lunch, and headed off to find someone else who needed our help. This guy was literally the most Jersey guy I've ever met. His house was pretty much the last house that had stuff to remove. When we showed up, he yelled, "I love yous guys. I don't know who yous guys are, but I love yous guys." I love you too, random New Jersey resident. He also told us to stop looking at him like he was a beefcake. His wife might see.

We got everything from his lawn into a dumpster and cleared out the reeds from most of his yard. It's amazing how much can be done in such a short amount of time when everyone is really working together. I should also add that I think I'll be adding manual labor to my cross training routine. As a city dweller, I never get to use my raking-the-leaves or throwing-stuff-over-your-head-into-a-dumpster muscles. They sure got used yesterday and they're screaming at me today.

Here's a brief rundown of everything else that has happened in the past few weeks.

I got my marathon pictures. Here I am making a face.



And here I am crossing the finish line.



I painted my toenails purple before I ran the marathon. Once my nail polish wore off, I realized one of my nails was still purple. Oops!

Josh made a house for Oliver, and we decorated it for Halloween.



I've been doing lots of yoga. Lots and lots of yoga.

Oliver continues to be really, really, really cute.



I'm hoping to get back to updating this more regularly. We'll see if that actually happens. I tend to get a little lazy once the holidays start to roll around.

Ok. This will be the last one I post. I'm just so freaking proud of my team. They're even more amazing that I thought.

Check us out on the news here

So Proud to be a DetermiNator

I don’t even have words to express how amazing my team of DetermiNators is. So I’lm going to borrow some other people’s words.

My teammate Vishal posted on his Facebook wall:
Overwhelmed and overjoyed by the generosity, energy and love of my running teammates. Somehow they are even better people than I thought they were before. I will remember this day forever for an entirely different reason.

This was what was posted on DetermiNation’s page:
What is DetermiNation?

- 16 athletes that are running 26.2 miles in Prospect Park Brooklyn this morning - some running 26.2 miles for the first time. In addition to raising money for ACS, they have raised over $8000 and counting in a little more than 24 hours for the Red Cross. - We had volunteers and athletes donate 6 carloads of goods and $500 more that will be donated to the Red Cross fund set up by our Brooklyn folks at Hope Lodge. The goods are being brought out to Breezy Point and the Rockaways as we speak. - We have a crew of 40 atheletes, coaches and mentors out on the far part of Staten Island helping with clean up efforts. - We have raised nearly $1.3 Million Dollars for the ACS

That is what DetermiNation is. We are the embodiment of the spirit of the marathon. Thank you to each of our volunteers, athletes and supporters for an UNFORGETTABLE Marathon weekend. You are beyond Finishers and you DEFINE DetermiNation.



I was with the group that headed out to Staten Island. It felt like a totally different world. Parts of it looked like a third world country. There was debris in the streets. Fences had fallen over. The foundation of one house was about 20 feet from where the house was now sitting. Another house by the marsh was literally swallowed by the marsh. The foundation sank and all you could see now was the roof.

We broke up into teams and headed out to see what we could do. We came across a woman who needed help clearing out her basement. Four of her neighbors were helping her out, but it was slow moving, so we came in to help. In about an hour and a half or two hours, we cleared out her giant TV, mattress, headboard, chest of drawers, china cabinet and all of her knick knacks from the basement. Much of the larger furniture had to be demoed to be removed, and almost everything else had to be thrown away. There was no power and smell of mold was overwhelming. But we worked together and worked quickly. By lunchtime, everything was out so she could begin clean up. She was overwhelmed and had hugs for everyone.

After lunch we helped a man clear some of the reeds out of his yard. This was a little less rewarding because there was so much more to be done. The man couldn’t get to his backyard because the reeds were blocking his gate. We cleared some of them out, but we needed more help.

The most amazing thing about the day was the sheer amount of help that was being offered. The streets were filled with volunteers. Some were cooking food and handing it out to residents and volunteers. Some were handing out water and cleaning supplies. But there were volunteers helping out EVERYWHERE. Most of them were runners. I was upset at all the negativity that was thrown at the runners regarding the marathon. I’m happy to see that, despite their disappointment, they turned this day into something extremely positive. I couldn’t be prouder to be a runner and a DetermiNator. This is what we’re all about.

So I had my little rant yesterday. Then around 5:30 when we were setting up for our DetermiNation pasta dinner to get everyone pumped for the big day, we got the news. The marathon was canceled. It's unfortunate that this decision was made so late, once most of the out of town marathoners had already traveled into the city. Also unfortunate was that the decision was made because of all the negative comments. There were literally threats against some of the runners. But because we're DetermiNation, we didn't let that hold us down. We went forward with our pasta party and instead of being a pep rally for the marathon, we turned it into a celebration. Our team raised over $1.3 million in the fight against cancer, and that's a reason to celebrate. And because we're DetermiNation, we met this morning for a group run in the park just to be together. And because we're DetermiNation, we're coming together to volunteer on what would have been marathon. So tomorrow I'll be heading to Staten Island with my teammates to help with the clean up. This is why I love this team. We don't let negativity win.

Ok. I’m going to rant for just a minute, then I’m not talking about this any more. Also, I might use some inappropriate language, so Grandma, if you’re reading this, please stop now. The NYC marathon is scheduled to go forward as planned this Sunday, just 5 days after hurricane Sandy devastated much of the area. A lot of people are upset about this, which I understand, but please don’t take it out on the runners. A lot of the comments I’ve read are things like “The runners should be ashamed of themselves.” You know what? A lot of them feel conflicted about this moving forward, even after all their hard work and training, but they’re doing something about it. The New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the marathon, is donating a million dollars to Sandy relief. They’re also asking each runner to donate $26.20 to help the recovery. Some of them have put together last minute fundraising pages to the Red Cross. I heard someone recommend that each runner should be asked to bring canned goods, bottled water, blankets, etc to be handed out to residents in need on Staten Island. They’re trying to turn this into something positive and people are still spewing hate and negativity. NOT COOL. There are people that will be running this weekend that are without power, water, food. Their homes have been destroyed. They’re sleeping on friends’ couches and THEY’RE STILL RUNNING. To me, that is the epitome of hard work and resilience, which is exactly what the city needs right now. Don’t taint this with your negativity. Not to mention a lot of local businesses need the money the marathon brings in, or they would be financially crippled. So my suggestion to anyone that thinks this is a terrible idea? Don’t blame the runners. Donate money to the relief then get out there and support the runners. Spread positivity. Or better yet, on race day, get out there and volunteer. Work at a shelter. Hand out food and water to people that need it. If you’re not doing SOMETHING, then don’t shit all over people that are trying. Marathons are about over coming adversity. We can only over come if we all work together.

Now, I’m signing off of everything social media related until after the marathon. See you all on Monday!

The Marathon is On

In case you haven't heard, the marathon this Sunday is still on. I know a lot of runners were conflicted about it. It seems silly to be running around and cheering when so many people are without power, or even worse, without their homes. I understand the reasons behind it. The marathon brings in a lot of money to small local businesses, businesses that were already affected by the storm. Plus a lot of people have devoted a lot of time and emotion into training for this marathon, and if it were cancelled, they would probably be devastated. Well some people are turning this into a chance to do something good. They're running to show that the tri-state area is strong and resilient and life will eventually pick up and move on. If anyone wants to show support to NYC and storm victims, you can donate here:

http://www.crowdrise.com/strongerthansandy

I promise once things are back to normal my posts will be too.