That Time I Ran Every Day

I'm not quite sure what I was thinking.  Having just come off the marathon, I swore I would take a nice long break from running.  I was pretty pumped about it too.  And then I read this article about taking a local Philly challenge to run at least one mile EVERY day in February.  And I thought, "One mile?  I can do that!"

Ughhhhh.  What was I even thinking?  I thought, if anything, ten-ish minutes of fresh air and exercise every day would do wonders for my mood and my attitude.  It really didn't.  In fact, it made me irritated and angry that after my actual weightlifting workout in the morning, I still had to figure out when I could go out and run.  Twice I ran in the rain DURING school.  Once I ran during a tornado warning.  Once I ran in between glasses of wine.  Quite a few times I ran in sub 32 degree temperatures, while the wind threatened to blow me over into the oncoming traffic in my neighborhood.

But I also ran in 50 and 60 degree temperatures.  I ran in the sunshine and in the sunset.  One day, I even ran 3.5 miles, my longest run since the marathon.  One day it flurried, and that was kind of fun.

Every day we had to post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #RunStreakPHL.  Here I present to you, my collection of photos.  Enjoy reliving all the emotions (and weather) with me.

Dry January

I'm doing something I never thought I would do...

I'm participating in Dry January.

I'm not going to lie to you.  This is going to be one of my biggest challenges to date.  I love my [almost] nightly glass[es] of wine.  I love the taste of wine by itself and paired with food.  I love the socializing that often comes with drinking.  I love that weekend buzz.

But... I don't like how sleepy it makes me.  I don't like how the buzz convinces me to eat things I shouldn't.  I don't like the dizziness that comes with one too many, the rumbly, uncomfortable stomach and the obvious extra calories.

So I've decided that for the month of January, I will not have a single drink.

Are you interested in joining me?  Do you want to start the year off clean?  Are you looking to jumpstart your health and fitness, reset your liver, or just give yourself a bit of a challenge?

We are starting a PRIVATE group on Facebook TOMORROW, Sunday, January 3 so application is needed ASAP!  Just fill out the form below and I will contact you!

Fill out my online form.

Online contact and registration forms from Wufoo.

30 Before 30!

Alright.  I've entered my last year of my 20s.  And I'm not one to set time limits on goals... I take disappointment and failure pretty rough.  Only recently have I learned to turn my failures into positives and to look at the journey not the destination etc. etc.

But I figured, what the hell.  I do like lists, so might as well make a list of 30 Things to Do Before I'm 30.  And because I'm a realist, this is a REALISTIC list.  Meaning, you won't find "Pay off Dan's student loans" there because, well, we'd have to win the lottery.

You should also know that I lead a PRETTY boring life.  Mostly, if in one year from now my life were exactly the same, I'd be happy.  So making this list was difficult.

However, when I offered this idea up to my friends of Facebook, one of them suggested that instead I focus on all the amazing things I have accomplished up to this point, and not what's left.  A glass half full sort of list.  That idea inspired me, so you'll find that list here as well.

I plan to check back to this post regularly to keep you up to tabs with what I've accomplished!

30 Things to Do Before I'm 30 (in no particular order)

1.  Run a marathon (COMPLETED January 17, 2016)

2.  Go to Europe

3.  Finish visiting every winery in NJ (about 9 more to go!)

4.  Go on a city Segway tour

5.  Get tenure (scheduled September 2016)

6.  Go parasailing (COMPLETED June 25, 2016)

7.  Get a tattoo

8.  Get a dog

9.  Finish decorating the "crap room"

10.  Complete Insanity: Max 30

11.  Go to North Carolina with Dan (COMPLETED Spring Break 2016)

12.  Host Thanksgiving for my family in my house  (COMPLETED November 26, 2015)

13.  Try a new food once a month

• November:  Sweet Potatoes
• December:  Over easy and hard boiled eggs
• January:  Butternut Squash (Mac & Cheese)
• February:  Beets (hummus!)
• March:  Radishes
• April:  Moonshine (does that count?!)

14.  Run multiple Rock 'n' Roll races (starting with the marathon)

15.  Get 1,000 likes on my FB page (LIKE IT HERE!! It's awesome!)

16.  Not work during the Summer of 2016 (COMPLETED Summer 2016)

17.  Have a giant display box made for my wedding dress (yes I'm a psycho.  It's like a work of art)

18.  Stop biting my nails (I'm currently doing pretty damn well) (I caved and got fake nails again... oh well!)

19.  Blog three times a month! (November 2015, December 2015, January 2016 so far)

20.  Get new glasses (seriously, mine are like 5 years old)

21.  Own a Louis Vuitton 

22.  Replace the screen door (COMPLETED May 10, 2016)

23.  Get my group fitness certification (part of a bigger goal ;) )

24.  Have $5,000 in my savings account

25.  Go to a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden

26.  Get a piano (COMPLETED November 24, 2015)

27.  Make gnocchi from scratch.  Or raviolis.

28.  Give blood.  I used to do this about 10 years ago.  Then I fainted and I never did it again. (COMPLETED January 27, 2016)

29.  Paddle board at the beach (in the bay or ocean)

30.  Something that's just for me... I don't have to tell you all of my goals :)

29 Things I Accomplished Before Turning 29

1.  Got a Bachelor's degree
2.  Got a Master's degree
3.  Got married
4.  Bought a house
5.  Paid off my college loans
6.  Got a teaching job
7.  Ran two half marathons
8.  Recovered from knee surgery
9.  Traveled to Hawaii (and climbed a volcano!)
10.  Went white water rafting and camping in the Grand Canyon
11.  Went to Mets Spring Training
12.  Sang in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in NYC
13.  Toured Boston and DC completely by myself
14.  Flown on a plane by myself many times
15.  Did not get pregnant by accident!
16.  Donated my hair twice
17.  Saw Celine Dion in concert twice!
18.  Secured a weekly PiYo class
19.  Saw seven Broadway shows
20.  Been to Canada and Mexico
21.  Been on a plane over 100 times
22.  Had a massage
23.  Was in an infomercial!
24.  Cut down my own Christmas tree
25.  Pay my own bills
26.  Never tried drugs... or beer (lol)
27.  Made a lot of new friends... on the internetz.
28.  Spent significant time in 15 states.  Many more if you count flight layovers!
29.  Gave blood!


Can't wait to check in and let you know when everything happens!