Time to Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

My first run did not go well. In high school, I would run a one mile loop around the lake by my house to improve my endurance for figure skating. I hated every minute of it and wondered how in the world my father ran marathons, and my sister excelled at cross-country. Other than the short prescribed runs from my coach, I completely wrote off running.

Fast forward to college when I had to quit competitive figure skating due to the demand of school, and I found myself running a 5k loop around campus and trying to convince anyone who would to join me. A few charity 5k races later, and I signed up for my first half marathon at Disney World where I ran 13.1 miles huffing and puffing to a 2:20 finish and swore I would never do a marathon. The rest is history.

As a runner that enjoys racing, I steadily improved with little effort as I didn't enjoy the discomfort of running fast. I would do steady 20 mile runs, "race" and finish with little effort given, and until this past weekend swore I would never do speed work or run until I puked.

After having to drop from the New Jersey Marathon to the Half Marathon due to a nasty virus (and a lot of disappointment and anxiety) I toed the starting line with many of my Dashing Whippet teammates sporting my shiny new singlet. Deciding to even wear the jersey was an internal struggle; as an obsessive perfectionist I tend to feel a lot of pressure to be "fast" and like I was not good enough to wear my singlet and represent the team. What if I ran slow, or had to walk? Would they judge me? I felt shame to already have dropped down to "only do a half marathon" as I describe it. Hesitantly, that morning at o'dark thirty of 3:30am I put on my team jersey and boarded the bus to Long Branch, NJ.

The best thing about being a Whippet is the support of teammates and always having someone to stand in a parking lot with you at 6:00am and take turns using porta-potties. Before we set out, my teammate Young asked me my goal. After feeling like I literally couldn't move my legs for weeks, I told him 1:55 which I knew was so out of the question and not in my tank of accomplishments for that day. Toeing the line, I just prayed to the universe that I could get through this in one piece and without walking. The gun went off, and I was off.

Mile 1 flew by as I maneuvered my way through the dense pack of runners and my watch beeped that my mile was 8:40. "Ok, gotta slow down I told myself." But by mile 5 after passing the pacers I swore I would stay behind and not slowing down, I decided I would keep it up as long as I could and although its bad, try to bank the time I was doing and positive split if I had to. I ate a pack of Honey Stingers chews 7 miles in and continued keeping a pretty steady 8:35 pace which was very surprising to me.

I saw the Whippet cheer team at mile 11 which boosted me up even more, and I cruised on. Mile 11.5 the half and the marathon split, and although I felt like I had a marathon in me at that point I was glad I had decided to drop to the half. Mile 12 my lungs started to burn but I knew I could make a big PR, and I "dropped the hammer" and crossed the finish in 1:55:05, over a 7 minute PR from my last half in October. Immediately, tears flooded my eyes as I was overcome with gratitude for my body, my team, training partners, and the power of believing in myself during that race. I really had not believed this was possible as I tend to run easy 24/7 in my training runs. I left NJ that day feeling something I had never really felt as a runner; strong, powerful, and like improvement was something I thirst for.

Moving forward, I have a new hunger for racing and improving my speed and stamina. It's time for speed workouts, more strength work, and recovering rather than running junk miles. It's time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and continue to smash new PR times in all my racing distances.

More Than Ever, The World Needs Yoga

At this time in our history when it seems that the world is in turmoil, I believe it is imperative that we focus on the positive and peace inside ourselves. My yoga practice has taught me to always see the best in things.

Yoga is not just a class you go to now and then, or a form of exercise. To me, yoga is a deeply personal and spiritual practice that teaches us peace, meditation, and gratitude. I used to feel a lot of pressure from the weight of the world, and other people’s problems I could not solve and it would cause me a lot of personal unhappiness and stress in my daily life. I had done yoga off and on at my University’s group classes and at studios in Orlando, but it never really clicked for me as more than a workout class. However, a change in mindset and finding the most incredible studio in my neighborhood, Yoga Agora, honestly changed me as a person.

That may seem like a huge exaggeration to say that yoga has changed my life, but it completely has. Yoga is an ancient practice that began in Indian and has roots in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It originated around the time of the Buddha and from his teachings, and was first a mental practice before it had transformed into a well known and popular form of exercise all over the world. It is a deeply personal practice equally about giving your best physically to the practice, but also mentally. Yoga is a practice meant to prepare your body and mind for meditation, or shavasana (an Asana pose where you lie on the floor and openly breathe in meditation.)  

Yoga has brought me immense peace with myself and in dealing with the external factors of life; work stress, my relationships, being comfortable with who I am, and even the political climate of the world. I learned from the confines of the four corners of my mat, that I am only in control of my own thoughts and my own life, and to simply deal with what is dealt at me to the best of my ability. To be easier on myself; like at the end of a Vinyasa flow you lay down and meditate on what you have done and have peace that is was all you can do. So rather than nit pick at what I could/should have done and replay situations over and over in my mind until I make myself sick, I choose to live presently and realize what is done is done, and to only focus on what I presently have control over. 

The world desperately needs yoga. The world needs peace, the prominent theme of yoga, and to stop lashing out in negativity and violence as a first reaction. My favorite mantra chanted in practice is this, 

"Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ," translated meaning 

May there be well-being for all,

May there be peace for all.

May there be wholeness for all,

May there be happiness for all.

This is the dream, isn't it? What peace is about? How can we really create "World Peace" when our first reaction to political news is to spread our own negative feelings? A pillar of Buddhism tells us that we are in control of removing suffering from the world. I believe by removing negativity that this is the first step. Let's keep our negative thoughts to ourselves and instead provide positive alternate options to what we don't agree with. This will also give our loved ones, friends, even world leaders the reinforcement to make the right choices out of compassion.

This following chant is very important to our world at this time:

"Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu"

May the rulers of the earth protect the well-being of the people,

With justice, by means of the right path.

May there always be good fortune for all living beings.

May all the inhabitants of the world be full of happiness.

If only the world could feel the peace and ease of mind one receives at the end of a blissful yoga session. Peace in the body, peace in the mind, and peace in the heart.

Hate takes energy. Love just is.

5 Things I Have Learned & Hope to Grow into in my 25th Year

January 25th I woke up the ripe old age of 25, which also happens to be my Golden Year! 24 taught me more than most years in the relationships I had, moving to NYC, and with my career. I have grown into myself a lot over the past few years and wanted to share a few things I have learned, and am working towards implementing more into my life.

1.     Success is measured by your happiness. I am happy when I am doing what I love; my new job planning weddings at my dream venue, running, doing yoga, being with those I love, and in nature.

2.     Be true to yourself. Always do what feeds your soul and not to satisfy others. It is really important to me to always be authentically myself, and to embrace all my quirks.

3.     Don’t give all of yourself. I am a giver; I give and give and am always there for my friends no matter what they need. However, that has not always been reciprocated. After much hurt, I have learned that I cannot always care for others more than myself, especially when they do not return the favor. Keep your good friends close, and always keep a special place in your heart and your day for yourself.

4.      Find an outlet. Life can be hard sometimes. I find that having an outlet to de-stress and refocus on something you care about really helps me. Running and yoga are that for me. The physical burn and the clarity I get through meditation in both are not paralleled by anything else to me, and I am obsessed with both!   

5.     Your body is your vessel, take care of it. You were given this one, precious, human body to carry you through life. Life is the most incredible gift we can have and I believe in wellness and longevity for that life. So I choose to eat real, nutritious, healthy food and move my body in ways that feel good to me (even what that means running a marathon.)

All in all, I learned after years of working to please others, or to “fit in”, that the most important thing we can have in this life is satisfaction with ourselves. I find that I am happiest when I am doing exactly what feeds my soul: spending a quiet night at home with Charlie and a book, going on a long run with friends, yoga and meditation, a hot bath, trying new restaurants, discovering new places, and a hearty glass of red wine. 

When Your Race Doesn't Go As Planned

You get upset, and you move on. As a “new runner,” although I have run a bunch of 5ks, 5 half marathons, a full marathon, and regularly run; I would describe myself as a new runner. I have never ran for time, more so to complete the distance and for the mental clarity it brings me. after running regularly for about three years now, I decided to up my game and set new goals for myself and to improve my speed and stamina. One of those goals was to run my 10k race in under 54 minutes, just under an average pace of 9 minutes per mile. No, this isn’t generally fast but for me it was. I trained (maybe not enough speed work), and I was fairly confident I could accomplish it. this goal fed into my next goal, running a sub two hour half marathon on October 8^th.

Waking up for the race at 5am I could already feel my body yelling at me after spending too much time on my feet the previous two days, and taking a very intense yoga class the morning before. I got up, dressed, had coffee and my pre-race rice cake with peanut butter and banana, and headed out the door. I was immediately smacked in the face by the heat and humidity that had been absent for the last few days, not a runners friend. After a train ride, running a mile from my train stop to the start (with a bathroom stop at the McDonald’s Times Square) I had made it to the start. The race was set up to start and end at Pier 84 on the Hudson River. After checking my unnecessary jacket, I headed to the corral to take part in the warm up and we were off at 7am! My body was yelling at me. My leg’s felt like lead and my stomach was a sloshy mess. The first three miles I made in sub 9 minute pace like I was hoping, but then I realized it just wasn’t my day so I pulled back and tried to just enjoy it. My body just did not want to run, so I did my best and crossed the finish in about 57:30, and I moved on.

I headed to the celebration area, got my adorable free t-shirt, some snacks, a bag, and a blender bottle. Exhaustion hit me, and I headed home. Now, this was not at all the race I hoped for. No, I probably was not fully trained to reach my goal time (something I really need to work on- speed training), and I cant help that my body was just not having it. As runners, we have to realize that not everyday is a great day, and we cant perform 100% every day. These races are given to us to appreciate the times that running feels like skipping through a cloud, and be thankful for the amazing feat that we have the gift and ability to run. Maybe I am not a runner; maybe I am meant to be a yogi. However, running makes me very happy. So I will continue to do it for the mental clarity and “runner’s high” rather than specific goals. And when I do not make my goals, I will not be disappointed but blessed that I could even try.

Keep running friends. 

Plant Based NYC Eats

Although I no longer like to label myself as a “vegan” or “vegetarian”, I do consider my diet to be plant based and free of animal products. New York City is a mecca for plant based living; restaurants commonly offer and label their vegan or vegetarian options, there are many vegan and plant based restaurants, and grocery stores even offer more options for veggies! I used to trek far and wide for my favorite dairy free milks, ice creams, cheeses, etc. and was extremely pleased to find that my local store has even more options than before! The nut cheeses I find are mind blowing, and every flavor of cashew milk ice cream! My cow loving heart is very pleased with the assortment of options.

Eating out is easier than ever before and more tantalizing for non-vegans to try! Here is a short list of some of my favorite places so far. Of course, I will continue to update this list in further posts.

Blossom

I had been previously with a meat eater, who was pleasantly surprised and loved it himself! I can’t remember what I had, but the food and experience was amazing.

My vegan mother came and I had to take her; we hit up Blossom on Carmine and enjoyed the Steak and Salmon (all meat free of course!) We still talk about how great it was and how often we crave it.

Seitan cutlet & gravy

Salmon dinner

Blossom Du Jour
Sister to Blossom, this "fast food vegan" offers your favorite comforts in a healthier and kinder manner! I had the BLT wrap.... fantastic. They even offer things like chicken tenders and Bacon Egg & Cheese sandwiches! A new favorite in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan. Perfect lunch spot on the go or before a Broadway show!

V Spot

Another of my favorites! I enjoy Latin inspired quinine which is sometimes difficult to find dairy and meat free. This place is off the charts, I’ve had the spinach burrito twice and I recommend upgrading your side salad to a Caesar. The bacon will make your day.

My sister had the Supreme Quesadilla which featured a spicy dip and plantains inside… incredible.

By Chloe

This uber trendy spot is popular among vegans and non-vegans alike. Their menu is all-American featuring sandwiches, burgers, salads, and incredible desserts. I have had the Guac Burger with Sweet Potato fries, and their tofu scramble breakfast platter. I would also recommend picking up a cup of their ice cream for your sweet tooth.

Bareburger

Veggie burgers are my ultimate weakness. I think I could actually eat one every single day. Bareburger has many locations throughout the city and the boroughs (one conveniently around the corner from me) and is my go to with friends. They offer 3 different options for veggie patties, sprouted vegan buns, vegan cheeses, and SO many veggie toppings and pickles! Meat eaters love it, veggies love it, beer drinkers love it. Seriously, something for everyone. And it is organic and cute to boot ;)

Franchia

On a rainy day in the area, I popped in with my friend Brooke to test this one out, and I have been back 4 times since. Wow. Exquisite, the décor is beautiful and well themed, the menu is extensive (all vegan) with appetizers galore, sushi, rice and noodle bowls, cocktails, and desserts! I love the Vegetarian ‘Duck’ Bibimbap (favorite), and I have also had the Javanese Noodles Goreng, and the Tofu and Vegetables Claypot in Spicy Ginger Sauce (pictured.) I could eat here everyday and never get tired of it because of their endless options! Vegs and meat eaters alike have enjoyed it, highly recommended for all!

My final eatery on this particular post:

Candle 79

Numerous times I have walked past Candle 79 and scoured their menu online, finally I had a reason to go! my best friend Allison was coming to visit for her birthday, and picked Candle 79 as her birthday dinner. After a long day of playing tourist, we were escorted through the restaurant to a cozy table upstairs. Deciding what to eat here was one of the hardest of our lives. We split the Empanadas appetizer and were immediately blown away. I can't say I've had many in my life, but these were the best by far. For my meal, I had the Mushroom Crepe with the most amazing sauce drizzled on top and a side Jalapeno salad. Allison chose the pasta special of the day and both were killer. Since it was of course her special day, she chose the Berry Crumble that came with a special candle (which I would expect from a restaurant with the name candle in it!) This was one of the best vegan experiences of my life based on the atmosphere, service, and food quality and options. I would recommend this for anyone, probably the easiest place for a non-vegan to eat because the choices were very similar to that of a standard restaurant. I will definitely be going back soon!

Thanks for reading friends, more restaurant posts to come as I explore the mecca of food here in New York City! 

When You Can't "Just Keep Swimming"

Some days, you just can't. No, I am not trying to sound like an 18 year old valley girl that "literally just can't", but today I knew I had to quit. I have been trying to obsessively follow a marathon training plan for my half marathon on November 15, and my first full marathon on January 31. I have a schedule for my runs and workouts following the plan basically to a T, and today called for 12 miles. I do all of my long runs typically on Tuesdays, sometimes Wednesdays pending on my work schedule. So yesterday, I turned down invitations from friends to hangout after my 11 hour shift, came home to eat my dinner of brown rice, veggies, and tempeh, and hit the sack by 9:30pm.

My alarm sounded at 6:30am; trying to beat the heat of the eternal summer that is Florida (it is November 3...) yet my body just said no. It told me I was too tired, I needed to rest, yet I forced myself up, ate a banana and got dressed and headed out. By mile 4 I was already exhausted. It was nearing 85 degrees and only 7:30am. I just couldn't get in "the zone," and decided to cut down to 11 miles. By mile 5 I decided I couldn't go any farther and turned around to just do 10. It was hot, I was running out of water from my Camelbak, my IT band began to flare up and I resorted to run walking.

Mentally, I was over it. I wasn't having any fun, I was tired, thirsty, hot, and began to worry and doubt myself about being able to run 26.2 miles come January. If I couldn't even make it 12, how would I ever be able to run that far? Would I even be able to push myself to train longer distances? I had given up. I called my dad at 7.5 crying. He has completed many marathons, and always has the best advice. He told me that sometimes, our bodies need a break, to go home, eat, rest and get back on track when I felt better. My typical work week is about 6 days a week and over 50 hours, where I stand, squat, and remain pretty active and it all takes a tole on me that I really don't factor in. I am leaner and in better shape than I maybe have ever been, so why did my body quit on me? Because it needs rest, it just needs a break from activity.

So here I was, crying because of my obsessive compulsion to accomplish every single goal I set for myself and here I was failing myself. I have NEVER not completed a long run that I planned out, yet here I was walking the 2.5 miles left to get home. I was defeated, done, even walking bothered my IT band. Out of water, thirsty, and sweating bullets. I stopped at my neighborhood McDonalds to get water, and got quite a few confusing looks from the regular carnivores. Charlie greeted me with a friendly meow when I got home, showered, and had my usual post run waffles and fruit as a reward for my labor.

Now it is time to re-evaluate. I am a super obsessive person, always have been. It has led me to eating disorders, exercise disorders, and generally to be anxious about anything in my future. After this not so great run, I learned that I need to just take every run as they come. If I am injured, rest (very hard for me, I usually will run anyways.) Stop obsessing about races, if come January I cannot do the full marathon, I will drop down to the half. Maybe my body just can't handle it, and I will need to learn to be okay with that. I can't keep isolating myself from my social life because it "doesn't fit into my running plan."

Now, I will commit to making living a priority, rather than working constantly to attain my goals. Instead of working 6 days a week to pay my bills and have extra spending money, I am going to take my extra days to go out into nature and do the things I want to do, say YES more often to invitations from friends, and maybe even in December to drive my happy self to the mountains and stay in a hostel to explore. It's time to live, be present in everything I do, and to learn to work running races into my life rather than into my schedule and letting them consume me. Time to live.

Peace and running friends!

The Perception of Masculinity

Today, our world is over run with social media, advertisements, news ads, and most of them are depicting either a masculine or feminine role. From birth announcements being pink or blue as "female" and "male", children's color clothing, everything we see in everyday life has a male or female stigma attached to it.

I whole heartily believe that we have brainwashed our gender norms in society the entirely wrong way; men to be strong and women to be frail. Both genders should feel comfortable to be themselves, and to express their feelings openly. Men should not be taught to hide their emotions; our society teaches men to hide their sorrow and act out in rage. Men's boxing and AMA fighting has become uber popular, in my eyes I see this as a very caveman type sport where men fight each other for nothing other than sport even injuring each other and riling up rage out of the crowds. Video games are targeted at men and are full of murder, violence, theft; while women's are typically kinder like Barbie and baby dolls. A case can also be made for whom TV shows and movies are directed at; Superheros using their strength as power, while Princess movies for girls display kindness as power. In school boys are taught to be kind to women (mostly) and that they are frail, yet as themselves they must always be perfectly composed and unemotional. 

Men: be emotional! Be vulnerable. As humans we are highly emotional beings and as both men and women we feel many different emotions everyday. Women tend to succumb and express their feelings much more openly, as I believe men should too. Biologically we are wired in our DNA to feel many things, some more than others based on the amount of stress we felt as unborn babies from our mothers and then based on the stresses of our environment through adolescence and through adulthood.

It has even come across in the dietary and food world; an example being the "Hungry Man" meals that are directed to men, full of heavy meats and implying that men need to eat copious amounts of meats. Many advertisements for meat and beer products are directed to men, while women are seen eating small salads and the stars of diet food advertisements. This has caused society to think that men need to be "strong" and consume huge amounts of meat products, while women are portrayed as "weak" and eating very little. On the contrary, men are seen as weak for abstaining from animal products which is more than far from the truth.

Compassion is an important and attractive quality that men should express. Being vegan and caring about animals and our planet is not something to be ashamed about but something to be embraced. I personally find vegan men extremely attractive, I see them as people that can embrace and express their feelings very openly and to be more nurturing than those who consume animal products. Masculinity is about being strong, protective, and can be expressed even better as being protectors of all living things and the Earth we call home. It should not be expressed through mounted deer heads, killing black bears, literally "bringing home the bacon" but being caring and nurturing to these animals instead. Men believe they need to eat more protein than women in general and that this nutrient needs to be consumed in the form of animal products, which is incorrect and I will explain further in a later post on protein.

So hey men, it's okay to show your soft side, in fact flaunt it! If slaughter of animals upsets you embrace this. Go vegan, advocate for animal and environmental rights. Let us respect our fellow animals that Mother Earth has given us, and love us love them and live as one. So go forth and live a life of peace, emotion and compassion. 

Just Keep Running!

Hi friends! So as you have noticed I haven't blogged in awhile, due to some personal reasons, absent mindness, and also adjusting to my job that I recently went back to. However, I wanted to say that I am alive and well!

Some fun things I have been doing:

Trip to South Florida to see parents/ and some not so fun and sad events:

Amazing vegan restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale: Green Bar! I had the sweet potato burger

My best friend in the world, Allison came to visit me:

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom, I was the evil queen from Snow White:

Lots of running! I am in week 3 of my marathon program for my race January 31! More to come in my following post about my training schedule I am following. I have gotten bored of my go to running courses near my home, so I found some trails and Disney resorts to run around...

And best of all.... my new Garmin Forerunner 220!!! My old watch died so I upgraded. I love it, you can set interval timers, it actually shows current pace per mile (my old watch didn't), elapsed time, distance, and allows you to make a training plan that the watch can help you to follow. Two thumbs up!

Thank you friends for being patient with me, here is a little mantra I have been following in tough times:

Keep running friends :)

When To Break Up.. With Your Shoes

Aches and pains, bumps and bruises. As runners we know that this comes hand in hand with the sport we adore. However, do you experience debilitating soreness or injury when you are not changing up your routine? It may be time for the talk.... with your shoes.

Breaking up is hard to do, but it needs to be done. I know I know, your shoes have been there for you in every invigorating run, every time your legs felt like lead they got you through it, and all the races. But there’s plenty of fish… or shoes in the sea.

Most running shoes are good for approximately 300-400 miles, all depending on you. Your body tends to tell you when its time, foot aches, arch problems, shin splints, overall body aches. Keep a log of your miles so you will know when its time to get a new pair so you are not sidelined while you are on the market for a new set.

1.       Alternate running shoes. Buy two pairs of the same shoe and alternate them on runs! They will now last longer until you need to get a new pair.

2.       Keep a mileage log, if you really love your style of shoe order a new pair when time is almost up.

3.       Get fit BEFORE you need a new pair. Go to a running specialty store, please do not go to a big brand sports store… they will sell you on price not based on what you need. A good store will watch your cadence, how you strike the ground, and fit you accurately.

4.       Wear proper socks! I prefer Thorlo Pads. They grip your feet and pad them in all the right areas, I have NEVER had a blister wearing these. I repeat. NEVER. www.thorlo.com/socks/xccu/236

Runner’s World helps us with some more FAQ! www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/running-shoe-faq

ALWAYS get the proper running shoe for you, not what works for someone else. Some running stores even do trial periods!

Keep running friends :)