Tag Archives: MLB Run

Running Late! Literally!

Comments 2 Standard

I usually have pretty good timing for getting to races at just the right time.  I don’t like to hang out too much before it starts because then I obsess about stupid nonsense like getting too hot or if I’ve got all my tinkles out.  This morning was no different.  Started out well – walked to the downtown 6 which was just pulling into the station as I walked in, planning on transferring to the Q at Union Square then off at Prospect Park stop.  Google maps told me 50 minutes.

I’m waiting on the platform with a bunch of people, runners included, when an N train pulls in on the opposite track of the Q track.  I already know the N DOES NOT go to Prospect Park but I saw a few people get on and so I quickly ask what stop they are going to.  The super-smart looking guy, but I gathered not so common-sensically smart afterwards (as I become at this moment) says that they are going to get off at Atlantic Pacific station then walk the rest of the way.  I have no idea the distance from Atlantic Pacific to the Nethermead area of the park obvi, so I jump on anyway. They must know what they’re doing right?  Wrong!  I found out once I’m ON the train that they don’t know either…

We hop of the N at 7:36 – the race starts at 8:00…

IMG_3667

So the one guy and the girl say they are going to do a ‘lite jog’ to the park, obviously me and smart/not-smart guy decide it’s a great idea.  Well, their lite jog was my running pace! We ended up being late because we had to ‘lite jog’ a distance of  2ish miles to get to the bag check and then head over to the start line…. In the end my 50 minute trek to Prospect Park took 1 hour and 25 minutes and my 5K for Sandy turned into an unofficial 8-9k… Not complaining!  My own stupidity! I already knew that I should have stuck with my original travel plan the second I stepped on the N train.

At least I wasn’t one of the dummies who was late because they didn’t use this for bag check! Come on… we all know why these are used now. #BostonStrong

IMG_3669

By the way, the race was great! #MLBAllstar5k

 

5 Things That Mad(k)e Me Smile

Comments 2 Standard

Smiling is infectious.  Smiling feels good on your face, and it looks good too.

I find myself smiling tons of times a day and today was no different.  Here is my “Made Me Smile” list for July 11, 2013!

1. Cute, teeny kids going to summer camps.

Early in the mornings during the summer, instead of taking their kids to school parents take their kids to summer camp.  There are tons of camps and kids of all ages go – little 3 year olds to teens.

My smile comes from those little teeny kids in their matching camp tees going to camp like the big kids.  They are nothing short of completely adorable.  I would never take a pic of somebody’s little cutie so I googled one for you as an example heehee!

2. The San Remo

Strolling along 5th Avenue at about E 100 Street you will see these iconic beacons of New York  history.  Situated on Central Park West at abut 74 Street, you can see these towers from many points in the park.  The focal point of many artists paintings and photographers photographs, this apartment building screams “Live Here!” but of course only if you are one of the 1%… or maybe 2%.  A couple of summers ago I took a drawing class in the park and these towers were our muse.  How I love old NY townhouses, old gorgeous apartments and buildings – your beauty and intricacy makes me smile.

Image

3.  Really nice bus drivers.

These are pretty hard to find.  On my way home from curriculum planning at school today I hopped on the M1 on 5th Ave at 96 Street (which means I walked 15 blocks first then decided to take the bus :/).  So anyway, usually bus drivers are pretty quiet when you get on and only make the necessary stop announcements if you’re lucky.  Not this driver!  At each stop the driver addressed specific people about the stop they wanted to get off at and where they should catch the transfer bus or subway.  AND he sounded so sweet!   This driver made me smile for making people’s days a little easier in their adventures in the city.  That’s the attitude every bus driver needs.

4. Picking up my number for the MLB Run for Sandy race.

This smile actually stems in two parts:

partly because the running community is awesome – people full of positivity and high levels of endorphins!

partly because I am participating in a fantastic and very meaningful event.

ImageImage

5. Camomile tea!  My reflux was bothering me today, first time in quite a while… So I got out my mason jar of camomile tea bags, turned on the Keurig and made some hot tea on a hot and steamy afternoon.  A cup later, feeling better which means I’m going running soon (another thing that makes me smile!)

Image

What made you smile today?

CitiBiking

Comments 2 Standard

Today was pretty awesome, a nice mix of work and fun (happy hour, bike ride and She & Him at Summerstage in Central Park).

But here’s what is on my mind at the end of the day:

After a nice refreshing afternoon beer at Ulysses on Stone Street with my usual happy hour girls, we walked over to feel the river breeze near South Street Seaport.  Among our many topics of conversation, our last revolved around the CitiBike program and biking/bike riders, etc.  So as our conversation was wrapping up and we were getting ready to part, I decided to bike home along one of the city’s Greenways from downtown to my Turtle Bay street.  (Thanks Kristen for showing me the map otherwise I may have ended up on the highway a couple of times!)

The three of us bode our farewells then I walked over to get a bike from the dock at Wall Street Ferry Terminal.  About 5 minutes into my ride I get onto a nice stretch of Greenway nearing the Williamsburg Bridge.  I passed a few runners and bikers, sections with benches for viewing the river, nice little garden areas, basketball courts and soccer areas, and all the apartments that line the other side of the FDR.  I reach for my phone to snap a shot of the bridge to capture a piece of beauty. It’s then that I realize that only 9 short months ago, this entire area was under water.

Image

I suddenly felt guilty.  Here I am, riding along, enjoying myself in this section of the city that had been engulfed by storm surge during Hurricane Sandy.  So many people displaced and stranded, without power and normal life for days.  As I kept riding, I was envisioning the enormity of the area that had been taken over by water.  Four of the five miles I rode were flooded areas.  I still cannot even imagine seeing the water that high, taking over the streets of Manhattan as if no one lived there.  I felt guilty that I haven’t participated in some sort of Sandy rebuilding project.  These areas of Manhattan have been functioning for months but there are so many areas in Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey that are not.  Yes I donated items as a part of a school collection, and yes I am running in the MLB Run for Sandy this weekend at Prospect Park…. but shouldn’t I do something else?  Are my small contributions enough?

My CitiBike ride turned out to be more important than exercise today.