Walking Update!

Forrest Gump once said, "Those must be comfortable shoes.  I bet you could walk all day in shoes like that and not feel a thing."

Well, I don't think I could walk all day in any shoes and not feel a thing.  But I know I was not feeling comfortable in my Brooks size 10 sneakers.  Too often, I have been getting blisters and black toe nails.  I'm sure the sneakers were fine, but they didn't fit right for me.  So, based on a recommendation from a friend from work, I stepped into Marathon Sports in Norwell, MA this afternoon aiming to find a pair of new sneakers!

The guy who helped fit me did a great job.  I'm a strange bird when it comes to sizing for shoes because I've been gifted with a significant shoe size difference among my feet - size 10 for my left foot... size 8.5 for my right foot.  It makes life difficult finding the right pair of shoes.  There are some deals out there for "mixed pair" shoes, but the guy at Marathon Sports told me he could find me the right pair of shoes without that hassle.  After the fitting routine, I ended up with the Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax +11 shoes, in a size 10.5.  I think the slightly larger shoes will help cut down on the issue of black toenails and blisters.

I splurged at the store a bit.  Thanks to the rave review I've heard from my friend Erin, I decided to get the Nike + iPod Sport Kit.  It's like a fancy high-tech pedometer that hooks up to your iPod.  A sensor goes into a specially designed pit in the inside sole of my new Nike sneakers.  Then I connect a small "receiver" into my iPod nano that detects the sensor as I walk.  Now my iPod actually talks to me as I'm walking, telling me how I'm doing in terms of distance, time, and pace.  It's not the annoying GPS voice, but a pleasant motivating voice.  Then at the end of the walk, the results are analyzed and put into a cool chart on my computer.  Pretty awesome!  If you follow me on Facebook, you'll probably start seeing all the crazy data it spits out onto my profile.

Also, if you're a walker (or a runner), don't you hate all the stuff in your pockets bouncing around?  I know I hate it - especially my cell phone!  I purchased an Amphipod Micropack Satellite that clamps onto the waistband of my pants/shorts.  Plenty of space for the phone, keys, and ID.  And the last thing I got was a long-sleeve bright orange "wicking" shirt.  All the shirts I have for walking are short-sleeve.  The weather's getting cooler, so soon I'll need a good long-sleeve shirt designed for all that sweating! (eww)

I walked four miles this afternoon with everything above (except for the long sleeve shirt), tested it all out, and I loved it!  Can you believe I'm now just about three weeks away from my UnitedHealthCare half marathon in Newport, RI on October 17th?  Oh, I can't... so pumped for it!  Check out the course map. Training-wise, this Sunday is my weekly long-distance walk, and it's the longest one - 10.5 miles (hey, that matches my shoe size!).  From Sunday on, the tapering begins - shorter training distances.

Stay tuned.

North Carolina Vacation

Every year in September, my parents, my uncle, and I have a family vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week.  I usually get stressed out each year because the vacation comes just a couple weeks after we open the residence halls where I work, but this year I let all that stress go.  It was a wonderful and restful week at the ocean in Duck, NC.  We did some sightseeing of places we haven't been to before, and I got in few pictures, of course!

Firstly, if you're not familiar with the Outer Banks, it has a lot of history.  It's a thin stretch of islands extending north and south over about 200 miles, on the eastern coast of North Carolina.  There were a lot of shipwrecks off the coast there due to the shallow ocean waters.  There are a few major tourist areas like Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills (where the Wright Brothers took the first flight in 1903), but compared to many other ocean communities on the east coast, the Outer Banks are overall a fairly quiet place. 
 

One of the first things we did was drive down to Cape Hatteras.  It's about 1.5 to 2 hours south of Duck, and we had never been that far south before on the Outer Banks.  I was really excited to see and climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  It was originally built in 1803 but was later destroyed due to erosion and the Civil War.  They built another one, which stands there today, in 1870.  It's the tallest lighthouse in North America - 12 stories tall.  The park ranger at the entrance informed us that when the light was run on kerosene, the lighthouse keeper had to carry a couple of 5 gallon containers of kerosene up to the top three to four times a day.  Whew - that sounds like tough work!  I climbed the stairs to the top and felt a bit woozy, so I can only imagine carrying around 100 pounds of weight several times daily to the top.  The view after that climb was gorgeous, especially due to the beautiful sunny 85 degree weather.  The national seashore was visible as far as the eye could see.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Close-up of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse



Cape Hatteras National Seashore



Woozy me at the top of the lighthouse!



On the same day we had lunch in Wanchese, a small alcohol-free (dry) town due to its religious roots, according to my uncle.  There's a great little restaurant there called Fisherman's Wharf, and I thought the painted mural on the side of the restaurant was cool - "Come and Dine," reads a little banner held up in the air by a couple birds.  You can definitely see the religious impressions in the painting.

Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant

"Come and Dine" mural at Fisherman's Wharf

Late in the week on a Friday, we drove up to Carova Beach, which is the northern most point of the North Carolina coastline.  If you've never heard of it, it has some unique qualities that distinquish it from just about any other town in the whole United States.  Carova Beach doesn't have a single paved road.  It's all sand.  And you won't find any roads that lead to it (Carova Beach, therefore, has no connection to Rome... haha).  You can't get there from Virginia's coastline - there's a "roadblock."  Nope - the only way you can travel to Carova Beach is via twelve miles of ocean beach.  My father has a truck with four wheel drive, so that's how we did it.  It's not the easiest task - you pretty much need to time your drive so that it's as close as possible to low tide - in order to go over the sand when it's wet and flat.  We timed it well driving to Carova Beach, but leaving it was much more difficult as it was closer to high tide.  According to a local real estate agent we met there (Twiddy Real Estate), there are perhaps about 120 year-round residents at Carova.  You won't find any businesses or stores in "town" other than the real estate office.  They have a fire department - that's it in terms of immediate local services.

On the beach near Carova

Ocean View from the truck on the beach

The best part of the trip to Carova Beach in my opinion was the wild horses.  The wild horses, supposedly about 60-80 of them, travel in small groups near Carova Beach and Currituck.  We were lucky to see a few of them hanging out near a couple different houses, but even better when we caught a great glimpse of them on the beach.  There, they seemed to be surrounded by people and vehicles.  A local official seemed to be trying to move people away from the horses to give them some space.  It's illegal for anyone to feed the horses or approach them within 50 feet or so.  We happened to be driving back to Duck along the beach at the time, but I managed to get a few quick photographs of them.  Beautiful creatures!



Wild Horses at Carova Beach



Most of the time while in the Outer Banks, I was reading.  Since my staff chose to go with a Harry Potter theme to the decorations of the Student Apartments where I work, I felt I should read the Harry Potter books.  When I saw one of the RAs' decorations - a key with wings - I was clueless as to its meaning.  Back when all the books were originally coming out, I practically boycotted them due to their popularity and young adult focus.  But now I can certainly see why people love the books.  I'm addicted to them.  I read books 3 (Prisoner of Azkaban) and 4 (Goblet of Fire) in that week-long vacation.  The book series start off so innocent and child-like, but they get darker and more complex as the series progresses.  I'm presently on book 5 now (The Order of the Phoenix).

I also got a few walks in during vacation - two four-mile walks and an eight-mile walk.  Still training for the half marathon!  (more on that in another blog later this week)  On the first four-mile walk, a deer had darted across my path only about ten feet ahead of me (amazing sight, I must say).  On the second four-mile walk, a sneaky little snake had slithered in front of me on the sidewalk.  I think it was a garden snake but I didn't get a close look at it since they frighten the heck out of me.  The eight-mile walk was exceptionally exhausting.  I was glad to do them all though, and the Outer Banks scenery made them all the more enjoyable.

Alright, I'm signing off for the night.  I'll be walking first thing tomorrow morning!

Staying Positive

I was thinking today about how we are constantly in crisis with ourselves between positivity and negativity.  Our emotions and attitudes are always in flux.  I can have days where a terrible mood sets in that creates a barrier around me, pushing others away.  I don't like those days.  Yet they happen, and they pass.  On other days, I feel like I'm taking the high road, intrinsicably hopeful and nonjudgmental.  I think both are absolutely natural.  Ultimately, you are your own best friend and your own worst enemy.  And almost without fail, you have the choice and the ability to decide which you'd rather be.  I hope I lean toward the former.  I'd rather feel empowered to choose, and to choose the right path for myself.  Doing so also makes the rest of the world a brighter place.

And so with that, I refer to a poem that I wrote perhaps around 2002.  It is a message of optimism and empowerment.  The biological references in the poem might make a few snicker or even feel a bit uncomfortable.  But whenever I read this poem over again, I feel secure and certain that I am where I presently should be.  I hope it might help you, too. 

A Chosen One

Who are you to belittle your existence?
Who are you to waste your life away?
Why should you destroy your future?
How can you sit there so depressed?

When the scene was set years ago
Where one of a million eggs lay
Where one of a million sperm prey
And the combination of those two
Where chance beats everything
Where anyone could be created
Where the odds, so unimaginably unthinkable
Were against you
At that moment, you were given a chance
A chance to show what you've got

So don't say life is unfair
Don't complain about the petty things
Don't ignore the beautiful things in life

For the odds were in your favor all along
You were meant to be
Don't question your existence
Be happy you are the one of millions
You are a chosen one.

Been Gone Fishing

It has been far too long since my last blog.  Life has been exceptionally busy since mid-August as I've been smack in the middle of training with our Resident Assistants and then opening of the residence halls.  A crazy 16 straight days of organized chaos with some fantastic people!  However, being the introvert that I am, I'm majorly glad to finally have a bit of a break of alone time for the next couple of days.

Earlier in August, I moved to the Student Apartments on campus.  I'm now in a small but very homey apartment.  Unfortunately, there are no windows - only skylights.  I felt bad for my cat Evey who has been accustomed to full views of the outside world.  So I decided to get a 20 gallon aquarium along with three molly fish so that Evey has something to watch while I'm away all day.  I've never had a fish before in my life except perhaps when I was much younger.  I never knew how complicated it was to set up and maintain an aquarium, taking into consideration: the size of the aquarium, the filter, heater, decorations, water quality (and delicate biological cycle in the beginning), and type of fish.  At the moment, I have a dalmation (like it sounds) molly, a black molly, and a silver lyretail molly.  The naming process was an undertaking in itself.  The dalmation's name is Sergeant Pepper; the black molly is Champ - he is a trooper because as I was pouring the fish from their bag into a net, Champ missed the net and crashed into the bucket below, but he has survived wonderfully; the silver lyretail is Wiseguy since he has no fear of Evey when she presses her little nose up to the tank, plus Wiseguy just has the goofiest personality of the three, I think. 

It didn't take long for me to realize that Sergeant Pepper was pregnant.  She just had babies (or "fry" as they are technically called) on September 1.  Two days later, she is still having more babies.  It's bizarre that molly fish, especially females (including the mother), are like cannibals, eating the young.  I didn't really want to get a breeder net (separates the babies from the adults) because I don't really need that many additional fish in the tank.  I bought some floating plants instead for all the little guys to hide in; this gives them a fighting (or fleeing?) chance to survive the scary monsters.  I've had to crush up the fish flake food into powder so the babies can eat it.  I also had to prevent the fry from getting sucked into the filter, so I invested in some panty hose (an awkward shopping experience) to cover the filter with - it still can do its job somewhat.  I'm a little disturbed by how the filter looks now (see below), but hey... what can you do? :) 

This is definitely a fun and rewarding experience.  I'm really hoping that some of the fish fry survive - considering there are probably around 15-20 babies still after three days, I think some will make it and mature into adults.  Perhaps toward the end of September, once it becomes more apparent how many new fish I'll have, I'll likely go out to the pet store and purchase some different colorful fish!  I think I'm much more interested in the fish than Evey is now.  I can certainly see why people love having an aquarium.

Bring It!

I am so excited that I've registered to walk the UnitedHealthcare Half Marathon in Newport, Rhode Island at 8am on Sunday, October 17, 2010.  I officially began my training on July 21.  This time, I'm able to adhere to the recommended time frame of training (I've read that 12-16 weeks is standard) over the course of 13 weeks.  It's essentially 3 miles twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays, cross-training twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, and a gradually increasing long-distance walk once a week on Sundays.  Tuesdays and Saturdays are my rest days.  In a couple weeks, the bi-weekly 3 miles will increase to 4 miles.

Today I was only two seconds shy of breaking my pace record of 13 minutes 39 seconds per mile - SO close!  Thus far, I'm happy to say I've had no pain anywhere in my body - unlike for the last half marathon when sore knees and shin splints were very common during my training.  I've done the necessary stretching before and after every walk, and I've chosen not to jog this time around - at least for now.  So these could all be contributing factors to my pain-free training.  From my last half marathon, the blister I got on the bottom of my foot finally healed after three weeks.  Actually, it's technically still there and occasionally gets a little irritated, but it's generally good.  My two black toenails are still quite black, and I expect I will lose both nails eventually - perhaps in another month or so. 

I think the biggest challenge for my training will be the fact that with my job we'll be in the middle of Resident Assistant staff training mid-to-late August and then we're opening the residence halls in late August/early September (hard to believe we're one month away exactly from the day that our halls open to first-year students).  It's going to be a very busy schedule with long days, and there may be some mornings or late evenings where I won't want to walk.  But I will walk!  It's a good feeling to walk on a regular basis, and I've found my energy level is usually higher on those days that I walk (long-distance walk days the exception; I'm exhausted those days, and that's legitimately going to be a bit of a concern). 

A little more about the half marathon: The UnitedHealthcare Half Marathon is actually part of the Amica Marathon - same day and location.  The marathon was ranked as the 4th best marathon in the country last year.  The half marathon route is almost entirely along the water, which is AWESOME.  :)  Though somewhat hilly, it's nowhere near as steep as my last half marathon in the Blue Hills Reservation.  Plus, Newport is just a beautiful area.  So I'm pumped.

P.S. - I've lost 10 pounds since early May.  That's a good thing.  Now I'd like for my body to stop losing the weight and stay steady.  A semi-sincere apology to those who are upset that I have this dilemma. 

I'll keep you updated on all the training. :)

Adventures in New York

It's HOT in New York City in July!

I just got back from a fun-packed 4-day vacation in NYC and Long Island with my mom, and it was such a blast!  This was my second visit ever to the Big Apple (the first time was for just a day and a half in 2002), and this time I drove.  Driving in New York City is an adventure in itself - though I stayed close to the Queens area where the hotel was located, as well as Long Island, so traffic wasn't too scary.  My mom flew up into LaGuardia from Virginia to meet me.  She's been there two or three times before with some of her girlfriends.  Here's a day-by-day review with photos for what my mom and I did!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

1:00pm: Headed out on the road in my trusty '98 Nissan Altima.  Traffic was surprisingly light with one exception around New Haven, Connecticut.  I made it to the Pan American Hotel in Queens, New York around 5:45pm.  I found out about the Pan Am Hotel after Googling NYC hotels.  It's an inexpensive place to stay that has the all the basic amenities - nothing fancy - but exactly what you need.  All I really wanted was air conditioning, a clean room, and free parking.  It was just $105 a night.  And only 4 blocks away from a subway station that had a direct line to Manhattan (a bit long 35-minute train trek, however).

6:45pm: Took the subway to Times Square and saw American Idiot on Broadway at the St. James Theatre.  It features all Green Day songs and was co-written by the band's singer Billie Joe Armstrong.  90 minutes in length and no intermission.  A musical not for the faint-hearted!  The storyline centered around three main characters who experience serious hardships in their lives: unintended pregnancy where the boyfriend initially ditches the girl; getting injured in the war in Iraq; and becoming an heroin addict.  Oh and there was a simulated sex scene... that was, um, almost too realistic.  Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed the show in its entirety.  I took a few photos of Times Square, too!  I love the Toys R Us store there.  Despicable Me was plastered over the entrance, and I really want to see that movie soon!

Your Traditional View of Times Square.

Despicable Me at Toys R Us!

A Trippy Long-Exposure Shot of Times Square.

Friday, July 16, 2010

9:30am:  My mom arrived at the hotel!  We hadn't made plans for the day time so after glancing through some web sites, we decided on Greenwich Village, since neither of us had done that before and it was sort of off the beaten path.  It's kind of a posh neighborhood with lots of shopping.  We walked along Bleecker Street for a couple hours.  We ate at a little Italian restaurant called Risotteria.  Their menu was big on gluten free products.  In fact, most of the restaurants in Greenwich Village seemed to be very conscientious of people with celiac disease, which I thought was pretty cool.  Here are some shots from our little venture there.

Our Lady of Pompeii Church.

I had never seen a model display with a teddy bear's head before!

A Gorgeous Little Residential Block in Greenwich Village.

Ever see an ice cream truck that sells Coach bags?  (Actually, it did sell ice cream, but I was confused at first!)

4:15pm: The highlight of the trip!  We drove out to Westhampton Beach on Long Island.  They say it takes anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours to drive into Long Island from NYC depending on the time of day.  Glad I planned on a long drive, because it took nearly 3 hours to drive about 70 miles.  I never knew the Hamptons was rural country land!  Westhampton Beach was BEAUTIFUL and had such a nice cool breeze and breath of fresh air.  We went there to see Diane Birch at the Westhampton Performing Arts Center (a very small venue seating about 425 people).  Ms. Birch is quite possibly my favorite singer-songwriter for the past year.  I adore her and her music!  If you haven't heard her music, check out her web site!  I'd describe her style as being similar to Carole King.  The stars were absolutely shining on me that evening, because I asked at the box office if they had any closer seats.  The response: "Let's see... um, wow, yes, there are two front row seats!"  JACKPOT!!! Seats A1 and A3.   Needless to say, I was in HEAVEN for that concert.  Check out the photos from where we sat, along with a fantastic shot of me and Ms. Birch, and the front entrance of the performing arts center.  Also, we ate at a fantastic Asian cuisine restaurant with outstanding sushi!

Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center: Diane Birch!

We could not have been any closer to the stage!

My heart's fluttering a bit here.  That sounds so stalker-ish.  I promise that is not my M.O.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

3:00pm: We got a late start this day because a lingering sinus infection I had decided to strike back that morning.  After a nap, I felt better though.  We made a spontaneous trip to 5th Avenue for some shopping.  I decided I wanted to splurge on a very fashionable and expensive summer cap.  This seems to be one of my new vices - hat collecting.  JJ Hat Center had an expansive collection of hats to try on.  Such a blast... Later, we ate at a little restaurant called Cafe Park.  Good turkey burgers there, I gotta say...

7:45pm: Top of the Rock!  If you want to see a view of the city from high above the skyscrapers, do the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza where NBC Studios is.  The lines are shorter than at the Empire State Building, and this place is hipper, anyway.  Plus the views of the cityscape are so much better when the Empire State Building is in it!  Also, at the observation deck, there's a crazy psychedelic room with these glowing multi-colored lights that react to people's movement.  I probably took way too many photographs there. 

 

Psychedelic blue lights - that room was too cool.

New York City at Night from the Top of the Rock.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

8:15am:  Every NYC trip must include a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Honestly, I enjoy Ellis Island so much more because of my passion for genealogy and family history.  America's immigration history is captured so well there.  At Battery Park (where you board the ferries), you'll find a beautiful statue that was once in one of the World Trade Center towers during their collapse.  The statue, although damaged, was one of the few surviving remnants of that tragedy on September 11, 2001.  A flame burns in front of the statue round-the-clock as a memorial to that day.

Entrance of Ellis Island.

Lost luggage at Ellis Island.  At least two of my ancestors departed from the port of Bremen, Germany.

 

The Main Hall of Ellis Island.  Millions of immigrants passed through this hall.

World Trade Center Statue, now in Battery Park.

3:30pm:  Sadly, we had to leave... I expected to be home in 4 hours.  That turned into 5.5 hours due to heavy NYC traffic.  But I really loved this trip... it was so bitter-sweet to come back home. 

When's the Next Race?

How is it that I have already become a distance walking addict?

Here I am, two days after a fantastic half marathon.  I'm anxious to get out and do that again!  I'm actually pretty happy today with how I'm physically feeling.  Already, my legs feel better and aren't giving me any grief.  The only thing that's stopping me from doing a 3 mile walk is an unpleasant blister on my foot (eww).  Guaranteed, when that's healed, I'll be out there once more!

I have to remind myself that it was the motivation and encouragement of my co-worker friends that greatly contributed to making that half marathon so enjoyable.  As with anything, having a support system can go a long way.  It was great to share and hear about the training updates and stories.  And they did wonderfully themselves in the 13.1 race - I was very happy for them!  And I admire anyone who can run an entire race.  Me?  I'm much more comfortable walking!  But it's still an accomplishment.  We're already talking about doing another half marathon and some smaller races, expanding the fun to others in our office.  It makes me incredibly thankful.  Shared experiences make life much more satisfying and energizing.

Although less critical to the training and the half marathon, music was also an important motivational piece.  I decided against posting my playlist of 49 songs from start to finish.  That's a lot to type, and some of the music was slower for the beginning of the half marathon, which pretty much was just ear candy for me!

Instead, here are my "Top Ten" songs on my playlist that put an extra spark to my steps!

10. Kelly Clarkson - "Walk Away"
9. Genesis - "Land of Confusion"
8. Coolio - "Sumpin New"
7. Survivor - "Eye of the Tiger"
6. Moxy Fruvous - "Psycho Killer" (don't try to match the insane tempo at the end, though!)
5. Huey Lewis & The News - "Back in Time"
4. The Beatles - "Get Back"
3. Bush - "Machine Head"
2. The Wiseguys - "Start the Commotion"
1. Dropkick Murphys - "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" (LOVE this!!!)

Peace out for now!