Dani's First Half Marathon

Hi Friends,

I just wanted to tell you about my pretty sister, Dani. The tall tan one.

I mean, my mom and Lizzie are pretty too, but I wanted to tell you about Dani.

Dani was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis this year.  It's a disease in which your immune system attacks your colon, resulting in painful ulcers in your intestines.  It's not a very nice thing.  She has to go to the doctor a lot now and the steroids she is on to treat it don't work very well, plus they make her gain weight - every girls worst nightmare right?

Well anyways she is running a half marathon in Las Vegas in December, for Team Challenge - an organization that fund raises for crohns and colitis.  I really wish I could run with her, to support her ( read : party in vegas with her...) and because it's on my bucket list!  But unfortunately I can't be there.  

She is so close to reaching her fundraising goal, but she needs about $200 more.  So I told her I would enlist the help of the lovely people of the blogosphere.  If you feel inclined to donate a lil something something to help my sister and to help find a cure for her disease, you can do so on her fundraising page.

I know she'd appreciate any tips from you hardcore runners out there as well!  This is her first half marathon!  Thanks guys!

Learning from Gaga

I just wanted to tell you that this morning, 

fueled by my Day Zero motivation, I got up before the sun.

I went for a run.  In the rain.

I've told myself every single morning that I was going to do this for about a year.

I failed to get out of bed (on much more pleasant mornings) over 365 times.

But today I actually did.

Somewhere between listening to U2 and singing Lady Gaga to a field full of cows, I realized something.

It's not supposed to be easy.

I know this seems so generic.  But it finally clicked for me.  

If being that fabulous person you want to be was easy then everyone would be fabulous,

and you would have nothing to be proud of when you accomplished something.  

What separates you from your role model?

And with that I'll leave you with a little inspirational music....

Oh and ps.  For those of you who are following my unemployment saga, today I worked for the first time since December last year!  It was really hard minimum wage work at the University where Nick works, but at least I finally made some money on my own.  Hopefully it will cover that lil shopping spree I took myself on yesterday...

My Run

So I joined this blogging world basically to keep people on the other side of the Atlantic up to date with my life and take pictures of food ( don't judge I'm a natural fatass). Somewhere along the line I met Emz, and I started following her because she is funny.  

But I didn't know what I was getting myself into, you see, this chick runs marathons for FUN.  I know, right?  Who does that?

I think I read one too many of her running posts and then for some crazy reason I put do a half and full marathon on My Bucket list...

I still haven't signed up for one yet, I'm not quite brave enough - but yesterday I finally completed the 7 mile loop from my house to the reservoir and back!

So I figured I take this opportunity to share some photos of my route and my playlist with all you crazy running bloggers out there!  Please don't judge me for being such a teenie bopper.  

Hey Soul Sister - Train

Lisztomania - Phoenix

So Sweet - Jonathan Rice

Goodbye - Sneaky Sound System

 A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed and Cambria 

I Love It - Sneaky Sound System

Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen 

Magic Stick - Lil Kim feat 50 cent

Fresh '83 - Game feat 50 cent

Pictures - Sneaky Sound System

I Like That - Richard Vission and Static Revenger

Money Ain't a Thang - Jay Z and JD

All This Love - The Similou

Mr. Jones - Counting Crows

Meet Me Half Way - Black Eyed Peas

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

Get By - Talib Kweli 

Electric Feel - MGMT

Billie Jean - Micheal Jackson

Smooth Criminal - Micheal Jackson

Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms 

Get Up and Go - Hanson

A Minute without You - Hanson

Run This Town - Jay Z

Hey Driver - Lucky Boys Confusion

Get Right - Jennifer Lopez

Encore - Jay Z

Atari - Lucky Boys Confusion

What We Talkin Bout - Jay Z

Running Mishaps and a Gorilla Suit

Hi Friends,

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately and my totally emo posts.  Nick had last week off work and he expressly stated that he wanted to "Do Nothing".  Despite my best efforts to convince him that doing nothing is way boring, thats pretty much what we did so I literally had nothing to share with you.

We did splash out on some brand spankin new trail running shoes ("trainers" as they say in jolly old England) and Nick joined me on his first run since a week before our wedding when he was telling me to "hurry up" and ended up falling flat on his face, resulting in him being high on Vicodin and wearing a moonboot on our wedding day.  True story.  

Luckily, this run went better, but not perfect.  I set some ground rules to start, he had to run half a step behind me and I was setting the pace.  We planned to run to the reservoir and see how we felt...

Via

Well we made it there which is about two miles, and the whole time he was running next to me like a freaking gazelle and making "Can't you run any faster" faces as we got passed by much fitter dudes.  I wanted to punch him in the face, as predicted.  Somewhere between miles two and three he got tired, but I was totally in the zone.  He started walking and I kept jamming along for another mile to some techno beats, when all of a sudden as I took a deep breath, a MASSIVE bug went down my windpipe.  I mean I didn't see it but it felt HUGE, and it felt ALIVE.  Like it was crawling around in there.

When Nick caught up with me I was vomiting marmite and toast on the side of the road.  And he was bitching about the fact that he was "SO hungry he was going to die" and how he wished he could swallow a bug for some sustenance.  Kill me.  We walked the 3 miles home -him wishing for free chocolate bars to magically appear on the side of the road, and me wishing for a glass of water to wash down whatever it was I swallowed.  

Will we ever be good running partners?  I don't know.  But we are trying to get in shape for a 10k in september!  And I am kinda sorta thinking about doing this....

Via

It's a 7k run or walk through London dressed in a GORILLA SUIT to raise money for gorilla conservation - called the Great Gorilla Run!  I cant decide whether it seems like a lot of fun - 1,000 people in gorilla suits = hilarious, OR pretty miserable - running 7k IN a gorilla suit = hot, sweaty, mess.  Hmmm......  What do you think?!