Aug 29th 2010 01:41:18 pm

Yesterday I had an enjoyable morning completing a 2.5 hour long run with my Team in Training. Enjoyable, you ask? Yes, it really was fun.

We ran over the George Washington Bridge and then through the Palisades Park in New Jersey along the Hudson River. For most of the run I hung out with my running buddy, Lauren (that is the two of us with Jillian above), and we chatted about all sorts of randomness. We took it easy and didn’t worry about our speed. We thought that was the best idea since we had run two races within the past two weeks and were tired of stressing over our pace… So instead of stressing, we just had a good time. Our teammates said that we were laughing and smiling whenever they passed and one of our coaches even suggested that we host a radio show while we run to show others how fun it can be… we MUST have been having too much fun! Despite the huge and numerous hills on the course, I felt great.

We even took the time to do a little photo shoot of us running under the bridge:

So, all of that sounds excellent, right?

After 24 hours of reflection, I am not so sure. Remember two weeks ago after the Bronx Half Marathon when I said I was going to concentrating on improving my running during practices and try to talk less? Ya, I need to keep that in mind.

When I got home from the NJ run yesterday, I tried to map it out to calculate our distance. It turns out that we didn’t go quite as far as we had hoped, which means we were going slower than we had hoped, too. Not terrible, but not an improvement. I am starting to feel frustrated because despite my commitment to the training schedule, I don’t seem to be improving. Of course, I have been increasing my distance, I just haven’t been improving my speed. Perhaps it is too ambitious to want both, but I am tired of feeling like I am made of lead. Plus, I want to be totally prepared for the marathon. I want to feel like I accomplished something on November 7th, not like I just barely made it to the finish line alive. I am re-re-committing to increasing my training efforts!!

To help motivate myself and to give you an idea of what is in store for me, check out this video of the NY marathon course condensed to seven minutes:

No Comments » Categories: Exercise, Friends, New York, Team In Training

Aug 19th 2010 09:50:45 am

I went to an unconventional Etsy Craft Night yesterday at the @Seaport! space in lower Manhattan. The craft was hosted by Jessica from Miniature Rhino (one of my very favorite Etsy shops) and sponsored by Hancock Fabrics. All of the supplies were provided for us to make nautical-themed embroidery and we even received goody bags with fabric and yarn. How generous!

I didn’t get my embroidery project completed, but I did get some good chatting time in with Lisa and Thais. (Click through on their names to read their excellent blogs.) I also met the two other women at our craft table who just happened to both be named Rachel! We had to take a photo.

As usual, the Etsy craft night was a lot of fun and a great reason to get out of the house and meet new people. I strongly suggest attending one if you live in NYC. If not, you can download all of the project instructions and special coupons from Hancock Fabrics on Etsy here.

9 Comments » Categories: Crafts, Friends, New York

Aug 15th 2010 05:26:18 pm

I must admit, I am proud of myself today. I completed the Bronx Half Marathon, and it wasn’t even that bad!

I have run the 13.1 mile distance in the (long ago) past — you can see my results from the 2000 Drake Relays Half here under Rachel Lamble — but today’s race was my longest run this season. My recent, week-long trip to Disney World set me back just a bit in my training, which meant that 10 miles was my previous long distance max. I was worried that I may not be totally prepared to tackle a half-marathon race at this point in my training.

Races are a little bit different than regular long run practices because there is more adrenaline in the air and runners are much more likely to push themselves to go faster, even if that isn’t the best idea. I had already decided not to try for any specific time, but it was hard not to get caught up in all the discussion of paces and time. Luckily, the weather was cool this morning and I ran with two fabulous friends, Lauren and Jessica, who kept me going at a consistent speed. I felt fine for nearly the entire race, with just some stiffness and soreness during the last three miles. Lauren and I crossed the finish line together with a time of 2:30. We sprinted the last mile, or so, which was difficult, but I am glad that I gave my best effort.

I could not have done the Bronx Half Marathon without my Team in Training. It may sound cheesy, but they are the ones who convinced me to sign up and convinced me that I wouldn’t come in last. Lauren’s dad and Brian provided us with transportation all the way to and from the Bronx. Lauren even hosted a Saturday night pre-race dinner at her house and everyone brought carbolicious foods. (The photo above is from dinner, from left to right are Hannah, me!, Jessica, Lauren, Brian, and Travis snapped the pic.) I truly cannot motivate myself to train for long distances on my own, but with my team it all seems doable. Amazing.

After the race today I felt quite stiff. I tried to stretch, but I think I am going to be sore for a few days… I actually think that is a semi-good thing. It means that I pushed myself past my comfort zone a bit. I want to improve my pace time slightly before the marathon (my goal is to run it in under 5 hours), but I think I am on the right track!

p.s. If you want to read more about our Team in Training adventures, read Jessica’s excellent blog: Jessica Runs Like a Girl. She has a masters in creative writing and her descriptions are much superior to mine.

8 Comments » Categories: Exercise, Feeling Happy, Friends, New York, Team In Training

Aug 10th 2010 11:37:28 am

I know, I know… you are most likely sick of hearing about the lady blogging conference. I apologize for being so single-minded lately, but I feel like I need to write down all of the good info I picked up at BlogHer before it slips out of my mind and is lost forever! Wow. That sounds dramatic! I better get to it.

Today, I have a list of all my favorite new websites that I learned about over the weekend. Hopefully, you will like some of them as well…

Crafty Blogs & Sites:

• Handmade Detroit – If you are in Michigan, this site is for you. And even if you’re not, the blog has lots of great crafty content.
• Tonya Staab – This and That – Tonya was on the Etsy blogging panel with me and she is fantastic. Her blog covers just about everything – including cupcakes!
• DIY Buiness Association – A new blog and organization from Amy Schroeder, Founder of Venus Zine and venuszine.com.
• Teen Angster – The personal blog of Allison, one of the authors of the amazing Etsy blog.
• The Creative Empire – You already know about Tara Gentile from ScoutieGirl and Megan Auman from Crafting an MBA because I link to their great sites all of the time. The Creative Empire is their new project – a community built to help web entrepreneurs.
• The Honey Pie Tree – A hand-crafted toy designer’s blog.
• The Studio Creations – A very pretty art blog by Thais, a Brazilian living in NY.
• Louise Gale – An artist who hosts the The Creative Color Challenge.
• Kipiboo – A blog of art and inspiration from a Brooklyn artist.
• Design Mom – Gabrielle is one of the founders of Kirtsy, a designer, and a mom of six.

Other Blogs:

• The Token Fat Girl – Lorrie writes about her weight loss adventures, plus lots of other stuff like fashion and recipes. I hung out with her a bit at the conference and she is really sweet and multi-talented.
• The Bloggess – This is a “famous” blog that I had read in the past, but somehow lost track of. It is super-funny.
• Pine Creek Cottage – Marcy’s sweet blog.
• Zipbag of Bones – Funny. And a little inappropriate. But mostly funny.
• Mama’s Keeper – A work at home caregiver’s journey.
• Just a Girl in the World – Adventures of a southern girl, sometimes traveling the world.
• One Bored Mommy – A mom of four blogs daily.
• Little Tech Girl – A tech geek blog written by a mom of two set of twins!
• You Can’t Call It “It” – A hip baby names blog.
• Things of Random Coolness – A blog of very cool design-y things.

Other Cool Websites:

• Indie Biz Chicks – I’ve already linked to this site a couple times, but Crissy’s website is an excellent resource for small business owners.
• Reware Vintage – a vintage clothing shop and blog.
• Food on the Table – A meal planning tool. Amanda, the rep, was super-sweet!
• Cake Lab – The most beautiful and delicious mini cupcakes. I had them at Etsy.
• Girlfriend Circles – A community that matches up online friends for real world get togethers.
• Graph Jam – A funny graph builder.

Whew! That is a long list of websites… and the thing is, I am sure I left off some good ones. Please add more of your favorite links from the conference (or just in general) in the comments…

10 Comments » Categories: Crafts, Friends, New York, Website, Work, design

Aug 8th 2010 07:16:57 pm

I am sure you are already aware (especially if you follow my Twitter account – hello, too many tweets!), but I attended my first BlogHer conference this weekend. Since it was held in NYC this year and I didn’t need to buy plane tickets, I thought I should give it a try. Man, was it a packed two days of sensory overload! I am still processing the experience and am really not prepared to write a comprehensive post with all of the links and blogging info that I picked up, but I wanted to get down some of my preliminary impressions on my favorite experiences from the weekend…

Unfortunately, I neglected to take any great photos, so I am stuck sharing the few iffy ones I did snap. Above is a photo of the final keynote on Saturday, which was one of the most inspiring parts of the entire conference. It consisted of four amazing women (“Need to Know PBS anchor Alison Stewart moderates a powerhouse panel: Marie Wilson, Founder and President of The White House Project and creator of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, author and activist Gloria Feldt from Heartfeldt Politics and P. Simran Sethi, Emmy Award-winning journalist, blogger and environmentalist.”) pretty much just having a conversation about how women can use their blogging voice to make change in the world. They inspired me to take myself more seriously and make a commitment to talking about more “important’ issues, both online and in real life.

I went to four different “sessions” or classes over the course of the two days: one on using your passion, one on intellectual property law, one on WordPress theme creation, and one on good blog design. The blurry photo above is from the design session, and you can see Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge on the far left of the three-woman panel. I was excited to hear her speak and she did an excellent job. She showed us a lot of examples of great blog design and even shared a sneak peek of the new re-design of her own site that will be released soon. All three panelists were very informative and realistic about what it takes to create a well-designed blog. They stressed the importance of being extremely descriptive and clear when working with a designer, and that it can cost many $1,000s of dollars for a truly professionally designed site.

What was my favorite part of the whole conference? Definitely the Etsy Crafty Blogging panel that I participated in on Thursday. I guess technically it wasn’t a part of BlogHer, but it was hosted to line up with the conference. I am so excited that Crissy from IndieBizChicks.com invited me to participate. I immensely enjoyed meeting her and the other speakers (Tonya Staab, Amy Schroeder – creator of Venus Zine, and the Handmade Detroit girls, Lish Dorset and Bethany Nixon). We had great questions from the audience and I think/hope we all gave some good suggestions and tips. Danielle and all of Etsy were such great hosts. They provided awesome snacks and drinks, and there was even a DJ! I had so much fun with the other panelists that I basically forced myself upon them and hung out with them throughout the conference. Above is a photo of me and Lish late last night… Thanks for adopting me, Michigan girls!

To end out the conference last night, I attended the Sparklecorn party hosted by MamaPop. I had no idea what to expect from an “official” BlogHer party, but I was blown away by the craziness that was Sparklecorn! My original twitter description: “So great. It’s like a mom rave with a unicorn cake and poprocks.” Exactly. There were glow sticks and lollipops and giant pretzels and Chex Mix and random movie posters from the 80s and the amazing unicorn cake. It was all extremely silly, but totally cool. I only stayed for a short time and did NOT hit the dance floor, but if I ever host a massive party, I hope that it is exactly like Sparklecorn.

So… overall, BlogHer was a pretty awesome experience. …and I haven’t even given you any of the good blogging info I picked up or talked about the MOUNDS of swag that I took home. I’ll have to get to that tomorrow. Two days of lady blogging hoopla wiped me out! Gotta go watch some tv and veg out…

3 Comments » Categories: Friends, New York, Website, Work

Aug 2nd 2010 05:52:21 pm

Above is a photo of my Team In Training group in the ocean at Coney Island last Saturday. (I’m smack dab in the middle in the white tank top.) That run was so much fun and also a big accomplishment for many of us. We did our long run and ended it at the beach where we all jumped in the water in our running clothes. (Unfortunately, I also jumped in with my now dead iPod in my pocket.) It was the first time I ran ten miles this season, and despite the heat, it wasn’t all that bad. I was motivated to make it a good run since I left for vacation the next day…

I had half-heartedly planned to run while I was in Florida, but it really wasn’t possible. The amount of time we spent walking the theme parks at Disney World was its own kind of endurance training, I figure. We spent at least eight hours on our feet each day and much of that time was spent in the hot, hot sun and terrible humidity. I don’t feel like the vacation set me back too far in terms of training (if you don’t count all of extra sugary treats I consumed), but I did really miss my team. I only missed two group practices, but I look forward to them and rely on them for my motivation. My teammates are so fun and funny and kind – running with them is much more enjoyable than running alone!

So, today I hit the road alone for my first run after eight days off. I ran about 4.5 miles and actually felt quite good. I tackled the big hill at Prospect Park without trouble! Not bad, but I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s group practice. We are doing a tough hill workout, but I don’t even mind — I just can’t wait to see my team!

p.s. There is still plenty of time to show your support and donate to an amazing organization, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, via my TNT fundraising page. I love donations and your support means so much to me. xoxo

No Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Exercise, Friends, Health, New York, Team In Training

Jul 18th 2010 04:03:17 pm

I have been threatening for over a year to have a party/open house at our “new” New York apartment, but the time just never seemed right… until yesterday. Travis and I finally invited our friends over for what I deemed our “Party in Park Slope.” Sounds pretty wild, right?

It turned out to be a really fun evening with a great mix of people. (Above is the group from Team In Training.) It was awesome having access to our roof because it allowed us to invite more people and really spread out. We also played some raucous Rock Band thanks to the generosity of Brian (second from the right above), who dragged his entire set over to our place. I would love to share the video I took of the band in action, but I’m afraid that certain people may never speak to me again if I do… so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

I was nervous about what type of food to serve, this being my first New York City party, and all. I imagined that New Yorkers enjoy much more sophisticated food than what I was used to serving at midwest parties… but I went ahead and made the pigs in a blanket anyway. And, of course, they were a hit. Turns out, everyone loves pigs in a blanket. Also a hit, Baked by Melissa cupcakes. If you are having a party, get them. They are so cute and easy to eat! All in all, I think the food (and the whole party) was a success…

3 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Friends, Home, New York, Team In Training

Jun 16th 2010 10:29:49 am

Yesterday, two Swap-bot members were visiting New York City. (Brittany from Boston and Tarah from The Netherlands! It was so fun to meet them in person. I am going to write more about our visit over on the Swap-bot blog….) I headed out to meet them at Purl Soho. Purl Soho is a destination craft store with walls of beautiful natural fiber yarn and fabric. I have known about it since I moved here, but had never been inside until now. It is so beautiful! If you are a crafter in NYC, it is definitely a place you need to see! I am not a very strong knitter, so I passed over the yarn and bought some cute notecards and Japanese trim instead. Both will be helpful for my swapping.

We got coffee, shopped around Soho together for a couple hours, and then headed our separate ways. I made my way over to the East Village on a hunt for a tiny chocolate boutique. I had a coupon for Bespoke Chocolates and found the quaint shop on a side street just before they closed! whew. My coupon was for a selection of chocolates and I made sure to get two of their famous Pretzel-Covered Sea-Salted Caramels. Travis and I both agree that they are very tasty. You can definitely tell they are made from fresh, quality ingredients. Yum!

So, two more NY locales have been checked off of my “to visit” list! Fortunately, my list of things to do and places to see in the city only grows and grows no matter how many places I get checked off. I am thinking about creating an actual list here on my website of places I’ve been and places I want to go… but it seems like a daunting task. This city is too huge!

6 Comments » Categories: Crafts, Food, Friends, New York, Swap-bot

Jun 8th 2010 05:25:11 pm

As someone who is relatively uninitiated in the NYC night life scene, I was totally excited to be invited to my friend, Suzanne’s, bachelorette party on Saturday. It was a ton of girly fun. We had appetizers at a lovely Brooklyn apartment, tapas at a fancy, new restaurant, and then went dancing in Williamsburg. Suzanne, who works with Travis, is all-around sweet and cool and lovely. She is getting married to an equally sweet and cool guy, Seiji, in just a couple weeks. (Yay! Congrats!) I had a really great night and may just have to go out for “girl’s nights” more often in the future!

The only small problem is that I wore high heels… of course, I did… I mean, I saw Sex and the City. Well, even though they were my “comfortable” heels, eight hours in them really tore up my feet! I am still recovering! And, I have a group marathon training run tonight! Wish me luck…

8 Comments » Categories: Friends, New York

Apr 2nd 2010 04:44:33 pm

Two of my very cool and creative internet colleagues, Deb & Christy from Toolulu.com, visited New York City for business early this week and they were kind enough to invite me along sight seeing on Tuesday. The weather on Tuesday was actually horrendous. It was cold and windy and pouring rain nearly all day – not the weather you want for sight seeing on foot. But we were determined and we managed to hit many of the crafty destinations in the city.

The two photos above were taken at Mood Fabrics in the Garment District. The warehouse store has become something of a tourist attraction since it has been featured on Project Runway, but it was my first time there. I would guess Mood has any type of fabric you could possibly be looking for… but you definitely need to have a project in mind if you go there to shop. The choices are overwhelming! I bought some neon pink & grey ribbon that jumped out at me.

Next, we trekked over to M & J Trimming. (You may recall my previous trip there.) I bought a bunch of ribbon – including more neon, it is sort of my new thing – and some pom-pom fringe. We also checked out Fishs Eddy, where we saw the bowls pictured above, and ABC Carpet and Home. Swoon! I love that place so much. We picked up Crumbs cupcakes, had ‘Wichcraft sandwiches for lunch, and then headed to Soho before the girls had to leave for the airport. It was such a fun “vacation” day for me even with all the rain!

Good thing the Toolulu girls’ visit happened in March and I got all of my ribbon buying out of my system, because this month I have taken the April Stash Bust pledge. I have committed to not buying any new craft supplies this month and instead to making things only with items I already have in my stash. The intention is to help the earth a bit in honor of Earth Day on the 22nd and to think about how we use the things we buy. It fits in perfectly with the idea of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Swap-bot is one of the sponsors of the April Stash Bust “event” and you can learn more over on the Swap-bot blog. There is even a stash craft contest with some awesome prizes, but you have to take the pledge in order to enter! I am also hosting an April Stash Bust craft supply swap in conjunction with the Challenge and I’d love to have you join. We are each going to send an envelope of extra, unused supplies from our personal stashes to our swap partner. It’s a great way to give new life to neglected supplies and get some fresh stuff in return! Fun!

No Comments » Categories: Crafts, Friends, New York, Photos, Projects, Swap-bot