missing bermudaJan 28th 2013 01:48:44 pm
It has been snowing in Brooklyn today, which is making me miss Bermuda. The weather wasn’t perfect while we were there — slightly chilly and overcast — but the beaches were still beautiful and nearly vacant.
I swam in the ocean and lounged in a hot tub and wore sunglasses. It felt like a successful tropical vacation. Maybe we can go back someday soon…
No Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Trips
goodbye 2012Jan 2nd 2013 07:12:45 pm
2013! Let’s do this! But first, let’s look back on 2012. Here are some of the highlights:
There was a lot of running in 2012… we’ll see if I can keep it going this year.
What were your 2012 highlights?
No Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Family, Friends, running
end of the season…Dec 4th 2012 11:05:53 pm
Go team, indeed. The fall season of Brooklyn Team in Training has finally come to a close. This was a huge, long, complicated, wonderful marathon training season. I am both happy and sad that it has ended.
Some highlights from our 6+ months of training:
TNT Night at the Brooklyn Cyclones, a big fundraiser event planned by Lynn and me /// my fast showing at the Bronx 10k /// my huge PR at the Staten Island Half Marathon /// fun times at the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Diego /// the cancellation of the NYC Marathon /// and our triumphant plan B race, The Philadelphia Marathon!
I was social captain this season, which turned out to be a very big job. I planned weekly socials and a few other events for the team, including our fun end of season party on Saturday. I REALLY enjoyed my role, but it was an intense time commitment. Plus, Superstorm Sandy and the cancellation of the NYC marathon put a bit of a damper on the final weeks of training. I think it is for the best that Travis and I are taking a short TNT break for the winter… of course, we will still be doing plenty of running!
Check out all the photos from fall season on my Flickr set.
I’ve said this 100 times before, but if you want to complete an endurance event, do it with TNT. You won’t regret it. (I can’t ever stay away for long. Travis and I plan to be back with our fabulous TNT peeps for Summer season.)
2 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Friends, running, Team In Training
hurricane sandyOct 31st 2012 12:32:06 pm
Travis and I are feeling very fortunate. We made it through Hurricane Sandy in Brooklyn without any trouble — we had power, cable, internet, food, water, etc throughout the storm — but the rest of New York City and the region was hit hard. The subway system is still down. Power is out in many sections of the city. Fire, wind, and water destroyed many homes and businesses.
This is the view from our window in Park Slope right before the storm hit on Monday evening. Just a little cloudy and a bit of rain.
The view from our window late on Monday night during the storm. Pork Slope stayed open until midnight!
This incredible photo is from The New York Times building during the storm on Monday night. You can see the power outage in lower Manhattan on the right side of the photo.
Leaves and debris are everywhere in our neighborhood, but overall, Park Slope is ok. Life seems to be getting back to semi-normal this morning in our neighborhood…
Travis’ Appnexus offices are still without power, so he is working from home with me. We are working to keep our businesses running as normally as possible, but we are also thinking about ways to help those in need… here are a few links to ways we can all help:
It is going to take a long time for the city to recover, but so far, the NYC Marathon is scheduled to go on as planned on Sunday. It is strange, but with all of the worries over the hurricane, I almost forgot about the marathon. If it happens, I will run. I am not in a celebratory mood, but the marathon is a small way to show and celebrate how strong and resilient NYC is. I guess we’ll see what happens…
4 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Feeling Sad, New York, Photos
hurricanes and marathonsOct 28th 2012 04:29:00 pm
It is autumn. It is nearly Halloween. And it is one week until the NYC Marathon! Wow. I am freaking out a bit…
But Hurricane Sandy craziness is taking precedence over marathon crazies at the moment.
Exactly a year ago, I was prepping for the Marine Corps Marathon.
Fourteen months ago, we were prepping for Hurricane Irene. (Which was uneventful in Brooklyn.)
Two years ago, I ran the NYC Marathon for the first time.
If When I survive 1. Hurricane Sandy, 2. Halloween festivities, 3. running 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of NYC, I’ll be sure to report back!
p.s. Yes, the subway system is getting shut down in NYC, so we will be staying home tomorrow. No, we are not in the mandatory evacuation zone. Yes, we will be smart and safe. We have plenty of food, water, and flashlights.
1 Comment » Categories: Brooklyn, New York, running
currently :: october 2012Oct 10th 2012 09:21:49 am
getting pumped for… The Nike Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday! Travis and I are traveling to San Francisco on Friday with Team in Training where we will meet up with Chelsea. Chelsea is running her first full marathon. Travis is cheering. And I am planning to just enjoy the half marathon course and receive my Tiffany necklace at the finish line! Yes!
eating… wood fired brick oven pizza from Toby’s Public House. (I actually just visited this South Slope restaurant for the first time last night, but it was delicious and casual and cool. Must go back soon.)
watching… an obscene amount of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I am working my way through the series and am already on Season 3. I sort of hate it. Too many Cardassians and Ferengi. But I press on.
wishing for… new fall shoes! So many great styles, so few affordable prices!
still processing… The Grey. So much less wolf punching and so much more traumatic death and sadness than I was expecting.
thinking about… the next steps… in running, Swap-bot, life…
::
What are you up to as fall descends?
3 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Currently, Movies, running, Shoes, Television
The Color RunAug 31st 2012 11:17:42 am
With a group of running friends, Travis and I signed up for The Color Run this summer. The multi-city race is billed as “the happiest 5k on the planet” and the NYC event sold out within two days, despite the $50 registration fee. The photos and videos online made it look like a lot of fun, so we were excited to try it out.
A 5k is sort of low mileage at this point in our marathon training, so it was a little annoying to wake up early and drive deep into Brooklyn on a Sunday morning for three un-timed miles, but we were still pumped. Many members of our Brooklyn Team were there decked out in the required white t-shirts. We had fun dancing and throwing color on each other before and after the jog through the course on an abandoned air strip.
There were four “color stations” on the course where volunteers sprayed you with colored powder. There probably should have been more color stations, since otherwise the course was completely boring… but there was music and lots of young people acting crazy, so we stayed entertained. After the finish line we were instructed to throw our color packet (basically corn starch and dye) in the air for the grand finale. It made for fun photos. In fact, the photos were definitely the best part of this race.
It was a fun morning. And yes, all of the color washed off… eventually. Overall, I am glad that we tried out The Color Run, but I probably don’t need to do it again.
Have you done The Color Run? What did you think?
3 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Exercise, Friends, New York, running, Team In Training, Travis
currently // August 2012Aug 17th 2012 10:34:27 am
planning… a trip to the beach tomorrow! The Brooklyn Team in Training is doing our annual run to Coney Island and hopefully recreating this photo from 2010.
eating… Pork Slope! Well, not yet. This new dive bar/bbq joint is opening very near our apartment on Saturday. I can’t wait to check it out.
laughing at… The Joe Biden Fan Club. But seriously, I love that guy.
looking forward to… Reach the Beach. A 24-hour, 200-mile running relay in September.
needing…. the new iPhone5. According to the rumors, they might be announced on September 12th, with a ship date of the 21st. It can’t come soon enough because I dropped my phone on the sidewalk yesterday and destroyed the glass. Ugh. It still works, though.
What are you up to as the summer of 2012 winds down?
6 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Currently, Team In Training, Trips
IronManAug 16th 2012 02:25:51 pm
Somewhere in a box of memories in my parents’ basement in Kansas is a list I made when I was 19. The list was my extreme athletics plan and it went something like this: Marathons > Triathlon > IronMan > EcoChallenge* …and the list may have ended with Olympics. (2000 was a Summer Olympics year, after all.)
Well, I can cross Marathons off the list. And, as of last Saturday, a triathlon and eventually an IronMan have been moved to the top of my endurance priority list!
Saturday was the Inaugural IronMan US Championships in NYC. An IronMan, by the way, is a 2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike ride + 26.2 mile run. I did NOT participate, but I DID volunteer.
Team In Training and the LLS (my charity of choice) manned an aid station at Miles 22 & 25 of the IronMan marathon course. We arrived early, set up aid tables, chalked the route with encouraging words, then waited to hand out water, food, sponges, and Coca-Cola to the athletes.
Volunteering was thrilling and I would love to do it again, but even more exciting was tracking and cheering for our friends on the course. TNT had an “IronTeam” and three of my Brooklyn teammates (Hi Joel, Yvonne, and Ronald!) were crazy ambitious enough to sign up and spend the last year of their lives training for this huge event.
A group of us got up early to go see the beginning of the bike before our volunteering shift. (The “Go Complete Stranger” sign was a huge hit, btw.) Then, in the evening, we camped out near mile 22 of the marathon and waited for our TNT peeps to run by…
We were there to cheer for all of the athletes, but especially the TNT athletes, and MOST especially Brooklyn TNT Coach Joel. There is legend surrounding the greatness of Joel, but all you need to know is that last fall he traveled to Washington DC on HIS BIRTHDAY to coach me (and a tiny & terrific Brooklyn TNT contingent) in the Marine Corps Marathon. That race day was one of the best days of my life and I needed to repay the kindness. (Also, Joel once gave me an epic birthday gift.)
We saw a lot of exhausted athletes Saturday evening, but Joel was not one of them. He was strong and happy and fast at the end of a MARATHON at the end of an IRONMAN! So strong and happy in fact, that I think I am completely underestimating the difficulty of the event when I say “I want to be an IronMan.” But… stating a goal is the first step in achieving it, right?
I guess I better go buy a bike…
*Travis and Adam agreed to be on my EcoChallenge team and don’t think I am forgetting that even if the adventure race reality show has been off the air for a decade. We ARE doing it!
2 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Exercise, Friends, New York, running, Team In Training
new brooklyn restaurant: Brooklyn CrabJul 25th 2012 01:49:24 pm
Seafood! I love it, but it can be intimidating… or at least too fancy and expensive. So, I was really excited to go try out Brooklyn Crab, a brand new, totally casual, giant, three-story crab shack in Red Hook. Reviewing the menu online had me craving crabs and oysters and lobster… yum!
Brooklyn Crab officially opened about two months ago, but I was a bit behind in my restaurant watching. I hadn’t had a chance to read many reviews before Travis and I went to check it out with four friends the Friday before last.
It is a good thing I hadn’t read many, because the reviews have been pretty harsh. The up side is that most of the complaints center around the long waits for tables and the disorganization of the staff, not necessarily the food.
After taking the Brooklyn Crab shuttle from Carroll Gardens, we did indeed have to wait for over an hour for our table, but it was actually for the best. We grabbed drinks and ordered the Cool Platter seen above (1/2 lb. Snow Crab Legs, 1/2 lb. Spicy Peel & Eat Gulf Shrimp, 4 Oysters & Creamy Mustard Sauce) which you can get at the bar.
Then, after chowing down on our fresh, delicious, chilled appetizer, we checked out the game yard. Brooklyn Crab has a full 18-hole mini golf course and cornhole (bean bag toss) games. The games were free to play when we were there, but apparently now it costs $5 for a round of mini-golf.
Travis got two putt putt holes-in-one and our friend Nate dominated the bean bag toss, so basically it was a very fun ninety minute wait.
I was pleased when we were seated in the upper area of the restaurant at one of the big picnic tables. The table was perfect for our big group and the views of the water and city were incredible. We could see both the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I wish I had taken better photos…
The meat-eating side of our table ordered two Steam Pots: the Northeast (1 1/2 Lb. Lobster, 1 1/2 Lb. Jonah Crab, Mussels, Gulf Shrimp, Red Potatoes & Corn on the Cob) and the Southern (Blue Crabs, Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Red Potatoes & Corn on the Cob in Old Bay). Our friend Casey (who took the photo above) is moving to North Carolina from NYC this summer, so the two Pots felt quite appropriate.
I was absolutely in LOVE with all of the seafood. Of course, it took a bit of work to eat all of the crabs and lobster, but cracking the shells is half the fun! The spicy, peel-and-eat shrimp and the sausage, with their Old Bay seasoning, were also delicious. The only item that I wasn’t thrilled with was the Jonah Crab… it had a strange flavor to me. Overall, I was extremely happy. Nothing was overcooked and I was satisfied, but not stuffed when we finally managed to finish up the very last bits of each Steam Pot.
Travis and our friend Amanda ordered the Vegetarian Steam Pot and Macaroni & Cheese. They were quite happy with their selection. You can tell your veggie friends that they don’t need to skip Brooklyn Crab.
We finished the meal with Brownie Sundaes and Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Tart – both received raves from everyone at the table.
Don’t be scared of the Yelp reviews of Brooklyn Crab. I had a great experience. As long as you aren’t in a hurry and are willing to spend $40+/person for a very casual, but delicious and fresh seafood meal, there is no reason not to go check it out. It is the perfect place for a fun & easy summer meal. Get there when they open at 2 pm on Saturday or Sunday and make a whole afternoon of it!
Check out Brooklyn Crab online or follow them on Twitter.
Have you been to Brooklyn Crab? What did you think? Which Brooklyn restaurant should I check out next?
No Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Food, Friends, New York
Hello.
I'm Rachel. I run websites and run marathons. I live in Brooklyn and write about art, crafts, design, food, fitness, fashion, my daily life, and New York City.
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