Sheryl Crow & Cat Cora in Central Park

Yesterday, I took the day off from work to go to the GMA Sheryl Crow concert in Central Park, and to take my favorite kickboxing class at the gym. No one can ever accuse me of not having my priorities straight, right?

It turned out to be an incredible day! You know, the kind when you walk around with a big dumb smile on your face thinking, "Life is SO good!" It all began at 6 am when fabulous Nancy and I woke up after an evening of running, nachos, margaritas and enchilladas, and headed to the park in time for the 7am concert. When we arrived, Sheryl was looking her usual incredible self rehearsing for the GMA show. Check out her crazy rock star pants!

After rehearsal, Sheryl and band left the stage and we shifted our attention to the corner of Rumsey Field, where Iron Chef Cat Cora was filming a segment. We didn't even realize that Cat Cora would be there so it was such an awesome surprise! I began speaking to a girl standing next to me who was visiting with her family from Seattle and was apparently one of Cat's greatest fans. So, I suggested she ask one of the GMA producers if we could meet Cat. I mean, why not, right? It can never hurt to ask. The producer actually said yes and when Cat's segment was over, she was ushered towards us, stopped to chat & took pictures. She was seriously so sweet. Here's one of her during her segment, and another of me looking like a giddy school girl all excited to meet her.

The ridiculous look on my face is reason enough to post this pic! Ha!

A few segments later, Sheryl was back on stage and ready to rock. She changed into a fantastic red and orange dress that showed off her incredible muscles. That woman is in seriously good shape! Here are some more pictures of Sheryl with George Stephanopoulos and Juju Chang, with her band performing, and of Nancy & I just chilling out and taking it all in.

Feel free to check out the slideshow below for the rest of my pictures from the concert. If you're in NYC this summer and can get to Central Park early Friday mornings, I definitely recommend you check out the GMA concerts. Not only do you get to hear live music in one of the most beautiful parks, you get a behind the scenes glimpse into how GMA is produced and it's a very cool experience! Here's the schedule for the rest of the summer:

• FRIDAY, JULY 30 – Black Eyed Peas
• FRIDAY, AUGUST 6 – To Be Announced
• FRIDAY, AUGUST 13 – Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, Camp Rock 2 
• FRIDAY, AUGUST 20 – Rihanna 
• FRIDAY, AUGUST 27 – Lady Antebellum

I hope your weekend began as awesome as mine! Any exciting plans for you? I'm off to Long Island to spend a day in the sun and pool with my best friend. Have a great day!

Nautica New York City Triathlon

This morning, I woke up at 5 am to watch the Nautica New York City Triathlon. I'm so happy I did! I am in awe of the amazing athletes who swam, biked and ran through New York City this morning. I began watching the event in Riverside Park and followed it along 72nd Street and into Central Park as the triathletes made their way to the finish line.

For a few hours, I stood just meters from the finish line and watched the runners as they approached. I saw mothers scooping up their babies and running to finish. I watched families and friends proudly cheering on their loved ones with high fives, hugs, smiles and signs. I saw some pass by with incredible power and speed as others struggle but pushed on. I had chills. It was incredible and I am so inspired.

Of course, I brought my camera along to capture the experience. Enjoy the slideshow! (if you'd like to see a larger version, just click on the box with the four arrows in the lower right hand corner of the slidehow)



If you see yourself or someone you know, and would like me to send you the picture, please let me know!

Congratulations to all the triathletes who participated in this mornings race!

Slow Running and NYC 2011 Here I Come!

It's about 10 pm on Wednesday night and I just returned from my first decent run during this ridiculous NYC heat wave. Since it cooled down to 86 degrees, and yes that's almost cold compared to the triple digits we've been experiencing lately, I thought I'd survive without the breezes off the Hudson and decided to run in Central Park. I ran from my apartment, up Central Park West, into the park, around the reservoir and back. If you live in NYC and have never run around the reservoir during sunset, you must! It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! And for those of you who live out of town, I promise to take some pictures to post for you soon. In all, I ran 4.86 miles in 46 minutes, at a 9:33 pace and I'm shocked because I felt like I was running under water at 12 minute mile. I'm just proud that I pushed through this one and accomplished my goal of running 4-5 miles for the evening.

Speaking of goals, I've got a brand spanking new one I've been working on: running slow and taking the pressure off. Ever since I ran an 8:56 minute mile a few weeks ago, I've been slightly preoccupied with my speed. Instead of relaxing and enjoying my time out there, I beat myself up and return home feeling defeated when I don't run faster or longer. And I'm sick of it. I used to run just to relax, to clear my head and to feel strong and good about myself. I have no idea when I became so competitive with myself but I don't like it. 

If you recall from my post recapping the Father's Day Race Against Prostate Cancer, I pushed myself to the point where I puked during the race and then forced myself to finish as strong as I could. I think that was my wake up call. After that race, I took a look at the last few weeks and realized that although I was gaining speed, I was running shorter distances and less often because neither my body nor my mind were feeling too hot. I realized there was no way this new attitude and strategy was going to cut it for Philadelphia Marathon training. I needed to slow down and run longer and more relaxed if I was going to train for a 26 mile race.

And so I decided to debut my new goal at my next race, the Gay Pride Run on June 26th. During this 5 miler, I forced myself to take it slow and let go of my ego. The morning of the race was really warm with 71% humidity and stopped twice for water breaks, even though I knew it would mean a slower time. I never stop for water during races shorter than 6 miles. When I saw another runner dry heaving on the side of the course, I stopped to make sure she was ok and refused to allow myself to calculate how much time I might have lost once I began running again. At the end of the race, I had a difficulty accepting my final time of 51:29 with a 10:17 pace but just kept reminding myself that I should be proud & happy to finish at all. Looking at this picture from the race, I think it's pretty obvious that I was relaxed and taking it easy.

So that's where my head has been ever since and it's getting easier and easier to keep it slow. Of course the heat wave is also helping slow me down.

And now for even bigger news..... drum roll please.... I've completed my 9+1! New York City ING Marathon 2011 here I come!!! To explain, there are several ways you can gain entry into this race like qualifying with race times, raising money for charities, winning a spot in a lottery, or running 9 NY Road Runner races and volunteering for at least one race in the prior year. I applied for the 2010 lottery and didn't get in so I decided to go for the 9 + 1. Here are the races I've run this year:

Watching the NYC Marathon since 1999 is what inspired me to run races in the first place and I can't believe I will actually run it next year. I'm so excited!!! But first things first: Philadelphia on November 21st. I'll be putting together my training schedule within the next week or 2 so please send any advice you may have for a first time full marathoner my way!

Until next time, run happy and stay cool!

Happy Birthday America!

Happy July 4th! Did you have an incredible weekend or what? I returned from my mini retreat just in time to watch the fireworks over the Hudson and they were beautiful! The crowds were swarming towards the water for hours before the show began and despite the heat, the energy was awesome. Here are just a few pictures I snapped tonight.

Have a Great Weekend!

I'm heading out of town to reboot my brain at a weekend spa retreat in upstate New York! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and celebrate America's Birthday with your loved ones. Stay safe, be well, and get excited for some new blog posts upon my return!