A good day with good weather, a good run & good news.

Subletting in a co-op building is just about as difficult as applying to the CIA. After literally weeks of back-&-forth, it's done. We received final, absolute approval today & we move in next week. I can breathe again - not to mention finally arrange for cable/internet, sign the contract for our movers, change our renters insurance, schedule furniture to be delivered, etc. We're excited. Cute neighborhood (UES 70's), close to the subway, tree-lined street, lots of shops & restaurants, an easy walk to church & a lovely little apartment with soon-to-be-documented doorknobs. 

Friends, thank you for sending happy thoughts my way. I felt them, & I'm pretty sure they sealed the deal.

Today's Mileage: 8 1/2 miles. I took walk breaks. I'm not ashamed.

Weather: 81 degrees. Sunny.

Thoughts regarding weather: Loved the shade. The sun just about killed me (& I have the tan lines to prove it).

Lesson learned: Running in the middle of the day is just a really bad idea.

Thought regarding Central Park: More drinking fountains, please.

What I saw: At the north end of the park - cyclists & runners, all obeying the rules of the road. The forrest (I need to go exploring again up there). Nature. Waterfalls. Fresh air. It was beautiful. At the south end of the park - crowds & tourists. Walking all over the road, oblivious to any sort of rules or common courtesies. Horse-drawn-carriages (think the smell of warm horse poo). Throughout - lots of people sunbathing. Far too many Euro swimsuits. Nannies pushing strollers. Ice cream. Groups of women eating yogurt (Mormons? Quite possible). Dogs. Lots of dogs (I saw one dog walker who probably had 20 friends). An old man playing the guitar under the tree. A young man rapping, all by himself to what I assume was imaginary music. A very, very large man on a bicycle (I was scared for the bicycle). The Met - the construction on the stairs is finally finished - it was an eyesore.

I think running all around Central Park is a perfect introduction to New York City. Every tourist should do it.

Two of my very favorite things.

I know that I am nothing new
There's so much more than me and you
But brother how we must atone
Before we turn to stone

Grey's Anatomy + Ingrid Michaelson. 

Grey's has been pretty good to Ingrid over the years & I was so happy to hear that they used another one of her songs for the Izzie + Alex wedding 2 weeks ago. Turn to Stone. It's beautiful - & available on iTunes. I bought it the very second that I could, & it's still on repeat. 

(I still need a better way to embed music on the blog. I hate YouTube videos.)

Ingrid's new album comes out this fall. CAN'T. WAIT. 

Kellie, let's go to her concert in SLC or NYC this fall. I asked J, & he says it's okay! :)

Today's Mileage: 5.15 miles. Treadmill. 

Entertainment: Gossip Girl season finale (I decided to use my time effectively vs. sitting on the couch for an hour). Blaire & Chuck? Oh my! 

Thoughts: I feel strong. And I'm not going to miss watching the traffic on the FDR (outside of my gym's window) as I run. It sort of stresses me out, watching all of those people stuck in gridlock. 

Gimme, Gimme (Please).

From Target. The price is definitely right & I love the bright yellow.

These folding chairs would be perfect for our little NYC apartment, too. 

If money grew on trees though, I'd buy this. Although Mike would likely kill me, but not before he told me how ugly he thought it was (we don't always agree, & let's just say he wasn't so impressed the first time I showed it to him. Ah, the sacrifices we make - both ways - for love). 

Training Log: Elliptical. 35 minutes. Lots of hills.

Problem: I woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday with a sharp, shooting pain in my inner hip. It hurt to walk, especially up & down. It hurt worse on Wednesday. I didn't dare run, or do anything physical for that matter except take 800mg of Ibuprofen. Thursday it felt better, but not enough to run (I had to run from a bus that was about to hit me when I was crossing the street - it hurt). The elliptical is a nice, gentle workout that still gets my heart going without actually pounding on anything (e.g. pavement). But it's not running, & I need to be running. But I clearly also need to rest my body for a bit.

Cause: I have absolutely NO. IDEA. 

Outlook: I'm resting for a few days. If it doesn't get better, off to the doctor I go. I have a half-marathon in 2 weeks. Did I mention that I need to be running?

Slow Dancing In A Burning Room.

 Where the Light Is is one of my favorite albums, but the version of this song is nice, too. I've been a big fan of John Mayer since Room for Squares came out my freshman year at BYU, weird faces, interesting dating choices, bizarre swimsuits & all.

Today's Mileage: 3 miles + change. Treadmill. 

Thoughts: Can't. Breathe. Chest. Burning. Can't wait to be back in Manhattan. Elevation: 33 feet.

Things we've been doing in Colorado.

We drove to the top of Pike's Peak on Saturday (14,110 feet! Snow! 34 degrees!). We saw a fox - a real one. I stepped in a huge mud puddle while wearing sandals. Haidyn, Reese & I watched Bolt from the back seat. We ate at 5 Guys - twice. Kera & I laughed so hard that we cried - twice. We celebrated her 24th birthday on Friday with pizza & Pepsi floats. Patrick, Haidyn & I did yoga. Oh, & we survived the last few days without the internet thanks to a bad modem. It was hard.

Mileage: Thursday - Kera & I went on a walk. One hour of yoga. Friday - 3 miles, treadmill. Saturday - zilch. Sunday - day of rest. I'll run tomorrow, promise.

Of note: The elevation here? 7,000 feet!! Yeah. I could barely breathe on my run. 

Oh dear.

I just realized that my (yoga) pants are on inside out (it's 1:30pm).

I guess it's been that kind of day. 

(The fact that I forgot that our building's water was scheduled to be shut off for most of the day hasn't helped either. It turns out that water is sort of essential to many activities. Like showering.)

Today's Mileage: 7 miles
Verdict: It felt good, good, good.
Thought: A good sports bra is well worth the money, & a nice, thorough stretch is well worth the time. 

Preview. Because I'm tired & (just a tiny bit) sunburned.

I have 500ish or so new photos in my iPhoto right now that I really love. The thought of picking my very favorites is just sort of overwhelming to me right now, so I'm going to just go put some aloe on my sunburn & sleep on it. 

Event A: 

Suzi, Steve & Will. They're one of those pretty families, which makes any sort of narrowing difficult. The shot below is one of my favorites. If you're confused (like Mike was) as to why I didn't manage to catch any of their faces, don't worry. It was on purpose. And I took a few where we can identify them, which I think Suzi might appreciate.

Event B: 

Mike & I were at Disney World for the past few days. I think I'd like to make it an annual event, whether we're with family or not. It's an easy trip between Laguardia & Orlando, it was warm, & it was actually really quite magical. I miss everyone already. 

Friday's Mileage: 3.4 miles. Hotel gym treadmill. It was awful, probably from 1986. The gym was 100 degrees. Yuck. 

Saturday's Mileage: Does walking around Hollywood Studios + The Magic Kingdom from 9am until 11:30pm count as my long run for the week?

PB&J. The band.

We went & saw Peter, Bjorn & John last night at Webster Hall with Brad & Jill (with Erin & Matt at home with a sick Fox, but there in spirit). They were great, & it was so much fun. So were the arepas we got before at Caracas Arepa Bar, as were the donuts from The Dessert Truck - & the hot chocolate from Max Brenner was pretty good too, when we realized that we had a few hours to kill (why do concerts say that they're starting at 7pm, when they really mean 10:40pm?).

Good times with good friends. 

Off to Florida we go!

Today's Mileage: 3.7 miles. Treadmill. I was on a time crunch, still needing to pack & make it to the airport. I took it easy.

Mood: Much better than the few days past. I finally felt myself again. I like to run. It makes me feel strong. I feel really great when I've finished.

Observation: I now know all of the words to Taylor Swift's "Love Story". Time to update the iPod.

I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

It's a love story, baby just say yes

2 1/2 miles & (apparently) I'm out.

Yikes.

I got home from my run this afternoon, took a shower, & climbed directly into my bed - a towel wrapped around my body & on top of my head - pulled the covers over my head & fell asleep. In the middle of the day. With the sun pouring into our bedroom. Because I was that tired.

(Oh how different is my life now vs. 3 months ago.)

I woke up & looked at the sun coming through the windows, thought it was pretty & took a photo.

On various topics.

• Anyone want to go to Shake Shack for lunch today? This photo makes me hungry. Mike & I went last night & shared a Pineapple Upside Down Cake frozen custard on a bench (yum + nice). I told him that Shake Shack - at night during the summer - is my happy place & that we should make a tradition of going on Saturday nights at 10pm (to avoid the line). I love seeing the groups of friends hanging out, the relaxed atmosphere, the babies, the dogs, the lights. It's lovely. Oh - & last night? It was 85 degrees & 26% humidity when we were walking around Soho (I bought the squishiest of flip flops, Mike bought a tshirt). IT. WAS. PERFECT. I'm not looking forward to the days of 85 degrees + 98% humidity. Please stay spring for just a little bit, New York. I love you.
• I don't remember the last day I wore black. I really don't. I've been really into white lately, which I never used to wear because I don't love obvious lines under my clothes. But I really love a good white tshirt these days. 
• I'd really love to be the kind of person who never inappropriately uses the words "um" or "like". I'm trying, with my dad as my constant companion in the back of my head. My dad is the king of all things grammar. 
• I just put in seven (7!) loads of laundry. SEVEN. We are a family of dos. 3.5 loads per person sort of seems like a lot. It's been a busy week. I'm trying to pretend that it's all going to magically fold itself.
• I need more running tunes. I've been running a lot, which means I listen to the same 58 songs a lot. Should I do another giveaway? 
• Oh - & I forgot to mention that I have a chin-zit right now the size of your average Manhattan studio apartment. Mike keeps asking if I'm okay. Why do things like this happen to me at the ripe age of 26 (1/2, tomorrow)? Thanks to all of my nice friends who have withheld laughing & pointing at me in public.

Today's Mileage: We could call it 3 1/2 , but really it was 2 1/2 (1 mile walking to the park, 1 lap around the reservoir, 1 mile run home). 

Details: I walked to the park, desperately waiting for my muscles to loosen up. They never really did. I got to the reservoir. I stretched. For a long time. Still tight. I ran the reservoir (a little over 1 1/2 miles). My legs felt like bricks - lots & lots of bricks. I never got the happy running feeling I was hoping for. I never caught my stride. I was running too fast, & then too slowly. I was exhausted, but not even close to being out of breath. I was hoping to to do 5 1/2 miles today, but just before I finished lap #1, a bug flew in my eye. I couldn't get it out. It made me mad. So I ran home. 

Feelings: Why am I so bad at running this week? Everything just feels off. 

Observations not directly related to running: The park is so beautiful. There are NEW blossoms around the reservoir. Goodbye cherry blossoms, hello big & fluffy purplish blossoms. I'm going to walk back tomorrow, with my camera. 

This post isn't about cupcakes. Promise (Mostly).

If I sadly didn't quite make it, I think that my personal version of hell would be looking for a New York City apartment day in & day out. It was hot enough today (90?!) & I looked at enough apartments that this didn't feel like such a far-fetched reality. 

I don't even know if I can really effectively articulate just how much of a pain it is to find a new apartment in Manhattan. I'll just say that IT IS A PAIN. Half the brokers barely speak English. Their favorite tactic is the bait-&-switch (i.e. dishonesty). 500 square feet is often considered "spacious" & they think it's perfectly acceptable to hang your clothes up in the living room. It's hard to find exactly what you want when things like space, price, location & ammenities all really matter. It's hard to prioritize. So - our lease is up at the end of May & we don't want to renew (price: too expensive, location: too far away from the subway), so I've been on the search the past few days while Mike is away bringing home the bacon & what not. Thus far: I've looked at a few dozen apartments, walking at least a dozen miles, climbed up & down dozens of stairs & gotten in & out of numerous elevators, & even had a broker smell his hand after shaking mine. In a really creepy, serial killer kind of way. I was disgusted &/or terrified. 

Anyway. 

I looked at what felt like a million different apartments yesterday & was just exhausted. I was on 2nd Avenue in the mid 80's. I walked north. I stopped at Two Little Red Hens. I bought myself a (miniature) cupcake. I ate it. Shamefully, alone. 

I felt much better. Let's call it an after school snack, or a form of retail therapy. Either way, it was much deserved. 

I found the perfect apartment today. I made Mike hop in a cab & come see it right that very second. It's beautiful. The building/location/amenities/floor plan & even doorknobs (yes, doorknobs) are perfect. I won't say any more for fear of absolute disappointment if we don't get it. I'll be busy creating an ulcer for the next few hours (days?) until we find out if it's ours or not. 

Keep a little prayer in your heart - for both my sanity & our ultimate success in capturing this gem. 

Today's Mileage: 3.1 miles. Treadmill. It was 90 degrees outside. No thank you. 

Television Watched (via closed-captioning - I was listening to my iPod, too): Oprah. She did a show on this woman who lost her arm + half of her chest from flesh-eating bacteria, which she contracted through a very small papercut-like cut on her finger. It was terrifying. Flesh eating bacteria actually exists? 

Thoughts: Can I really run a marathon? I mean, REALLY? 26.2 miles? I think running long distances has a lot to do with confidence, & today, I just didn't have any. 

Rockefeller Center. Park Avenue. Central Park. It's all in bloom.

I really love it.

(& a happy, happy birthday to my sister Elizabeth. I love you.)

Today's Mileage: 5K @ The Bronx Zoo + a zillion extra miles walking around playing tour guide. 

This Week's Total Mileage: 22.67 (not including previously mentioned city wanderings).

Do My Feet Hurt? Why yes, they do actually. So does my right knee, my calves & both of my lower butt cheek muscles. 

Thoughts: My body is very much in need of it's DAY OF REST tomorrow. And old men shouldn't wear those itty bitty running shorts. Gross. AND - why is it that my husband, who never, ever runs, ran the 5K SO MUCH FASTER THAN ME?! It made me a tiny bit depressed. I'll blame it on me being petite. OH - & we didn't really even see any animals. Oh well. The zoo was pretty & the weather was spectacular. 

Today's Weather: High of 85 (!). Despite my appropriate wardrobe selection of shorts + a light top, I was reminded how modest (um, dorky) I feel during New York City summers. I may as well be wearing a Snuggie. 

We had some time to kill.

We headed down to Clinton Street Baking Co. this morning for breakfast & were not surprised that there was a 30+ minute wait. We decided to occupy ourselves with the wall across the street.

I really love graffiti.

While Andrew was taking the photo of me sitting down in the doorway, Josh Lucas (Anyone? Anyone? Sweet Home Alabama? A Beautiful Mind?) walked by with his dog. I guess I was sort of blocking the sidewalk, & he glared while looking directly into my eyes. His dog was cute.

Oh - & it's a good thing that you can't click & enlarge the first photo, otherwise you'd see that my eyes look crazy.

Today's Mileage: 6.57 miles. Central Park Reservoir loop (x2) + bridal path.

Strange (Gross) Occurrences: A bird pooped on me. On my shoulder. It was green. And - don't be totally disgusted - but in a moment of utter desperation, I learned how to blow a snot rocket. I felt so much better afterwards. I can't wait for the day when I can breathe through my nose again. Oh - & I inhaled a blowing blossom & almost threw up.

Thoughts: I love living & breathing New York City every day (today the park smelled like blossoms, so it was especially nice to breathe it). When I run through Central Park, I feel like I belong here, like I'm actually part of a community. You can't experience that when you're just visiting for the weekend. I love LIVING here.

Why hello, Ms. Lady Liberty.

I think you're quite pretty - especially up close - so I may have taken a few photos, from a few angles, just in case, & then I couldn't decide which one I liked best. 

Give me your tired, your poor

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me

I lift my lamp beside the golden door

(Emma Lazarus)

Today's Mileage: 4 miles, on the treadmill.

Thoughts: I really, really didn't want to run today. But I did. Even though (brother) Andrew & his friend are in town, even though I've had a head cold for the past 10 days that won't go away (I was drinking snot for 4 miles - gross), & even though I'm on this really fantastic run of total insomnia (anyone up for some late night gChatting?). And - after deciding that I should do a 100+ calf raises in my laundry room last night while waiting for my spin cycle to end, I'm really sore today as it is. But I ran. Even if it was only 4 miles. And I'm complaining, yes.

Motivation: The man on the treadmill next to me was old. Very, very old & sort of fragile looking, really. But he ran longer than me (we started at the same time) & was way faster. I only made it as far as I did thanks to pure pride. Whatever works, right?