Harrier Birthday to Me

I don’t really “celebrate” my birthday in the sense that I don’t have a party or go out or drink or do anything out of the ordinary, other than cupcakes courtesy of my department at work (which were DELICIOUS, thanks guys). With a few exceptions over the years, it usually feels like a normal day. I’ve almost always worked on my birthday, either in an office or at a photography gig, depending on what my career was that year.

Lately, I’ve made it a point to run on my birthday. This year was no different. I also like to take a cheesy, post-run, sweaty selfie on my birthday. Here are two years ago, last year, and today.

Turn! Turn! Turn!: 2018 Queens 10K Race Recap

I signed up for NYRR’s Queens 10K a couple of months ago on a whim while I still lived on Long Island. I had no other 10Ks planned other than September’s Cow Harbor, and when I saw that the Queens course was “flat and fast,” I thought, why not get another 10K in there?

I registered for last weekend’s Mini 10K later. Two races two weekends in a row is something I wouldn’t even have considered a year ago, especially two 10Ks. It wasn’t long ago that 6 miles was my long run. To race that distance 7 days apart would have seemed crazy.

Joining a Running Club: First Steps

I’d first thought of joining a running club when I was living with my mom last year. I would visit Northport Running Club’s website and wonder if I should go to a weekend meetup and just see how it went. I even met a member of the club at a race and she encouraged me to join. Part of me wanted to, but I also knew that I wouldn’t be in Northport for long. I’d be moving back to the city at some point, and I guess I didn’t want to join a group I knew I’d be leaving. Like going on a first date when you are terminally ill, I was reluctant to face the extreme emotional highs and lows, opting instead for the neutral. I was also just very busy. Either way, no one will ever write a movie about me.

Work Bitch: 2018 New York Mini 10K Race Recap

I ran a 10K this past weekend along with 8,372 other women! In Central Park! New York City! And I PR’d! This is my recap!

The NYRR New York Mini 10K was only my third ever 10K race, the other two being 1999’s Cow Harbor 10K (59:06 finish) and 2017’s Cow Harbor 10K (54:39 finish). I’ve run a lot of 6.2 mile training runs, but very few 6.2 mile races. So I was both confident and nervous, which is pretty much how I’ve gone through life.

I Ran All The Way Home

Happy Global Running Day! A day late. No, two! This post has taken me three days to write. Hooray for me!

I’m almost all the way there as far as being settled in my new place. Still working out the kinks. I have curtains, but no curtain rods. Artwork is still leaning against walls. And somehow, I own 27 iPhone cables but have lost the plug for the TV so I haven’t even turned that on yet. I’ve mostly been watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu and Youtube videos about running. A lot of Shalane Flanagan and Gwen Jorgensen: my two best friends who don’t know I exist.