Lace them sneaks up!! It's running season!

Well, it’s official. THIS chick is heading back on the running scene with AT LEAST three races for 2013. 

 

After taking a year break (mainly because training for a marathon took so much out of me and pure laziness) 2013 is the year to make a comeback.

Taking a look ahead, here is what I have in store for 2013:

Broad Street Run - Philadelphia

I just got confirmation yesterday that I was selected in the Broad Street Run lottery for this year. Many people are upset that a lottery system was used, however I was a bit indifferent. If I got in, GREAT, if not I was going to volunteer because that is something I’ve always wanted to do for a race. But after  a little bit of a mishap with my credit card information, I was accepted into the Broad Street Run and will be running it for my third year in a row. While the crowds are massive and it’s a tight race through about mile 4, I can’t help but keep going back. Being able to run down Broad Street and watching all types of people cheer you on – homeless people, churches, drunk college students, company CEOs, parents and friends – and them not even knowing you but still screaming is what makes this race great. From about mile 5 (City Hall) until the finish the streets are completely lined up and it’s just what us runners needs as we push for the end.

CONFESSION: I have yet to actually train for the Broad Street Run, I literally just show up each year and run it. I guess this is the athlete inside me that can just push through it. In 2011, I was hurting REALLY bad after the run. You can see in the videos I have posted. During the run I was fine, but it was post-race where I almost threw up all over, had the shakes and was beyond thankful Shell came to watch because there is NO WAY I would have been able to drive. Last year was an exciting year because my cousins Jackie and Tyler ran their first Broad Street. Great memories!!! Back to my confession, I actually am training this year (haha I hope I do!!) but I found a training program I am going to use, Hal Higdon is the man. With a super busy schedule, a trip to Vegas and a holiday thrown in there, training will be tough, but I’m ready for the challenge! Also, I am super excited because my friend Jess was accepted too and we’ve always wanted to do a race together. YAY!! 

I won’t go too much into the other runs yet but I’m going the Philly Color Run with my best friends and my sister, and also the Philly Rock-n-Roll Half in September with my friend, Amanda!! Great year of running ahead. See you on the streets!!!!

I think tattoos are ______.

Here are a few of my tattoos

The Philadelphia Tattoo Convention is this weekend and it had me brainstorming on a post in which I wanted others to help me with. I know I could have asked for people to submit photos of their tattoos and tell me their stories, but instead I reached out to my Facebook friends and Twitter followers, asking them to fill in the blank for me:

I think tattoos are _________.

Each person was allowed to respond with one word or many words; whatever they wanted.

Tattoos are an iffy subject: some people think they are trashy, some find them as a form of expression and some people are indifferent. I had a goal of getting 50 responses to this question which I posted on my Facebook status the other night. I only received 27 but I am more than happy with that number!!  It was interesting to see how my friends view tattoos and how each response is so individually different. It truly proves how creative our society is.

Thank you to all who submitted, it was great to see everyone’s view point.
(Please note, I did no edits to these responses because I wanted to share just how they were given. I also did not include names for identity purpose – haha that sounds so professional)

I think tattoos are …

1. Finally starting to be socially acceptable, a new era for society.
2. Tattoos are beautiful if they have meaning and sad if they are meaningless.
3. Tattoos are incredible when they have a sincere meaning. Shows like Miami and LA ink are awesome bc of the background stories each person has why they're getting a certain tattoo. Plus ami james and his crew plus kat Von D are incredible artists. I understand a lot of people get tattooed just because they want one, but when a tattoo has a specific meaning they're awesome
4. wonderful and horrible, all depending on the circumstance.
5. EXPRESSIVE
6. I think tattoo's serve a specific purpose and can only be pulled off by certain people and/or for certain reasons.
7. I think tattoos are an expression of art that tells a story and holds meaning to the person who wants to display it forever
8. I think tattoos tell chapters of your life!!
9. I think tattoos are fascinating.
10. I think tattoos are commonplace and generally uninteresting yet I respect the choices people make about their own bodies/skin.
11. I think tattoos are a beautiful form of self-expression.
12. hot on men but trashy on women. Unfortunately, I used to think they were hot on women so in my youth I got six of them:/ Now I'm in the process of getting them removed--three down and three to go. Mind you, the one on my lower back was not referred to as a "tramp stamp" back then.
13. I think tattoos are a fun and creative way to express yourself.
14. Tattoos all Have meaning to every one individual differently and have a story behind each one. They help complete someone's emotional feelings of expression. They are also symbols of remembering or embracing thoughts of actions that once occurred or will occur. Bottom line, they are representation of you and should always have a purpose to be on your skin forever. I love tats when they can be on someone's skin that can inspire someone else to have a better day or one person can give the compassion to another person to show their pain or celebration of that symbol.
15. I think tattoos are therapeutic and can heal emotional scars.
16. Personal - In the eye of the beholder.
17. I think tattoos tell a story.
18. I think tattoos are hot.
19. Not for me, but I would love for someone to commission a design to have placed on their body.
20. Forever.
21. Awesome and addicting
22. The perfect form of self expression.
23. Artistic
24. I think tattoos are the most unique way to truly express your beliefs,sense of self or way you view the world.
25. Amazing &full of expression
26. the mirror to ones soul, and if you don't have one you have something to hide.
27. I think tattoos are walking artwork. I love being able to wear art on my body

Conquer your fear of doing things alone

This past Saturday I made it a ME day … just me, myself and I – and I loved every second of it. My ‘Me Day’ is what inspired this post.

I could be wrong about this BUT I feel as though a lot of people have a fear of doing things alone. People like to be social, do things in groups and not feel like the awkward single loner out-and-about by themselves.

I was absolutely one of these people about four years ago. The thought of going out to dinner alone or seeing a movie alone gave me anxiety and I would have NEVER done that.

However, while living on Cape Cod from Fall of 2009 through Spring of 2010 with not many friends  – yes, a rough time needless to say – I had to get over that fear and just do it. One big thing I walked away with from my experience on the Cape was to be independent.

At the ECAC we often had to travel to different states for ECAC Championships. My first trip alone I believe was to Franklin and Marshal for a men’s football bowl game. Shacked up in a Lancaster hotel, it got to night time, I was starving  and I had to eat. Here we go – time to be that weird creepy lady eating at the TGI Fridays bar alone.

So there I sat, alone, feeling awkward and self-conscious that everyone was looking at me, just as I often looked at people eating by themselves. But that weekend was the start of a revolution.

I knew my time on the Cape was going to be very lonely if I didn’t start doing things myself – so I stopped sulking and went on with “Me Days” all the time.

Every Sunday during football season I use to drive about 25 minutes to a bar across the Cape in East Falmouth because they had jumbo/projector screens where they would play EVERY football game that day. It’s the only place I was able to see my Eagles and every game us Eagles fans would gather around the closest table and cheer together and watch.

I would go to trivia night every Wednesday at this “Applebees” type place. My team name was “Solo Dolo” every week.  I’ll mention – trivia is soooo hard alone. Let’s just say I never won and I stopped going after getting in a verbal altercation with some prick who thought I was cheating on my cell phone. To make my daddy proud I told him “Don’t you think if I cheated I would have won you asshole!?!?! Fuck off.” Then I threw $20 on the bar for my server and walked out. Man I was boiling – my mom probably remembers that phone call.

I went to my first movie alone on the Cape, I saw Michael Jackson’s “This Is It.” Since then I have seen X-Men and the latest Twilight movies alone.  I use to go on rollerblading excursions around the towns to sight see and took walks on all of the different beaches was my favorite.

I’m happy to say over the last four years my fear of doing things alone is gone. If you take anything away from this post, it’s two things: FIRST - It may feel like one of the most awkward things ever but it gets better over time. Take a hold of your life and go for it. You don’t always need someone there to hold your hand. SECOND – don’t judge people who are out and about eating/doing./seeing by themselves. You don’t know their story. They could be a poor intern with no friends like I was four years ago.