i get it tri gods...

Over training + cutting back on food = depleted immune system, insane upper respiratory infection and flu and not being able to race my first race of the season. I get it. I fucked up. Lesson learned.

Worst weekend in a long time. It's no fun to be so sick that I had to get medicine delivered because I literally couldn't walk down the stairs to get it myself. Way too much TV and alone time stuck in this apartment is not good for the mind. I'm so mad that I missed the first of the Grand Prix half marathons. I worked my ass off for that damn race.

I'll take a few more days off and hopefully be back in the pool by Wednesday.

even on my death bed

I still spot the celebs...
It's the dude from Weeds and 40 Year Old Virgin, Romany Malco.
23rd and 7th last night on my way to the Urgent Care place.

gross

There is not a person in the world that I trust enough to ride one of these death traps with. I hate them. Grow a pair and ride alone!

queen of unsolicited advice

Actually people ask me for workout tips all the time. I'm by no means an expert on workouts or diets (I don't ever diet). But I have been spending more time in the gym than usual lately because of the cold ass weather and yesterday I was thinking about what I think everyone does wrong. Here's my list of shit NOT to do:

• Don't hold to on the treadmill/stairmaster whatever, don't touch it. Hold on to the elliptical hand things, but really engage when you use them.
  
• If you can read a book or magazine while you are working out, you are not working hard enough
• Don't drink a smoothie from the juice bar after you work out. WTF? Those things are more calories than you've burned. I promise. Even if the machine says you burned 600 calories. You didn't. And the smoothie is 700.
  
• Don't drink calories in any form, other than coffee. Unless you are an endurance athlete, you don't need gatorade at the gym. Coffee is essential to life though. But don't fool your self at Starbucks, a venti skim latte is over 200 calories. That's more than 20 minutes on one of those machines. Get a venti coffee with some milk and splenda. Drink water/tea the rest of the time.
  
• Do the elliptical at at least a level 10. Level 3 or 4, you might as well go home and clean the kitchen floor. You'll have burned the same amount of calories. I'm not a fan of the elliptical machine. Spin classes and treadmill are the best.
  
• Don't be intimidated by spin classes or any class at the gym. A spin class is a calorie torcher if you really work hard in them. Boot camp classes and total body classes are also awesome.
  
• Don't worry about what other people are doing at the gym, or wearing, or reading. Don't look at other people. Do you own thing and get out. Standing around and talking, you aren't working out and I bet you added that time to yourself. Run on the treadmill for 20 minutes and talk for 30, I bet you went home and said you worked out for an hour. You didn't!
  
• Work your core with a medicine ball and do your sit ups on a yoga ball. Work your core every time you go.
  
• Eat something before you go to the gym. (Like my Quinoa breakfast of champions!) Drink water at the gym.

I have tons more random things that I will rant and rave about the gym. But the bottom line is, work hard at the gym. Be in the moment and be aware. If you go there and go through the motions, it's pointless. The gym is always a last resort for me. I would rather ride my bike outside, run outside and swim than go to the gym. The treadmill makes me feel like a hamster, I hate the elliptical and if you get a shitty spin teacher, then it sucks.

Now, I'm off to the gym because it's cold out and I'm a pussy and don't feel like running and freezing at the track.

breakfast of champions

I eat this everyday. I make one cup of uncooked quinoa with 2 cups of water. It makes 4 servings of quinoa. I add a small handful of mixed, unsalted nuts (chopped up), some dried cranberries, dried raisins, a dash of cinnamon, a tiny bit of milk and a little less than a tablespoon of the Splenda Brown Sugar blend. I keep the pre-made quinoa in the fridge so I heat it up the whole bowl with all the toppings in it. The milk makes it less dry. Quinoa is a high protein grain, its gluten free and it satisfying in the morning.

deliciousness

A good night...a full dvr, us weekly and pinkberry.

even an end has a start

Thursday night I went to Terminal 5 to see Hot Hot Heat and Editors. Some band called Louis XIV went on first. They were ok. All the songs sounded alike and they were dressed sort of silly, like wild west.

Hot Hot Heat was soooo disappointing. I've loved them for years. I know they are cheesy but they're catchy. The lead singer weighs about 95 pounds soaking wet and he has a full afro looking head of reddish hair. He looked like a cross between Justin Guarini and Carrot Top. He ruined it for me. He was bopping that hair around and hopping all over the stage like a retarded bunny. And his voice is distinct enough, he was trying all this weird stuff. It just didn't work. To quote Allison, "They sound like they would be played in Abercrombie." I think she's right. See afro below:


But then the Editors came on and they ruled. They opened with Bones, then All Sparks, End Has a Start. They had awesome lighting (and I've seen some shitty light shows, in my day...), the leader singer was way cute and had tons of energy. When I listen to them on my Ipod, I've never thought about Coldplay but at the show they definitely reminded me of Coldplay, in a good way, in a BETTER WAY. None of Chris Martin's angst ridden crap show antics. What the fuck does he have to cry about? Anyay, the lead singer switches back his guiar and plays the piano. The light thing they had going on ruled. I didn't realize how much I played their albums until I sang every word to every song. I guess I love them.

lessons

Things I've learned living in New York (so far):

• People still use pay phones. All the time and people who look like they have a cell phone. How much dos it cost to call someone from a pay phone?
• The gym is a sacred holy land and people do weird shit there. I thought I had seen it all in the gym, but I hadn't seen anything.
  
• I had to get over my extreme hatred of revolving doors. They are on every building. They are so annoying and some shitty douchebag gets in the little section behind you and pushes really hard and trips you. Or I'm always carrying a million bags, purse, gym bag, lunch bag and one bag always manages to get stuck. I hate those damn doors. But if I don't let it go, I'll be mad all day.
  
• Apartment walls are paper thin. Calling your neighbor a fucking asshole right after she knocks on your door will make her hate you forever.
  
• It's 100% acceptable to not talk to people in your office. I love that. Small talk kills a little piece of my soul.
  
• Dropping off your laundry and getting it done is not weird or lazy. I could care less about those people touching my dirty underwear. They fold it perfectly and it smells good.
  
• Probably the main thing that I'm learning/working on is my life-training balance. Last season I trained and fit my life around it. It worked for the time, but this season I'm living my life and fitting my training around it. It's more fun this way.
• UPDATE: I knew I forgot one. Men pee on the street here. Not just homeless men. Your boyfriend, brother, friend, uncle, father. They will just whip it out and pee. Not even at 2 am drunk, at like 11 am on the way to brunch.
  

Oh this today. Tom Cruise is a fucking maniac.

94 rugged raw

Every weekend in New York pretty much rules. The things that made this weekend rule:

• Gretchen Mol in the West Village
• Henry getting some serious small dog dog park time
• Chelsea diner breakfast
• Getting all my errands done
• Making Justin Bobby hats
  
• The homeless guy in Union Square who said to another homeless guy, "Yo, yo, yo, I heard you got SCABES man!" Classic. I love homeless conversations.
  
• Big Love DVDs
• Running in Central Park
• Taking an unscheduled day off of IM training and feeling zero guilt because Wu was so much fun and worth every second of hungoverness.
  

Wu Tang was off the mother fuckin hook, fo reals. They opened the show with Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothin to Fuck With. It was just too much. It was a total dick fest. I loved it.

This week, Editors at Terminal 5. Oh and a bunch of Ironman training. No more days off. I'm going big at KY this year. No more screwing around and chilling.

spotted

Saturday in the West Village...I saw Gretchen Mol walking by herself with her baby. She's totally gorgeous in person, of course. She looks like a milkmaid.

bring the mother fuckin ruckus

I'm getting all ready for Wu Tang tomorrow. My neighbors definitely think I'm that creepy single girl with lots of animals who talks to herself and the animals. Sometimes I sing Glen Hansard ballads as loud as I can and right now I'm stomping around rapping. How can you not stomp when The What comes on? Shimmy Shimmy Ya? Break Ups to Make Ups (I know that's Meth, but still)? Gravel Pit?

Tigers eye, bitches. I'm going to freak out tomorrow.

Conversation of the day

In the elevator:

Stupid PR Girl #1: You know, my friend?
Stupid PR Girl #2: Yeah, the dermatologist.
Stupid PR Girl #1: Well, you know her job is not like professional, like ours...Like she's not "a professional. "

Justin Bobby hats

An hour and a half of crocheting and you can go an extra day without washing your hair.

Stalking at it's finest

I love my neighborhood. I see tons of celebrities (who I never speak to, but sometimes take not so covert pictures of).

• Phillip Bloch: walking down 8th ave.
• Famke Janssen: Grumpy's Coffee and 7th ave.
• Tate Donovan: running on the West Side Highway
• Molly Shannon: shopping with her kids around W. 12th
• Sway: eating at some restaurant on the UES
• LeeLee Sobieski: Pinkberry. She's so much prettier in person
• Jack McBrayer: Yogis. And I took a picture with him, he's too awesome to not
• Drea de Matteo and Shooter Jennings: some Korean place on the LES
• David Cross: 2A Bar on the LES. Took a covert picture.

Don't drink the hater-ade

• I moved to New York City in October. I knew one person in the city, had no job and signed on an apartment 3 days before I moved. I packed all my shit in a U-haul and drove up alone with my dog and 2 cats. Everything has worked out. I was meant to live here.
  
• I train for triathlons 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months are a free for all.
• I did my first Ironman in September and this year I'm doing IM Kentucky.
• I'm going to die before I can read all the books I want to. That drives me insane.
• I'm a library junkie.
• I love music and can't leave the house without my Ipod.
• I'm a domestic goddess. I cook, crochet and organize, among other things.
  
• I love TV and movies.
• Eating out totally rules in NYC and nothing makes me happier than reservations.
  
• I have Celiacs and don't eat anything with wheat, flour, etc. Yes, it sucks and no, I don't just eat a cookie sometimes. It's like poison.
  
• I can spot a celebrity from a mile away. I'll post my list of spotted celebrities soon.
  
• Crazy people fascinate me. As long as I can just observe, I don't want to have to interact with them.
  
• I find humor in most situations and love to retell the stories.
• I have many opinions. Many.