Tangent on a Tuesday!

So I woke up this morning absolutely determined to have a good day, despite the awful weather, and I'd say I did a pretty good job at it! But I have to wonder...as March comes to a close, if we say 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb' but that 'April showers bring my flowers...' does that mean that it's going to continue to rain??? I hope not! 

So today's run felt pretty good, I was hungry and kind of tired and my hip started to bother me a little bit through, but the run didn't feel long. I was thinking about a lot of stuff and had a pretty good playlist (see post from last week) so it went by pretty easily. I ran my 4 miles in 37:19 which I'm pretty happy about. I also started logging my runs on Daily Mile. Check it out if you're a runner!

After the gym, I headed off to class. Now, I haven't blogged about this but in order to achieve #24 on my 25, I've been taking a Spanish class that emphasizes conversation and writing. It's been a really helpful class and I really like it. We watch movies and have discussions about them and do exercises that put us in situations such as: finding a roommate, being on a job interview, etc. I really like that they're practical situations rather than just the...this is how you order a meal, which I already know having grown up in a partially Spanish speaking household. 

Well, after class, I got to put my Spanish to the test when a man started a conversation with me on the bus home. He is Cuban and we started having a great conversation (in Spanish!) about a myriad of topics. It was a great conversation and I was really excited about it until a man got on the bus and started screaming about 400 years of slavery and how everyone on the bus was white and just screaming obscenities. Well, el Cubano (as I will refer to him) started to ask him to quiet down so that we could continue our conversation.

Oh my goodness, that's when things got CRAZY. The man went nuts and started going off! Then the driver tried telling him to get off the bus and he pulled the "It's cuz I'm black." Umm no sir, it's because you're causing a riot and making threats everyone on the bus!

Sorry about that tangent, but it was relevant to one of the things on my list, so it's allowed! 

On another note with the list, I saw this in a Daily Candy e-mail today. 

Now, I think this is overpriced, but I bought another map already off of Amazon.com and need to find a way to mount it on to cork board and frame it, so if anyone has any ideas, that would be great!

Hope everyone had a great day!

Rule for April: No Traveling!

Hello my lovelies!

I'll keep this one short and sweet! I had a great weekend at home but an exhausting trip back! It's made me realize that I need to take less frequent trips out of Boston! In the last two months, I've been away 5 weekends! Thank goodness April is just around the corner and I don't have anything planned until the end of the month which means I'll have ample time for running, scrapbooking, cooking AND keeping my apartment clean! (Not so easy when you're constantly packing/unpacking!

So, I had a great weekend! Saturday, I ran my 2 mile run in 16:28 which is HUGE for me! My best time before that had been 18:40! I'm very excited about that! I skipped my 4 miler on Sunday because I was swamped with church/family/heading back to Boston but actually ending up in New Jersey again...yea that's right, so I didn't get it in today either because I actually did head back to Boston but it took 8 1/2 hours!

So with that being said, I need to get a 4 mile run in tomorrow, so here's this week's training schedule!

Week 4
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: 20-30 minutes of low impact cardio
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday:  20-30 minutes of low impact cardio
Saturday: 2.5 mile run
Sunday: 5 mile run

I feel kind of guilty about missing my Sunday long runs 2 weeks in a row (=/) But it's tough when I'm traveling! I've still been really good about keeping up with my schedule!

Well, I'm off to catch up on what's been going on with all of you over the weekend and then to bed!

Take me back to Manhattan, take me back to New York..

At approximately 8:30 this evening, I will be on a bus bound for New York, my home away from home for what I know will be a fanTASTIC weekend!

Why is New York my home away from home? Well, I grew up in the great state of Texas (where Dad, brother and three sisters live with one niece and one nephew) and moved to the not-so great state of New Jersey at 8 (where mom and 1 sister with two nieces live). From 8 on, I was back and forth between Texas and New Jersey for various summers, winters, school years, vacations, etc! Mom lives about a 45 minute train ride from NYC, so to keep myself sane while in the oh so unpleasant state of New Jersey, I frequented Manhattan quite extensively.

When it came time for college, I went to school on Long Island, another 45 minute train ride from NYC. At my school, every birthday, girls' night out, excuse for a party happened in New York. Hell, sometimes I used to go to the New York Public Library to study when I needed to get away from campus.

So you can see why I'm so excited about my weekend! My agenda?

Friday: At NYU all day to decide if that's where I'm going to go to grad school! (Mix in lunch with one of my close friends from college, some thrift store shopping and a cocktail reception and it should prove to be a great day! Afterwards, heading to NJ (gross!) for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday: Plans with mom, sis and the girls (read: 3 and 9 year old nieces whom I adore) + date night with le boyfriend.
Sunday: Brunch with the family and grandparents! Then, plans with my big sister (oldest), her hubby and NEW BABY BOY whom I haven't met yet!  So excited to meet the newest addition to the fam! Then heading back to Boston!

The sun will come out tomorrow (I hope!)

I am so happy that I actually ran today. I woke up feeling awful and didn't get much better through the day. The return of the rain and cold weather in Boston didn't help either! When I got to the gym after work, I had to stop after a mile because my legs were so sore, but after a short (0:45) rest, things started picking up and I felt fine. My 3.5 miles went great!

Here's the playlist I used and plan to use again on Sunday for my 4 miler.
"Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship
"The Artist in the Ambulance" - Thrice
"Boom Boom Pow" - Black Eyed Peas
"See You Again" - Miley Cyrus
"The Way You Make Me Feel" - Michael Jackson
"We Weren't Born to Follow" - Bon Jovi
"Best Days of Your Life" - Kelly Pickler
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
"Slide" - Goo Goo Dolls
"Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon

As with my 3-miler, this wasn't the exact order because my iPod shuffled my playlist. I have to work on that so it doesn't happen for next time!

Anyway, as I said yesterday, I got another award! So since Stacy bestowed upon me this fabulous Sugar Doll award, I'm going to pass it along to: Angela at Craving Cupcakes, Brittany at Simplicity in Baltimore and Tara at That's Why Her Hair is So Big. The award is on my post below for all of you =)

So with this award, I'm supposed to share 10 things about myself, so here goes!

1. I finished my undergrad with degrees in Political Science and International Affairs.

2. I had never been to Boston before I moved here and didn't know anyone here!

3. I'm first-generation American. My dad is Cuban and my mom is Dominican.

4. I think that The Pilot and I had the most amazing first date.
5. I've been to just as many states as I have countries (20).

6. I love Harry Potter

7. I love going to church.

8. I have two tattoos.

9. I had my first kiss when I was 14. 

10. I have an unreasonable lust for all things pumpkin. 

Well I think that's a long enough post for now! Until next time! But in the mean time, check out the blogs I've mentioned above! They're all awesome =)

Good Food. Good Friends. Good Times. Good Tunes. (And Week 3)

This weekend was great. While I am exhausted, it was a weekend filled with all of the above plus fantastic weather!

I'm also VERY excited to report on some updates to The List! Aside from starting one of the books on The Book List , I had a GREAT 2 mile run on Saturday outside that was full of hills! It was TOUGH but it was a great run! I skipped my Sunday run because of time, but am really going try to squeeze it in today! Not that I have much going on, but I'm exhausted!

Also, I watched #16 on The Movie List: Fight Club. Now, I had read a few books by Chuck Palahniuk before, and liked all of them but never got around to seeing Fight Club until Friday night. I absolutely LOVED it. I thought it was SUCH a great film, very well done and it was about something completely different than I thought it was! I think I had some image of Million Dollar Baby (which I haven't seen) in my head minus Hillary Swank + Brad Pitt for some reason! Nonetheless, it was a great film and I am pleased to have crossed it off my list!

I'll let you all know when I finish "Passage to India" on The Book List and post my thoughts/opinions on it!

That being said, here's the Marathon/Half-Marathon Training Plan for  Week 3!

Monday: 3 mile run
Tuesday: 3.5 mile run
Wednesday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Thursday: 2 mile run
Friday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Saturday: 2 mile run
Sunday: 4 mile run

I'll keep my 3 mile playlist from last week for today's run and create a 4 mile playlist for Tuesday's and Sunday's runs which I'll post tomorrow!

And on another note, I got another award! This one was from Stacy at Stacy Says. Definitely check out her blog!

I'm supposed to list 10 things about myself with this and then pass it on, but since I'm not a fan of long posts, I'll save that for my next post!

Until then!

The sun's out! The sun's out! (Updated 3.22)

So I've been MIA for the past couple of days! Sorry about that! Things have been a little busy between work, St. Patrick's Day and having The Pilot in town! But I'm back!

St. Patrick's Day was a blast, everything turned out fantastic!

My Feast! We had Spinach Ravioli, Guinness Cupcakes and Irish Soda Bread!

In the mean time, I can't really decide whether or not I've slacked on my Marathon training this week. Here was the plan, as I outlined on Friday and here's how I've done:

Week 2
Monday: Rest Day! Stretch for 10-15 minutes so that I'm not stiff for tomorrow.
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednesday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Thursday: 2 mile run (add incline)
Friday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Saturday: 2 mile run (add incline)
Sunday: 3 mile run

I skipped stretching on Monday because I was feeling fine. Wednesday, I was running around so much that I didn't have time to get to the gym, but I had a brisk 20 minute walk from Trader Joe's home and definitely broke out a sweat in the kitchen, so that may count! I didn't add incline to my run on Thursday because it was so beautiful out that I had to run outside. I did run over a bridge which involved some incline but not what I would have liked. But with the gorgeous weather this weekend (76 tomorrow!), it won't be possible to not run!

Now, on the other list note, I started reading "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster today, which is #38 on The Book List.

I'm also watching Pulp Fiction right now and, while I had marked that I had seen it, I'm realizing that I have no idea what's going on. And I think that I've just seen the same bits and pieces of it so many times, that I haven't actually seen it all the way through! So we'll have to amend that on the list!

Well, for those of you in the northeast part of the US, enjoy the beautiful weather and I'll post again soon!

Getting ready for St. Patty's!

Long day! I woke up this morning to go for an early run and realized (after I'd gotten half way to the gym via T) that The Pilot (my handsome boyfriend) had my keys (and gym pass) and work ID, so I had to go back. At that point, I realized my morning workout would have to be skipped, bummer!

Easy day at work though so after meeting The Pilot for lunch, I went to the gym for my 3 miles. Had a great run and am looking forward to adding inclines to my next two runs and my next 3-miler on Sunday!

My 3-mile playlist was:
"Any Way You Want It" - Journey
"Boom Boom Pow" - Black Eyed Peas
"Five Minutes to Midnight" - Boys Like Girls
"Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship
"Live Like We're Dying" - Kris Allen
"Beer in Mexico" - Kenny Chesney
"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey
"Down" - Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne

I'm not too sure on the order since my iPod shuffled it, but I think that was it!

I snuck out of work early with The Pilot to go pick up my St. Patty's Day shirt that I was having custom made and then we went to the movies and saw "She's Out of Your League" which was hilarious!

Then we went for ice cream and a little grocery shopping and now I'm making chocolate stout cupcakes and Irish soda bread in preparation for tomorrow!

I'll post recipes and pictures tomorrow!

I got an award!

I'm so excited! I got this award from Megan at  A Love Song Like Ours.

So, while I am new to the "blogosphere" (that is what they call it, isn't it?!) I believe the trend is to pass an award along to someone else after receiving it, so, I'd like to pass this award on to:

The BLOGETTE
Because or Why Not
Working Girl

Blogging about Blogging and Week 2!

I joined a blogging community, 20sb and I am already hooked! I do have to say it has made for a slightly less than productive day at work, but that will soon pass! So this post is a shout out to all of my new friends on 20sb!

Now, I am having a fantastic Monday! Aside from all of the compliments I am getting on my green nails (OPI Jade is the New Black), The Pilot is coming up to visit for St. Patrick's Day which is just 2 days away and I couldn't be more excited!

I am having a little St. Patty's Day soiree at my apartment before venturing off into the land of green beer, the Boondock Saints, rainbows, leprechauns, the Dropkick Murphys and all things Irish and Bostonian! I have a fantastic menu planned for the evening and will post pics, recipes and an update on Thursday!

Now, having The Pilot in town means getting up and out the door early for my runs and workouts! I am not a very good waker-upper, which is strange because I do love the mornings, but that initial dread of having to leave my warm sheets and actually get up is quite tricky! But, this blog has kept me very motivated so I think I'll be alright! We'll see as the week progresses, now won't we?

That being said, here's my plan for half-marathon/marathon training plan for:

Week 2
Monday: Rest Day! Stretch for 10-15 minutes so that I'm not stiff for tomorrow.
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednesday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Thursday: 2 mile run (add incline)
Friday: 20-30 minutes of non-impact cardio
Saturday: 2 mile run
Sunday: 3 mile run

Now, Friday will be tough to get a workout in as I have a 6:50 am flight to DC (yikes!) for all day meetings at one of the graduate schools I applied to and won't have access to a gym. It's supposed to be beautiful in DC this weekend so I'll be running outdoors for sure, thus I won't be adding much incline to Saturday's 2 miler, but c'est la vie, that's for next week! I'll post my new 3 mile play list up tomorrow after my run!

I also really want to run a 5k next weekend in preparation for my 10k two weekends later but I'm having trouble finding one. We'll see how it goes!

Until next time!

When it rains, it pours!

Anyone living on the Northeast part of the country will have been trapped this weekend in a seemingly never-ending downpour, the likes of which, I for one have never seen before. Seriously I was in West Africa just at the beginning of the rainy season this past summer and I think it rained less!

Anyway, despite the incessant rain, I have had a fantastic weekend with Mom! We went and got manicures yesterday and I, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day got a GREEN manicure! It was quite bold, but I'm very happy with it!

Thoughts?

Moms and I also went and saw Alice and Wonderland and had a fab dinner at one of my fav restaurants in Boston!

Today after she left, it was time for a run and some heavy duty spring cleaning! I'm a bit exhausted from cleaning all day, but my apartment looks great and I bought this new frame collage from Bed, Bath & Beyond that I put up today and I love it! My bedroom walls have been ridiculously bare since I moved into my apartment in July...it's about time I got something up on the walls. Here it is!

It's got pictures of my family, friends and boyfriend and it makes a great addition to my room!

I had two great runs this weekend...well yesterday was a GREAT run and today's was ok...because of the downpour (and continuous cold in Boston), I ran on the treadmill at the gym, which I really don't mind although I realized this weekend that people at my gym are a bit less than normal...for example:

• There was a woman doing yoga in the steam room COMPLETELY NUDE.
• A man belly flopped into the 4 foot end of the 25 meter LAP POOL. 
• The man next to me on the treadmill today was not wearing deodorant and well, I had to switch treadmills as it got so bad! 

Maybe the rain has just got everybody mad...ah well, it's supposed to wind down tomorrow and stop. Let's hope that's true!

Bit of an off day, really...

Today was just one of those days that was just off. To start, I was a bit congested last night and took some nighttime cold medicine making it impossible for me to wake up this morning. Then once I got to work, it started raining and I didn't have an umbrella or galoshes or anything, bummer!

Ok that's enough complaining for one post!

Today's run went pretty well! My thighs and hamstrings were SO sore after Core Fusion yesterday, but I actually managed to get my run in a few seconds shorter than Tuesday's, which was great! I followed the same play list as Tuesday and will probably keep the same one for Saturday's and Sunday's runs as well.

I registered for a 10k with two of my friends for April 11! I'm nervous/excited about it but running it with friends will definitely help! I heard the course is a bit tough and full of hills, but it's also supposed to be a beautiful New England run, so I definitely plan to run it and to prep myself for it, I'm going to start adding inclines to my short runs, so we'll see how that goes starting next week!

Now, on to some blog news: you'll notice that I added Pages to the top of my blog with my lists for Ball Parks, Books and Movies that I need to see/read in the next 2 years! I decided to change my book list from the BBC Top 100 to Newsweek's Top 100, an explanation is on The Book Page. I also found a great website which will help me watch some of those old and foreign films on The Movies list. The website is http://www.theauteurs.com/. Check it out!

Other news, I got accepted to the University of Texas at Austin! I've now been accepted to 4 out of 6 schools I applied to and am eagerly awaiting the decisions of the other two schools!

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday! I'm definitely ready for the weekend! My mom is coming to visit and I've got loads planned for our rainy Boston weekend!

Until next time!

1st run down!

So, I ran my 2 miles today. Now, I know, 2 miles is nothing, it's an easy run, but today I really focused on concentrating on the run, rather than on just finishing and I had a GREAT run. I wasn't as sore after yesterday's Core Fusion class...it was definitely a hard workout, but I guess I'm getting used to it! I was looking forward to my run all day and it felt really good to just run it. I had an awesome playlist to keep me going and it was great!

Here's my playlist for today's run:
"Your Love" - The OutField
"I Gotta Feeling" - Black Eyed Peas
"Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston
"Just Dance" - Lady Gaga
"Tik Tok" - Ke$ha
"Mr. Brightside" - The Killers

I thought about going to Core Fusion after class, but I didn't want to overdo it, so I satisfied myself with some solid stretching and I'll get my butt kicked again at Core Fusion tomorrow! I'm going to spend some time tomorrow coming up with a race schedule of a at least 2 5k races and a 10k before the Half and from there, I can come up with a training and racing schedule for a full marathon.

Now, on another note, I got accepted to Georgia Tech's M.S. in International Affairs! I've since been accepted to three out of six schools that I applied to, so my plan to get my Master's by 25 is coming to fruition and I'm SO excited about that!

Now once we get some beach weather, I can get to building that sand castle...

So it begins...

I am running a Half-Marathon on May 16 in preparation for running a full marathon. I wouldn't say I'm an avid runner, but a frequent one, but this week marks Half-Marathon Training...the week when I go from a frequent runner, to an avid runner. I've read up on a lot of different training plans and started several of them only to realize that they aren't quite for me. This week will be tough though as I started a 14 day membership to Exhale Spa on Friday and have been taking their Core Fusion class which is by far, the most difficult workout I have ever done! I can't even cross my legs! But it feels amazing. It's a total mind-body workout that combines yoga, pilates, stength training and stretching.

Yesterday, using a ballet bar, a playground ball and a lot of focus and concentration we did something called the Hot Tub from Hell and oh man, did it burn!

So, with my half-marathon/marathon training beginning this week, here's my planned workout schedule. I'll be posting every week so feel free to follow along and join in!

Week 1
Monday: Exhale Core Fusion Open class
Tuesday: 2 mile run
Wednesday: Exhale Core Fusion Open class
Thursday: 2 mile run
Friday: Exhale Core Fusion Open class
Saturday: 2 mile run
Sunday: 2 mile run

I know it doesn't seem that exciting. The training program I've created leaves me with Mondays off cardio and strength training on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a long run on Saturdays. It'll get more interesting in Week 2, but that's it for week 1!

The List

So here's my list of my 25 things to do before I turn 25! They are in no particular order and some of them will take longer to cross off than others, but it'll be a fun journey and I'm sure I'll be posting lots of pictures as I go check things off!

1. Run a marathon.
2. Finish my college scrapbook.
3. Complete a triathlon.
4. Become financially self sufficient.
5. Read the Bible.
6. Go to India.
7. Start and keep a blog.
8. Get my Masters.
9. Visit every Major League Baseball stadium in the US and Canada.
10. Go to a music festival.
11. Learn to speak French.
12. Go swimming with the dolphins.
13. Watch every episode of The Office.
14. Read all of the books on the BBC's Top 100 Books List.
15. Watch the Top 100 Films on the IMDB.
16. Build a sand castle.
17. Cook every recipe in at least one of my cookbooks.
18. Go horseback riding.
19. Go on a trip by myself.
20. Read a book in Spanish.
21. Pay off my credit card.
22. Take a photography class.
23. Make a travel map of all the places I've been.
24. Be more confident about speaking Spanish.
25. Do everything on this list!

March Comes in Like a Lion...

...and goes out like a lamb. Ever heard that saying? My mom says it all the time and I really hope it's true because Boston weather this week has been insane! Raining one minute, snowing the next...I"m ready for spring!

Since this is my first post, I should explain a little about why I'm here and a little about myself:

• I was anti-blog for a long time and recently, I've started reading several of them to pass the time when I'm bored at work (which happens often).
• I'm starting this blog to give me a place to keep track of my 25 before 25 list, collect my thoughts, offer and solicit advice on things, and have a place to write that isn't a forum for complaining about things.

That being said, I'm Christy. I'm 23, I recently graduated from college and I live in a 5 floor walk up in Boston that I love. I have what may be the world's smallest kitchen which poses a huge inconvenience when I'm trying to cook (which I do a lot), but aside from that, I really do love my place and I love that I live there alone. It's my first apartment and I love it.

A few random things about me:

• I love baseball. I am a New York Mets fan and I'll cheer for the Rangers every now and again because I grew up in Texas. Living in Boston has made it inevitable that I cheer for the Red Sox though, so you'll occasionally see me sporting a Sox tee at Fenway. This does not make me a bandwagonner because at the end of the day, the Mets are still my team.
• I don't like my job. I used to, but some things changed and I don't like it so much anymore. This will be the only complaint about my job that I make while I am keeping this blog. I am making that promise to myself.
• I'm going to grad school in September. I am still waiting to hear back from all of the schools I applied to before I decide where to go. I'm nervous and excited about the fact that I don't know where I'll be living in 6 months time.

That being said, I'll wrap up this first blog and hope to collect a few followers in my first few weeks as a blogger!