I think I’ll go to Boston…

April 30th, 2009 by EndorphinsJunkie No comments »

So, I am getting married in 24 days… and this weekend is my bachelorette party… when asked where I wanted to go for the weekend extravaganza, all I could say was “I think I’ll go to Boston”.  I absolutely love the city, and have already planned out where I am going to be running on Saturday morning while the other 7 girls are asleep (although if I do enough convincing I may be able to get 2 of my companions to do a shorter version of my planned run).  Vacationing becomes interesting once you become a runner… my plans always tend to revolve around when I can get a run in and where I may be able to run.  This is something I research for weeks before making my journey to whatever my destination is. 

Running is something that, once you start doing it, becomes a part of your soul… it is something you can never do without… its part of your identity.  This is the first time in 2 years that I have not planned my vacations and events around and the races I would like to run, but am planning my running around my wedding and that of my cousin’s in August.  Spring events were off because I wouldn’t be able to commit enough time to training coming down to the wire… an event too early in the fall wouldn’t work because I would miss some of the most important long runs between my cousin’s shower, bachelorette and wedding… so that leaves just one race for me for this year!  Its not necessarily a race I was ecstatic about, not my first choice… but the circumstances of the important events in my life right now have led me to it…. the Philadelphia Marathon.  Now that I have been led to this race, I am getting very excited about it… its right before Thanksgiving, which makes eating a whole turkey that day acceptable… AND I may just run up the stairs of the museum and pretend to be Rocky, even though this isn’t a part of the actual race itself (it should be!)

Anyway… this brings me to a completely different point entirely dealing with the 2 cities mentioned above… Boston and Philly…. they get my vote for most angry/passionate sports fans, although Philly beats out Boston by leaps and bounds… who gets your vote?

Looking at our “Cake”

April 26th, 2009 by Banks No comments »

If you’re living in the Northeast this weekend you couldn’t help but notice that summer came early. This weekend has been B E A U T I F U L…a little on the hot side but I can deal with that.

This past Saturday you may have seen EJ and myself running a 15K in beautiful Clinton, NJ…I was rockin’ my “Is there any cake left?” performance T (for sale soon – all proceeds going to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!) and if you’re here because you saw my attempt at advertising – Welcome and thanks for coming!! Likewise if you saw Lungs running the “Quest for a Cure 5K” in Moutainside, NJ…

During my race I ended up pacing myself for a bit with a nice young woman who made a move to pass me around mile 7 and commented that she was looking at my cake. All I gotta say is HELL YEA THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! We want folks to look at our Cake! Thanks for pushing me, if I weren’t frantically looking for fluids and shade right after finishing I may have chatted more.

And while I’m making shoutouts – I’d like to thank the women of the Clinton Haircutters…Kathy and company do a fantastic job cutting hair, are great for conversation, and have always supported my efforts with the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. I told them that we created isthereanycakeleft.com and they said they’d spread the word. Thank you ladies. I highly recommend stopping by and seeing them if you’re ever in the area.

If you are new here you should know that for every comment you post to any of our blogs we’ll donate $1 to help the fight against blood cancers. It’s the easiest charity work you’ll ever do, and we all appreciate it.

In other news…

This time of year marks the anniversary of tremendous turning point in my life – it was this same 15K last year where I committed to running a marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Team in Training Program, which is where I met my blogmates and the rest is Cake…I didn’t see the Team in Training tent this year at the 15K, probably because they hosted a 5K on Sunday as I mentioned above, but I thank them also for all they’ve helped me do for others and realize about myself. It is because of them and their cause that isthereanycakeleft.com was possible and all of us here are forever grateful.

This blog will have to be continued…I wanted to get a point across but I don’t want to write a book and this is long enough already. Besides, it’s so nice outside – what are you doing on the Internet? Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Till next time…
Banks

PS – Look to see everyone minus EJ running NJ Marathon next week!

Two Days in the Raritan Valley…

April 21st, 2009 by Rice Cakes 1 comment »

So…what goes on during your typical day?

Wake up? Yes.

Commute? Yes.

Work?  Yes.

Lunch Break? Yes.

Work some more? Yes.

Go home? Yes.

Here at “Is There Any Cake Left,”  we do our best to improve the quality of our day with insightful conversation that may or may not solve the issues facing (wo)mankind.  It does turn a mundane day into something interesting.  Perhaps one day we’ll discuss global warming, the economic crisis,  war on terror, or other current events that are headlining newspapers.  This day…well…this day wasn’t that day.

Cast:

EJ – Endorphins Junkie.

Banks – Banks.

JCML – Just Call Me Lungs.

RC – Rice Cakes.

__________

Dialog -

EJ:  So ready to go back to sleep!!  Good news is, the week is half over.

RC:…how was dance dance revolution?

EJ:  It was pretty good… we are getting decent… hopefully we don’t embarass ourselves at the wedding.

JCML:  I spent some of the night hugging the toilet bowl and sleeping on the bathroom floor  :-(

RC:  I hope your nickname for (Enter JCML’s Significant Other’s Name Here) is not “toilet bowl.”

JCML:  unfortunately, no

RC:  remnants of costa rica making its debut in New Jersey?

JCML:  perhaps

EJ:  that sucks JMCL!  I hope you feel better…. laying on the bathroom floor is the best when you are sick, the tile always feels nice and cool on your face

RC:  Nothing pepto bismo couldn’t cure.

__________

Banks:  is tnt’s site still down? i have no idea how far i’m supposed to run this weekend…

RC:  I think its 10-12?

EJ: for Long branch? the next few weeks are 12 8 12 7 race  I think…or chop that 12 off if there’s one less week

Banks: whatever i’ll do 10 this week…high bridge anyone?

EJ:  i’m pretty sure i was supposed to do 12 last weekend, which i missed but am not too concerned about since a few weeks back i was supposed to do an 8 but did 12 anyway…

__________

RC:  its annoying to get telemarketing calls at work.  even more annoying when the telemarketer has the wrong number but still insists on talking to you.

JCML:  I keep getting “this is your second notice that the warranty on your car is set to expire…”

Banks:  i still get those notices and my warranty expired years ago.

JCML:  except it’s a work, and I never had a warranty

RC:  I hate my Toyota dealership for selling my information to scammers.

JCML:  They can get the info from DMV.

RC:  True dat…but…the DMV doesn’t know what dealership I go to.  The calls are very specific on my car mileage and dealership here in NJ.  I bought the car in Michigan.

Banks:  maybe Michigan and New Jersey dealships are friends then.

__________

Banks:  After reading EJ’s latest blog, i’m curious to find out who she knows that has ever gotten into someones pants using missleoe….it just seems too easy.

RC: Me.

Banks:  no, seriously.

RC:  Ok.  Not me.

EJ:  well.. its one of those things that some stupid guy would come up with, like maybe if i get to kiss this girl, she will be so into it that she’ll come home with me… one of those stupid things that guys think will get a girl… as in that was his intention in coming up with mistletoe… no one said it would be something that worked.

RC:  Sort of like “Sweetest Day”…which some stupid gal came up with, like maybe if I get another day of gifts it will make me feel better about myself.  One of those stupid things that gals will hold over the head of their man…as in that was her intention in coming up with Sweetest Day.

EJ:  sure…. its like when guys do things like stop short in the car so they can reach their arm across the seat to make sure you are ok… while accidently groping you…. like who came up with this and thought it was a good idea?  the same guy that came up with the mistletoe

RC:  Sure…. its like when gals bitch and moan during their monthly cycles and take it out on their man…. like who came up with this and thought it was a good idea?  Do we actually need a reason to bitch and moan at our man?  I guess having an excuse is better than no excuse at all, either way it won’t stop me from complaining…the same gal that came up with “Sweetest Day.”

EJ:  Although, I will tell you, PMS is real… for some it is worse than others.. the crankiness comes from not feeling well and being easily annoyed…. like when I feel like my uterus is being ripped out, its not in (Enter EJ’s Significant Other’s Name Here) best interest to do things that annoy me…. it brings forth a response like “for the love of god and your own life will you knock that off”

RC:  Oh…I’ve seen the wraith of PMS.  I was  just joking.

EJ:  I know some girls that do use it as an excuse though to just be mean, like even when they aren’t pmsing they are bitchy and then say, oh i am pmsing… the wrath of pms touches everyone

RC:  Ya…it was girls like that who came up with sweetest day.

__________

RC:  Spooooooooooooooooooooooooon!

EJ:  i need to sleep for days… what are your easter plans?  my first EVER 20 miler was on Easter in 2007 down to preview the NJM course…

RC:  I might hide some eggs, wait an hour, and then go look for them…And a 20 miler run too…

EJ:  I want to set up a “beerster” event… basically how this works is I go outside and hide coronitas around the yard… give each person who is a part of the hunt a bucket with some ice in it, and have them go searching…. at the end they get to drink whatever they find…

__________

Banks:  on the missletoe…i’ve seen girls try to kiss guys with it. i’ve also seen girls who otherwise would have no chance with a guy try to get him drunk for some action.  it’s not quite that gender specific.

RC:  I never meet these kind of girls.

Banks:  thats because you don’t drink. you’re better off….

RC:  interesting…thanks.

Banks:  i see it so clearly in my head… some drunk sloppy girl who can barely stand up trying to kiss you under the mistletoe, slurring sweet nothings into your ear.

Coming Home…

April 7th, 2009 by Just Call Me Lungs 1 comment »

Recently I had the incredible opportunity of visiting Costa Rica on vacation.  It was awesome.  I went rappelling, zip lining, horseback riding, hiking, and swimming.  I visited a volcano, the rain forest, and the beach.  I saw iguanas, exotic birds, raccoon looking animals, and monkeys (los monos)!  It was a whirlwind vacation that was just absolutely amazing, and came at just the right time.

My first night home was a late one…so I just ate and crashed.  After a full day of work (of which I was almost an hour late due to oversleeping…oops!), I came home and worked on my pictures from my trip and did some laundry.  Repeat sleep.   Repeat work.  Second night home it happened…

I slipped off my work clothes and slipped on my running clothes.  Laced up my shoes.  Stepped out the door.  The cold air, so different from Costa Rica’s 86 degree temperatures, smacked me in the face, taunting me.  I turned my GPS on (gotta love the Garmin) and waited patiently as it located the satellites.  Looking around as I slowly walked down the sidewalk, I didn’t truly understand why  I was out here, freezing, while everyone else was in their warm homes or, the lucky ones, back in Costa Rica.

The Garmin found its satellites…it was time.  As I took one step, and then another, a wonderful feeling came over me.  Although I had been back in the US, back in New Jersey, back in my condo, back in my own bed, for two days…I hadn’t been home.  But as I took step after step, as my breathing rate increased and my blood started flowing, as the wind blew through my hair…it felt like coming home.

Home is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to running.  It’s the one place where I always feel right…whether it’s 70 and sunny, 25 and snowing…whether it’s flat and easy or hilly and hard…running will always be my safe haven.  It’s my escape, my sanctuary, my “happy” place.

While vacation was a blast, there’s nothing better than coming home.


 

Was it a dream?

April 6th, 2009 by EndorphinsJunkie No comments »

Last night I had a dream that I was a little kid again and my brother and I were running around the house looking for our Easter eggs as part of our annual Easter egg hunt.  At the end we always got our Easter basket with this giant chocolate bunny and assorted goodies.  It got me thinking this morning about these traditions that we all have during the holidays, that have nothing to do with the real purpose or reason for the inception of the holiday.  Easter is a happy time for kids, filled with bunnies, marshmallow chicks, colored eggs, and lots of chocolate.  This is technically a morbid holiday, celebrating the death and resurrection of our religious leader… In other countries around the world, they re-enact the crucifixion at this time of year, but here…. no we eat chocolate!  It just really seems bizarre to me.   Who came up with adding a bunny and chocolate to this particular holiday?  I would like to meet this man…. its pure genius…

Same thing with Christmas!  Whose idea was it to bring a tree in the house and put lights on it to celebrate the birth of Jesus?  How did they come up with this idea?  What man came up with the idea of hanging mistletoe (besides one trying to get in the pants of whatever lady was nearby)?  These are things that make no real sense to me…. I have been pondering this all day, and I can’t come up with any type of answer that makes sense.  Maybe it came to them in a dream too…