Sometimes, I really don't like this city!

So, I got some frustrating news today.

See - the deal with this whole marathon "guaranteed entry" thing, is that I have to run 9 races in the calendar year and volunteer for ONE New York Road Runner event. Now, I've known about this since the start of the year. Granted, I did NOT get in my volunteer hours before leaving to perform in PA for four months. I DID get in SEVEN races, just so I'd be able to get the 9 in by the end of the year.

Yes, I procrastinated on my volunteer hours. BUT I WAS OUT OF THE STATE!!!!

Mind you, this wouldn't be upsetting to me... if when i went online to sign up for a volunteer event, they hadn't been FULL. There was one final opportunity... to help out with the New Year's Eve run. Well - damnit - I'm PERFORMING New Year's Eve. So, I think to myself....

"No big deal. I'll just call NYRR - and find out what else I can do. Obviously, they will create openings for all the people that have run their races and just need to volunteer."

This is the part where I find out that a city of too many people.... SUCKS.

I got a call back from the NYRR Office. There is no other option. If I don't get in the volunteer hours on New Year's Eve... I'm NOT qualified for the marathon. Too many people put it off to this late in the year... and it's just, pardon my language, but "tough shit" for those who didn't get it.


OK - this is the point where the old, sensitive, non-New York Kelly Morris would have sat down and cried out her frustrations, feeling that all hope was lost for this little dream of hers.

Well, gosh darnit - this dream isn't over yet!

I WILL RUN THE 2009 ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON.

If I have to raise $3,000 to run for a cause... I will.

If I have buy some ridiculous gym membership to guarantee entry... I will.

If I have to pass the hat as Queen Elizabeth at the Renaissance Faire, just to raise the funds to get into this damn race.... get ready kids: I'm not passing the hat - I'M PASSING THE CROWN!!!!

Ugh. So frustrating. I believe that if I were in a small, personable town... Betty Sue would find some way for me to volunteer and qualify. But no, I'm here in a city of cold, heartless, business-only people - and I'm out of luck.

But I love this city - even with it's cold, heartless, business-only people.... and there are a lot of warm, loving, personable people living within it. So I'll just lean on them for support - and all of you reading this... and I will find a way to run that race.

Until next time...

Your incredibly frustrated, but ever determined runner,
Kelly

Who rocks the house?....

....KELLY ROCKS THE HOUSE!

...and when Kelly rocks the house, she rocks it all the way down!!! :)

(Thank you to the 4-year old who taught me this cheer!!)


That cheer is what I felt like saying today as I crossed that finish line in Central Park! I'm still on my endorphin high as I'm typing this... and man, does it feel GREAT! I ran the NYRR 4-mile race in the park today and finished in just under 40 minutes! (I'll find out my official time in the next few days.) That was race #8 in my attempt to complete 9 races to qualify for next year's marathon!!!

I'll be honest, I was dreading this race a little bit - as I've developed a nasty cold over the past couple of days... but I ran with tissues in hand, blowing my nose every mile - and I made it! Haha - I must have looked like a mess to the other runners, sniffling and blowing my nose as I went... but by the time the race completed - I actually felt better! Thanks to lots of tea, water, rest, medication, exercise, and excessive usage of tissues... I think I might actually be beating this cold into submission. HA! :)

Anyway - just thought I'd blog for a minute while I'm still feeling INCREDIBLE about the race this morning. If anyone lives here in the city or will be moving to the city and needs a running buddy - just say the word. I want to share this feeling with EVERYONE!

Until the next run....

Your endorphin-filled, high-spirited, sniffling runner,
Kelly

A tough week

Well, as you can tell from my missing posts over the past few days... and the lack of entry on my "Log Your Run" chart... it's been a rough week.

Wednesday, the only reason I didn't get in a good run is because I was trying to be seen at auditions all day... and I ran out of time before I had to go babysit. Granted, I also had planned to rest on Wednesday, so that was ok.

Thursday, my only chance to get in a workout was EARLY in the morning (we're talking 5:30 am here) - and I just didn't get myself out of bed on time. Damn. I then babysat from 8 am until about 11pm.

Yesterday, Friday, I had EVERY intention of working out in the afternoon. I packed my gym bag and took it with me to my audition. But as I was sitting and waiting to audition... my throat started to hurt. I thought this was due to lack of hydration - so I came home quickly after the audition to drink a bunch of water, grab a bite to eat, and take an Airborne (just in case). But within an hour after the audition... my throat was on fire and I was achy. So i opted for a nap instead.... and still felt crappy. There went that opportunity for a workout, too.

So here I sit, on Saturday morning - still feeling like crap. And I have one of the biggest auditions I ever had today at 12:30 pm. I'm auditioning for Telsey & Co - one of the larger casting agencies here in New York. I actually have an appointment and everything, so I'm guaranteed to be seen. Very exciting!!! I just can't believe that I had to get sick for the first real time in almost 5 months, NOW. :(

But I was taught by my acting teacher, Lara Teeter, to wake up each day and ask yourself a question: "Today, am I going to be a VICTOR or a VICTIM?" And I have decided that today - this weekend in whole - I'm going to be a VICTOR! So, I'm going to that audition and I'm going to make it great. My voice may not be spot on, but my acting will be!!! And I WILL go to the gym after my audition for a nice easy workout. Because tomorrow - IT'S RACE TIME, BABY!!! And I'm going to run that race, and run this cold right out of my system. :)

Granted, I don't exactly feel victorious at the moment... I'd say I feel more sick than strong... but that's only temporary. The feeling of acing an audition and finishing a race lasts MUCH longer than the feeling of a sore throat!

So BRING IT ON WORLD. I'm going to be a VICTOR!!!

Upcoming goals!

Kept myself on track today with my workouts - and MUCH better with my diet! That's one small step for man, one GIANT leap for my willpower! :)

For those following along... and also for my own accountability, I thought I would post my upcoming races so you know what goals I'm heading towards! I have paid my dues, literally, and I"m confirmed for the following races here in NYC:

Sunday, November 16th: Race to Deliver 4-mile run
Sunday, December 7th: Joe Kleinerman 10K run
Saturday, December 20th: Hot Chocolate 15K run

Is she CRAZY you ask? Why yes... yes, I believe I am. Crazy enough to be AWESOME! :)

This Sunday's 4-mile race should be a breeze, as I've been regularly running my 3.5 miles this week (so far). I've done one 10K before - back in May... and I loved it! So with a little extra training to get me back to that mileage, I should be ok by that time too. Now this 15K I'm facing... that's right - 9.3 miles.... I will be honest: that scares me!!! But, when I conquer 9.3 miles - I'm that much closer to conquering the ever daunting 26. 2 marathon mileage! So I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my journey to Mile 9. Oi vey...

Tomorrow is a day of auditions in the morning and babysitting in the evening. Not sure when I'll be able to get my run in... but I think I'm going to aim to audition early (be done by noon), head for my run at the gym, shower, then babysit by 4. Look for my update tomorrow to see if I actually pull that off. Ha!

Countdown to Race 8 of 9 races needed to qualify for the marathon: 5 days!!! WOO HOO!!!

Good-byes make for good workouts...

Long distance relationships come with thoughtful phone calls, unexpected text messages, and surprise Hallmark cards.

They also come with inevitable goodbyes. Those "send offs" we have at the end of the visit of our lovers.

...and they suck.

Today, I said goodbye to my boyfriend, Arthur at Port Authority Bus Station here in NYC. We had an AMAZING weekend together, which was a true blessing. (This was our first time together since working with each other at the PA Renaissance Faire.) But of course, as I had to watch him board his bus and walk away... I fought back the tears that so wanted to escape my eyes.

In order to fight this inevitable sadness... I decided to go straight to the gym for a workout. Turns out, fighting off a sad good-bye leads to a GREAT workout!

I was able to run for 3.5 miles (well 3.2 at a good interval run - and .3 miles jogging for a cool down) and it felt awesome. I could tell I was dehydrated from drinking wine with Arthur the night before - so i just fought through it and finished the run. There's something awesome about finishing a run even when it seems to be fighting against you at first.

Following my run, I did 20 minutes using free weights for some arm workouts and crunches. I even ran into a friend I used to work with at the gym - so all in all... what could have been a very sad morning turned out to be a very good one. :)

Now... if only my diet could get on board.

Here's where I need some help and support: I know how to eat right. I know what I should eat. I've done Weight Watchers before and been successful. So why am I off track again? Why is it so hard to eat right?? Ugh. I know, that as I train for this marathon I will need to seriously consider my diet - as it will either enhance or pull away from my progress. So... help!!

I know I can do this on my own, but it was one said that "no man is a failure who has friends." So, friends, family, strangers reading this blog... I could use some advice - or perhaps just a proverbial kick in the nutritional butt.

Diet - you are my next target. I shall CONQUER you!!!

Puppets, cowboys, and elmo... OH MY!

That is my headline for what happened during my day in the city today with my boyfriend!

On our escapades through the city today, we managed to score AMAZING tickets to "Avenue Q", see the Naked Cowboy, and walk by a life-size Elmo... only to realize that it was just someone randomly wearing the outfit... not someone trying to sell anything or make money. So weird... and so New York. :)

In other words, it was a wonderful day on several different counts. However, for the sake of this blog and its purpose, I will tell you all that we did at least manage to walk EVERYWHERE! :) From 8th Avenue over to 3rd Avenue, and all up and down from 42nd Street to 59th Street and several places in between. (For those of you that don't live in New York - this means that we walked at LEAST 2 miles today.) So, while it wasn't exactly a workout - it was definitely staying active!

It's been a wonderful weekend - and I will be very sad to say goodbye to him tomorrow when he has to leave again. But his visit has reminded me what a beautiful city this is again! :)

And besides, the extra motivation to look smokin' hot for him when I get to visit HIM... is always a nice little push to get me running a little harder and little longer! :)

Your in-love-with-a-man-who-loves-her-even-when-she-doesn't-run runner,
Kelly

Excuses, excuses...

So I made an excuse today not to workout. :(

I realize this is not a good trend... but in my defense - I did have the BEST excuse today... My boyfriend came to visit! :)

Mind you, I had a plan to get in an early morning workout before I saw him... but when I woke up this morning and my gym bag wasn't packed and my room (that he was about to see for the first time) was messy... I just couldn't find the motivation. But, as promised, I shall blog faithfully, in hopes that I can keep myself accountable - and receive encouragement from anyone who may read these entries.

So - any suggestions on ways to get in exercise when you have a visitor? I'm certainly not going to leave my boyfriend's side for 2 hours just to workout - when i only get to see him every 2-3 weeks. Ideas are welcome!

I'm not sure that I'll get in a workout tomorrow either... but maybe I can aim for a Pilates video in the morning, before my guy gets out of bed. Here's hoping my "maybe's" turn to "definites!"

As always, your faithful soon-to-be-not-so-occasional-runner,
Kelly

A day of running... around the city, that is

So I realized today the downside of living in Queens. (Well, one of them.) I'm not near a gym where I can comfortably workout. I have my Bally's membership, but the closest one to me is on the East Side in the city - and this isn't exactly the place I enjoy going for a 5 am workout when it means I have to ride the subway alone at 4:30 am.

However, on days like today when I go nonstop from 8 until about 10 or 11 pm (due to babysitting jobs) - I find myself without exercise time. Mind you, I LOVE babysitting and keeping busy... but I definitely need to include my workouts in my busy schedule, now that there are definite goals at hand.

So today, to at least keep semi-active, I took the little girl I was babysitting in the morning to the FAR playground in her neighborhood :). This at least allowed for a good two mile walk. Not to mention the running anyone in the city gets simply from going from point A to point B to point C and back again.

If anyone out there has other suggestions I can use, aside from running outdoors and at the gym, to keep in shape - please offer them! I'm in need of some excuse-breakers! :)

Tomorrow, there is a very handsome man coming to visit me for the weekend! So just to be sure I don't use it as an excuse, I'll be working out in the early morning, so I'm revved up with endorphins by the time he arrives!!

Speaking of the benefits of runnig... I am so excited to see how my body continues to change. Running has already allowed me to lose 10 pounds since February! Since I've always been a larger girl (200 pounds in college) - I can only imagine what it will be like to fit into a single digit size someday. To me - a size 8 might as well be a size zero. Here's to being fit and healthy! :)

My story begins! (my online story, that is...)

The name is Morris. Kelly Morris.

In a little less than one year from today, I will be running the 2009 ING New York City Marathon!

[the crowd goes wild]

Of course, it will be my first marathon. Thus my title: a virgin marathon runner. Be gentle!

As of this date, this exact moment, I have no idea how I'm going to manage such a race. I do not have an official training plan, no personal trainer, and frankly - no CLUE what I am doing. I know that I love to run and that thanks to the NYRR 9-race guaranteed entry plan - I WILL be running the 2009 marathon!!

For those that don't know, NYRR stands for New York Road Runner, the running club here in NYC. I joined on January 1, 2008 - knowing that if I ran 9 races with them in the calendar year, I would be automatically enrolled in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon. Well, I ran 7 qualifying races (before I left the city for 4 months to perform at the PA Renaissance Faire - www.parenfaire.com) and have already signed up for a remaining 3 races this year! (One extra race, just to ensure there is no problem!!)

So, as I was running today at the gym, I came up with the idea of this blog. I want to share my experience with anyone who'd like come along for the "run." This post has three purposes:

1: To keep me accountable for my training - no matter where I'm located!
2: To inform my friends and family - and anyone else interested - how I'm doing preparing for "my first time." :)
3: To receive advice from experience runners and encouragement from anyone willing to offer it!

I hope you enjoy... "Diary of a Virgin Marathon Runner!"

2009 NYC Marathon Countdown

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