26.2

running. i enjoy it. it is my therapy. although i don't do it as much as i should i love the feeling afterwards - rewarding, clean, healthy and nice rosy cheeks as an added bonus. however, until june 2009 the most i ever ran was 10 miles (and this only happened four times in college) as i usually peaked between 4 and 6 miles.

i decided to train for, and therefor do, the ultimate run - a full marathon on november 1st 2009.

...skipping over the grueling training, dampering effect this had on my social life, joy of eating everything & anything i wanted (including a steady diet of nutella for breakfast) for months - and therefor gaining 7lbs - and various slight injuries...

the morning of was wonderful. i was full of nerves, emotion, excitement and thankfully, felt full of energy. surrounded by thousands of different shapes, sizes and ages, running enthusiasts, athletes and (i hoped) other first timers, all huddled together on staten island. at the starting line and first mile was entertaining; sneak peak of peoples silly rituals, a sea of abandoned clothing covering every inch of pavement and smiling, knowing this was the start.

brooklyn was so - pardon for the cheesiness - inspiring. music bursting out of nearby windows and flooding into the street. strangers cheering you on. high fives, feeling fast and the guy named sugar a few steps behind me kept me smiling. greenpoint was perfectly delightful. i already created a list of places i passed i want to visit on a free weekend. pleasantly surprised that i made it to the halfway point without feeling tired or strained was wonderful and i sighed a sigh of relief.

over the queensborough bride and breaking through mile 15, i felt like a cheat, that i had been training on that bridge for months.

once stepping foot onto manhattan i felt a rush of emotion. the sea of people was astounding. goosebumps. a fellow, yet seasoned marathoner friend told me it was the best feeling in the world and be such a rush. even having those words in mind, it was indescribable.

crowd @ mile 24

another 2 miles i saw my cheerleaders. ate an orange and took advantage to talk for the first time in hours. i still looked fresh and felt good. just hungry.

mile 19 my blister exploded - gross, i know - my feet started to throb and my legs were exhausted. the next 7 were not pretty. i was slow, sloppy and had to bite my lip from crying. the last half mile felt like 2.    crossing the finish line was overwhelming. you get promptly rewarded with an apple, almonds, water, bagel, a 40th annual ING marathon medal and wrapped in a giant foil cape.

by far, the best new york moment day to date.

since, i've probably only have run a cumulative 20+ miles. and have banned nutella from my kitchen.

how to eat your way through bleecker street

for my birthday this year i wanted to be surrounded by my favorite things; close friends, vintage clothes, my sweetheart, sushi combined with byob, and delicious food.

for the latter of the bunch, true foodies go to bleecker street. a few close girlfriends and my favorite sexy british import (as i'm sure people magazine would dub) did a best of food tour along the cute little street that cuts through the village.

w. aforementioned close girlfriends

first stop was rocco's for killer pastries, 3 layer chocolate cake and cafe lattes. clearly delicious. we ate too much here to buy anything to take home.

next up was amy's bread. we needed yummy, fresh baked bread for our upcoming cheese stop. we ended up gathering all sorts of bread sticks; rosemary, olive, prosciutto, walnut, and 5 grain. most of these got devoured later in the afternoon on the highline. sans cheese. rosemary won first place for best infused "stick".

@ amy's

we had 'fish' on our list to stop for some fresh fish but ended up stopping in 'the lobster place seafood market' and fancied fresh, succulent, sea scallops. 1lb please. coat in flour and pan fry with lemon juice. perfection.

last and favorite stop was murray's. the varieties of artisan cheeses can be overwhelming. thank goodness they let you try samples of any cheese you fancy. after tastes of a few triple creme's (why not, it's my birthday) rose petal preserve and roasted red pepper spread, we left with fromage d'affinois (trumps previously mentioned st.andre in 'love triangle'), cachel blue (most delicate species of blue cheeses, sweet, mild and ultra creamy) and selection of olives.

ordering d'affinois

all has since been consumed with love, passion and appreciation. cheers to my 27th year.