5.3 Miles!

Yesterday I ran 5 miles. Today I did 5.3! Baby steps.

I came across a little park around mile 2 that had a playground and a water fountain. Thank god for public water fountains! Until I started running in 90 degree heat I thought those metal fountains were like urban cesspools. It's funny how that opinion changes when you're drenched in sweat, your throat feels like sandpaper, and you know you still have to cover 3 miles of hot-ass sidewalk to get home. I drank from that fountain like I'd never had a drink in my life.

There was a fountain installation in the park, too. The metal spheres spray water. There was a heat rainbow in the middle of the cluster that appeared whenever the sun broke through the clouds. I was able to catch it before running away.


Cheers to 10 miles in 2 days!

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I Just Ran 5 Miles

I'm feeling accomplished today after running 5 miles. It took about an hour which means I was running a mile in about 10 minutes (considering water stops). A 10-minute mile is lame compared to how fast I was when I was playing basketball and field hockey in high school, but it's the best I've done in a long time.

I've gone for a run 9 out of the past 14 days. It's starting to feel easier now. I wasn't really tired until I finished the third mile today. I'm wondering how many miles I could run if I really tried. Running outside (in the summer) is a lot harder than running at the gym but I prefer it because I can't stand running on a treadmill... wayyyy too boring. 

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Running Around Brooklyn

I've been going for a run everyday to get in shape!

Today I went for a tour of the Hasidic Jewish community. All the little Hasidic kids were out playing on the sidewalks, riding old tricycles around, and leaving them abandoned to go play something else. That really caught my eye. The kids don't have to lock up their bikes. Unlike where I lived last year in Bed-Stuy. They LOCK their bikes up good in Bed-Stuy. In this picture I took last year near my place in Bed-Stuy, the lock and chain probably cost more than that pink training bike.. which I love.

Today when I was in the heart of the Hasidic community, there was nothing but Hasidic buildings for like a two mile radius. I didn't know it was so big. It's really unusual watching how the children play in the streets here. There are so many. For a little perspective - Hasidic families average around 6.7 children each. On one block each building has around 5 stories. That's a lot of families and a TON of little kids. 

They were all outside today playing on the sidewalks, decked out in the usual - immaculate pastel colored dress clothes - the kind I only had to wear for Christmas and Easter. Sisters wear matching dresses like twins and the brothers match, too. It's cute. The area is a little island of safety in the middle of NYC. Even though it's bordered by some of the most dangerous ghettos in the city, this place is removed enough that no one bothers them. The only danger is maybe getting hit by a mini-van.

If you'd like to try this scenic run, view my route here: Loop of Hasidim!

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Weekend/Matt's Graduation

Just got back from a relaxing weekend at home. My little brother graduated from Gonzaga, all boys catholic school in DC. I took pictures of my family's new house which is gorgeous because my mother is brilliant.

There were nasty protestors at the graduation. They went nuts and snuck into the ceremony and screamed at the speaker in the middle of the ceremony. I love the way the boys booed them and the faculty told them to eff off. Here's a video they put up.

Walking out of the graduation ceremony. They wear white tuxes.











The new house in Northern Virginia. It's actually two houses.

Location:Virginia

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I'm Losing my Shit

The Old Brogue. The last time I was here I was 7. Visiting old places is the weirdest.






After dinner I snuck out the back to see if the old gazebo was still there. I played on that gazebo with the kids from the 'burbs every sunday while our parents boozed it up at the free concert on the lawn. Now it's 2010. It's been 15 years. It looks exactly the same.







My little brother posed for the pic.

Location:Great Falls, VA

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In love with my backyard.

As I'm leaving NYC to visit VA for the weekend for my little brother's graduation, I can't help but notice that all I want to do right now is sit in my backyard. Maybe it's this Chinatown bus making me car sick, but either way I just can't wait to get home to BK.

I'm sure I'll forget all about it as soon as I'm off this bus, but it's all I'm thinking about right now.














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