There Were Moments of Gold & There Were Flashes of Light

This title pertains to nothing.

Well, that’s not true. It pertains to Celiné Dion, goddess of life and everything that is magical. (June 3! June 3! I’m seeing her in Las Vegas on June 3!)

Here is my favorite video of Celiné Dion:

Anyway, what’s new with you? This is what’s new with me…

Wait, first, read this. This article (which is equal parts very sad and filled with important takeaways) ties into my whole “be your own advocate” thing, and this part really resonated with me: “We are taught physicians know best. But you know when something isn’t right for you. If a doctor is dismissive, go to another one, and another one.” The bullet points at the end of the article are really good and helpful.

What else?

My life lately is writing (loved writing this month’s cover story for Dance Spirit about the wildly talented and inspiring Parris Goebel), podcasting, running, and puppy-ing. (Ellie is one and a half now, but I plan to refer to her as a puppy forever. I just love the word puppy.) So really not a whole lot is new, I guess, but life is good. It’s been very warm in West New York, New Jersey, this week, so I’m digging that.

Running. Let’s talk about that.

I love running. Every day that I am healthy enough to run is a good day by me. And I know how cheesy or canned that can sound, but it’s so true. I don’t take a single run for granted, and I never feel like I “have” to run. I get to run, and I’m so lucky to be able to do what I love most of the time.

I’m currently on Week 5 of a 10-week training plan for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half. Part of me would like to PR at that race. My PR is a very outdated 1:44:48 from 2011, and while a part of me feels like I’ll never be able to hold that pace or run that time again, another part of me would really like to.

But the thing is…I’m not all-in. I have a “Run a 1:45 Half” training plan that I’m loosely following, but the plan basically starts you off assuming you’re in shape to run a 1:45 or close to it, which I’m probably not. Most of the goal paces for the workouts are a reach and I rarely hit them. I’m hitting times I’m proud of, but they’re not the times this plan says I should be hitting to run a PR. (This is part of why I pretty much never just follow training plans and always prefer to work with an actual human, but this is what I decided to try this time around.)

When I do hit or come close to the prescribed workout paces, they feel really hard. The other day, I was supposed to do three tempo miles in the middle of a long run. The plan said to run the three miles at a 7:42 pace, and said that “shouldn’t feel too difficult.” Well, it did. I was sucking wind, and I didn’t run 7:42s. (My last of the three tempo miles was a 7:37 — because it was completely downhill.)

I’m just kind of “meh” about making Brooklyn a goal race. I don’t feel that crazy inner drive that makes me want to really go for it. I’m running, though admittedly I’m not being great about cross-training (what’s a bicep curl???), and my goal is kind of to just keep enjoying it. The minute I feel like I “have” to run or I feel like I’ll be disappointed from a “bad” or “failed” workout is when it’s time for me to reevaluate my goals. I think being bummed out about a workout that doesn’t go the way you want is fine if you’re chasing down a goal, but I’m just not up for that right now.

Do I sound like a lazy runner? I guess I kind of am right now, but I’m also fine with it. I enjoy running, especially long weekend runs with my friends, and I enjoy doing workouts, even when they’re monsters (like this week’s ladder workout). I’m just not feeling like there’s a fire underneath me that makes me want to obsess over a time goal. I’m in it to enjoy the training right now, and if that means I end up being in shape to run a PR at Brooklyn, cool! If not, it’s all good!

TL;DR that part: I’m running and I like it and I am running the Brooklyn Half but TBD if I want to make it a PR attempt or if I just want to run it and see what happens. Probably the latter.

I’m also thinking I may want to run the half without a watch like I did last year. That worked well for me because it kept the race fun and kept me from getting too in my head about numbers.

And I do want to PR the 5K this year! That’s my only real racing and running goal, so as soon as BK is behind me, I want to find some 5Ks and try to go sub-23! (My PR is 23:04.)

Meanwhile, I’ve been starring in some workout videos. Sort of. But also not really.

Good Morning America does a Facebook Live series called “Tone Up in 20” (so catchy, I know), and even though I’m a Today Show girl, I agreed to be a part of the series with Lyons Den, my fave yoga studio. (I truly don’t know how to say no to Bethany Lyons — who will be on my podcast very soon!) So GMA asked Bethany to lead a yoga class and they Facebook Live-d it, and I was part of the class. I’m in the back row wearing a blue top and black pants. I started out in the front row and then Bethany moved me to the back. That tells you where my yoga skills are at these days.

And then, I got to take part in the launch of Daily Burn’s new Barre Harmony program. Daily Burn offers daily (duh) live workouts that are shot right here in NYC, and I was part of the shoot that kicked off the six-week program. Again, I was in the back, but this time in pink. I got good and sweaty, and I love writing for Daily Burn (wrote this one recently, if you’re looking to join a cool run club!) because I really believe in the platform. The workouts are non-intimidating, they require little to no equipment, and they’re beginner-friendly and still challenging. The Barre Harmony workout lasted 30 minutes and I never wanted to die, but I got good and sweaty and was sore the next day. GOOD JOB, ME. But also good job, Daily Burn. (You can watch the workout here.)

In final important news, television.

I haven’t been watching a whole lot of television lately (I’ve been — gasp — reading instead), but here are some thoughts:

• I’ve hate-watched Girls since Season 1, but I’m really digging this final season. I actually shed a few tears at the most recent episode. I love Shoshanna, Voice of Reason.
• I miss This Is Us. I miss Jack. I miss Young Randall.
• Scandal is so stupid. I still watch it, but these storylines are so ridiculous and implausible. Nothing makes sense. No one is likable. And yet I keep my DVR set…
• I’ve started watching Dawson’s Creek over from the beginning. This show was my jam growing up. That season that the show was “sponsored” by American Eagle was the best because I had all the same outfits as Joey Potter. I remember the show being so risque and all about sex and it felt so scandalous but would also make me cry on the reg. It hasn’t quite stood the test of time, though I still enjoy Joey’s shifty eyes and Andie’s relatable-to-me neuroticism and everything Pacey does. And I still hate Dawson. He is the worst.

Random thought of the day: Kindness is key. Be someone who builds other people up instead of tearing them down. And remember that one person’s successes or failures don’t necessarily define yours. (In many cases, they don’t define yours at all. But if it’s a race and one person gets first, that means you didn’t, so in that case, it’s different.)

Other random thought of the day: Littering. Why do people litter? How lazy do you have to be to litter? Hold your crap until you find a garbage can. Don’t be a jerk.

Coming soon: A post about life. Because I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately and I have some stuff I’d like to share. I’m all about that self-help life these days.

But until then, WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? Tell me something good. And if you’re running Boston on Monday, GOOD LUCK! So exciting!