A reunion in Lake George + a running update

Eight and a half years ago I ventured on to one of the most amazing experiences of my life. As a junior in college I decided to study abroad in London! Yes - I got get college credits and back-packed throughout Europe all in one shot! Not bad right?

I moved to London in January 2001 into a cute flat on the west side / Bayswater area of London. Well, I thought the flat was cute back then but when I look back at pictures I say woah and yikes! The furniture was old and drag, the kitchen was the size of a bathroom, the refrigerator was only big enough to hold 2 yogurts and 2 takeout boxes, the washer and dryer was a combined unit, yes washer and dryer all in one and could only fit 4 shirts at a time, the hot water never worked and with so many girls showering a day it was not fun getting ready. I think I shaved my legs all of two times that semester! But some how, some way I still managed to fall in love with my 3 story flat and would not trade any of my experiences for anything in this world!


Our flat, 2 The Colannades, was home to 8 American girls and right next door was another group of girls, 2 of whom we also got close with! I only knew one girl (Kerri) prior to my trip but I wasted no time of making new friends and marched myself right in to everyone else's lives. We spent countless hours together in the flat, at school (not really), out at a club, pub or restaurant, touring around London, eating jacket potatoes or crepes, shopping at Oxofrd Street, Covent Garden or Camden and BEST of all seeing other countries! During my stay in London I was able to go to various parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria! Yes all of that while going to school and getting 12 credits towards a Business Degree! Whew, what a whirlwind. Four months later I returned to the states a new and improved person. While in London I learned a lot about myself and even grew up a bit. I learned to actually like myself, maybe even love myself and realized being different was a good thing. It was great to be in a new place where I didn't have to worry about what other people thought and I didn't have to pretend to be something, I was just me. I am not going to get too deep into this but lets just say it was a very positive experience and my other flatmates will attest that they had similar feelings of finding themselves.

So after London, I managed to keep in touch with all 10 girls - on and off but yes we kept in touch. Every year we promised to get together and have a reunion but every year we failed. Most recently we all found each other on facebook and really put the plans in motion for a reunion! (God I love facebook!) We decided Lake George was a good meeting point as most of us live several hours away. 6 of the 10 girls were able to make it to this reunion and I felt so blessed to see them again and reminisce about our trip and crazy travel stories. We talked, laughed, shared pictures and really enjoyed our time together! We did some touristy things too: a paddle boat tour on the lake, a float tour in tubes down a river, mini golf and a lot of eating! We vowed to do this again and also decided we wanted to have a reunion trip to London one day!


I know this post is lonnnng but I had to add in a running update as well! I am lucky that 3 of my London friends offered to run with me that weekend! I only needed to log 10-12 miles and I mapped a route for us along Lakeshore Drive. It wasn't as scenic as I would have liked and was very hilly (Adirondacks, ugh) and the rain was a bummer but we persevered through! Thanks Paula, Kerri and Shara for running with me! Shara I hope your knees are ok!


It was so great to see all of you girls! Paul, Shara, Kerri, Lauren, Natasha I had so much fun with you! Rachel, Kelly, Lisa and Shelly - you were missed!

Here are a few fun pics







Running partners

Lady Liberty - NY

Back in April I took part in a photo-walking tour of lower Manhattan! What a gorgeous day we had and what an excellent bunch of people I got to meet and work with. It was an instructor led class but I also learned a TON of tips and tricks from the students themselves! Some were beginners but it seemed most were already professional photographers. The class was 8 hours long and we started with a ride over the Statue of Liberty. I got so many great shots that day, it was hard to weed it down to just my favorites!

This is just the first series of many more to come! Stay tuned!

One of the guys in the class let me borrow his 100-400 zoom lens for these next two shots! Wow, wow, wow!

I really like how the next one came out!

I love shooting PEOPLE any chance I can get! Sometimes I will ask their permission and sometimes I just sneak a shot!

16.5 miles & a gift for myself

Wow - I cannot believe I completed a 16.5 mile run this past Saturday. It was by far the hardest run I have faced in my life. It was also the furthest run I have ever done in my life. That coupled with the heat and my brief time off from my hip injury = did not make for a good day. I was physically and mentally drained and three days later I am still suffering in pain.

I was a little hesitant about jumping right back into a long run after being off for 10 days, but I decided to give it a go. I left my house at 6:30am and jogged 6 miles down to Hoboken to meet my running friends. I decided ahead of time to run with Prerna and do 10 miles with her. Prerna is training for the Adirondack Marathon and was actually completing a total of 18 miles on Saturday! The first part of the run was fine but after that it was a struggle. As soon as we left Hoboken I realized that I could not keep up with Prerna or anyone else in the group. She had her GPS watch on and said we were running anywhere from a 10:10-10:45 pace - well why on earth did I feel like I was sprinting?! I took my time and am so glad Prerna was nice enough to wait for me at certain points and make sure I was ok. We stopped for water, stopped to stretch but even so I was still struggling. I finished the run in about 2:45, and with all the stops it was about 3:00 hours. Wow, I still cannot even believe I did that. I drank a ton of water and ate two gels (GU) and felt decent but noticed I was covered in a thick layer of white salt after the run. It was actually more like crunchy sea salt - gross! I don't sweat a lot but salt seems to pour out of me. I learned that this is not good and can cause dehydration. I drank about 50 ounces of water but that doesn't matter, the loss of salt can be detrimental. Now that I established I am a "salty sweater" I know going forward that I need to consume salt packets while running. FUN!

So - the real pain did not set in until I got home. I quickly ate because I was starving and also started to ice my hip and legs. I showered and cleaned up and was suddenly doubled over in pain. My stomach was in an uproar. Ugh. Not only that but I felt so weak and my legs were like jello. I laid down on the couch and did not move from 12:00pm until 8:00pm. I even broke down crying and told Matt I don't know how I am going to make it through if I feel like this after every long run. He told me he thinks I did too much and that the heat got to me. I also consulted with 2 running friends who said it was normal to feel like this and that yes the heat probably got to me. All I know is I felt like crap and think I have a long road ahead of me. Running has not been hard so far so this was definitely my first real challenge. No one said it is going to be easy but I just felt so defeated and it upset me.

My spirits did get lifted later that night with a bit of retail therapy. After dinner I felt a little bit better and we decided to go out and run a few errands. Sports Authority was having a sale and I wanted to pick up another pair of running shoes. I was also able to purchase an insurance-type protection plan for my running shoes, can you believe there is such a thing? I also picked up a few Nike tank tops and Matt got a new Jets shirt. I loved my new purchases and am so glad they were all on sale!

Then we stopped at the new Nordstrom Rack which was on our way home. I walked in the store and could not believe my eyes: front and center was a huge rack of True Religion Jeans! I felt like the clouds parted and music was playing and that all of my jean dreams had come true! I am a total jeans freak and have been wanting a pair True Religions for 3 years now but did not have the guts to spend $250+ on them. When I got accepted to the NYC Marathon I said I was going to splurge and buy myself a pair or at least try find some on sale. I always keep an eye out on sale racks but they never have them in the style or size I need. However here they were, in all their glorious-ness, my dream jeans! I only had a few minutes to complete the transaction as the store was closing so I had to be quick! I tried them on, they fit and it was a done deal! I really felt like it was meant to be. I had a rough day and was down in the dumps and fate interceded and brought me to my jeans. Yes this all sounds silly but I have had a couple bouts with fate and do believe in it, even if it has to do with a material item! Ha ha!

Here they are - I love them!

A cute couple: Melissa & Rob

I had the chance to photograph an old soccer friend, Melissa and her husband Rob at Old Westbury Gardens back in May! They are already married but decided they wanted some new photos taken and so I invited them down! They couldnt stay very long because Rob was studying for the BAR but I think we go some amazing shots! Thank you to Leslie Simmons for all your help this day!

I am injured - OUCH!

7 days ago I injured my hip flexor! I am not quite sure how but it has not been pleasant! Ok so if you remember I ran 15 miles last Saturday in Nashville, then I did a 3 fast miles on Monday and 7 miles on Tuesday. Wednesday morning I wake up and bam - I could not walk and you can just forget running. OK well I am exaggerating, I can walk but with a slight limp. I have never felt something hurt so bad in quite a long time. Not even the sciatic pains in my right leg hurt this bad! To this moment I still don't even know how I did it but do remember tripping earlier that day in the city so maybe it was from that? Or could it be from uneven pavement or the hills I encountered the night before? I keep replaying everything in my head and trying to figure out where I went wrong. All I know is I was devastated to the point of tears and all I could think of was not being able to run in the marathon. I was pretty hysterical when I tried the elliptical at the gym and couldn't even do that :( I tend to cry a lot and overreact so sort of behavior is nothing out of the ordinary.

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So I decided to do some research and think that I may have injured my Rectus Femoris or what is shown here in the green. I talked to my sister Dana, who works in a Physical Therapy and Athletic Training office, and she said to rest it and ice it 4 times a day. I have also been taking advil on the regular to help with the pain and the inflammation. I decided it was in my best interest to not even try running on it for at least a week. Dana said if it didn't feel better in 5 days to see a doctor. Well after 5 days it DID indeed start to feel better. I decided to bike and do the stair climber on Sunday (neither of these hurt very much) and have been lifting weights and stretching a lot. Last night (after 7 days) I was able to do the elliptical again and I think I just may be back to running by Saturday! Hooray! Just in time for a 16 miler! I hope having these 10 days off didn't hurt my training at all, but I guess I shall see!

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A quick update on my donations: I am up to $2,556.20! I am officially halfway to my $5,000 goal. I am thinking of hosting a charity event with some cool giveaways and prizes but need to do some brainstorming first! Please click below if you are able to contribute to cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering!

https://fredsteam.mskcc.org/fundraising/Controlleraction=userHome&user_id=39924&event_id=128

Running in Nashville - aka Nashvegas!

Welcome to honky-tonk land! Last week I had the pleasure of going to Nashville for my cousin Paul's wedding! What a treat! I got to see family, go to an ultra-rad wedding and experience a really fun city! Oh and how could I forget - I was able to complete a 15 mile run around see many of the beautiful sights by foot!

First - I need to make a few comments about this city - I absolutely loved it! Live music, 24-7, come on, it cannot get better than that! It's also small and easy to navigate, very clean, and people are not only friendly but they are HAPPY! What a change - coming from NYC where people don't hold doors and are rude on a daily basis (including myself, blush, blush, shame on me). Seriously though, NY hardens you and you get sucked into this way of life and forget that there are other great places out there! So many NYers are jaded and think their city is the best, but I would have to argue that one. So visiting Nasvhille was a breath of fresh air and made me realize, once again, that NY sucks! Ha ha, not really, I have a love/hate relationship with NY, but I will talk about that another time.

Ok back to Nashville - I was only there 3 days but I'd say that is all you need to see and do everything. Friday was filled with some sight-seeing downtown and then off to Opryland! That night we ate at a very popular steakhouse, called The Stockyard, which was very yummy! PS - I love having red meat before a long run, it gives me tons of energy! I layed off the alcohol that night and we were off to bed at a decent hour, well, that's if you consider 12am decent.

Saturday morning I was up at 6am to start my run. I decided to do 7 miles by myself and then stop back at the hotel to pick up the rest of my running clan. Yes "Operation Jenna trains for the marathon" was in full effect and Dana, Maria and John ready for this adventure! So I did about 2 laps around Vanderbilt University and found some nice shady streets to run on. At about 7:20, I was back to the hotel and met up with my sisters and brother in-law. We headed downtown, over a footbridge and then east along the Cumberland River. Oh the footbridge, oh how I loathe thee. Let's just say it was pretty steep and pretty hard. Ok so according to mapmywalk.com, once we crossed the footbridge this route was supposed to be scenic and offer river views. Hmm not so much. Instead we encountered an industrial looking area and thank god I had my crew with me because it looked a bit seedy and I would have around if I were alone.

After a mile or so of the industrial area, we entered a path along a golf course and almost made it to Shelby Park but decided it was time to turn around. We took a few breaks to stretch and once we got back to the dreaded footbridge we decided we needed another break. We were officially overheated and sweating to death. - yikes! After a quick break, we took some pictures and made our way to the only place open at 8:30am - the visitor center. Thank god I always carry $10-20 dollars on me when I run because we desperately needed water! After this break we headed back to the hotel for a large breakfast! Overall it was a completion of about 15 miles for me, 8 for Maria and Dana and 7 for John! Go us! It took me 2.5 hours to complete this run (close to 3 hrs total with the breaks). Thank you again running buddies for giving up your Friday night of partying and boozing and your Saturday morning snoozing to run with your sister! Love you all so much!

After the run I took my first ever ice bath! The ice machine was literally 2 steps from my hotel room so I filled up a couple bags of ice, threw them in the tub and filled it with cold water to about my waist. My sisters (both athletes) said they used to love ice baths during soccer pre-season and that it always made their legs feel better. I decided I had a long day ahead of me that included a wedding and dancing and that it was in my best interest to try it out. I actually liked it! It takes about 2-3 minutes to go numb and at first you feel like you might hurl but after the initial shock, it feels GREAT! I blasted my ipod and stayed in there for 15 minutes. I will definitely do this again!

Ok so the wedding was great! Paul and Liz looked amazing and so happy! I did whip out the Canon and will post some pictures another time (I only got a few decent shots. I struggled with the low lighting and my non-effective built in flash - ugh it was a real nightmare for a beginner like me!) Overall I didn't go crazy with photography, I decided to relax and not worry about it. I ended up using the good old point-and-shoot during my tourist activities!

After the wedding, we headed downtown to The Stage for some drinks and dancing. I was actually too tired to dance and was suffering from a stomach ache but it was great to see everyone let loose. All the smiling and care-free attitudes were contagious. I totally fell in love with the vibe here and how everyone seems happy all the time. The band was great and played a variety of different music, not just country, which I was happy about! Again I really loved this city and am already plotting to come back. Hmmm Country Music Marathon in April 2009??? I might just give it whirl!


Maria, John, Dana and I (Me 7 miles into my run)



Going over the footbridge - Dana and John looking good!



Maria has great running form!



Dana takes a quick break



View of downtown and the Cumberland River



Maria and John - cutest couple



Sisters



Sweaty girls (me 12.5 miles in, them 5.5 miles in)

Janessa & Eric's Wedding - Part II

Here are some more pictures from Janessa and Eric's wedding at Tappan Hill Mansion! Just a reminder that I was a guest at this wedding and just working on my photography skills a bit! I had a blast!