You know you're crazy when...

you willingly get up at 6 am on a Sunday morning when it's 50 degrees outside to go hop on a subway and then a ferry just to get out run a 13.1 mile (half-marathon) race out in Staten Island. 

(This is going to be a brain dump blog a la Mark Zuckerberg as acted brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg in Social Network except that this is about running)

Luckily for me on any race morning and today especially, I'm fortunate to see other fellow crazies and running enthusiasts out there in the hopes of the same thing. Finishing.

The thing about running that I find so fascinating is that there's the solo sport aspect of it, but also the amazing camaraderie and friendship that can easily be struck up because of that shared understanding of the pain and the glory.  There's certainly a competitiveness in races, but at the end of the day, you're racing against a clock and not the other person next to you, in front of you, or behind you.  The overall goal is to finish what you start and to enjoy the pounding of the pavement, the freshness of the air, the liberating freedom of cruising down a hill, and the overall commitment to a four word phrase... "I am a runner."  You also pursue the thought of trying to be a better you.  To non-runners who question this, it's a lifestyle, a commitment, and conversation builder.  I'm crazy, I run, and I actually enjoy it.  There should be no pre-disposed notions of running, like I'm too slow or everyone's judging because that's just not what's at stake.  You run for you and you alone, but people come to celebrate it and cheer you on.  Why do you think the big city marathons are such fascinating cheering events?  It's a celebration and an achievement, but if you ask most runners, the actual race is only one small step of it.  I love to talk about my training and most people that run marathons have told me that the race is just the epilogue and the ending on all the training and pursuit that you put in for the months leading up to it.

Jump for joy!

So if you haven't run, or want motivation, just go out and run a little and walk a little, don't worry about how it looks.  Everybody's that run before you has experienced it.  You've gotta walk before you can run.  Just keep at it, and try to go a little further the next time you go, and so on, and then it'll all be second nature.  Also, don't worry about time... As one speaker said at a running seminar I went to (yes, they have those), whether you finish a marathon in 2 1/2 or 4 or 7 hours means nothing to someone who isn't running.  All that matters is that you finished.  My quarter, dime, and nickel thoughts there.

With that being said, I've met a lot of great people at these running races that I partake in and I'm lucky to have run fairly well.  Today's Staten Island half was a great experience.  Lots of water stops, pretty flat terrain, lots of fans cheering, and good vibe.  Thanks to the island of Staten for helping me post a terrific half time and getting me to qualify for the NY marathon next year.  I'm by no means an elite runner, but I'm quite happy with my time and just being able to finish the race with a smile on my face.

Overdue...

for highlights of random interactions of the past month (next post I plan to share some interesting articles):

- Giving a cold can of Dr. Pepper to a person asking for change outside of my apartment.
- Helping a McDonald's worker struggling to move a heavy box of things up a stairwell from the subway.
- Greeted a New Yorker on the subway who told me about how he was given clothing and stuff from a friend that told him you should try to help out people that are less fortunate than you.

- Thanked as many volunteers as I could over the course of an 18 mile training run.
- Met a runner on the subway who was logged 40+ marathons in his life and was headed out to Ohio for another that weekend.
- Talked a runner who gets up at 3:30 AM to run cause she's doing hospital rotations and is training for a marathon.
- Tossed frisbee with a random person in the park and conversed.

Frisbees in the air!

- Introduced myself to couple of volunteers for a one mile race I completed, generally talking to strangers about running.
- Gave a frisbee to a cute little toddler girl in the park, she looked so happy and adorable :)

- Bumped into an old high school classmate/teammate at a bar.  Discussed the amazing treat of being in a city that people are perpetually curious of and want to know more about.

My favorite Manhttan building (not creative)

So what does this all mean...

and why should you care? I honestly don't know. My only goal here is to let you know that despite the fact that you may be cynical and not believe my motives and thoughts, I truly just want to make the world a better place somehow. This is where I start and I hope to get ideas from other people, and read your inspirational stories and share these fantastical whims onto the rest of you.  If you don't like that notion, that's fine, don't read.  If you like what you're reading, thanks! You can live through my sad writing skills, with my encouraging for you to try to think about what you want to do, or you can feel free to let me know how you're enjoying your life and making the world a better place.

My daily goal is to make someone smile or engage in conversation with someone that I would otherwise not cross paths with and pass on something to make their day/evening better.

These corgis make me smile, like little clown dogs :)

What have I done? The last two days, I have started at my goal in earnest:
During a Friday morning run, I was running along 5th Avenue and picked up a random cheap fan that they were passing out in front of the store Mango being used for branding and getting the name out there.  I played with it for a while during my run.  On my subway ride back to my apartment, I saw a mother with her daughter and son.  She looked tired and the girl looked a bit sad, and I decided that I had absolutely no need to keep this cheap plastic fan that would eventually wind up in a garbage bin or landfill.  I offered it to the mother to give to her daughter. Nothing fancy, nothing exquisite or even well thought out, just pure chance and opportunity.

Saturday, I was fortunate to have a couple of lovely conversations.  I ran about 13-14 miles in the morning in Central Park as I ramp up my preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon in late November.  As I finished my running, a retired couple begins talking to me.  We engage in conversation about how beautiful the weather is, and just the opportunities that are afforded in this city that are beyond so many other people.  As the runners, bikers, rollerbladers go by, they see a woman they know who has MS go by on a hand bike.  Despite the fact that she has MS, she triumphs over that and gets out to cycle every other day. Amazing and awe-inspiring. 

Just on my way home from a friend's place tonight, I had the pleasure of conversing on the subway with a couple in their 20's (David and Amanda).  While they were heading out to the Lower East Side, they took the time to tell me the story of a friend who lives close to Central Park where you can see/hear the NYC Marathon in the fall.  A few hours after most of the people had crossed the finish line in last year's marathon, they heard in their apartment, a spontaneous cheering erupting and progressing up the avenue.  It turns out that it was for the last person that would cross the line that day, a man with one leg proceeding to finish the 26.2 miles of the marathon on crutches.  I personally can't wait to see the marathon this year and hopefully volunteer.

We need these inspirational stories. You take what you're given and you live life to its fullest.

Time for a celebration!

into the middle of a sentence.  I woke up this morning with not much to note except that I wanted to hit snooze again and wait a few more precious moments to get up.  But, it was the first day this week that it was not raining and it looked nice outside.  So I finished my quick half hour run/jaunt through the streets of Manhattan and realized that everything is right in the world for me at this moment in my life.

Obviously, the world is still in disarray and has many issues including questions in this very own city revolving around the mosque issue in the World Trade Center area and the violence/hatred that has stemmed from that. But, that aside, let's look at the positives going on.  If you've taken the time to read this, come to this realization.  You're privileged enough to have access to internet.  That means that you likely have the time and means to not really have to stress about the clothing on your back, the shelter over your head, and where your food comes from.  You may hate your job or work, which is your right, but for most of us, our biggest worry is what we are eating at our next meal rather than if we are even going to have a next meal.  Read that, let it simmer, and smile.  Your life is good no matter whether you care to believe me or not.

I enjoy my life, I love what I do, I like my company, and I am fortunate to have good health.  So, my plan today was to try to smile at everyone I passed on the way to work.  Accomplished.  I felt self-conscious and got no return smiles, but I sure hope that somewhere, someone felt better about their day because of it.  My next goal is to start accruing photos of me with random people just smiling and being happy in this city/country/world with other tourists, people on the way to work, coworkers, whatever.

Be happy, share your positives with the world, and I'll try to do the same. :)

To aspire, to befriend, to congratulate, to dare, to empathize, to fancy, to give, to highlight, to imagine, to justify, to kindly, to love, to meditate, to nurture, to optimize, to persevere,  to query, to rejoice, to smile, to thrive, to uplift, to validate, to work, to (be) xenial, to yede, to zest