Friday, March 18, 2011

5 for Friday

Happy Friday!! I hope you all survived St. Patrick's Day; I bet we're all looking forward to the weekend, for one reason or another.

1. I mentioned yesterday that the NYRR Young Professionals Committee event was a success. Here are some of the cute (and functional) outfits our committee members modeled!



This white Sugoi Versa jacket was pretty popular because the sleeves come off, as one piece, and are attached to the vest part by magnets! No awkward zippers to deal with!

2. Sunday is the NYC Half Marathon that takes 2.5 loops of Central Park before heading down 7th Ave to Times Square and over to the West Side Highway finishing up at Battery Park. I ran this a few years ago, when it was still in July, and had a great time! There was a bit of controversy last year after the lottery was held, but hopefully people who didn't get in will put it behind them for the day and cheer for those running, because really, it's the camaraderie between runners that matters, not the politics of the races. Check out NYRR TV for pre-race and race day coverage!

3. Speaking of races and lotteries, there was an article in The Wall Street Journal the other day about the rapidly increasing popularity of marathons in the US over the past few years. I think it's hard for any runner who races not to know how quickly marathons, half marathons and races of other distances have been filling up at lightening speeds. Turns out, that even though Boston closed in 8 hours, the Marine Corps Marathon in 28 hours and Chicago in 31 days, all record times, there were 35 new marathons across the country in 2010 (according to Running USA).

4. Another running documentary is hitting the movie theaters for a one-night-only run. This time it's about a 57 year old man who, after losing his wife to cancer, ran 75 marathons in 75 days. If you're like me, you might think this sounds crazy. But, he did it to bring awareness to the struggle of losing a loved one and becoming a single parent. The film, narrated by Billy Bob Thorton, will be shown on March 31st in theaters nation wide and proceeds will go to benefit the Livestrong Foundation. You can go HERE for more information on the film and you can watch the trailer below.


5. In non-running news, the first ever NYC Vegetarian Food Festival will be held on April 3rd at the Altman Building. Sarah Gross, one of the founders, was kind enough to return my email request for more info and gave me a bit of background on how the festival came about. Simply put, she was frustrated that many other cities have festivals celebrating and teaching about the vegetarian/vegan/flexitarian lifestyle, but not New York City. So, she and event planner, Nira Paliwoda, are changing that. "A big goal of the festival is to pull in non-vegetarians. The event is free, we want it to be maximally inviting to everyone so they can come and learn about the diet, the ethical and environmental issues, and sample lots of great food!" says Sarah. I'm definitely looking forward to trying some great veg food and checking out the speakers!


  • Are you running in the NYC Half Marathon Sunday?!
  • What's your must-have Spring running gear item?
  • Are you a vegetarian/vegan/flexitarian or interested in learning more about it?
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Today's workout -
None. Rest day.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the fashion show idea! How fun :) I'm looking forward to new shoes this spring. Decisions, decisions. Do I go minimalist? Newtons? Tried and true Sauconys? Spring time is the best!

JLT said...

i would love to hear more. i am a pescatarian and am always looking for ideas! let me know!

AM! said...

Hi there!
Cute run outfits.

and thanks so much for the info on the run movie on march 31st. Will def look and see if it's playing here in California

happy friday!

Anonymous said...

That is crazy how popular marathons have become. Ih ave talked with a lot of people who mentioned that running a marathon is on their bucket list.

Christine said...

I think it's interesting, though, how so many people are NOT making running a way of life. I have several friends who will train a few weeks, do a half, and then be right back to couch and Jersey Shore. But there are many who have started to at least make an effort to be more active...

Are you running/attending this weekend? Say hi to Kara Goucher if so!

Stephanie Anne said...

I have that Sugoi jacket and love it! it was my birthday present from the man :)

Lauren said...

I love the fashion show! The New York vegetarian festival has me thinking about looking into if there is a festival in Boston. I am interested in learning more about creative dinner and lunch ideas!!

Anonymous said...

Great post! I'll be volunteering at the NYC Half - it's such a great race! Hmm, must-have spring running items are probably long sleeve tops and shorts - hooray for shorts!

I'm not a vegetarian, but love veggie restaurants and meals - thanks for the info, Lisa!

Tropical Eats said...

That documentary about his marathons looks REALLY good. it's pretty amazing what the human body can endure!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

I think the local bloggies are going to have a Girls night to see that movie, I am excited..

Super excited to meet you little lady!

Susan said...

The fashion show was great...thanks for planning a great evening!

You're full of great event information in NYC! Definitely looking into that movie and the food festival! Thanks for the tips. :) I eat about 90% vegetarian...not even sure why, but now when I eat meat I think it tastes funny. Sad because I used to love burgers!