PSA: It's cool to look like Casper

While I refer to my porcelain-like complexion as "alabaster," I realize that in reality, I'm actually just freakishly pale. I tried to fight this reality for many, many years to absolutely no avail. I will say that I am fortunate in that while I don't tan, I also don't burn...in fact seem to repel the sun.

twinsies!

I have many painful memories of going in for my annual check-up in high school and having my doctor comment that I "clearly didn't spend too much time in the sun." Yea...except for the hours I spent on my blazin' hot black roof wearing SPF 8 + tanning oil (seriously), timing my "tanning" of each side with a kitchen timer (seriously)...

I've thankfully given up that habit as it is:

a. terrible for me
b. completely unproductive anyway.

Now I've replaced a desire for the bronzed goddess look with a desire to look young forever and never have melanoma, but mostly look young forever (kidding! maybe.). I wouldn't dare venture into the sun without my SPF 70+ Neutrogena spray sunscreen and I regularly harrass my non-Casper-esque friends about their delinquent sunscreen use.

not everyone in this picture applies sunscreen evenly

But even I, it seems, have a lesson to learn in sunscreen application this summer.

The Well+Good NYC bloggers put together a list of sunscreen tips, many of which took me by surprise. I always apply thick and often, everyday, before heading out into the rays (and so should you!!) but what I did not know was that you should apply sunscreen directly to your face (rather than bottle-to-hand-to-face), that you should put on sunscreen before putting on moisturizer, and (and this is embarrassing) that sunscreen expires? I can say with 100% confidence that in a pinch I have used last season's sunscreen, blissfully unaware of its ineffectiveness. Woops.

ahhh, the bliss of the ignorant

Find the full write-up of tips here and don't forget to apply, apply, apply! And wear bronzer.

Also, for the full, government-sanctioned, updated list of sunscreen rules, check out the FDA's official site for sun protection news and information.

Pure, raw lady-date

For my birthday this year, I was the very fortunate recipient of a gift card to New York's own temple of healthy eating: Pure Food and Wine, the raw, vegan culinary enterprise from the beautiful (shocker) Sarma MeIngailis.

A testament to how busy I've been is that my birthday was in May and I was finally able to enjoy my meal at Pure, with, of course, my dear friend who gave me the gift, last night.

Thankfully, it was well worth the wait. I had been dreaming of raw mushroom ravioli and decadent raw desserts for so long that the lines had begun to blur between what I had actually eaten and what I had just seen photos of online and drooled over. The trick I employed to distinguish between the two was to remind myself that I actually hadn't eating anything from the restaurant. Ohhhh, right.

Well I can't say that anymore, can I get a woo-hoo for that?

What distinguishes Pure from other healthy or even vegan restaurants is, yes, that the food served is entirely 'raw': not heated over 118 degrees, but more than that, that it is truly a gourmet dining experience. Sarma does not sacrifice one ounce of elegance or comfort both in the preparation of foods and in the ambiance of the restaurant itself.

This visit was a true indulgence.

We split a maki appetizer to start, which was made of: avocado, delicious, and deliciousness.

Moving right along to our entrees, Ellen enjoyed her favorite, the corn tamales, which succeeded in tasting, dare I say...meaty? I opted for the squash blossoms with cashew nut cheese and green beans which were mysteriously crunchy as though they had been...cooked?

romantic lighting does not lend itself to the best iPhone photography

For dessert we each ordered ice cream treats, perfectly complimenting the warm summer evening. Again, although they were vegan and not really frozen, they were completely, unequivocally....ice cream-y.

to the amusement of absolutely no one, I felt the need to instagram my dessert

How do they do it? Ellen had had the good fortune of enjoying a sampling of the menu with the restaurateur herself and explained how the process of dehydrating and soaking many of the elements of each dish begins a week prior to serving, and how the chefs aim to create combinations that compliment each other in such a way that they trick the mind into assuming it is enjoying a cooked dish. The level of science, attention to detail, and culinary expertise necessary to create each dish is simply mind boggling and left me in awe.

And full and happy.

We also spotted Sarma, hard at work on her laptop in the corner, looking stunning per the usual. I totally gawked. I was definitely the coolest customer Pure has ever had, and they are welcome for my patronage.

The one potential detrimental side effect of this overwhelmingly wonderful dining experience is that I fear I will hate every meal I have until my [inevitable] return. Oh well, sacrifices must be made.

Making excuses

So I have a somewhat legitimate topic to discuss, but in order to discuss said topic, I have an embarrassing confession to make. I love magazine quizzes. And I'm not even 13! I love them. I love buying trashy mags when I'm travelling and I read every. single. page. although I am well aware of the fact that my brain cells are likely declaring a mutiny and I am well aware of the fact that the June 2011 issue is exactly the same as the October 2007 issue is exactly the same as the March 2002 issue...whatever. At least I'm reading, right?

So last time I was flying, I took a very scientific quiz to on why I procrastinate. My results determined that I procrastinate because I strive for perfection, and I fear that if something is not perfect, than it is not even worth doing at all.

So the truly embarrassing part of this whole situation: Glamour/Elle/whichever magazine was absolutely correct. Really. Saw right through me like a pane o' glass.

I cannot even tell you how many cover letters I've drafted and never sent in because I felt that they weren't "just right," how many projects I've started and abandoned because I didn't think I could execute them in the absolute best manner possible, how many important conversations I've neglected to have because I couldn't find the most succinct, articulate, and sensitive words to convey my feelings.

I've also found this same procrastination tactic emerge in my running habits.

As I reviewed the training runs I wanted to complete this week and tried to plan out when exactly I could complete them, a little voice in my head kept repeating, "yea, but you're probably not going to do them all anyway." I'm so used to hearing this voice in my head that I normally let it float on by, but this time, I stopped myself and said [this is all in my head, I wasn't actually having a conversation with myself...] "well, why not?"

Why not, indeed???

I love running, so why is it so difficult for me to complete a training plan? Why do I consistently plan to go on targeted runs, hillwork, or speedwork and then convince myself I can just go run five or six miles at a steady pace, or, lately, black out and somehow find myself on the elliptical, more or less phoning my cardio in?

My attitude is that if I don't feel as though I'm going to do a training run perfectly, or if I don't feel I am going to hit my race out of the park, to mix my sports metaphors, than it is not worthwhile to even try.

If I admit that I truly care about something and am really striving to succeed in a particular arena, and I do not do so perfectly, then in my mind, I am a failure. Worse than that, actually - a failure before my friends, family and peers.

Well that is ludacris.

In all honesty, I would like to be faster. I do care about my times. I would like to put in hard work and see concrete results. Although I would be reticent to admit it if you asked me to my face, I do have a particular time in mind that I would like to finish the Queens half marathon in, and it's not going to be easy. It's entirely possible that I will fail. And I'm certainly not doing myself any favors by not taking training seriously.

Yes, I will finish the race if I don't train. Yes, I will probably finish within a decent time frame.

But I know that I can do better, and knowing that, I should do better.

So my goal for this month is to stop making excuses for myself, once and for all. If I want something, and I know what to do to attain it, the only thing standing in my way like a pack of tourists in Central Park, is me! In order to get out of my own way, I need to get over my fears of trying, of caring, and falling short of perfection and openly admitting defeat.

I'm not exactly sure who I'm trying to convince that I'm "Rico Suave," and since it's clearly not working anyway, I think it is time to give it up.

December 26th

The first day back to work after an exciting weekend always feels like December 26th to me. This feeling is even more significant today, because as we all know, I think of the 4th of July like my own special, warm-weather Christmas.

So maybe I should start referring to that feeling as a "July 5th" feeling instead...

Anyway, back to the daily grind it is, whether I like it or not.

My mission this week is to successfully see a project I've been overseeing through (we've hit some hiccups, which is extremely frustrating for me, particularly as, no matter what I tell myself, I tend to take work-related issues personally), actually complete a variety of training runs this week: speed work, medium runs and a long run this weekend, keep up with my #fitabs commitment, and get ready for yet another exciting weekend - I have a few prezzies to pick up so I'm looking forward to a couple of fun after-work errands this week. Productivity is the name of the game for this girl, and I have several to-do lists in place: in my Outlook calendar, my Google calendar, and hand-written (so I can color code/decorate it, obviously) to keep me mindful of my goals and plans.

I have some other exciting plans this week, including a few special lady-dates, which I am greatly looking forward to.

And just like that...my December 26th  July 5th feeling has melted away!

Happy Independence Day!

who doesn't love a land that celebrates its flag with a fruity cake?

I've said it once, I've said it (literally) a million times: I. LOVE. AMERICA. I love it more than coffee, more than running, more than my bed, more than most of my friends...sorry, friends.

I am so thrilled that it is once again our nation's day of birth (I'm also a huge proponent of birthdays, so today packs a double-whammy for me) and we can celebrate the fact that we live in what is truly the home of the free and the land of the brave.

I know it's not a perfect land, but comparing America to the rest of the world, and to how governments have historically been run...well, we are extremely fortunate and have really a tremendous amount of freedom.

Today we are free to...

- write pointless blogs (case in point: what I am doing right now)
- wear whatever revealing double-denim ensemble we may choose
- run 26.2 miles - for fun.
- do something of merit, I guess.

Freedom is something not to be taken for granted, how are you using yours today?

It's the freakin' weekend!

The title of this post was inspired by R. Kelly's inspired tune, "Ignition" one of my favorite cheesy party songs from high school, which always reminds me of driving with my girlfriends in my friend Chelsea's Mustang to a spring break kick-off party sophomore year.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

While high school may be over, I am delighted that one of my closest friends from my schoolgirl days will be in NYC for a few weeks before embarking on a world tour performing opera, because she is casually the most talented person I have ever met.

It is such a joy to have her here. I love, love, love my friends in New York, but there is just something about spending time with someone who has known you for over a decade, through fun times and hard times, through changing and staying the same.

In addition to a weekend-long lady date, I am maximizing the cooler temperatures to get in some runs in preparation for my next race: the Queens half-marathon on July 30. I have been predictably delinquent in my training and was somewhat shocked that I actually completed the 11 mile run I had planned for yesterday. Listening to my new favorite throwback tune once or twice fourteen times consecutively certainly helped the time go by and I felt ahhhmazing the whole time, hooray!

THROWBACK! you're welcome.

Staying true to my #fitabs challenge, I also tossed in a few ab exercises. And by a few, I of course mean 100 because that is how many I am supposed to do daily. Luckily, 100 ab exercises is actually less intimidating than it sounds so it was no problemo!

WHO ELSE IS EXCITED THAT TOMORROW IS INDEPENDENCE DAY?!?!? It is my Christmas. I cannot wait.

AB Challenge, you say?

As I mentioned previously, reading about fitness makes me feel fit, even if I am sitting on my tukus (yiddish word I learned recently from my cubicle neighbor who mutters "oy gevalt" every half hour or so) and will be for the next 8 hours. Similarly, reading about nutrition facts makes me feel like I'm on an a diet. Mind over matter, people.

So if I have some downtime at work, am on my lunch break, or am enjoying coffee before hitting up the gym for an early morning sweat session, you better believe that I am surfing the world wide web for ways to learn about fitness, super foods, healthy living tips, and becoming a healthier person by osmosis (that works, right?).

Through creeping around various fitness-oriented websites, I found the wonderful Katy Widrick, who is not only a dedicated triathlete but also a legitimate social media maven. Seriously, she may or may not have invented the internet. Obviously, this is someone to follow on twitter (after first following peanut butter...) and if one does so, one will find all sorts of great fitness and social media advice, and become a fit little guru merely by sitting at their computer, doing absolutely nothing! Amazing!

Yesterday Ms. Widrick tweeted about a 30-day ab challenge. In addition to all of the life-long health benefits exercise can afford you, you can also look good in a bikini, which certainly wouldn't ruin my life. So I thought to myself, well why not, Diana? Let's see what this is all about!

Basically, by informally signing onto this challenge, you get advice and encouragement to do approximately 100 ab exercises daily for 25 out of 30 days. That's like, a lot of ab work, but as I said, looking good in a bikini won't make me want to jump off a ledge. So starting today, I hereby declare that I will be partaking in this challenge, with the hope that I will have the sort of abs that give me the confidence to do this:



Or maybe not, on second thought.

Join me, yes or yes?