I’ve been a runner for over 9 years now, having begun casually jogging in May of 2001, and then racing in my first 5k on July 21 of that year. I started running because I needed a low-cost fitness solution, and running can be a very inexpensive way to stay thin. Before I got married, I ran 3.5 miles five days a week on the treadmill as fast as I could bear it and dropped 10 pounds. Then, during my “Sex and the City” diet phase (dinner consisted of cosmopolitans and bar nibbles), I ran the 2-mile loop around my neighborhood every morning before work, plus a longer run on Saturdays. I had no idea what I was doing, I didn’t keep track, and I sure as hell didn’t consider myself a runner.
2006 was a pretty crappy year for me, both personally and professionally, and I desperately needed something new and positive to get me outside myself and my toxic social circle. I’d heard about Team in Training at a dinner party, and signed up for the next season, to train and fundraise for the 2007 PF Chang’s Arizona Rock n Roll Marathon. This training process and race changed me as a person, into a runner, and completely changed the shape of the rest of my life. I’ve gotten fitter and more focused, plus I’ve acquired a whole new group of friends, a new vocabulary, and a healthier set of priorities. Life is good; I’m a runner.
To pay for my race entry fees and new sneaks, I do book marketing for an imprint at a larger publishing house here in midtown Manhattan. (There are other hobbies in my life–reading, socializing–but they are usually not worthy of elaboration here.) I live in Sunnyside, Queens.
Other friends & family members who show up on Pigtails Flying:
- EN, my running buddy who I met training for the 2008 Disney World Marathon
- CB, brilliant authoress and my best friend in the whole world
- Brother, who lives in Coloardo with his wife and two children, and who trains for triathlons
- DT and KW, two women I became friends with during my Arizona Marathon TNT training.
- Matt, fast runner and host of the Dump Runners Club podcast
- Plus many others….
I love running through the streets and parks of New York City; this blog is my place to record those runs, and what I observe about my home town during my training. I’m also a fan of elite runners; I try and follow professional track events and road races as much as I can. Some of my favorite elites are Kara Goucher, Bernard Lagat, Anna Willard, Jen Rhines, Andrew Carlson, Dathan Ritzenheim, Ryan Hall and Nate Brannen.
Regarding the name of this running blog, my layered haircut prevents me from tying my hair back in a single pony tail, so I trot through the streets with my hair tied into two curly pigtails instead. So what if I’m in my late 30′s? The look works for me, especially when I’m moving quickly–take my word for it!
