I wanna go where the mountains are high enough to echo my song...

"It's all too common in Latin America, where the divide between rich and poor is usually very wide, to hear stark differences in outlook and attitudes at the table.  When dining with the rich, the poor are often referred to with varying degrees of fear, condescension, and outright contempt.  Unsurprisingly, conversations at the tables of the poor express an entirely predictable desire to see the heads of the rich paraded on stakes.  Seldom do the two strata of society agree on anything besides soccer.

So imagine my surprise to hear - again and again - expressions of optimism, hope, good feelings, and a general believe that things were going pretty well - in Colombia.  In Medellin, no less, not too long ago the murder capital of the world! In expensive restaurants frequented by the well to do, the kind of people whose cars are bulletproofed, who travel with armed drivers - and later - in what was the toughest, poorest barrio in the city, I hear the same thing.  That the government seemed to be doing a pretty damn good job, that things were getting better and better, that the future looked bright - and that it was a very good thing to be Colombian, and from Medellin in particular.

In a world where the bad guys seem to win with a relentless regularity, and where even the presumed good guys appear, usually to be their own worst enemies, it's really gratifying to see things get so dramatically better somewhere - especially a place where at one time, it really and truly looked hopeless.  It is inspiring, when you've gotten used to the notion that some problems won't ever be fixed in your lifetime, to see some of the very worst kind of seemingly insurmountable problems so quickly and effectively improve.  When you see a real change in the conditions and in the human hearts of a place where just a few short years ago, one neighbor couldn't walk twenty yards over without risking death from another, where drug cartels recruited their murderous young footsoldiers by the hundreds, where even the police feared to tread - it makes one hopefully again - about the whole world.

Colombia. Vacation Wonderland? Yes. Absolutely."

- Anthony Bourdain visits Medellin

Tiffany had sent me the link to the No Reservations blog review of their episode shot in Colombia a few weeks ago and I was overwhelmingly impressed with the depth and clarity of Anthony Bourdain's insight into the culture, as well as the simple fact that this hit Travel Channel series had ventured to a country that is still off the radar for so many.

I was chatting yesterday afternoon on the phone with my friend Carol (who had recently ventured out to Queens with me for a delicious, authentic Colombian feast), when she told me to go turn on the Travel Channel because the re-run of this episode was airing.  

I sat glued to the television, feelings of nostalgia washing over me every time the camera panned across the panoramic view of Medellin, through the valley and up the mountains.  My mouth watered as Anthony Bourdain and his local guides visited the markets, learned how to make chicharon and empanadas, and tasted every comida tipica you can imagine when you think of Colombian food.  

Overarching his discovery of the culture through their cuisine, it was evident that his eyes were opened to that simple concept that everyone who visits Colombia learns: Colombia es Pasion.  I was happy to see that he discovered all sides of Medellin that makes it the complex, beautiful city it is... from the Plaza Botero up to the barrios high in the mountains.  He heard the same tale of the metrocable that so many paisas proudly shared with me.  The guides explained to him how the city has been reunited in the past few years, and highlighted the beauty of these "slums", which were once a death trap and are now the signs of re-birth, possibility and the desire that runs through the souls of Colombians to show the world the true potential of their country.

The show painted an incredibly positive, and accurate picture of Medellin, where it has been, how far it has come, and why paisas are so proud of it.  It also inspired another trip out to Jackson Heights last night.

Don't forget your smile :)

"I don't know if you noticed or not during yesterday's workout TNT is all about many things: The Cause, the running, the fundraising, the training, new achievements, goal times, new experiences, friendship, putting up with coaches with accent, putting up with coaches that will make you sweat a bit (or a lot), but we are also about having fun and enjoying everything we do.  Workouts are supposed to be fun (at least for the coaches as we Looooovvvveeee pushing you around), so make sure you always show up to the workouts with your 'game face' that will be 'your biggest smile'.  There's nothing better than doing something that you enjoy doing.  And while during the first few weeks some of you may thing 'damn.... (can I say that??) this running thing is hard!!' I promised you ...... it's get easier......

We are all in this together, let's make the best of it!!!

See you sabado, 9:00 am Bethesda!!

Behave!!"

Ramon Bermo

Head Manhattan coach

didn't get to heaven, but ya made it close...

Queens is without a doubt the most underrated borough in NYC.  While diversity is the name of the game in every borough of the city, it somehow feels more authentic in the neighborhoods of Queens, a world away from Manhattan to be sure.

A Colombian-American friend of mine (born and raised in Michigan, but has traveled back to Colombia extensively to visit family) has lived in New York for over a year, but had never been to Jackson Heights, the densely Colombian and Ecuadorian area of Queens.  We journeyed out there Sunday evening for some bandeja tipica and jugo, which I assured her would compete with the food that her family cooked in authenticity (- it did).  

Carol was amazed when we walked in a little bakery and she asked the person behind the counter - in English - what time they closed, and the girl simply rolled her eyes and didn't respond, until I whispered to Carol that no one spoke English out here, and asked the girl in Spanish.  While you hear Spanish on the streets of Manhattan nearly everyday, I love that when you go out to JH, it's rare to hear English being spoken.  There's no need.  At Pollos Marios, my favorite restaurant out there, the hostess doesn't even give a second thought that you might not understand when she asks "dos? siguen ariba al segundo piso".  I don't think that the wait staff would know what to do with you if you ordered in English.  I. LOVE. IT. 

We wandered around a grocery store, laughing at all the little things that we had no idea existed in the US - panella, the solid (rather than liquid) dishsoap, the condiments in bags instead of bottles, Mimo ice cream, frozen juice (maracuya, mango, lulo, guanabana....), and Colombian brands of everything you can imagine.  We may as well have been in our local Exito in  Barranquilla.  We even stopped in a liquor store because Carol didn't believe me that you could buy Ron de Caldas or Medellin, Aguardiente Antioqueno or Cristal in New York.  We laughed with some guys at the store who asked US where Ron de Caldas was from; when we said it was Colombian, one of the guys punched the other two, saying that they were Colombian and we knew Colombian liquor better than they did.

Our last stop was back to the bakery, where we stocked up on pastelitos and bunelos.  The pastelito de guava sitting next to my coffee right now tastes exactly like the ones that I had for breakfast at the university every morning.

half the world is sleeping while the other half dreams...

Which is worse: slipping into a routine that bores you to tears or uncertainty that exceeds rationality?  What do you do when being realistic clashes with following your heart, and responsibility makes it nearly impossible to follow the dream?  You wonder when things changed somewhere along the way, if it was a decision that you actively made, or if that is just the direction that life twists and takes us along.

When you live in an age where the economy slips its way into every conversation, when you see the heart of the financial industry of your city and your world fall to its knees, when you have more conversations with friends who have lost their jobs in the past 4 months than you would have expected in a decade, the forecast looks bleak and your head tells you that you should be more grateful than ever to be employed, to have a steady income, a predictable routine.  But when happens when that routine is draining the creativity from your heart, and that predictable routine goes against the rhythm that your feet want to run?  If your version of reality, the dream you want to live goes against the world's version of reality, are you destined to lose?

Reasons to love a distance runner...

- We keep a general rule in mind: stay loose and limber

- We go long and hard

- We make sure we start out slow to ensure endurance

- We don't mind getting hot and sweaty

- We follow directions, we do what we're told

- You don't have to worry about us being out-of-shape

- There's no refund on entry fees

- We're use to having our clothes stained or torn

- We're perfectionists: we'll keep going until we hit it

- We remember what our coach said: keep those knees high

- We're used to performing well in minimal amounts of clothing

- We're used to waking up in the morning with pain

- We always have more fun in a group than alone

- We love doing it everyday...sometimes more than once

- Some handoffs can be awkward

- We're very flexible

- We don't forget to switch up the tempo here and there

 - We can do it anywhere: beach, woods, track, you name it

- We keep a journal of where we've been

- We can do it alone, with a partner or in a group

- Once we make a name for ourself, we expect frequent blood tests

- We sometimes find it embarrassing if other people see us

- Doing it indoors with a machine is ok, but outside is better

- Unlike the old dudes, we find it easy to keep upright and smiling

- We tend to finish sooner

- We're used to people saying "alright boys, take 'em off"

- We often like to finish with a smile for the cameras

- Some people like music, but we like to hear the sound of our own panting

- We wear skimpier clothes than Madonna

- We get a smile the next day when strangers see us walking funny

- We always get someone to check out our gear

- We go in hard and come out wet

- We can hold our pace for long periods of time

- We can identify people by looking from the waist down

- We get our hips up high

- We've been around the block

- When the conditions aren't right, we're not afraid to get dirty

...quoted from an awesome facebook page

spring fever...

After my brief hiatus from training (mentally and physically recovering from my first marathon), I've swung full force back into Team in Training over the past few weeks.  It was a good running weekend, a tease of springtime that we know won't last, but that I am enjoying to the fullest while it lasts.  It all goes hand in hand... I'm a wimp about running in the cold, I get cabin fever when I'm stuck inside not being active all winter, not running makes me even more lazy... it's a vicious circle. It's nice to have a reason to get back up to the park, instead of being stuck inside the gym constantly.

Half of our team ended up going to the same diner for brunch yesterday after practice.  As I chatted with some of our newbies I caught a glimpse of myself last season - they were starting to get excited about the people they have been meeting, but are still seriously doubting whether they will be able to complete the training or the fundraising goals.  The other mentors and I assured them that they would - we had, after all - but I know that they will need to discover that for themselves over the next several months, as they go through all the emotional ups and downs that made it such an incredible experience for all of us last year.  I'm looking forward to watching each of my mentees grow and achieve their goal of running their first full or half marathon.  I'm so happy to be back again.

Yesterday was unseasonably warm, today was even more so.  With the forecast in the mid-50's, the first thing on my mind this morning was going out for a nice, long, easy run.  It's rare to get away with shorts in February.  Our TNT workouts are still pretty short, 3-5 mile runs, considering that most of our participants are brand-new to running, and I am definitely not running the milage that I was last summer and fall as I led up to my marathon.  I know that the muscle memory is still there, albeit dormant, and I have a good feeling about the season ahead of me.  As much as I love Central Park, my favorite course in the city is probably the stretch from my apartment to the West Side highway, down the Hudson, around Battery Park and up the East River Path.  It's about a 9 mile loop and the view of both the Lower Manhattan and Jersey skylines along the water, with the Statue of Liberty directly between the two, is gorgeous.  Turning back up the Eastside passes under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.  There were so many people out today, especially on the Westside, runner and bikers and families going for a walk.  These are the days that make me fall in love with the city and with running all over again....

I LEGO NY

This isn't your average kindergarden creation, this LEGO artwork is fit for the NYTimes.  Pretty impressive.  I think my favorite is"Taxi/Busy/Off-Duty".  And of course, I am partial to "14th Street Union Square" as well.

In honor of the "carrot guy"...

Only in New York.  Some say that this notion makes the city unique, others say that it turns the city into its own cliche.  Regardless, there are a few characters, places, trends that are deeply intertwined with the fabric of the city, whether this be the naked guitar-playing cowboy in Times Square, Milk & Honey, or converted apartments, that all New Yorkers accept as only in New York.

The city lost a great New Yorker today.  Not someone that many outside of New York may know, but one who was very familiar to most who live here.  I have walked through Union Square on my way home nearly every day for the past year and a half and was always genuinely amused by the older man sitting on the northwest corner of the GreenMarket, in a full suit, with a British accent, peeling carrots and potatoes, selling the peelers to a large crowd assembled in front of him.  He called Park Avenue home, had appearances ranging from Vanity Fair to the Today show, and boasted that the vegetable peelers he had sold for decades on the streets of New York were one of a kind.

A charismatic salesman and quintessential New Yorker, Joe passed away today at the age of 75.  Rest in peace Joe, Union Square won't be quite the same without you.

  

And I know it hurts and I know you feel torn, but you never gave up this easily before

These are the stories that inspire me to keep running marathons....

Dear Lake Placid team - 

You are my heroes for signing up for TNT and committing to raise funds for those like my daughter, Aliza, who is battling infant leukemia.  Aliza was diagnosed at 11.5 months of age and is undergoing 2 years of intense chemotherapy.  The first three months of Aliza's treatment was entirely as an in-patient at the hospital.  Now 17 months old, Liza leads a life quite different from other toddlers her age because she has a weakened immune system.  As a result, she needs to be isolated from other children who may carry germs, and special care must be taken to minimize her risk for infections.  In addition to receiving chemo, blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, etc. at an outpatient clinic each week, she has periodic chemo sessions that are still so intense that they require that she stay in the hospital for several days at a time. As any parent would do for a sick child, my husband's and my life revolve around Aliza - both her treatment and her well-being.

Unlike some other forms of leukemia, Liza's is extremely rare and very difficult to treat.  It is critical that funds exist for research to continue in hopes of finding a cure for infants/toddlers like her. 

Our country is undergoing tough financial times and many have concerns over job stability.  It's understandable that this makes it a little harder to get friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to dig into their pockets to donate.  But I encourage you to be creative in your fundraising efforts and to stay committed to your goal.

From my heart - thank you! And best of luck for a fun and injury-free training season.

Aliza's mom

running for a cure