Running Crazy

Well, I did it again.  Signed up for another half marathon.  Months ago, the idea of the race sounded fun.  Because, well it felt like it was way into the future.  But now its that time.  The time to train.  And for the next three months, I'll be getting my butt up two-to-three times a week at 6 am to get in long runs to make sure I don't completely embarrass myself in the race.  And after I woke up for my first run this morning, when I dragged my aching body into the shower, all I could think is why did I think this was a good idea? Didn't I learn my lesson the last time? 

Why do we sign ourselves up for these things?  I know that once I cross that finish line, I'll feel a huge sense of accomplishment.  But getting to that finish line?  All those miles you run without people cheering your every step?   Most of the time, those aren't really fun.  Then again, if it wasn't so hard to get there, would the feeling of accomplishment be quite as great? 

All I know is, I've done it again.  I've signed up for another half marathon.  Let the training begin!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back EPL!  It's been...well...actually it hasn't been awhile.  But it sure feels like it.  I need some more soccer in my life!  In the year of World Cup Qualifying, I have soccer on the brain at all times.  Any other sport takes a back seat, so I'm glad that my Saturday mornings will again be spent at the local Pub rooting on Man U and against Suarez, aka the Biter. 

Anyways, if you were anything like me, you woke up this morning, go to turn on your TV, and immediately panic.  Why did I panic you might ask?  Well because I go to ESPN...no soccer.  Then FoxSoccer...no soccer!  What the H*** is going on!  Well, apparently without me knowing about it, FoxSoccer is dissolving, and ESPN has decided to promote the MLS and US National Team.

Wait, does that mean I can't watch soccer from home at all anymore! Am I literally going to have spend every Saturday morning starting at 8am at the local Irish Pub.  I mean, it could be fun, but pretty sure starting your weekend off at 8 with a drink every week is the road to serious lushness.  So that path would best be avoided. 

So immediately, I started to Google.  I mean someone had to be carrying the game, right?  The answer is, yes.  NBC Sports Network has picked up all of the premier games.  At first, I was horrified.  I hate NBC.  But I have to say, the ability to watch every game does have its appeal.  And its easy to see where you can find each game.  Just go to: http://www.nbcsports.com/extratime. Then put in your area code and provider and it will provide you with a list of where each EPL game will be showed that day.  It's pretty sweet, I must say.  Instead of only being able to watch the big games according to a random monarch of soccer at Fox on my TV and then the rest on my computer, I can watch any game I want to.  NBC stepping up.  Who knew?

I know how I am going to spend my morning.  Welcome back EPL.  I missed you!

Fighting Costs

Do you know the best way to tell how expensive a city is?  By the cover to get into the bar of a MMA fight of course!  Let's look at the different prices to get into a bar to watch a fight of the cities I've been in:

1) San Francisco: Mayweather fight, $25 each
2) Ithaca: Jon Jones fight, no cover
3) New York: Mayweather fight, $20 each
4) Philadelphia: Machida fight, $5 each

Philadelphia clearly wins this battle.  Ithaca is the cheapest, but come on, its in the middle of nowhere.  So clearly it can't charge any cover.  San Francisco and NY are amazing cities, but you might as well just buy the fight yourself on Pay-Per-View, as the combination of the cover and food/drink costs in the bar will end up being much more than if you had bought the fight yourself.  Philadelphia though, fun big city but cheap! What can be better?

We were in Philadelphia the last weekend and the boyfriend was desperate to see the UFC fights.  So sitting in the apartment, he started to call the local bars.  The closest one that looked cool was the Fox and the Hound.  So he calls to ask the cover.  The person's response?  It can be up to 5 whole dollars!  Clearly we decided we were willing to part with that amount.  And then the bar itself?  HUGE! With plasma TV's everywhere.  And the bill?  Four huge beers came to the cost of $20.  That's right.  The total excursion cost us $30, which let's be honest, is the price of an average dinner in NYC.

So the moral of the story?  Try to be anywhere but NYC and San Francisco if you want to watch a fight at the bar.  

12 Stadiums Down, 18 to Go!

As a baseball fan, my goal is to eventually visit every teams stadium.  Unlike pro football, basketball and hockey, baseball stadiums tend to be really unique and kind of a cool representative of the city.  So every time I find myself in a new city, I try to make sure my trip coincides with a home stand by the local MLB team so I can make sure to catch a game.  And my trip to Philadelphia was no different. 

Now I'm not going to lie, I really was a little nervous about going to a Phillies game.  Let's just say Philadelphia fans don't have the best reputation.  Remember this incident...or this one?  I mean, can you blame me for me being a little worried?  But luckily for us, and sadly for Philadelphia fans, their team is really really bad this year.  So one, we were able to get great cheap tickets in a lower area to avoid the craziest fans, and two, the fans were a lot more chill than they usually are.  So we ended up having a great time!

annoying Braves fans I was convinced were going to end up beaten up

Now the stadium isn't the most unique one out there or anything, but it's nice.  Feels very much like a cookie-cutter stadium, but for sure had one of the larger beer selections I've ever seen.  But what was unique was how easy it was to get to the stadium.  You just took the subway on Broad St a couple of stops South and there you were.  And the coolest thing?  All the sports teams in Phili are in one area!  So we saw the Eagles, Flyers and Sixers stadiums.  And right in the middle of the complex was this sweet outdoor bar that had a great porch and huge plasma's outside to watch the game on.  Though it wasn't that full, you could just imagine when the Phillies are good and during Eagles games that place is hopping!

who else has a hot dog cannon? 

Overall, I was really impressed with the Philadelphia fans.  No beer, punches or popcorn was thrown in my vicinity, and trust me, there were a few Braves fans just asking for it. 

A Boating Expedition

Row, Row, Row your boat, gently through central park!  That's what my sister and I did recently, and for the fair price of $12 per hour at Loeb Boat House you can to!  And trust me, it will take you that full hour to explore the huge lake that you have at your disposal.

It's beautiful on the water.  You get these amazing views of Central Park west apartments, cool rock formations, beautiful bridges, and well, generally you just feel like you are anywhere but crazy-hectic Midtown Manhattan.  It's peaceful.  And actually, a great workout.  Rowing for an hour?  You will feel it in your arms the next day, let me tell you.  But you are having so much fun while doing it, that you don't notice at all how tired your arms are getting.

The beginning is a bit like bumper boats, as it's hard to get the rhythm at first.  And you start right where a bunch of people are also getting the hang of it, so you'll constantly hear shouts of "Four", "Hey There", "Watch out" at the beginning.  But a combination of increased skill, plus a huge space to explore, makes it so you feel a little more isolated once you get going.  It's pretty romantic...or, I mean it could be.  Romance wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe my and my sisters trip, but fun definitely would be. 

Recommendations:

1) Get there early: It opens at 10am and we got there right when it opened.  It made it so it wasn't that hot, there was no line to rent and there weren't that many boats out yet.
2) Bring some champagne or other libations:  Drinking and snacking on the boat would have made the trip even better.
3) Bar Scene:  The bar overlooking the late doesn't open till noon, so maybe bring a book or some music so you can chill without being bored until the bar opens.