NYRR New York Mini 10K—DONE!

What an experience it was to be part of the NYRR New York Mini 10K yesterday. It was my first big race in the Big Bad Apple, and it was pretty amazing. It took my breath away to look down Central Park West and see it packed with runners as far as the eye can see. A special bonus: getting a high five from Boston Marathon champion Kara Goucher. There had been a lot of publicity about her and Paula Radcliffe who were supposed to run the Mini while being very pregnant. Radcliffe did run the 10k but Goucher had to skip the run due to a back injury. She spectated instead and joined Paula and her 3-year-old daughter Isla for the run towards the finish line. Radcliffe who is five months pregnant finished the race in 44 minutes and 36 seconds.

I finished with an official time of 1 hour and 4 minutes, which is a massive improvement over my last 10K—though clearly, I am not going to be breaking any world records in this lifetime! Though I was certainly much faster this time (specially since I did not stop for pictures—not even for the male spectators decked out in colorful wigs, makeup and full on boobs on Central Park West), I have to say that I had a really rough time. I didn't stick to my pace because I impatiently wove through the crazy traffic of runners, and I paid for it dearly once we hit Harlem Hill. I ran this quite well on my practice runs but come the actual race, I was debilitated with side stitches and had to stop twice to walk! I was not too pleased with myself for that, but it's a good lesson to learn early on that I have to be vigilant about sticking to my pace. In this race, I also found myself completely embroiled in mind games. I alternated between wanting to just go home (I almost threw in the towel when I neared the path that goes straight to East 97th Street), berating myself for guzzling half a bottle of wine with Mitch on Friday night, and questioning my mental health for putting myself through this torture. The Mini 10K was seriously the farthest thing from a walk in the park! I was literally huffing, puffing and almost hurling by the time I got to the finish line.

But it just goes to show how running can be a funny, funny thing because as torturous as yesterday was, I can't wait to hit the pavement again. The next goal now is to double my mileage and survive the Queens Half Marathon in July. Why I keep getting myself into ridiculously difficult situations, I really don't know.

Before I sign off, I want to give a shout out to my rock star friends Jessica, Jodie, Mitch and Inna who ran the race with me yesterday. Although I ate their dust pretty much the entire time, it was fun running alongside them part of the way and sharing battle stories after the race. I also tip my hat to Tricia who had the gumption to race AND bake cookies afterwards for our World Cup festivities. Your cookies were almost as amazing as the nap I took post-race ;-) You girls are truly phenomenal!

What's the big deal with going topless?

A chunk of the world's population sees nothing wrong with going topless. There are tribes where women walk around with upper extremities uncovered all day long, and swathes of beaches the world over where people are not just topless but completely naked. I, however, was born and raised in a country where a lot of women, especially in the provinces, still swim in shorts and a t-shirt. I am still reeling from the shock of being told by an uncle back when I was 18 and galavanting in a bikini on a deserted sandbar in Camiguin, "You look scandalous, hija." But that just goes to show what the environment that I grew up in can be like. My friends and I think nothing of spending a week in Boracay dressed in bikinis practically the entire time. And my mom scoffs at my bikinis saying, "Mine were tinier than those." But the topless thing is still a stretch for me, even on a beach in Europe where it's expected. I was on a private lake in the Adirondacks with Céline and Alida two weeks ago, and I couldn't even do it then! Clearly, it's not as natural for me as it is for, say, Brooklyn Decker up there (you're welcome, male readers, by the way).

The real reason why I thought this belonged on my list is not just because I had an "I never" to conquer—though that's also true. But the way I see it, we only get one chance to be young and carefree. Gravity and metabolism will only cooperate for so many years. So before I hit 30, I want to both fully accept and celebrate my body, just the way it is. Sunbathing sans bikini top on a beach in Ibiza is not such a bad way to start, don't you think?

And it would be pretty cool to snap a photo during this moment (shot from the back in a most tasteful manner, of course) and many sunsets from now show it to a wide-eyed granddaughter.

"Is that you, lola?"
"Look at my mole."
"Oh, yeah!"

* a wink and a nod to all the Filipinos who grew up circa 80s *

A History Lesson on the NYRR New York Mini 10K

Little did I know when I signed up for the NYRR New York Mini 10K that I was joining an event with such an amazing history behind it. If like me, you're unaware of this race's history, then you're probably also wondering, "Why do they call it a mini 10K?" Running in a 10-kilometer race, after all, is no small feat.

Well let me tell you a little story. This race first took place in 1972, the year when women were finally allowed to officially enter the Boston Marathon. As late as 1967, marathons were still events solely for men. In fact, there's an infamous image of legendary runner Kathrine Switzer being chased by a race director during that year's Boston Marathon, in an attempt to tear off her number and forcibly remove her from the race. She had gotten into the race by signing up as "K.V. Switzer" but at mile 2, the race director spotted her. Her boyfriend, a burly hammer-thrower, was running alongside her and threw himself at the race director, allowing Kathrine to complete the race in 4 hours and 20 minutes.

By 1972, things were finally starting to change. So Nina Kuscsik, Kathrine Switzer, and New York City Marathon co-director Fred Lebow staged the very first all-women road race on June 3, 1972 in the Big Apple. The 6-mile race was dubbed the Crazylegs Mini Marathon after the sponsor, Crazylegs Shaving Gel, and the miniskirt, which was all the rage then. They've kept the "Mini" in the race's name throughout the years.

A few weeks after that first Mini Marathon in New York, President Nixon signed the landmark Title IX legislation, which mandated that, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance ... " What was meant to be an amendment focused on education turned out to have a massive impact on sports funding for women in high schools and universities. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Women's running has grown by leaps and bounds since that first Mini Marathon. Back in 1972, 78 women ran the Crazylegs Mini Marathon—and that was considered a large turn out. Last year, 4,291 women participated in the NYRR New York Mini 10K. On Saturday, my girl friends and I will join doubtless thousands more in filling some very big shoes.

I highly recommend reading this article from The New York Times written by Kathrine Switzer herself on how women's running has evolved since that fateful day that she dared to run the Boston Marathon. I had to blink back tears by the end of the article. It is truly inspiring.

Kathrine Switzer photographed by Ruth Orkin in Central Park during the 1974 New York Marathon

Swimming with Whale Sharks in Donsol on CNN

I have the biggest smile on my face after watching this CNN feature on how swimming with whale sharks has made the sleepy town of Donsol in the Philippines an eco-tourism hub. Where locals would've once slaughtered these gentle giants, they are now their caretakers, and their lives have improved drastically from the tourists drawn to the area. I'm even more excited to take the plunge after watching this!

Let's Start with Dessert

I did not learn how to turn on a stove until I was 22.

There, I said it.

It's not that I had something against cooking, in particular. I didn't know what to do with an iron, vacuum cleaner, washer or dryer either for the longest time. It took banishing myself to Stuttgart, Germany for 6 months for me to learn how to fend for myself. This lengthy period of ignorance (and ok, I'll be honest, bliss) is clearly not something to be proud of. What I am proud of is the fact that I learned and learned quickly. These days, I'm more than capable of providing myself with edible food, laundered clothes, and reasonably dust bunny-free digs. But I am still a far cry from Bree Van De Kamp.

What exactly am I getting at here? That ticking off #6: Master cooking up a gourmet 5-course meal is gonna be ... an interesting process. I can cook to a reasonable extent but you'd only call my cooking gourmet if you'd been hiking through the Appalachian Trail and subsisting on trail mix for 2 weeks.

Given my humble beginnings in the culinary world, I'm starting off this project with something I might actually pull off: dessert. I did actually learn to bake at a respectable age, and I've been known to put out a mean chocolate chocolate chip cookie (yes, I meant to type chocolate twice). And since chocolate has been such a cooperative baking buddy all these years, I've decided that the dessert for my 5-course gourmet meal should be ... *drumroll please*

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Molten Chocolate Magic.

Oh yes, I did. I just threw JGV at you. Impressed? The truth is, the real reason I picked this dessert is because  The New York Times' Suzanne Lenzer had this to say about it, "All I can say is that even when the lamb has been a bit rare or the chicken a tad overcooked, if I serve this dessert, no one remembers dinner. All they remember are these outwardly humble, internally voluptuous, utterly delicious chocolate cakes."

Yes, I'm a sneaky one. It's also supposed to be unbelievably easy to make. Check out the recipe here, if you want proof.

I've enlisted my friend Mitch, who is a talented pastry chef, to help me make utterly delicious chocolate cakes this Sunday at our lovely friend Bads' apartment. It's my first time to join one of their baking sessions, so I'm pretty excited! They've done macaroons and Momofuku's crack pie in the past, so I'm sure my dessert of choice will be a piece of cake for Mitch (pun intended).

Now to hunt down some Valrhona ...

Queens Half Marathon—Signed Up!

I must be going mental. I signed up for another half marathon, and this one's taking place in seven weeks. *big gulp*

It's just been tough for me to focus on running lately, and joining races forces me to make running a priority over, say, chasing sailors. The New York marathon is looming and I have got to start taking it much more seriously. No more weeks off, no more marathon drinking. Time to bear down and just run.

Next weekend, we run with the legends Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher at the New York Mini 10K. Both are running, not racing, the event because they are both pregnant! Despite this fact, I'm sure they'll leave me in a puff of smoke. 

For today, I'll start following the Fitness Magazine half marathon training plan to ensure I can at least make it to the finish line on July 24th. Wish me luck!

Been There, Loved That: Céline and Ibiza

Meeting Céline was a stroke of good karma for me. She and our friend Kim had come to the "suite" (and I use that word liberally) that I was staying at in the Alumni Hall at the Fashion Institute of Technology to check out another room. Up until then, I was staying in a large room meant for two. I could've kept this great room a secret but since they both had a cool vibe, I showed them this far superior space. And thus I scored one of the greatest roommates ever (Kim) and a truly wonderful friend for life (Céline)!

Céline and I have become great friends through the years, and I truly love and admire her for her fun-loving spirit, indomitable will, awe-inspiring drive, boundless charm, and genuinely kind heart. She helped me get through some rough times, and I will always love her for that. But now that the dark days have passed, we are having the time of our lives! She invited me to join her in what's sure to be an epic Ibiza summer trip this year, and I am beyond excited! Read the interview below and see why this Ibiza trip ranks #1 on my 30 Before 30 list.

Tell me about yourself: Where are you from, what do you do for work, what do you do for fun, and on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love life?

Where I am from? Well, it is a little complicated. A quick answer to that question would be that I am from Belgium. Now, if we have time for a drink and a little chat I will tell you that I have a Belgian nationality but that I was actually born and raised in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Long story. For work, I am currently spending my days at the hottest advertising agency in New York City and loving it. For fun, I catch up with my friends, I plan a trip as often as possible, take some time off to visit my family, eat delicious food, drink cocktails, and always try to discover a new place. 10 is the answer of course. I thrive on enthusiasm.

How long have you been going to Ibiza?

At the age of 16, my friends and I planned our first trip to Ibiza. I immediately fell in love with this island full of surprises, entertainment, and stunning scenery. Since then the tradition began and I rarely missed an occasion to return. This year will be my 11th year.

How has your Ibiza experience changed throughout the years?

My experience in Ibiza gets better every year. Not because of the activities, the clubs, and the beaches but mostly because throughout the years, my friends and I have learned the tricks, gotten into the selective places, and continued to discover activities and charming places.

What's your favorite Ibiza memory?

My favorite memories are the foam parties and our sailing trip to Formentera, a small neighboring island.

What's the craziest thing you've seen in Ibiza?

They are a lot of crazy things happening in Ibiza that I won’t describe. But the craziest thing I find about this island is that everyone is there for a good time.

Describe your typical day in Ibiza.

Let’s start with a typical night in Ibiza. It is about 9:00pm, we are all getting ready for dinner at the villa, we play games, and sip cocktails with the music blasting. Then it’s time to get ready, get your bling on, and get pumped for the night ahead. Take lots of pictures, play more games, more music, and then we are on our way to the city center. Walking next to the marina, looking for VIP tickets, having another drink, watching the parades, and around 3AM it is dancing time. Next thing we know, the sun is up when we are going home, the villa is quiet, the sun is vibrant, and we are all asleep for a few hours before we all meet at the pool and plan a trip to the beach. Then, again it’s time for dinner …

What are your favorite spots and things to do there?

Ibiza is an island that suits everyone for the simple reasons that you can have as much fun and debauchery as you want, then you can rest, wander in the old city, or bargain at the hippie market. And for that reason, I don’t have favorite spots. It all depends on the people you are with and what mood you are in.

In my case, I have to say that Can Piedra Azul, the villa we live in during our stay, is a place I cherish more than any other house I have grown up in.

What makes Ibiza different from every other place? 

What makes Ibiza a unique place, is that everyone is set for a good time.

Is there something special that you like about Ibiza that you think not many people know about?
I believe that most of the tourists who visit Ibiza for a week of madness do not realize that during off-season, the island is mostly populated with the nicest and most authentic people. Indeed, the Ibizencos are joyful, charming and sometimes a bit folkloric. From the supermarket owner to the old man sitting in front of the village church, there are plenty of inhabitants living a very simple life.

If I could only use 5 Spanish words/phrases for an entire day in Ibiza, what should they be? (because, let's be honest, it might get to that point)
"Hola guapo"
"espuma"
"uno mas"
"caliente"
"pan con jamon"

You've traveled pretty much everywhere. What are your 5 favorite spots in the world and why?

Ibiza for a fun and sunny time with my friends; Brussels because this is what I consider my home, Kinshasa because of old memories; New York because if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere; and Hong Kong because it’s the Asian hub full of opportunities.

Top 5 things you're glad you've already done:

I’m glad I have lived and travelled on several continents. I’m glad I have found friends on every corner of the planet that I can truly count on. I’m glad I have seen some of the most epic monuments in the world. I’m glad I have always made my family a priority and I’m glad that so far I have no regrets.

Top 5 things you still want to do:

I want to learn Chinese; take Tango classes; live somewhere in Asia; have my own horse; and start an MBA.

What makes you keep coming back to Ibiza?
I will leave this blank for you to answer when we are back from the island!

If this interview didn't whet your appetite for a week of bliss and debauchery in Ibiza, then I don't know what will! I am literally counting down the days til my plane takes off for this amazing island. Thank you for sharing your stories with us, Cél, and muchisimas gracias for taking me along on what's sure to be one heck of a ride!

Images  courtesy of Céline (1st and 2nd) and wippermann.net (3rd and 4th)

Sleep and Run

Oh the unassailable logic of waking up in running clothes ...

I was doing pretty well at running last week, putting in a few 6-milers every other day. And then Memorial Day weekend rolled around and I spent 4 lovely days sleeping in, tanning, and pigging out in the Adirondacks with my lovely friends Céline and Alida. By the time I got back into the city, my rhythm was shot and I could barely wake up on time for work in the morning, let alone for an early run. Last night, I decided I just simply had to get my rhythm back and do a morning run, no matter what. Unfortunately, my resolve is never as strong at 7AM as it is at 11PM, so I had to make it difficult for myself to flake out. So I slept wearing my sports bra, running shirt and shorts so that all I had left to put on in the morning were socks and shoes. It is an amazing tactic for getting your butt in gear. There's not much else you can do when you wake up already dressed to run.

In other news, the morning sun reflecting off the reservoir is starting to give me the beginnings of a serious tan. I have to stop running in t-shirts and start wearing sleeveless running tops, or else endure unsightly tan lines for the summer. Any suggestions on brands, websites or stores that I can hit up for cute tops that wick away sweat and are properly lined?