#also posting from my phone so the quality might be botched

[kerto-p]

“I’ll always be with you…”

[imaginesupply]

Homecoming - Chapter Three

(Gif's not my own.)

Summary: The day has arrived, Captain Syverson is going home. For good, this time. He is going home to a civilian life he can hardly remember and a wife he barely knows, with memories of the war still fresh on his mind. Love might not be able to heal everything on its own, but it’s a good start.

Genres: Romance, drama.

Story warnings: Smut (always fully consensual), mentions of PTSD and nightmares and mental health, angst, hurt and comfort, fluff, mentions of war (minor), mentions of cheating (minor), mentions of pregnancy (very minor), police appearance (very minor), violence (very minor).

Notes:

It’s my first time writing for one of Henry’s characters and I’m unsure I did Sy’s character any justice.

This is a Capt. Syverson x OFC (Ada) story, written in 3rd person POV but OFC’s physical description is very limited so it could also be read as Capt. Syverson x Reader, I think.

English is not my first language, so there might be some mistakes. Proofread, but not beta’ed. We die like men and all that.

Timeline is a little wacky: The movie takes place in 2003 and the U.S. forces were withdrawn from Iraq in 2011, but I never set a precise date because I don’t think it’s essential for this story. However, some elements might not be realistic because if we set this story in 2003: Phone cameras quality was not as good as it’s now, but for the purpose of the chapters, I will need you to imagine you could film great videos with your flip phone haha. Plus, it says Sy is coming back after being deployed for more than three years which makes no sense unless we set this in 2006 or later. I am asking you disregard any time inconsistencies.

Also: I am not American. I only lived in the US for six months and it was in the Midwest, not Texas so please bear with me if I write something stupid.

Finally: This will be a Christmas fic and I intend to post the last chapter (there will be seven in total) on or before Christmas. However, religion is never mentioned in this story and the Christmas-sy elements of this story are limited to family gathering, gift giving and tree decorating.

Chapter Three starts after the cut. (Chapter Two can be found here.) Let me know if you wish to be tagged in future chapters or if you wish to be removed from the tag list.

Chapter Three

Chapter warnings: Smut, alcohol consumption (moderate), mentions of contraception and of pregnancy.

I think that’s it, but this chapter killed my brain – it was very difficult to write and I feel like I botched it. There are various important moments in this chapter that I found very hard to translate from my brain into words. And the smut, oh my God, it’s so bad!

"You know, when you came to me all bossy and told me to lose my clothes, I had something a lot different in mind." Sy grumbled from the bed, where he was sat wearing nothing but boxer briefs.

Ada laughed and turned around, sticking out her tongue at him before going back to what she was doing, namely sorting through Sy's clothes in the walk-in closet. She slid a pair of jeans off its hangers and threw it at him without looking back. "I admit that I probably don't need as many clothes as I own, but you're definitely a minimalist."

Sy grunted noncommittally, he was not amused, but tried on the jeans all the same. They didn't fit, he couldn't pull them up past the thighs. "Hey darlin'," he called her, a hint of amusement audible in his voice.

She turned around at the pet name and then forced herself not to laugh at the sight in front of her. Sy had already been a burly man when they had met, but it seemed he had managed to gain even more muscle mass in the past few months, now looking like an absolute bear of a man. Ada grinned and tilted her head at the cardboard box at the end of the bed. "Put those in the donation pile."

"Yes, ma'am," Sy said, getting up and doing as asked.

Ada grabbed her small pencil and added another item to the list. "So, you need jeans, new boots, sweatshirts, t-shirts..." She went on, listing the items. What he needed was a whole new wardrobe and she was the woman for the mission.

Turning around, she found Sy rolling his eyes at her. "I ain't need no new t-shirts, woman. I got the black one, the red one and the khaki one."

Ada chuckled and approached him on the bed, coming to stand between his legs. It was unusual for her to be taller than him, and with him sitting on the bed and her standing up, she still didn't have that much of an advantage. With a grin, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead before pulling back to look into his eyes. Instinctively, almost an automatism, his hands found purchase on her hips.

"Last time you wore your red 'DILLIGAF' t-shirt, three separate kids stopped and asked you what the acronym stood for and you looked at me for help."

Sy held her gaze, not keen on losing the staring contest. Ada didn't want to relent but she didn't want to force him either, not after what had happened while grocery shopping. "It's okay if you really don't want to go, I won't for-"

Sy shook his head, silencing her before she could even finish. "Let's get this shopping over with. But I'm warning you: I'll be complaining the whole time."

For a moment, Ada pursed her lips, seemingly unconvinced but eventually her frown was replaced with a grin. "I would expect nothing else from you, grumpy bear," she teased before turning around, excited about the task at hand.

Sy left to get dressed but not before landing a playful smack on her ass.

°°°

It went just as Ada had imagined. Sy sat down on the sofa at the far end of the store, keeping everything in sight, and she would occasionally come up to him with suggestions. To an onlooker, they resembled a devout worshipper trying to make offerings to a very picky and very handsome god.

His replies to the items she presented to him went anywhere from 'no' to 'not a chance in hell', without forgetting the classic 'you lost your mind, darlin’'.

After visiting three stores and Ada trying to visually guess his size because Sy absolutely refused to try out any of the clothes, they had managed to get most of what he needed. It just turned out to be near recreations of the clothes he already owned, just bigger and newer. And with more child friendly texts.

They stopped for coffee by the center of the open-air mall. True to himself, Sy ordered just that - a coffee with 'none of the fancy shit'.

"You're sure you don't want to go to any of your stores?" Sy asked, watching her sip on her colorful drink.

Well, the idea was tempting but she already had more candles and blankets than necessary. And she knew he was uneasy even if he was hiding it well. "No, it's okay. I know you don't like shopping and I can just ask some friends if I really want to go." Sy hummed.

By the time Ada finished her season exclusive drink, she noticed Sy was staring at a shop window. She was almost excited that he was finally interested in buying clothes before noticing that it was some video game advertisement.

"You can buy the game, if you want. No need to stare," she teased.

He reverted his attention back to her. "It's only compatible with the new console that came out last month and that one's sold out." Ada started beaming as he spoke. "What?"

"Well... a few months ago, I came across the launch announcement on the Internet. And I had seen the old model in the study, so I knew you liked it and since you were coming home soon..."

Sy's eyes became even bluer for a moment, a huge grin threatening to illuminate his face. "Are you saying that...?"

Ada laughed, shaking her head. He looked like a kid on Christmas Day. "Yes. It's wrapped in gift paper in the basement under the utility sink."

"I love you, wife."

Again, she scoffed. "Yeah, yeah... Now let's go get you that damn game."

°°°

Later that day, or rather night, Sy wasn't even paying attention to the movie they, or rather, she was watching. He had gotten the gist of it - superheroes teaming up together to save the world - that sufficed him. His focus was entirely on his wife nested between his legs, her back resting against his chest.

When they got home from the mall and went to sort through his clothes and belongings, finally unpacking the rest of his duffel bag, Ada came across his dog tags. She asked if she could keep them. Sy frowned at the odd request but agreed nonetheless, shrugging dismissively.

Ada then proceeded to put the chain around her neck and slide the tags under her blouse. He had stared at her a little confused; she was smiling, looking all smug as if she had managed to trick him out of something valuable and not just two cheap metal tags hanging off an equally cheap chain.

"The fact that I get to have both your tags means I am very lucky to have gotten you back alive and in one piece. I don't want to ever forget that."

With his height advantage, even sitting behind her, Sy could see the chain disappearing under her pajamas and the tags resting in the valley of her breasts. Somehow, the sight made him feel even more possessive than the wedding band on her ring finger.

Things always had felt slightly uncertain with Ada, there had always been the shadow of a doubt in his mind when it came to her. They had gotten married on a whim and she knew he was a green beret, deployed most of the time. It's an entirely different thing to marry someone you get to see for a couple of weeks every once in a blue moon and to actually live, share a home with someone. When Sy had told her, he was coming home for good over the phone, he had half expected her to ask him for a divorce or to find himself alone at the airport. His face hadn't shown it, but when Ada put on the damn chain he had hated wearing in the goddamn desert where it would chafe his nape or get tangled in his chest hairs, Sy felt as happy as a sand boy.

She seemed honest when she said there was nothing going on with that Tom guy. Not that he could truly blame her if there was, even if it would have broken him. His parents had been married for over thirty-five years and his mom found a new boyfriend not even two years after his father's passing.

And yet, Ada was there, cuddling with him on the couch. She hadn't served him with divorce papers upon his arrival. Instead, they had spent the past few days pretty much glued together as they usually did when he was on leave.

Maybe it was time he started to believe that he had come home to his wife and she really wasn't going anywhere. Especially since she hadn't asked him to wear a condom ever since he got home and he hadn't seen her contraceptive pills on her nightstand either. Sy even checked the bathroom cabinet where he knew she kept some medication, but he didn't find anything there either. This morning, he had even considered asking her about it, but he figured that if she hadn't mentioned anything so far, it was because she wanted it to be a surprise and he didn't want to ruin it. Though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't going to be checking the same cabinet for pregnancy tests in the future.

"You good?" Ada asked as the film came to an end, tilting her head back but only getting a view of his beard. It made her smile, though. Sy really was her bear: big, strong and hairy.

"Yeah, I just," he stammered slightly as if waking up from his thoughts. "I was thinking we should probably change the stairs' railing into something safer before we have kids running up and down."

"Yep, that's not gonna happen," Ada chipped in, jumping off the couch before starting to fold the blanket.

"What?" Sy blurted out, turning all his attention to her. "The railing or the kids?"

"The kids," she replied nonchalantly, now laying the blanket in the basket by the sofa. "If you want to redo the stairs, that's fine. I think we could even paint them white."

In a second, Sy was up on his feet, his imposing stature crowding her. "What do you mean, that ain't happening? You don't want kids?"

Ada frowned, suddenly uncomfortable at his intense stare. "No.”

"Why did you never tell me?"

"Why did you assume kids were a given?" Ada retorted, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them. "I figured that if it was important to you, you'd have mentioned it sooner, at some point at least."

Sy had to fight the urge to yell at her, the feeling of betrayal and even anger overwhelming him. If he never spoke of it before, it was because he didn't want to have kids while he was deployed and miss their first years. Instead, he forced himself to calm down, taking a deep breath. "Is that a not now or a not ever?"

Ada looked away for a second, gathering her thoughts before moving her eyes back to him. "I got a new Mirena coil a couple of months ago, so I'm set for the next three years at least."

He had no idea what the fuck a 'Mirena coil' was supposed to be but it wasn't hard to figure out. Instinctively, his hand went to the back of head, raking through his short hair. "Just to be clear, Ada," Sy paused, his nostrils flaring, "you don't want children?"

It didn't even take her a second to start regretting her counter after it came out. "Do you?" She snapped back, the enunciation of the 'you' harsher than she had intended.

The effect was instant, her question giving him pause. Did he? Now reflecting on it, Sy realized he had never asked himself that question. It was just something that you did. First you got a house, then you found a wife and started a family. He had never thought about it as an option, just as the next step if he was lucky enough not to die in Iraq.

"I'm so sorry," Ada apologized, her tone alone expressing her regret. She took his hand, forcing him to look at her only to find her eyes glistening as she attempted not to cry. "I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't questioning your parenting skills. I know you'd make a fantastic father, Sy." Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath before opening them again, their corners wet with tears this time. "I just never saw myself having kids, but if it's something you really -"

"I ain't gonna force you to start a family with me," Sy rebuffed, offended at the very thought. The abruption of it even making Ada smile, if only briefly.

She shook her head quickly. "What I meant was that if you want to be a father, then I wish for you to become one. But... I won't be a part of that scenario."

"No." He said, dismissing the idea as soon as she voiced it, catching her hands in his and stilling them midair when she started gesticulating instead.

"No, this is important!" Ada protested. "I want you to be happy, Sy. And I won't stand in the way of your happiness. You deserve to live the life you want and if that includes a family -"

"No." Sy ordered, his tone final and resolute, silencing her instantly. He had never used this voice with her in the past, usually reserving it for the soldiers in his unit. "Stop with that ridiculous suggestion, woman." Ada blinked. It was obvious in her eyes that she wanted to argue but she didn't dare defy his hard stare.

Sy closed his eyes and swallowed, searching for the right words. "The choice between having kids with some other woman or getting to be with you, is a damn easy one. I'd rather we be a family of two than have children with some woman I could never love."

She was crying again, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. Had he said something wrong? Ada didn't let him wonder for too long, her hand fisting in his t-shirt to pull him down to her lips for a ravenous kiss, their teeth clicking together.

"You know," Ada breathed out against his lips once they parted for air. "It doesn't have to be just the two of us. I am partial to pets."

Later in bed, with his sleeping wife snoring softly and her head resting on his chest, Sy tried to process their conversation only to realize there wasn't much to process at all. It didn't feel that much like giving up on a dream, as it felt like defining the contours his future with Ada. All that mattered to him was that it was a future with the woman whose contagious laugh he had manifested in his mind time and time again to drown out the sound of gunfire and make it through. Children might have been a bonus, he wouldn’t deny that, but their absence was something he could live with. He couldn’t same the thing about Ada.

°°°

"Got your," Sy paused, frowning as he read off the label, entering the kitchen, "Willamette Valley Pinot noir. How many do you need?"

Ada looked away from the oven to find him carrying four bottles of her favorite wine. Did he think they were drunkheads? "Do you want for Tom to have to spend the night here because we're all over the legal alcohol limit and unable to drive?" She laughed.

Sy grimaced. "One bottle it is," he announced, making her laugh all the harder as he set down a single bottle on the table that was already set before casting away the other bottles in the pantry - where they did not, in fact, belong.

Just as was his habit, Sy sneaked up on his wife as she leaned over the kitchen counter, putting away the remaining ingredients and hugged her back to him with one arm. He then dipped a finger in the jar she had filled with leftover caramel and brought it to mouth.

She gasped at his manners. "You can't just stick your fingers in everything that's sweet and lick it off, Sy," Ada chided. She heard it as soon as the words left her mouth, but it was too late.

A deep laugh rumbled in his chest behind her. "Can't I?" Sy goaded her mockingly.

Ada took a deep breath. She knew where this was headed and they didn't have time. It was primordial her pie didn't overcook, and Tom would be there soon. "You know what I meant," she groaned, attempting to sound annoyed but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Do I?" He whispered against her ear, his beard tickling her skin and his warm breath making her shiver as he slid his hand under her skirt until he was cupping her damp sex over her panties. "Are you certain about that, darlin'?"

Her hands held on to the counter and her eyes closed as he started rubbing his hand along her folds over the fabric. He was also beginning to harden behind at an impressive rate. The temptation made her whimper. "We don't have time," Ada protested, even as her head fell back against him and she leaned into his touch, silently begging for more as she not-so innocently ground her ass on his crotch.

A swift glance at the clock on the wall told him all he needed to know. They had seven minutes. It would have to be enough, Sy decided. Time being of the essence, he was determined not to waste any.

“Open up your legs for your captain, darlin’,” he rasped, his nose nuzzling in the shallow of her neck, his hands already busy bunching up the soft fabric of her skirt around her waist.

“Sy,” Ada lightheartedly protested his eagerness. The idea was certainly enticing but they truly didn’t have time and she really needed to keep an eye on the pie. “We can’t-“

“I said, open your legs,” he repeated, gritting out the words as his foot snuck between her ankles, forcing her legs open himself. Sy barely had to apply any pressure, Ada complied instantly at his tone. There were very few situations in which she let him boss her around and this was one of them.

His hands brushed over her naked thighs, enjoying the way she shivered as he did so. Sliding his fingers higher up her inner legs, Sy expertly slid the scanty lace of her thong aside in order to access her clit. Ada keened under his touch, the rough skin of his finger pads slowly circling her already swollen nub. She couldn’t decide between pressing into his touch or attempting to pull away from it; it was both too little and too much all at once. “Already so wet and I’ve barely done anything to you,” he teased, hoping to sound less worked up than he was. Sy was set on keeping the upper hand. “Tell me, what is it that you want, darlin’?”

Ada whined as he removed his fingers from her core, his hands going to her hips instead and pulling her to him, letting her feel how hard he was for her. His wife reacted by rubbing her ass against him, determined to get what she wanted without having to voice it. “Sy,” she complained when he didn’t bite the bait, still grinding on him, surely getting his jeans wet with her slick.

“That’s not how it works, darlin’,” he chastised, going back to teasing her. His touch was ghostlike, too light to provide any real satisfaction and she groaned in frustration. “You have to ask for it like a good girl.”

He felt her body tense up against his as she tried chasing the friction of his fingers where she wanted them most, but Sy drew away before she could. “I swear to God I am going to make you regret-“

Smack. Ada gasped at the sharp spank on her ass, her body bending over the counter at the impact. Her ass was just too tempting in this position and Sy was running out of patience. “Ask like a good girl,” he ordered between gritted teeth, his hand descending to palm his crotch, hoping for some relief. Her little stunt was turning him on more than it should have.

“God, Sy, just fuck me already!” She sobbed, her legs rubbing together out of their own volition but her husband stayed put, rubbing his palm of his covered cock as he watched her. He wasn’t going to give up any time soon, she realized with a strangled sigh. “Please fuck me, captain,” she whispered, relenting.

Within a second, Sy was unbuckling his belt and pulling down his zipper. His cock was red, hard and throbbing impatiently. With time running out, Sy pushed himself into her without a warning. Ada whined at the stretch, gripping at the flour covered kitchen counter as one of his hands grabbed hold of her hips, the other moving to her breast. Then he started ploughing into her like there was no tomorrow.

Ada kept whimpering his name, but even she didn’t know what it was she was asking for. Her hips were digging into the cold stone and she knew there would be bruises come morning. He had barely started fucking her and she was already beginning to tense up with how worked up she was. “Are you gonna cum for me, darlin’?” Sy grunted, his jaw tense as her inner muscles clenched all around his cock. Ada nodded meekly, unable to speak. Just when he was starting to doubt he’d be able to hold off long enough for her to climax, Ada cried out, her tight walls milking him as she came. Sy exploded inside her with a strangled groan, slowly coming to a still inside her.

The doorbell rang. At seven o’clock on the dot.

"Fucking Brits and their punctuality!" Sy cursed, still panting before pulling away from her and tepidly leaving her warmth. Ada chuckled at his reaction, holding onto the counter for support for a few more seconds until she felt somewhat steady on her feet.

Sy tucked himself back into his pants and she adjusted her skirt over her thighs again before letting out a panicked squeak and turning around. Her front was covered in the flour she has spread on counter for the pie and the white handprint on her breast where he had held on to her was very visible on her black blouse. Sy couldn't keep himself from laughing. She looked great if you asked him, especially since Tom would be going to see just how well he took care of her. "I'll go get changed and you get the door!"

°°°

Sy’s eyes widened, positively surprised as he brought the first forkful of boeuf bourguignon to his mouth. The dish hadn’t appeared particularly appetizing on the plate, but it tasted so much better than it looked. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Ada glancing at him with an ‘I told you so’ smirk.

“I received a new shipment of books at the store today,” Tom told Ada in between bites. He owned a bookstore downtown, Sy had learnt. “There’s a new murder mystery I’m sure you’ll love.”

Ada stilled, a look of excitement washing over her face. “Is there… poison?”

Tom laughed. He had expected that question from her. “Ah, yes. And it’s set in the 1920s!”

Sy glanced from the one to the other, forcing himself not to sigh. Ada’s excitement was adorable, but Tom was grating on his nerves. All the conversation so far had been about novels they’d read recently.

“Please tell me that you saved me a copy.” Ada shrieked enthusiastically, prompting Tom to laugh before he suddenly producer a hardcover out of seemingly thin air. As if she was scared that he was only taunting her with it, Ada leaned over the table and snatched the book out of his hand, a smug look on her face before she started reading the back cover. Sy looked at her and chuckled, shaking his head fondly at her almost childish elation.

"So, where did you two meet?" Tom asked, shifting his attention to Sy. "Ada always told me that it was a story for another time."

Sy's grip tightened on his cutlery. Admittedly, the strong animosity toward the man had faded, but he was still not keen on making conversation with the man. "Here in Austin," Sy replied before going back to his food. Ada had to stifle a laugh at the face Tom made at the curt answer.

"I'll tell you," she offered, capturing Tom's attention. "I had just graduated with my Masters and managed to land a PhD position here in Austin. I was freshly debarked out of France and I was only to start to start mid January but I flew over in December already - wanting to fly with my own wings and all that." Tom chuckled as she gestured derisively with the story.

"Anyway, I hadn't found a flat yet, all my stuff was in a storage unit and I had the brilliant idea of going to Vegas. On my own. In a 1979 black Camaro rental."

Sy finally looked up from his plate. "It was from 1980 and it was dark gray, not black, darling’."

Ada found herself staring curiously at her husband as he interrupted her story before laughing. That's what it took to get him to talk?

"So, it was a 1979, dark gray Camaro,” Ada correctly herself. “Anyway, obviously it did not have a navigation system and I stopped at one of the few open bars open at 5pm on Christmas Eve, ordered a beer and tried making sense of the maps I found in the glovebox, making a list of the different exits and turns I would have to make.

"Sy was there drinking with some friends – loud friends, might I add. Well, I am struggling with the maps and he must notice because he approaches me at the counter, takes of his cap and asks me if I need help, in his southern drawl. Actually, no wait, his exact words were” Ada paused, clearing her voice. “’Need some help reading that map, darling?'" Tom laughed at her ridiculous attempt to imitate Sy’s baritone voice. To Ada's surprise, Sy blushed. It was barely visible beneath his beard, but it was there and it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"I looked down at the map she was studying and asked her if she was headed somewhere on the east coast. She then slowly looked at me and confidently told me she was going to Nevada, until I pointed out that she was highlighting the road that went East and her face burned up, all self-conscious." Sy recounted, now laughing as well and even Tom scoffed. " I said: ‘At this point, even a navigation system can’t help you, darlin’. You’d need an escort.”

Ada bit her lip, remembering that moment clearly in her mind. She had flushed, staring at the muscular man that towered next to her. He was burly and rugged and yet still exhaled a little softness behind it all. 'Well then, will you be my escort to Vegas? I am leaving tonight,' she had blurted out before she could stop herself.

"I cannot believe you drove from Austin to Las Vegas with a stranger, Ada!" Tom said teasingly, clearly surprised by his friend’s spontaneity and recklessness.

"Yes, I made him miss Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with his family, and the best part is that we got married the day we reached Vegas on New Year’s Eve.” They had stopped a few times along the way, visited some towns and she had only known Sy for seven days when we got hitched at the kitschiest chapel imaginable. “We had to hurry to get a marriage license before the courthouse closed and a half-naked dude officiated because everyone else was already booked.”

Sy chuckled, sitting back against his chair and wrapping his arm around Ada's shoulders possessively. "She made me wear my old uniform that lasted all of fifteen minutes and was presided by an officer dressed as a cherub." He gestured at the framed picture standing on the cupboard next to them.

They looked absolutely ridiculous. Sy's uniform made him look too serious next to a tipsy Ada who wore the only white dress she had been able to find on such short notice and that definitely hadn’t been meant for a wedding because it turned out to be partly see-through under the camera flashes.

Ada shared some more stories about Vegas before excusing herself to the bathroom, the conversation instantly dying out as she disappeared, leaving both men in an uncomfortable silence until Sy’s curiosity got to him.

"So, you and her...?" Sy left his question unfinished. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that he was asking, he just wanted to know all there was to know.

In front of him, Tom gracefully dabbed him mouth with the ivory napkin and shook his head, with a tight smile. "No, nothing of the sort," the Englishman replied dismissively before Sy's inquiring stare forced him to expound. "It's not that I didn't think of pursuing something more with her, but Ada made it very clear from the beginning that she was a married woman and a faithful wife."

Sy hummed noncommittally, though internally he was reassured and maybe even elated. Mike had really filled his head with shit. Deep down, he always knew his Ada wasn't like that, it just felt good to hear it.

"My wife, for whom I left England, passed away only two months before Ada and I met. I was going through a rough patch then - and that's a euphemism. Carla had been talking to me about watching a particular film ever since it had been announced, it was an adaptation of her favorite novel." Tom explained, a smile warming up his features. "When she died before it premiered, I wasn't even sure if I even wanted to watch it without her... But the tickets had already been purchased and part of me hoped that for two hours, it would feel like Carla was sitting right next to me."

Sy listened, feeling sympathetic, if not a little uncomfortable by the man’s openness. He still wanted to dislike Tom but at the same time he couldn't imagine the wreck he'd be if Ada were to die on him.

"The cinema was packed and to accommodate a large group, Ada asked whether I minded if she sat down next to me,” Tom paused briefly, smiling at the memory. “I think it was listening to her laugh, cry and eat popcorn next to me during the movie that gave me the strength to drive home instead of off a cliff that night."

Sy gulped down the rest of his wine, still not a fan of the taste as he faced the Englishman before him. Not that he would ever say it out loud, but if he had failed to make it alive out of that godforsaken desert, he had to concede Tom would not have been the worst for Ada.

Silence fell again and Sy became uncomfortable, deciding to pour Tom some more wine. “I am glad Ada and you were there for each other.” When I should’ve been there for her myself but wasn’t, Sy thought but left it unsaid.

Tom chuckled as he observed the burly man in front of him. For all his muscles and gruff exterior, he carried the slightest of insecurities when it came to his wife. "There's a thick silver notebook Ada has kept for a couple of years. Maybe you should have a look at it.”

Sy wanted to ask what he was talking about but was interrupted by the sound of Ada's high heels clicking on the wooden floor as she made her way back to them. "I hope you weren't talking ill of me behind my back," she teased, squeezing Sy's shoulder absentmindedly. "Now, who's ready for my slightly overcooked tarte tatin.” Ada eyed her husband pointedly.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS & STUDIES, late April 2019

Welcome to my latest summary of recent news & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & ecommerce! This covers articles I came across from April 9th to May 2, although some may be older than that. 

I am really interested in hearing what you think of this new format - please leave a comment below, or convo, Tweet or email me through my website. Let’s make this as useful as possible! 

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

US Amazon sellers were told via email that they will have to pay taxes on some Amazon fees, as Etsy has been doing with sellers in the EU and in Quebec. 

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In case you missed it, my review of Etsy’s Spring & Summer Trends Guide, including all of the keyword data (which you do need to check out, as they reveal some interesting search info). 

ETSY NEWS

Etsy published a new census/survey of sellers in its 6 core countries, and also did a summary (if you don’t want to read the whole thing). “More than nine out of ten Etsy sellers (91%) are the sole owner of their businesses.”... “The majority (82%) of Etsy sellers would like to grow their business, but more than three out of five would not want to grow so big that they would have to hire more help.”

The bugs & errors with financial statements and records continue; Etsy botched the VAT statements yet again, even overwriting them all the way back to 2016. No word on whether any sellers have notified EU authorities on this yet. 

New seller handbook article covers advertising; not much new or gripping, but it does discuss general ad approaches, not just Etsy’s. 

There is also a new free shipping tool, in case you didn’t realize that Etsy wants more sellers to offer free shipping more often. “When we talk to shoppers during research, many say things like “I want to feel like I’m getting a deal!” and “I would love to see free shipping across the board, even if it meant increased prices.” Offering free shipping can be a great way to give customers like these the shopping experience they are looking for.”

CEO Josh Silverman participated in The Wall Street Journal’s “In the Elevator” interview series [video link]. Every 90 seconds, an engagement ring or wedding ring sells on Etsy. He also talks about free & fast shipping not always being a reasonable expectation when shopping on Etsy, unlike Amazon. 

Speaking of free shipping, a limited number of US customers will be getting it from Etsy, with Etsy reimbursing sellers for the costs. Non-US sellers and buyers get nothing. 

Etsy’s 2019 1st quarter results will be available May 8.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Rand Fishkin released Part 5 of his Learn SEO in 1 Hour series: technical SEO [video & written transcript]. This is the one most of you can skip or just skim over, as it does talk a lot about coding.Some tips are important to everyone, however, like page linking/site structure (for websites), and having https set up. 

Part 6 covers link building, in 10 minutes. Remember, if you are going to put effort into getting links, do it for your website & not your Etsy shop or other marketplace page. If you are creating traffic, make sure you own it. 

Don’t forget looking beyond Google for your search engine traffic; this podcast [with written transcript] breaks down an approach to several of the biggest ones beyond Google. Spoiler: they only recommend worrying about the biggest, Bing, if you have around 1000 unique search visitors to your website per day. 

How to get keyword ideas from the Google search results: there’s a lot more available now, beyond the search bar suggestions. 

Google is asking local businesses if they would pay for their Google My Business listings. This possibility raises concerns about the impact on organic rankings. 

More SEO tips for Amazon, including discussion of the various factors involved.

If pages on your website aren’t indexed by Google, there are some steps you can take to fix them. (For websites only, not Etsy shops)

Advanced/semi-advanced content: Great tips on using bookmarklets in Chrome to get SEO things done quickly. (A lot of these involve tools that work best in the paid version, so I suspect most of us will not have much use for this, yet.)

Possible Google algorithm update last week. (I am seeing changes)

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails) 

Looking for new hashtags for your social media accounts? Try: https://www.tagshitter.com  (apologies for the name; that’s what they call it. It’s good, too! Just like its regular keyword research partner, http://keywordshitter.com/ ) 

Email subject lines [infographic] are crucial to top interaction with your newsletter etc. Includes Dos & Don’ts, plus the shockingly low open rates in most industries. 

Selling through social media directly is a great way to avoid people losing interest as they keep clicking. Note that this seems to work best with items under $50, though, which they suggest solutions to in the next part of the article.  

Despite all the scandals and negative media coverage, US social media use hasn’t really changed in the past few years. “A 2018 Center survey found that some Facebook users had recently taken steps to moderate their use of the site – such as deleting the Facebook app from their phone or taking a break from the platform for some time. But despite these findings and amid some high profile controversies, Facebook users as a whole are just as active on the site today as they were a year ago.”

Facebook scandal watch:  FB’s “stock price jumped after it said it expects to incur a fine of up to $5 billion from the Federal Trade Commission. And that’s all you really need to know about whether the historically large penalty matters to the company.”

Also:

they admitted to asking for your email password then importing all of your contacts. “...Facebook disclosed to Business Insider that 1.5 million people's contacts were collected this way and fed into Facebook's systems, where they were used to improve Facebook's ad targeting, build Facebook's web of social connections, and recommend friends to add.”

The Canadian Privacy Commissioner is taking FB to court over breaches of Canadian privacy law. 

But hey, it’s all fine, because they beat earnings expectations in the first quarter. 

70% of YouTube videos watched are recommended by its algorithm. “ The recommendations are fueled by the artificial-intelligence arm, Google Brain, of YouTube’s parent company. The machine-learning models help identify videos that aren’t exactly what you just watched, but similar enough that you might like them.“

Does directing people to the link in your Instagram bio really work? Testing says that it probably doesn’t work for most accounts, and more importantly, that Instagram may be limiting the algorithm visibility of posts that direct visitors to the link in your bio. 

Twitter has now limited the number of accounts you can follow in 1 day, to 400 down from 1000; this is intended to cut back on spammers. 

US Twitter users are better educated & better off than the average American.(Good article for target market considerations)

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS) 

Amazon is reducing/removing the ads for its own products, possibly due to increased complaints of unfair competition. “Amazon is now the third-largest digital advertising platform, behind Google and Facebook”, and could grow 50% this year alone, based on projections. 

Facebook retargeting tips. And everything you need to know about the Facebook pixel for tracking your ad performance. 

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING 

Some Google Analytics tips for websites - almost beginner level! 

The Google Search Console delays are nearly all fixed. 

Stats programs all give you different numbers, and that isn’t likely to improve. (This piece is semi-advanced; don’t bother with it if you aren’t a stats geek.)

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS 

eBay’s Spring Marketplace Updates include several back end changes and a fee increase for sellers who run afoul of eBay’s seller performance standards. 

Amazon sellers can buy so-called “black hat” services to beat its algorithms. These include tips from Amazon employees who are making money by reporting on Amazon’s inner workings. Amazon “also said it takes action against sellers who pay for internal information; penalties include terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action.” No doubt the company already has closed some of the loopholes discussed in the article.

Amazon also fires warehouse workers by algorithm, based on productivity. 

GoDaddy launches an ecommerce sharing tool that lets you list across multiple websites including your standalone. Current marketplace options include Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Jet & Walmart. They bought Sellbrite as part of this move. Quite a few different entities are releasing this type of service, so shop around if it is something you are interested in. 

eBay released their 1st quarter 2019 results on April 23. Total sales were down 4% from 2018 (they were close to even when currency fluctuations were accounted for), but eBay’s own income from seller fees was up. “eBay reduced their marketing by a significant amount where their cash was being used to effectively subsidise the sales of high value items. Put simply, eBay have been buying sales and now they’ve stopped and this has seen a reduction in high ticket items being sold in comparison to sales of lower value items.” Easter being later this year may have slowed ecommerce growth overall in the quarter. 

...but Amazon reported record revenue, up 16.9% over 2018. Despite that, analysts note that growth is slowing, & that Amazon’s own projections for the second quarter are lower than many predicted. “Amazon’s CFO Brian Olsavsky said during the call with analysts that part of the lower guidance is due to an $800 million investment in making free one-day delivery shipping the default for Prime members.” - if you thought buyers wanted stuff yesterday already, wait til this becomes the norm ... I mean, Walmart & Target stocks fell after the announcement. Walmart is already hinting at offering the same. 

You can return your Amazon purchases at Kohl’s in the US, starting everywhere in July. Ease of returns is going to be a bigger battleground in the next few years, as retailers continue to increase free & speedy shipping options. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

Generation Z will be making 40% of US retail purchases by next year; they are going to change a lot about selling. “ Fair trade products, ethical business practices, and a strong mission statement have never been more essential. Vend reports, “Research has shown that this particular generation cares about various environmental issues (76% are concerned about humanity’s impact on the planet) as well as social causes such as racial, gender, and income inequality.” [Gen Z come after millennials, and are currently more numerous than millennials or boomers.] 

Millennials & Gen Z are big gift card buyers in the US - over 1/3 buy a card every 3 months. 

Brick & mortar stores & malls are using your phone location data (location analytics) to make marketing and product decisions. “Every company interviewed for this story said it chooses not to use information that could identify individuals. But for the most part they’re on an honor system because rules governing data remain relatively lax.” This surprised me: “To glean details, including an individual’s age, income, ethnicity, education level, number of children and more, firms connect the phone’s evening location with U.S. Census data”

MISCELLANEOUS 

US copyright law: the USSC rules that your copyright registration must be finished/approved before you can sue an infringer in federal court.  

If you hate Gmail’s current layout, you will love this Chrome extension. 

And if you use Google Sheets fairly often, you will likely learn something useful from these tips. 

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, missed industry revenue expectations in the first quarter of 2019. 

[theseadagiodays]

May 19, 2020

The Art of Upcycling 

In 1995, as the culmination of my doctoral work, I’d planned a fairly complex graduate recital of duets with artists from four different mediums (dance, poetry, film, & painting).  But, when nearly all of my collaborators fell through, just 6 weeks before the performance, my mentor told me a Duke Ellington story that has informed my resiliency ever since.  Apparently, Duke was coaching an emerging conductor as he led a big band with limited instrumentalists.  When his mentee asked, “How am I supposed to conduct this song with only one sax, two trumpets, a bass, no drums and no trombones?” Duke replied, “You gotta work with what you got!”.  Whether we like it or not, Covid has asked many of us to “make do” with less than the usual resources available to us.  Botched DIY haircuts and suffocating, Mcguyvered facemasks have been a few low points in our upcycling attempts.  

But there have been many more examples of highly inventive, and even elegant solutions that have emerged.   In fact, the expansiveness of the creativity that is currently happening is in direct inverse proportion to the limiting constraints of our present circumstances.

The industry that has perhaps most inventively and profitably capitalized on the current DIY trend is the upcycled fashion world.  Businesses like Depop, which sell primarily upcycled or reconstructed clothes online, have seen a 65% increase in sales since March. Some highlights from their site include Manchester artist, Sam Nowell’s trench coats made from discarded bar towels (pictured above): https://www.instagram.com/samnowellstudios/; and New Mexico seamstress, Jeremy Salazar’s handpainted ski overalls (below): https://www.depop.com/happyxloco/.

My friend Katya’s very stylish daughters, Vanessa and Natalia, have got in on the action, too, with their repurposed bedsheet Met Gala ballgowns.

I’ve always been a huge fan of repurposed art projects like these. And, as a lifelong environmentalist and musician, I’ve found ways to intersect my passions in some of our own upcycling projects.  Below, is an interactive music wall that Instruments of Change built out of trash in 2017.

Street Beats, a pop-up installation on the Arbutus Greenway, funded by VIVA Vancouver 

I must confess that this project would not have been possible without the impressive skills of composer/construction expert, Paul Snider, since all the handy genes in my family went to my brother instead of me.

My industrious brother, Gregg, and the identical dog yurt that he built for his pet Cauli, during quarantine, to match his Catskills home which he also renovated entirely on his own

However, my lack of fix-it skills does not stop me from being constantly inspired by websites like this (https://www.nixxitjunk.com/post/25-ideas-to-revive-your-junk-and-keep-you-inspired-during-quarantine), because it allows even those of us who don’t know the difference between a nut and a bolt to manage their basic instructions.  So, if you’re wondering what to do with that build-up of wine corks, coke bottles, or unread books you’ve accumulated while stuck at home, this article has tons of upcycled ideas to sort through.

May 20, 2020

Homegrown Goodness

Textiles and furniture have not been the only mediums repurposed during Covid.  This period has also seen a huge resurgence in urban gardening, using many upcycled approaches.  Maybe this is because the current rules, restricting human touch, have us all hungry to work with our hands. Not to mention the fact that gardening provides a more autonomous alternative to feeding ourselves, while we all try to limit our trips to the grocery store.  Consequently, apartment dwellers with little more than an asphalt parking spot for land, have found ways to plant flowers, grow vegetables and keep bees.  

This follows a pattern that emerged during former social crises, seen in the Victory Gardens that cropped up all over North America, after both World Wars.  

So, if you’re eager to farm in your own backyard, here’s another great site with “harvest at home” tips ranging from DIY bee hotels (above) to upcycled jean planters (below).

https://seedpillproject.wordpress.com

May 21, 2020

Private Serenades

“When all you want is pancakes but you just get eggs.”   That was the first line of a song I collaboratively wrote with one of our Lullaby Project participants a few years ago.  In the lyrics of the chorus, the self-comforting strategy for life’s disappointing moments, which this mom shared with her children, has really helped me in the past few months.  “Let it out, move right on, let it go.”  

So, in an effort to relinquish any less-than feelings I’ve experienced during our “distanced” reality, the first step has been to voice them.  And for me, what needs to be cleared right now is my complicated relationship with the new member of our household.  His name starts with a letter near the end of the alphabet.  And while Geoff, as someone with a fairly common name, has always secretly wished for a pseudonym that could start with X, it’s not Xenon, his alter ego, that I’m referring to.  It’s Zoom.  I imagine most of you know him well by now, too.

Of course, I appreciate the facile way in which he has allowed me to connect with people near and far.  I have been continually surprised about the ways in which he has facilitated creative collaboration, beyond my wildest expectations.  I’ve been tickled by the novelty of the intercontinental cocktail hours and birthday parties he’s invited me to.  And I’ve taken full advantage of his livestream capacity to bring world-class performers right into my living room.  But, I must confess, I am an analog girl.  Pre-Covid, I probably attended 2 live art events a week.  My TV-viewing time amounted to little more than 30 minutes per day.  I’ve never used an e-reader and purchase a few paperbacks a month, because something about the printed page in my hand truly does bring the words more to life for me.  And I held out until a few years ago to get a cell phone, because a face-to-face coffee with a friend always appealed far more than a text.   So, some of these Zoom experiences have left me sadly cold.  It’s hard to admit this, because I’ve earnestly tried to mine the internet for artful experiences that could soothe myself and others during this time.  And it is certainly true that I have been moved, at times, by many generous offerings of music or dance or theatre - even once brought to tears. But, at least for me, the intangible quality that flesh and bones performance brings has just been undeniably absent.  This many not be the case for people who were already far more accustomed to digital forms of entertainment.  But, if I’m to be completely honest, rarely have I felt the hair stand up on my arms or goosebumps shiver up my spine the way live performance so often elicits.   And denial has never worked for me.  So, I guess now that I’ve “let it out”, I can “move right on”.  To a place of dreaming about what else might be possible within our current constraints.  And luckily, in full Duke Ellington style, many artists are already “working with what they’ve got” by responding to this quandary in very imaginative ways.

Flutist, Stephanie Winker playing for Annika Fink at the Stuttgart Airport

Fusing two professional domains that have been highly impacted by Covid, some clever Stuttgart musicians have been “upcycling” the Covid concert experience by offering live performances at airport gates, in the most intimate way imaginable.  Solo artists have been giving private classical concerts to lucky Facebook raffle winners, as documented in this article, below.   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/arts/music/stuttgart-airport-coronavirus-concert.html?fbclid=IwAR0yU8hDeHQXTY4JBCA96cU24CC3N2qyIPWdkmR6JdDQ4YY8BvkvCso_OtQ

For me, the universal striving that this sublime Bach Sonata expresses usually conjures quiet stirrings in my belly.  So, while I listen in this compromised digital format, to a tinnier version of what I know is this beautiful player’s fully-bodied tone resonating through the cavernous chamber of the airport, I can at least try to live vicariously through her audience-of-one who I imagine must be completely titillated by such a deeply personal and embodied experience of the music.   I can also take solace from the fact that safe alternatives like these, and others, will slowly begin to emerge as we hopefully enter the next phase of increased, though still socially-distant connections to art and to one another.

May 22, 2020

No Words

I have always loved to laugh.  But humor has recently become a palpable need.  Particulary at the end of the day or the week.  Latenight heroes like Colbert and Trevor Noah have become essential elixirs for me.  And even as a voracious reader, I’ve increasingly foregone my nightly reading habit, for an extra dose of their wit.  

We all need to be gentler with ourselves right now.  And we all need to feed ourselves what we can.  So, I just have to share this video, because everyone I know who has seen it finds it the next best medicine to a Covid vaccine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f7OwFqTnco

[ocpdzim]

overall my vacation went pretty well during the time I was fronting (which t b h  wasnt a whole lot  lmao)  with the exception of a few Big Panics In Front Of Everyone which are what happens when I am not able to have my Nightly MiniBreakdown and vent online at night lol

the worst one was a Total Fucking Meltdown at a pizza restaurant in Austin because they brought me a DIRTY PLATE and a DIRTY NAPKIN and while I was trying to calm down from that whole mess they brought me a calzone with HERBS in it when I had clearly said like 8 times that I wanted only cheese in my calzone and nothing else and I started sobbing and repeatedly apologizing to the waitress for sobbing and for being unclear (I was not unclear. i was very clear about what i wanted to not be in my calzone. but I didnt want her to feel bad about botching the order especially since she might’ve got it right and the cook got it wrong?) and was forcibly removed from the restaurant premises by my dad and made to ~take a walk to calm down~ which did not work and just made me fucking ANGRY. After like an HOUR though they replaced the Nasty Herb Calzone with a new calzone with no herbs in it, and the replacement calzone was very good and also the first calzone I have ever had, so I tried a new food and liked it, which is a big deal. Calzones for the record for those of you who havent heard of them (I dont know how common they are? I had only ever seen them in we bare bears. so sorry if they are common and you all know what they are already) are like a really fucking big pizza pocket but better quality (cheese pizza pockets are fine but calzones are better) 

but after that whole mess I had a good day!!! we passed a plant market and I saw a plant I want to know what it was. I have pictures I’ll send to my laptop and post later after I charge my phone to see if any of y’all know what the fuck kinda plant it is. I want one but we couldnt take it home from Texas in the car because it had BIG FUCKING SPIKES and my parents were worried it might fall and stab someone which is also why I want one it was so cool looking

[jorgethomasus]

What to expect from Fake Family Emergency Excuse Papers?

Sometimes, we all meet with an emergency that just can’t be neglected and you have to miss work. Tragically, attempting to disclose to your manager the reason behind your non-appearance may be troublesome. Once in a while, you want to spend some “ME” time with yourself alone because you are too much fed-up with work. This is likewise one of the circumstances that is difficult to disclose to your boss. So, what you should do in such a situation? Simple, if you can not tell the truth, tell the lie.

There are many ways to take the days off from work. One of the best excuses is family emergency issues that you can utilize in order to take the time off.

A Family Emergency Excuse Can Give You the Time Off

Ordinarily, a family emergency is something that happens instantly and influences the well-being or security of your relatives, for example, your siblings, parents, kids, or life partner. Normal family emergencies can incorporate car accidents, wiped out kids, or a passing in the family. Here the few family emergencies that can give you the desired time-off:

The demise of a relative: Employers generally cooperates when a friend or family member passes away and won’t give you a hard time about taking some time off for mourning. But, it is vital to tell your manager why you require time off and how much time you require before coming back to work. The leave policy of your employer will determine how much time off is justified for a family passing in view of the connection between the employee and the expired.

Wiped out children: Similarly, you may need to take the day away from work to take care of a wiped out kid who needs to remain home from school. While most managers commonly understands in this circumstance, a few businesses may give you trouble.

Car accident: Car crashes are another basic purpose behind missing work and can qualify as a family emergency in specific situations. On the off chance that a friend or a family member is included in a serious accident and endures serious wounds, then you might have the capacity to require some time off from work to take care of that person.

Furthermore, if a ward, (for example, your tyke or mom) is included in a car crash then businesses will usually permit you to leave work keeping in mind the end goal to help deal with the circumstance.

Wiped out parent: As we grew up, our responsibilities increases. We need to deal with our wiped out guardians, yet managers sometimes don’t comprehend this thing. What’s more, they may oblige you to go to the workplace despite your circumstance.

While many individuals miss work for genuine family crises, there is likewise an inclination to utilize family emergencies as a reason to get unscheduled time off. Numerous employers are given phony crisis excuses so frequently that they start to end up noticeably suspicious of missed work days and may require some unquestionable evidence with regards to the way of your emergency. So, while using the one you have to be prepared with the legit proof of excuse you use. Always be prepared to give whatever data your boss needs to legitimize your leave from work. This will help secure your employment and guarantee your supervisor you are not exploiting your position.

Not so Good Family Emergency Excuses

We, as a whole, have been there. It’s a great day and you simply would prefer not to go to the workplace. At long last, after an excessive amount of vibes, you choose to call in sick and after that spent whatever remains of the day watching your most loved TV show, healthy and well. Calling in sick is a great way to maintain a strategic distance from work. And this is because we can give you a proof of your fake illness i.e. a specialist’s letter saying that you were ill. But here are some not at all great excuses:

My Feline Stalled out on the Side of the Bath Tub.

Try not to tell your manager that you would be late to work in light of the fact that your dog stalled out in the side of the bathtub and you have to sit tight for the fire officer to get him out. I wager he won’t trust you by any stretch of the imagination.

My Shoes Are Lost. So I Will Not Be Able to Attend Work.

You may experience difficulty making it starting with one paycheck, then onto the next yet in the event that you just have one sets of shoes, you ought to re-assess your financial plan.

Today Is My Interview. So I Will Be Absent.

Really? Do you really think your boss will give you time off this way? Maybe he gives. But, it’s not good for your overall reputation to use such excuses.

I Am Not in Mood.

Don’t just say that you don’t have the mood to do work. It will also harm your reputation in the office.

My Dog Is Stressed.

We, as a whole love our pets yet this one is not going to fly – notwithstanding for the person who really attempted to escape with this one.

I Will Not Be Able to Attend Work Today Because I Fell and Broke My Leg.

This is impeccably worthy – only if you really broke your leg. In the event that you faked it, don’t forget you have to come to the work the next day. And a broken leg does not recover in a single day. So, be careful.

On the off chance that you plan to take a day off from work, help yourself out and pre-arrange the day with approval from your manager. In the event that you plan to call off with an excuse, simply don’t utilize one of these reasons. You will regret over it. However, you can call in sick and arrange a bogus doctor’s letter to prove your fake illness real.

What Can Serve as a Proof?

A business may require an employee to give evidence of the conditions because of which he or she is qualified for a personal emergency leave. What will be sensible in the conditions will rely on upon the majority of the certainties of any given circumstance, for example, the span of the leave, regardless of whether there is an example of nonattendances, whether any proof is accessible, and the cost of the evidence.

If an employee was away because of personal illness, injury or medical emergency, medical notes can serve as a proof. If the situations are such that it is sensible for the employer to require the employee to provide a doctor’s form, the boss can ask only for the following information:

The length or expected duration of the nonappearance.

The date the worker was seen by a specialist or doctor.

Whether the patient was analysed face to face by the doctor issuing the testament.

As per HIPAA laws, managers are not permitted to require data about the analysis or treatment of the medical state of the employee.

What are Emergency Room Discharge Papers?

At the point when an individual gets sick, he/she gets admitted to the doctor’s clinic. Subsequent to accepting treatment, an individual will get release documentation from the clinic. The purpose behind these papers is to demonstrate that the individual went by the healing center and got treatment. In any case, these papers likewise give money related data, which may incorporate the insurance utilized and benefits rendered. In the event that you need to take over five days off, you can utilize fake emergency room release papers.

There are a couple of sites on the internet that gives phony hospital discharge papers that are printable and extremely like the real ones. If you want such a note just visit BestFakeDoctorsNotes.net.

A Few Tips to Use Hospital Emergency Room Papers

Select a quality template: Quality is an absolute necessity here as supervisors can recognize a fraud template from a mile away. Never utilize a ‘pre-made’ fake therapeutic note with the name of the specialist effectively topped off. This kind is not solid and doesn’t confront the least difficult check. On the off chance that you attempt to miss work with a shape this way, you may get caught and even face a few charges.

Be confident about your story: Even if it is true that you are telling a fake story, don’t show it. Tell your story with full confidence. Try not to stammer. In the event that you do as such your supervisor will come to realize that you are telling a lie.

Utilize the real information: Even if the note itself is fake, the name of the specialist must be genuine. Medicinal experts must be authorized, so their names are accessible through numerous databases. The HIPAA protection laws imply that your boss can’t confirm whether you really were in the healing centre, yet they can check whether the specialist is genuine or fake.

Keep in mind all the details: While we overall understand that it is basic to check for botches, try to check the phone number on your letter to guarantee that it really leads back to an office voice message. Doing this will empower you to have those genuine sentiments of peacefulness you require when you are giving it over to your supervisor. Alongside the contact number, additionally check and remember every one of the subtle elements said about it.

Go Ahead and Get Your Escape Card

Every one of us needs some spare time or you can say escape card from work, and there is not something to be embarrassed about in the event that you utilize a phony specialist template to pardon your nonattendance. Actually, this sort of layout can help you increment your profitability at work, since you will feel accused of positive vitality when you return following a couple free days of rest. So essentially, don’t think excessively. Just go ahead and get your escape card. For a phony specialist’s document look here.

from BestFakeDoctorsNotes.net https://www.bestfakedoctorsnotes.net/emergency-room-hospital/ from Best Fake Doctors Notes https://bestfakedoctorsnotes.tumblr.com/post/161090223151

[bltngames]

Gut Check: Sonic Central 2021

When Sega announced Sonic Mania, there was an undeniable electricity. A moment of, "wait, WHAT?!" upon seeing who was working on that game and what it looked like. With the way it builds up and then unveils itself, it was the perfect reveal. I'll admit, as a Sonic fan, it even made me a little misty-eyed. We did it. They did it. I may have my complaints about Sonic Mania now that it's out, but those are weird, personal complaints that I still haven't entirely, accurately unpacked. If someone told me Sonic Mania was their favorite Sonic game ever, I would smile and nod, and think, "yeah, it was kind of amazing they pulled that off." And then I'd think of that reveal again, and the impact it had, and how the music swells at just the right points. The hearts of many Sonic fans soared that day.

I cannot say the same for the Sonic Central 2021 announcement stream. And to tell the truth, this isn’t an article I really wanted to write (though some of that is because I had immediate knee-jerk reactions over on my personal blog).

Look, I get it. There was a pandemic last year. It's still a pandemic right now, actually. Things were weird and will continue to be weird for at least another year, possibly even two or three, as the effects of covid on the work place environment continue to ripple outwards. But the thing is, this isn't my first rodeo, and it's not Sega's first time botching something like this. Five years ago, it was Sonic's 25th anniversary (the fun number everyone treats as a real serious milestone) and while that live event was where the magical Sonic Mania reveal took place, there’s plenty of clips of how awkward and bizarre the rest of that event was. Some of the misplaced hype for this 30th Anniversary can be blamed on a hungry fandom who was getting punchy without any news, but this is also the company that gave us Sonic 2006 as part of Sonic’s 15th anniversary celebration, you know? There’s almost a precedent being set here, where Sega talks a big game only to trip and spill their chili all over the carpet.

So what do we have, then? Beyond the brilliantly deranged idea of putting Mascot Suit Sonic in to several games and hiding a port of Sonic the Fighters inside of a different, $70 game, Sonic Central really revolved around three major announcements: Sonic Colors Ultimate Edition, Sonic Origins Collection, and a mysterious teaser that almost instantly stopped being mysterious once it was discovered how little Sega did to protect its secret.

Sonic Colors Ultimate Edition was definitely one of Sega’s worse kept secrets. It had leaked from multiple sources weeks ahead of the announcement, and managed to make a pretty underwhelming display on stream. The issue was something common with remasters of this type -- it’s something I guess we could call “The George Lucas Effect,” where needlessly twiddling with an already-finished product slowly makes it worse. We’ve seen this before -- the lighting in “Batman: Return to Arkham” looks noticeably worse than the original Arkham Asylum trilogy, and “Mass Effect Legendary Edition” boasts improved skin rendering and higher resolution textures that just make those games look more inhuman.

For a big release like this from a major publisher, deadlines must be met, which means there’s little time to delicately repaint textures or make sure lighting looks totally correct. Still, more often than not, preserving the original visual identity of a game is more important than whatever clumsy touch-ups most publishers put these games through. For Colors Ultimate, this manifested in significantly darker lighting and lower quality lightbloom, dramatically impacting the mood of some levels.

In the days since the Sonic Central stream, evidence has mounted that the trailer shown during the stream featured an older build than anticipated. Better looking screenshots of a more recent build surfaced from Famitsu, and a technical artist working on the game revealed short video clips through an ArtStation account that made the game look a bit more accurate to how it originally appeared in 2010 (that Artstation post has now been removed). Though, if we’re being honest, whatever style of lightbloom they’re using still makes the game look pretty washed out. Hopefully that’s still being tweaked.

What’s most curious is how much they’re actually changing about Sonic Colors. The more we learn the less it sounds like a port and more like a complete recoding of the game using Godot, an open source game engine similar to Unity. Promised features include not only enhanced framerates and “improved controls” (whatever that means), but even a rudimentary cosmetics system, with Sonic being able to wear different shoes and gloves. Other additions include the ability to race against Metal Sonic, and a restructured lives system, where Tails rescues you from bottomless pits. It’s a far cry from the days of Taxman and Stealth’s Retro Engine remakes of Sonic 1 and 2 for mobile phones, where it was said that Sega rejected simple bonus features like a boss rush mode because they’d rather “preserve the original experience.” For Sonic Colors Ultimate Edition, it appears they’re going hog wild changing and adding new things.

On the subject of Retro Engine remakes of classic Sonic games, we have the Sonic Origins Collection. It’s not really known if these are the same "Retro Engine" versions made popular on phones and tablets, but they have confirmed that all five games will be in 16:9 wide screen and have additional bonus features. That certainly sounds like Retro Engine to me, but we’ll need to wait and see. The Retro Engine versions had a lot of little nips and tucks that made those games even better than they originally were, so it would be great to have those specific versions on a proper console at long last.

The big shocker here is the inclusion of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. In recent years, Sega has avoided even referencing Sonic 3 in anything -- it was missing in action from the console versions of the Genesis Classics Collection, Sega rejected a Taxman and Stealth Retro Engine remake, it was missing from the Genesis Mini, and Sega even seemed adverse to referencing Sonic 3 in casual conversation. The example I always use is the ���Sega Tower Mini”, a fake accessory for the Genesis Mini that included a miniaturized Sega CD, 32X, and a fake cartridge of Sonic & Knuckles. But, instead of locking on to a Sonic 3 cart, the Sega Tower Mini came with a Sonic 1 cartridge instead. There almost seemed to be an agenda to bury its existence.

That has changed over the last few months, as Sega’s social media accounts have begun hinting at Sonic 3 in things like wallpapers and character profiles. Now that we know the game is finally coming back for real, we’re faced with a question: what of the music? Depending on who at Sega you ask and when, there have been opposing claims that Michael Jackson both was and was not involved in composing some of the game’s soundtrack. As I mentioned in my video a couple years ago, it sounded like there was some legal trouble, as Jackson collaborators Scirocco Jones and Bobby Brooks were claiming Sega owed them unpaid royalties for their very real, credited work on Sonic 3. Has Sega finally made peace with those two? Or have the offending music tracks been replaced, now that an alternate, prototype version of the Sonic 3 soundtrack has been recovered? Only time will tell, I suppose.

It’s exciting to think that this may mean the Retro Engine versions could finally be seeing a home console release, but it’s hard to ignore what a mess this will look like on the consumer end, given just how often some of these games have been re-released in the last few years. For Nintendo Switch owners, it’ll be possible to buy Sonic 1 and 2 as part of the Sega Ages collection, as part of the Genesis Classics Collection, and now as part of this new Sonic Origins collection. And each of those versions will have been produced independently of each other, with different features and extras. Sega Ages Sonic 2 features the drop dash from Sonic Mania and a special ring challenge mode, whereas the Genesis Classics version of Sonic 2 has emulator rewinds and a mirror mode. Sega has always leaned on re-releases of old Sonic games, but never has the market been this over-saturated.

Which lastly brings us to the stream's "One More Thing" reveal -- a cryptic video of Sonic running through a forest followed by some glyphs. Sega's always been a fan of mysterious promotions for Sonic games, dating all the way back to 2000's reveal of Sonic Adventure 2, where they spent months teasing the identity of Shadow the Hedgehog and his role in the game. The teaser shown during Sonic Central was so lacking in context and content that I honestly found it difficult to care. In order to set up a mystery, you should probably actually, like... tease something mysterious, right? There wasn’t enough here to grab on to.

You also have to consider the fact that, after the poor reception to games like Sonic Lost World and Sonic Forces, Sega doesn't have much goodwill to cash in on cryptic hints these days. It's not a good time to be shy about what the next Sonic game is going to be.

Graciously, the mystery didn't last long. The community ended up getting their hands on the source-quality version of the teaser given to the press, and noticed the file's embedded project header mentioned it was for something called "Rangers." That same day, Sega accidentally referred to a "Sonic Rangers" in a press release that was later scrubbed of that detail. This name was quickly cross-referenced with imageboard posts made last year from people who were apparently in a focus group test for a game called "Sonic Rangers." When the posts were originally made there was no reason to believe they were legitimate, but combined with the newfound context of Sega confirming the name, it began to paint a picture of the game that just might be true.

Going by the alleged focus group posts -- one in August of last year, and another in January of this year -- Sonic Rangers is an open world game where players run around a semi-realistic fantasy setting, completing puzzles and doing rudimentary quests. A new ability was talked about named "SpinCycle," where Sonic runs loops around enemies, sounding similar to the "paraloop" ability from Sonic Team’s NiGHTS: Into Dreams for the Sega Saturn. After completing puzzles in the open world, players can enter portals to "cyberspace" levels, which were described as being the most similar to levels from Sonic Generations. Completing a cyberspace level earned you a Chaos Emerald, and after collecting all seven, a boss could be faced: a massive titan the player had to fight as Super Sonic. Both focus group posts implied they understood this was only a small piece to demonstrate the mechanics.

For many years, I was against the idea of an open world Sonic game. There was definitely a fad during the PS2 and Xbox 360 eras where developers were trying to make all games open world. Racing games, platformers, sports games like Tony Hawk, it didn't matter. Everyone was trying to copy Grand Theft Auto's success, whether it made sense or not. This led to a lot of boring, forgettable open world games -- like Total Overdose, or State of Emergency. Whenever the community would bring up the possibility of an open world Sonic game, it felt more like cashing in on that fad rather than a desire to have a good game.

But as the dust settled on the open world gold rush and developers figured out what worked and what didn't, I began to have a change of heart. Sonic games generally have problems with repetition. Usually, there's a resource or some other collectable that must be gathered before you can unlock the next level, and that means replaying levels you've already finished multiple times. I've been developing a theory about this: in addition to padding the clock out in order to make the games longer, I think they're also trying to coax the player to replay levels for faster times or perfecting scores, because I'd argue that’s where most of the real fun is in Modern Sonic games. But not everybody is always into that, and depending on how it's presented, it can feel like tedious busy work.

Racing games eventually figured this out. Whereas before, racing games had discrete time trial modes that let you learn the layout of a track and practice to get faster times, the advent of an open world did away with that. By repeatedly traveling between locations on the map, players learn the layout of streets and roads naturally without it feeling so much like work. This could also be theoretically applied to Sonic games, where the grind of replaying stages over and over could be mitigated by incorporating it into the natural traversal of an open world.

The problem is, that's not exactly what the Sonic Rangers leak claims. It's an open world game, sure, but from the way it sounds, it also includes traditional linear Sonic levels in their own separate little sub-world. The problem is still there, just buried under another layer of abstraction.

But it's important to remember that Sonic Rangers is probably a year and a half away. For a professional game development studio with hundreds of employees, even a few months can lead to dramatic, sweeping changes. The people who were part of the focus test also say as much -- if Sega was getting feedback on Sonic Rangers all the way back in August (or as some posts claim, even March) of last year, there is plenty of time for them to course-correct and get things right before its release next year.

Now, I'm not dumb. This is Sonic the Hedgehog we're talking about. Statistically speaking, there are more bad Sonic games than good ones, and I say that as someone who was around and can remember the kind of impact Sonic had back when he first debuted. I know some of you out there will say things like, "Sonic Heroes was a good game!" -- but consider that by 1990's standards, Sonic the Hedgehog was as big as today's Call of Duty, or Fortnite. Sonic wasn't just a big deal, he was one of the biggest deals in all of gaming, and his games were golden. That was 30 years ago, and games like Sonic Heroes are a big step down in quality. Heck, even Sonic Heroes is going on 20 years ago. Getting something like Sonic Mania nowadays feels more like a happy accident than setting up any kind of precedent or return to form. There is a bare minimum skepticism that must be maintained with these games, otherwise you're setting yourself up for more heartbreak.

And I've always maintained that a lot of the bad Sonic games at least started with a good core idea. You can always see the potential in what they were attempting, but because of either time constraints, budget limitations, or some other weak link in their development pipeline, they never reach that potential once they end up on store shelves. Which, really, makes things even more heartbreaking. There are only so many times you can watch someone drop the ball before it starts to affect you.

There's still a long road ahead of Sonic Rangers. Let's see what E3 brings.

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Something became clear to me at AISA Conference 2017 when keynote speaker, Dr. Sonny Magana, asked the educators in the audience to raise their hands if they felt content about the state of educational technology in their schools. For a brief moment a room full of educators from a variety of schools, backgrounds, and teaching positions was brought to a silence when not a single person was able to confidently raise their hand. Teachers aren’t happy with how edtech is going; even U.S. Congress has a better approval rating than zero.

I imagine Dr. Magana has facilitated this same demonstration at multiple conferences, and wielded the same results. You can pick apart the reasons behind this, from poorly funded edtech programs in some schools, to the need for organization-wide edtech training for teachers and administrators. Ultimately for me it points to a general lack of goal consensus and collective efficacy when it comes to edtech implementation.

In an effort to achieve a bit more goal consensus and collective efficacy in education today, I would like to go through eight of the top barriers, reasons, or excuses that I’ve come across for not using technology, and in the process try to knock down some of the barriers that we create for edtech implementation. It’s my hope that the next time we’re polled on the state of contentment towards education technology in our schools, that we might see a few more hands raised.

There are a lot of places with bad internet, and, having lived in the sands of Sudan as well as during a strange shark attack on Vietnam’s undersea internet cables, we definitely sympathize.

This is supposedly a shark biting a cable, thus our unusually crummy internet that lasted 6 months.

As was the focus of one of our earlier posts, “Poor internet connection” not good enough reason to abandon tech, your lessons do not have to be internet dependent, and you can plan ahead to make sure that you’re not scrambling when the internet is not cooperating. In the most desperate of internet circumstances, you can go entirely internet-less, which I picture looking very application-based with absolutely no browser use or streaming. Not ideal, but you can get kids inquiring, brainstorming, note-taking, journaling, etc, in a variety of applications that do not require an internet connection.

With what seems like a rising phenomenon of cell phone addiction and device obsession, it can be easy to become an activist and find yourself wanting to use the classroom as a place of escape from the perils of our digital world. The funny video below proposes one way to increase face-to-face interactions in today’s society.

Every educator I’ve ever met, including edtech’s greatest proponents, believes in face-to-face. Across the board. We all need kids to be speaking, listening, and being submerged into language-rich learning environments. I’m a huge fan of the face-to-face class debate, socratic seminar, and turn and talk. However, I also see value in the social interactions and the language used in online forums, podcasts, instant messaging, email, social media comments and updates, and blogging, for example.

In my classroom, the conversation can start face-to-face and then get extended through technology, but sometimes it starts online and then gets extended through a face-to-face class discussion. When you visit my classroom, you will typically see students socializing, communicating, and exchanging with, yes, an iPad in their hands. Everyone believes in face-to-face learning, and it is clear that digital tools can also enhance the learning and extend the conversation beyond the classroom walls.

I don’t like the use of the word “balance” to describe technology integration. Perhaps a better word than “balance” is “authentic”; Instead of choosing to use an iPad one day and then a pencil the next, but I look at the goal of the learning task and ask the question, “How best might students learn this?”

Since technology is merely a tool for learning, we shouldn’t plan our lessons around which tool to use or not use, or waste our time trying to determine the perfect ratio of time spent on analog vs. digital technology. That would be like if I decided one day to live a “balanced life” by cooking on a strict regimen of 50 percent spatula-prepared meals and 50 percent chopstick-prepared meals. Doesn’t it make more sense to plan your meals around the goal of nourishment, rather than the bizarre balance of cooking utensils? Technology is a tool for learning, not the goal of teaching.

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I believe that the classroom should reflect the reality of our digital world. I teach in a 1:1 device classroom, and students use technology in some capacity for every lesson. The key for integration in my classroom is that technology is never used for the sake of using technology. Technology is used to enhance instruction, to maximize learning opportunities, and to redefine and transform what it means to be a learner in the 21st century.

It is natural for us to rely heavily on their own experiences to inform our practice. But in a world that is changing before our eyes, we professional educators have to look beyond how we learned and start imagining the classroom of the 21st century. You may not have learned with digital devices on hand, so you are rightly skeptical and wary of the implications for changing how you teach when you haven’t seen anyone teach or learn that way. For a while I was equally skeptical – Afterall, my first reaction to the iPad was that it was just an oversized smartphone, and now I’m using them in my classroom everyday!

I see my own education as being something between how many veteran teachers learned, and how my students are learning today. I graduated highschool in 2007, and mobile technology was already an integral part of my social life. It just hadn’t yet taken a truly prominent role in the classroom yet. While my education might have been largely traditional and lo-tech, one could sense what was on the horizon. As we learn more and more about the transformative nature of technology that is integrated with research-based models, we have to act on the research while also keeping a critical eye on the latest developments.

Too much screen time is a concern that I’ve heard from educators and parents alike, and it is something to be thinking about. Rather than delve into it deeper here, let me point you to a great blog post on Mr. Hill’s Musings, titled “Screen Time: What Does the Research Say?” In his post, Adam enlightens us with a line that I think every teacher should have on the tip of their tongue when faced with a worried parent: Not All Screen Time Is Equal. 

“Instead of obsessing over the quantity of screen time, we should focus on improving the quality of it”

–  Beth Holland, Edutopia

Let’s face it, these devices are not going away. In order to improve the quality of the student learning experience, we need to continuously ask ourselves some important questions. Do we wish to use technology for passive consumption, or for creative contributions and inquiry design? And since so much of a students’ unsupervised screen time takes place after school, how might we best educate parents so that our young people are not using these devices right before bed, or solely for entertainment purposes? Finally, if we do take the device away at home, what is replacing it? Are kids going to simply fill their unsupervised iPad time with unsupervised television time?

Screen time is an important issue of our time, but it should not be used as an excuse for not using technology to enhance learning. Not all screen time is equal, and we should be focusing on improving the quality of the time students spend in front of a screen.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that they are pressed for time. The demands of curriculum, pastoral care, reporting, assessing, and planning make it so that every year feels like a race against the clock. Adding “technology lessons” feels like just another thing thrown on the plate of overworked and underpaid educators.

The time is now!

However, most good schools are not adding technology as an extra subject to a classroom teachers’ workload, but rather are prescribing an integrated approach to education technology. Technology should enhance and transform curriculum and instruction – not create more work for anyone. I teach math using technology. I teach reading using technology. I rarely teach technology, and I try to never use technology for the sake of technology. While there will always be some need for stand-alone technology instruction, especially when it comes to introducing a newer technology to students, I find that these small lessons lead to increased efficiency and independence by the students, which saves us time during our busy day.

Compared to my first year of teaching where I felt that the copy room had become my second home, my planning now feels much more laid-back as I am able to deepen learning experiences within a virtual learning environment without the frustrations of paperjams and botched copy jobs. My students are often the ones that create the online resources that we use in class, and the permanence of these resources allows for me to use them next year and the year after that. Technology gives me more time to do the real stuff of teaching, and it puts the onus on the student to take control of their learning and to do the thinking.

There are so many ways to rethink and re-conceptualize all of the subjects at school – art, music, P.E., drama, etc – so that they meet the needs of the 21st century learner. What is important is that the goal of the learning is identified, and that the teacher uses the best tools available to facilitate the learning of the skills and concepts. Nobody (I hope) is advocating that art teachers throw away their brushes and music teachers trash their instruments and do everything entirely on ArtSet or GarageBand. That just wouldn’t be the best way to learn art or music.

Check out the above sketch of educationrickshaw.com’s logo during the drafting stage. This image is a PNG file, it was rendered completely with digital tools, and the artist lives in the U.S and I live in Sudan. The original file is currently on my computer and saved to my DropBox and Google Drive. Our collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without the help of email, Facetime and IM. Technology might have been the medium in this piece, but it was also used for communication, sharing, archiving, and publishing.

In another example, I want you to think about two dance teachers for a moment: One that doesn’t use technology (A), and one that does (B).

Teacher A: Teaches dance moves to class through modeling and whole group direct instruction. Has students pair up and practice dance moves together. Students plan a dance and perform it to the rest of class. The end.

Teacher B: Teaches dance moves to class through modeling, whole group direct instruction, and through supplemental YouTube videos from expert dancers. Has students watching dance videos embedded on their class LMS and had created a shared, public space for planning, reflecting, commenting, liking, and exchanging ideas. Students record their dances, edit their dance routines on iMovie and published them onto a shared blog that includes their parents, their international pen pals, and the larger school community.

The above teaching archetypes are ones that I’ve witnessed in schools I’ve worked in and you can tell which I prefer. The technology-rich learning experience in Teacher B’s class was made much more meaningful than the more traditional approach of learning dance in Teacher A’s class.

If your school isn’t doing anything to teach you how to use the tools you’re required to teach with, then educate yourself. Take a free online training (See: Is it worth becoming recognized as an Apple Teacher?) or simply sit on your couch and play around with your device (See: The Couch Potato Approach to Educational Technology). Form a club of teachers who want and need to sit together to play around edtech tools (See: Teachers Need Tech Sandbox Time. How many times this week have you talked with your Director of Education Technology, or your technology support crew? The time to learn is now, even if your school just isn’t doing anything to help you.

Thank you for reading this post, and engaging in some of the ideas on this blog. Having started my career in outdoor education as a camp counselor at a summer camp I’m a big fan of going unplugged once in awhile. I also understand that we live in a digital world that is constantly changing, and that our classrooms have to reflect this reality. While I respect the opinions of all teachers that are guilty of erecting these false barriers, I also think that these ideas are going the way of the dinosaur. Once we remove these barriers by imagining the classroom of the 21st century, we can truly transform and redefine learning opportunities for our students.

– Zach Groshell @MrZachG

Come join our Facebook Group, Over-Posting Educators!

Top Barriers for Not Using Tech in The Classroom Something became clear to me at AISA Conference 2017 when keynote speaker, Dr. Sonny Magana, asked the educators in the audience to raise their hands if they felt content about the state of educational technology in their schools.

[nycrunning]

September

Ooops. Forgot to post this last week! September had some ups and downs. I got sick and my runs suffered. I lost about 8 pounds in 4 days and I got really weak. Took me about 2 weeks to be able to eat normally and 3 weeks to feel normal again. Somehow, unlike previous times, I actually managed to do all my long runs, YEY, but I didn’t get to do the races I had slated as fitness tests (to give me a good idea where I was for the marathon!). I was REALLY upset to not be able to do the NB 5th Avenue Mile… You know it’s bad when you’re too weak to race ONE mile. UFFF. I did also manage to not miss any work, so I was there at the Mile and the Tune Up. Mileage and speed suffered but somehow it all got done. I did race the NB Bronx 10 Mile race. It was HOT. I did ok. I do have to watch out for hard and hot efforts like that as it took me about 10 days to recover fully from it. With 2 weeks to go to the Hudson Mohawk River Marathon, 10 days is too much. Aging, as my grandma used to say, is a b!tch.

Total Miles: 150. It’s fine, I am already tapering.

Races: 1. NB Bronx 10 Mile

Ups: The long runs with my girls. Love you guys!

Downs: Being sick sucks. It happened earlier in April where I had to stop running for weeks. So happy this time I run through it. But I was soooo weak!

Balance: Marathon Training is done. I am happy to close this out. I have too much in my head.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

August

August was a whirlwind! I started a new job, that I am really excited about, and I am still training for a marathon. Those two things combined. plus working two weekends, plus coaching, plus all the summer plans, made the month feel a bit busy. Luckily things fell into place in the last two weeks while I am peaking in the training. I was a bit tired, but I managed a lot of miles and quality workouts. August was definitely beyond awesome. We have Summer Streets in August, which I definitely used up for my long runs. I had a great run in Brooklyn with friends: I love to get out of Central Park for a change. I paced an NYRR run to Roosevelt Island, another out of town excursion, this time with a lot more new friends! And I raced the Percy Sutton 5K, in the middle of a long run.

This was definitely an excitement filled month. 5 weeks to the marathon. Let’s do this.

Total Miles: 183. 2nd highest monthly mileage ever

Races: 1. Percy Sutton Harlem 5k.

Ups: All the fun miles and workouts. The long runs were super great. Sharpening block about to start and I am very excited.

Downs: I am a bit wee tired. The high mileage during the peak weeks and a new job have me a bit spent.

Balance: Seems like I am really going to do a marathon in 5 weeks. Training is almost complete.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July

Well, first of all we had a run on Freshkills Park in Staten Island. The park is not open to the public yet (and I didn’t post about it!) and won’t open for a few years but NYRR got permission to bring some runners and walkers there for an exploratory 10K and 5K so some of us coaches got to lead the run. It was fantastic. Then on the 6th, I did the Tracktown Summer Series 5K, which is a track series with a 5k component. There is a post here with more info but it was pretty cool. Juan did the NYC Tri so I spent the morning of the 16 yelling like a crazy person and running around to see him everywhere. So fun. The next day, Monday the 17 I did the NYRR RUN Brooklyn, and 10 days later I did the NYRR RUN in Central Park, two 5ks back to back! In the middle I did an super hot nasty 18 miler, and a 20 miler while I led a run to Roosevelt Island.

Total Miles: 169. yes, I run a lot this month!

Races: 3. No PRs of course but loads of fun. And, all were 5Ks… I never do 5ks!

Ups: I love summer running. I love it. Did I tell you I love it? I do love it!

Downs: When I don’t run?

Balance: I might actually be doing that marathon in October if things keep going like this…

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

RUN Brooklyn 5K

RUN Brooklyn 5K

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

June

OMG HOW I LOVE THE SUMMER!! I can’t even do a tiny recap without getting excited about all the things that happen in the 2-3 hot months we get. June was a blur! I have a feeling I am gonna close my eyes and it’ll be October in a NY minute, ugh. So I signed up for a marathon… we’ll see if I end up actually racing it (aka, last years’s botched Philly Marathon) but we’re going with it for now. I did make myself a very fancy training plan with all the stuff and then I forgot I was training for a marathon and carried on with my life. Until last week, then I did a long run. Anyway, June was cool, I did not do a lot of miles which means… I did a bunch of races! I started the month with the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, then the awesome Mini 10K (which I was horrible at), then the Queens 10K, and then the Achilles Hope and Possibility. There was a lot of cross-training in the stairs, lot of coaching workouts and lots of Tuesday speed. I just can’t miss anything in the Summer. The math for the monthly mileage must be wrong!

Total Miles: 127. how? too many races!

Races: 4. 1 automatic PR and one where I placed 1st in my AG. Wohoo!

Ups: YES TO LESS LAYERS!

Downs: I am now training for a marathon?

Balance: let’s go!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

May

started with me pacing the 1:55 group at the Shape Half. The next weekend I paced a New Balance run from Brooklyn to the Run Center, as a training run for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half (a 10 mile run). The next weekend (see a theme here? there’s always a run/race!), I raced the Japan Run 4 miler in Central Park. That was a bit painful (I didn’t fuel properly, ooops). There were a few stairs workouts, and speed workouts and I coached a few training runs per week… then the big day came along: the Airbnb Brooklyn Half! It all started with the 3-day Pre-party. Race Day was a fun riot. No PRs in May, but it was definitely “active”.

Total Miles: 148 (biggest month but not that many miles this year)

Races: 2 racing, 1 pacing.

Ups: managed to get enough miles

Downs: my race speed is MIA

Balance: I had fun!

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

April

April was an interesting one… the month started with the Run to Breathe 4 mile race. That went quite well. So well, I came in 3rd in my AG, 4 seconds away from a PR and got super excited about my fitness level… The first Monday of April, I started the new session of Stairs of Fire, a workout just on stairs designed to kill your legs… it killed MY legs… I was beyond stiff and sore for 3 full days… OUCH. Of course, I still coached that week, did speedwork and run a lot so by Friday I was feeling ALL THE NAGS. Luckily, I was to be locked indoors all weekend at the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification, which got my legs some rest. They were still not great after that, my feet were iffy and tight… so I just took it very easy for 3 full weeks until it was all back to fighting shape, yes, I AM THE OPPOSITE OF EVERY RUNNER. When there’s a nag, or a little nothing, I try not to “run through it”, I STOP, to make sure it doesn’t turn into something bigger down the road. Luckily, I don’t have to do this often. Last time it happened was in September and was back on the horse after 2-3 weeks. I had very tight calves and it was making my feet super tight (pre-Achilles tendinitis!!!) so those 3 weeks I run very little and very slow, did Epsom salts bath almost every day, I stretched twice a day, slept, got massages, and voilaaaaa. Good to go! The stairs workout did me in. My legs weren’t ready for that hot mess of a workout! My goal for May is to stretch every day (after not stretching for …5 years?)

I missed out on coaching for a full week but I did so many other things, like a biomechanics running event at the Hearst Building, a few fun events (like a Gala and a staycation) and I  paced the 1:55 finishers at the Shape Women’s Half this past weekend. Not a lot of mileage or quality work but got out of it unscathed…!

Total Miles: 109

Races: two! 1 great time, and 1 pacing gig

Ups: Pacing was fun… the rest was a bit tentative!

Downs: mileage and workouts went DOWN!!!!

Balance: I am ready to ramp up now!

  Here is my training for April…

March

Didn’t I just write a Feb recap?? Is this what happens when you get older? Times really flies!

The month included a lot of coaching, loads, a few miles, lots of work hours, a November Project workouts, a visit to the Asics showroom, my birthday celebrations, a few Facebook Live Chats, the big United NYC Half Weekend and race, Club Night, lots of runs with friends, and two races: the United NYC Half and the Central Park Spring 10K this past two weekends. Now that I think about it, I see why my mileage was so low… makes sense!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hoping Spring makes things easier and I can get out there more. I need to figure out a way to not need that much sleep…!

Here is my training for March:

March pictures:

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Total Miles: 127

Races: two! (6 total for the year!)

Ups: had fun. The NYC Half!!!

Downs: Not super up there with the splits or the mileage.

Balance: move on March, April is coming!!!!!!!!!!

  February

hello March! I have no idea where these weeks go!??! I actually freaked out a couple of weeks ago, because I realized it was too late to train for the United NYC Half… these weeks are faster than any of my races!

Well, the month started with the Gridiron 4 miler, which I totally phoned in. What a loser I am sometimes. Actually, that’s why I freaked out, because, seriously Elizabeth, get it together! Why show up at a race and not even try? UGH. I frustrate myself so much sometimes! The next weekend, pre-Valentine’s Day, Juan and I spent some romantic time in the city, NO MORE DETAILS of course. The weekend after that, we raced a relay triathlon, as a Valentine’s Days Weekend thing: the Lovie Dovie Triathlon at Chelsea Piers. That Thursday was Club Night. a fun event to celebrate NY’s runners. Fun. And last weekend I raced the Al Gordon 4 miler, which went a bit better than the first 4 miler this month. Very busy weeks with lots of events and work and life stuff. All of it fun.

Here is my training for February:

Total Miles: 131

Races: three!!!

Ups: it was almost summer.

Downs: I need more time before the NYC Half PLEASE!!!

Balance: Someone please slow down time. seriously.

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

January

went by ridiculously fast. So fast I didn’t even notice I didn’t post a recap for the Half I did. I literally started the year racing. Or running on a race course.. We did the Midnight Run, which happens right at the stroke of midnight on January 31st. I was signed up for the Kleinerman 10K because I had a little head cold and decided to focus on my health first. I was moving two days later so I didn’t want to overdo the weekend. So, I changed apartments, and I also started a new job (and career). Life got busy. I am also still coaching a lot. I renewed my CPR and AED cert. I led a few runs and coached many biomechanics 1x1s. Then we went to vacation to Antigua, which was more necessary that I had time to realize. January was a bit crazy. But we made it, with decent mileage, 118 miles in. The United NYC Half is dangerously close…

Total Miles: 118

Races: one (Manhattan Half) though I wasn’t really racing.

Ups: a vacation. And feeling the need to RUN on vacation. Who does that?

Downs: January was busy so I wasn’t really paying attention…

Balance: meh, in a holding pattern for now

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

September 2017 Recap September Ooops. Forgot to post this last week! September had some ups and downs. I got sick and my runs suffered.

[nycrunning]

August

August was a whirldwind! I started a new job, that I am really excited about, and I am still training for a marathon. Those two things combined. plus working two weekends, plus coaching, plus all the summer plans, made the month feel a bit busy. Luckily things fell into place in the last two weeks while I am peaking in the training. I was a bit tired, but I managed a lot of miles and quality workouts. August was definitely beyond awesome. We have Summer Streets in August, which I definitely used up for my long runs. I had a great run in Brooklyn with friends: I love to get out of Central Park for a change. I paced an NYRR run to Roosevelt Island, another out of town excursion, this time with a lot more new friends! And I raced the Percy Sutton 5K, in the middle of a long run.

This was definitely a excitement filled month. 5 weeks to the marathon. Let’s do this.

Total Miles: 183. 2nd highest monthly mileage ever

Races: 1. Percy Sutton Harlem 5k.

Ups: All the fun miles and workouts. The long runs were super great. Sharpening block about to start and I am very excited.

Downs: I am a bit wee tired. The high mileage during the peak weeks and a new job have me a bit spent.

Balance: Seems like I am really going to do a marathon in 5 weeks. Training is almost complete.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July

Well, first of all we had a run on Freshkills Park in Staten Island. The park is not open to the public yet (and I didn’t post about it!) and won’t open for a few years but NYRR got permission to bring some runners and walkers there for an exploratory 10K and 5K so some of us coaches got to lead the run. It was fantastic. Then on the 6th, I did the Tracktown Summer Series 5K, which is a track series with a 5k component. There is a post here with more info but it was pretty cool. Juan did the NYC Tri so I spent the morning of the 16 yelling like a crazy person and running around to see him everywhere. So fun. The next day, Monday the 17 I did the NYRR RUN Brooklyn, and 10 days later I did the NYRR RUN in Central Park, two 5ks back to back! In the middle I did an super hot nasty 18 miler, and a 20 miler while I led a run to Roosevelt Island.

Total Miles: 169. yes, I run a lot this month!

Races: 3. No PRs of course but loads of fun. And, all were 5Ks… I never do 5ks!

Ups: I love summer running. I love it. Did I tell you I love it? I do love it!

Downs: When I don’t run?

Balance: I might actually be doing that marathon in October if things keep going like this…

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

RUN Brooklyn 5K

RUN Brooklyn 5K

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

June

OMG HOW I LOVE THE SUMMER!! I can’t even do a tiny recap without getting excited about all the things that happen in the 2-3 hot months we get. June was a blur! I have a feeling I am gonna close my eyes and it’ll be October in a NY minute, ugh. So I signed up for a marathon… we’ll see if I end up actually racing it (aka, last years’s botched Philly Marathon) but we’re going with it for now. I did make myself a very fancy training plan with all the stuff and then I forgot I was training for a marathon and carried on with my life. Until last week, then I did a long run. Anyway, June was cool, I did not do a lot of miles which means… I did a bunch of races! I started the month with the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, then the awesome Mini 10K (which I was horrible at), then the Queens 10K, and then the Achilles Hope and Possibility. There was a lot of cross-training in the stairs, lot of coaching workouts and lots of Tuesday speed. I just can’t miss anything in the Summer. The math for the monthly mileage must be wrong!

Total Miles: 127. how? too many races!

Races: 4. 1 automatic PR and one where I placed 1st in my AG. Wohoo!

Ups: YES TO LESS LAYERS!

Downs: I am now training for a marathon?

Balance: let’s go!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

May

started with me pacing the 1:55 group at the Shape Half. The next weekend I paced a New Balance run from Brooklyn to the Run Center, as a training run for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half (a 10 mile run). The next weekend (see a theme here? there’s always a run/race!), I raced the Japan Run 4 miler in Central Park. That was a bit painful (I didn’t fuel properly, ooops). There were a few stairs workouts, and speed workouts and I coached a few training runs per week… then the big day came along: the Airbnb Brooklyn Half! It all started with the 3-day Pre-party. Race Day was a fun riot. No PRs in May, but it was definitely “active”.

Total Miles: 148 (biggest month but not that many miles this year)

Races: 2 racing, 1 pacing.

Ups: managed to get enough miles

Downs: my race speed is MIA

Balance: I had fun!

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

April

April was an interesting one… the month started with the Run to Breathe 4 mile race. That went quite well. So well, I came in 3rd in my AG, 4 seconds away from a PR and got super excited about my fitness level… The first Monday of April, I started the new session of Stairs of Fire, a workout just on stairs designed to kill your legs… it killed MY legs… I was beyond stiff and sore for 3 full days… OUCH. Of course, I still coached that week, did speedwork and run a lot so by Friday I was feeling ALL THE NAGS. Luckily, I was to be locked indoors all weekend at the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification, which got my legs some rest. They were still not great after that, my feet were iffy and tight… so I just took it very easy for 3 full weeks until it was all back to fighting shape, yes, I AM THE OPPOSITE OF EVERY RUNNER. When there’s a nag, or a little nothing, I try not to “run through it”, I STOP, to make sure it doesn’t turn into something bigger down the road. Luckily, I don’t have to do this often. Last time it happened was in September and was back on the horse after 2-3 weeks. I had very tight calves and it was making my feet super tight (pre-Achilles tendinitis!!!) so those 3 weeks I run very little and very slow, did Epsom salts bath almost every day, I stretched twice a day, slept, got massages, and voilaaaaa. Good to go! The stairs workout did me in. My legs weren’t ready for that hot mess of a workout! My goal for May is to stretch every day (after not stretching for …5 years?)

I missed out on coaching for a full week but I did so many other things, like a biomechanics running event at the Hearst Building, a few fun events (like a Gala and a staycation) and I  paced the 1:55 finishers at the Shape Women’s Half this past weekend. Not a lot of mileage or quality work but got out of it unscathed…!

Total Miles: 109

Races: two! 1 great time, and 1 pacing gig

Ups: Pacing was fun… the rest was a bit tentative!

Downs: mileage and workouts went DOWN!!!!

Balance: I am ready to ramp up now!

  Here is my training for April…

March

Didn’t I just write a Feb recap?? Is this what happens when you get older? Times really flies!

The month included a lot of coaching, loads, a few miles, lots of work hours, a November Project workouts, a visit to the Asics showroom, my birthday celebrations, a few Facebook Live Chats, the big United NYC Half Weekend and race, Club Night, lots of runs with friends, and two races: the United NYC Half and the Central Park Spring 10K this past two weekends. Now that I think about it, I see why my mileage was so low… makes sense!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hoping Spring makes things easier and I can get out there more. I need to figure out a way to not need that much sleep…!

Here is my training for March:

March pictures:

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Total Miles: 127

Races: two! (6 total for the year!)

Ups: had fun. The NYC Half!!!

Downs: Not super up there with the splits or the mileage.

Balance: move on March, April is coming!!!!!!!!!!

  February

hello March! I have no idea where these weeks go!??! I actually freaked out a couple of weeks ago, because I realized it was too late to train for the United NYC Half… these weeks are faster than any of my races!

Well, the month started with the Gridiron 4 miler, which I totally phoned in. What a loser I am sometimes. Actually, that’s why I freaked out, because, seriously Elizabeth, get it together! Why show up at a race and not even try? UGH. I frustrate myself so much sometimes! The next weekend, pre-Valentine’s Day, Juan and I spent some romantic time in the city, NO MORE DETAILS of course. The weekend after that, we raced a relay triathlon, as a Valentine’s Days Weekend thing: the Lovie Dovie Triathlon at Chelsea Piers. That Thursday was Club Night. a fun event to celebrate NY’s runners. Fun. And last weekend I raced the Al Gordon 4 miler, which went a bit better than the first 4 miler this month. Very busy weeks with lots of events and work and life stuff. All of it fun.

Here is my training for February:

Total Miles: 131

Races: three!!!

Ups: it was almost summer.

Downs: I need more time before the NYC Half PLEASE!!!

Balance: Someone please slow down time. seriously.

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

January

went by ridiculously fast. So fast I didn’t even notice I didn’t post a recap for the Half I did. I literally started the year racing. Or running on a race course.. We did the Midnight Run, which happens right at the stroke of midnight on January 31st. I was signed up for the Kleinerman 10K because I had a little head cold and decided to focus on my health first. I was moving two days later so I didn’t want to overdo the weekend. So, I changed apartments, and I also started a new job (and career). Life got busy. I am also still coaching a lot. I renewed my CPR and AED cert. I led a few runs and coached many biomechanics 1x1s. Then we went to vacation to Antigua, which was more necessary that I had time to realize. January was a bit crazy. But we made it, with decent mileage, 118 miles in. The United NYC Half is dangerously close…

Total Miles: 118

Races: one (Manhattan Half) though I wasn’t really racing.

Ups: a vacation. And feeling the need to RUN on vacation. Who does that?

Downs: January was busy so I wasn’t really paying attention…

Balance: meh, in a holding pattern for now

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

August 2017 Recap August August was a whirldwind! I started a new job, that I am really excited about, and I am still training for a marathon.

[nycrunning]

July

Well, first of all we had a run on Freshkills Park in Staten Island. The park is not open to the public yet (and I didn’t post about it!) and won’t open for a few years but NYRR got permission to bring some runners and walkers there for an exploratory 10K and 5K so some of us coaches got to lead the run. It was fantastic. Then on the 6th, I did the Tracktown Summer Series 5K, which is a track series with a 5k component. There is a post here with more info but it was pretty cool. Juan did the NYC Tri so I spent the morning of the 16 yelling like a crazy person and running around to see him everywhere. So fun. The next day, Monday the 17 I did the NYRR RUN Brooklyn, and 10 days later I did the NYRR RUN in Central Park, two 5ks back to back! In the middle I did an super hot nasty 18 miler, and a 20 miler while I led a run to Roosevelt Island.

Total Miles: 169. yes, I run a lot this month!

Races: 3. No PRs of course but loads of fun. And, all were 5Ks… I never do 5ks!

Ups: I love summer running. I love it. Did I tell you I love it? I do love it!

Downs: When I don’t run?

Balance: I might actually be doing that marathon in October if things keep going like this…

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

Tracktown Summer Series

RUN Brooklyn 5K

RUN Brooklyn 5K

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Freshkills Park in Staten Island

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

Roosevelt Island Run

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

RUN 5K Central Park

June

OMG HOW I LOVE THE SUMMER!! I can’t even do a tiny recap without getting excited about all the things that happen in the 2-3 hot months we get. June was a blur! I have a feeling I am gonna close my eyes and it’ll be October in a NY minute, ugh. So I signed up for a marathon… we’ll see if I end up actually racing it (aka, last years’s botched Philly Marathon) but we’re going with it for now. I did make myself a very fancy training plan with all the stuff and then I forgot I was training for a marathon and carried on with my life. Until last week, then I did a long run. Anyway, June was cool, I did not do a lot of miles which means… I did a bunch of races! I started the month with the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, then the awesome Mini 10K (which I was horrible at), then the Queens 10K, and then the Achilles Hope and Possibility. There was a lot of cross-training in the stairs, lot of coaching workouts and lots of Tuesday speed. I just can’t miss anything in the Summer. The math for the monthly mileage must be wrong!

Total Miles: 127. how? too many races!

Races: 4. 1 automatic PR and one where I placed 1st in my AG. Wohoo!

Ups: YES TO LESS LAYERS!

Downs: I am now training for a marathon?

Balance: let’s go!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

May

started with me pacing the 1:55 group at the Shape Half. The next weekend I paced a New Balance run from Brooklyn to the Run Center, as a training run for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half (a 10 mile run). The next weekend (see a theme here? there’s always a run/race!), I raced the Japan Run 4 miler in Central Park. That was a bit painful (I didn’t fuel properly, ooops). There were a few stairs workouts, and speed workouts and I coached a few training runs per week… then the big day came along: the Airbnb Brooklyn Half! It all started with the 3-day Pre-party. Race Day was a fun riot. No PRs in May, but it was definitely “active”.

Total Miles: 148 (biggest month but not that many miles this year)

Races: 2 racing, 1 pacing.

Ups: managed to get enough miles

Downs: my race speed is MIA

Balance: I had fun!

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

April

April was an interesting one… the month started with the Run to Breathe 4 mile race. That went quite well. So well, I came in 3rd in my AG, 4 seconds away from a PR and got super excited about my fitness level… The first Monday of April, I started the new session of Stairs of Fire, a workout just on stairs designed to kill your legs… it killed MY legs… I was beyond stiff and sore for 3 full days… OUCH. Of course, I still coached that week, did speedwork and run a lot so by Friday I was feeling ALL THE NAGS. Luckily, I was to be locked indoors all weekend at the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification, which got my legs some rest. They were still not great after that, my feet were iffy and tight… so I just took it very easy for 3 full weeks until it was all back to fighting shape, yes, I AM THE OPPOSITE OF EVERY RUNNER. When there’s a nag, or a little nothing, I try not to “run through it”, I STOP, to make sure it doesn’t turn into something bigger down the road. Luckily, I don’t have to do this often. Last time it happened was in September and was back on the horse after 2-3 weeks. I had very tight calves and it was making my feet super tight (pre-Achilles tendinitis!!!) so those 3 weeks I run very little and very slow, did Epsom salts bath almost every day, I stretched twice a day, slept, got massages, and voilaaaaa. Good to go! The stairs workout did me in. My legs weren’t ready for that hot mess of a workout! My goal for May is to stretch every day (after not stretching for …5 years?)

I missed out on coaching for a full week but I did so many other things, like a biomechanics running event at the Hearst Building, a few fun events (like a Gala and a staycation) and I  paced the 1:55 finishers at the Shape Women’s Half this past weekend. Not a lot of mileage or quality work but got out of it unscathed…!

Total Miles: 109

Races: two! 1 great time, and 1 pacing gig

Ups: Pacing was fun… the rest was a bit tentative!

Downs: mileage and workouts went DOWN!!!!

Balance: I am ready to ramp up now!

  Here is my training for April…

March

Didn’t I just write a Feb recap?? Is this what happens when you get older? Times really flies!

The month included a lot of coaching, loads, a few miles, lots of work hours, a November Project workouts, a visit to the Asics showroom, my birthday celebrations, a few Facebook Live Chats, the big United NYC Half Weekend and race, Club Night, lots of runs with friends, and two races: the United NYC Half and the Central Park Spring 10K this past two weekends. Now that I think about it, I see why my mileage was so low… makes sense!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hoping Spring makes things easier and I can get out there more. I need to figure out a way to not need that much sleep…!

Here is my training for March:

March pictures:

  This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Total Miles: 127

Races: two! (6 total for the year!)

Ups: had fun. The NYC Half!!!

Downs: Not super up there with the splits or the mileage.

Balance: move on March, April is coming!!!!!!!!!!

  February

hello March! I have no idea where these weeks go!??! I actually freaked out a couple of weeks ago, because I realized it was too late to train for the United NYC Half… these weeks are faster than any of my races!

Well, the month started with the Gridiron 4 miler, which I totally phoned in. What a loser I am sometimes. Actually, that’s why I freaked out, because, seriously Elizabeth, get it together! Why show up at a race and not even try? UGH. I frustrate myself so much sometimes! The next weekend, pre-Valentine’s Day, Juan and I spent some romantic time in the city, NO MORE DETAILS of course. The weekend after that, we raced a relay triathlon, as a Valentine’s Days Weekend thing: the Lovie Dovie Triathlon at Chelsea Piers. That Thursday was Club Night. a fun event to celebrate NY’s runners. Fun. And last weekend I raced the Al Gordon 4 miler, which went a bit better than the first 4 miler this month. Very busy weeks with lots of events and work and life stuff. All of it fun.

Here is my training for February:

Total Miles: 131

Races: three!!!

Ups: it was almost summer.

Downs: I need more time before the NYC Half PLEASE!!!

Balance: Someone please slow down time. seriously.

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January

went by ridiculously fast. So fast I didn’t even notice I didn’t post a recap for the Half I did. I literally started the year racing. Or running on a race course.. We did the Midnight Run, which happens right at the stroke of midnight on January 31st. I was signed up for the Kleinerman 10K because I had a little head cold and decided to focus on my health first. I was moving two days later so I didn’t want to overdo the weekend. So, I changed apartments, and I also started a new job (and career). Life got busy. I am also still coaching a lot. I renewed my CPR and AED cert. I led a few runs and coached many biomechanics 1x1s. Then we went to vacation to Antigua, which was more necessary that I had time to realize. January was a bit crazy. But we made it, with decent mileage, 118 miles in. The United NYC Half is dangerously close…

Total Miles: 118

Races: one (Manhattan Half) though I wasn’t really racing.

Ups: a vacation. And feeling the need to RUN on vacation. Who does that?

Downs: January was busy so I wasn’t really paying attention…

Balance: meh, in a holding pattern for now

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July 2017 Recap July Well, first of all we had a run on Freshkills Park in Staten Island. The park is not open to the public yet (and I didn't post about it!) and won't open for a few years but NYRR got permission to bring some runners and walkers there for an exploratory 10K and 5K so some of us coaches got to lead the run.