Galentines'

February 28, 2026

I started celebrating Galentine’s many years ago. It started small by mailing, sending and dropping off gifts to my girlfriends. I saw it as something fun on the internet and being that I’ve always loved Valentine’s, I thought it was really cute to have a day to celebrate your love for your gals/girlfriends. It’s supposed to be an act of rebellion against Valentine’s, which gets primarily viewed as a holiday for romantic love, but I believe that the holiday -being just as made up as every holiday is, let’s be real - is what you make of it. Granted, I haven’t been single since high school so I’m bias in enjoying the holiday. But the same bias applies to people who are anti-Valentine’s day. Most of the time, they’re single, bitter people. Sometimes they’re just jaded, “too cool for it” pick-me people. Or they’re people who just haven’t had a good experience with the holiday. But I want to change that for the people in my life.

I started celebrating it at work with my coworkers a few years ago with a small gift exchange. And now, many years later, it has grown into something beautiful and so fun. My friends and coworkers now look forward to it just as much as I do, with my work fam even claiming it to be their favorite celebration now!

I wish Valentine’s got as much love as Christmas and Halloween because one week/day for cute seasonal menus is not enough for me to run everywhere to try it all. It needs to last all of February because I love the aesthetic so much. I love heart shaped tacos, heart shaped cakes, heart shaped donuts, heart shaped bagels - hell I don’t even drink but I’ll make an exception for cute martinis with heart gummies thrown in them, lol.

But even in my years prior to relationship status me, I’ve always loved Valentine’ day despite the unnecessary hate it gets for being a “fake holiday” to the bitter haters. Because to me, it never was just about romantic love and thus a bitter reminder to the singles and broken-hearted. It was always about love in all its forms to our loved ones. Friends, family, sisters, everyone. You can celebrate anyone important in your life.

Maybe that’s the Scorpio in me. I do everything passionately and loving the people in my life is no exception. It does bring me so much joy to see my friends enjoying it this year because of all the magic I’ve been trying to bring to it. The fact that they even asked about it a month before because they were so looking forward to it makes me so happy. Because honestly, that’s what love is to me. It’s getting flowers for your girlfriends. It’s cooking an entire feast for your coworkers because you love that they look forward to your cooking. It’s putting together a cute gift basket for your best friend. It’s being a detective noting the little things about people to put thought into getting them something special and intentional. It’s others finding joy in something because you breathed happiness into their life and that’s all they want to feel. They look forward to celebrating with you.

I realize now through the past months that I am a very lucky girl. I was too heartbroken at the time but looking back, I see now that I am surrounded by so much love in my life. But I also know it’s no coincidence. I put so much of myself in all my relationships and it was returned tenfold to me. It was exactly what I needed to get me through this. I want to thank everyone that took the time to hold me when I was falling. Thank you for giving me space and grace to be vulnerable.

Gatekeeping

February 26, 2026

I just learned Jeff Galloway passed away. I read a few days ago he wasn’t doing well and was in the ICU after a procedure. I’m saddened because despite only meeting him a few times briefly, he made an impact in my life in a profound way.

Who is Jeff Galloway? He was an Olympian. Probably the only one I’ll ever meet in this lifetime. He’s famous for being at the runDisney races and championing the run-walk method where you alternate intervals of running with walk breaks. This beginner friendly training method helps to manage fatigue from setting in sooner, reduce injury risk, and improve endurance. It allows runners to go farther and over time, faster, by using scheduled, short, active recovery walking breaks. When I started getting into running back in 2018, it really helped me as a newbie to feel less overwhelmed and that this was more doable than I was worried it would be. I was never an “athletic” person growing up and exercise wasn’t something I prioritized in my life up until then. But as I was reaching my 30s and realizing my metabolism was catching up to me, I knew I needed to make a change but felt that I was ‘behind’ as I started to take my health more seriously and was playing catch up. I was definitely overwhelmed on where to start and how to improve when I started running. I also felt intimidated and that I wasn’t a “real runner” because I wasn’t fast, I needed breaks, I didn’t know anything about proper footwear, etc. I felt like other runners were probably judging me.

And that’s what one of the biggest things I loved about Jeff. He was an Olympian, but he wasn’t gatekeeping the sport. He truly was a team player and everyone’s cheerleader. He believed in every runner crossing that finish line. He didn’t judge on your speed or what brand of sneakers you wore or anything. He encouraged everyone to do their best and keep one foot in front of the other. He was what an inspiring leader should be. He wanted YOU to be YOUR very best. He didn’t view running as a competitive sport but a personal achievement. His legacy was one of kindness and compassion. He had a unique ability to make you feel like you mattered - that you ARE an athlete. No matter how busy he was at conventions, he took the time to speak to each and every person who waited on line, sharing his knowledge and inspiring you simply by instilling his genuine belief that YOU can do it, even if you can’t see it in yourself just yet. You could tell he really wanted to help every runner become their best self. I was so nervous at my first Dopey and he took my hand and told me “You’re going to do this.” I don’t know what it is, but his simple belief in me helped push me cross that finish line. I saw him at the last mile before completing my first full marathon in January of 2022, when I was feeling tired and fading fast. I can’t tell you how many times that day I thought about flagging down a medic bike and quitting but in that last mile, his standing there for hours cheering all the runners on and then when he saw me, it felt like he was cheering me on personally to get it done. His simple support made a huge impact on my life that day. To this day, I still can’t believe I did a Dopey!

I realized that his inspiration into my life wasn’t just about running.

In life there are people who don’t want to see others do well because they view everyone else as competition. Other people’s accomplishments make them feel inadequate, even if those accomplishments isn’t what they want for themselves. Jealousy is an ugly thing. Unfortunately, it is simply a very human thing. I grew up with a lot of it in my life. It has reared its ugly head in unwanted frenemy relationships and rivalry. But I don’t want this toxicity in my life anymore. This current season of my life has me wanting to purge myself of people and situations that bleed negativity and selfishness. I don’t want it to poison my mind and heart anymore. I want to see the people I love in my life thrive and flourish. I want to see them win and succeed at attaining their dreams. I want to be more like Jeff Galloway in my own legacy of inspiring others and wanting them to be their best self.

I know I said upon completing my NYC Marathon in 2023 I’d never do this again and that a half marathon would be my limit from now on, but let’s be real, I say a lot of things I end up going back on because let’s face it, I am a clown sometimes. I’m feeling inspired to *fingers crossed* maybe try another Dopey for my 40th birthday. I’m probably going to regret it but what better/insane way to enter my 40s? Here’s to doing what you think is “the impossible,” not once but twice and taking pictures.

United NYC Half 4 out of 6 Qualifiers

January 28, 2026

Back in 2019 while I was in DC visiting one of my best friends, I stumbled upon the DC Cherry Blossom run and was inspired to run it. Covid hit and I was delayed until 2022. We made it into the lottery and was so excited to finally get to cross this off my bucket list. It was one of the most beautiful and fun routes getting to run through the tidal basin and a long stretch of cherry blossom trees in bloom. You can read about this race experience here.

Fast forward to 2024, my same friend I visited in 2019, was here in NYC visiting me for a weekend. And serendipitously like last time, it happened upon another race weekend! This time it was the United NYC Half marathon. I didn’t realize till that day that it’s the only race that runs through Times Square. I also learned that Times Square only gets shut down to twice a year; once for New Year’s Eve and again for this exact race! You’d think the NYC Marathon gets to run through it but you’d be wrong.

I went downstairs that morning to witness all the runners running through since I knew two of my runner friends were running in it. Oh man, I haven’t ran a race in a while but I still remember how amazing it is and even as a spectator cheering on your loved ones. I watched the race from Bryant Park and Times Square and it was such a rush. I loved seeing all the runners.

I actually applied for the lottery for it later that year and then last year but failed to get picked both times. So I decided after getting rejected last year, ok let’s try the qualifiers out.

What are the United Half qualifiers? As per the NYRR website:

The 2027 United NYC Half 4 out 6 program: Eligibility for entry to the 2027 United Airlines NYC Half will be guaranteed for NYRR members who complete four qualifying events in 2026 and have an active membership by the last qualifying event of the 2026 4 Out of 6 program (the NYRR Staten Island Half on October 11, 2026).

The following races are qualifying events in 2026:

NYRR Manhattan 10K
United Airlines NYC Half
RBC Brooklyn Half
Citizens Queens 10K
New Balance Bronx 10 Mile
NYRR Staten Island Half
Virtual United Airlines NYC Half Medal
Virtual RBC Brooklyn Half Medal

It’s actually not that hard compared to the NYC Marathon’s 9+1 program. You just have to run 4 out of the qualifying 6 races. The good thing is you don’t have to run as many races, but the bad part is because the list of races to run is so limited, the races are very competitive so a little harder to get into and each one has their own requirements/limitations of getting in. I signed up for this too late so I missed the first eligible race which was the NYRR Manhattan 10K. It sold out before the year even began, that’s how late to the party I was. Luckily 2 out of the 6 races do have virtual versions that you’re able to sign up for, so in reality, it’s 4 out of 8 available races. And then I recently learned that you can double dip and run both the virtual and the actual race if you’re lucky enough to win the lottery into the in-person one.

I was able to sign up for the virtual United Half so that’s one down I have to run in March. And then last week I got the official email from NYRR I was picked for the RBC Brooklyn Half so that’s 2 out of 4 now! I actually ran the RBC Brooklyn Half back in 2022, which I also won the lottery for the first time around and it ended up being the precursor for my running the NYC Marathon in 2023. See how dangerous this all is to spiral into? Anyways, the RBC Brooklyn Half is the other race that also has a virtual available so as soon as that race option opens, I’ll sign up for that to double dip for my 3rd qualifier and then I only need to run 1 more qualifier! Hopefully I can get into the Citizen Queens 10K so I don’t have to travel as far as the Bronx or Staten Island. Fingers crossed!

Honestly though, my paces have not been good the past year since I took off from races. I didn’t have any races to train for so I didn’t worry about running fast. The past year I was running just to run so my paces were not consistent nor a priority. Which is nice to feel like you don’t have to meet a goal all the time but ultimately I do think my overall speed suffered because of it. Pre-covid times I had worked on trying to get faster because I wanted to place better in the Disney corrals. Once upon a time, this was a little more attainable being that the qualifying time for corral placement was 2:30 before they introduced the runDisney membership where you could basically buy your corral. I worked really hard to get to a 2:30 and then they changed the goal post that year to 2:00. You can imagine my frustration and disappointment. I felt discouraged because obviously 2:00 is a big jump to try and achieve from 2:30 and if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be that fast. Recently it looks like they moved it back down to 2:30, of course after I took a year off.

Now that I’m getting back into races though, I do want to make speed a part of my training goals again. I want to get back to running a 2:30 and possibly a sub 2:30. And I’m probably going to regret saying this but it would be really nice to get back into this and try my hand at another Dopey for my 40th birthday in 2-3 years! It would be a nice goal for my 40th to celebrate.

I have a love/hate relationship with running but ultimately it’s been good therapy over the years. Something about working out all your thoughts during a long run is truly therapeutic. And then your body feels like it got run over by a truck the day after, lol. I know, there’s something wrong with me. Send help. I have truly learned nothing as I get back into it this year. I’m a little afraid, mixed with some regret and some excitement at the same time. Here I go though, back into the running foray! I’m looking forward to coming up with outfits and race costumes again. If you’re a runner, please send tips and tricks of what works for you and any advice you have for me. I would really appreciate it! And if you’re also working on these qualifiers, let me know! Would love to run with you.