2017 NYC Marathon Recap

At this point, loyal readers are probably sick of hearing about my marathons and the recaps. I know —  I get it, in the past 4 years, I have completed 9 marathons — and in the last 7  months, THREE! There is not much more to say that is different about each race, and yet, this race is different. The NYC marathon is the most incredible marathon on the planet, and this year, when I gave up any expectations and ran to enjoy myself, was even better and more successful than imaginable. Giving up expectations, having no pressure, and just relaxing in to the moment made all the difference. I soaked up every second, looked at the views, talked to people, applauded my fellow runners, and truly enjoyed every minute.

 

Good or bad, I decided that my outfit for the marathon was going to be the exact same one that I wore a month ago for the Chicago marathon — yes, much colder temperature wise in NYC (my mistake in Chicago) but the shirt was a success in Chicago, so I went for it again in NYC. And man oh man, SUCCESS it was. Literally, once a minute, someone in the crowd would yell “Go Mama” — and I would yell “Thank you” and wave my hand up. It made me feel connected to the crowd and all their energy and positive vibes definitely helped.

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More / Shape Women’s Half Marathon

This past weekend, I laced up my running shoes and ran my first half marathon in two years. Yes, I have run a lot of marathons since 2014, but a half marathon is totally different….and it hasn’t helped that I’ve been nursing an injury for the last 6 months (GROAN). But I did it. And in a fast time for me! And it was all part of a great event celebrating women. Enjoy the pics!

 

Post race, the little girl deserves the medal.

Post race, the little girl deserves the medal.

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Fashion Star Recap Week 4

Week 4! 3 contestants down, 11 contestants standing, 10 episodes left. Without further ado, here are the Josie Girl’s top takeaways of this week’s edition of….

Theme:  Last week, I thought the “Summer Trend” theme for the designers was a little too broad and not limiting enough.  This week was a wee bit confusing. Designers were asked to create a “high end” and a “low end” look. Buyers had the option to buy one, or the other, or both.  It wasn’t entirely clear if the looks were supposed to be related or not, and judging by some of the designers tweets last night, it wasn’t entirely clear to the designers either.  A number of the designers mid-way through the process decided to switch the “high end” piece to “low end”, and vice versa. I am pretty sure that doesn’t happen at Natori.  In all honesty, a lot of the looks didn’t seem more one or the other.  Prediction: we will not be seeing this theme again!

Favorite Look 1: Luciana! Each episode, there have been a few designers whose looks and background do not get featured.  Somehowe, Luciana was one of the unlucky few in EACH of the first three shows, Luciana finally got some air-time… and a buy!

Her dress was simple and wearable.  I like the subtle sequin flair on the front.

Available at Saks!

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Fashion Star Week 3 Recap

Week 3! We are into the flow now with the new fashion-based reality show on NBC. Week 1 got everybody introduced to the format. Week 2 got everyone over the inherent Week 1 awkwardness of a new reality TV show (and ratings improved, which is good for certain unnamed bloggers who committed to recapping every episode of the season for a show that starts an hour past their bedtime).

My hope was that Week 3 would feature more character development, which has been a little lacking so far compared to other reality shows.  Most shows keep their most controversial characters on longer than they should to maintain viewer interest.  Not the case here, where the two most controversial and identifiable contestants are bye-bye.  Nicholas (the sexist Australian) left Week 1 after telling the mostly female judges and buyers that he couldn’t respect a woman’s criticism, and Oscar (the flamboyant I want to say midget but can’t because it’s not PC and he’s not really a midget he’s just really short) left Week 2 after creating “hoochie-outfits” for the second straight week.  Without further ado, here are the Josie Girl’s Top 10 takeaways of Week 3 of….

Nicole Richie: OK, so I know I have spent time in the first two recaps praising Elle MacPherson (still amazingly hot, although I didn’t love her dress last night) and Jessica Simpson (seems like a real person and has developed a billion dollar fashion business), so now it’s Nicole Richie’s turn in the spotlight.

Much like Jessica Simpson after The Newlyweds, Nicole Richie didn’t necessarily look like she was off to great things when she was most known as Paris Hilton’s BFF and looked like a spoiled brat on The Simple Life.  But like Simpson, she has really made moves that have done wonders for her reputation (read: sever ties with Paris Hilton).  Her fashion sense is amazing, and I think she is doing a great job on the show.  Also, did you know that Lionel Richie isn’t actually her biological father?  I didn’t. Her Wikipedia page is here.

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