Supermodel Veronica Webb

I just went on a four mile run with supermodel Veronica Webb in Central Park! I have such a random life! Honestly, I only knew vaguely of her beforehand, but now I'm so impressed. Not only does she have an uber-impressive career as a model(the first black supermodel to receive an exclusive contract from a major cosmetics company!), writer and actress, but she's such a beautiful (I'm talking on the inside here) person.

Why did I run four miles in the park with a supermodel, you may ask. I say, why would I turn down the opportunity?? Turns out Veronica is also running for the Harlem United Community AIDS Center's Team Apollo in the New York City Half-Marathon this Sunday. She came out to run with me (well, actually Kelsey, our coach) to discuss running tips for the race, running in NYC in general, and to give a little pep-talk to our team as we prepare for the big race. As assistant coach of the team, I just got to tag along and add my two cents into the conversation. Honestly, everything I said will probably be edited out, as I can't put two word together on camera.

That's right, I said on camera! She brought her film crew out with her. She's cooking something up for t.v.! So in the (hopefully) near future I will be on t.v. running with Veronica and Kelsey!

Aside from starstruckness of it all, the four miles (inner loop, 72nd to 102nd) we ran were really nice. The weather was an amazing 60 degrees, the park was friendly and the conversation was fun. We went a nice easy pace as we're all tapering for the half on Sunday and also so the camera crew could keep up in the bike drawn carriage. It was especially entertaining as we went up hills and the cameras struggled to keep up.

All-in-all, it reminds me what I love so much about running. I'm talking about the friendship and adventures it brings. I've said it before that I love running because I love the people I run with. If it wasn't for great friends and running, I wouldn't find myself in such goofy/fun situations.

Anyway, if you don't know about Veronica Webb, I suggest you look her up. She's beautiful!

New York City Half Marathon 2010!

The New York City Half Marathon is this Sunday! I can't wait! It will be my third half-marathon and so, it will be the first that I have a strategy. My training has been pretty good, the course is pretty nice, and suddenly rain is out of the forecast and 50-60 degree temperatures are pretty wonderful! It's going to be a great day.

I am so excited about the race, that I couldn't help but make some art about it! This is what I came up with on a 3 hour train ride I took about a week ago. I definitely could have added more to it, tightening it up with some details, but I'm really happy with where it's headed. I know I'm not going to have anytime before the race to add anything, so, it was post it now, or post it never... It definitely has some elements that I'd like to incorporate into some new pieces and I love the energy. Maybe someone over at New York Roadrunners will see it and ask me to work on next years ads... hint, hint!

The entire image was created in Adobe Illustrator. Usually, I'd add some hand-drawn and scanned elements or some textures, but there's not much opportunity for that on a train... Hopefully, I'll get some time to finish up the piece, and perhaps I'll post it with the results of my race... in a few months.

I'm not just running the race for myself this time. I'm running for Harlem United Community AIDS Center. Harlem United is a wonderful organization providing Housing, Healthcare, and Prevention to those living with HIV/AIDS, regardless of race, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation, many of whom wouldn't have access otherwise.

Their mission doesn't just end there, though. They not only treat their clients' physical needs, but their emotional, social, and spiritual as well. Truly a noble organization and one that is a model of its kind.

Please help and please donate to my page to help continue their quest!

I hope to see you all on the course on March 21st and thank you for your donations!