When I was a little kid, I was a sprinter. I was the fastest girl in my class, and I loved to race. However, time, puberty, and vegetarianism apparently caught up with me, because as I got older, I got slower. By the time I reached high school I could barely run at all. I had knee problems and lacked endurance; my first year of college I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. Rather than trying to prove to myself that I could run again if I wanted to, I accepted my troubles and became a dedicated walker, and as I walked, my mile time actually got slower, until my average became a 20-minute mile. On energetic days I sometimes muster up an 18-minute mile.

A few weeks ago I read this post on RawBeets about Lisa Paris’s Chubby Kid Challenge. Like me, Lisa had convinced herself over the years that she wasn’t a runner, until one day she decided to change things. She challenged herself to run a mile every day, and by the end cut her time nearly in half. Inspired, I decided to do the same. Today, October 19, is my first day. My 30th birthday is November 17, so I’m actually giving myself just less than a month to see if I can improve my time, stamina and running skills by the end of my 20s. We’ll see what happens.

Today’s time: 15:50. Not great, but the fastest I’ve done it in years! Stay tuned for updates!

As part of my yoga teacher training, one of the subjects I’m studying is restorative yoga. Designed to help you de-stress and recharge, restorative yoga utilizes props to support the body through a series of relaxing poses. My “textbook” for this subject is Judith Lasater’s Relax and Renew, which details sequences for insomnia, jet-lag, pregnancy, menopause and more. She also offers the following tips on removing stress from daily life, which I think are pretty cool:

• Eat breakfast every day.
• Take a nap each Saturday.
• Take a walk in the park in the middle of the week. Do not wear your watch.
• Buy flowers for yourself once a week.
• Leave for your appointment 10 minutes earlier than usual and enjoy the trip.
• Take a walk with a young child. Walk at her pace. Stop whenever she wants to stop, for as long as she wants. Notice if you feel impatient. Let her teach you how to slow down.
• Do not take a working vacation, and be sure to use your vacation time in the year you have accrued it.
• Agree to meet someone between two times, for example, between 1:00 and 1:30 P.M., instead of at an exact time. Give yourself some leeway.
• Read a book not related to your work and which is not about self-improvement or any project.
• Take your lunch break away from your desk. There is always more to be done; don’t sacrifice nourishing yourself.
• Plan a “pajama day,” when you stay home in your pajamas and do whatever you want. You could spend time reading, soaking in the tub, or listening to music. Be sure to let your answering machine take your telephone calls.
• Write a letter to someone you miss. Use special paper and pen. Take your time.
• Lie on the couch for several minutes. Do not listen to music, read, talk on the phone or sleep. Just be there.
• Take a five-minute stretch break at work. Remember to breathe.
• Decide on one task that you would like to accomplish by a certain date. Write it down in your datebook. Make a realistic plan of how to meet your deadline and then stop nagging yourself about it.

Want more info on Judith and her techniques? Visit her site.

So, season 3 of Gossip Girl premiered this week. The biggest scandal of the episode wasn’t Serena’s desperate cry for attention, Blair and Chuck’s twisted sexual game or Vanessa hooking up with Dan’s secret brother. Nope. It was the clear disdain, nay, hatred! that the wardrobe and hair/makeup departments unleashed on most of the female stars. Let’s take it frame by frame:

First up, Taylor Momsen. She’s 16, about 10-feet tall, blond and a model. How hard can it be to make her look good? Apparently, it’s pretty damn hard, so they stuck her with scraggly hair, too much makeup and crotch-eating hotpants with suspenders:

Next up we have Blake Lively. She’s 22, about 10-feet tall, blond…do you see a pattern here? She has the best hair in the world, not to mention a killer body. So, naturally, the best look for her would… also be hotpants. Instead of suspenders, however, these come in the form of a romper, topped with the world’s ugliest jacket. I know it’s kind of hard to see here, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Seriously, look!

And since she does have miles of amazing hair, what did the stylists do? A sexy blowout? Romantic curls? No. They shoved in about 30 bobby pins and called it a day:

Blake and Taylor aren’t just competing in the ugly shorts competition. Taylor rose to the occasion with her own bad hair, and then upped the ante with an insanely short dress (the better to flash you with! Also, you can’t tell in the pictures, but she was sporting a heinous updo with that polka-dot mess).

Next up we have unfortunate Jessica Szohr. Not only is her character boring and whiny, she has the worst. fake. hair. ever. Check it:

I know, right? Take a gander at the back; you can actually see the delineation between her real hair and extensions so bad they’re bordering on dreads:

C’mon, people! This is a show about Manhattan’s upper elite! These people are supposed to be millionaires! We watch this for the amazing fashion! What happened here?

The only possible explanation for this madness is that Leighton Meester paid off the gals in wardrobe, hair and makeup, because she spent the entire episode looking AWESOME. Seriously, a pink cloche:

She also pulled off a kick-ass brocade number while Blake Lively was forced to stroll alongside her wearing what appears to be a maternity dress:

No wonder she’s smiling.

Also. Thank God they didn’t mess with Chuck Bass. Cause Blair Waldorf will cut a bitch.

As summer winds down (I can’t believe it’s almost September), I’ve been feeling the need for change. I’m ready for jackets, pumpkin spice frappuccinos and a new television season. And, on top of that, I’ve been in the mood for some new music. I’m tired of summer’s hip-hop beats, and in the mood for something funkier, both for working out and passing time in the car as I commute to class.

And I think I’ve found exactly what I want: Cobra Starship’s Hot Mess. Full of writhing electronic punk beats, this CD just makes your toes tap as it veers from the electronic-Brian Setzer-ish “Nice Guys Finish Last” to the hard beats of “Good Girls Go Bad,” (my favorite) featuring a surprisingly capable Leighton Meester (of Gossip Girl fame) to the Warren G shout-out “Wet Hot American Summer.” On “The Scene is Dead; Long Live the Scene,” lead singer Gabe Saporta references his own pretty face, which is indeed good-looking. This fun CD from an entertaining band should take me nicely through the Fall.

Gabe probably could make me go bad. If I had ever been good in the first place. Check it out: