I’ve recently taken up running - and have been at it since about October. I signed up for my first 1/2 marathon which is about 5 weeks away. In the course of signing up for races - to stay motivated - I’ve found a couple of neat marathons, 1/2 marathons, 5k’s and more.

Right now I’m currently signed up to run in Disney for my first race - with other races coming behind it. I’ll take it one at a time and move on from there. Fitness and weight loss is a big piece of this equation for me personally.

If there are other runners in NJ looking for places to race - I did find some some neat races worth mentioning here:

In May - there is a 1/2 marathon and full marathon in Long Branch. You can find info on the 1/2 marathon here….the full here. These are scheduled on May 2nd.

Another 1/2 marathon I found is a new one called the Super Hero Half and is to raise money for the Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Foundation. This one is being held on May 16th, and you can find information on this NJ half marathon here.

There’s an 18 mile run in LBI held by the Saint Francis parish. This one is usually held during the fall…their website is not currently updated with 2010 info as of yet, so if you’re interested check back later at the link above. On the sidebar is a tab titled 18 mile run…

If you’re looking for more information on running in NJ or races in NJ - there are two sites that offer good information - RaceForum.com and Active.com — I’m sure there are many more, but that will get you started.

We have a running joke, that it’s not a vacation if I don’t some how, some way end up sick, or get something like poison ivy, sprain an ankle, well….you get the picture.

Yes, the end (note the END) of my trip got me once again. I actually felt great and had a nice time through 95% of my vacation, so I’m not complaining too much. This time bronchitis, a sinus infection and a bronchitis induced asthma has decided to come home with me….some people get t-shirts or hats - me I pick up other crap.

Anyway, the plan was to do Orlando for 2/3’s of the trip, and the Keys the last 1/3. We made the 7 hour drive to the Keys, and turned around and left the next day. There was a bug problem at the place we booked, and I wasn’t interested in switching rooms at that point. It was a NICE hotel, but ya know what? Bugs happen….This was a well known, top expensive brand chain…so it wasn’t like I chose a dive of a place to save a few bucks. I’m actually a hotel snob, so that would never happen….

So I called the hotel we were booked at for the last portion of our stay before catching the AutoTrain home, and booked with them for 3 extra days…I wasn’t thrilled to do two 7 hour drives back to back, but I did feel better once we got to the new hotel and settled in.

Some of the highlights of our trip:

Blue Man Group (Universal) - we both really enjoyed this experience, which is a rare treat when your 15yo likes the same things you do!

Boggy Creek Airboat Ride - This was so cool. I didn’t care about seeing gators and all that, though we did see a mom gator watching out for her eggs…..but just seeing the ecosystem at such close proximity - really a neat experience…I also saw some great birds that you just don’t see up here in Jersey

Saw a snake slither across the road on our drive home from the airboat area…it was neat, because I was safely in my car doing 50 mph! He was in front of us, but we got to see him cross the entire roadway…he was FAST!

We did all the regular parks at Disney, and since we’ve been there a few times, it’s nice because we don’t feel like we have to fit it all in. We just pick a few of our favorites and take our time.

Of course Rock N Roller coaster at MGM (now called Disney Hollywood Studios) is our favorite, so we did that one a couple of times.

No matter how much fun you have, it’s always a great feeling to come home, and I am happy to be back. Ooh, there were two tornadoes about 30 mins away on two separate days. You don’t see that too often up here, though my husband said there was a funnel cloud over Clinton and there were warnings on the weather channel about it…crazy, summer weather!

Oh, and what a surprise to pick up a USA Today that was delivered to my hotel room in FLORIDA to see NJ all over the front page! The big ole corruption story was front and center.

This Jersey girl has gone down the shore. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. It looks like it will be windy, though sunny and right around 70 degrees. It’s still early, so I’m sitting here and am watching a lovely view….

The ocean is just steps away, and the sun radiates like diamonds on glass off of the ocean this morning.

There’s no where else I’d rather be. I grew up looking out at the Atlantic on our weekly vacations “down the shore”.

We stopped over at the Dark Star Cafe for a sandwich– oh my gosh, if you’re anywhere near Long Beach Island, this is a must needed lunch spot…needed as in, I NEED ME ONE OF THOSE SANDWICHES!!! I stopped in one time last year, and had to go back the very next day.

Then when my husband and I came down together, I told him we had to go there…now it’s our first meal on the island…and may become tradition! We unpack the cars, and head to the Dark Star for take-out…bringing it home to sit and look out at the ocean.

The owner, Tony, uses only the freshest products, and basically, if it isn’t made there, it isn’t served there….I had an incredible roast beef and cheddar hoagie (oooh, are you a sub person? yeah, funny how different areas say different things)…any way, that damn hoagie was fresh, on freshly made bread which is out of this world.

We’ll probably fit in a little bit of miniature golf today and wander around town. I’ll be taking some video and pictures so that I can load them over onto my LBI website next week. Want to check out my Long Beach Island website? It’s right here.

Don’t forget to check out the new pages that have been added recently.

NJ Amusement Parks
NJ Orchards
NJ Parks
NJ Camping

I’ll be adding more soon!

May is Arthritis Awareness month. Did you know that Juvenile Arthritis affects over 300,000 children in the United States?

Kelly Rouba was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at the age of 2. Kelly decided to write a book on arthritis that kid would read, and features teens with arthritis. The book includes resources, and gives perspective from multiple individuals who are faced with the disease.

You can visit Kelly’s blog here

You can find Kelly’s book here

Meet Kelly and other people featured in her book:
Arthritis Walk on Sunday May 3rd at the Princeton Forrestal Village.

You can help out be participating in the annual Arthritis Walk across New Jersey

There will be walks all through out the garden state during the month of May. Full details for your area can be found on the above website.

Why all this NJ information? You may not be aware of this, but I have a New Jersey book! It covers things to do, areas in New Jersey and more. I decided rather than continue to sell it, I’d share the information in one place. It makes more sense to have free access to it— all in one place. This way you can find the information that you need, when you need it with a simple search.

There you have it…look for more NJ information coming soon! As for today, I’m on my way out to lunch…have a great day.

If you’d like to see my book New Jersey Fun Finder, click here.

Get to know Salem County:

Salem County
Court House
92 Market Street
Salem, NJ 08079
609-935-7510 Ext 8202

Salem County areas:

Alloway
Auburn
Carneys Point
Deepwater
Elmer
Hancock’s Bridge
Norma
Penns Grove
Pennsville
Pilesgrove
Quinton
Salem
Sharptown
Woodstown

Get to know Ocean County:

Ocean County
Administration Building
101 Hooper Ave
Toms River, NJ 08754
732-244-2121

Ocean County areas:

Barnegat Township
Barnegat Light
Bay Head
Bayville
Beach Haven
Beachwood
Brant Beach
Bricktown
Cedar Grove
Crestwood Village
Forked River
Gilford Park
Holly Park
Island Heights
Jackson
Jacksons Mills
Lakehurst
Lakewood
Lanoka Harbor
Lavallette
Loveladies
Manahawkin
Mantoloking
Mystic Island
New Egypt
Normandy Beach
Ocean Gate
Pine Beach
Pinewald
Pleasant Plains
Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant Beach
Seaside Heights
Seaside Park
Ship Bottom
Silverton
South Toms River
Toms River
Tuckerton
Waretown
Warren Grove
West Creek
Whiting

Get to know Gloucester County:

Gloucester County
Court House
Woodbury, NJ 08096
609-853-3390

Gloucester County areas:

Bridgeport
Clarksboro
Clayton
Cross Keys
Franklinville
Gibbstown
Glassboro
Hurffville
Malaga
Mullica Hill
National Park
Newfield
Paulsboro
Pitman
Sewell
Swedesboro
Turnersville
Wenonah
Williamstown
Woodbury
Woodbury Heights

Get to know Cumberland County:

Cumberland County
Administrative Building
790 E. Commerce St
Bridgeton, NJ 08302
609-453-2125

Cumberland County areas:

Bridgeton
Cedarville
Delmont
Dividing Creek
Dorchester
Fairton
Gouldtown
Greenwich
Leesburg
Mauricetown
Millville
Newport
Port Elizabeth
Port Norris
Rosenhayn
Seabrook
Shiloh
Vineland