It’s 2012! Happy New Year!! Celebrating New Years in Manhattan is not only one of the biggest tourist attractions on the planet – Time Square at midnight watching the epic ball drop, it is magical and something to see no doubt.

Moving so fast it looks like I'm standing still!

But, thankfully for my friend Stephanie moving to New York this summer –- my New Years plans where already set well in advance. I wanted be one of the 1 million people in Time Square for the event. Although my plans may have taken a different route my promise to squeezing in some New York running time did not. Stephanie and I laced up our shoes for a quiet 5k along the beautiful East River Thursday evening after my arrival. Staring longingly into the Brooklyn lights on my left and the lovely East Village on my right, visions of my future Brooklyn apartment raced through my mind. I’m such a New Yorker now (not really I’m good pretending).

Inspired by Erin’s Chicago runs, she showed me it’s easy to keep fitness goals in mind, even on vacation. So, I made the effort to do the same.

Running is easy to do while traveling – it’s a cheap tour guide, a perfect way to see a new place, and “fit” in.

Note to self, I need to start running more!