Restaurant Review: Gato

Bobby Flay, like Emril Lagasse, Paula Dean and Gordon Ramsay, has found success both in the kitchen and on screen. Flay has truly reached celebrity chef-dom, with his recent divorce from his wife of 10 years (Law & Order SVU actress Stephanie March) making the pages of E! and TMZ. He’s appeared on 13 Food Network shows and specials and acted as a celebrity judge for a number of cooking competitions.

I’ve had the opportunity to eat at a few of his restaurants- most recently, Mesa Grill in Las Vegas and Bar Americain here in the Big Apple.  His newest restaurant, Gato, opened in March of 2014 to pretty good reviews and pretty excellent Instagram buzz.  I immediately added it to my Bucket List, and every time my parents came into the city I would try to get us a reservation (what, you think I could afford to take myself out to eat here?) No dice.

Until finally, on a Wednesday night in April, success! We got a reservation for 8 p.m. at Gato. My ideal dinner time!

I printed copies of the Immaculate Infatuation’sGato review since they are my most trusted source of foodie information. As my parents and I enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the hotel bar, I talked them through the strategy and let them read the review. A little much? I guess you don’t know me.

It would be a mistake if I were to bury the lead on this one -  before we get into me saying, “It was delicious” and “you should order this” a lot, let me just mention that Bobby Flay actually works in the kitchen at Gato fairly regularly and on this particular Wednesday night, he was there. 

My mom spotted him and immediately started saying, “It’s Bobby, it’s Bobby!” While pretending to wave at him and saying hi. We agreed he looks much better in person. My Dad was equally excited. I was totally chill, calm, relaxed, “whatever” about the whole thing. Ok, not exactly. But it was my DAD who told the waitress, “My daughter has FOOD BLOG can you tell Bobby to come over?” Hearing my dad say the word blog will never not be weird. But once Peter agreed he would take the ultimate, “I’m star struck and totally not playing this cool, can I have a picture?” picture – I anxiously awaited my opportunity. As he was walking back to the kitchen we asked him if I could get a picture and he said, “Come to the kitchen.” At first I thought he said something about needing to go back to the kitchen aka NO but then I realized he wanted me to follow him so everyone in the restaurant didn’t see he was taking pictures and start forming a line. 

So, there ya have it, Peter took my picture with Bobby Flay in the kitchen of Gato and it was great and my dad swears it’s because of this “food blog” that is influential and important to the culinary landscape of New York City.

Now for the review.

First things first, we found Gato, situated inconspicuously on Lafayette Street. Once we walked in, it was a lot nicer. The space was larger than I expected, fairly open and airy, with awesome light fixtures. My mom was a little critical of the flooring – it looked like pretty mosaic/Moroccan tiles – but was actually a soft/corky material. Didn’t bother me, but my mom is Mrs. HGTV so I figured her interior design critique was worth mentioning!

(Read the New York Times' Review which is much better written than mine!) 

It was crowded around the bar, but we found a spot to stand and took a look at the cocktail list. It’s really no surprise that I opted for the Lorenzo – gin, St. Germaine and muddled cucumber – some of my favorite cocktail ingredients (although gin, St. Germaine and grapefruit is my all-time favorite combo). I was a little concerned that there was also sherry in it, but it turned out to be delicious. Plus people sometimes call me Lorenzo, so it was destiny.

 We sat down and our waitress was great, giving us suggestions and letting us know what some of the most popular dishes are.

First up were the bar bites, a great deal that lets you pick 3 for $17. These were smaller than I thought, and not the easiest to split among 4 people but c’est la vie (true story: my alarm every morning is C’est La Vie by B*Witched. I am a true child of the 90s.)

Now without further ado, the bar bites:

Lamb Tenderloin, salsa verde – thinly sliced, super tender, full of flavor. I love lamb, sorry Lamb Chop!

Chorizo Crepinette , apricot mostarda, pickeled brussels sprouts – tasty, but I think I liked the things around the chorizo more than the chorizo!

Eggplant, manchego, oregano, balsamic – I am a veggie lover, but even the meat lovers agree that this may have been the best one!

(Left to right: Lamb Tenderloin, Chorizo Crepinette, Eggplant)

Normally, I would skip pizza on any menu unless I was out specifically for pizza. But the dudes over at Immaculate Infatuation promised that, “You’ve never had anything like it, and you’ll want it again.” So we ordered the Pizza with Lamb Sausage, tomato jam, mozzarella and mint. It was good, but I’m sad to report that I didn’t lose my shit over it, and I wouldn’t order it again, especially when it meant foregoing appetizer options like the popular Scrambled Eggs or Roasted Octopus. Too bad, so sad. But, it was probably the best appetizer to split between 4 people, and since the bar bites had only provided teensy bites to each of us, we were in need of some apps.

I had also heard tons of great things about the VEGETABLES at Gato. My favorite! There was no doubt that my first choice were the charred carrots with parsnip chips, harissa, mint and yogurt. I think one day I might turn INTO a carrot. I eat them pretty much every day. These carrots were delish and I loved that they came out looking like real, full carrots!

The second vegetable side we picked was the crispy potatoes with poached egg, smoked paprika and parmigiano. They were definitely crispy! This was that dish on the table that I didn’t need, I didn’t love, but yet I kept picking on them and ending up eating way more of them then I intended.

Alright ENTRÉE time!

There was never really a question as to what I was going to order for my main meal: Kale and Wild Mushroom Paella with crispy artichokes and EGG. Adding an egg on top of anything automatically elevates it to another level. The waitress confirmed this was one of their most popular dishes, and the Immaculate Infatuation deemed it another “must order.” It’s the dish featured on the “Menu” page of Gato’s website. And it’s all over the ‘gram. I’m so glad I jumped on the bandwagon with this one. The rice was incredibly crunchy in a great way and the flavors mixed together perfectly. Did I mention the server patiently waited for me to take my picture before scrambling the egg in for me? Now that’s what I call service!  

(Picture perfect pre egg scramblin')

While everyone else’s meals had lots of spice and an somewhat overabundance of seasonings, my meal was flavorful but mild and relied mainly on the already delicious flavors from the veggies, with the rice adding more texture than anything.

Immaculate Infatuation claims the paella is the perfect size to split between two people. Quitters. I finished every last bite by myself.

My mom has always said that when she goes to a Bobby Flay restaurant, it’s too spicy and there’s too much happening – and after trying everyone else’s meals, I would have to agree with her, especially if you’re like me and like trying a lot of different things/sharing during the course of a meal. If you got one dish and that was all you were having, it would be different, but we had tried 4 appetizers plus an entrée and my taste buds were going a little crazy.

While Flay uses a lot of spice, even for things that you would never expect to by spicy, the flavors are still usually very good. So while the spice doesn’t overpower the flavor, it’s not really necessary or adding anything except a burning in your mouth and maybe a runny nose.

I digress.

Peter ordered the Duck Confit with fregula sarda (huh?), delicate squash, mustard greens and pomegranates. The addition of pomegranate seeds to any dish is a personal favorite of mine – adds some sweetness and a fun little “pop” of texture.

Mom ordered the Orata (it’s a type of fish) with piquillo pesto, roasted lemon olive oil, pink & black pepper.  Doesn’t sound spicy, but somethin’ in there was!

Dad got the Red Prawns, meyer lemon & garlic, gigante beans and thyme. The shramps were delish, and surprise surprise had a kick to them! The gigante beans came in a side dish and were weirdddd man.

When it was time for dessert, we each received a free shot of Sherry (OK, so maybe it was for sipping, not taking a shot)as well as complimentary chocolate, pine nut and pistachio biscotti that tasted exactly how they should. We also ordered a scoop of Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato (I’m not the world’s BIGGEST Nutella fan, but I fell in love with this gelato!), Fromage Blanc Cheesecake with burn orange and pinenuts (again, not a huge cheesecake fan but loved this dessert) and the Pear Crostata with fig gelato(the pastry to pear ratio was skewed – a little too much pastry in my opinion).

(Biscotti)

(Pear Crostata with Fig Gelato)

(Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato)

(Fromage Blanc Cheesecake)

I didn’t realize until I just typed that all out what a sweets addiction Peter and I have. Haha just kidding, I’ve definitely realized it. But I don’t think it’s going away any time soon. The dessert section of my Bucket List grows by the minute and it’s officially ICE CREAM SEASON.

Overall, it was a great night, a great experience, great food. But you’ve been warned – don’t go to Gato to sample everything under the sun. Stick with an app and an entrée or an entrée and a side of vegetables. And seriously, order the damn paella, just because it’s vegetarian doesn’t mean it’s not amazing!

122 Days Until Marathon #3 - Eeeek.

10 days ago I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon. 

9 days ago I wrote down what I wanted to focus on between now, and training for an October marathon:
Strength (more deadlifts, more squats, more weights!)
Yoga
Maintaining a weekly mileage around 25
I narrowed my "Fast, Flat, Fall Marathon" hunt down to two races - the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon vs. the Hartford Marathon.

Mohawk-Hudson River because it's fast, flat, in the fall, scenic, small.  Hartford because it's a little bigger, nearby, logistically easier, and my best friend is running her first half marathon there that day! 

But I was concerned Mohawk-Hudson was too small, and another marathon with a long car ride, hotel, etc. didn't excite me. Hartford's course definitely wasn't as fast or flat. 

There was also the fact that I wanted to be sure my parents would be able to make it to my next marathon. 

A wise man then told me, "If either of those were the right race, it wouldn't be hard for you to pick one." Then he gave me frankincense and myrrh. 

Fast forward a few days of deliberation and - I went rogue. 

Signed myself up for the inaugural Suffolk County Marathon on September 13. 122 days away. And that's right, inaugural. A "proposed" course with zero elevation chart for me to pre-review, I'm simply trusting the website which promises a "fast, flat 26.2 mile course featuring long straightaways" that "will give you the perfect opportunity to shatter your own personal goal." I don't even know if there will be pacers.

Seems a little risky when the goal is the BQ, and oh yeah, it means starting a training plan again in approximately...a week. But there are reasons that make it seem less crazy, I swear! 

A) Logistically, it's easy. I can sleep in my bed the night before.
B) It ends at the "Taste of Long Island" Festival - do you know me?
C) I LOVE running along the water. 
D) Hometown vibes, family can be there.
E) Cheap
F) If I have to, I can switch to the Half up  until the day of the race. And for $65, that's still a good deal.
G) The website says fast and flat, it must be true, right? 
H) That wise-man said he would consider ditching the camel and running his first 26.2

The most daunting thing is the fact that I'm going right back into training - something I hope my body doesn't punish me for. The plan is running the Brooklyn Half on Saturday and taking a full week off from running before slowly increasing the mileage again. 

So that's that. Anyone care to join me? Long Island is pretty great. 

SORRY THERE ARE NO PICTURES.  HERE: 

Avocados are the Oprah of Instagram. 

Pittsburgh Marathon Part 2

At around mile 4, on the 2^nd bridge, I started looking for Peter and Erin since they planned to be there. Eventually, I spotted them standing on the side of the bridge. I yelled, but neither of them saw or heard me. So I jumped into the air, waved my hands, screamed Peter, and got their attention. I was so excited. Maybe leaping into the air and flailing my arms like a crazy octopus wasn’t the best energy-conservation strategy but the pay-off – getting a second to make eye contact and smile at both of them, was totally worth it. 

After that bridge, we went right over a 3^rd bridge – they weren’t bad at all. The race was still flying along at this point- the bridges were short and had basically no incline. My memory of everything after that point is vague with a few moments that stick out for one reason or another. Here are those random moments that I can clearly remember:

Around mile 6 there was a turn and a big downhill. Waiting at the bottom of the hill was a band and a big cheer section. It was an exciting, “Woohoo running marathons is fun!” moment. It was probably the last time I thought that until I crossed the finish line.

At mile 9 I took my first gel because I knew mile 12 was where the big hill was. I wanted to give it 20 minutes to kick in. I passed a photographer while I was eating it and totally hammed it up for the camera.

Someone was holding a sign that said “Smile if you peed yourself!” I thought it was a little too soon for someone to have peed themselves, but laughed at the sign. Foreshadowing.

There was a sprinkler archway set up for us to run through and when I passed under it, the water was ICE cold – it literally took my breath away and it was scary to stop breathing for a second as you’re running and not be able to catch your breath.

Also around mile 9 I caught up to the 8:40 pace group (that’s how far behind the 3:35 guy had lined up in the corral. I stayed with the group for about a mile and the girl who had left the 3:35 group with me was there too.  We exchanged a, “holy shit that pacer was so far back,” confirmed that our watches had the same time, and eventually lost each other. 

Looking back, this was the moment I should have relaxed, stuck with the 3:40 pace group the rest of the race, and probably would have qualified for Boston. That’s not what I did, however. I got impatient and continued to run far too fast for the first half of the race.

Miles 5-10 were run at the following paces: 7:46, 7:37, 7:33, 7:55, 7:43, 7:42.

The bridge leading up to the mile 12 hill wasn’t bad at all.  The mile 12 hill was like a 2 part hill (similar to Harlem Hill). The first part gave me a false sense of security that I was going to be fine. Then I rounded the corner and saw the second half looming in front of me and thought grrrrrreat. But I made it up and over without too much trouble.

I felt good for a few more miles, but I could tell I was running out of steam. I just kept telling myself to get to Peter and Erin at mile 15ish, and then I would get an energy boost and feel better. Miles 11-15 were 7:42, 8:11, 7:55, 8:11, and 7:48.

I didn’t see Erin and Peter again, but I did take another gel, hoping it would give me a boost. I was really starting to feel awful. There was no specific pain anywhere and my breathing was fine but my body was just tired and my legs didn’t want to turn over as fast as I had been asking them to. At the end of the race if you had asked me to guess where I started to slow down, I probably would have said mile 15, but it turns out miles 16-18 were still pretty fast at 7:54, 7:56, and 8:01. But mentally, I knew the rest of the race was going to suck. I had burnt out. I also really had to pee.

I can’t say when exactly it happened, but I knew I was going to have to pee, and I knew that I was very close to a BQ finish time – so there was no way I was stopping at wasting precious time at a portapotty. I grabbed a stick of Vaseline from someone at a fluid station and rubbed it on my thighs in case I had the guts to actually follow-through with the peeing as you run thing. It happened, people. At first it was pretty contained and I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but then my bladder was like, “Oh you’re letting this happen? K, we actually have another gallon of urine, comin’ right up.” There’s no way people that I passed didn’t know what was happening, but I was oddly ok with it in the moment. And I guessed it meant I had been drinking enough water? 

Speaking of water, I was also really proud of my grabbing water cups on the run, folding it in half, holding the top half closed, drinking it sideways technique. It was pretty solid. Plus it was really hot out and whatever I spilled all over myself felt great. There were also people handing out some ice cold towels which felt amazing around my neck. I also used one and attempted to clean my legs off a little…

It was sunny and it was pretty damn hot. I had lost the arm warmers really early on in the race.

Mile 19 on was where it was REALLY bad. I never ever thought I would come as close as I did to walking. One minute I was telling myself, “RUN FASTER YOU IDIOT! You can BQ! Leave it all out on the course! You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t give this everything you’ve got!” And the next minute I was telling myself, “There’s no way you’re BQing at this point, just walk and try not to be so hard on yourself- it’s not happening, you already ruined it, what’s the point just walk a little.” Back and forth, those two schools of thought battled it out in my head for 8 miles, while my legs battled the hilly back end of the course.

I waited for that moment I had in Wineglass where the pain didn’t matter and I just “ran with my heart.” There were brief spurts where I was able to pick up the pace but I couldn’t sustain it more than a few seconds. 19-24 paces were 8:18, 8:52, 8:47, 8:50, 9:05, 8:46.

I would pass spectators who would cheer me on, tell me how great my pace was, tell me I could do it and I wanted to badly to believe that I could still come in under that 3:35 mark.  Even if I ran a typically easy pace for me, I could have done it. But nope, 9 minute miles were all I had left. Every, “You look great!” cheer just made me want to cry because a) I knew I didn’t look great and b) I sure as hell didn’t feel great. As a shuffled my feet one in front of the other some people told me to pick it up, we’re at the end, you got this, let’s go – further proof that I looked like I was hurtin’ and as I passed some people I did the same for them.

Around mile 24 the 3:35 group came up behind me. Of course my heart wanted to finish strong with them, but it honestly just wasn’t possible. The 8:40 group came along shortly after that, and I put in a little more of an effort to stay with them, but that wasn’t sustainable either.

At Wineglass, I ran the last 2 miles like I was never going to run again – I blew past that finish line so strong. But no amount of cheering spectators or internal mantras could get my legs to move any faster in Pittsburgh.  

I saw Peter and Erin as I came to the finish line and I made a “I’m gunna die” face (I’m sure it was super adorable!) When I crossed the finish line, I’m happy to say I wasn’t sad and disappointed that I didn’t BQ – that was never the goal. 

I did PR by a TON, I completed my second marathon, I ran my own race, I learned a ton about race strategy, I had PEED MYSELF, and I knew that I had given it all that I had  - there was just nothing left to give by the end. My last two miles were 9:26 and 8:56.

When I crossed the finish line in 3:37:03, I was way out of it. I felt like everything was really far away, and my legs – oh my freaking legs. Volunteers helped me shuffle away but I really was on the verge of collapsing. I stubbornly told them I was fine, but I really probably could have used a medical tent. Everything was so tight and hurt more than I’ve ever experienced.

I got my medal (SO HEAVY!) and remember thinking “Seriously? A banana? I DON’T WANT YOUR BANANA.” Wineglass had soup and pizza and other delicious things. 

Pittsburgh – a banana. Not amused. Anyway, I chugged some Gatorade, chugged a water bottle, and was happy to see smiley face cookies and Panera bagels (mmm cinnamon crunch bagel!) At least a little better than a damn banana.

I just wanted to get to the finisher’s festival, but the walk there seemed to last for years. I stopped to have some pictures taken but the whole time I was on the verge of tears. We had planned to meet in the finisher’s festival near the family reunion area but luckily, Peter found be before that point and I basically collapsed into him and I don’t know how I wasn’t sobbing, I think it would have taken too much energy. I was so glad to see him, I was in so much pain, and he was saying such nice things about how well I’d done and how proud he was.  And he got me a TEDDY BEAR which I clutched the rest of the afternoon and he took all my pictures with me. His name is still being negotiated.

When we found an area to sit down I literally need Peter to pick me up and put me down, I couldn’t just squat to sit down. They just hurt. So, so badly. About 5 minutes into him trying to massage some life back into them, I let him know that I had peed all over myself. I was horrified and felt so bad but he just laughed at me and gave me a kiss and I think that’s pretty much proof of how amazingly wonderful he is.

Once Melissa finished, Erin met up with us and I get in line for the massage tent. Melissa found us and joined us in line as Pure Protein bars were pushed on us (not delicious). It was such a gorgeous sunny day, there was music, and I finally started to feel that “post-marathon high” that is the reason I will certainly be signing up for another one. Peter went and got my medal engraved, because again, he’s the best.

My massage was OK but not amazing and it didn’t make me feel any better afterwards, but the lady was nice. We met up with Taylor, took some pictures, and headed back to the car. 

Walking was less torturous than right after I finished. Peter and Erin walked up the parking garage to get our bags since I definitely wasn’t about to tackle stairs yet. We took some more pictures in front of the bridge and headed to brunch!

Brunch was wonderful, because we met up with the rest of the November Project people who had run – Natasha, Emily, Nina all ran the half and Taylor, Laura, myself and Melissa had run the full. Plus, Myles, Peter and Erin, Taylor’s boyfriend, and three of Peter’s friends who live in Pittsburgh. It was a partay!

We went to a place called Sonoma Grille that I had found online – for $23 you got an appetizer, entrée and brunch cocktail! Everything on the menu sounded so good, but I ended up ordering the Crab Tian – lump crab, avocado, onion, cilantro, chili oil and sesame crisp. This was killer.  SO much crab. So much avocado.

The entrée I chose was the Kurobuta Benedict – it came with big hunks of pork that were cooked really well, but it was a little much. I preferred the quail eggs and asparagus muffin it came with. The Hollandaise Curry Sauce was a bit of a letdown because it didn’t taste much like curry to me.

I was also bummed that the Bloody Mary tasted overwhelmingly of Worcestershire sauce. That didn’t stop me from eating it, of course.

After brunch we headed back to Erin’s and I promptly showered and organized all my things so that it would be done and I wouldn’t have to think about it again. We sat outside on the porch in the beautiful sunshine and Erin’s family had an delicious outdoor dinner for us – complete with beers and wine, obviously.

Also obviously, dessert. Brownie sundaes! The brownies were Ghirardelli and soooo yum.

(Such a beautiful night!)

It was, understandably, a pretty early night. I was looking forward to a great night’s sleep, but I tossed and turned all night because everything hurt so badly – every time I went to kick the sheet away, it literally felt like I was being stabbed. It was not the wonderful post marathon sleep I had expected, sadly.

(Bye Sophie! :(

In the morning we got on the road (after getting salted caramel iced coffee) and made a stop at Penn State to eat at Waffle Shop (Peter and I ordered ALL THE FOOD) and then Peter drove us through the campus. 

(Eggs, bacon, English Muffin, Home fries, French Toast AND blueberry pancakes)

(Ice Dancing)

It was a long day. After like 9 hours, we got the car back to Long Island and had dinner at Peter’s parent’s house. Lasagna was everything I needed. Next, it was the train to Penn Station, subway to my apartment, cab to Peter’s. Going up stairs wasn’t awful, though it was definitely slow going. Down stairs was a different story. It was SO ROUGH.

Tuesday night I jogged a mile and Wednesday I jogged less than a mile. My first real run since the marathon was Saturday when Melissa and I did 5 miles in the park. My quads are FINALLY feeling almost completely normal. Next weekend is the Brooklyn Half Marathon, so I hope I’m ready to go!

I also said I wasn’t racing in Brooklyn, but now that I know how fast I was able to run the first 18 miles of my marathon, I want to see what I can do in a half!

Overall, Pittsburgh was an amazing weekend. Being there with Peter, Erin and Melissa made me feel so relaxed. The weather was beautiful. Everything was well organized. The course was challenging and I am so so happy to have shaved 12+ minutes off my PR time. I’m not done with marathons yet, that’s for sure.

There’s so many people who encourage and inspire me to get up and run at 6:00 a.m., in the freezing cold, for 3 hours. There’s so many people who encourage and inspire me to go to bed early, to choose race registration fees over nights out, to keep myself healthy. Running and marathon training has completely changed my way of life in so many ways and I’m so happy to be a marathoner. 

(These are our Saturday nights and I LOVE IT)

Pittsburgh Marathon Part 1

If we’re being honest, putting my fingers to the keyboard to type up a recap of last weekend is an extremely daunting task. I hope you’re somewhere comfortable, or have something that you’re really trying to avoid doing, because this is going to be long.

I spent all of last week slowly packing. By Thursday night, my Vera Bradley duffel bag and my backpack were stuffed with every running-related item that I owned, “Just in case.” Ice packs, ace bandages, icy hot, compression socks, foam roller, 4 different outfit possibilities, 3 pairs of sneakers – and did I mention all of the food I brought? My own Ziploc bags of quinoa, oatmeal and carrots (none of which I ended up eating, for the record). There was pita bread and Gatorades and 6 pairs of socks (because obviously you can’t buy Gatorade in Pittsburgh…) It was a small miracle that I contained everything to two bags.

Friday at 3 I left the office (got a good luck hug from Tiffanie!), walking slowly under the weight of all my extremely necessary luggage, and made my way uptown to Peter’s apartment, where his parents had just arrived to drop off his car for us.  We settled in for a long drive (Long Drive – Jason Mraz, quality song that you should download) through the incredibly large state of Pennsylvania.

(Thanks for the hug!)

Our first stop was somewhere in Jersey because Mr. Caffeine needed a hit. As we left Dunkin Donuts, Peter told me to, “Do something funny in front of my car!” Naturally, I climbed onto the hood of the silver car in front of me, only to realize as a man walked by that I was in fact sitting on the hood of a stranger’s car. Good one, Lauren.

(This was actually Peter's car...)

Once we got out of New York/New Jersey it was smooth sailing. We made another pit stop in the Poconos at, you guessed it, Dunkin Donuts, where I changed into my comfy clothes and squeezed my legs into compression socks.

(The drive was beautiful! I took approximately 173 sunset pictures, just ask Peter!)

Next stop was dinner near State College aka Penn State aka Peter’s Alma Mater. I loved listening to his trip down memory lane and seriously wished I had toured Penn State as a high school junior/senior. I had zero interest in going to a big school, but damn, that place is kind of amazing. We sat and ate at Panera and I was reminded that Panera is an underrated fast-casual restaurant that’s actually really really delicious, healthy and wholesome. I had half of a turkey/cranberry flatbread and the chicken hummus power bowl – I loved that the salad was legitimately baby spinach, cucumbers, tomato, chicken, hummus, and a lemon. Not drenched in some fake dressing that probably would have wreaked havoc on my stomach come race day.

Around midnight, we made it to Sewickley, the suburb outside of Pittsburgh where my friend and roommate Erin grew up. Her and Melissa had taken a bus there earlier in the day. Erin showed us where we would be staying in her giant, beautiful, amazing, maze of a Victorian house and we went straight to sleep with plans to wake up around 9 to head out to the expo and Saturday market nice and early. Right before bed Peter gave me a note to read that got me really excited for Sunday, calmed some of my nerves, and reminded me again of just how glad I was that he was there for this, even though he couldn’t run the half marathon like he planned. The note ended with my favorite running quote lately,

“Who of us hasn’t considered how our peers will react to our performance in a given race, whether good or bad? And in those moments, whom are we ultimately running for? The sport is difficult enough as it is; doing it for anyone but ourselves makes it unsustainable.”

I woke up, showered, and went downstairs with my Ziploc back of oatmeal to find Melissa, Erin and Erin’s mom standing around a griddle making banana and strawberry pancakes. Erin’s family makes their pancakes with oil instead of butter too (the best way to make pancakes, trust me). I chose pancakes over oatmeal and Melissa and I did some serious damage – soo many pancakes were consumed in the pretty sun room while the new Australian Shepherd puppy Sophie provided entertainment (Erin’s parents picked her up on Friday and she was the sweetest thing ever!)

(Flowers, puppies, pancakes - perfect start to the day!)

It took us a little longer to get going than we anticipated but eventually, we piled in the car and made our way to Pittsburgh. Along the way Erin showed us the ginormous homes of people like Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux (no big deal, just a hockey rink complete with Zambonis in the backyard!) We also stopped at Sheetz which is like a 7-11 on crack. Apparently Sheetz vs. WaWa is the big debate in Pennsylvania. I didn’t end up trying anything from either, so I can’t make any judgments.

(F'Real f'real?)

We entered the city and it was so much prettier than I had expected – 3 rivers, tons of bridges, and a beautifully sunny day – Pittsburgh was picture-perfect. We parked near the Strip District and walked along all of the booths/shops. I was overwhelmed by all the delicious food, but I was still so stuffed with pancakes that I managed not to buy anything (except a toothbrush, because I somehow succeeded in forgetting something while simultaneously packing everything).

With my eyes, I ate baklava, pastries, lobster rolls, olives, fudge and more. Then, we walked over to the convention center for the EXPO! After seeing the Boston Marathon expo just two weekends earlier, the Pittsburgh Marathon had a lot to live up to – overall, I thought it was pretty good! We first walked in and got our bibs which was easy enough. Unfortunately, I had ordered a small shirt instead of an extra small since the ones from Wineglass were so teeny tiny and when I went to swap it at the shirt exchange table, there were no extra smalls to be found. Oh well! Another thing Melissa and I were bummed with was the fact that the girls and guys shirts were different colors – the guys had green and the girls had pink. Sexist! Although green is my favorite color, I still like the pink shirt.

After walking around and having some samples (why do protein bars taste so bad?) I fell in love with a Nike Pittsburgh Marathon t-shirt but convinced myself I have a million exercise clothes and don’t need any more. 

Peter was still really sick, but being a trooper as we dragged him around. We sat down while Melissa and Erin got the car and we made our way home.

I made a turkey sandwich, did some organizing of all my things, painted my nails, and had a serious discussion with Melissa about which of my four outfit options I was going to wear. After a lot of back and forth, some modeling for the group and some jogging in place, I decided to go with the same outfit I had worn for my first marathon. Original, Lauren. But at least I knew that I would be comfortable and it was one less thing I had to worry about bothering me during 4 hours of running.

We sat outside on the beautiful porch for a little while before heading inside to watch the Kentucky Derby! It’s crazy to think a) how long the race has been going on b) how much money is at stake c) how short the jockeys are. I still have so many good memories from going to Saratoga when I was younger and I’ve really been meaning to make a trip to Belmont one of these days! Mainly for the outdoor drinking if we’re being real.

Anyway. Erin and her parents went out for a family dinner and Peter, Melissa and I headed to the grocery store for dinner supplies. Since Peter’s throat was hurting so much, his dinner was a lot of ice cream and soup. Melissa and I made a pretty delicious meal of rotisserie chicken and sautéed veggies. Easy peasy. I ate my chicken on a whole wheat pita with guacamole and had some veggies on the side. We each had a spoonful of Phish Food ice cream because – because.

Next up was reading the card Rebecca had given Melissa and I and attempting some foam rolling.  All the foam rolling did was make me panic about tight/sore spots which Peter reminded me weren’t going to go away at this point so it was no use worrying about them. What was going to happen in the morning was going to happen. But while I was foam rolling, Sophie totally thought I was another puppy and all she wanted to do was play/attack me. TOO CUTE I TELL YA!

I went up to bed and Peter and I read through “The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances” quickly. I’m so glad Peter thought to pack it because it was just what I needed – to laugh at the craziness that is training for and running marathons, to remember the amazing sense of accomplishment and peace I feel while running, and to remember not to take it all so seriously. Shockingly, I fell asleep pretty easily. I woke up a couple of times throughout the night to use the bathroom, so I suppose my pre-race day hydration had been successful.

(Ready or not, here I come!)

At 5 a.m., my alarm was going off. The first thing I did was read the card from Kayla and Jess. Then, I was pinning a bib to my shirt, putting on my throwaway sweatshirt, grabbing my bag, and walking down the stairs for breakfast. Ok, there were a few other steps in there, like brushing my teeth, putting my watch on, etc. But you get the point. 

I was so worried about my stomach after the Wineglass Marathon and Brooklyn Half Marathon. I just prayed #2 wouldn’t be an issue this time around. Like I said, I never really figured out my nutrition situation, so I was winging it. I had some Kashi cereal and crossed my fingers.

Then it was time to put on my Tattly temporary tattoo! It said, "OKAY LETS DO THIS" and I loved it. 

The four of us hopped in Erin’s car and we were off. The traffic was fine and we drove to the second or third parking garage off the highway and had no trouble finding a spot. Just like at Wineglass, I had a last minute struggle about using my Goodwill Chobani half-zip as a throwaway and decided against it. Unlike at Wineglass, it wasn’t freezing cold out. I was fine in my shorts, arm sleeves, and heatsheet from an old race. I left my phone behind with Peter, but had decided to run with my Spibelt – 3 gels, a tampon, ID and debit card. I was ready.

We walked towards the corrals and I gave our adoring fans (Erin and Peter) hugs and kisses goodbye. (I hugged Erin, kissed Peter, in case there was a question about that…)

(Mt 99 cent knee socks/arm warmers are AWESOME don't deny it)

Melissa and I ran into Taylor in line for the portapotty and chatted while I anxiously awaited the moment of truth – would I be able to go to the bathroom before the race, and would that be enough? (If you’re not comfortable reading about my bodily functions as they relate to running, then you’re probably not going to love around mile 17 of this race recap, just a heads up). Answer: I was able to go. I breathed a sigh of relief and we walked to corral B.

The corral was a little bit of a mess. We couldn’t find any pacers. I had told myself I wanted to find the 3:40 pacer to go out conservatively and if I felt amazing somehow, I would chase down the 3:35 group later in the race. Qualifying for Boston was a goal I wouldn’t even let myself consider because I knew I would most likely end up disappointed if I went in with that as my goal. Of course, the only pacer I saw in the entire corral was the 3:35 pacer. And of course, I couldn’t resist lining up near him to see how it went.

Without much fanfare, the race started. And it was packed. It was hard to run very fast at all, and dodging people to keep the pacer in sight was stressful. Eventually, I started to notice everyone around me making comments about our group – wondering why we were so far back. I pushed it out of my mind and tried to ignore it, but if became more and more obvious that we were fighting to navigate through a crowd of people that were much slower than us. At some point in the first 1-2 miles I saw Melissa which was exciting. But then it was back to worrying as I literally heard someone say, “That pacer’s broken!”

The first 3 miles flew by. Literally, I don’t know how they went by in such a blur. It was on the first bridge at mile 3 that I finally took some of the words Peter had said to me and decided to go with them: “Run your own race.”  The whole pace group situation was stressing me out and I didn’t want to be mentally frazzled, especially since my legs were feeling good. So I took off on my own. Another girl who had started near me did the same, and we chatted for a brief moment about how concerned we were the 3:35 pacer and how off he already was. I wish I had gotten her bib number so I could see how she finished, because I know she kicked my butt and I should have stayed with her!

Anyway, with the pacer behind me, I picked up speed. Too much speed. While my first 3 miles with the pacer were 8:37, 8:27, 8:18 (totally not a reason for me to have been freaking out, by the way…) my pace dropped to 7:26 when I went off on my own. Sure it felt fine at the time, but to think that I was going to be able to sustain that was stupid.

At around mile 4, on the 2^nd bridge, I started looking for Peter and Erin since they planned to be there. Eventually, I spotted them standing on the side of the bridge. I yelled, but neither of them saw or heard me. So I jumped into the air, waved my hands, screamed Peter, and got their attention. I was so excited. Maybe leaping into the air and flailing my arms like a crazy octopus wasn’t the best energy-conservation strategy but the pay-off – getting a second to make eye contact and smile at both of them, was totally worth it. 

To be continued!

Am I Ready to Beat the Burgh?

Welcome to May! Crazy. I literally cannot even think beyond May 3 to the fact that my birthday is in 6 days. Nonsense. 

I registered to run the Pittsburgh Marathon 7 MONTHS ago. Over half a year ago, now. Just a month after I ran my first marathon! 

And now, I'm about 50 hours away from hopefully crossing my second marathon finish line. It won't be the same as Wineglass, but this race will be amazing and special in its own ways. 

(Pittsburgh will be great, but I won't love my bib number as much as I loved this one!)

For one, Pittsburgh is a different kind of race. Whereas Wineglass was small and rural, with a few big cheer areas, but mainly solitary miles through upstate New York, Pittsburgh is an urban race with bands and cheerleaders and DJs every few miles. I motivated myself through Wineglass (with the boosts from my grandparents and some cheering from the wonderful volunteers at fuel stations) but in Pittsburgh, I expect the spectators to help motivate me. I'm also slightly worried that the Broadway-themed performance group at mile 6 is going to make me slow down because I want to hear what they're singing. I can see it now - running up to XTreme Teen Broadway after just 6 miles of the race, pulling off the course and saying, "Eh, that was enough for me - now let's sing Spring Awakening and Les Mis!"

While Wineglass was beautifully flat, Pittsburgh's elevation chart gives me anxiety. 5 bridges. I've sat here crunching numbers - elevation, length of the hill, rate of the incline - trying to compare it to hills I've come to know (and hate) - Harlem Hill, Cat Hill, Randall's Island footbridge. But honestly, I'm going to be freaked out going into my corral no matter what, so I'm putting the calculator down! 

Pittsburgh...

Wineglass...

Training in the winter vs. training in the summer was my biggest concern going into this and looking back, it's easy for me to say it was no big deal. But I know the only reason I was able to get out of bed on mornings that were in the single digits to put on sneakers (and several layers) was because of the amazing people I'm surrounded by. All winter long my Instagram feed was filled with athletes who braved the cold and got it done. All winter long, the people who have become some of my best friends, were there to meet me at Engineer's Gate on a snowy Saturday morning. All winter long, I had someone who would literally have dragged me out of bed if I needed him to. 

And this time around, it's some of those people who will be there in Pittsburgh with me. I'll get to run into the arms of the one who listened to every complaint, every ache and pain. Who drove me to races and stayed in Friday nights to wake up early on Saturday mornings. Who gave me hugs even when I was horribly sweaty. 

I was also inspired by the crazy November Project badasses I'm surrounded by. They seriously race everything. And they race it fast. But I got an even bigger "WOOHOO RUNNING" boost each and every time a friend texted me about their running progress.  Tina's running more and we got to run a 5K together in Columbus. Staci is training for a 10K. Lauren just ran a 5K and said my blog gave her motivation. Allison ran a 5K and is signed up for her first half marathon. Nicole is doing the Couch to 5K. Melissa just went out her front door and ran a 5K. I'M SO HAPPY that people so important to me are taking the plunge!

I did some things differently this time. The biggest change was my mileage. It was significantly less than during my training for Wineglass and less than what NYRR Virtual Trainer had in store for me. My training almost fell apart early on when I started in January. Looking back, I was crazy to think I could jump right into running over 30 miles in a week. At the height of my long runs (18, 20 and 22) my weekly mileage got up around 30 - and I found that 3 or 4 days of running was my sweet spot - definitely not 5 or 6. 

I foam rolled MUCH more than ever before. It's become a habit that instead of going out to eat lunch during the work day, I foam roll at NYSC for 30 minutes. 5 minutes for each calf, 10 minutes for the rest of each leg. I eat lunch at my desk instead, although on some of the nice spring days we've been having, it's even more torturous to drag myself to foam roll.

Girls hate discussing their weight, but we'll see if the fact that I'm 10 pounds heavier at the Pittsburgh starting line is a good thing, or a bad thing. (It's 10 pounds of pure muscle, surely...)

Yoga. Yep, I hopped on board the yoga train and slowly but surely my opinion on it is changing. For 3 weeks I've consistently gone 3 days a week (last week I went 4!) and the skeptic in me has been convinced of yoga's benefits. Woops.

My sneaker shuffle has changed a bit too - instead of running my marathon in Saucony Guides (a stability shoe) I'll be rocking the Saucony Ride (neutral). I also did a ton of training in New Balance fresh foams. Anything under 10 miles I wore my New Balance, and anything over 10 I wore my Sauconys. Once I get back out for speed work, my Adidas will be my speed shoe. I like this new system! 

I used to run all my long runs in compression socks (CEP). But now, I only wear them to sleep for recovery.  

After a brief stint with insoles - I trashed them (bye $60).  

There were also a bunch of things I should have changed, and didn't. Like the fact that I still have no idea what I should eat the night before a long run. Or the morning of a long run. My plan for marathon morning is - well, I don't really have one in terms of what I'm going to eat. Because stupidly, for my long training runs I rarely ate more than a banana. 

All my grand plans to figure out what upset my stomach while running? After a brief stint as a gluten-free and dairy-free runner, I gave up. But I certainly tested out a variety of racing fuels to figure out what I could stomach, right? Oh, if only. At the Boston Marathon Expo I bought my old go-tos - espresso Clif energy shots - and I tested one out on a 7 mile run, but that's hardly "figuring out my nutrition plan." So come Sunday, it's kind of, "cross my fingers and hope for the best." 

I've packed 4 outfits for Sunday. 4. And I don't know how I'm going to figure out which one to wear. 

I have my foam roller, my lacrosse ball, my stick, my icy hot, some ace bandages, and basically every little thing I could ever need. 

My compression socks are ready for the 8 hour drive. 

I'm officially in crazy mode - one minute I'm terrified, one minute I just really don't want to run 26.2 miles, one minute I just one to cross the finish line with a smile, one minute I want to crush my Wineglass time, one minute I'm having a panic attack at a twinge I felt in my ankle. It's exhausting, quite frankly. 

(I'm smiling because this was the only bridge...)

Mentally, it's very different running marathon #2 because on one hand I know I can do this because I've done it before but I also know that miles 20-26.2 are going to be an extremely unpleasant ~hour of my life. Despite the fact that I've completed a marathon, I still want to scream when I hear, "Trust your training. Trust your body." I don't trust it. Hell, I don't even trust what my watch is telling me most days. 

I know that all the training and preparation and foam rolling and yoga in the world can't guarantee that a race is going to go your way. And so instead of trusting my training and my body, I  trust that whatever happens on Sunday will become another part of my running journey. 

Instead of focusing on the fact that everything could quite possibly go horribly wrong, I focus on all the things that went right along the way. The 25K with Peter, my 22 miler at a pace that got me pumped for Pittsburgh, the slow snowy miles, feeling happy enough while running to sing Katy Perry as a plastic bag floated in our path, More than anything, I'll remember telling Peter during the 25K that I felt like the more I relaxed and tried to take it easy, the faster our pace got. That's a feeling that I hadn't had in what felt like years and I'm happy to say towards the end of training it was happening once in awhile.

Whatever happens on Sunday, it's been a great 16 weeks of running and working out with friends, of getting to know my body better, and of treating it better. It's a strange feeling when double-digit mileage Saturday morning runs just feel normal. When training for a marathon just becomes the lifestyle you want to live. It has become a part of my social life, it gives me structure - it challenges me and motivates me and (mostly) makes me smile. 

(But please legs, can you show up big-time on Sunday?)

The Longest Recap In The History of the World; AKA TL;DR

Whoah. A LOT has happened since I last blogged - my b! 

Life just seems to be going a mile a minute lately. My 25th birthday is right around the corner and I wish there was a pause button I could hit just for like a week between the Pittsburgh Marathon and my birthday. I'm not ready! I feel like post-marathon I need a few days to lock myself in a room with a leather-bound journal and some fancy pens while I reflect on a quarter-century of life and figure out, "What next?" There's so many things I want to do, so many self-improvements I want to make, and I need some serious organization if there's any hope of making those things happen. 

I just found a video on BuzzFeed that perfectly explains the feeling I've been all too familiar with lately - how does life seem to go faster and faster the older we get? The Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows made this video that really hit me hard. Watch it until the end. The last line felt like a punch. 

Maybe this recap will give you a little taste of why my head is spinning!

The last thing I blogged about was the awesome class I took at SLT.

That Friday, I ran down to Tompkins Square Park for a November Project workout - but really, I ran there so I could get the post-workout Tompkins Square french toast bagel with birthday cake cream cheese. Again, it was stellar. 

We had a half day that Friday, so around 2 p.m. I was able to head home to Long Island for the Easter Weekend. It was my first time being home since Christmas! Which is a crazy long time for me. Of course I went straight from the train station to the Yacht Club to meet my dad for a few drinks (they now have UFO on tap - winning!)

My dad did not disappoint with dinner that night - scallops, shrimp, cod, mussels, clams and crab legs. Casual for the Wolman house. (PS - you can search #MitchsMeals on Instagram to see some of my dad's amazing cooking!) 

Saturday morning I went for my scheduled long run - 14 miles that felt really shitty, but were actually pretty damn fast! I was very happy with the 7:58 pace.

That night for dinner he cooked the most delicious lamb on a bed of couscous with asparagus and pine nuts. And all weekend I took full advantage of the tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer. 

I also went digging through some old photo albums to collect #tbt content, naturally. There were some winners. I was totally a normal child...

Sunday morning I went to Easter mass by myself since my mom was working and my sister is going to hell anyway ;) I kid, I kid. But really, she wouldn't wake up for church. The sermon was kind of strange, with the priest going on and on about how important women are. It was nice to hear and all but, kinda weird. 

Easter is one of my favorite holidays because my family started doing BRUNCH since my sister and I always had to travel back to school Sunday afternoon. We get a giant bagel hero with bacon egg and cheese and my aunt makes hash browns and then there's locks with onions and capers and my grandma buys 2347892 danishes. This year, she also made PEANUT BUTTER FILLED CUPCAKES with PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING. It's like she knows me or something. 

It was so nice to spend time with my family - it felt like it had been forever and I was really missing them.  

(MY LITTLE COUSINS ARE TALLER THAN ME HELP!)

(Thank God for spring weather!)

Monday it was back to work, and after work, a closing shift at NY Running Co. Tuesday we had a clinic with Nike at the store, and I got a sweeeet pair of Nike Frees! I can't run in them, but I've been wearing them for all of my strength workouts and I have this weird thing that I can't get over the fact that I'm wearing all black sneakers. Does anyone else have this issue?! Whenever I see my feet I'm freaking out. So strange, I know, I know. 

Wednesday I took a half day because MODGE & PODGE CAME TO VISIT ME :) I am so lucky that spending a day with my parents is so exciting to me. They really are two of my best friends. 

(Biffles)

I left work and we went downtown to the 9-11 memorial and museum. While it wasn't as sad as I expected it to be (although it was certainly moving at parts!) it was a really amazing museum and I learned so much. I had read online that it would take around 2 hours to get through it, but we could have spend muchhh longer looking around. Unfortunately, we had to rush through the second half so we could get back to the hotel to change for dinner. 

We had a drink at the Hilton bar (the cosmos there are my mom's favorite) and then went back downtown to meet Peter for our reservation at GATO! I have been trying to get a reservation here since it opened, and it never worked out, so I was beyond excited. There will certainly be a review to come, but spoiler alert, we met Bobby Flay! 

(I <3 this picture)

After dinner we went to Sweetwater Social where I had the most vile cocktail in the history of the world , but we played foosball and Peter and I beat my mom and dad so it turned out OK. Oh, and the waiter swapped out my drink for a much more delicious one. 

(Disgusting drink. Do not order. Tequila/spicy/something. Such a disappointment) 

(Things got heated at the Foosball table!)

(Muchhh better!)

It was such a fun day/night and as usual I was sad to say goodbye in the morning :( 

The next night was "Suite Night" for work - we got to eat and drink in the NHL suite for the last Ranger's game of the season which was great! 

That Friday I had a big decision to make. Ok, nothing life altering. But I had to do my longest training run, the 22 miler, that weekend.  I was feeling a little meh and thought I would push it off until Sunday. There was a big November Project gathering on Friday and Peter had a race Sunday morning, so it seemed like the best option was going out Friday, giving myself the extra day of rest, waking up early Sunday and doing my long run then. 

So we went out Friday night, had a great time (Dunkin Donuts gave us lots of free donuts!) and woke up casually on Saturday morning. 

Me being me, I couldn't spend all Saturday with the 22 miler looming over me. Plus Peter was going into work anyway. So, I laced up my sneakers, said a little prayer, and set off to run 22 miles without a real route or plan. Very unlike me. 

I had worked up this training run in my head  A LOT. For me, either this run went well and I would feel confident going into Pittsburgh, or it would be awful, I would shed some tears, and the drive to Pittsburgh would = me being a complete mental mess. 

I'm happy to say that 9 bridges, one stop at Dunkin Donuts, a chugged water bottle, and 3 boroughs later - I finished my 22 miler with an 8:16 pace and felt SO SO GOOD. The subway trip back from Brooklyn wasn't the most fun thing in the world- but I was so happy to have done it (and to still have Sunday to relax!) 

By relax on Sunday I mean wake up, go to Central Park, cheer for Peter and everyone else running the race, and go to BRUNCH. 

(Cheer squad!)

(Speedy!)

(Cheeeeesin'!)

(Brunch at Bocado - very tasty, a little overpriced, and beware: they don't serve the complimentary cocktail until after 12 p.m.) 

After brunch I went to yoga and after yoga we went to the park because it was BEAUTIFUL out! I colored, did some yoga, and PLAYED LACROSSE. Yes, I broke out the lacrosse sticks for the first time in ages and it was lots of fun. I miss it! I need to find a league. Anyone know where a 20-something can lax in NYC? Drop the deets in the comments. (OR FIELD HOCKEY!)

After the park we went to 16 Handles for the 'yo and then Peter and I got some $4 margs from Blockheads because SPRING! 

Monday was work & more work at the store. Tuesday was free cone day - or, free cup day?

And Tuesday night was a date with Alex from Burke's Bites :) For the start of the playoffs and the start of the first round series of the Islanders vs. Capitals, she cooked me a DELICIOUS dinner that you can read all about on her blog! Let's just say it involved incredible puns which I give Alex full credit for. Thousand ISLANDERS Salmon with CAP-rese Salad, rice and asparagus. Mmm. 

I'd also just like to note that I have been going to yoga A LOT recently. Like 3 - 4 times a week. This is very very strange for me to say and even stranger is the fact that I've been learning to love it. It's a process, and I'm definitely no yogi yet, but I do think it's been helping me a TON if only because it's an hour dedicated to stretching that I normally wouldn't be doing. That, plus the fact that I'm trying to foam roll for 30 minutes every day during my lunch break. The personal trainer at the gym finally introduced himself to me after commenting on my business-casual clothes while foam rolling every day for the past 3 weeks. I must look so strange. 

(This cute instructor at Union Square gave us each an inspiring quote before the start of class!) 

Wednesday was November Project, and whenever I go to 5:30 with Peter I find myself running harder than I intend. Yay motivation! And yay beautiful sunrises. 

Wednesday night after work I met the girls for an ab deck at NYSC and then Peter and I went to get Brazilian food at Zebu right near my old apartment. It was really yummy. I liked that it seemed simple and healthy (OK, maybe not the fried balls of chicken and cream cheese) but it's definitely something that takes getting used to- there's not sauce and dip and all that jazz. It's just the food you order. Which was refreshing. Maybe I'll write a real review. Maybe not. But here are some pictures! 

(Chicken Pastel and Caipirinhas!) 

(Sausage with black beans, collard greens, rice, bacon & egg - little bit of everything!) 

(Guava Cheesecake!)

Friday I got to leave work early for a team-bonding adventure to Escape the Room! Chances are you've heard of people who have done this - and I highly suggest it! It was so much more legit than I had thought it would be. Apparently only 25% of people manage to escape, and I can see why! We came close, but didn't make it out of the room. We did the "Theater" game. I would love to go back and try a different one, although I think I would only do it if I did it with enough people to fill the entire room with people that I knew. 

I love that they have everyone take a picture afterwards and upload it to their Facebook page so you can download it for free - they could totally charge people $15 for it in some dumb souvenir frame. 

(Womp Womp! Losers but still smiling!)

From there I went to Penn Station to meet Peter and begin our journey to Boston for the weekend to visit Peter's friend Anthony! We went to Long Island, stopped at Peter's house for dinner (more Brazilian food, mmm) and hit the road. I sang a lot of show tunes and he somehow didn't kick me out of the car. We also got ice cream and I remembered how amazing McDonald's soft serve is. We made good time and got to Anthony's apartment around 11:30. 

The apartment is in a beautiful old house in Cambridge that I fell in love with. Wantttttt. 

Saturday morning was sunny and warm and we walked for a delicious brunch - the omelettes at Brookline Lunch were HUGE and served with hash browns FULL of fresh, amazing veggies. I was in heaven. And the toast came with homemade apple cinnamon jam that was essentially pie filling. 

We were pleasantly surprised when we got to the Sam Adams brewery and only had to wait 30 minutes for a free tour! The tour was short and sweet so that we could get to the important part - the beer tasting! The tasting room was FREEZING but the beer was great and we left a little tipsy! 

Next stop was the Harpoon brewery! We opted out of the tour and went straight to the beer garden where I got a flight of the different UFO beers -  my favorites! Oh did I mention the beer garden had GIANT SOFT PRETZELS WITH DIPPING SAUCES!? Like, a cinnamon sugar pretzel with PEANUT BUTTER DIPPING SAUCE. 

But I digress. 

We spent the next few hours walking around and seeing the sights. 

We walked to the Marathon finish line and stopped at a restaurant around there for dinner.  The city was pretty packed, so we waiting awhile for our table at Back  Bay Social Club. I ordered the lobster roll which was better than expected on the lobster front. It definitely had a good amount of lobster, and the lobster actually tasted like lobster! The calamari appetizer came out my favorite way too - with peppers, mmm. We also got a Baked Alaska for dessert that legit looked like the poop emoji. Overall, the food wasn't spectacular but it was definitely tasty and I was happy to get my seafood fix (and eat lots of french fries). Their margarita was solid too! 

We had every intention of going back out to a bar that night, but after stopping home to walk the dog and sitting down on the couch, it got later and later and we were still sitting, until we gave up on motivating ourselves to go back out. 

We woke up Sunday morning (ok, very late morning) and went for a pretty 4 mile run along the Charles. We got a quick breakfast and headed to the Boston Marathon Expo - there were a lot of cool things, tons of free samples, and I got 5 of my Clif espresso energy gels. The quest for a BQ is on! 

We drove back late Sunday afternoon, stayed on Long Island for the night, and commuted in on the LIRR Monday morning. 

Last week was a little less chaotic.  Tuesday I had an incredible opportunity to work at the Islanders playoff game. It was so exciting to hear the Coliseum so loud, to see the players and fans alike so pumped up. It wasn't the outcome that we hoped for, but it was an amazing night none the less and such a good feeling to be able to point to something productive that I did. 

Thursday was "Take Your Kids to Work Day" and my office organizes a really great day for the kids and even though I don't have kids, I was able to invite my little cousins to come in! I took them out for lunch and was so terrified of losing them in Rockefeller Center - I don't know how parents do it! I hope they had a good day, they've probably followed hockey and the Islanders more closely than me this season! 

It was also my aunts birthday and her and my uncle were nice enough to take Peter and I out for dinner at China Grill that night. As usual, it was amazingly delicious. They have a great happy hour deal that I plan on checking out after work one of these days - $7 drinks and appetizers. I've tried their drinks and a few of their appetizers and let me tell you - $7 is a steal! They have a nice outdoor patio area too, so try to go on a nice night! 

Friday we had a special guest at November Project - Andrew Ference from the Edmonton Oilers! It was a fun workout, maybe because Peter was my #BUDDDDYYYY and had me cracking up during hoistees. 

Friday night Peter and I went to Harlem for a night at a legit speakeasy! It's a really tiny, intimate jazz club that's BYOB! I don't fully appreciate jazz music, and I didn't love that you couldn't talk at all, but for $20 it was an experience that I'm glad to have had! 

Saturday morning I woke up for my last "long" run - 7 miles in Central Park which is BEAUTIFUL thanks to all of the blooming flowers! 

I got dressed and headed out for a brunch of EPIC proportions for Jess's birthday. Brunch was on Bleecker Street at a place called Carroll Place. If the group is 10 or more people, you get to pick out a family-style menu. For $35 we got 2 hours of endless drinks (you could choose from Pineapple Screwdrivers, Rose Sangria, Mango Bellinis and Blood Marys!) and all the food you could ever want. For he group of 11 of us, we got 3-4 plates of each dish! 

To start, a fresh salad with golden beets, tomatoes and ricotta. 

Next, meatballs! 

Then, thin crust Margherita pizza! 

Next - french toast and baked truffle eggs with creamy polenta and mushroom (I don't like truffle, but I loved this!) 

Dessert? Nutella calzone. It was incredible. And the atmosphere was great - it was a seriously cute, chic place. And the company was the best part :) 

Sunday I ran the Run as One 4 Miler in the park before free yoga at Lulu Lemon. So much yoga these days! 

I took all afternoon to organize myself and GULP started packing for PITTSBURGH! 

I ended the weekend with Oatmeal Sunday! Rebecca, Kayla and Melissa came over and we all had different toppings for an oatmeal potluck. It was so yummmmmy. I love potlucks, and this one was super easy and cheap! 

Friday afternoon I'll be leaving for Pittsburgh to hopefully complete my second marathon. I can't believe how quickly it arrived and I'm excited but a littler concerned because honestly, the biggest thing I feel when I think about Sunday is "Ugh, I don't feel like running 26.2 miles." Is that a normal thought to be having?! HELP! 

Full Disclosure: This has not been proofread. 

SLT Review: Strengthen Lengthen Tone (Shit, Legs Tired)

If I’m going to spend money going to a boutique fitness class, I want to leave the studio feeling like I just kicked-ass. This usually means that the class left me dripping sweat with wobbly legs or spaghetti arms, huffing and puffing. That’s why yoga’s not my jam (although I have yet to try hot yoga – I know I’d be sweaty after that!) And I’ll only take a Pilates class on a day that I’m trying to take it "easy."

That being said, I’m not entirely sure what sparked my interest in SLT – Strengthen Lengthen Tone, a class that I believed was a yoga/Pilates fusion.

But hold on. Their website describes SLT as “If Cardio, Strength Training and Pilates Had a Baby.”

Huh? Now I needed to check this out.

SLT has been in New York City for 3 and a half years.  There are now four SLT studios in New York City (Midtown, SoHo, Flat Iron and the Upper East Side). The class is based on using a machine called the Megaformer – created and franchised by “fitness guru” Sebastien Lagree in L.A. in 2010.

This machine is SO crazy.

(The MEGAformer)

But let’s rewind a little. I visited SLT’s Upper East Side location, which shares a building with Flywheel and Flybarre on 67^th Street between 2^nd & 3^rd Avenues.  SLT’s studio is on the 4^th floor, and had I known what was in store for me, I may have taken the elevator.

When you walk into SLT it’s a little confusing at first because you’re already in the studio. It’s just one big space, and when you walk in, you might be walking in while another class is already in progress.

I let the receptionist know it was my first class and started to give him my name until I realized the iPod stand where I was supposed to click on my name. Hi-tech! The receptionist let the instructor know that it was my first class, which was greatly appreciated because this meant that I got a little run-down on the slightly (ok, really) overwhelming looking torture-device that is the Megaformer.

My instructor, Jacob, set me up at a machine with regulars on either side so I could follow along with them if I got lost or confused and proceeded to point out all of the main components of the Megaformer that I’d need to be familiar with for the class. Thank GOD for this little introduction – I would have been flopping around like a fish out of water had I not had a little knowledge about the different parts and pieces of the Megaformer. Megaformers are picked out as you arrive to class – they’re not assigned through the registration process, but since the instructor doesn’t have a machine of their own and floats throughout the class, there’s really no “good” or “bad” spot.  The entire front of the room is mirrored.

(As Seen From My Megaformer)

The entire back of the studio is a wooden bench with cubbies with some coat hangers too. No lockers, but you can literally put your stuff right behind whatever machine you’re working on so having anything stolen would be pretty ballsy.

We got started and the first thing we did was some ab exercise where we put our hands on the slider with our knees on the platform and pushed out as far as we could while keeping our hips up. I can pretty easily plank for a minute. I can do pretty difficult ab exercises. First of all, I started out doing this completely wrong. Luckily, Jacob came over and adjusted me.  As soon as I did one rep with the right form, I think I cursed to myself. This wasn’t going to be a relaxing class by any means.

Jacob led us through some ab exercises before moving on to a variety of different lunges that had me dripping and quivering and wanting to give up, in all honesty. This shit was HARD! 

Jacob was great at explaining it, great with encouragement, and great with counting. We also did an entire section of obliques.

Going into class at SLT, the core work was expected. But I didn’t realize how great of a leg workout you could get using the Megaformer! We even did Megaformer Burpees! OUCH.

The machine is awesome because you can change how much resistance is on the slider. Watching videos of people doing moves on the Megaformer makes it looks so elegant, smooth and graceful – I assure you I felt none of those things as I struggled through some of these moves.

SLT has its own language – with exercises called things like The Bear, The Catfish and The Mermaid, but I barely even realized those terms were being used because Jacob was so great at breaking each one down into manageable steps and movements.

(The wall full of words I don't understand in terms of SLT exercises...)

Unlike the workouts I’m used to – SLT wasn’t about seeing how many reps I could fit in a certain amount of time. The slower and more precise you are with your movements on the Megaformer, the more you’ll feel the burn, the more you’ll work your muscles, and the more you’ll want to take a baseball bat to this torture device!

One thing that was a little weird to me was the music. The class is high-paced, moving quickly from one thing to the other, but the movements themselves are slower and so it was a little weird to be listening to typical workout music and also weird when a slower song would come on – because I was still dripping with sweat and needing to be pumped up.

We did a really brief portion of arm work at the end, but as someone who lifts weights fairly regularly at the gym, this part wasn’t particularly challenging or exciting.

A few more things about the studio – no showers. But the bathrooms are stocked with some things to help you freshen up!

Each class promises to be different – there were tons of aspects of the machine that I didn’t even get to experience during my first class – there’s even some dumbbells hidden under each one! I definitely thing I could go to SLT classes regularly and never be bored.

(Hiding underneath!)

These classes are pricy, even by boutique fitness standards. SLT isn’t on Class Pass. You can get your first SLT class for $20, but after that, you’ll be paying around $40 per class.  My first thought was, “Oh, NYSC has reformer Pilates classes, I’ll just take one of those!” But these Megaformer machines are so much more than a regular Pilates reformer machine. And if the rest of the instructors are as good as Jacob, you’re paying for a really put together class (he even went around adjusting all of our machines resistances’ while we were on the other end for lunges).  SLT was listed as one of DailyBurn’s Priciest Fitness Classes Worth the Splurge! 

At the end of this class, I was certainly sweaty, and I certainly felt like I had given my muscles a GREAT workout. I could feel every single muscle I had worked during the 50 minute class. 

Understandably, $40 may not be something you can shell out for a routine fitness class. But do yourself a favor and take your first class for $20 before you write off SLT as a trendy waste of money. Find out for yourself why SLT owner Amanda Freeman describes it as “Pilates on crack.” 

20 Miles of Smiles

Life has just been speeding along and I am a little concerned that tomorrow is APRIL already. Where is time going? 

For the past two weeks I attempted to be gluten and dairy free - it was going really well for awhile. I think the reason I felt better wasn't necessarily because my body doesn't like gluten or dairy (in moderate amounts) but because I was taking the time to really think about what I was eating - lots of quinoa, veggies and chicken - all real food instead of processed and packaged things. 

(What my dinner looked like most nights!)

But then Peter and I FINALLY found the Speculoos Cookie Core Ben & Jerry's flavor. 

(DELICIOUS! However, I don't think I would say it's my favorite B&J's.)

And then I was out for happy hour (sorry, but Bud Light is more budget-friendly than cider, wine or cocktails) and needless to say I quickly fell off the wagon. I would like to try again to make it an entire month and I'm definitely going to try to be good the 2 weeks prior to the Pittsburgh Marathon! My key finding was that Soy yogurt is vile and is in no way an appropriate replacement for Greek yogurt. Instead, I started making lots of chia seed pudding - big fan! 

(Chia seed pudding is an acceptable yogurt substitute as long as it's CHOCOLATE)

Let's see. Last weekend I had a 12 mile run that seemed like it was never going to end. I was not a happy camper and it was pretty torturous if we're being honest. But, it got done.  

That afternoon, Allison came into the city and we met up with her parents for suchhhh an awesome night - dinner at PJ Clarke's followed by The King and I at Lincoln Center! 

(Dinner was delicious, I had a chopped shrimp salad that had chickpeas and lots of other yummy things. The dressed was light and not drowning the salad.)

(This was my first time seeing a show at Lincoln Center - It's so beautiful!)

(The show was GREAT. I didn't know what to expect going into it, and I didn't know any of the music (except "Getting to Know You") but Kelli O'Hara was PHENOMENAL. Seriously, she opens her mouth and makes it seem absolutely effortless.  The plot reminded me of The Sound of Music, the cast was great, and it was very classic Broadway.) 

After the show, Allison and I sat and chatted over a glass of wine at ABV on Lex and 97th - it's super cute inside, the bartender was really nice and let us try like 4 different wines each, it was quiet so we could actually talk, and although it cost more than I would usually try to spend, the prices really are average and totally do-able especially if you're just going out for one drink! I definitely want to go back to check out the food one night. 

We slept in, something I hadn't done in far too long, and got ready for brunch (I mean, Sunday morning, what else would we do?) Did you know that Bareburger has a brunch menu now? Well, it does, and you should seriously get on that. My love of Bareburger was newly ignited with my Farmstead Burger. I need it again. Nowwww. 

(Farmstead = Sweet Potato & Wild Rice burger with cauliflower hummus (!!!), tomatoes and baby kale wrapped in a collard green)

Next we headed downtown to check out the Macy's Flower Show - my mom always tells me to go and I usually roll my eyes but I guess I'm getting old because I suggested it and actually enjoyed it. 

(Basically anything where I can just wander around taking pictures is something I'm going to enjoy!)

It was finally feeling a little springy outside so we walked from Herald Square to Grand Central, stopping for a few pictures of the ever-lovely Empire State Building. Truly never gets old. 

(This is the view from near my desk at work!)

I've been trying to be consistent with Monday morning Bodypump classes at NYSC so that was my Monday morning. I found someone to cover for me at the running store and went straight home and into my bed where I proceeded to listen to showtunes while coloring in an adult coloring book for approximately 2.5 hours. That's not an exaggeration and I have no regrets. 

Tuesday morning I was up early for 5 miles in the park because after work Peter and I got on a train to head to Long Island for his first ISLANDERS GAME at Nassau Coliseum. I'm getting seriously emotional about them not being there next season. Of course, since I was there, the Isles lost, but it was still great, as usual, to be there. 

(Two of my favorite things! Well Peter's not a thing, he's a person, but you get it.)

We went from my comfort zone of the Coliseum to way way wayy out of my comfort zone at a country night at a bar nearby - line dancing and me, as I suspected, are not exactly a match made in heaven. I probably learned one of the steps correctly. But what I DIDN'T expect was for me to find myself thinking that I want to learn! Everyone looked like they were having so much fun, plus I don't like being bad at things, so I may just have to give it another try. 

Wednesday we woke up super early to get a 6 a.m. train back to the city and I went to NYSC for a back workout before work. Back day = favorite day. One day I'll be able to do an unassisted pull-up...

Thursday I finally got to check-out Mile High Run Club - you can read my review here! 

Friday happy hour and Quinnpiac hockey game watch resulted in a few more drinks than I had planned on, but nothing to derail my plans for my 20 miler! Ahhhhhhh. 

(QU lost BIG TIME but the bar had lots of fun pom poms and beads and thunder sticks. We managed to destroy all of these things - woops.)

Saturday morning I ran the 2 miles to Nike's store on 57th and then had a couple minute break while we waited for them to get their group run started.  Then it was out for a 16 mile route down the west side, around lower Manhattan, over and back over the Manhattan Bridge, and back up to the store. Once we got back to the store, I still had 2 to go, which I finished still feeling mahvelous. 

I've run with Nike Run Club one other time (which you can read about here) and while I was grateful to have company for the 16 miles, I definitely felt like I was cheating because we stopped and started so much (running through Chinatown, really?) The water breaks and snacks to refuel are really clutch, And having a pacer was what kept me feeling so strong and confident the entire run - I wasn't wasting energy changing my tempo the entire time. But I reallllly don't like stopping. 

Peter, Kaitlin, Tiffanie and Taylor all made the 20 miles so much more bearable. And I felt surprisingly strong the entire time. I kept being seriously confused as to why everything felt so good. When I finished at 20 miles, I definitely could have kept going, which made me feel confident and also a little nervous! It's really not that far away now, and already thoughts of PRing are starting to slip back into my head. 

(My boyfriend REALLY LOVES RUNNING WITH ME can't you tell?)

Another plus to running with Nike? PICTURES! My favorite! And I love how some of these turned out. 

After my 20 miles I had no time to rest. It was time to shower, pack and head to Connecticut for my wonderful college rommate's birthday party! I was really nervous I would be too tired and cranky and sore to have a good time, and I was worried about bringing the mood down (and I think I was really out of it the beginning of the night - sorry guys!) but when you're surrounded by your best friends and the best music, you can't help but have an amazing night. 

(LOVE THESE CREATURES)

(QU + Allison who may as well have gone there at this point!)

And that's just what happened - the bar played one song after the other that elicited singing at the top of our lungs and somehow I was able to Cotton Eye Joe till the cows came home (my legs on Sunday though, different story). 

(Iiiiiii wanna dance with somebodyyyyyy, Iiii wanna feel the heeattttt with someboddyyy)

All that's really left besides some shorter-long runs (oxymoron?) is the 22 miler on April 11th and then it's time to run a marathon! WHAT. Cannot believe it. 

(A little Cheno love)

Not So Fly Mile High Run Club Review

For over a month, I have been beyond excited to try a class at the new fitness studio Mile High Run Club. A boutique fitness studio in NOHO (28 East 4th Street to be exact), Mile High Run Club is neither conveniently located or cost-effective - but I was determined to experience a class that attempts to turn the typically solitary and boring act of treadmill running into a black-light, music-blasting group fitness-fest. Unfortunately, MHRC didn't live up to the hype. 

A group of us decided to go on a Thursday night after work, using a code for a free class that we got from the wonderful  blog Ali on the Run. 

We showed up at around 6:15 for our 6:30 p.m. class - the lobby was nice, and the receptionist let me know which treadmill I had signed up for before giving us a little tour - there's locker rooms, showers, and a wall of lockers outside of the studio. They're the complicated lockers with the built in programmable locks that I somehow always manage to screw up -  but I guess it's for the best since I recently lost my real lock (which I've had since freshman year of high school - so I'm really sad it's gone!) The lockers were like Mary Poppins' bag. They looked so teeny, yet somehow fit my giant ass bag. 

We stood outside the studio waiting to be let inside, and it was a little cramped and crowded but not too horrible. This is the part where I should have scoped out the locker rooms and bathrooms/showers so I could write a little something about them but, I didn't, so sorry 'bout it. From others' accounts the locker room had very few lockers which were all taken and the bathroom had two showers. There, now you know everything! (Spring Awakening reference, anyone, anyone? Probably not.) 

One of my biggest pet peeves is when classes don't start on time. We still hadn't been allowed in the room when the clock struck 6:30, which was a big no-no for me. They let us in around then, but obviously, there was no way we were actually starting the workout at 6:30. The part that was frustrating was that no one was in the studio before us, so I'm not sure why we couldn't have been in there filling up our water bottles and getting settled a few minutes earlier. 

The studio itself is what you would expect, a big room with lots of treadmills. The room is dark and black-lit, so pro-tip - if you plan on taking pictures (for Instagram, obviously) then wear neon! 

(Rebecca got the neon memo, apparently!)

There's a spot in the back to fill up your water bottles and each treadmill has a towel waiting at it. (As I mentioned earlier, when you sign up online you pick a treadmill and that's your assigned spot for the class). 

Another pro-tip (since I am obviously a pro after just 1 class) - treadmills 4, 9, 17 and 21 have giant columns in front of them, so you a) won't see the instructor and b) won't be able to yourself in the mirrors. Seeing the instructor isn't all that important, but I'd imagine staring straight at a blank wall for a half hour could get kind of annoying. That's just me. Maybe it would help you get in the zone. Do you. 

I was treadmill 20 - but if I were to take another class, I would probably pick something in the back row. My reason is such an asshole reason, but I'm going to be honest about it because I'm sure there's more than a few people out there who would be the same way. If I had been in the back row,  I would have been able to see a lot more people's treadmill screens and have been able to see how fast they were going throughout the class.  No, I would not have used this information to judge the people going slower than me, but I sure as hell would have used it to push myself to try to get on some of the speedier people's levels. 

Mile High Run Club offers 3 different classes at the studio:
The Distance: Our advanced performance improving class incorporates 60 minutes of continuous intervals, tempo, and hills on the treadmill and is coached by elite runners.
Ultra: Our advanced performance improving class incorporates 90 minutes of continuous intervals, tempo, and hills on the treadmill and is coached by elite runners. 
Dash 28: This 45-minute class provides a foundation for runners of all levels with about 28 minutes of structured intervals followed by 10 minutes of strength plus power training with kettle bells.

We took a Dash 28 class with Debora Warner, the founder and program director of Mile High Run Club. Once we had all settled in, we stood besides our treadmills for a warm up of squats, high knees, butt kicks, etc.  

Each treadmill comes with a pace card, giving suggestions for the speeds you should hit during each interval as a beginner ("joggers") or a more advanced runner ("racers"). The treadmill portion of the class went a little something like this: 

4 minutes warm-up pace

1 minute level 2 pace
1 minute level 3 pace
1 minute level 2 pace
2 minutes level 3 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace at a 3.0 incline
2 minutes level 4 pace 

2 minutes warm-up pace

1 minute level 2 pace
1 minute level 3 pace
1 minute level 2 pace
2 minutes level 3 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace at a 5.0 incline
2 minutes level 4 pace 

Thoughts on the interval portion of class:
-I was a fan of the actual intervals. Nothing was too long - you could always tell yourself, "Only 90 seconds left, Only 45 seconds left, etc." 

-Debora's counting was horrendous. Each time she counted down from 5 was completely different - but not once was 5 seconds actually 5 seconds. There was even a digital clock in the middle of the room for her to use, so I'm not really sure what the issue was.

-5.0 incline is no joke and I totally had to decrease it before the 2 minutes were up.  Pittsburgh Marathon, City of Bridges...here I come? Gulp. 

-It would have been a lot more motivational had the instructor been on a treadmill too. It's like going to a spin class and having an instructor who walks around the whole time. Or even worse, just sits on their bike not spinning. 

-It was a little difficult to understand Debora - the mic was fuzzy and the music was loud and her prompts weren't always clear. I'm pretty sure I was on that 5.0 hill earlier than I was supposed to be because her counts and directions were so hard to understand. And it's not like it was anything too difficult to understand! 

-The playlist - so meh. 

-Apparently these are state of the art treadmills used at Mile High Run Club, and it was nice that you don't run into the front of it, although I'm still not sold on the ribbed belt ever since I tripped on one at New York Sports Club. I did a little research, and MHRC uses Woodway treadmills which feature "slat belt" technology and are supposed to feel like you're running outside. Yada yada. They felt nice. 

(This is the Woodway 4Front treadmill - there's 30 of them in the MHRC Studio. I'm assuming they cost a lot of money.)

-IT WAS SO HOT AND SWEATY IN THERE! Finally with 5 minutes left of class Debora was like, "Oh, does anyone need a fan?" Uhm, yes dear lord, please. There were sweat puddles in my sneakers. And I'm not someone who sweats a ton! 

After some light jogging/walking it was time to get to the power/strength portion of the class. Everyone grabbed some kettlebells in various weights and brought them back to their treadmills. 

I actually really liked the combination of exercises we did during this part of the Dash 28 class and I thought it was great. However, the instructor did such a poor job of explaining what exactly we were supposed to be doing. And I've been to a lot of classes, I'm usually pretty quick at picking things up. Nothing we had to do was that complicated, but she just didn't explain them very well. Or would demonstrate them in a way that wasn't how she actually wanted US to do them, which just makes no sense. 

ANYWHO. 

We started by alternating for 30 seconds between kettlebell squat and presses and kettlebell curls (2 rounds of each exercise). 

Next were step ups onto the treadmill (finally a good song! Shots is my new favorite song for step-ups). 

We also did lunges, pushups, squats onto the belt followed by a hop up, and hip dips with our feet on the treadmill and our elbows on the ground (those burned). 

I was a sweaty mess by the end of class, which is usually all I need in order to be satisfied with a class, but this time I just felt so meh about what I'd just done. 

I ended up running about 3.1 miles or so. 

Worst part - we end class and Debora DOESN'T HAVE US STRETCH. I swear, it's like she just wanted to be out of there. She basically said, "If you want to stretch go ahead." Ok. 

After class, the locker area that felt just slightly crowded earlier felt catastrophically crowded as our class came out and the 7:30 class went in. Double the people plus all the sweat = ugh. 

I can definitely see how MHRC could be a great class - but unfortunately, the unenthusiastic instructor really ruined it for me. I would still be interested in trying one of the longer classes with more running, but at $34 per class, I'm not sure that's in the cards. 

I also think that what makes spin classes and even indoor group rowing classes work is the fact that at times, everyone in the room is doing the same thing. With indoor treadmilling (yes, that's a word now) there's no point where everyone's at the same pace or doing the same "choreography" (sometime's jumps in spinning remind me of dancing, OK? And everyone rowing in sync looks pretty!) There's also no real way to push yourself against others at MHRC, and obviously you can always compete against yourself, but when your instructor isn't saying things that encourage that mindset, it's hard to get into it.  

Not to mention you can go on Pinterest and get endless treadmill interval routines and save yourself a whole lot of money. You'll still be next to people who are also running and you can listen to a playlist of your own creation.

So, in conclusion, Mile High Run Club isn't really for me. HOWEVER, I do think it's great that it's seeing so much success and getting more and more people into a fitness class that includes RUNNING! It's usually such an intimidating concept to people, and I think MHRC is changing that perception for some people which is wonderful! 

Restaurant Review: MAYA

This Restaurant Week, I shockingly didn't spend hours poring over menus and comparing prices and fitting 4 meals out into my schedule. 

I just moved, and my wallet is feeling it. 

But I DID get to go out for one lovely dinner during restaurant week - at a Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side by restaurateur Richard Sandoval called Maya. He has over 30 Latin-inspired restaurants across the world (I ate at Masa in DC which was delicious!) and fun fact: he's built the largest collections of tequilas in North America and the Middle East - so round of applause for Richard. 

Maya isn't your typical Manhattan restaurant where diners are sitting on top of each other, crammed into tables that make it just as easy to talk to the stranger next to you than the guests you went out to dinner with. The interior is pretty expansive and open, reminding me of restaurants like Tao and China Grill, where you just feel like you're eating somewhere that makes you someone. Or something like that.

The bar area seems to have some great happy hour deals, with $5 margaritas on Wednesdays (and a free one if you check in on Yelp!) 

Since we were doing the Restaurant Week menu, we couldn't capitalize on the $5 margaritas, so I stuck to the chow (again, I'm feeling pretty poor at the moment!)

Normally, I'd like to each order a different appetizers so that we could try more than one thing. But it was pretty obvious we both wanted a full serving of the Smoked Brisket Tostadas - corn tostada, black beans, lettuce, cojita cheese, avocado and tomatillo salsa. 

I love corn tostadas/tortillas and these had a good flavor, although they got slightly soggy.  The smoked brisket was pretty damn good - my dad has his own smoker, and I grew up eating his smoked blue fish and smoked pulled pork - so I know when something has a good, authentic smokey taste, and these did.  They were very generous with the avocado, and cojita cheese added a little something extra. 

For my entree, I ordered the Salmon Al Chipotle - achiote-marinated salmon, chipotle, coconut milk, oyster mushrooms, rice noodles and pasilla oil. 

Ok let's break that down. 

Achiote-Marinated Salmon = salmon rubbed with achiote paste which comes from bixa orellana - basically it's a shrub that produces a flower whose seeds are used to create a paste that is rubbed on fish and meat to give it a unique flavor and red coloring. 

Chipotle = this sauce was KILLER. Spicy, but not to the point where I couldn't eat it. A litttttttle too salty for my liking, but there was definitely flavor to it besides "salt." 

Coconut Milk = a wonderful Indian-esque touch to the dish that surprisingly worked really well with the chipotle! 

Oyster Mushrooms = loaded with them, although I could always eat more mushrooms! Mmm. 

Rice Noodles = a wonderful, light, thin consistency that didn't overwhelm the subtle flavors or the salmon. As someone who loves angel hair, this was really similar, so I was a fan. 

Pasilla Oil = after some research, I guess this is what added the little kick to the dish, since they're a type of chile!

Last was dessert. I opted for the Chocoflan! I had never had flan before, and I'm still not entirely sure what flan is supposed to be like - so I'm not sure if this was good flan or not. But if it was good flan, then I don't think I'm a fan of flan. Say that 10 times fast. Fan of flan. Fan of flan. Fan of flan. HA. It was very underwhelming, not very flavorful, a weird consistency.

I know I said it wasn't the type of place where you felt uncomfortable close to the people next to you - but we did have a lovely exchange with the couple dining next to us when the guy gave us the dessert he wasn't going to eat. SCORE! It was strawberry sorbet and IT WAS GOOD. There were chunks of strawberry in it, which I was definitely feelin'. 

One thing I don't like about Restaurant Week is that the menu often features things that you can't typically get at the restaurant. Some people may like getting an "off menu" item, but to me, I want to be able to try their signatures dishes, the dishes that they're serving up every night - Restaurant Week is supposed to make these restaurants more accessible to the average New Yorker - let us eat the food you offer everyone else! Both the appetizer and the entree I ordered aren't anywhere to be found on the real Maya menu.Even the dessert wasn't what they usually serve - my Chocolate Flan didn't come with the pistachio gelato, rose petal cream and mandarin that the dinner menu describes!

But, I guess I can't be too angry, since the food that they made was actually really flavorful and yummy. 

I think I would go back if my parents were in town and picking up the bill ;) (Hi Mom, hi Dad!) The quality of food is good and the restaurant itself is really nice. There's definitely some things on the menu that I'd like to try. 

AND I need to go back for their brunch.  Here in New York City, sure we like our bottomless booze on Sunday afternoons. But Maya offers bottomless booze AND bottomless FOOD. Yeah, you read that right.  For $43 (yes, it's a little steep, but TREAT YO SELF right?) you get 2 hours of unlimited small plates and brunch cocktails.  Those brunch cocktails include margaritas, bloody mary's, flavored mimosas and something called a bloody maria - tequila + sangrita WHA?! And the small plates? Let's just say there's Mexican french toast with nutella, bananas and whipped crema fresca. Oh yeah, and chipotle cajeta. Aka chipotle syrup. 

I'd call Restaurant Week this winter a success!  

The Wrap That Won My Heart

I've referenced it in multiple posts, but it's time that the energy wrap receives its own post!

Most people know of my love for peanut butter. Because of this very public love of peanut butter, a friend from November Project told me that a deli near our office had a delicious breakfast featuring some of my all time favorite things - for under $5! 

The description of this wrap had me SO excited. I might have even drooled a lot upon hearing the ingredients. 

But nothing could have prepared me for how truly delicious it was. Words don't really do it justice, and neither do pictures, you really need all of these flavors mixing together all up on your taste buds. 

So what is the energy wrap exactly? 

Whole Wheat Wrap. An actually tasty whole wheat wrap - like, next time I go I'm probably going to ask them what brand they use. 

Banana. One whole banana. Usually, sliced, but when 15 people go after a November Project workout and order the same thing, I guess they get lazy and just unpeel the naner and plop it in the wrap.

(Sorry if this was overwhelming...1237819 energy wraps please!)

  

Peanut Butter. Skippy. No organic, unprocessed, no-sugar added PB up in hurr. And I can't say I mind it... 

Walnuts. Do you know how expensive walnuts are? Expensive. They give you a big handful of crushed up walnuts - probably at least 2 "servings." (I have a serious problem with the serving sizes for nuts - I want to be able to eat more, dammit!) We won't even talk about the fact that a serving of walnuts is 185 calories...

(What 100 calories of almonds, pistachios, peanuts and walnuts looks like...looks like not enough to me...)

Granola. I have a real addiction to granola. I can no longer allow myself to keep it at my desk at work because it's gone in a day instead of the week or so that it should last. 

Raisins. Raisins are a staple in my oatmeal. Love 'em. Sugar and all. 

Honey. SO MUCH HONEY. I never used to like honey that much, but on this wrap, it #WERKS. It also makes it a little difficult to eat this neatly, but you'll be so happy to be eating it that you won't care what you look like. 

(Please stop and appreciate its beauty!)

So where can you get this? 

Delis 48 - on 48th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. 

And are you ready for this? Walking to work the other day, I saw Toasties advertising the exact same thing, with the exact same name! I think I'm going to have to stop by one day and have a wrap-off. 

Word on the street is Alex from Burke's Bites created her own spin on the energy wrap! And it sounds deeeelicious.  You should check out her blog for other awesome recipes too! 

Row Row Row Your Erg - ROW HOUSE REVIEW.

On Wednesday night I finally took an indoor rowing class at Row House NYC! 

For awhile now, I've been really interested in attending an erg class [indoor rowing machines are technically called ergometers, according to Wikipedia!] They're like the new spin class, popping up all over. These studios' gain in popularity coincided with me meeting a lot of new people through November Project who rowed in college, and definitely got me interested in giving it a chance. As a runner who feels like they're constantly injured, rowing is a lower-impact workout, while still being great for your entire body and not skimping on cardio! 

Just last week, Row House celebrated their 1st Birthday! I stopped by their party for some cute little hors-d'oeuvres from Just Salad and delicious drinks from fancy organic vodka and tequila brands that I can't remember the names of, oops. 

(Cheers!)

But let's get to the good stuff - the class. I signed up for a class at the Columbus Circle location [In reality, it's a bit of a trek from Columbus Circle - a little over a half a mile to 59th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues]. The studio has lockers, two bathrooms [each with a shower - and the showers are equipped with TRESemme shampoo and conditioner, classy!]  

A few minutes to six we were led into the studio, 3 rows of ergs with a giant mirror in the front. Our instructor, Eric sat front and center and explained that for most of the class we would be rowing together, following either his stroke or that of another coach who was in the class in the front row.  I sat directly behind Eric, hoping some of his form would rub off on me! 

Eric Von Frohlich was not only my instructor on Wednesday night, but he, along with wife Debra, are the founders of Row House! He's been interviewed for a bunch of fitness magazines on rowing technique, since a lot of people don't know the first thing about this piece of gym equipment.

 (I certainly didn't know a bout proper rowing technique, until this guy showed me the ropes!)

So when Eric asked who was new at Wednesday's class, I raised my hand, but I knew I had an advantage. When he started going over form, I was already a few steps ahead of the game, knowing that you're supposed to send your arms out first before bending your legs. 

He's clearly experienced in teaching people how to row, because what could have taken up a quarter of the class was done succinctly and quickly - a few strokes to get the arm movements down, then a few strokes putting everything together, learning that you're body is supposed to hit 1 and 11 on the invisible clock, and then it was time to get started. 

Like I said, for most of a Row House class everyone in the room is expected to row in-sync. After all, when you're actually outside rowing, that's what it's all about - teamwork to make the boat move! Eric led us through intervals, 10 strokes of recovery followed by 20-30 power strokes at differing strokes per minute. 

There's a lot of new terminology when it comes to using the erg - but going to a class at Row House will be SO helpful in letting you put together your own erg workout if you're so inclined to use the lonely little rower hidden in corners of gyms. 

But rowing as a group, in a dark room with music, makes indoor rowing a lot more enjoyable, in my opinion. 

(Eric demonstrating perfect form!) 

After 10 minutes of intervals, we got off the rowers for some body-weight exercises. 

First, squats. Then, front lunges. Next, back lunches. Last, inchworms to push-ups. I also liked that Eric included a stretch before we got back on the machines - and one that was good for our IT bands no less [I was concerned that my IT band would bother me during this workout, and as a runner, that's not a body part I'd like to upset!] 

Next we did another 10 minute section of intervals on the erg. The more I row, the more it starts to come together. Your power is mainly supposed to come from your legs and core, not just your arms. You can bring your pace down in two ways - either by pushing off/pulling harder or by slowing down your recovery time [simultaneously upping your strokes per minute]. For me, I found that keeping my strokes per minute on the lower end and taking a sufficient recovery (slower on the way back down to the front of the rower) allowed me to have a stronger stroke which in turn made my pace (per 500 meters) drop. 

After the second 10 minutes of rowing we hopped off again and did side lunges followed by push-ups to side plank and another stretch. 

The last part of class was probably my favorite part. Eric said that now that we successfully rowed in sync it was time to let us go our own speed. He turned the lights out and told us to see how far we could go in 4 minutes. Having the lights out definitely allowed me to block everything else out and just focus on finding a rhythm that worked for my body. 

For the 4 minutes, Eric walked around encouraging people and trying to get them to give a little extra push.  Lucky for me, Eric stopped by my rower with 40 seconds left, and the extra motivation saw my pace drop to the lowest that it did the entire class - 2:19. To be fair, there were plenty of people going a hell of a lot fast than me, but I was happy to see that I could give a little more than I thought. 

At the end of 4 minutes Eric told us to look at how far we had gone, and add 50 meters (or more) to that number.  That's how far we were trying to go in the next 4 minutes. UGH. Then he gave a motivational but not at all cheesy or over-the-top speech about setting goals and learning more about yourself the loftier the goal. 

I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I did add 30 or so meters to my first 4 minutes. 

Sadly, a few stretches and we were done. I wanted to keep going! 

It was definitely a full-body workout and I definitely sweat, though I've been sweatier in other classes.  

Row House Full Body is the class I took, but they also offer Row House Core (where the time off the rower focuses on abs only) and Row House Express (only rowing for 35 minutes). There's also Row House Endurance which is a 50 minute class with more rowing drills. 

The music Eric played during the class was GREAT. When Geronimo came on it was hard for me not to erg-dance. Is that a thing? 

At some point during the class I realized that each machine was customized with a clever quote, which I probably enjoyed more than I should have.  "Stroke of genius." "Don't resist the erg." There is nothing I like more than a fitness-themed pun. 

We all wiped down our machines at the end of class, got some high fives from Eric, and were on our way.  They had two foam rollers in the back of the room which I appreciated, and probably should have used, but I waited until I got back to my apartment to roll it out. 

You've probably never thought about taking a group rowing class. But I think you should. 

Row House has two locations - one at 555 West 59th Street (between West End and Amsterdam Avenues) and one on the Upper East Side (come on NP people!) at 406 East 91st Street (between First and York Avenues).  

Row House also is awesome on Instagram and likes my pictures, holllllla. But really, having a fitness studio that gets to know their clients is awesome, and it was very obvious that a lot of the people in the class are regulars. 

They offer a great beginner package - 3 classes for $75 (single classes are $35). 

DO IT.

San Francisco in 24 Hours

I'm incredibly lucky that I have gotten to see so many new cities since I started my job a year and a half ago.  

If you couldn't tell, I like pictures A LOT. So I think that's the best way to some up where I've gotten to journey. 

(Detroit. Not the most exciting city in the world, but The Big House is seriously incredible!)

(Los Angeles. This was my first trip to the West Coast and it was AWESOME. This night at Venice Beach was picture perfect!)

(Chicago. It was SO cold that I barely got to be outside the entire trip, but I DID get my photo op with the bean and I DID have the best meal of my life at Girl and the Goat.)

(Vegas. I had been here before, but a long time ago. Vegas is, Vegas. It's not my favorite - but it's warm and I like warmth.) 

(Philadelphia. Kind of weird that I had never been here before, and I really wasn't expecting much, but I absolutely fell in love with this city. I'm usually a snob when it comes to New York and no city ever comparing, and while I stand by that fact, Philly was a place I could see myself enjoying for awhile. Such a bummer that I didn't know about NP while I was here - I'm sure it would have made me like the city even more!)

(DC. Definitely not a first for being here but I love history, I love how walk-able it is, there's some pretty delicious food, but WHY ARE THE SUBWAYS SO ANNOYING?) 

(Columbus, Ohio. Random? Perhaps. But the people here were literally the nicest people I've ever met. Everyone was so great!) 

(Santa Clara/San Jose. I was expecting to like it here more than I did, but I was also sick for a majority of the trip so it's probably not fair for me to judge. Their donut game is ON POINT though, that's for sure.)

Travelling for work, in general, is an amazing perk. Especially for someone like me, who really hasn't gotten to see a lot of the country! 

Sometimes, I get caught up in the constant grumbles of my co-workers who have been doing this for years and years. They're married or have kids or have just been doing this for so long that they're over it. In the height of our travel season, it is easy to feel not-so-great. You're tired, you're constantly surrounded by a lot of different personalities, you're eating like crap no matter how hard you try to tell yourself "this trip I'm going to be healthy, this trip I'm not going to drink, this trip I'm NOT going to eat the arena cookies..." 

(Trying to stay active...)

And it's true that by the end of a couple of events you are run-down and tired of hotel rooms that leave you waking up with a cold every morning, and you're tired of delayed flights and airports with no Wifi and of course there's all the weekend plans that you have to forego.  But at the end of the day, look at all that I've gotten to do! I ran up the Rocky Steps and I got my picture with the Bean. I went to a Bulls game, I got to eat at incredible restaurants, I ran a 5K with coworkers, I've visited November Project workouts, not to mention going to the actual events that we're there to put on - which I still find myself tearing up over sometimes. 

So the moral of the story, as I sit here thinking of missing Mother's Day and Father's Day and my mom's birthday, and my sister's birthday, and a slew of NYRR races that I'd like to run this summer, I need to remind myself more often how lucky I am. 

My recent trip to San Jose is the perfect reminder of why I should have zero complaints. I was able to extend my trip by a day so that I could finally see San Francisco! And although we were only there for 24 hours, the trip was pretty damn near perfect - we got to do and see so many things in a small amount of time! So here's my guide to seeing San Francisco in 24 hours: 

1) Rent a car. Yes, I would have liked to walk around and maybe take the trolley, but since we were on a time crunch, having a car was what made all of this possible.  Not to mention our incredible luck in finding street parking throughout the day everywhere we went! Someone was looking out for us. 

2) Golden Gate Bridge. I wish I could tell you the name of the viewing area we went to, because it was great, but alas, I don't know. We started up near the parking lot in a grassy field with this view: 

Then there was a walk down a path/steps (lots of people out running) which we stopped on for a different view (OK the view wasn't that different but we just really like taking lots of pictures) 

The path finished down here with this view:

3) The Painted Ladies. I grew up watching Full House so I naturally went here and proceeded to play the theme song while prancing around taking pictures like a giant tourist. It was well worth it. The Painted Ladies were kind of a let down, they weren't even the prettiest of the painted houses we saw. But the park was nice and there were so many people out relaxing. Probably because you have to walk completely uphill to reach the park. Everyone was ready for a nap in the grass by the time they got there (I'm dramatic, and I really hate hills). 

4) Brunch. We found a cute place called Squat & Gobble and enjoyed some OUTDOOR EATING. 

5) Castro. Unintentionally, we realized we were in the Castro neighborhood and strolled around for a little bit. Some hysterical signs and lively places. This is probably where I would hang out if I lived in San Fran, if we're being honest. Very Village-esque.

6) I had read about a place called Philz Coffee with a MINT MOJITO iced coffee. It sounds like a weird combination, but it was so refreshing! 

7) Union Square. As soon as we got here, it's like I was back in NYC.  The whole area around Union Square is like Manhattan. I kept pointing out streets with the same names and all of the stores were what you would find along 5th Avenue. 

8) China Town. What I would expect from a China Town - very similar to New York. Tons of typical tourist souvenir shops which I managed to go into and not leave with some ridiculous thing that I didn't need. I did take pictures with the greatest monkey statue though.  And turtle.  And lion.  Sorry.

9) Lombard Street. We were scared the line to drive down Lombard Street was going to be really long, but it wasn't at all! It was bizarre but the houses along it are so pretty and the view from the top was awesome too. How do the people who live there own cars? Crazy. 

10) We were going to attempt to go to a speakeasy I had read about, but then I saw the sky starting to change colors and realized we were getting close to sunset. I have a serious obsession with sunsets, and the last time I was in California Emily and I were at Venice Beach for one of my favorites EVER (from the picture above) so I thought we should catch one in San Francisco together. We drove down to the Marina and walked out to the pier for a pretty sunset and dipped our toes in the water. 

11) Ghirardelli. Yes, I did the touristy thing and bought a bunch.The selfie stick was almost left behind on this stop- PHEW CLOSE CALL!!

12) Fisherman's Wharf. Yes a very touristy place, but I still wanted to see it, and while dinner wasn't the best thing I've ever had, we did have some yummy sourdough garlic bread! We were shocked at how early everything closed though! 

13) Mitchell's. Of course my research into San Francisco included extensive reading up on the best ICE CREAM. Mitchell's was the closest one I had read about to Fisherman's Wharf so we headed there after dinner. Mitchell's made my list because they have really interesting flavors like purple yam, avocado and halo halo, which is a combination of all different weird tropical fruits. I ended up getting a scoop of the halo halo and I wish I could describe it to you, but I can't really. It's not fruity, despite being filled with pieces of fruits. You should try it if you ever see it on a menu. I also got a scoop of mint chocolate chip because it's always my favorite. 

14) November Project. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to stay the extra day in San Francisco- so I could check out the San Fran tribe's workout on Friday morning. Unfortunately, my legs were on pretty strict rest, but I jog/walked and did the workout to a STUNNING sunrise, free from any fog! Everyone was friendly and badass and I don't understand how they run those hills. Crazy, all of ya. 

15) Mrs. Doubtfire House. Photo op! 

16) Last stop was back to Fisherman's Wharf to go to the Boudin Bakery. I never realized I even liked sourdough until I was in San Francisco. The breakfast at Boudin's was a great price - I went with the Belgian waffle with berries but the bread bowls with scrambled eggs probably would have been the better choice. If I'm every back, I would definitely like to take a tour of the bakery and maybe even make my own little bread creature (yes, that's a thing that you can do!)

See - told you we got to do a ton! 

If I were to go back, I would definitely plan on more food-related activities. Brunch filled us up so much the first day that I couldn't eat my way through San Fran like I would have liked ;) I would also loooove to do the tour of Alcatraz! 

So there ya have it. Whenever I'm being a grump about travelling please just direct me to this post, tell me to chug my Emergen-C to avoid airborne germs before my next flight, and send me on my way! 

Food, Fitness, Friends - The Usual.

I've been really consistent with my blogging, wouldn't you say?

Since my pretty wonderful 25K out on Long Island, I've been pretty busy.

First off, it was Restaurant Week in NYC.  Ok, so Restaurant "Week" is now like 3 weeks twice a year, but I still try to take advantage of it! We decided to go to Maya - a Richard Sandoval Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side. Review to come, but let's just say I was a fan and thoroughly photographed (and Instagrammed) the meal. 

(Chipotle Salmon entree from Maya)

To burn off those tasty, tasty tostadas, it was up and out super early Thursday morning for an EPIC Hybrid Training class at 6:30 a.m. Our friend has been teaching there and sadly is moving to Philadelphia, so we wanted to get in one more killer workout while we still could! I HIGHLY recommend checking out EPIC if you like getting SUPER SWEATY and going non-stop! You will feel so bad-ass by the end of the class, and you'll probably learn a few new exercises to incorporate into your routine. I struggled through Turkish Getups for a good 10 minutes before I (kind of) got the hang of it. 

(Get it, the HANG of it?)

Friday we ran to the November Project workout in Times Square. Waking up early definitely has its advantages, when you can take over the one area in NYC that's usually crowded beyond belief and workout! 

(I have a new top NYC moment - kick lining and singing New York, New York in the middle of Times Square. Photo Credit: Chris Mosier)

Of course, my all time favorite breakfast followed the workout. I still need to dedicate a post to the energy wrap...After NP I ran a few more miles on the treadmill at NYSC.

Friday just continued to be amazing when we had our first DIP NIGHT. Basically, a potluck where everyone brings a different dip. 

I was so excited to be able to host dip night in my new apartment :) With room for all the dip, and all of us! Dip night featured:

-Biscoff Cookie Dough Dip with apple slices
Recipe Here!
It took me some time to appreciate this, but eventually I came to think it was pretty tasty. Don't let the chickpeas scare you!

-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a Curry Mustard dipping sauce

-Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip with tortilla chips

-Spinach and Artichoke Dip with carrots and celery

-2 Black Bean Dips with pita chips

-Guacamole with tortilla chips

-Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips with Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip 

-Brie/Apple Crumble/Walnut Bake 

-S'mores Dip! 

And of course, this was all accompanied by fresh MARGARITAS courtesy of Jaime! I've truly found my people. 

(She even salted the rims!!)

Despite a serious food coma, a bunch of us were able to rally and head to Central Park in the morning for some mileage. I did 11 and felt...

AMAZING. 

I bet you thought I was going to have some complaint about every muscle that was bothering me.  But nope. I busted out 11 miles at an 8:00 pace. 

I was able to be lazy for a little bit before it was off for an amazingly fun afternoon/night to say goodbye to our friend Leanne. A ton of November Project friends got together for a scavenger hunt throughout the city that ended at Brother Jimmy's for a looooot of drinking. 

(Ate an Oyster at the oyster bar in Grand Central!)

(Quick hockey break) 

(We all have the same birthday!)

(We'll miss you Leanne!!!!)

Sunday I slept in later than usual, finalllllly. But instead of laying around and doing nothing, we decided to take advantage of the relatively warm weather and headed to Brooklyn (whoah, who am I? I never go to Brooklyn - unless it's for food).  First stop was an attempt to get brunch at Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens.  They basically laughed and said there was no way we would get seated before they closed. So we wandered and came across a place that looked good and decided to give it a try. Ok, I'll admit, what really sold me was the drink special on the chalkboard - Mint Tequila Hot Chocolate. Uhm, yes. It didn't disappoint. 

The food was good too, and the fire-place smelled delicious. (Buschenschank if anyone is curious - we both had the Cobble  Hill Cristo which was a poached egg, hollandaise, speck, lingonberries and melted Gruyere on battered brioche. It was the perfect blend of sweet and savory!) 

After brunch we headed on to the transit museum, which I highly recommend! The price is fair ($7) and it was really interesting. I actually learned a ton. And seeing the old subway cars was pretty cool.  

It was such a pretty day out and made me so excited for SPRING. 

(Is it time for Smorgasburg yet?!)

I did speedwork in the park on the following Tuesday in only ONE LAYER - a small miracle.  Of course, the speed work resulted in 0 more miles being run that week until Saturday's long run. My shins and intervals just do not get along.  We ran 10x400 meter intervals which I did at around 1:40-1:30. 

This is my new attempt at foam rolling. These knots are no joke. 

Tuesday night I went to the Coliseum for the Rangers/Islanders game which BUMMER they lost. But it was nice getting to be there - it was my first Isles/Rangers game at the Coliseum! And likely my last. All the feels. 

Hmm, what else.  We went to get a real German dinner on Saturday night. I ordered the Jagershnitzel and besides being a baby cow, it was delicious. Crispy, buttery spaetzle is incredibly yummy as it clogs your arteries. 

(Not the more photogenic of dishes)

Saturday's forecast called for rain rain rain. But I had no choice, 18 miles were happening one way or the other. I would never have been able to do it without Peter getting me up and out and into the rain. We met up with Brian, who luckily knew his way around the bridges way better than me.  For the first half of the run I felt pretty good, then I had my usual "crap, I'm halfway done and now I have to do that all over again and I'm tired and it hurts" moment - luckily that's about when we picked up Kaitlin and I was able to suck it up and catch up with her while trying to keep up with a pair of fresh legs (meanwhile, Brian's legs never tire). I guess I was going a lot faster than I thought, because at the end, my 18 mile pace was 8:30.  There were a few parts in the park where Brian and Kaitlin had to give me a few peppy words because I was fading. 

Can we just briefly mention how DRENCHED we all were? I'm talking 5 pound pony-tail. Also, a car drove past me at some point and it was like a scene from a movie, hugeeee splash all over me. But it didn't even matter because I couldn't have gotten any wetter than I already was. 

I felt so relieved that I finished that run and felt OK doing it. Especially after an only 4 mile week. 

Normally, I would sleep the rest of the day away after a run like that. But instead, I showered, packed, ate and got on a train to go to Nassau Coliseum to see my parents, sister, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, and best friend for our last Islanders game together :( I can't believe it. 

We all had rooms at the Marriott with a view of the Coliseum from our windows and enough food and beer (and sangria) to feed a small army. It was amazing. Minus the Islanders losing (but we're all used to that...) 

In other news, I've been doing weights a lot more since most days my legs don't feel run-ready. Operation do an unassisted pull-up is in full-effect and I started going back to Body Pump at NYSC.

Took a trip back to my most favorite margarita place - Bamboleos - for St. Patrick's Day! $20 pitchers with free chips and guac from 4-7. Go, people! 

So now that I'm relatively caught up - I'll likely fall ridiculously behind again. Sorry about it. 

Oh...WHO HAS READ UNBROKEN? Can we please discuss? 

So I Sampled 2 Dozen Psycho Donuts

Donuts.

My love for them continues to grow at an alarming rate for someone who less than a year ago would have chosen almost any other dessert over a donut. Ice cream still wins in my dessert world, but I have a newfound appreciation for these deep-friend, doughy, delightful delicacies. I also really like alliteration.

One of my favorite things about traveling for work is researching all the different restaurants and foods that I need to try – because, shockingly, there is food to be eaten outside of New York City.

While researching where one should chow down in San Jose, California, I discovered what appeared to be a donut mecca. A shop called Psycho Donuts, featured on Food Network’s Donut Challenge. One look at the menu and I knew I’d be stopping there. Multiple times.

My coworkers simultaneously loved and hated me when I showed up to the office on Day 1 with a dozen donuts from Psycho.

I had walked into Psycho Donuts and asked for a dozen of their most popular donuts – and then proceeded to say, “But make sure you include a ____...oh and a ___, and ____....better throw in a ____ too.” So by the end I essentially created the entire dozen myself but what else would you expect from the food Nazi?

 Day 1’s Dozen: 

Nutella the Hun – “Nutella, sprinkles & chocolate cake make him a mighty force in our donut army. You’ll be raiding our cases for more.”

This wasn’t very Nutella-y and I’m not a huge sprinkles person. I know, they’re pretty. But ever just eaten plain sprinkles? They taste like wax. Not delicious. Not necessary.

Jekyll & Hyde – “Can’t decide which one of you to be today? Go schizo and dive into both sides of this chocolaty goodness.” 

Disclaimer: I didn’t try each and every donut. I would have. But, I think I would have been judged.

Cereal Killer – “A Psycho Favorite! Dexter Morgan and Jack the Ripper? They got nothin’ on this Cap’n Crunchberries donut.”
This donut just screams, “Instagram me!” Much like the birthday cake cream cheese from Tompkins Square bagels, this donut was a pleasant surprise – its instagramability wasn’t acting as a disguise for a subpar donut, it was actually delicious!

(The Cereal Killer is ready for its close up)

Marla – “This maple beauty will have you cheating on your best donut. She’s rich and creamy with Butterfinger and p’nut butter.”
I mean, read the description. Enough said.

S’Mores – “We bring the campfire to you! Real marshmallow, graham crackers, chocolate…don’t! A Psycho Signature.”
Another beauty, although the toppings trumped the donut.

Dead Elvis – “You’ll think you died on the throne! Cream filled, bananas, bacon, peanut butter and jelly. It’s a hunka hunka donut love!”
Going into this donut adventure, I knew that this one was made for me, and it did NOT disappoint. This was by far my favorite donut, though, dare I say it- I could have done without the bacon.  Basically, to me, a filled donut far exceeds an unfilled donut. This donut combines a jelly donut with a Boston cream and adds my two favorite things – peanut butter and banana. Genius.

Raspberry Road Rash – “Don’t fall off the donut wagon! This donut will bring you back from the skids with cheesecake icing and real raspberry dust.”
I’m not one for fruity donuts, and this one was WAY WAY fruity, but holy hell they are not kidding when they say this has real raspberry dust. Kudos for that! Everyone assumed it was red velvet, and open taking a bite, they were in for quite the surprise.

Kooky Monster – “A customer favorite, topped with crushed Orea cookies and blue drizzle. It will leave you all googly-eyed and wantin’ MORE!!”
Also highly Instagram-worthy, the Kooky Monster wasn’t anything killer, but at the same time, anything with Oreos can’t be bad. Can we also acknowledge that the description features the word “drizzle?”

Sticky Monkey – “Bananas Foster in Donut form! Before you drool, don’t forget the salted caramel. Get one in your mouth, NOW!”
Really, get one of these in your mouth. Everyone who came up to inspect the box and pick their donut thought they had this one all figured out, “Oh that’s an apple fritter right?” Nope. No. Wrong. So wrong. This is no mere fritter. This gave the Dead Elvis some serious competition for donut deity.

Suicide Squeeze – “Designed by our favorite little league team – The Psycho Donuts. They went all of nothing with Oreo dust and dark chocolate filling!”
Didn’t try this one either, but I did take a little taste of the chocolate filling and it was a little bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t pudding-y enough for me – it was more like a mousse.

Boston Scream Pie – “A donut so good that it will make you scream! Skull adorned, chocolate frosted, and filled with vanilla custard.”
This one wasn’t anything special, but it was solid and the Boston Cream is a classic, for good reason.

‘Mello Submarine – “Who doesn’t love an old fashioned Rice Krispie Treat? Our friends Snap, Jrackle and Pop are stuck on this one.”
If a donut with cream, peanut butter, banana, bacon and jelly sounds like too much for you – this might be more your speed. It was yummo but not super crazy.

(Top Row Left to Right: Boston Scream Pie, Suicide Squeeze, Dead Elvis, Kooky Monster

Middle Row Left to Right: Marla, Nutella the Hun, Cereal Killer, S'Mores, Jekyll & Hyde, 'Mello Submarine, Raspberry Road Rash, Sticky Monkey)

Obviously, once I realized we had tried less than HALF the donuts at Psycho, I knew another trip was in order. Unfortunately, I had either a stomach bug or food poisoning. You know I was feeling like crap because I didn’t get to eat ANY of these donuts except for a few nibbles here and there.

Day 2’s Dozen:

Repeated: ‘Mello Submarine accidentally and Nutella the Hun and S’Mores for the birthday girl!

Cinnamon Troll- “This fearsome troll is under your bridge to happiness. Its light glaze will have you on your way to greener pastures. “
This thing was a monstrosity. A beautiful monstrosity.

Buttermilf – “How does dis muddah go down? She’s like hot knife througb uttah I tell you. Take one home and get your just desserts!”
Another good option for people who don’t want to take a bite of donut and feel like they instantly clogged in artery, gained 15 pounds and developed diabetes. Chances are, all these things still happened, but you can convince yourself otherwise due to its plain nature.

Some Off Menu Donut – With peanut butter AND Nutella. Yeah.

The Dirty Turtle – “The Psycho nurses love turtles! This tasty terrapin has been wallowing in cheesecake, Oreo dust and caramel!”
Everyone said this one was really “heavy,” as if that was a bad thing?

Canadian Morning Squeal Meal – “This one will make you sit up and say ‘eh!’ A tasty buttermilk bar topped with maple icing, bacon bits and chocolate drizzle.”
I wept that I couldn’t stomach a bite of this. “Drizzle” making another appearance on the menu.

Rocky Road – “This bumpy, nutty, oh-so-rocky road is the Highway to Heaven. Chocolate cake donut, chocolate icing, peanuts and ‘mallows!”
Would you hate me if I said I don’t love chocolate cake?

Apricotology – “A-pri-cot-to-logy(n): the study of fresh apricots in perfectly-fried donut dough on the human psyche!”
My coworkers learned their lesson and said, “Ok, I know none of these are normal. What’s that one?” A lot of surprised, “Oh! That’s actually really good” for this one.

Headbanger- “Death metal knocked this guy off his rocker! If raspberry jelly filling gives you a head rush, he’s your head trauma man!”

Strawberry Fields – “Something to get hung about! Strawberry icing, freeze-dried strawberries & a Pocky stick. Deliciousness forever!”
Hold up. Deliciousness is actually a word?
I know I said I’m not a fruity donut person, but I did find myself enjoying the small piece of this that I tried. 

(Top Row Left to Right: Strawberry Fields, Buttermilf, Apricotology, Cinnamon Troll

Middle Row Left to Right: 'Mello Submarine, Nutella the Hun, S'More, Canadian Morning Squeal Meal

Bottom Row Left to Right: Headbanger, PB Nutella, Dirty Turtle, Rocky Road)

We missed a few (was really hoping to try the hilariously named Michael Jackson donut – a chocolate cake donut covered in white powdered sugar) but I think that overall, we done good!

If you ever find yourself in California, go psycho for donuts! They have a shop in San Jose and a shop in Campbell. 

The Run I've Been Waiting For

So, since my last running update, I successfully rested for a (pretty) solid 10 days. 

That's actually huge for me and was shockingly not too torturous considering for 4 of those days I was sick and couldn't imagine running anyway. 

Somewhere in those 10 days I had a verrrrry slow jogging November Project workout in San Francisco (I picked my damn hotel based on the fact that it was .8 miles from NP, there was no way I was going to miss it).

(#WakeUpTheSun)

And then on the 11th day I ran 3 miles to November Project NYC's workout to see how I was feeling and whether or not I thought I could run the 25K I was registered to run on March 1 on Long Island. 

(More NP fun)

Friday's 3 miles felt lovely, and so I headed to Long Island Saturday night, telling myself I would see how Sunday's race went - no expectations. No getting my hopes up. If I didn't finish all 15.5 miles, fine. This was a long run, not a race. I half expected to go out, take a few strides, feel pain in my shins, and retire to the car while Peter finished. 

Instead, I cautiously began to realize I was feeling...great? Peter kept telling me we were pushing 8:00 and I was trying to slow down but it just wasn't happening. At one point I even said, "I feel like when I relax and try to slow down I just go faster!" 

This was the run I have been waiting for. The run that just felt right and good and wonderful. Challenging, but amazing. At one point I looked at my watch and saw something that I haven't seen in what feels like forever - a pace in the 7's. 

For about 9-10 miles I was on cloud 9, cruising right along. Of course, it had to come to an end at some point, and at around mile 10 my Achilles and IT band started hurting pretty badly (because it's always something new!) 

The last half mile or so of the course was on rocky/bumpy/icy/puddly trail-like terrain and since I have weak ankles, it was really doing a number on my legs. That's when things hurt the most, and between miles 10-12 every step I switched between "You better not finish the last 5K loop Lauren, don't be stupid" and "OK, you're fine, you got this, your legs are just achy from running a long distance." At one point I told Peter, "Don't let me finish all 15.5 miles." Well, as we got to the start of the last loop, I of course informed him, "I'm finishing." Miles 12 - 15 were pretty good, and the last .5 on that damn shitty trail killed, but we celebrated Peter's longest run at 13.2 miles and we finished at a full-out run, crossing the finish line at 2:09:28. 

We cooled down with a little jog and stretch and then walked back to the food table where I gleefully exclaimed, "ARE THOSE PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA SANDWICHES?" Best race ever. 

But for real, this was my second GLIRC (Greater Long Island Running Club) race and both were excellently organized with really nice courses. The 25K was 5 5K loops through Caumsett State Park and it was really pretty with some rolling hills but nothing too challenging. The heaters in the tent weren't working, but the post-race heroes and snacks, small-town feel, and relatively convenient parking situation more than made up for it. 

The elites were a little sassy, and I lost feeling in my hands walking back to the car, but overall, it was a wonderful day. Oh, and did I mention that when Peter and I were in the tent loading up on snacks, we both heard our names announced as first in our age groups? Cherry on top! 

(Pace = 8:21 suhweeeeet)

I was so exhausted the rest of the day, but not too exhausted to eat approximately every 20 minutes. 

(Home sweet Long Island)

This morning, I woke up pretttttty damn achy. I'm working at NY Running Co. tonight and hoping there's some serious down time for foam rolling... my Achilles is the real thing concerning me and bothering me at the moment so fingers crossed some stretching and a day off will help. And, YOGA TOMORROW. Ew.

AND HI LOOK AT MY RUNNING WALL IN MY ROOM. 

I may or may not have used a wine rack as a sneaker tree and a scarf hanger as a medal display...

Japanese Tapas in California - On the Floor

I was just in California for a work trip and the first night, had an interesting dining experience at a Japanese fusion tapas restaurant. That description itself should have been the first hint that this dinner wasn’t going to be ordinary. But strangely enough- the food was probably the most normal part of the evening.

We ventured to Cupertino, between San Jose and Santa Clara for dinner at GocHi Japanese Fusion Tapas. The restaurant was in a strip mall, next door to the oddest karaoke joint we’d ever seen. Once inside, we realized just how authentic this place was – the seating with tatami style – we were seated on the floor on mats with a cut out under the table for our legs to go in. It was surprisingly less uncomfortable than I thought it would be, despite my horrible posture.

What was slightly concerning was the sign asking us to remove our shoes- while simultaneously telling us that they were not responsible for any stolen shoes. Okay…

Once we sat down and received our menus, the concern grew as we read, “Please do not leave valuables in your car, especially where it’s visible from the outside.  Many cars have been broken into and had their important belongings stolen in our parking lot.”

Really?

The great thing about going to a tapas restaurant with a big group, is you get a chance to try so many different dishes! But GocHi’s menu is HUGE and we still only sample a small portion of their offerings.

Here’s what we had-

Edamame: Standard, although it was cold instead of warm and I prefer it warm.

Tako Carpaccio – Octopus, Sliced Cucumber, Plum Paste Vinaigrette Dressing drizzled with Garlic Oil: Not my favorite octopus that I’ve ever had, but it could have been worse

Hamachi Carpaccio – Yellowtail, Garlic-Ginger-Ponzu, and Chopped Jalapeno Drizzled With Garlic Oil: Again, not really anything special.

Gyuniku Salad – Thinly Sliced Cooked Beef & Spring Mix in Sesame Peanut Butter Dressing: SUPER DELICIOUS. Interesting texture and flavor, but I was a big fan. Figures, I liked the salad.

Kurobuta Steak – Kurobuta Pork Steak with Soy Brandy Sauce: This was really delicious and full of caramelized onions. Pork is always one of my favorites.

Hotate Tomato – Pan Seared Scallop and Roasted Tomato in Shiso-Pesto Yuzu: Didn't love the tomato but the scallop was really good and the pesto mixed with asian flavors was...interesting …

Gyuuniku Maki – Panko Crusted Beef Rolls with Asparagus and Cheese with Hatcho Miso Sauce: Yummy because it was friend and the brown gravy sauce was good too.

Nasu Curry Fusion Pizza – Pork Curry Sauce, Eggplant, Wild Mushrooms and Cheese: An awesome mix of flavors!

Buta Meshi Clay Pot Rice – BBQ Sliced Pork: Sooo good- the rice, with the sauce, with the crispy pork skin made me wish this didn’t come out last when I was already stuffed.

Specials
Tuna Tartare: Did not like this at all for some reason
Pork Meatballs: Delicious is an amazing broth with potatoes

Dessert
Sweet Potato Custard with Vanilla Ice Cream:  SO SO SOO DELICIOUS
Chocolate Cake: Boring
and Lychee Sorbet: Really sweet and refreshing and an interesting, icy texture

After dinner karaoke, anyone? 

(Stay weird, San Jose!) 

Your Guide to Eating Mexican on The UES

Live in the Upper East Side? Like Mexican food? Hands down my favorite tacos that I’ve found in the city remain the tacos at Cascabel Taqueria. They changed me forever from a flour tortilla girl to a corn tortilla girl.

Usher ate there once.

They offer 10 different tacos, and while I haven’t tried them all, I can give recommendations on my favorite 3:
#1 Vegetal:  oyster mushroom / fingerling potato / poblano / tomato / spring onion house made creme / bibb lettuce / rabano / queso fresco / cilantro. Please, please order this. No matter how much you love meat. Order Cascabel’s veggie taco. I am generally against the word moist, but THEY’RE SO MOIST and flavorful! The queso fresco is killer.
#2 Al Pastor: chipotle achiote marinated pork butt / grilled pineapple / avocado / sauteed onions / paprika / epazote. Mainly, because pineapple and avocado are my favorites.
#3 Pollo Chipotle: shredded amish chipotle chicken / spring onion / avocado chicken chicharrón. Usually chicken isn’t my go to choice in terms of meat, but this is delicious!

There’s also a yellowfin tuna taco, shrimp taco, veal tongue, battered tilapia (a little too dry for my liking), chipotle pork, hanger steak, chorizo (also delicious), and another pork option!

So let’s talk prices.

Cascabel has an incredible all you can eat taco and all you can drink sangria/beer option on Monday nights. For $25 you can get unlimited Dos Equis or Sangria along with unlimited tacos (you have to order 3 of each kind at a time) and Mexi BBQ wings which were pretty good too.

The first time we went, the waiter was amazing- he gave us pitchers, he kept the tacos coming, he gave us orders of wings with our tacos. Second time, the waitress said she wasn’t allowed to give us pitchers, she couldn’t keep up with orders, and we couldn’t order wings and tacos at the same time (granted it was a much bigger group the second time around). Either way – we definitely had our fair share of tacos and sangria both times!

Another great deal that Cascabel has is taco flight Tuesdays – if you’re not looking to get sloshed on sangria or eat your body weight in tacos, this might be the option for you! $16 for 4 different tacos! Do it up, people.

Some other things to note about Cascabel:
*They have a brunch that sounds pretty delicious, though not one of the cheaper ones you can find
*Their margaritas aren’t anything special. The flavors sound special, but trust me, you’re going to pay way too much for way too little tequila.
*You MUST order their yucca fries! Their chipotle aioli is just the extra bit of fat and calories that you need with fried yucca. Order them, pretty please.
*Two locations - one on 2nd Avenue between 80th & 81st and one on Broadway at 108th St. 

I recently took a trip to another Mexican joint on the UES called Cantina 1436 and while I didn’t love them as much as I love Cascabel, I did appreciate their bowl options- quinoa, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, beans and onions was delicious, cheap, and made me feel like I wasn’t gaining 23489 pounds. Again, not worth the margarita price. BUT they have really great happy hour specials that I’ll have to check out. $5 margaritas and $2.50 tacos.

If you’re looking for a place with a strong margarita, check out Selena Rosa. 

Read more about my favorite margaritas HERE. 

Pittsburgh on Pause

Let us recap the week in running and exercise, shall we? Even though I'm pretty sure the title of the post provides enough foreshadowing to tell you how things turned out...

As I said in my last post, Monday morning I woke myself up at 5:45, looked out the window, and said “Snow hasn’t started yet, no excuses, get your butt to the park.”

I got dressed, put on my sneakers, looked out the window and…the snow had started. But at that point there was no turning back, and I headed to the park for 6 miles that were faster than I’ve been typically running these days- 8:25 pace in the empty, snowy park and my week was off to a very positive start.

Tuesday was another early morning, but it wasn’t very difficult to get up and out because interval day is my favorite day and I knew I was meeting Melissa to do a few miles as a warm up! We did 3 miles followed by 2.5 miles of 400 meter intervals and a .5 mile cool down back home for a total of 6.

(Interval crew) 

It was cold, it was snowy, and when I got back to my apartment, there was no heat or hot water. Thank god for NYSC memberships.

Wednesday morning I returned to November Project after way too long off. I even got up and out for the 5:30 a.m. group so I could make it to physical therapy at 7:30! 

(So early, but so great)

My new apartment is almost 1.5 miles away from Gracie Mansion, and the workout was about 3 miles plus burpees, lunges and pushups! 5 miles total on Wednesday!

(NP_NYC)

Thursday was a day off from running but I did a shoulder and back circuit at the gym:
10 TRX rows
10 front plate raises (10 lbs)
10 ball slams (14 lb ball)
10 later side plate raises (5 lbs)
x4

Then,  15 minutes of rowing.

Friday was another day off from running – 

(Sometimes, seeing this is wonderful!)

Kayla, Melissa and I continued with my new favorite tradition – Friday decks & froyo! We met after work for 2 decks at NYSC. A KILLER arm deck (renegade rows, tricep extensions, lateral raises, pushups, and Kayla’s Chaturanga death move for the jokers. It took a while, so we made a quick ab deck to finish up with- penguins, lower ab circles, weighted Russian twists, and toes to sky.  

Next was the best part of deck & froyo Fridays- the froyo. $4 fill ups, thank you 16 Handles! Who cares that it was the coldest day of the year!?

(Mine's the one with extra graham cracker crumbs, frosted animal crackers and rainbow cookies)

Saturday was Valentine’s Day and it was the perfect morning. We woke up and headed to the park – I finished 12 miles relatively pain free and when I got back, an amazzzzing brunch was being cooked for me :)

Bacon.
Cinnamon Buns.
An omelet with spinach, mushrooms, peppers & cheese.
Hot chocolate with whipped cream and raspberry chocolate sauce.

Why do I spell omelet wrong every time. My brain just wants it to be omelette.

(Lucky girl!)

We got ready and got on a train to Connecticut for happy hour and endless appetizers at TGI Fridays. Approximately 40 mozzarella sticks later, it was time for some hockey! It was so nice being back at Quinnipiac. Watching hockey with some of my favorite people. And seeing BOOMER of course.

(Favorite people)

(Favorite bobcat)

(Just like the good old days!)

We spent the rest of the night drinking and eventually made it to Eli’s which was weird because it was emptier than I’ve ever seen it! Second trip to Hamden in a row where I’ve been forced to leave the women’s room by the bartender because I was busy girl talkin’ with friends. Woops.

Sunday we slept in and got RAY & MIKES SANDWICHES aka heart attack in sandwich form. Cheesesteak with a buffalo chicken cutlet. Because that’s necessary.

("The Irresistible") 

Then, time for more hockey- we had an entire suite to ourselves at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers game! Sadly, my parents and sister couldn’t make it, but we made the best of it.

(We may or may not have watched an entire period on the TV screen because we didn't want to leave the couch) 

Monday was President’s Day so we had an extra day of weekend-ness. I had every intention of running 6 miles. Instead, the cold made it impossible to run outside- my fingers and toes were immediately numb despite all my layers. So we went to the gym and I figured I could at least do a few miles on the treadmill.

Wrong.

Shins. Were. Awful.

I was crushed. My foot has been feeling almost 100%. I took 3 days off from running last week. My runs had been going great. I was finally back in the groove of waking up early in the mornings for my workouts.

The frustration and disappointment translated to me crying in the middle of New York Sports Club. Not my proudest moment.

Naturally, I dealt with it by brunching with my lovely ladies.

Potluck brunches are the best! You get lots of different food. The drinks are bottomless for AS LONG AS YOU WANT. You can take your shoes off and sit on couches.

Our menu consisted of:
The most delicious mini banana muffins that Kayla made. And healthy too! Probably not when you eat like 5 of them like I did, but whatever. 

S’more cookies that were killer. “If we eat them all now, we don’t have to worry about eating them later.”
Bruschetta, classic.
Avocado toast on Ezekiel bread <3
Greek yogurt with coconut flax granola (shout out to Nature's Promise, my favorite granola ever!)
Fruit salad
FRITATTA

And lots and lots of sangria. 

And maybe some cucumber vodka. Organic, of course.

Tuesday, I was supposed to run, but a delayed flight and landing in California later than scheduled meant I didn’t have time to make it to the gym.

I woke up this morning SO EXCITED to run in SHORTS and be WARM. My hotel is right near the Guadalupe River Trail, and I woke up nice and early with plenty of time to get in a wonderfully glorious 6-8 mile run.

If only.

Instead, I limped along for 2 miles before finally telling myself that this has to end.

I have to stop blatantly disregarding the warning signs that my body are giving me.

I have to stop knowing what I need to do to get better, and refusing to do it.

Thank you, to the November Project friend who Facebook messaged me and said, “I just honestly don't want to see a talented runner sidelined because of this mental side of training and need to keep up.”

Thank you to Kayla who probably doesn’t realize how much she has helped me- by watching her overall positivity despite not being able to run for so long – by seeing her persistently  stay active with decks and yoga – by being so unwavering in doing what it takes to make it to her end goal, to run happy and healthy again.

Thank you to Nina, whose tough love protestations of “GIVE IT A REST, IDIOT” have finally broken through my stubbornness.

Thank you to Peter for not pretending he didn’t know the weirdo breaking down in the middle of New York Sports Club and for hugging me instead.

Elliptical, rowing, biking, swimming, weights and decks it is for me for the time being.

I’m still fairly confident I can make Pittsburgh happen, but if I keep doing what I’m doing, there’s no way I’ll be making it to that starting line, let alone the finish. 

:(

A Muddled Training and Injury Update

I don’t have a good enough memory to start where I left off back in December, so I’m just going to backtrack to January 12, when I officially started my training schedule for the Pittsburgh Marathon. I’m all set up with a 16 week training plan courtesy of the amazing NYRR Coach John.

This is my first time using the NYRR Virtual Training program, and it is way more awesome than I had even expected it to be. Each day, I’m given not only my mileage, but how it should be run. An easy day, marathon tempo pickups, intervals, hills? It’s all spelled out for me, complete with pace ranges!

As convenient as it is – it’s been hard for me to try not to get too wrapped up in all of the numbers. I successfully ran a marathon without worrying about the pace of each 1000 meters that I ran, and I can do it again. Having all this extra information and data is certainly helpful, and hopefully will help me improve as a runner, but it can also be overwhelming, especially when I’m injured. A lot of the suggested paces are what I was running before Wine Glass and now, with all the leg issues I’ve been having, they’re just not possible for me. It’s been discouraging, and I’m considering switching my program to the “conservative” track. 

Pittsburgh was never a “need to run this fast and BQ” race for me- I want to be healthy enough to run another fall marathon and use that to crush it and Boston Qualify. And in order to make that happen, I need to not kill myself training for Pittsburgh. I’m trying to keep telling myself that- but I’m stubborn and when I see that’s I’m scheduled to run 6 miles, I’m most likely going to run 6 miles whether it’s smart or not. It sounds stupid, I know. And it is stupid.

But while the virtual training program may be a little overwhelming and discouraging for now – it DOES tell me all the right things, like, “Remember to not be too rigid with your training. If you're feeling fatigued or feel a pain, by all means cut the run short. Sometimes we get so caught up in hitting a mileage goal that we lose sight of what our body is telling us.” 

I just need to work on believing that even if I miss a bunch of training runs by taking some time off/taking it easy – I’m in shape, I’m a good runner, and I will probably be OK to run Pittsburgh.

Also adding to the overabundance of data is the fact that for Christmas, I got the Garmin 220! My first run with it was Christmas morning and I was totally surprised to see what my pace actually was - MapMyRun had me feelin' like Meb and Garmin brought me back down to earth reallllll fast. As much as it sucked seeing those numbers, I'm glad that I can feel confident in what my watch is telling me. So far, KNOCK ON WOOD, I have had zero issues with my watch connecting to satellites and I love it so far. 

(What do you mean I'm not running 7:50 miles Garmin?!)

My training for Pittsburgh got off to a good start on January 12 – I was traveling for work, but I still managed to get my first 9 workouts in as planned, with additional strength training. I was ready to rock and roll. 

(Training schedule- check! Amazing necklace engraved with "Wineglass Marathon" and my finish time from my parents- check! Wonderful reading courtesy of Peter- check! Garmin- check! Awesome training journal from Laura- check!)

(Makin' it happen on the road)

My first long run was scheduled as a 6 miler, but months ago I had signed up for the Bluepoint Brewery 10-Miler out on Long Island (full review to come). So instead of sticking to the plan and starting off with a nice, easy, 6 miles – I went out and raced 10 miles. Those 10 miles didn’t feel good. At all. My calves were extremely tight and my shins were in a lot of pain. But I thought I was fine, because I finished.

(I also probably thought I was fine because I chugged two beers after crossing the finish line and was drunk at 10:30 a.m.)

The next day, I ran 2.7 miles to get to work at NY Running Co. Felt pretty OK. Monday, headed to Central Park for my scheduled 5 miles and as soon as I started, something in the arch of my right foot started hurting. It wasn’t the usual tight/sore/achy hurt that I’ve just learned to accept in other part of my legs. This was pain. And that difference right there is why I should have stopped. But instead I finished my 5 miles. Walking around doing errands the rest of the day was seriously painful.

So painful, that I very uncharacteristically called and made an appointment with an orthopedist the following morning. I was convinced this wasn’t something that would just go away and while I didn’t want to get bad news, I also wanted to know what the hell was up- I’ve never had foot issues before. Every other part of my legs, yes. Foot? Usually fine.

I went to the doctor that a friend had recommended to me and she was really nice- totally understood my panic at being only 1 week into marathon training and having to come in to see her. After x-rays and some ultrasound, she told me it was either tendinitis (not the worst thing in the world) or a stress fracture (the worst thing in the world). So she put me in a walking boot and told me to get an MRI. Well, of course by the time I got the authorization for an MRI, I was leaving on a work trip the next day, so the MRI would have to wait and I would have to work for a week in a boot.

I stubbornly continued to get in any and all cardio that I could while in the boot.

On Wednesday of that week, I did 15 minutes on the elliptical IN A BOOT. 15 minutes of rowing IN A BOOT. And some ab and arm exercises. Rowing and using the elliptical with a boot was oddly not that difficult.

(Nothin' to see here...completely normal...)

Thursday I did 30 minutes rowing, 15 minutes stationary bike, a tricep circuit, and fire hydrants, donkey kicks, leg raises, glute bridges and clamshells.

Friday was 30 minutes on the elliptical without the boot to see how I felt and 15 minutes on the bike before a chest and abs circuit.

From using the boot, my foot was starting to feel better and I was contemplating whether I could run the 5K I was signed up for on Saturday. I spoke with John and with instructions to not wear racing flats and to take it easy, I decided I would run the 5K.

(My fave up and coming speedster who kicked butt at the 5K!)

It was quite impressive the number of people that came out for a 5K in January in Columbus, Ohio. It was a well-organized race with awesome swag- a long sleeved technical shirt, buff and medal with lots of yummy snacks and full sized Gatorades at the end.

(My co-workers are pretty awesome for waking up to run a 5K before a 13 hour+ work day!)

But, my body was screaming at me the entire time saying, “You’re really stupid!” I was in a lot of pain. I almost stopped and walked but I couldn’t walk across a finish line.

(LOL, rough.)

When I got back to the city on Monday (after an 11 hour bus ride since everyone's flights were cancelled), there was snow everywhere and I ditched the boot because navigating slush puddles in a walking boot is no bueno. That night, I went to the gym and did some rowing and elliptical along with some deadlifts, squats and lunges.

(Perfect weather for navigating a suitcase home with a walking boot!)

Tuesday I went out in the park for 5 easy miles (except they weren’t easy because there was snow everywhere!) It was really pretty and my foot wasn’t that bad until I got to cat hill…but that’s pretty much the end of the run anyway.

(It felt like we were running in place at some parts, but the park was so pretty covered in snow!)

(A lovely gentleman was making perfectly shaped snowballs for people to throw!)

(Happy place!)

Wednesday I took a spin class and was relieved to find that it didn’t bother my foot at all. That night I went in for my MRI.

Thursday I was an idiot and did a deck of cards workout that included speed skaters, box jumps, jumping jacks and squat thrusts. I was expecting all of the above to really bother my foot- but it didn’t!

Friday I took the day off and Saturday I cautiously ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Not too much pain, but also not the 9 mile long run I was scheduled to run, which stressed me out.

Sunday was fun because I joined some people from November Project for a #TravelCheerStation for the 4 miler in Central Park. What is a Travel Cheer Station you ask? We ran the course in the opposite direction and cheered every time an NP comrade passed by. It was really fun and I got in 6.5 miles.

My paces continued to upset me- with 9:17 being Sunday’s.

(Pace, schmace- I had a blast on Sunday travel-cheering with these ladies. Might be my new favorite activity. Why pay to run the race when you can just run it in the opposite direction and encourage people the whole way?!)

Monday I went back to the orthopedist for my MRI results and was told IT’S NOT A STRESS FRACTURE.

I’m free to run, since I can’t really do any more damage to the tendon which is already inflamed. She gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory (which I STILL have not been able to get filled by a pharmacy) and fitted me for a brace that has done WONDERS. She also wants me to go to physical therapy – which I’ve been two twice now and will go to 3 times this week.

Once I found out Monday morning, I decided to cut the mileage a little bit for each day on my calendar, but to jump back in.

I was even able to do some speed work on Tuesday on the treadmill!

1 Mile Warm Up @ 8:34 Pace
400 meters @ 7:19
:45 rest
400 meters @ 7:14 Pace
:45 Rest
400 meters @7:09 Pace
:45 Rest
400 Meters @ 7:04 Pace
:45 Rest
400 Meters @ 6:59 Pace
:45 Rest
400 Meters @ 6:54 Pace
 :45 Rest
400 Meters @ 6:49 Pace
 :30 Rest
400 Meters @ 6:44 Pace
.5 Mile Cool Down @ 10:00 Pace
.25 Mile Cool Down @ 8:13 Pace
.25 Mile Cool Down @ 8:20 Pace
.25 Mile Cool Down @ 8:27 Pace
.25 Mile Cool Down @ 8:34 Pace

Oh AND I went to yoga. Yoga really frustrated me, as usual, because EVERYTHING HURTS when it’s supposed to feel good! Child’s pose was painful! Why is everything so tight?!

Anyway, my foot has been feeling a lot better with the brace, and last week I was able to run 23.5 miles. The only real pain was after my 9 mile long run on Saturday. As soon as I stopped and started walking, it killed.

(Saturday long run crew! Solid.)

The long run wasn’t great in terms of how I felt, but meeting a huge group at NYRR Saturday morning full of friendly, excited faces made it worth it. I also am not the biggest fan of long runs in Central Park, so I was happy that I only had to do 9 miles.

(Donezo!)

This morning was the first running awhile where I was able to keep a pace that I was happy with- and although there was still some pain, it wasn’t terrible and I felt good with how things went afterwards.  6 miles at an 8:25 pace. I can definitely live with that.

I have lots of plans for this week- intervals tomorrow, NP Wednesday and hills Thursday- but we’ll see if that actually pans out.

I don’t really know what this post accomplished besides re-hashing the last 2 weeks of training but, yup. There ya have it.

If you take anything away from this post it should be that you can use the elliptical, ERG and stationary bike with a walking boot on but you will get some weird looks.

Also, don’t do what I do.