My healthy happier life

ashleyd / September 11, 2010

With a Little Help From My Friends: NYRR Fitness Mind Body Spirit 4 Miler

This morning when my alarm went off this morning at 8:15 I was more than a little disoriented. Why did I set an alarm for a Saturday morning after Friday’s 17 mile long run and a fun Friday night filled with Fashion Night Out festivities and dinner with my in-laws at Park Avenue Autumn?

Oh yes, I was running the NYRR Fitness Mind Body Spirit 4 miler with Rebecca. My eyes were heavy, the cold bed was screaming my name, and Bo’s late night had resulted in a less than stellar rest. But then I saw the bright sun and blue sky through my small bedroom window. The fall temperatures have graced NYC for at least this weekend and that alone is reason to run!

I quickly assesed my pain, threw on my running clothes, and texted Rebecca since we were trying to head uptown together. Fail. After a few unanswered calls and texts I assumed her festivities meant a late night and decided to head uptown on my own. I thought of today’s run as a way to loosen up my tight muscles, similar to last week’s 5k.

Central Park was alive with with women of all shapes and sizes gearing up for the race.

Gorgeous Central Park morning

I quickly checked in, grabbed my swag bag, and took advantage of the porta potty suprlus.

Why is it that NYRR has SO many bathrooms for small races and never enough for large races? I really hope the marathon has plenty! 🙂

After using the bathroom my muscles were starting to scream and the realization that I was about to run 4 miles after yesterday’s long run set in. Just as I headed towards the start I saw a familiar face, Sara! Sara had a NYC blog previously and we’ve connected during a few different blogger events and MANY google chat conversations. However, it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other. She had left a sweet comment on my post yesterday letting me know it provided her needed inspiration for her solo 17 mile run. Luckily, we decided that I’d accompany her for miles 11-15 via the race. I was excited to have a friend and catch up with her!

We lined up in the corrals ready for a fun race. The race didn’t sell out so the crowds weren’t horrible which was a refreshing change.

At 10am the race started and we actually crossed the starting line at 10:01! We both started our Garmins but comitted to having fun and keeping a steady pace versus trying to race. Her legs were hurting after her 10 miles and my IT band wasn’t very happy.

We had a blast! We talked about her upcoming wedding, living in NYC, our finance men, and marathon training while heading through the winding Central Park path. The course was different than most as it didn’t loop back until 102nd street. This meant we had a few added hills.

We even ran into Melissa who was running this as one of her NYRR 9+1 qualifiers!

I was surprised how strong our pace was considering the elements. My 4 mile PR is a 9:54 and until the final mile we were keeping a 9:45 pace. Unfortunately, the last mile was when we both started hurting and decided to take it easy versus straining ourselves since Sara had two more miles after the race and I was about to rack up 21 miles in 24 hours which is definitely a record. We made the final curve together and ran through at 39:48, under 40:00 which was my personal goal. We were both pleased as we’d never stopped to walk, conquered a few tough hills, and kept a steady conversation. More importantly, we’d helped each other get through our runs. Sometimes, we need help from our friends to finish a tough run, long or short.

Do you enjoy running or working out with friends?

Sara took off to finish her two miles before an afternoon of wedding planning while I meandered through the park aimlessly reflecting on the past two days of running and checking out the Fitness Magazine area. I was disappointed by the booths but managed to find a familiar smile!

I love seeing familiar faces in NYC! It makes it seem like a smaller city! I haven’t seen Karla since BlogHer!

@karla522 Loved the Garnier wipes!! Ill buy them soom! :)

I was happy to be done but I don’t think this smile is going anywhere soon!

I still can’t get over that in a 24 hour period my legs carried me 22 miles!! (I ended up running a mile home after the race before giving in and getting a cab..what was I thinking??)

Sweaty happiness!

I’m celebrating this mileage with college football, a cold beer, and relaxing until tomorrow’s yoga session! 🙂

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ashleyd / September 10, 2010

Happiest When I’m Busiest

It’s a good thing I’m happiest when I’m busiest because the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind! We’re heading into our “busy season” at work which means lots of customer presentations, long nights, and travel. But, I love what I’m doing so no complaints! In order to balance out the work, I’ve been packing my days with lots of fun activities!

Lauren and I have done yoga two times this week at Equinox! We’ve decided that it makes sense to focus on evening workout classes near our office which we can do together. It really helps to have a friend motivate you to leave the office.

Tuesday night we enjoyed Vinyasa Yoga with Samantha Debicki. The class melted the stress away while stretching out our tight tired muscles. My favorite part was when she asked for suggestions and requests. One participant asked for hip openers which was a welcome stretch for my tired legs.

Tonight we returned to Tracy’s Power Vinyasa Yoga class which we’ve missed over the last three months. We went to this weekly during the winter but let our schedules get the best of us during the summer. I love this class because you leave feeling 10 pounds lighter due to the stress release but your muscles are crying and she pushes you to the next level.

Like usual, runners lunge or ardha mandalasana was the best stretch for my tight hips and legs.

What is your favorite yoga pose for tired legs or tight hips?

Bo and I enjoyed our first US Open experience last night! We followed the crowds out to the Billy Jean King Tennis center last night after work.

It was an absolutely gorgeous night! The air was a cool and crisp 70 degrees!

But the wind had no mercy and was chilling the crowd’s bones all night long. People were buying sweatshirts and long sleeve t-shirts right and left just to stay warm!

Bo and I warmed our souls with a Heineken Light from the Heineken Lounge as soon as we arrived! The entire place was green!

Sometimes a cold, crisp beer just hits the spot!

Next on the agenda was dinner. I tweeted quickly trying to figure the best option. Fried foods and hot dogs were everywhere but none of it sounded very good. Meanwhile, Bo had his eyes set on a foot long.Eck!

Eventually I settled on fried shrimp as everyone was raving about their flavor!

But, within two minutes, I saw exactly what I wanted.

Oh well, too bad I wasted $7 on my first dinner which was immediately abandoned before I even tried a bite.

The Stonyfield Cafe had salads, sandwiches, soups, and even organic beers! It was hard to make a decision but I finally went with their salad combo. It was absolutely delicious and filled with the perfect amount of bleu cheese and chicken. Bo was even surprised by its flavor and freshness.

Once we’d finished our dinners we quickly headed into the stadium just in time to see the end of the women’s match before Federer took the court!

Our seats were in the promenade level which meant we enjoyed a bird’s eye view. We still enjoyed it and don’t regret buying the cheap tickets through my alumni club versus paying more than $200 for quarterfinal tickets.

Do you enjoy tennis? Who are you rooting for in this year’s US Open?

I’m off to bed so I can get some much needed rest before tomorrow morning’s 17 mile run! YIKES! I’m so nervous I could vomit. But, I’m just telling myself that slow and steady wins the race. My goal is to keep around a 10:45 pace and follow a flat course. I’ll head out before 5am since I need to be at work by 9am. Hopefully this mean’s I’ll enjoy some wonderful sunrise views along the Hudson River.

In order to get pumped up, I downloaded a few new songs tonight thanks to Jes and Nicole’s great suggestions!

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ashleyd / September 4, 2010

Farewell Summer Friday

Today marked the last Summer Friday before Fall returns. Gone are the Friday half days, New York City’s exodus to the beaches, and warm hazy afternoon. Unfortunately, my last Summer Friday didn’t go quite as planned. I missed lunch at Alice’s Tea Cup with Meghann, Heather, and Theodora for a simple Greek salad at my desk.

Luckily, I was able to leave my office by 3pm to meet Bo, Meghann and Derek!

Reunited and it feels so good!

We stopped by the apartment to freshen up before relaxing with fun drinks at the Gramercy Hotel rooftop bar.

The bar has some great views, a relaxed vibe, and creative decor.

The bar is open to locals and hotel guests alike as long as it isn’t reserved for a special event or party. A few weeks ago Alicia Keys rented it out for her birthday party!

After a long week, we were all ready for some fun drinks. Meghann and I both ordered a cherry almond seasonal cocktail but it was more like a gin mojito. Regardless, neither of us had a hard time enjoying it! Derek’s was electric blue and took him back to Florida’s beaches as it was a fruity rum drink. Oh summer, how I’ll miss you!

Bo kept it simple and classic with a smudged martini.

After relaxing on the rooftop and recounting college memories, we headed over a few blocks to enjoy a taste of Italy.

Eataly is Mario Batali’s latest undertaking in NYC. A massive Italian food emporium, it also features six restaurants and a brewery-gastropub on the roof! Eataly opened this week to rave reviews. It is an open sale environment which allows consumers to interact with the products and explore at length. The crowds were manageable today as you can see from the pictures. Unfortunately, the thought of eating dinner there was a bit too overwhelming. But, we hope to return later this weekend for some tastings!

Luckily, we had reservations waiting at Remi. Located in the theatre district, Bo discovered this restaurant on Zagat while searching for a pre-theatre Italian restaurant. We all agreed that Italian was the perfect cuisine the night before a long run!

The restaurant was vibrant and warm due to a bright mural, yet the quiet atmosphere gave it an intimate almost romantic feel. We were surprised by the dishes, each being unique but delicious. Their pastas were anything but typical, each featuring a unique pasta shape and ingredients. None of us could choose one winner though we all enjoyed Meghann’s pasta, my seafood, and Derek’s sauce.

The bread basket was overflowing with crusty carbohydrates just begging to be enjoyed. They brought a baked goat cheese dish out a few too minutes late to enjoy with our bread. This late arrival just meant we all had to enjoy more bread, of course! The calamari, shrimp, and clams in my pasta dish were delicious and tender while the hearty chunks of tomatoes gave a fresh, light flavor to the dish. I barely made a dent in the pasta but luckily I had plenty of people with whom to share.

I know Bo well enough to know he would order the lamb meatball pasta. He literally orders lamb at any Italian restaurant! The meatballs were smaller than expected but plentiful throughout the dish. Meghann’s pasta was an earthy pesto which won all of us over due to it’s uniqueness and texture.

The rest of our evening was spent walking through an empty Times Square and rocking out to American Idiot.

Warning, the Broadway show is very well done but NOT light at all! The music, production, costumes, and acting are all top notch but none of us were fans of the actual story line unfortunately.