long run Archives - Page 23 of 23 - My Healthy, Happier Life

On Saturday, I had the great opportunity to enjoy my 9 mile run with Dori and Melissa. I had never met Melissa before but by the time we hit the 1 mile mark the three of us were all laughing and finding common topics. It was a very successful “blind date run” if I do say so myself. We ran 5 miles from Dori’s apartment towards the park and then around the park before entering for the NYRR Race for Haiti. Unfortunately, we had about 15 minutes standing around before the race started. But, we used this opportunity to stretch a bit, pretend we were 7 minute milers, and check out some awesome running peers. At one point I was standing next to a woman who had completed an Ironman Triathalon and a guy about 6’5 who was wearing a backpack and sporting badges from multiple continents. He definitely looked like an adventure runner! The four miles in the park went pretty well though I’ve found that I will never PR if I talk during the run. I’m too new at talking while running to also keep a challenging pace. Therefore, our pace during the first three miles was around a 10:15 vs the normal 9:45 i’d try to keep in races. However, talking did ensure that any hills went by VERY easily. I think the hills are getting easier since i’ve done them every weekend for the past month. The final mile was tough for me as I got a horrible side stitch/cramp. I don’t know why this happened but it meant that my final mile was not a sprint but a bit of a hobble. I finished strong and never gave into walking though which made me proud! I’ve decided that i’m definitely doing the NYRR Coogan’s 5k on March 7th in hopes of setting a PR. I’ve been building speedwork into my weekly training plan along with the hills so it will be great to see what my legs can do. I’d love to break 28:30!

After the race Dori had to hurry off to her fabulous behind the scenes tour of the Lite Choice with LilVeggiePatch. (Bo has already told me that he wants a tour of Lite Choice as he has always wondered how they make the flavors. Hopefully it’s in our future!) While Melissa and I didn’t have any awesome plans like that, we decided that 9 miles and a new friendship definitely deserved a delicious brunch. Melissa quickly named multiple places in the area but as soon as I heard Alice’s Tea Cup I was sold! Two weeks ago, after the blogger brunch Meghann and I stopped in here to pick up some delicious tea to go. I’d never heard of this divine, cozy, restaurant until last weekend and had been craving it ever since! We were within three blocks of Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter II which is located at 156 East 64th street.

Alice’s Tea Cup was a dream come true for its two founders. After a lifetime of enjoying afternoon tea, they finally started their own cafe where patrons could enjoy delicious teas and healthy fare. Each item on the menu is made to order and each tea is given at least 3 minutes so it brews to perfection. Entering Alice’s Tea Cup makes one come alive with the whimsical and light hearted colors and paintings around the space recreating the images of Alice in Wonderland. However, this is not a place only for the young but also the young at heart! They serve breakfast, lunch, and such from 8am until 8pm Monday through Friday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 3pm. In addition, they serve great drinks like Mar “tea” nis during brunch and their happy hour! I definitely think there needs to be a blogger meet up there soon for a happy hour!

After a 20 minute wait Melissa and I were seated upstairs surrounded by other runners. We were overwhelmed by the amazing menu which is more than FOUR PAGES long! We started by choosing two teas to share, Alice’s Tea and Chai Tea. Alice’s Tea is their most popular tea and was filled with rich spice flavors. The chai tea was served with skim milk already added so it was like a wonderful latte! These teas were the wonderful warmth we needed after the chilly run. Their brunch selection is amazing and is sure to please any patron whether they want a cheeseburger with sauteed onions or divine french toast. Dori suggested their french toast which is mini bites of french toast infused with brandy baked bread pudding style. WOW! After a long debate we decided that their Mad Hatter for Two was the perfect brunch option for two girls who wanted to sample everything. We were able to share two sandwiches (Albacore Tuna and lapsong smoked chicken/herbed goat cheese/apple), three scones (pumpkin, chocolate, and cheese/ham), tea, and cookies. We were only able to enjoy the sandwiches, tea, and 1/2 the pumpkin and chocolate scones before our fullness stopped us from sampling more. Melissa and I thoroughly enjoyed everything and never stopped chatting once during the hour and a half brunch. There was so much to talk about since we’d only met a few hours earlier! I look forward to another running date and hopefully a double date with she and her boyfriend soon.

They happily boxed the leftovers for me so Bo could enjoy them later for lunch. Everything was absolutely delicious including the leftovers. Bo said the ham and cheese scone was a delightful savory mixture that reminded him of everything that he loved about the South’s bacon and biscuits. He devoured it for lunch as soon as I walked through the door!

Thank you Alice’s Tea Room for an amazing post run brunch. I can’t wait to return!

Get excited! The wonderful Zesty Cook is giving away ANOTHER website makeover! Hop over to http://zestycook.com/its-makeover-giveaway-time/comment-page-1/#comment-17530 to enter!

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Sometimes it’s wonderful long weekends like this Memorial Day weekend that truly make you take a step back and appreciate all that you have and how blessed you truly are. Bo and I enjoyed a wonderful, but very stressful long weekend. As usual, we planned way too many things like finishing the apartment, enjoying a fun dinner out, laying out, long run, heading down to Philadelphia for a BBQ with our best friends, and attempting to go through each of our respective “junk piles.” Well, three days later i’m excited to say that we accomplished each task and didn’t kill each other in the process. We even had some fun surprises along the way.

Friday: I had the opportunity to enjoy an amazing raw lunch at Caravan of Dreams with Gena, Gina, and a few other local bloggers. Gina and “the pilot” were in town with their sweet friends for a NYC weekend of the finest fashion. I was so excited to hear they were able to see two of my favorite Broadway shows, Avenue Q and Rent as well as enjoy some wonderful weather. It was such a pleasure to meet them and for the first time, feel like a New York resident as I was able to provide some help during their trip. Luckily Gena and Melissa were also there who are the local experts! Later that night I met Bo at Saks after his haircut and we enjoyed a fun dinner at Tao. Every now and then we crave a trendy night out in a swanky atmosphere. Since we didn’t plan far enough in advance we weren’t able to get reservations. But, Bo had the great idea of going and trying to get a spot in their lounge since we saw on the website that they serve their full menu in the lounge, bar, and restaurant. This was the perfect solution and also allowed us some AMAZING people watching! Since we were done relatively early and couldn’t get in touch with our city friends, we figured this was a great opportunity to explore Long Island City. Bo had heard about Harry’s Water Taxi Beach and convinced me that heading down there to enjoy the evening was a great idea. Boy was he right! Who ever thought I could find great music, sand, and friends at a BEACH on Long Island City. The bar was a perfect end to the evening and we actually ran into Melissa and her friends and had a great time laughing and enjoying a few drinks.

Saturday: We both slept in and enjoyed a recovery day. This included a quick dash into the city to pick up our latest Craigs List find from Chelsea and hit Pottery Barn for some wonderful accesories that i’d been lusting over such as throw pillows, a comfy throw, and Bo’s beloved bathroom accesories. After doing all that we could handle we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the rooftop reading and catching a few rays. In true, Bo and Ashley fashion, around 5 we caught our second win and decided it was time to enter our version of hell- Ikea. While I appreciate the fact that some folks love this place and that it does have some wonderful steals, I can’t handle the crowds or slow walkers. But, we were in and out in no time and found a great 6.5 foot white bookshelf which matches our desk perfectly. And yes, in true Ikea value, it was only $59! That night we relaxed, over indulged on our own inside grill party of homemade wings, chicken sausage, and veggies via our new favorite tool, my cast iron grill pan.

Sunday: Sunday isn’t even worth mentioning as we both had to work after sleeping in so I took to the patio and enjoyed some Vitamin D while pounding out the work while Bo trucked it to Midtown for a few hours at the office. We did however enjoy an AMAZING movie that I highly recommend- Frost Nixon. ABSOLUTELY amazing performances by everyone involved!

Monday: Monday was a perfect day. We woke up early for what we hoped would be a 10 mile run even though we returned home 2 hours later feeling defeated after Mapmyrun told us it was only 8.85. But, I conquered my fear of bridges as Bo convinced me to run the TriBoro bridge the Wards Island Park Pedestrian bridge. Our trail started in Long Island City, progressed to Astoria Park along the East River which was surprisingly interesting, over the Triboro Bridge, through the development and crazy consturctions that appears to be NYC’s newest sports field area, over the footbridge to 101st Spanish Harlem (we think?), uptown until we were both famished and thirsty and caught a cab upon reaching 69th street and THINKING we’d covered 10 miles. Regardless it was a great run together in the sunshine and exploring new areas. That afternoon we treked down to Philadelphia for a fabulous Memorial Day/Welcome home party hosted by one of my best friends, Sarah. It was especially great as her boyfriend just returned from deployment in Japan with the US Navy. It was a wonderful afternoon catching up with our closest Philadelphia friends and enjoying great food. Which, brings me to three fabulous recipes. One is courtesy of Kath, my girlfriend Katherine and Real Simple circa 2006, and the other is from Sarah. I hope you all will enjoy these recipes as much as we did!

Sarah’s Simple Tasty Marinade:
1/2 cup or less of Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 Tablespoons of Montreal Steak Seasoning

Sarah says, “I shook the seasoning on, poured in the dressing, just enough to coat, and placed the meat in a plastic container, shook it up, and let it sit overnight-roughly twelve hours. Same thing for the chicken because I only had steak seasoning. I think the dressing really helps.” She created succulent skewers of steak and chicken pieces with this marinade!

Katherine’s version of a Real Simple Classic
Here’s the recipe from Real Simple (circa 2006!) for the salad I brought. I more than doubled it for today, and I think i used less mozzarella than it calls for. Clearly, with something like this, proportions are up to you!

3 ripe peaches (peeled, if desired)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into chunks
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Maldon sea salt)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cut each peach into wedges, then cut each wedge in half or thirds crosswise. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, basil and mozzarella. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. You can cover and refrigerate the salad for several hours. Serve cold or at room temperature. This was definitely one of the favorites and absolutely DIVINE! I enjoyed seconds for sure!

Kath’s Greek Quinoa Salad (our new favorite dish)
60 frozen shrimp, thawed
1 cup dry quinoa, prepared as directed
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 a pint cherry tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped into 1 in pieces
1 cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup chopped mixed olives
2 tbsp capers
1 lemon + its zest
2 tsp olive oil
1 block Fat-Free Presidential Feta Cheese (or your own favorite)
Fresh or dried oregano to taste

Cook shrimp, quinoa, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, zucchini in your method of choice. Toss together with cucumber, olives and capers. Drizzle with lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil dressing.

Makes about 14 cups each of which have 115 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein!
YUM!!!

Sorry for the long post but I guess these allergies that i’m suffering, or the Claritin D that i’m on, have me a bit wired and yearning to get out some extra energy! 🙂

Finally a few great giveaways:

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I am grateful for Amanda and her HeartThrive giveaway!