Sometimes, after a long day there is nothing I crave more than a home cooked meal, a long conversation on the couch with Bo, and curling up in a blanket with my curent book. But, at the same time I love my blog and feel like it’s due a bit more attention than it’s getting right now.
So, the good news is that I have a lot of ideas I want to blog about over the next few weeks and have already marked some time on Saturday and Sunday’s schedule to work on blog topics. We’ll be on a train for 3 hours Sunday for an Easter visit with family in New Jersey so this seems like the perfect time to catch up!
So, in fairness to the couch that is screaming my name, this post is going to be quick.
Here are a few pictures from my day that made me smile in more ways than one!
Combine a 5am Barry’s Bootcamp class with these amazing new shoes and there is no way the bright colors and endorphins won’t leave you smiling! These shoes were awesome for both the squats and jumping lunges on the floor and the sprints at 12 incline! More details about the kicks on Friday but seriously, if your current shoes are boring opt for a bright color next time. I promise, it brings smiles!
Even though Spring is taking forever to grace New York City with it’s presence, this morning’s sun rise over the East River gave me hope that it’s quickly approaching! I have loved every second of winter running but I’m ready for a long Spring filled with long walks home instead of the subway, the first flip flop day, and bright colored dresses and skirts.
During our walk to the subway this morning, Bo suggested that I try his favorite breakfast at a local restaurant, Dishes. I scoffed when he suggested adding their vegetable, chive egg whites to the stone ground oats. But, after a few minutes of convincing I scooped it together and promised him he’d owe me if they didn’t live up to my expectations. OH MY! These were absolutely divine! I haven’t had savory oats many times before and my previous attempts were clearly feeble in comparison to this bowl of goodness. This may become a Barry’s Bootcamp treat on Monday and Wednesday as my hunger is on fire after the class and all I crave is protein and more protein.
I celebrated my shiny new half marathon PR by ordering a 13.1 race bling from Erica Sara Designs to add to the 26.2 necklaceTheodora gave me for Christmas. Receiving this sweet hand written note in the mail from Erica and team left me with the largest smile and a warm heart for supporting my friend’s company. I am so proud of all she has done in such a short time and know that there is more magic in the works. For now, all I can say is that this small gesture has convinced me to order a few more items for friends and family!
I forgot to mention how much I loved running into a cheering squad as I sprinted toward the finish. Both vans were on the sidelines with glow rings, dancing and screaming as I ran past them towards the transition point. There is no greater feeling than being surrounded by support like that. In fact, I think I’m going to do my best to build this into my marathon experience this year. Since some of my friends like Melissa and Theodora aren’t running NYC this year maybe I can give them some sparkly rings and find them along the course similar to NYC 2010.
I finished my first leg around 8pm which meant we had approximately six hours until Tina had to start running again. Our first priority was dinner then we’d starting thinking about sleep. Based on suggestions we received from our camera man and other running teams, we stopped in a small restaurant which I ran by earlier, Carbone’s.
Oh how I wish we’d walked in and turned around the other direction. If you ever do Reach the Beach or spend time in Hopkinton, don’t stop here.
By the time we sat down the restaurant was virtually empty which led us to believe that service and food would come very quickly.
Unfortunately, nothing went well during this experience. The running and fresh air we’d enjoyed all meant that we were each exhausted. In fact I think we each almost face planted into our menu at least once while we waited. Next the delirium started to set in. Random bouts of laughter ensued as we reviewed the menu and realized that there was very little “running fuel” on the menu. Elizabeth, Anne, Theodora, and I thought we were being safe by ordering the spaghetti and red sauce. I knew I needed some protein so I ordered the meatballs as well, hoping they would be delicious.
While we waited I sipped on some delicious chocolate milk which in hindsight was the only good decision I made at Carbone’s.
When our food finally arrived we realized that the portion sizes were huge AND the pasta was in a puddle of grease. I barely made a dent in my meal before stopping and deciding I’d rather have another banana and half a bagel later if I was hungry. This food just wasn’t going down well and it wasn’t worth it.
Oh sigh. Looking at this meal now almost a week later, my stomach still pains me. Needless to say, everyone in our van except Theodora dealt with twelve hours of stomach issues after this lovely meal. Which leads me to thank Reach the Beach for their wonderful and numerous porta potties. Every transition area either had a school whose bathrooms we could use or at least four porta potties which were always stocked with toilet paper. We would have been in a bad place without these! At one point or another each of us doubted our ability to run our second or third legs due to stomach pains but luckily we each made it through.
After dinner we headed to the transition area where we would meet Sarah, the last runner in Van 2. Our driver, Monica, headed outside with her sleeping bag which allowed Theodora to move into the front seat for a few hours of shuteye. This meant that I had an entire row to myself which was absolute bliss. My friends and family know that I can sleep anywhere and this was no exception. I lied down and slept for a good 3 hours, not budging once until the alarms started going off telling us it was time to head over to kick off Van 2’s second legs.
IT WAS FREEZING! None of us exited the van expecting the frigid temperatures. Therefore, we took our large blankets with us as we cheered Tina on in the pitch black. Due to the darkness we agreed as a van to follow each runner closely, meeting them four to five times along the course to ensure their safety. Luckily we had all the required safety gear (reflective vests, head lamps, awesome NB hats with lights, and blinking lights) to make sure cars saw the runners but it was still VERY dark along the route especially for Tina and Monica’s legs which were in a more rural suburban area. This is when our van really came together. Each of us was willing to sacrifice sleep to cheer them on in the darkness, motivate them during the tough parts and don a banana suit to bring them some happiness when the darkness was taking over their emotions. (photos courtesy of Tina & Anne)
These legs seemed to fly by because we were following the runners so closely therefore giving us very little down time. As Elizabeth headed out for her second leg I knew it was time to don my safety gear and start refueling again since I had very left inside me (TMI?).
The dozen bagels I brought from NYC came in handy more than one time during the relay. They were easy to cut and have with some peanut butter for quick fuel and didn’t go stale.
I referred to the map one last time to see what to expect and realized that my leg was shorter than I expected and through a state park which I expected to be gorgeous! I was so excited to not only get to run during sunset but also sunrise.
Leg 24 (QUIET ZONE): Borderland State Park to Oliver Ames High School: 3.61 miles: easy [map]
Anne’s hand off to me was perfect this time and I quickly started up a trail path which led into the woods. (photos courtesy of Anne)
I wish I carried my camera for this leg as the trail was beautiful. It went by two large ponds just as the sun was peaking above them and I even saw deer and a few birds along the way. This was my first experience running on a trail and I really enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll give the Bridle Path another try up at Central Park.
I wore capris and compression sleeves for this leg as it was still quite cool outside and I knew the compression would help my tight legs. Unfortunately sitting in tight areas isn’t good for legs, hip flexors or my lower back. This run was the perfect leg to shake everything out and just enjoy. I kept a great pace (9:44) and was sad that it was only 3.6 miles as I would have enjoyed at least another mile on the path before handing off to Gretchen who would get Van 1 started on their FINAL LEG!
In case you can’t wait any longer for the rest or to see us in video footage, feel free to check out the first episode of our Reach the Beach video which was part of our partnership with Reach the Beach and New Balance. Made by pixelwiremedia.com / rtbrelay.com, it’s pretty hilarious.
Halleluiah it’s Friday! I can’t say enough wonderful things about this Friday or the weekend that has arrived.
I have today off from work thanks to an amazing manager.
One of my oldest friends, whom I met at summer camp back in 7th grade, is gracing New York City with her presence!
My body finally gets the much needed yoga date at Strala Yoga and a massage at Equinox this afternoon!
Tomorrow Bo and I head down to Byron, Georgia for a sorority sister’s wedding which is sure to be a beautiful sight followed by lots of sweaty dancing considering it’s an outdoor wedding and the temperature is supposed to be 95!
Sunday Funday will ensue when we return to NYC including rooftop drinks and lots of laughter.
But before all that, I have a few things to do including share the rest of Reach the Beach with you all and a dose of Friday Favorites!
After reading the posts from myself and my 11 other blogger ladies, many people have asked about the gear I used during the 200 mile relay. By the way, check out Reach the Beach’s Facebook page! I’m pretty excited to be featured on their page but wish I didn’t look like death in that picture.
While I’ll admit that I didn’t need at least one bag of things that I brought such as GU, rain gear, normal clothes, and gloves; the gear I did have worked wonderfully! I was a little hesitant about running in the New Balance gear since I haven’t worn the brand frequently before and was unsure of the fit and how it would feel 7 miles into a run. But, everything worked wonderfully and now I can share with you my favorite gear from last weekend so you can hopefully use this as you start adding to your summer workout wardrobe now that Memorial Day weekend is here!
In no particular order, here are my top FIVE favorite pieces of gear from last weekend!
1. New Balance Get Back Racerback Tank: I can’t say enough about this tank! I wore it for my hottest and last leg of the relay and it kept me cool the entire time, even when the sun was shining directly down on me with no shade at mile 7! It features a small zip pocket in back that fit my iPod perfectly and is slim fit enough to be flattering but not too tight! The lace detail on back makes it fun and feminine while the shelf bra made it supportive enough for me to run in without a bra, due to my A cup. I have it in black as you can see from the picture above but I really want to order the pink and lime green ones now too!
2. Amphipod Handheld Thermal-Lite Water Bottle: If you’re a long time reader of my blog you’ll know that I’ve run most of my recent marathons and half marathons using a Camel-Bak. While this is a great option for long, summer runs or trail races I knew I didn’t need something that large for Reach the Beach. In fact, most of the runners on my team just carried plastic bottled water with them or relied on the van for water. But, a few of my friends who are relay experts said that since I was runner #12 the van may not be able to see me as often due to the transition with the other van. This proved true as they only saw me once during most of the legs. Therefore, having a light water bottle which I could carry on my two longer runs took the stress away. This is the first water bottle I’ve carried on a run and I’m absolutely hooked! I think it will become a regular part of my outdoor summer runs as it is ergonomically constructed so that I literally don’t have to hold it. The band which my hand goes through is snug enough that I could run with my hands open the entire time. The zipper section also allows for keys or cash when running in the city.
3. Sparkly Soul Headbands I have said it more than once but these are now my favorite running head bands. As a lady who is trying her best to work the sweep bang thing, I can’t stand when my bangs or fly-aways end up in my face during a run. But, due to my head shape, many bands either pop off during a run or are so tight they give me a headache. These bands are the only ones that stay in place through rain, sweat, relays, and marathons while still giving me a bit of added sparkle! It became a joke by the end of the weekend as only 2 people in our van didn’t rock sparkle headbands! I prefer the wide headband which is 5/8 inch and $17!
4. New Balance 860 I have the running gods to thank for this one as it could have been a very tough experience. Due to size issues, I didn’t end up receiving a pair of New Balance shoes that fit until the day before the relay. My panic started to ensue when I realized I’d have to log over 17 miles in a new pair of shoes. After some suggestions from running buddies, I decided to wear the shoes all day on Thursday while I traveled to Boston to help break them in and get accustomed to the fit. This would also help me understand if they would be a feasible option. The moment I slide my feet inside them I sighed relief. These fit just like my Brooks Adrenalines which I’ve been wearing for the last year. They are snug, slim, supportive, and lighter than some other stability running shoes. At only 9.5 ounces I can see why they were named Runner’s World Editors Choice running shoe in December of 2011! Now that the relay is over, these are still on my feet daily and will most likely replace my Brooks Adrenalines as my marathon training shoe this year!
5. New Balance 2-1 Short Running in shorts is always a feared experience for me. I’m a lady who has always rocked thighs, regardless my weight. I’ve decided that it was the years of rowing that blessed me with this muscle that has never diminished even during my cardioholic days. But, these strong thighs also mean that chafing comes easily and finding shorts with wide enough leg openings isn’t the easiest. This is one of the reasons that I tend to rock spandex in the summer instead of regular shorts. When Kristen at New Balance offered me their 2-1 short as the answer to all my problems I was intrigued. Enjoy the coverage and look of a short with the protection of compression spandex? Yes please! I wore these during 2 of my runs and loved them! The wide waistband makes them extra comfortable and the longer inseam (5”) means I can wear them without showing the world more than they want to see.
Last but not least, I’m so sorry that I totally forgot to choose a winner for the Five Bamboo giveaway!
