Give Thanks!

My Thanksgiving looked a little something like this:

{photo from www.korean-arts.com]

No, really, it did!  Maybe on a slightly smaller scale, but I kid you not when I say my Mom makes several dishes for every meal, even if it's just for my Dad.  She's a rockstar!  And I ate TONS of her delicious food during my short visit to Texas.  Oh Texas... I sort of miss thee.  I missed Super Target and Chick-Fil-A, but really, I think my heart belongs in NYC.  Shh don't tell!! 

I DID, however, miss Momma Park immensely.  It had been SIX WHOLE MONTHS since I'd seen her!  So, naturally, we spent every waking (and sleeping) moment of my 3-night stay together.  Highlights included: 

• eating a LOT (korean stews, grits, biscuits, bacon, persimmons, beer, candy, coffee)
• going for a run together - I ran, and my Mom walked with water bottles so I could loop back around and take a swig when I got thirsty - genius!
• inhaling Chick-Fil-A post-run - it was just as delicious as I remember
• SHOPPING!!!  Mom bought me a new suit (3 sizes smaller than my old one - hurray!), 2 blazers, and a darling skirt.  All for work, of course.  :) 
• TARGET!  The clothes were tres disappointing, but I scored some Hello Kitty slippers and some majorly cute Christmas stickers.  (I snuck them into the cart and at checkout, my Mom gave me the "Do you KNOW how many stickers you have at home???" look.  But she didn't take them out.  :D
• Plane rides to and from w/ my dear friend David.  Despite my ridiculosity and general high-maintenance when it comes to flying, we had a good time.  And saw Lance Bass and Harry Connick, Jr.!

All in all, I had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!  How was yours??

RUN: 5 Mile Long Run

Central Park.  45 degrees.  Sunny. 

My stats:

Total Mileage: 5.02 miles
Avg Pace/Speed: 10:05/mi, 5.9 mph
Max Speed: 8.5 mph
Ascent: 844 ft (apparently this figure isn't terribly accurate on the Garmin, but either way, these hills were mad hard, dude)
Descent: 901 ft (sure felt like less than that...)

This run was surprisingly good, although my pace was all over the place.  My average pace was below my norm because after I stopped for a Gatorade at the end of mile 3, I ended up stopping a lot to drink it and finish it so I didn't have to carry it around (SO annoying).  I didn't have a great feeling going into the run (tired, cranky belly), and despite my inner voice screaming at me to wear tights, I wore shorts as suggested by Runner's World for today's temps and subsequently froze.  But I made it!  Afterwards, I made my way to the Starbucks at Columbus Circle for a tall extra hot 2-pump peppermint mocha (normally 3 pumps) to warm my hands (and soul).  Delish.

RUN: Adventures in Central Park

or...

Why I Hate MTA on the Weekends

or...

Why I Fear Public Transportation

or...

How I Went to Central Park to Jog 4 miles and Got Lost

Okay enough of that.  Ready for my silly little story?  As planned, I woke up Saturday morning ready to tackle 4 miles in Central Park.  I was NERVOUS and EXCITED (yes, I tend to overreact over petite things - makes life more interesting?).  I got up early and got a bagel from Brooklyn Bagel (ironically not in Brooklyn, but in Chelsea) since I knew I'd need some energy and heard that white carbs were better to eat pre-run since they break down so easily.  I woke up extra early to eat since I have a tendency to not run well post-eating.  Anyway, suffice to say, I was READY, y'all.  Then I debated about what to wear.  The forecast called for sunny skies and temps in the lower 50's.  After much debate, I settled on running shorts and long-sleeve cotton tee.  I get SUPER heated when I run so I figured that I'd be fine despite the chilly temp.  Boy, was I wrong!  But more on that later.  First, the commute...

I headed down to the 23rd street stop to hop on the C line and take it all the way up to 72nd street and Central Park West.  When I got down there, I saw that an A train was approaching.  Okay... A train is an express train and therefore doesn't normally stop at 23rd street, but then I heard on the loudspeaker that A trains were making all local stops.  Sweet!  I hopped on and grabbed a seat.  Everything was great until we got to the Columbus Circle stop.  My stop was next - yay!  But the train wasn't slowing down.  In fact, it was speeding up.  And there went 72nd st... then 81st st... then 96th st... then 103 st... then 110th, then 116th, then FINALLY, we stopped at 125th.  Um, seriously?  SERIOUSLY?  This is why I hate taking the subway on the weekends.  So I got out and waited for entirely too long (another thing I hate about weekend subways) for a C train to arrive.  Hopped on the C and got out at 72nd.  FINALLY.

Of course, at this point, I really had to pee.  But there were no restrooms to be found, and I really wanted to get this party started.  Oh, I was also freezing.  I turned on my Garmin and waited for it to find satellites... well it proceeded to find satellites for the next 5 min to no avail.  Argh!  I couldn't wait any longer so I pressed START to start the timer and started running.  About 5 minutes later, my navigation finally kicked in, but at that point, it was totally off in regard to mileage and pace since I made the mistake of starting the timer before the GPS.  Dummy.

I planned to do the 4-mile loop aka the route marked with red dashes in the map above (except for the last bit on the right side).  According to everyone, the loop is easy to follow, and it is very obvious as to where/when you need to turn.  But stupid me... stupid me was not paying attention.  I saw the 102nd street transverse, I know I did.  It wasn't terribly obvious and I don't think it was marked as 102nd St, but I remember passing it thinking, "WHOA that's a big hill - good thing I don't need to turn there!"  Uh huh... stupid.  Because I proceeded to then run up to the very top of the park where there are even bigger hills - hurray!  And because I couldn't remember that I was supposed to turn and not run up to the very top of the Park, I was completely unaware.  Also?  As you can see by the white upper loop in the pic above, it's super twisty turny up there, so I couldn't figure out which way I was going.  I just assumed I would hit 4 miles and find myself exactly where I started.  Nope...

Instead, I ran and ran and then realized that 40 minutes had passed.  I typically run around 10 min miles when I do my long/easy runs at the gym so I figured I should be somewhere near ending my loop.  But it was nowhere to be seen.  In fact, nothing looked remotely familiar.  I decided to run for a little longer in case my pace had just significantly slowed, but finally, around 43 minutes, I decided I was in need of some Gatorade and a friggin' map.  So I stopped, walked up to a vendor and bought a Gatorade and asked him where I was.  84th street.  EIGHTY-FOURTH STREET.  WTH?  I'm supposed to be back on the WEST SIDE of the Park at SEVENTY-SECOND, not on the EAST SIDE at 84th!  I was tres confused.  And FREEZING. 

At this point, I was completely frozen, exhausted, and confused.  I wanted to hail a cab and call it a day, but I knew there was no reason whatsoever to take a cab, so I crossed back to the west side and made my way to the 72nd street stop.  Luckily, a C train was approaching right when I got there - my first bit of good luck all day - yay!

Once I got home, plugged in my Garmin and looked at a map, I realized where I went wrong.  I was on the 6-mile loop, not the 4-miler, and my mileage/pace was all out of whack b/c the GPS didn't kick for several minutes.  Whatevs.  I inhaled some food and took a very, very hot shower.

As for the run itself, well it was fantastic.  Seriously, the Park was GORGEOUS, fall foliage everywhere, and people-watching was so fun!  Runners, bikers, families, couples, friends - everyone was enjoying the Park - it was lovely.  And the 4 miles flew by, even with the hills and completely lack of knowledge as to where the hell I was.  I was in love.  Oh, and yes, I was completely and totally freezing the entire run.  It was windy, and I was in a cotton tee which meant that whatever little I did sweat did nothing but make my shirt very cold and wet, which made for a tres uncomfortable subway ride home. 

So I did what any normal girl would do.  I got home, ate, showered, got dressed and then headed straight to Lululemon where I invested in some running tights and a jacket.  :D 

In other news, according to my Garmin (which I'm going to name btw... any suggestions?), these are my stats:

Distance: 3.47 miles (LIE)
Avg Pace: 12:53/mile or 4.7 mph (LIE)
Max Speed: 9.7 mph (seriously?? that's awesome!)
Calories Burned: 450 cals (LIE... was definitely more which is AWESOME!)
Ascent: 804 feet (um, is that a lot?  b/c it sure does sound like a lot)
Descent: 826 feet

Needless to say, j'adore my Garmin.  I just wish it wouldn't take so darn long to find satellites!!!

1, 2, 3...

(as in Britney...)  Last night at work, I repeatedly told myself that no matter how late I got out, I would go to the gym and run.  I even called my gym to see what time they close to make sure that I could get there AND had dinner so I couldn't complain of being hungry and therefore not going.  Luckily, I got out relatively early (at least for this week - 7:30), raced out home, changed, and excitedly headed out.  I was so unbelievably excited for a chance to run that I almost forgot to feel fear that because I hadn't run in an entire WEEK, it wouldn't go so well.   I hopped on my favorite treadmill and I swear, the first 1.5 miles felt like I was floating.  It felt so good, so easy, so normal.  Of course, after that, I felt a side stitch flaring up and decided that I cannot eat for at least a good 2 hours before running or it will hurt me.  Nonetheless, I completed the 3 miles with flying colors and felt like a new woman.  Note to self: When in doubt, run.

I also set up my Garmin last night so that it will be ready to go for my weekend long run in Central Park.  Central Park (supposedly) has an entire road system conducive to training (markers, lots of water fountains, etc.).  I snagged this map off the NYRR website and plan to follow their 4-mile route.

My friend David is having his birthday party on Saturday night, and since I want to enjoy myself, I think I'm going to do my run on Saturday instead of Sunday.  The hardest part of training (at least what I think will be the hardest part) will be saying "no" to social outings, ESPECIALLY on the weekend.  When I trained for a Half in college, I often skipped my long run in lieu of something fun, and that was a very, very bad idea.  I'm not saying I have to follow this training to the letter, but I want to follow it as closely as possible.  Here's my training guide btw (which begins the Monday after Thanksgiving!):

I plan to blog a LOT about my training once it officially stops, so I apologize to those of you who don't care.  I'm doing it partially for my readers who are interested and partially for me to stay motivated.  Now it's time to refill my coffee cup and head to work!  LOVEYOUMISSYOUMEANITBYE!!

Life Lately

{we heart it}

I haven't run a single mile since signing up for the Austin Half.

This is not (just) because I've been a little lazy. It's also because a minor, okay MAJOR, emergency came up at work on Friday, and since then, I've been working. A lot. Like coming in on Sunday a lot. And working until 10 pm on Monday a lot. Tonight I got home relatively early, but was way too tired to even think about putting on my running shoes. This is no bueno.

In other news, I got my Garmin, and I fully intend on busting it out this weekend while I bang out 4 miles around Central Park. That is, of course, assuming I don't have to work.  A girl can dream, right?

But even though I'm tired and fat and bloated and lookin' a little... not so good lately, and even though I want to do nothing but collapse into bed and sleep for 24 hours straight, I'm actually loving how dynamic my new work environment is.  And I like being involved in this project/emergency even though it has completely taken over my life lately.  See?  I can be glass half-full sometimes.


Oh I'm also insanely behind on blogs and twitter.  Forgive me.

2.20.11

{photo: we heart it}

So... I did something kind of impulsive yesterday.

I am taking Fit for Fall to a whole new level.

I signed up to run the half marathon in Austin next February.

February 20, 2011, to be exact.

And I'm kind of freaking out about it.

But truthfully, I am stoked.  I missed out on doing a half once, and it's always bugged me.  And I figured, well, why not go back to Austin and do one?  I was planning a trip to Austin early next year anyhow.  I apparently only need 12 weeks to train.  And even though I can barely run 4 miles right now, surely I can figure out how to run 13.1 by February...

RIGHT?

So I signed up.  Then I went to the gym and proceeded to have the WORST run of my life.  I ate hummus and pita about 20 min before doing it, and I hope they are the culprit b/c OW.  Every step hurt, and I got the worst side cramp of my life.

But I am MOVING ON!  I am following Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training guide, and I am getting myself one of these bad boys as soon as I get paid (I know - it's majorly uggo).  I am excited/terrified/worried, but it is all good, my friends.  I have the most ah-mazing support system - YOU guys (love your tweets!!), my roomies (soooo supportive, so "you can do it!!", and Roomie Trois is going to help me strength train), my friends (a few of which have run half marathons themselves).

I am a lucky gal.  

Oh and my family?  Well, I know they'll support me, but I also know what their responses will be.  My Mom and Dad will say, "Really?  You're going to try... again?  What if you injure yourself??  It's not good for you!"

Ma Soeur (and this IS, in fact, how she responded): "Girl, you crazy!"

I AM crazy.

Chatham

I had a wonderful weekend at the Cape. We went to a darling town called Chatham (I incorrectly pronounced it Chay-thum all weekend and it stuck so it will forever be Chay-thum to moi).  It was an extremely short trip, and most of it was spent in the car (5-6 drive each way), but I couldn't have asked for better company.  It was a road trip in every sense of the word: pit stops at sketchy gas stations for Sour Patch Kids and Twizzlers, eating at Wendy's for dinner (needless to say, I didn't get much), on-the-road games, and lots and LOTS of singing.  We are ALL singers in some capacity so there was serious harmonizing and belting going on.  It was dorky and AWESOME!!

Anyway, my friend David took most of the pics, so for now, I'll leave you with this one.  It was taken outside a bookstore on the darling main road of Chatham by a camera in the window.  Basically we walked by and realized that the camera takes a pic of the street every 30 minutes.  We just happened to get there at 3:28 PM so we HAD to stop and get snapped.  Et voila!

I absolutely adore these guys.  Spending that much time w/ them only reinforced my love for them, and they are probably the top reason my move to NYC has been so seamless. 

Hope y'all had a lovely weekend!  I'll be back to regular posting soon... lots to share.

Changes

{photo: weheartit}

Lately I've noticed that I've taken on some characteristics I never thought I would.  Some of these are good, some are bad, but all around, I'm pretty pleased.

THE GOOD: 

I've become a person who...

• looks forward to going to work and doesn't mind staying late
• smiles for the majority of the day
• can't wait to go running every other day and gets upset if life gets in the way
• is disgusted by smell and sight of meat cooking
• writes 750 words most mornings before work

THE BAD:

I've become a person who...

• feels the need to eat crappy candy (Twix, Kit Kat, etc.) every afternoon (I entirely blame Hallowen)
• thinks that puffy jackets can be cute 
• drinks Coke Zero when it's around
• can't live without her iPhone

All in all, I'm feeling extremely lucky and incredibly grateful.  Life is good.  I cannot complain.  And tonight I'm road tripping to the Cape for a cozy weekend w/ dear friends.  Have a good one!!

Autumn Love

I love the word autumn although I feel that it's infrequently used. I've been loving this Autumn, and despite how little free time I have now that I'm working (forgot just how time consuming a full time job can be :P), I try to stop and enjoy the beautiful season surrounding me.  My Autumnal life looks a little something like this...

admiring the foliage

decadent brunches at cozy neighborhood eateries

This mushroom toast (thick grilled potato bread topped with ricotta, soft scrambled eggs, and oodles of wild mushrooms) was absurdly good.

running

(and icing painful shin splints... ouch)

(yes, those are frozen TJ veggies)

spending quality (and sorely missed) time in funky 

lower east side salons

late meals with long lost friends

How are you filling these beautiful fall days?

R to the Zoe: Halloween NYC-Style

I'm not gonna lie - by the time Saturday night rolled around, I was in NO MOOD to go out. I was tired and wanted an early night. But. I rallied. And my roomies and I kicked off the party with pizza and booze. :D As I sang along to Lady Gaga and Britney, I did Roomie Deux's makeup. Can you guess who she is?

Here's another hint...

That's right... she was JEM!  I think I want to be Jem next year because hello, she wears nothing but hot pink.  Didn't I do a good job on her makeup?  I was pretty impressed with myself, if I do say so myself.  ;)

My costume was super easy because I already owned everything!  I tried to find some cheap blonde hair extensions, but it just wasn't happening.  I decided to go as a brunette, Asian Rachel Zoe.  :D  

The real RZ...

And moi!

Costume included:

- signature RZ faux fur vest (this is actually the RZ brand haha)

- big sunnies

- giant Starbucks cup full of tea

- big hair (or at least she used to have big hair...)

- gobs and gobs of gold and sparkly jewelry (you can't see, but I'm wearing 3 necklaces, one watch, 3 oversized rings, and about 10 bracelets)

- oversized bag (hers is the Birkin, mine is Mulberry for Target... b/c I didn't have $15k to spend)

- burgundy lips

- dark nails (Chanel Vamp is actually a shade Rachel wears - I'm authentic like that)

My dates for the night are childhood favorites...

I even hung out with Snooki!

Later that night, at another party, I ran into my old friend Harry Potter.  He did his thang and turned my tea into something a bit more festive.  :)

And THEN my hubby Rodger walked in!  He was cracking me up...

(This guy wasn't dressed as Rodger, but he kind of looks like him, AND he said he dressed like him last year, so I figured I'd play along.)

All in all, it was a pretty fabulous night!

Happy November!

This morning felt just as Fall should. Tights, booties, and my fave Anthropologie coat. Chilly, crisp air in my face as soon as I stepped out of the door.  I'm loving it!  I'm also loving that it's November - prob one of my fave months of the year.  I'm excited that in just a few short weeks, I'll get to my parents.  I'm excited that I can officially start playing Christmas music (I do NOT believe in waiting until after Thanksgiving).  I'm excited that I won't have to get a pedicure until next year because no one but me, myself and I will be seeing my toes (although, I REALLY should get a pedicure anyway, for the sake of my feet).  I'm excited about the return of faux leopard coats, dark nails (currently painted avec Chanel Vamp), and boots in every shape and size.  I am excited that next weekend I'll be visiting Cape Cod for the first time and plan to make my famous (well, famous in my world) lasagna and a delicious, cinnamon-y apple crisp for my dear friends and I to enjoy whilst there.  I'm excited that I have a job and can spend the Holidays worry-free.  
I didn't share my October goals with you, but I did pretty well with them.  As for November, I'm still thinking about them and will share when ready.  I will also upload fun Halloween pics sometime this week!  I made a quite fabulous Rachel Zoe, if I do say so myself.  ;)

What are you most excited about?