February Recap

The shortest month of this Leap Year has come and gone. Even with the extra day it felt like it flew by faster than January, but also like it went on forever because of everything I fit into 29 days. Maybe also because the wacky weather gave us multiple seasons in mere days. No blizzards, but we went from polar vortex to teasingly springlike and back to somewhere in the middle just in the last week. So what did I do while this was going on? Read on in this February recap to find out!

 

 

 

The first weekend in February, I hosted my second annual dinner party, ran the Gridiron 4M race in Central Park, and pretended to care about the Super Bowl for the first time in my life. I’d say I still prefer spending time whipping up dishes like my Smoked Salmon & Quinoa Quiche and Grain Free Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies, and running and brunching, to watching football. 

 

 

 

 

 

After that came Valentine’s Day weekend, with lots of brunch food, a trip to the planetarium, and viewings of multiple movies in the midst of an arctic freeze on the New York region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a weekend at home in Connecticut, playing with Sasha and enjoying temperatures that shot up into the 50s. Running in shorts definitely made me smile, as did eating ice cream when it was warm enough outside to melt (just a little bit). 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, I took off for a whirlwind weekend in Orlando, Florida. I was just there for the Walt Disney World 10K and Half Marathon with my family in January, but my boyfriend’s family decided to visit his sister for her birthday and it was a chance to travel that I couldn’t refuse. Warm weather and Mickey Mouse? Always sold.

 

 

 

 

 

My running mileage this month wasn’t what I planned, between not feeling well for a week or so, the crazy weather, and bouncing around from one place to another on weekends. But 103 miles is nothing to sneeze at, even if it’s at the lower end of my usual average of 100-110. After all, March is yet to come! I’d set a goal of 120/month by then.

 

 

 

 

 

Amidst of all this, I completed a three-week elimination diet to try and figure out what was causing some of the stomach issues I’ve experienced on and off since October. You can see my elimination WIAW posts for Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3, and read about how I tried adding in different foods and began to see that grains and (too much) dairy were the main issues. I ate a lot of peanut butter and sunflower seed butter this month while I didn’t have my usual yogurts to snack on, and doubled down on other healthy snacks as well. And enjoyed a lot of eggs, leading me to share my favorite spots for them on the Upper East Side.

 

 

 

 

 

And that’s a wrap for this month. Some things were similar to last February, like my dinner party and recognition of NEDA Week. I’m also struck by how different my life is now compared to a year ago. I’m still looking ahead to March, crossing my fingers for the arrival of spring. Getting ready for the NYC Half Marathon. Dreaming up new recipes and pulling some promised ones together to finally share on the blog (remember when I used to do that all the time?) But I’m not a student anymore, I’m well into the first year of my job. I’ve kept old friends close but brought a few new people in who take up a lot more of my time. And I’m more eager than ever to embrace any surprises that are headed my way. Expecting the unexpected over here!

 

 

 

 

How do you handle surprises?

 

What was the best part of your month?

 

What are you looking forward to most in March?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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