Five Things Friday (x4): Running Survey

I saw this running survey on Lisa’s, Kelly’s, and Heather’s blogs and thought I’d give it a whirl this Friday! It’s technically 20 questions but I figured 5 x 4 = 20. So really it’s like I’m quadrupling the Five Things Friday fun.

 

1.  Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?

I’ve never run on either a beach path or a mountain trail, but if it was a path on a beach and not actually sand I would totally take the beach. I love the ocean and dislike running hills. Of course, one can have mountainous beach. Some of the best New England beaches are rocky.

 

Kennebunk, Maine

 

Advertisement

Weekly Workouts + Fourth of July Weekend Recap

Hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July weekend filled with family, friends, food and fun. I’m checking in at the start of this week to share my weekly workouts and a Fourth of July weekend recap! My weekend was low-key, and that was lovely. It started off with a ‘freedom’ run. Not just to do with the holiday, but because I ran without headphones, meaning no music and no bar exam lectures, and without any particular distance in mind. I ran when I felt like it, at the speed I felt like, slowing to a walk occasionally. In the end I probably jogged about 5 miles and walked 1 around the hilly Ridgefield roads and at the recreation center.

 

9/11 Memorial at the Rec Center on the Fourth of July

 

Monthly Recap: June Edition

It’s hard to believe, but another month has come to an end and we are officially halfway through 2015! June hasn’t been as eventful for me as May. I’ve been occupied with things that are rather mundane but are pointing toward much loftier ends come July and beyond. Sandwiched between the month when I graduated law school and the month when I will take the bar exam (and also turn 24, which is just unbelievable because I can’t figure out for the life of me how time has flown so quickly), I’ve been in run-eat-repeat mode for most of the month. But I’ve managed to squeeze in some potentially exciting (and tasty!) stuff nonetheless.

 

Weekly Workouts and the NYRR Pride Run

Happy Monday to one and all, and hope your weekends were sufficiently summery and filled with family, friends, fun, and food. Mine certainly was, from my volunteer shift at New York Road Runners on Friday afternoon, through my Saturday morning NYRR 5-Mile Pride Run race and a relaxing dinner with family back in Connecticut. But first, a recap of my weekly workouts!

 

Harlem Meer on my long run day

 

Monday: Rest day (much needed after last week’s mileage)

Tuesday: 7 miles

Wednesday: 30 minutes of yoga + 5 mile walk (I typically mention walking as a workout only when it’s a dedicated walk like this, since I walk so much)

Thursday: 9 miles 

Friday: Rest day – NYRR Volunteer Shift

Saturday: 7 miles (5M race + 1 mile jog to and from)

Sunday: 4 miles 

 

Oakley Mini 10K Race Recap + Weekend Updates

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your weekends were awesome. Mine kicked off Saturday morning, so I’ll start with my Oakley Mini 10K Race Recap and fill you in on the bits and bobs afterwards. The Oakley is an all-women’s race and was actually the first such race in the nation when it was first run in 1972. 

Friday evening, I made a delicious gluten-free return to Pizza Beach with my friend Abby, where I feasted on a shaved asparagus, Parmesan, and feta pizza with squash ribbons on the side to fuel up for Saturday morning. We left feeling quite satisfied, but of course I had to end with ice cream for it to truly feel like the perfect dinner. 

 

 

Returning to Pizza Beach for a gluten-free asparagus, feta and Parmesan pizza fest!

 

Run-Eat-Repeat for the NYRR Retro 4-Miler

Although Saturday morning was a bit grayer than I’d like, the sun came out to play in the afternoon and fortuitously kept on shining through Sunday morning, when I raced the NYRR Retro 4-Miler in Central Park for #4 in my 9+1 quest. Coming off the past week I felt pretty good going in, and since I wasn’t aiming to PR I just enjoyed myself with four easy miles.

The weekend kicked off Friday evening, when I went to Amber Sushi with my closest friend from law school. I had a toro chives roll with brown rice and some octopus and squid sashimi, and it was all delicious as usual. It was nice to catch up, especially since we are both in the thick of studying for the bar and it’s tough for other people to understand the weirdly consuming nature of this time.

 

 

First Week of June + Dinner at the Eveready Diner

Happy Saturday, everyone! Hope all of your weekends are off to a great start. While the week started off pretty gloomy with lots of rain here in the northeast, it’s been a beautiful past couple of days and June is shaping up nicely, so I’m checking in about life lately – running, studying, and start-of-summer eats, including a trip to the Eveready Diner.

 

Despite the rain, I managed to get some good runs in this week. I did 6 miles each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Connecticut, on the roads near my house and the Rail Trail, and have a 4-mile race tomorrow in Central Park that I’ll add a mile to with jogging to the start. I was lucky on Monday that there was a lull in the storm in the morning – not so lucky later in the day when Sasha needed to go for a walk. We are both glad the sun has come out to play, though it looks like there might be a few storms in the coming week. A warm and dry puppy is always the happiest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Beach and a 10K in the Park

Happy Saturday! I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend. Mine has been lovely thus far in spite of the bar exam prep that looms in the back of my mind no matter what I’m doing… In fact, I’ll have to attend to that later today. But only because I’ve been having such fun, going from dinner at a new restaurant in my neighborhood last night to a 10K in the park this morning. Pizza Beach and a 10K in the park is a pretty great start to the weekend!

 

 

Run As One Race Recap

I woke up to a beautiful spring sun shining through my window yesterday morning, but it wasn’t until I stepped outside that a huge smile spread across my face. The past couple of days, New York has been thrown back into cooler temps and gusty winds, making spring feel like a bit of a tease. Now, as April nears its end, it seems as if it’s here to stay, and it might even be acceptable to dare to dream of summer!

 

 

I threw on a long-sleeved tech tee, shorts, and shoes, and jogged over to Central Park to meet some fellow November Project runners for a pre-race photo at the Bandshell. There were more than a dozen of us running the Run As One 4M this morning, a race to support lung cancer awareness and research. I love these NYRR charity runs, since they make it simple to kick off a lovely Sunday of running and brunching. I was doing the same thing this time last month, albeit in gloves and long leggings! 

 

 

This time around, the sheer number of runners – over 8,000 strong – meant ten corrals and a somewhat crowded race. I was hoping to PR, and thought I might just be able to do it, but crowds rounding the corners of the park loop and creating a slower wall near the finish meant a near miss. Oh well, next time! I finished in 36:18 with 9:05/mile splits, and I got to enjoy the pretty scenic route of a park in full flower while running.

 

 

Sunday Run n’ Brunch Fun

At the start

 

This morning I woke up to blessedly sunny skies and an absence of snowflakes. Dare I say that spring is finally here? Well, I don’t personally want to jinx it, but my Sunday began with an aptly titled Spring Meltdown 10k in Central Park. In the two weeks since the NYC Half Marathon, I’ve been taking it easy, with just a few 4-5 mile runs each week at a slow pace, because I aggravated some dormant knee and hip injuries during that race. This morning wasn’t much different, as I ran purely to get back in the swing of things (and metaphorically run in the spring). While the air was brisk, running in the sun was a treat.

 

 

 

After the finish

My moderate workouts also meant that I missed November Project Wednesdays for a few weeks, so I had a blast this morning knowing that my friend Kaitlin was also running. Even though we just met last month, one of the awesome things about NP is how fast you get to know people (I think it has something to do with the hugs). After the race, we had plans to head out for brunch. I think I speak for both of us when I say that running and refueling with delicious eats is pretty much the epitome of a perfect Sunday morning!