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!
Rabbit, rabbit. Starting February off right! January flew by pretty fast, but not before I squeezed in some good runs during the last week of the month. So let’s take a look at my weekly workouts and updates and see what’s next for me with running.
We’ve reached the last day of the first month of 2016. I feel like I was just getting ready for the new year and reflecting on 2015, this month flew by so fast. That’s why I want to focus on making the most of the present instead of worrying about the future this year – it goes by in the blink of an eye, and I don’t want to miss a moment! Since this blog serves as a sort of adventure log for me as well as being a place to collecting running and recipe tips, I’ll be recapping each month like I did for several months of last year (April, May, June, and July) and then lost track of doing with all my traveling. I’m settled into the swing of my new routine now, I’ve learned a lot from blogging having reached the one-year mark, and today is all about my January highlights!
So said Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts. I am in complete agreement. My dog Sasha, a beautiful yellow Labrador, is the center of attention in our family, and in return she is loving, loyal, and always ready to snuggle. She is a consistent source of comfort and joy in our lives, and I don’t know what we’d do without her. So although I’ve shared a few photos of her before, I wanted to take today to give you a proper introduction!
A winter puppy
Our first dog when I was growing up was Shayna, another yellow Labrador, who was a member of the family before my brother or I were even thought of. She was a wonderful dog, who definitely behaved according to her place as our predecessor, watching over us like a guardian who slept between the doors of our two bedrooms at night. Sadly, she passed away when I was in middle school. A few years later, we decided it was time to bring another puppy into our family, and Sasha was born on Valentine’s Day of 2006.
We got the call from the breeder while watching the figure skating competition of the Torino Winter Olympics. My mom and I both loved Sasha Cohen’s routines, and thus came our Sasha’s name! I like to joke that it was already in the cards. Shayna came first in our family, but before her, my parents’ respective dogs when they were younger were named Sparky and Socky. It was a totally unintentional tradition, but Sasha carried on the S initial.
Taking over the armchair in the library
She grew from the most adorable little puppy into one of the cutest adult dogs ever. It’s funny, but she seems to know her place in our family just like Shayna did – except her place is that of the baby, who came into a household with two teenagers and was doted on by everyone. And she still has a puppy face, even at age 9. When Sasha is in a room, she commands the attention of everyone present. She has her spot on a choice piece of furniture in every room of my childhood home, whether it’s right in the middle of your bed or on the center cushion of the living room couch.
As a ballet dancer, my movement was not confined by the weather unless there was so much snow I couldn’t be driven to class or rehearsal. When I started coxing for my college boat club, I had my first brush with what Weather can do to a workout. Yes, Weather. Not just rain – sleet, snow, or ice. Often in Oxford it would somehow manage to be a combination of all four within a 4-hour period. In my first year of coxing, I suffered through multiple outings huddled in five layers of fleece topped with a rain jacket, gritting my teeth as precipitation pelted me and freezing as I sat still. Even the rowers had it better – at least they were moving. After that, I moved up to assigning the coxswains, and campaigned to schedule each week based solely on the expected conditions. I wasn’t one to dance in the rain, so why should I sit in it?
When I first started running, in the spring of 2013, it had been a long and dreary winter (I had no idea that a polar vortex was coming for us the following winter!) and being outside was one of the biggest perks. I honestly think I was able to get into running so quickly because I was tired of being cooped up indoors and just wanted to be out in the fresh air for longer and longer stretches of time. Even then, though, I skipped runs if it was raining. I still got out there 4 or 5 days every week. That continued for the initial months, until summer came. If I thought winter was cold, summer was HOT. That whole global warming thing is no joke, and it jolted me into rising early, just like I had during my coxing days, to beat the heat by running before I went to my summer internship.
Clouds and rain outdoors > in a gym on the dreadmill
One morning it was drizzling, and I decided to get outside anyway. I wouldn’t be wearing heavy clothes that got even heavier when soaked. Worth a shot. So I laced up and headed out. I realized it wasn’t so bad. And when the drizzle stopped and the clouds cleared, I was treated to a lovely rainbow ringing over the sun before I went back inside to shower and start my day. A switch had flipped. I didn’t really ease into running in Weather. When autumn arrived, I just kept wearing the baseball cap I’d worn in summer to keep the sun out – it keeps the rain off equally well. I ran right through my first real rainstorm in September getting ready for my first race.
If the park is like this in early March, the only option is to ignore the weather
When winter came? I just kept at it. I’ve always loved the way snow turns our world into a winter wonderland – and running through it was better than rain! Ice held me up for a run or two until I figured out my tricks of the trade, and went dashing along happily through the frost. This past winter, I’ve only been kept inside once because of Weather (last year was about a week because of that pesky polar vortex!) Now, along the way, I’ve struggled to explain just why it’s worth it to me to get outside and on the run when it’s admittedly pretty awful out and most people would stay in on the couch with Netflix and cocoa. While my best friends are lovingly tolerant of my running-in-Weather habit, they don’t understand it. And casual acquaintances feel free to tell me I’m insane. I usually laugh it off, because the truth is, I get that it’s a little out of the ordinary. But to me, it isn’t crazy, because being outdoors and on the move is what makes me happiest. I’ve never regretted a single run, no matter how tricky or slippery it was.
But what was I supposed to call myself, if not a ‘crazy’ runner? I had no idea, until I found November Project. A group of people who get outside and wake up the sun with a workout no matter the weather. And I was finally able to describe myself – as #weatherproof. (NP loves hashtags, which I am still getting used to, because I am a Luddite.) The first morning I showed up was the first Wednesday of February and it was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and there were easily 30+ people there ready to go. Last Wednesday was the first month-iversary of my coming to the workouts, and it also happened to be the 1st birthday of the New York City NP “Tribe” – so despite the snow and rain combining to create some sort of slush soup, 40 people came out to work out and celebrate. By running in circles around Carl Schurz Park through ankle-deep puddles of the slush soup.
It isn’t crazy, after all. It’s just being #weatherproof. (Please note that most of these people are way more badass than I am. I show up once a week or so, loving my slow solo runs on the other days. I’m an amateur athlete compared to most of NP!)
What do you think? Do you workout even in wild Weather?
Happy Birthday to NP NY!
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
Ice cream is my favorite food. Of course, I eat more fruit and veggies and yogurt and eggs than ice cream, but when I picture my happiest times, ice cream was always what I was eating (or what I wanted to top off an otherwise perfect day). Even on my birthday, I’d opt for ice cream over cake or cupcakes – and since I have a summer birthday and was often away at camp as a kid, this worked out well! Lots of people think of ice cream as a summer treat, but I enjoy it year round. While it may seem counter-intuitive, eating a bowl of ice cream can enhance an evening of sitting by a cozy fire with hot cocoa. The trick is to create an ice cream experience that doesn’t rely on the tradition of grabbing a cone of your favorite flavor at an outdoor window, and mix it up instead!
Salted caramel ice cream in a crystal cruet
One of my favorite ways to treat myself is to have a decadent flavor of ice cream nicely scooped into a crystal glass, topping it with a complementary seasoning. Here, I took caramel ice cream and added a pinch of sea salt and a dash of molasses, and paired with a mug of spiced apple tea.
Perfect nostalgic treat – vanilla with rainbow sprinkles
Another serving style evokes the nostalgia of childhood. I have four small ice cream dishes, with pastel bowls on the inside of little tubs shaped like the bottom of wafer ice cream cones. I’ll scoop a classic flavor like vanilla or strawberry into one of these, and top with gluten-free rainbow sprinkles. It takes me back to summers down the Cape, where I used to get strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles from a shop called Emack & Bolio’s in Orleans, Massachusetts. They’ve expanded throughout New England and the rest of the US, but to me, the other locations aren’t quite the ‘real thing’!
My peanut butter cup sundae – I just threw the rainbow sprinkles on top for good measure!
For an extra special splurge, turn your ice cream and toppings into a swoon-worthy sundae. Start with a basic base flavor, then add sauces and toppings. One of my favorites is a peanut butter cup sundae. I start with peanut butter cup ice cream, then add some extra peanut butter and chocolate chips. If I’m feeling very nostalgic and I happen to have some regular-size peanut butter cups around, I’ll break one in half and stick the pieces on top to make it look like those Friendly’s sundaes with the smiles! (And if you really want to go all out, make a batch of peanut butter cookie bites to crumble on top).
Of course, you can just have ice cream straight from the carton or in a regular dish, but I like to dress it up a little in the winter. It feels like a special treat, a welcome spot of cheer on an otherwise dreary day. (Caveat: I run outside when it is below freezing all the time. I am probably a classified crazy winter weather person, at least for locations outside the Arctic and, you know, Chicago. So feel free to mock my recommendation of eating ice cream this time of year. I’ll keep doing it anyway.) And I’ll mix it up with the seasons. In the autumn, I love pumpkin ice cream. In the spring I go for berry sorbet. Summer will find me with a gluten-free cone full of strawberry or Moose Tracks. So find your flavor and figure out how to make every spoonful special.
Ready to be filled with delicious creations!
I’m planning to fix myself a bowl of ice cream for dessert tonight, to basically tell this snowstorm it’s time to get lost!
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Do you eat it all year round or save it for a seasonal treat?
Have you ever tried making snow-cream? It’s delicious (but I would never trust NYC snow…)
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
It’s hard to believe, but March is upon us and spring should be just around the corner! February flew by for me. True, it is the shortest month, but only by a few days. And I feel like I managed to fit a lot into those four weeks, going by my three R’s – running, recipes, and refocusing. (I also achieved my goal of a Frugal February by not buying any new clothes for the month, but it was almost too easy – it’s been so cold, I spend all my time in leggings and fleeces! So I’m tacking another month on to the challenge.)
Winding down from Disney and gearing up for the NYC Half!
Let’s start with running. I don’t run for any particular speed or goal, even when I’m racing (which I didn’t do at all this month unless you count PR Day at November Project – with half marathons in January and March, I figured it was a good idea to take a short race break!) But I managed to run just about 100 miles this month, or 25 miles per week. I’ve been building up to this mileage level for about six months. The last time I was consistently running this much was last May. I injured my hip flexor last June and was out for two months, and even when I finished physical therapy in August the re-entry to running was slow and steady. I can’t believe I’ve made it back to my best running shape, and I’m excited to see what’s in store as I run my second New York City Half Marathon (the anniversary of my first half marathon, and also the two-year anniversary of when I started running!)
A Plate of Pumpkin Puffins
As for the recipes, I’ve definitely taken advantage of the chill this month to try out all sorts of heart- and hearth-warming treats. I’ve shared Pumpkin Puffins and Dreamy Peanut Butter Cookie Bites with you, excellent for dessert or breakfast or whenever you need a sweet pick-me-up. And of course there are a whole host of dishes from my first dinner party – which, due to the cold weather, became an inspired winter-warming Breakfast-for-Dinner Party! And thus has a menu for any time of day, whether you want to host weekend brunch or a fun evening event – recipes coming this week!
The long and winding road (or run!)
Finally, I’ve taken the time this month to refocus on the important things in life. Even when I’m tired or stressed, I try to keep the big picture in mind. There’s still a lot of world out there to see and experience, and I want to be my best self while I’m doing it! Taking a step back and reflecting on the past in recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week was also very meaningful to me. I’ve already been through the wringer a bit, but there are a lot of people in the world who are still surviving with dark clouds hanging over them, and knowing that motivates me to get out there and try to help. It sounds both naive and cliche, but if I can make even the smallest difference in the life of another human being, I’ll feel like I’ve done some good in this world, and that’s the best goal I can set for myself heading into March.
Happy trails for spring (and let’s hope it arrives soon!)
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
It’s only Wednesday and already I feel as if I’ve done enough this week to warrant a weekend of rest (which is not happening anytime soon, thanks to my recurring insomnia and realization that I’ve tried to cram an entire February of fun into about four days). Between school and my internship, running and yoga, finding time with friends and working on my Junior League volunteer commitment, and recently adding November Project to the mix, life’s been a whirlwind. But like Ferris Bueller (my film hero) tells us, life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it. Not happening for this girl!
So I’m taking the time this week to tackle a few new challenges. I’m working to raise awareness during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. I can’t fully describe how healing it was to be able to write about my own experience on this blog, and to have that post hit an all-time high of readership. Even if just one person read it and was encouraged to seek help or to come forward with their own story, I would feel like I was able to make a difference, taking past pain and turning it into something positive and far greater than myself. It’s already been so much more. And as I said in that post, part of moving forward with my life is staying healthy and happy so that I have the energy to enjoy new experiences that I never would have thought possible. To that end, I’m running through the winter (race you to spring!) and hosting my first dinner party, but keeping what’s most important at the forefront of my mind all the while.
Salt lasers across the metatarsals
Staying motivated this winter has been easier than expected. I don’t mind the cold as much when I’m out on the run. I guess it’s because I’m constantly in motion and keeping my heart rate up in a way that even a brisk walk won’t do (and I walk A LOT). But even I’m getting tired of all the white and grey stuff falling out of the sky and turning to slush on city streets. This morning, I was confused because I thought my sneakers suddenly didn’t match – turns out, the white lines I had begun to think were part of the design are actually salt stains. So I’m happy we finally had a few days above freezing, looking forward to spring, and getting ready to start my runs under a rising sun (though the sunrise is magical!)
Bakery on Main Carrot Cake Oatmeal goes well with apple spice tea! I also had a Caramel Apple Cinnamuffin on the side…so many oodles of delicious oats.
But my experiences didn’t just lead me to healing via exercise and eating right. They also taught me the importance of rest and relaxation. There’s a difference between being a bit of a sleepyhead, rolling out of bed anyway, and going out for a pre-school jog or meeting the November Project tribe to start my day off right, and truly pushing myself past the brink of exhaustion. Yesterday I woke up to the latter kind of feeling. So instead of going for 5 miles as planned, I stayed under the covers a little while longer, had a bowl of oatmeal with berries and some tea, and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before heading off to my internship. It was the best choice I could have made, and this morning I woke up refreshed and ready to get outside and greet the sun.
That leisure time also gave me a few moments to go over the menu for my dinner party on Saturday. I’ll be serving three courses, making most of the food myself (a few friends are bringing side dishes, but most will provide the wine and laughter!) As I sat there going over recipes and making a shopping list to pick up any ingredients missing from my cupboard, I realized just how far I’ve come. I could never have cooked for other people when I was suffering, the thought of being around so much food was actually frightening, and baking as often as I do now? With all the taste testing? It was out of the question. A few years ago, I read Brave Girl Eating. The author’s daughter struggled with anorexia, and while I don’t have a family that understood my experience in the way that hers did, the idea that food is just too fraught with complications in our culture struck me. We literally have policy debates going on about food, which is necessary but sadly so. While I don’t think that food necessarily equals love, I do think that food is food, and it should be whatever we want it to be – a source of quelling our hunger or experiencing new tastes or something that brings us together with other people. No one should have to feel like their decisions about food are anyone else’s to make, or like they have to justify eating or not eating anything. Hungry for an apple? Eat one! (Even when others think it’s too “healthy” – that’s why I try to share as much of my way of life as possible, because I definitely eat fruits and veggies alongside baked goods and ice cream.) Want some steak frites? Have that instead! Not hungry at noon? Eat lunch at two! Do what works for you, and listen to your own body and mind. This is what I make up my mind to do every day, and so far, so good.
The reservoir may be frozen, but I’m secretly hoping one day the sun will overpower it so much it melts into instant spring (like in Narnia…)
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
Although many people start off January with resolutions to exercise more and focus on healthy habits in the new year, winter doldrums can get in the way. When it’s cold and snowy (or sleeting, or icy, or just plain gray and gloomy) it can be tough to find the motivation to get up and moving.
Pretty but chilly!
I am one of those crazy runners who gets outdoors no matter the weather. Rain or shine, I can be found in the park or on the trail. I think there were 3 days in all of last winter when I went to the gym for a workout – and I still got in 4-5 runs every week! So far this winter, I’ve been able to keep it up, and haven’t been forced onto the dreadmill yet. But it took awhile for me to get into the habit, and even more time to enjoy the time I spend running outside in all kinds of conditions. So I thought I’d share a few tips to jump-start winter workouts!
…ready to hit the snowy streets!
First, make a habit of getting outdoors unless conditions are truly unsafe. Make a promise to yourself to get outside and have all the proper gear for winter weather set and ready to go in the morning. That way, when the alarm clock goes off, you’ll be more likely to get up and at ’em – after all, you’ve already prepared and won’t want to waste the effort!
Second, ensure you have enough time to get in a workout before your day begins, and treat the time you have as, well, a treat! I think of my run as something I ‘get’ to do before doing all the things for school and my internship (and eventually my job) that I ‘have’ to do. It’s a little thing, but the way you perceive it can make all the difference.
Breakfast at the ready
Third, have everything ready to go at your house or apartment for when you return – clothes for the day laid out, breakfast supplies ready and easy to assemble, and your bag packed so you can get back out the door quickly. This morning, my run was pretty chilly, but knowing I had a couple of Pumpkin Puffins and a mug of dark and sweet blueberry coffee at home kept me going!
Taking trail conditions in stride
Having a few friends to run with is another great option – I try to do my long runs when training for a race with a friend or two, and workout buddies can definitely keep you accountable. Personally, my motivation for running (like my motivation for most other things in life) tends to come from within. I’m not the type of person who likes to follow a set training plan to the letter (probably because I’m not really big on following directions…as evidenced by some of my cooking experiments!) But if you do better when you have a schedule to stick to, by all means use one. And even if you tend to march to your own beat like me, having just one workout every week with others to mix it up and keep you honest can be just what you need to shake out of the winter blues (I’m happy that a friend led me to the November Project for this reason!)
Last but not least, if you’re goal-oriented, signing up for a race every so often if you’re a runner, or setting specific bars for yourself to reach with other workouts, can be the perfect thing to spur you on. Just as I’m wound down from the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, it’s time to start getting in gear for my second New York City Half Marathon in March (also the second anniversary of my ‘real’ running!) After that, I’ll take a break from racing as law school ends and the bar exam approaches…but yesterday, I signed up to complete my Coast to Coast Challenge with a friend from school at Disneyland in September with the Dumbo Double Dare. It’s a perfect post-bar-exam celebration and dreaming of that magical run in the sun is sure to keep us both going during the shortest and coldest month of the year. So figure out what works for you, and get ready to wake up to a winter workout in wonderland!
Watching the sun rise over the East River is a lovely perk of a winter’s morning workout!
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
If you’re anything like me, your closet is stuffed with clothes ranging from a just-purchased pair of running shoes, to dresses you wore to college events three years ago, to T-shirts from high school beginning to show their six or seven years of age. Every so often, I make an attempt to clean out the stash, bagging what I no longer wear to donate to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. My family always did this when I was growing up; I was always the recipient of hand-me-downs because I was the smallest and youngest girl among my friends and family members, so once I outgrew my outfits, donating them was the next logical step.
A year or two ago, I realized I had finally gotten all the clothes that no longer fit me out of my closet (meaning anything I wore before age 16 or so, save for sweatshirts and the like) – it was time to move on to a new sorting method. When I graduated college, I decided to donate any item of clothing I had not worn since high school. Now, as the end of law school approaches, I’m trying to impose a four-year limit; if I haven’t worn it since I was 19, someone else could probably make better use of an item of clothing than I currently am!
I’ve always had a tough time giving clothes away because I feel like I *might* end up needing that one dress or pair of shoes at some point in the future, weeks or months or years from now, and then I’d regret my decision. But I’m taking a harder look at what I really need these days, and it’s time to put my organizational skills to use in Project Closet Cleanup (or Cleanout – I just don’t think it’ll be even close to barren anytime soon!)
As part of the project, I’m trying out a couple of the new clothing exchanges for the tech-savvy generation. On the list are three T’s: Threadflip, Thredup, and Twice. Threadflip is basically an online consignment store – you send in your items and they list them for sale with a suggested price (that the seller can adjust manually if desired). Thredup and Twice are a bit different in that you send your items in and they make you an offer right away, then list the items themselves as sellers. All are free for sellers – create an account and they’ll send you a bag to fill with items for sale, pre-addressed and stamped to be shipped right back. Both Threadflip and Twice offer the option of donating your clothes to charity if they are not accepted, and/or having them returned to you for a fee; Thredup offers a clothes-recycling program or return for a fee.
My forays into each forum have led to a couple of conclusions. First, there is definitely a trade-off between receiving more money for what you sell, versus being guaranteed to make the sale. By listing your clothes on Threadflip, you’ll control what price you are willing to sell an item of clothing for, and the price you command will be higher than on the other websites – in some cases, substantially higher. For example, I “flipped” a Vineyard Vines corduroy skirt for $36 on Threadflip, and a J. Crew cardigan for $24. When I sent similar items to Twice and Thredup, I received payouts of around $20 for both items – 66% less. The payouts were also bundled, so that I could not be totally sure of how much I was receiving for each item. However, I was guaranteed a payout immediately, whereas with Threadflip, I waited until the items sold, which several others had not within the 90-day limit. I could, of course, ask for those items to be returned to me for a fee, and send them to one of the other forums, coming out slightly ahead. But it’s a longer period of time and does require more legwork on the seller’s part.
The verdict? All three T’s are wonderful for girls looking to clean out their closets and maybe earn back a bit of the investment they made in their wardrobes. Which forum you prefer will depend on what you have to send in, how much work you want to do, and what price you’re willing to accept. If you have anything on the very high end (couture clothing, shoes, and purses) Threadflip is probably your best best because of the pricing. Even though it’s a deep discount off retail, you’ll still earn a bit back – some good examples of what to expect are here and here – because even used, high fashion items command a premium, and lots of shoppers will see the value. With mid-range items, it’s more of a toss-up for the seller. And it’s important to keep in mind that Threadflip’s cut-off for acceptable brands is higher than Twice’s, which is in turn higher than Thredup’s. And if you have any old clothes that aren’t strictly women’s sizing, only Thredup accepts those. (I had some children’s-sized stuff in my closet because I often go for the child-size coats, etc. if it is the same thing – it’s cheaper!)
So, if you’re on a mission to clean out your own closet (perhaps as part of joining me in a Frugal and Free February!) take a look at all your options. And of course, if you happen to have female friends or relatives who might have use for what you no longer need, or if you want to donate everything to charity, those are both EXCELLENT ways to go.
Ready for it to be spring…until then I’ll be out there running and dreaming of this view!
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
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