15 years and 8 miles

19. April 2014 · 1 comment · Categories: running, sweet treats, Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,
honey bunches of oats

my honey bunches of oats on our wedding day

Today marks 15 years since the love of my life took his last breath after succumbing to Melanoma. He was 29 and I was 25. It was a forever changing moment in my life. While I knew I’d “be ok”, I had no idea how ok I’d really be. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d end up falling in love with another guy running and conquering the marathon distance, not once, but (after next week) 5 times.

If you’ve watched this video then you know how I put the life back in my life after being inspired by my friend Lisa who ran marathons. This morning actually, I met up with Lisa and our friend Mike for a run in Brooklyn. I just ran with Lisa last week although we still had plenty to catch up on and since Mike had to work last weekend I got to catch up with him too. Actually come to think of it he didn’t say anything about what’s going on with him? He let Lisa and I take over the conversation =) Such a gentleman. They did a loop before I arrived but I got in 5 solid miles. Then we had breakfast at the new Whole Foods that opened up near them.

photo 2

This Whole Foods was a mecca….the most ginormous of all the Whole Foods I’ve ever been to. It has a rooftop deck where you can even get a glass of wine or just eat your salad bar goodies. I tried not to overdo it with breakfast since I only ran 5 miles which meant getting one biscuit and no pancakes.. I know! Self control at it’s finest =) (and the pancakes had blueberries in them too!)

Brooklyn Whole Foods

Outside they had this adorable dog area with fresh water a place to pee and if you donate $1 you can get a small bag of dog treats. How cute?!

We did some grocery shopping and then I gave them a ride back to their apartments and headed home. My training plan called for 7 miles today and 4 tomorrow so I thought I’d just swap and run the 7 tomorrow but when I got home it was only 11am and so nice out that I figured I’d just bang out a few more miles.

photo 1

In total I actually got 8 miles in. And then I walked the dog for 2 more miles! And then I realized I needed to take care of a situation that has been weighing heavily on my mind.

Fro-Yo

Fro-Yo: The 6th food group.

It had been 6 months since my last trip for fro-yo! Say what???? So now all is right with the world.

Tomorrow the doodle and I are headed up to my friend Susan’s for Easter. I’m making a fruit salad. I cheated a little and bought lots of pre-cut fruit for a million dollars while I was at Whole Foods! =)

You may or may not see a photo of Duncan wearing rabbit ears tomorrow. I guess I’ll see how much I can get away with if I have some treats in my hands. (He hates things on his head).

Hope you’re all enjoying your Spring weekend wherever you are! And if you’re on your way to or already in Boston for the marathon good luck!

Question: When was the last time you had fro-yo? When was the last time you had your skin checked out at the dermatologist? May is Melanoma Awareness month so I will make sure to remind you all again to get those moles checked out and wear sunscreen too!

Related posts:

  1. In the meantime
  2. Nautical themed race medal holder
  3. My goals for the NYC Marathon

New Luna Protein Bar Flavors and planning my final long run

18. April 2014 · 1 comment · Categories: fuel, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

T.G.I.F!

I was sent two new Luna Protein Bars to try. I’m not a big “bar” person. I probably haven’t tasted a Luna Bar in at least 3 years. But since they arrived at my doorstep I figured it was worth a review! (They were sent to me free of charge but all opinions are my own).

The new flavors are Lemon Vanilla and Chocolate Coconut Almond

Luna Protein Bars

Luna Protein Bars

They are gluten-free, but not soy-free. As a matter of fact soy is the main ingredient which is what makes them high in protein. So if you have soy intolerance these aren’t for you.

Let’s start with the Chocolate Coconut Almond stats:
180 calories • 7 grams of fat (4 of which are saturated due to palm kernel oil.
This is a negative in my book.) • 12 grams of protein • 21 grams of carbs • 12 grams of sugar •
3 grams of fiber • and 140 mg of sodium

photo 5

The texture is great….very much like a dense piece of fudge. I swear I felt like I was eating an Almond Joy! The flavor was spot on. I had one for breakfast and it kept me full for a while. Paired with my coffee…..delicious!

And the Lemon Vanilla stats:
170 calories • 4.5 grams of fat (3 of which are saturated due to palm kernel oil.
12 grams of protein • 21 grams of carbs • 15 grams of sugar •
3 grams of fiber • and 160 mg of sodium

photo 2

Texture was just as good here too. The outside coating was quite lemony and sweet but again, I enjoyed it. (Only took a bite of this one so far.)

So tomorrow’s my last official long run before the NJ Marathon. I’ve only got 7 miles to cover. I’m meeting my peeps Lisa and Mike in Brooklyn where I’ll catch up with them for the second half of their run. And we’re strategically finishing our run at Whole Foods! YAY! I’m making a fruit salad to bring with me on Easter Sunday so I’ll get all my produce there. Tomorrow marks a special date. It’s the 15th anniversary of my husband’s passing. It just seemed right to be running with Lisa since  she’s the one that got me into running in the first place.

Hope you’ve had a (good) Friday!

Catch ya later.

Question: Are you a “bar” person? If so what kinds do you like? Granola? Fruit and nut only? Protein? Kit Kat? =)

Related posts:

  1. a little more about body issues and a wonky last 2 days
  2. So long Lady Liberty and Hello Forest(er)
  3. Ragnar Napa CHECK! Sleeping is overrated

Liebster award nomination and 5 things to do 10 days before a marathon

18. April 2014 · 1 comment · Categories: helpful tips, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Howdy and happy Thursday,

My poor little blog was down for most of the day yesterday. So I reached out to my 10 followers to give them the bad news. Somehow life carried on.

When I was finally able to log on I saw that Angela from Love the Running had nominated me for a Liebster award.

liebster award

liebster award

Thanks so much!

So this is what I’ve learned. The Liebster Award is an online award for bloggers, given by bloggers. It’s a great way to find new blogs to follow as well as promote blogs you enjoy reading. The general rules are:

Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog. 
Answer the 10 questions the blogger asked of you. 
Nominate 10 different bloggers.
Ask 10 different questions to the nominees.
Notify nominees that they are nominated.

So here are the 10 questions I’ve been asked:

  1. Would you rather workout in the heat or the cold? Cold!
  2. Do you exercise in the morning or at night? late morning or afternoon when i can otherwise first thing in the morning
  3. Why did you decide to start blogging?  I spent lots of my time posting on Facebook about my running endeavors or my anxiety and realized my FB friends might be sick of me. So the idea of a blog which could become a place for me to spew about my love of running and how it keeps me sane seemed very appealing.
  4. Who’s your favorite celebrity? Charlize Theron
  5. Where do you live and what’s something you love about it? I live in Staten Island, one of the 5 boroughs of New York City…you know….where the NYC Marathon starting line is=) I love that I’ve lived here all my life and am so familiar with every nook and cranny.
  6. Do you have any pets? Yes, a 5 year old labradoodle named Duncan
  7. What’s your favorite thing to cook? I can scramble a mean egg and boil water for pasta! LOL!
  8. How do you stay motivated? I stay motivated by social media and blogs…seeing others post about sacrafices of sleep to get in a workout etc etc. makes me feel like a wimp for even thinking of skipping out
  9. Favorite vacation destination? I love California. I keep going back. 
  10. Link to your favorite blog post that you’ve written! I wrote a 5 part series of posts recapping this event I did last September where I ran 5 half marathons in 5 days in 5 states. Here’s the link to part 5 which has links to parts 1-4 in it as well. It was quite an epic trip! 

Thanks again Angela!

I am nominating only 3 bloggers because I don’t really read more blogs that haven’t already been nominated =) These 3 are friends I’ve met through fitness first (running or kickboxing) and then discovered they had blogs so they aren’t just “virtual” friends =)

Jane @ Jane and Alex • Tara @ Chanes of Love • Lisa @ The Rescue Baker

My questions are:

  1. What’s your favorite flavor ice cream?
  2. Are you happy with the name you were given or have you always secretly wished it was different?
  3. Are you the type to power through pain of a headache or muscle ache or do you take tylenol or advil for everything?
  4. If you could use any color pen to write with what color would it be?
  5. Was your answer to #4 your favorite color as well?
  6. How many states of the US have you been to?
  7. Favorite meal of the day
  8. If someone were throwing you a birthday party what would you want the theme to be?
  9. Do you use Pinterest?
  10. Chocolate or Vanilla?

This was fun! Hope you all enjoyed reading. 

So today I took a long walk with the dog…

doodle walk in park

taking care of business

and then a short run…

running

It was kinda chilly. Glad I wore a light jacket. With only 4 more planned runs before the NJ Marathon, I was REALLY hoping to feel the effects of tapering today. But I didn’t:( I actually felt quite achy, tired and sluggish. I had music playing but honestly I was too busy thinking about all the details of race day and don’t think I actually heard any of the music. Ironically one of the details is how to carry my earbuds without putting them in my ears until I’m ready to cue up some music. Something tells me i’m going to be safety pinning things everywhere.

While I spent 54 minutes thinking about race day details I also thought about what I need to start doing right now…so without further ado….a list:

With 10 days to go before a marathon make sure to do these 5 things: 

• Drink more water!

• Eat a little cleaner (increasing carbs a few days before)!

• Stretch and foam roll like it’s your job!

• Get plenty of sleep!

• Practice finish line photo smile in the mirror!

Feel free to answer any of the questions I asked the nominees in the comments below if you feel like sharing.

Related posts:

  1. I made a noodleless lasagna and a PRO Compression giveaway
  2. A What If, Weekend and PT Update
  3. Wednesday what-not

And now Summer became Winter because that’s Spring for ya

16. April 2014 · 2 comments · Categories: inspiration, running · Tags: , , ,

Just like that we’re having a Winter flashback. Here’s the proof:

I don’t even know what to make of this.

Yesterday I took the day off so that I could celebrate Passover with my family. I ran another 4 slow easy miles earlier in the day.

Monday 4 miles

Then it was off to my brother’s house for the main event. After a few prayers and symbolic Passover traditions I ate and drank like I just completed and ultra marathon or something.

Dr Brown's Cream Soda

180 calories! That’s ridiculous. But I splurge once a year for this. So good!

photo 4

Matzah with horseradish and homemade Matzah ball soup

photo 5

The main course dishes were my mom’s traditional Pot Roast (with onion and carrots) recipe and a lemon chicken dish. There was also asparagus and sauteed mushrooms, and a traditional side called Charozet which is basically finely chopped apples and walnuts in wine with sugar and lots of cinnamon. It’s like having oatmeal without the oatmeal. And of course Matzah manages to be included in every course….EVEN DESSERT! My sister in law made a cake inspired by Ina Garten but instead of cookies she dipped pieces of Matzah in dark chocolate and crushed them to form the cookie layers. I paired the delicious cake with some fresh whipped cream, a drizzle of melted chocolate and some fresh fruit. Duncan waited patiently for something to fall to the floor. Then he scored big when a certain someone shared their pot roast with him.

My entire body aches tonight and I am so sleepy I’m worried I’m getting sick. Or maybe my body is rebelling against the 1,569,245 calories I consumed. Either way I’m sort of freaking out. I’m sure it’s partly the taper crazies.

I was overwhelmed with so many posts and articles in regard to the anniversary of the Boston Marathon attacks but secretly viewed almost each shared link and found myself quite emotional at work today. Today on Twitter I read a Tweet from PavementRunner that was exactly something I’ve felt for quite some time. For the last year I have hated that when you Google “Boston Marathon” you get so many horrific images from that day. A beautiful historic tradition has been maimed and marred. And I can’t wait for next Tuesday when hopefully we can all Google Boston Marathon and see awesome photos of triumph and smiles….especially from those who were affected so drastically last year.

twitter conversation

I’m trying not to think about my goals for the NJ Marathon obsessively but that’s about as easy as turning down dessert. Recently, I read this though and it struck a chord…

photo 1

So maybe that’s how I need to think of this. I’m going to strive to reach my potential. I know what I’m capable of. But we’ll just have to see how the day plays out. And this one gave me a good me laugh…

photo 3

Well folks, I’m turning into a pumpkin. Nighty night.

Questions:

Anyone running the Boston Marathon this year? Spectating? I’ve got a handful of friends who are. One who is returning because she only made it 25 miles last year before being stopped. I am so excited for them all.

Anyone have any delicious Matzah recipes? Totally forgot to tell you about the appetizer my aunt made— stuffed mushrooms….instead of breadcrumbs though she used Matzah! They were delicious

Related posts:

  1. A different kind of 5k race recap
  2. A Blood, Sweat & Tears run
  3. I had myself a merry little Christmas and the Luna Bar Giveaway winner
« Older articles
Newer articles »