Brr, It's COLD Out There

Something about getting all bundled up for a run makes me extremely happy. The more layers, the better. I don't really enjoy being hot, or sweating, or overheating, and so winter running is actually more my style. Except today, it was COLD. I ran at 6:30pm and before I left, the news said it was 24* with a wind chill of 0. ZERO. That means - cold. People looked at me like I was crazy and I passed just a few other runners. At least I'm not the only crazy one.

It was a quick 3 miles - it felt slow, though. I think I was stopped at every crosswalk, waiting for the little red hand to turn into a little white person. Adds a lot of time to my run. Also, my Garmin kept pausing, going in and out of satellite service, so I'm not sure it was entirely accurate. I did 3 miles in about 38 minutes. Like I said, slow. I'm blaming the crosswalks, wind, and cold. Yup.

So, when I got home I was pretty hungry. Vowing to eat what's in my fridge (and not ordering from Charlie Mom's - the quickest Chinese delivery there is) I put together a quick "casserole" while I stretched.

In the mix:
1/2 c. cooked Quinoa (seriously obsessed)
Lots of chopped spinach (about 1c.)
5 Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
Chicken Sausage (have no idea how much I added in - but you know, enough, not a lot)
Sprinkling of Parmmmmmesean cheese (mmmm)



Mix it all together and put it in a casserole dish...and sprinkle with some mozz(arella).

And bake at 400* for about 20 minutes, until cheese is browned.

Aaaaand.....MANGIA!
(Perhaps with a glass of wine that your roommate just happened to bring home for Thursday Wine Night.)





And now I'm off to watch some Thursday night TV - Grey's and Private Practice!  (With some push-ups and abs in between on the commercials.  Because that's how I do.)

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2011 NYC Half Marathon - American Cancer Society

On March 20, 2010, I completed my first half marathon. I trained throughout the winter, through the cold and snow and ice. This year, I plan to do the same thing all over again.

I've talked a lot about wanting to run a second half marathon and I'm finally feeling healthy enough to do so. This time; however, I am doing things a little differently. For one, I didn't want to run this race, one I have already participated in, without purpose. For that reason, I have teamed up with a great group of people to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Every Saturday, the group meets for the long training runs. It's nice to have people to run with! Definitely a huge change for me considering I usually prefer to run solo.

So many people are affected by this terrible disease. I always wonder what I can do to help someone who is diagnosed with cancer. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago; she is now well and in remission. My former employer has been battling cancer for well over a year now, and I can see how it affects their family, their business, and their everyday lives. Neither of them deserved this - no one does. So maybe, with the help of me and the efforts of my teammates, we can help to make the lives of those diagnosed and their family members just a little bit easier.

My fundraising page can be found here. All the support, any amount, helps - it helps the American Cancer Society, those battling this awful disease, and their families. Your support will also help me run farther and harder - one mile at a time.

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A Year in Review

Last year, I declared my "resolutions" on this here blog.  So, here's a little year in review.

1. Be healthy. Yes, I still have 20-30lbs I would like to lose. But right now, it's not just about losing weight. I need to retrain myself to look at food in a different way. In a healthy way. It's not about GOOD or BAD food. It's about food I need to fuel my body and food I want, food I can indulge in, just because I can. And it's about balance- balancing work, workouts, and healthy meals. Drinking less and in moderation.


Truth be told, I gained weight.  But oddly enough, I'm ok with with it.  I'm not beating myself up, I know I need to lose it, and I will.  There's a plan in motion.  I still concentrate on good for me foods - whole, healthy foods - and will continue to do so.  And with my recent gluten free diet, there are many changes in the new year to be made.

2. Pay down debt.

Um, yeah.  About that...

3. Write more. Clearly, I've been a slacker.

I definitely did not write quite as much as I had planned, but maybe this is the year I'll make a change?

4. Figure out what I want to go back to school for, apply, and do it.

This HUGE life decision didn't happen - but it will. 

I will find out on Tuesday if I have been chosen in the lottery to run in the NYC Half Marathon on March 21st. If I am chosen, training begins on Tuesday with this plan, starting at week 2. The most I've run for a race is 4 miles, so it is going to be challenging. But it will help me get into a healthy mindset and give a goal to work towards. If I don't get chosen, I will probably still work the training plan.

I ran the NYC Half on March 20, 2010.  It was an amazing experience and I'm doing it all again in 2011!

Oh, and 5. Fall in love. Or at least date. Or go on a date. (baby steps.)

Well, I let myself care.  I let myself like.  I went on dates.  Fall in love?  Not so much.  Love?  Yes.  Let myself get heartbroken, just to remind myself what it felt like (because you know, it's been a few years)?  Check.  Onwards and upwards.

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Something Crazy

Last night I did something crazy.

I registered with The American Cancer Society to raise money and run in the NYC Half Marathon.

This is a plan that has been in the works for a few weeks and I decided I wanted to raise money for a good cause whether or not I got in with the NYRR lottery. Needless to say, I, with so many other angry New Yorker's, did not get into the lottery. So, last night, with a little encouragement from a friend, I signed up. More details to follow with a training plans, fundraising information, and a plan for the next 10 months. (Yes, 10 months.)

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3 Miles

Last night, I ran 3 miles last night. And it felt AMAZING.

Because I've been awful at writing, here is why 3 miles is a big deal:

Back in August I declared that I missed my double digit runs and I would begin training for the Staten Island Half Marathon. Knowing this would be a great feat- having come out of the boot for my foot injury just a few weeks prior and not having done any long runs in months- I started to train. About one week into training, something was majorly wrong. The bottom of my heel hurt- it was painful to walk or put any sort of pressure on it, let alone run. The outside of my calf- the peroneal tendon- burned when I ran for only five minutes. It felt like someone was pulling the tendon, stretching it, in opposite directions. My foot and calf were inflamed and I could not take it anymore. I decided enough was enough and made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.

She told me no running for 4 weeks, no training for any half marathon, and put me in 6 weeks of physical therapy. At least there was an answer and a solution.

Diagnosis: plantar fasciitis and peroneal tendonitis.

Following doctor's orders, I did not run for a full 4 weeks. I mostly stuck to spin classes, the bike, and elliptical. Slowly, I have been increasing my runs, about two times a week, at 2 miles each. My first run was 1 mile. I tried not to think about how just months ago, I was running 12 miles and finished a half marathon and did 6 mile "fun runs". Needless to say, I was frustrated.

Until last night. I felt stronger, healthier, and ready to really run.

I am now about 8 weeks into physical therapy (really, 6 due to vacations and changed appointments) and my original diagnosis, I feel 90% better. The injuries are not 100% healed- I know plantar fasciitis will take a while to completely go away (I ice my foot after every run, receive laser treatments, and wear shoes with cushioning) and the much of the tendonitis is mechanical (I have never walked properly and have had to retrain myself to walk and run).

3 miles is a big deal right now. Especially because I do want to start training for another race soon, want to run shorter distance races in the very near future, and still have my eye on running a marathon within the next year.
(I love running the reservoir at night. This is where I first started running and it's a great reminder of how far I have come, even with set backs. It is also a constant reminder of why I love this city.)

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Double Digit Runs

I miss double digit runs.

I miss running.

Ever since my foot injury, I've been scared to run. I did an outdoor run last Monday, just around the Central Park reservoir and home. It was probably a total of two miles. My heel hurt. I iced it, stuck to the elliptical and bike the next day, and tried a run again on Saturday. It was a short run- up to the park, a portion of the reservoir, to 90th and Madison (where I needed to pick up new bra's from Intimacy) and then I walked home. Short runs.

I miss running through the park- the 6 mile loop, then the 4 mile, then home. I always felt so accomplished, so proud of myself, so AMAZED that my body could do that. I loved the feeling of increasing a mile every week. When I started half marathon training in January, I'd never run more than 4 or 5 miles. Then 6 came and I knew I could do 7 and then 8 and then I ran 12. The rush of emotion when I finished 12 miles was unexpected. I sat on a park bench and cried.

I miss how my body feels when I am running consistently. Fit. Tight. Small. It didn't matter that I didn't lose weight- I felt and was visibly smaller. I lost inches.

And now that I haven't been running, I feel the opposite. Soft. Out of shape. Not myself.

I need to start again. But I'm scared. I am scared to re-injure my foot. And this morning I thought to myself how unfair it was that I finally got into good shape and then I got hurt. Like the Fitness Gods were telling me this sport isn't for me. It is. It has to be.

I want to start training for the Staten Island Half Marathon. It is on October 10th, a little less than 10 weeks away. Technically, I would need to start TODAY.

And I think that is exactly what I will do.

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Hot Yoga; FAIL

Friday night, Jess and I went to our first hot yoga class with Yoga to the People. Well, my first hot yoga class. Jess had been before while living in Pittsburgh and assured me it would be fine and just like our Wednesday evening class, only hotter. I was hoping for magical yoga- the kind I experience on Wednesday evening's in the park- a spiritual and mental release while pushing myself physically.

We entered the studio and upon arriving they had us fill out a name tag that was to be placed near our mats in the room. They explained that first time guests pay after class and we would be offered 20% off a package of classes, should we decide to purchase a membership. We went into the very small locker room to drop our bags off in a locker and then entered the room. We were a bit early but I thought it would be good to sit in there, get used to the heat, and prepare myself for the next 90 minutes.

Before I explain about the class, let me say that based on our schedule and the times classes were offered, we opted for "hot traditional yoga" as opposed to "hot power vinyasa yoga". I am accustomed to vinyasa yoga and wasn't sure what to expect from traditional yoga. But really, how much different could it be?

At the start of class, the instructor (can't remember her name) pulled all new-comers to the front of the studio to go through some breathing techniques. Ok, fine. They were strange but I went with it. Then we went back to our mats, she turned ON the lights, and we got to work. We started with the breathing exercises, then went into a few standing poses- none of the names were familiar to me but the poses were similar to vinyasa. There was little movement, it was all choppy and we would do three sets of each pose on our left and right side. Very early on during the class I felt like I was going to pass out. Beads of sweat started dripping off my body about five minutes into class and continued to pour out of my pores for the remainder of class.

Let me also say that, prior to class beginning, we were instructed to NOT leave class. If we could not do a pose or felt sick, we were to sit or lie down on our mats for as long as we needed to. I am pretty sure I spent the majority of class in one of these positions. I tried every pose but very often just had to stand there, trying not to pass out.

Halfway through the class, after we finished our standing poses (which, really, were not difficult to do at all. I did not feel like I was pushing myself except for the fact that I was sweating more than I did when I ran the half mary.) we had a two minute savasana (corpse pose) which I welcomed greatly. Jess looked over at me and mouthed "This is the worst! Do you think it's over?" To which I responded "There is no possible way that was 90 minutes."

The second half of class consisted of sitting poses, laying on our stomach, contorting my body in weird ways. I hated every minute of it. Not to mention, the instructors voice was harsh and loud and she talked the entire way through class (and the lights stayed on!) and her voice/talking actually made me MORE anxious about being in the room. I felt claustrophobic and annoyed for the full 90 minutes.

Now, I will admit that I don't handle heat very well, which is why I was nervous going into class. BUT, I thought, if hot yoga is magical and spiritual like other classes I have been to, I will endure the heat and the sweat for the experience and to rid my body of toxins. I truly do think that, should the class have been filled with vinyasa's and downward dogs and chaturanga dandasana's, I would have been able to handle it and would have enjoyed the class.

After a quick shower, which I sweated my way through, Jess losing her $50 blush down the drain in the bathroom (don't ask, it was traumatic), and being asked to pay $8 (when the website boasts that it is a donation based studio), we left. We were both so annoyed with the class- this was NOT what Jess had done in Pittsburgh- that we felt the only way to make it up to ourselves was to go to dinner.

We headed down to the West Village and went to Risotteria on Bleecker Street. Jess and Brian had been there before as they offer a gluten free menu and a $15 bottle of wine special. The wine was a Pinot Noir, which was delicious. I ordered the mozarella, portabello mushroom and truffle oil pizza (you know my love for truffle) and Jess ordered the gluten free mozzarella pizza. Mine was really tasty and there was just enough truffle oil to make me happy.

Despite our not so good experience with hot yoga, the night ended on a good note with good food and wine. Can't go wrong with that.

I think, for now, I'll stick with magic yoga on Wednesday nights and maybe find another studio to visit for hot vinyasa yoga. I can't wait for Wednesday.

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