NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K

My alarm went off for the Ted Corbitt 15K at 6:25 AM and I just felt blah. I think that's happened to all of us, when we are supposed to get up for an important event, either for fitness or work or something personal, and we'd rather just ignore the alarm and stay in bed. I had to get up because not only was the Ted Corbitt my last race of 2011, but I also needed it as my ninth New York Road Runners race. Two of my races have been cancelled this year (the Bronx Half and the Poland Spring Kick-off) and I decided to use the credit for those races. I just don't feel right paying for a race, not being able to run it, and then getting a complete race on my record. I pay because I want to run... even when I don't end up wanting to run.

The weather report supported my desire to stay in bed.

I made a peanut butter and honey sandwich on a slice of toast that I struggled to choke down. I ended up saving half to eat during the race. I then skidaddled up to 86th and caught the M86 bus. I am willing to jog to the park OR up to the hundreds, but not both.

I had a lot of trouble deciding what to wear for this race because I had never raced in December. I wore a pair of running tights, the white long-sleeved seamless athletic tee C9 by Champion for Target gave me, a navy/light blue reversible L.L. Bean puffy vest I bought in high school, and a George Bush '88 pin. Obviously I was dressed to win.

Jealous?

This is a photo of the shirt from the Target website. Um yeah. So, I definitely thought it was the compression shirt they also sell because it was pretty snug, (I requested small tops - my bad) but then I saw that the C9 logo is on the wrist and not the waist. That's a detail I particularly liked and noticed while I was running.

It looks so baggy online!

We all lined up and I realized that my red bib put me in the second wave. I could claim I'm getting faster (I'm not), but it's actually because fewer people sign up to run races in cold weather.

My bib inspired my patriotic outfit. Patriotism is always appropriate.

So the gun goes off without much fanfare and we are trundling along, and I'm like, "Eff! It's cold and I am running marathon pace." I was pissed. I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler last April at a 7.35 mile pace. I ran this race (9.3 miles) in 1:17:13 - 8:18 miles. Not cool.

So I run the first loop (4 miles) and I'm questioning if taking up running more regularly has actually hindered my abilities. I'm missing my running partners and a little bored by the whole deal. Like I said, I was just feeling blah. But then I heard drumming and this made me think of the NYC Marathon. I was able to pick up the pace up the hill towards the hundreds. Thank you Mr. Drummer for raising my spirits.

I've gotten pretty used to running with T and the Professor, or at least having them running the same courses as me. I missed them. I had no one to look out for and no pretty Professor's wife to bring me snacks. Instead I was forced to take photos of myself.

Look at those sick shades.

What do you mean there's a whole other loop?!

I made it through the race. I'm not ashamed of my time but I'm also not too psyched about it. My legs hurt and my back was achy, but I wasn't falling in the street or anything. I headed over to the 34 year-old's straight from the race. When I walked in I found the 34 year-old, fully dressed with shoes, asleep on the couch next to a bottle of vodka, with Cookie sitting on his chest. I immediately assumed they had been that way since the night before, promptly put her in her harness, and dragged her around the Upper Eastside for 45 minutes. Yeah, turns out that they hadn't fallen asleep on the couch after walking me home - they had been up at 6 AM going on a walk together and had both been exhausted afterwards. Oops. Sorry sweetheart - I don't mean to assume the worst.

C9's Hooded Soft Shell Jacket

C9 by Champion for Target gave me some awesome gear when I attended their event at Flywheel on December 13th. This hooded soft shell jacket is one of them.

This is a picture of the hooded soft shell jacket from the Target.com website

I worked from home today (hello pajamas!) but needed to put on some real clothing to take Cookie for a walk over to New York Road Runners. Packet pick-up for Saturday races is a killer. It wasn't a problem when I was teaching, but now the 1 - 7 PM window is cramping my work style. I try to wear workout gear when I walk Cookie because she likes to run, but choosing the right hear to stay warm can be tough. One minute I'm sweating while running down the street and the next I'm shivering while she's introducing herself to a new dog. She has fur, but I have C9.

I like the hood.

I wasn't sure what to make of this jacket at first but now I really like it. It's made of a thick material that holds its shape, but it's not too big or boxy. The hood adequately covers my head and stays in place, which is important if you're going to be running, jogging, or chasing after a pit pull puppy in it. When the jacket is completely zippered, it is fastened securely under your neck to keep out the cold. I don't really like things that high up on my neck, but I'd appreciate it in really cold weather. The only things I would change about this jacket are the pockets. They are a convenient, rounded shape located at the midsection but without zippers or snaps, I wouldn't trust leaving valuables in them.

Does anyone know if there's a timer function
for the camera on the iPhone?

I wasn't sure if it was going to be able to keep me warm so I layered a long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirt underneath it. I wasn't chilly and would probably drop a layer if I were running or cycling in it.

Yeah. We let her in my bed.

At $33, this jacket is both attractive and affordable. I think it's more suitable for traveling to and from the gym, but others might enjoying running in it. Get yours here.

C9 by Champion for Target gave me this hooded soft shell jacket. They did not ask for anything in return. All the opinions in this post are mine. It's no secret I like C9 by Champion for Target apparel. 

Clean(er) Eating

You can't out-train a crappy diet. I am proof of this because despite my summer/fall running schedule, my buffalo wing and beer habit forced me to buy bigger jeans. A crappy diet also leaves me feeling crappy. Go figure.

In an effort to return to my former glory (hello visible abs!), I am committing myself to eating cleaner. Conscious decisions and more mindful habits will hopefully get me back into my tiny ass running shorts by March. I also want to be realistic. I'm not going to refuse tasty (and free) food from my friends and family because it does qualify as eating clean.

Today I started off with a piece of Ezekiel 4:9 toast with fresh-grind peanut butter and a little honey. I also had a cup of black coffee. (I like my coffee like my kickboxing instructors: tall, dark, and strong. Cue the cymbal.)

Later on at work I ate a clementine as a snack. I ate a pouch of chunk light tuna with a McIntosh apple and Laughing Cow Light cheese. I frequently eat huge lunches but don't feel satisfied because I scarf them down. Slicing the apple and eating the tuna with a fork forced me to eat more slowly than when I inhale a sandwich. Less food, fewer calories, more satisfied.

After attending the awesome C9 by Champion for Target event at Flywheel, I ate some pineapple and an Archer's Farm strawberry-pomegranate granola bar because I was feeling lightheaded. You should have seen how psyched I got when they were handing these out. They are my favorite flavor. (I am obsessed with all things Target if you haven't figured this out yet.)

LOVE Archer Farms products.

Since I would be staying at the office late to compensate for the two hours I spent at Champion C9 event, I packed dinner. I had left over lasagna my mom made for me. This was definitely not clean because my mother doesn't believe in reduced-fat cheese. I had it with a side of steam-in-the-bag frozen green beans. I think the green beans made up for the calorie-loaded lasagna and that my meal was pretty dang good for me.

I spend way too much time eating at my desk.

Clean eating can get expensive. It can also drive you crazy if you eat with non-clean eaters a lot. Two years ago I would have said to avoid these dishes at all costs, but now I think we have to pick our battles. I also kind of agree with my mom about that reduced-fat cheese thing.

C9 by Champion for Target Flywheel Event

A few weeks ago, Katie from the marketing and public relations firm Missy Farren and Associates, Ltd., contacted me about attending a C9 by Champion for Target event at Flywheel. My post about C9 by Champion for Target shorts had set off a Google alert and she found In Shape Out of Mind and my obsession with all things C9 (except for that one pair of pants.)

the invitation

This event was free to attend (Flywheel spin classes are normally $30) and we all received free C9 by Champion for Target apparel. As my sister says, "What's better than ice cream? FREE ice cream!" I immediately rearranged my work schedule to make sure I could attend the 2 - 4 PM event.

I snuck out left the office and headed over to Flywheel Sports Flatiron. I met Katie at the door and she handed me a big white shopping bag filled with C9 by Champion for Target gear. I felt like it was my birthday. No really. Most of my birthday gifts were C9 by Champion for Target items.

I went to get changed into my new workout gear. I chose a pair of black capri pants and the Cosmo Pink cardio tank with inner bra. I never wear pants to spin class but I have to admit that these worked out pretty well. I didn't feel trapped or overly sweaty. I am a huge fan of C9's cardio tank with inner bra. I wore my blue one during the 18 Mile Tune-Up.

The tank is no longer available but this one is similar.

The Flywheel class was a lot of fun. I've never been there before, but the space was really clean and the staff was really helpful. We spent most of the forty-five minutes spinning, but we did a short arm workout with these bars that are stashed on the sides of the bike. The arm workout was ridiculously hard (maybe because I was already tired?) and you're supposed to continue spinning while you do it. I'm not going to quit Equinox to start going, but I enjoyed incorporating arms into my cardio. Flywheel has these flatscreens called the Torq Board and everyone's bike appears on it. It's supposed to help generate friendly competition. For the record, I won.

A lot of cool bloggers attended including Fit Chick in the City and Bari Lieberman, Editor of Vital Juice New York. One, I was a little starstruck (I spend my lunch break reading Fit Chick in the City and I am obsessed with my Vital Juice e-mails) and two, I felt like a small fish in a big pond. In Shape Out of Mind started as a venue for me to tell my workout stories because no one I knew in real life wanted to listen (and yet many of them seem to read...) and these other bloggers manage to get paid to write. No worries. I was psyched to be there anyway.

Group shot post-workout.

C9 by Champion for Target sent along some messaging they would like to share with you:

Whether it’s the perfect gift for fitness enthusiasts this holiday season or making New Year’s resolutions more affordable, C9 by Champion offers quality activewear for men, women and kids – with every item priced less than $50. C9 by Champion, Target’s exclusive fitness and apparel line, offers options that work for a variety of training needs including basketball shorts, seamless sports bras, Power-Core compression shirts and premium yoga pants. The line’s on-trend colors and bright patterns make getting dressed for a workout fun. In addition to the stylish pieces, C9 by Champion incorporates technical features similar to those found in the high-end fitness brands, such as moisture wicking, ventilation, antimicrobial, and Duo-Dry™ technology, but without the high-end price tag.

C9 by Champion for Target invited me to a free spinning class at Flywheel and gave me some supersweet workout gear. They did not require that I write favorable things about the event or their gear. They didn't even require me to write about it. I love C9 by Champion for Target and I recommend it to my readers, my friends, and strangers I meet in the street. Stay tuned for posts reviewing the individual pieces I received. For a preview, take a look at the photos (from Target) below.

I got this awesome shirt in white.

similar shirt available from Champion

C9 by Champion for Target gave me a red one of these pull-overs.

similar pullover available from from Champion

We all know how much I love these shorts.
If someone wants to buy me this pair for Christmas, I would be very happy.

Champion makes printed and two-tone pairs

I was very fortunate to receive this jacket in pink.

similar jacket sans hood available from Champion

Nathan Weathington's Experiences in Yoga

courtesy of http://nathanweathington.com/

One man's journey into hot yoga may have scarred him for life.

http://nathanweathington.com/stories/the-emperors-banana-hammock/#more-541

Nathan Weathington is responsible for teaching me that SOHCAHTOA is not a lost Native American tribe or an Internet acronym used by squealing middle-school girls. When he's not being tricked into attending yoga classes by his lovely wife, he writes incredibly funny stories.

Sunday Spin

Based on some confusion, my dad appeared at my apartment door last night ready to take me home to Long Island for dinner. Awesome, except for the fact that I already had plans... All it took were the words "chicken artichoke pasta" and I had my baby blankets and spin shoes thrown in an overnight bag faster than you can say, "Fat kid."

We stopped at the new Fairway Market in Douglaston and then enjoyed a tasty homemade dinner. I have goals to fit into my skinny jeans again so I made use of my spin shoes at Michelle Corso's studio cycling class at the Roslyn Equinox this morning. Roslyn was my original Equinox location back when I was a college student home for summer vacation. Many of the same staff are there and I get excited to see them when I return.

I like Michelle's classes but they aren't my favorite. This is the first spin class I have taken with her and I have to admit it was pretty good. The music was upbeat and the intervals were fast and dirty. I like painful bursts of speed opposed to an endurance ride. If I wanted to spend a prolonged amount of time doing something that only sort of hurts, I would run sixteen miles..

Michelle has a tendency to make these sounds that I imagine are supposed to be encouraging/motivating. They resemble the sounds I make once I'm really drunk and getting frisky. It was difficult for me to keep a straight face.

My mother took me to Target to get new jeans and bras because she felt sorry for me and was sick of seeing me wear exceptionally torn jeans. In my defense, those were the only pair I could fit in. While trying on my new Tar-jay jeans, I made my fellow shoppers crack up by loudly announcing that these jeans sure were skinny. It's true. What the hell is up with pants that discriminate against the muscular-legged? 

In case anyone was wondering, my bra size was downgraded. As my mother said, "How are you the only person who gains weight but gets smaller boobs?" Um yeah. I was thinking the same thing.

My parents and I went out to dinner at Molly's Shebeen on 3rd between 22nd and 23rd. The burgers are apparently AMAZING, but I went with the house shrimp with vegetables and rice. We started with calamari and a Caesar salad, which were both delicious. My mother loved the Christmas lights, but was disappointed by how the picture below came out. Screw the lights. I look awesome.

When to Break the Fast

I'm never quite sure when to eat breakfast on the days I work out in the morning. Should I wake up extra early and eat a full breakfast? Should I eat something light? Maybe I should wait until after. How much time will pass between the end of my workout and my arrival at work? Should I eat at home before work? Maybe I should just bring a bar in my pocket and eat it while working out if I get hungry. Is eating bars instead of real food the best idea for my body?

Yeah. It's enough to drive you crazy. I don't normally eat before a run unless I wake up feeling very hungry. Then I go with toast with peanut butter and honey. This is also my go-to breakfast for races these days. I switch up the bread I use and right now I'm using Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain bread.

Maybe I'm always late for my run because I take photos of my food?

T and I ran the 5 mile loop in Central Park this morning. Overall, I ran 8.12 miles.

73rd Street. These lights are up year round.

When I eat a pre-run breakfast, I usually eat my real breakfast once I get to work. Lately that's been thawed frozen peaches with oatmeal, 2% Fage, flaxseed, and crushed pecans.

Do you eat before your morning workouts? What's your go-to breakfast?


And on a completely unrelated note, I am forced to wear my hood on the M79 bus because water is coming through the ceiling.

Phys Ed

First it was the new job. Then it was the new boyfriend. Now it's the new dog. With so many new things in my life, I haven't gotten a schedule down and I get grumpy without a schedule. I realized that I never missed a run when I went in the morning, so I did a little research on the Equinox website and found early morning classes at the location sort of near work.

This morning I went to Phys Ed at 50th and Broadway. I panicked about getting there late and ending up arriving by 6 AM for the 6:30 AM class. In case you were wondering what an Equinox locker room looks like...

Is it any wonder why I don't like to use my bathroom at home?

Since I was the only one there (in the locker room, not the gym), I took the opportunity to take awkward pictures like the creeper that I am.

I'm wearing my too snug Champion C9 for Target shorts
and a Champion C9 for Target top with built-in sports bra.

The class was a lot of fun. Our instructor, Francesca Meccariello, explained that this class is supposed to be like a personal training session but for a group. We did a lot of lunges and push-ups. I liked the dynamic moves we did using weights that reminded me of Omar Sandoval's classes. We also ran drills and did plyo work similar to Training C.A.M.P. If anyone can tell me what happened to that class, I'd greatly appreciate it.

The weight bins (I don't know. I figured you guys needed pictures...)

I really liked the people in this class. Everyone was up early before work and wanted to be there. Definitely a positive and hardworking crowd. Phys Ed is a 45-minute class but Francesca teaches her Abdominals class from 7:15 AM to 7:30 AM.

Phys Ed - 6:30 - 7:15 AM @ 50th & Broadway

Abdominals - 7:15 - 7:30 AM @ 50th & Broadway

Roosevelt Island Run

Our route. The missing parts were when I called
the 34-year old to tell him it was cold and Cookie
should wear her coat during her walk.

The Dylan Murphy's Running Club likes to keep our runs fresh, which is why we often spend an entire week e-mailing potential new routes. The Professor and T planned out a run to Roosevelt Island for bright and early on Saturday morning. We met at 67th and 2nd Avenue and headed off towards the 59th Street Bridge (aka the Queensboro Bridge, aka the Ed Koch 59th Street Bridge... Seriously? Why don't we just keep renaming the thing?)

Running along the bridge is extremely noisy.

We couldn't figure out how to get to the pedestrian path at first and awkwardly kept running back and forth across the median. Finally a police officer yelled directions from his patrol car. Thank you NYPD! The majority of our run was spent on this pathway, which is loud and kind of ugly. The view is pretty cool but only if you're not scared of heights.

We arrived in Long Island City, Queens. Parts of Long Island City are nice. We weren't in the nice part. It reminded us of our days in Hartford, specifically the area near Friendly's Towing. Many a Trinity student has woken up to find out their car has been towed from its illegal parking spot, and have been forced to find someone to navigate the ghetto with them to get it back. Thankfully navigating this ghetto wasn't as difficult and we made it to the Roosevelt Island Bridge pretty easily.

The bridge takes you to a parking garage. Bizarre, I know. We found the staircase and finally made it outside to Roosevelt Island. It was anticlimatic. I asked the Professor and T to share what they had learned about the island during their studies. (They didn't seem to remember much besides a mental institution, a small pox hospital, and a farmhouse.)

The Professor and T approaching the Blackwell Island Lighthouse

Roosevelt Island was once named Blackwell Island (hence the name of the lighthouse) and Welfare Island because a lot of the people who inhabited the island were poor. They keep trying to market this place as somewhere that normal people will want to live, but I think they're failing miserably. I actually have friends from camp who live on Roosevelt Island in the Octagon, home of the former insane asylum.

Learn more about the Blackwell Lighthouse.

We continued on around the island. As we looked across the East River, I commented on how we were so close and yet so far. I don't care if the distance is swimmable (although no one would actually do it because I'm pretty sure you will grow an extra hand if you attempt to get in that water, not to mention you'd probably get run over by a ferry or a garbage boat), you are too far away from Manhattan. Roosevelt Island is such a weird place because technically it's part of Manhattan because it's not an outer borough, but you can't walk off of it directly to the island of Manhattan.

There a bunch of these cool statues in the East River
and there was a plaque explaining them but I didn't read it closely.
If you know what these are, please comment below or e-mail me.

I was pretty tired by the sixth mile of this run. Cookie and I spent all of Friday afternoon and evening together, and that pup wipes me out. No trip to Roosevelt Island would be complete without a stop at the former Smallpox Hospital. Thankfully Roosevelt Island treats its inhabitants well and has a building of toilets readily available. I was downing water because I felt super-dehydrated, but then I had to super-pee.

The remains of the Smallpox Hospital

At this point I was done. I wanted off this island immediately and I wanted food. We decided to take the tram back. Cross "Take Roosevelt Island tram" off the bucket list, because I have been dying to do this forever (and by forever, I mean last Spring when I saw it while sitting in traffic in a taxi on the FDR.)

the tram!

the view of Manhattan from the tram

Oh hello First Avenue!

Upon our arrival, we decided that we needed food and we were not going to Dylan Murphy's. We ended up going to Jackson Hole and it was delicious. And an entire bottle of wine was only $20!

I ordered an East Sider burger as a chaser to a plate of nachos.

The East Sider Burger

Ham AND Bacon

In case you don't feel like eating a burger smothered in cheese and pork products, Jackson Hole makes chicken sandwich versions of their many burgers. You can also order salads, especially if you want to look good for you future spouse.

Sorry sweetheart. You married a fat ass.

Liquid Strength

My high school roommate invited me to go to Liquid Strength with her on Thursday at the 63rd & Lex Equinox. My first question was if I needed to bring my bathing suit. HB said no, and that I also didn't need my sneakers. I was intrigued.

Liquid Strength is Story VonHolzhausen's trademarked fusion fitness class. Story created it by identifying the moves that really work from her extensive knowledge of fitness disciplines. This class has won "the Best of NY" as the best new fusion class because it delivers results. It really targets your glutes. You don't wear shoes because your heel is connected to your butt muscles. I'm not kidding. Every exercise we did was so much more intense because we modified our stance so that our heels were staying in contact with the floor. We used light and medium/heavy weights for most of the exercises. None of these moves were radically new to me, but the tweak in form completely changed the workout. It was effing hard! Once you take a look at Story, any doubts you may have about following her form go out the window.

We also did a lot of work on the purple gliding disks. We ran on them, did push-ups on them, and we even did something that looked a lot like middle-aged white people trying to break dance on them. (Oh wait, that's basically what we were. HB and I may be twenty-five, but we've been acting like forty year-olds since we were fifteen.)

I wish someone had been there to snap a picture of HB and I doing this ridiculous looking move where we had to basically Carl Winslow dance with 2 lbs weights. Unfortunately no one was there to do this, so you'll have to settle with this picture. When we were fifteen, we went to stay at a friend's house one weekend. Her mom busted us drinking and made us all go for a 3 mile run. So yes. I have been running hungover for ten years.

I didn't feel like contacting these people about using their likeness this morning.
I covered their faces with black squares instead.

You know what's really creepy? When you literally just finish placing a black square on someone's face and they Gchat you out of the blue. Here's a very special welcome to my newest reader whose messy bun and Patagonia can be seen on the far left of this photo.

In other news, this PR girl who has Target as a client reached out to me about a future spinning event. Apparently she enjoyed my post about Champion C9 for Target shorts - and let's be honest - who wouldn't? Not one, but two pictures of me running marathons in my sassy, bright-colored C9 shorts? She also enjoyed this picture that I sent along.

This is my desk drawer at work. It is filled with Champion C9 for Target gear.
I only file the essentials.