Knowing Science Stuff is Neat

This morning I woke up and decided it wasn't a good day for me to go to CrossFit. I was sore from yesterday's Strongman training and I burned my finger cooking last night. Heavy hang cleans were probably not going to help me feel better. I'm trying to remember that exercise is fun and that I enjoy it and no one makes me go to the gym, and I can take a day off when I want. I got a little restless by noon and decided to go for an easy run on the Beltline.

I Did EVERYTHING This Weekend

I accomplished so much this weekend. After having my ass kicked at Friday's WOD, I powered through a work day that was defined by excessive amounts of coffee and a stupid federal website being down. Fighting with that thing was a true delight. I went out for drinks at the Lawrence, made the poor decision to try multiple selections off of their cocktail menu, and then finished up the night at The Highlander with my neighbors. Saying I was overserved is probably putting it lightly.

I ordered one of these as a road soda on Friday. It was pretty tasty.

Dogs and Diet

I mean nothing to them if the boyfriend is over.

Poor Frank is on a diet. I increased the amount of kibble he ate when he went to daycare on a regular basis and neglected to reduce his food now that he spends more time at home with Daisy Mae. I love my chunky monkey, but I don't want him to hurt his back or joints so he's getting less kibble. But don't feel too bad for him. He is getting treats more often to reinforce good behavior, and I've been using my work breaks to play fetch and chase with both of my little couch terrorists.

Daisy Mae has proven herself to be a badass CrossFit dog. She barks cheers for anyone who passes her and was able to drag a 54# kettlebell a few inches in an effort to get more attention.

Fun Little Saturday

I was a fantastic girlfriend on Saturday morning and woke up early to follow the boyfriend to Nissan so he didn't have to sadly sit in the waiting room all day while his car got serviced. After I creepily sneaked up behind him to give him a kiss, we went to Walmart and bought everything. I am now the proud owner of leopard print flipflops and a new 8 inch skillet. And I found a replacement for the Fitbit Flex band I really liked to wear last summer. Target sells it in a pack of 3 with 2 other not so great bands, so I never bothered to buy a new set, but Walmart has it as a single item. Hopefully I don't develop an allergy to this brand too.

We made our way to Brookhaven for brunch at J. Christopher's, and then walked over to a farmers market for fresh strawberries and kombucha because we are turning into the people I hate. The strawberries were fantastic. I ate them all on Sunday when I was hungover.

The best part of the trip was a visit to Big Peach Running Co. I've been telling the boyfriend he should get himself some new running shoes for a while. Old running shoes make running feel like crap, and I know I'm always more excited to run when I like my sneakers. He got gait-tested and picked out two sweet pair of kicks - some Nikes with a palm tree print and a pair of Asics. I treated us both to a new pair of Balega Hidden Comfort socks because those things are like running on clouds.

February 2016 Goals

I didn't realize how accomplished my friend Trevor was until I attended his funeral. I knew he was brilliant because it was nearly impossible to speak with him and not notice his intelligence, wit, and kindness. I knew he had a job he was passionate about and that he was also attending school. I knew he was a good student because I had friends attend high school with him. I knew he was a great friend because he put up with my shenanigans and checked in on me regularly. I had no idea what he was really up to. He excelled at his job and changed people's lives as a mental health professional. He was a straight A student (honestly not surprised but very proud.) He made the internet laugh and mentored a bunch of people and made time for the literally hundreds of people who considered him a best friend. He also had an awesome girlfriend who lives in LA, which meant time zones and travel. As I sat at the service and I listened to family and friends describe Trevor, I was struck by the impact he had on so many people in such a short time. I would do anything to have more time with him, but he lived his life in a way that somehow quadrupled time. His "free time" activities included beautiful art and creating hysterical videos. My free time activities include panicking on the couch about something I have to do in 3 weeks. Trevor is my motivation for 2016 and all of my goals. I want to make him proud. His life was cut tragically short and I feel compelled to step up my own to honor him. So here's my February check in.

Life and Wellness goals: I had my first Veritas Prep GMAT class last night. Oh my goodness am I behind in math. Like sooooo far behind in math. I have a lot of studying to do and I am going to take it seriously. I have three hours of arithmetic review tonight. If you are any good at algebra, please send words of encouragement!

I've been trying to sleep more but I am experiencing something that feels a lot like exhaustion. The past month has been really rough. It's no secret that I have problems with insomnia. Lately I've been falling asleep immediately and pretty much anywhere. I've passed out on my boyfriend within the first 5 minutes of about 8 movies. I find myself falling asleep on phone calls. I'm going to start taking a multi-vitamin more regularly and avoiding early AM workouts whenever possible. I'll go to a doctor if I don't see an improvement soon.

Last week I skipped Pure Barre to have brunch with my new friend Myra. Most people shouldn't skip workouts. I was proud of myself for putting life into perspective and spending some quality time with someone I really like. I consider this living in the moment.

Pure Barre goal: I took class 5 times in February. I decided to adjust my goal from 10 classes a month to 120 classes in 2016 because some months are challenge months. I'm at 21/120. March's challenge is 20 classes in 31 days. I think I'm going to aim for this challenge because I already ripped my hands in the Open and need to heal this mits up. More Pure Barre means less stress on the hands for the foreseeable future.

CrossFit goal: 22/200 WODs. I went to CrossFit 14 times in February. I dropped in at CrossFit and Fearless in Austin, Texas and loved it. Talk about a welcoming community!

Mileage: The Garmin's official count is 4.9 miles. The boyfriend and I decided to run to brunch on Saturday and I lost satellite reception. The round trip was about 2 miles but we walked some of it, so I'm okay with the official total.

Half Marathon Training and Strava

Yesterday I started my half marathon training plan. I have attempted to train for a few races, but if I am being entirely honest, I haven't actually followed a plan since the 2011 NYC Marathon. So I pulled up the Runner's World Smart Coach app, filled in my race information and my time from the 2014 Area 13.1, and now I have a sweet little plan with minimal mileage that should prepare me for my 1/2 in June.

For the next few weeks, I am supposed to run 2 miles at 10 minute mile pace three times a week. Usually I would look at that and scoff at the lack of a workout and then I wouldn't even bother. But this time I am committed to actually training. Clearly I'm not going to be satisfied with a 2 mile run so I have decided to do these as warm-ups before CrossFit. We have a nice little loop around CrossFit Identity and I ran that three times before the WOD. I ran it a little faster than 10 minute mile pace because I just wanted to get my legs moving.

I recently signed myself up for Strava because I want something new to track my data. I used to use Running Ahead but that website isn't keeping up with Garmin connect changes. Annoying, but it's a new year so I'm okay with switching to a new platform. My only complaint so far is that I can't add existing mileage to my sneakers, which I can do on Running Ahead. Those red Brooks Adrenalines have like 2 plus 280 more miles on them.



Strava seems pretty easy to use. I connected my Garmin Forerunner 305 to Garmin Connect and synced my Garmin Connect to Strava. The Forerunner 305 is a pretty old model so it doesn't sync wirelessly, meaning that I have to connect it to my laptop to add any new runs to Garmin Connect/Strava.

The coolest thing I've noticed about Strava so far are these segments. Apparently there's something called the Floataway Quarter Mile (there's an office community called Floatway right near my box) and Strava automatically gave me some stats on my performance.

Throwback Thursday: Rite of Passage for NYC Runners

I found this draft from April 2012. I went running in Central Park with the Professor. We were running the east side of the loop up from Columbus Circle when someone's obnoxious and poorly behaved child ran out in the road and a horse carriage moved to get out of the way and then a cyclist cut into the running lane and another cyclist cut in around him. That cyclist proceeded to ride his bike right up my leg and over my body. He ended up crying, the Professor threatened him, the cyclist's friend tried to say something about peace, love, and happiness, and I was laughing on the ground saying that they all needed to shut the fuck up.

On Saturday I, as many NYC runners before me, was hit by a cyclist while running the Central Park loop. Straight up run over. Before you start crying, I'm fine.

I came home Saturday morning (I slept over the new boyfriend's place and went to bed at a very reasonable 11PM - I am so lame now) and ate a bagel while watching tv. The Professor asked to move our run up by a few hours, which was fine until I realized I hid my Garmin while I was drunkenly cleaning and I still don't know where it is. How I managed to lose something in my studio apartment is beyond me. Then I couldn't find my other Balega sock and was forced to wear regular socks for a long run. Eff.

I told myself that these were not bad omens and to suck it up. I ran to our meeting point and was super excited to see Mrs. Professor ready to run outside.

That boyfriend and I broke up soon after this when he started ignoring me. Then I woke up next to a coworker after the big gala and insisted that the sort of ex-boyfriend come and collect the things he left at my apartment. I found my Garmin in my gym bag. I still use it today.

Sunday Run

Frank and I flew back to Atlanta yesterday and got home a little before 2 PM. It was good to be back home and we spent some quality time on the couch. I knew I wasn't going to hit my step goal by lying on the couch and was facing a $10 fee for my Pact app if I didn't get moving, so I went for a quick run on the Beltline at 6 PM. The nice thing about living this far west is that the sun still sets at 7 PM this late into the fall.

Atlanta, I love you.

Intervals on the Active Oval

I woke up on Sunday and couldn't lift my arm. If it didn't hurt so badly, I would have thought I was paralyzed. It turns out that I did something to my rotator cuff when I reached behind my driver's seat looking for my pocketbook the day before. Yup, I have injured myself through my own laziness because I wouldn't get out of the car to look for my purse. I blame my passengers for forcing my pocketbook to relocate to the backseat floor in the first place.

On Monday I woke up in excruciating pain. I managed to dress myself and get to CVS for Icy Hot patches and Advil. I really wanted to make it to CrossFit that evening because the WOD was everything I like: clean and jerks, cleans, shoulder to overheads, doubleunders, wallballs (eh maybe not wallballs), but my arm just didn't feel right. I decided to get over to the Active Oval and complete the interval run from my half marathon training plan that I have been putting off for weeks.

I ran from my apartment to the Active Oval and that conveniently took care of my 1 mile warm up. Then I ran fast for 30 seconds and recovered for 60 seconds sixteen times. I'll be honest, some of those 1 minute recovery jogs were more like stumbling around like a drunk walks. Most of my 30 second runs were at 7:09 or 6:15 pace. Once was an outlier at 8:20 but that was when the timer went off in the middle of me chugging water from my almost empty bottle. It was pitiful looking. Georgia is hot.

Sunday Funday: Hiking with the Parents

The first rule of taking your parents anywhere is making sure they are dressed appropriately and otherwise prepared. Try as I may to get them covered in bug spray and wearing suitable footwear, they chose to disregard my warnings.

Garmin, seltzer, Keen hiking sandals

Casual Post-Work Half

Thursday evening I decided to go for a long run. Yes, I know it was 98 degrees in NYC that day and the low was a whopping 81 degrees. I stocked up on margarita Shot Bloks, which have three times the salt to ward off muscle cramps, Body Glide, and water and headed off to Central Park. 

I went with my Reebok shorts, a Brooks tank, Balega socks, and my red Adrenaline 11s.

Looking skinny if I do say so myself.

I ran the big loop counterclockwise to start. I wanted to pay attention to when I ate my chews and decided that the first mile from my apartment to the park didn't "count" and I would have the first chew at mile 4, which was mile 3 of the park. This made a lot of sense to me at the time because the first mile was my warm up and then two loops are twelve miles and then this would equal a half marathon. In hindsight, I should've brought both packs of Shot Bloks and eaten both of them and screwed this rationing thing. It was hot, my legs felt crampy, and part of me was like, "WTF were you thinking?" The other part was thrilled to be out running.

I made it through the first loop without much ado. I was tired and extremely sweaty, but I felt solid. I turned around to run the second loop clockwise. When I stopped to refill my water bottle for the second time, an ambulance was parked near the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir. The guy inside looked very close in age to me and he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. The heat is no joke and you need to take care of yourself. I patted myself on the pack for taking precautions like drinking extra water and eating fancy salty sports chews.

I survived 13.1 miles and headed out of the park. By that time, I really had to go to the bathroom so I decided to walk home and not jiggle anything around. But then I also thought it would be a good idea to stop by 7-Eleven and get some cold water and a Green Machine juice. La-dee-da. Walked on home and things were great.

Looking super cute on my walk home.

But then things weren't so great. I started shivering and my stomach was in knots. I walked into my apartment and headed on into the shower. By the time I got out, I was dry heaving. And then there wasn't anything dry about it. Throwing up for 6 hours is not fun.

Staying up until 4 AM because you are throwing up in also not fun.

Leaving work the next day to take a nap and then throwing up your lunch at 8 PM at night is not fun either. This heat has to stop because NY is not intended to have Texas weather. We'd all have central air if it did.

In all seriousness, heat exhaustion is very dangerous and this whole experience was horribly uncomfortable. Make sure you stay hydrated and don't push yourself too hard.

National Running Day

National Running Day is June 5th this year. Since I haven't been so great about running on National Running Day in previous years, I was adamant about running on this very special day in 2013.

And then this happened.

Guess who dragged her still drunk ass out of bed to go running and was out pounding the pavement by 5:38 AM? The drunk girl below making (what she thinks are) sexy faces at herself in the mirror.

Please take a moment to acknowledge how a diet of
Adderall chased by Ritalin has been really paying off.

I also found it appropriate to photograph my bruise. I think it might be time to reconsider spanking now that it's bikini season.

So I'm having the time of my life running over to Central Park and I see an apartment building where I used to wake up a lot. At least I think it's the apartment building I used to wake up in. I thought you all needed to know this so I took a photo.

For the second time ever, I beat T to the park! So I sat on a bench, checked in on foursquare, and took awkward selfies.

It's a little under 1.5 miles from my place to the park and then T and I ran the smaller loop which Garmin tells me is 5.6 miles. I headed over to Juice Generation for a Peanut Butter Split on the way back so I didn't really run much as I was busy enjoying a delicious breakfast treat. The beauty of running 7 miles in the morning is that you can pretty much sweat out all the alcohol and then feel awesome for a full day of work.

And I hope you appreciate that I wrote this post EXACTLY the way my drunk self intended.

Morning Run with T

After more than a week of taking it easy, I was itchy to get out and run. Yesterday I asked T if she'd be up for a 6 AM run in the park and because she's awesome, she said she was game.

I stayed up a little later than I wanted to because I had to see the Rangers school the Caps in a 5-0 shutout in Game 7. I'm not sure if I've ever shared my love of hockey on this blog, but it's my favorite sport to watch. And like many women, I want to have Lundqvist's babies. When my alarm went off at 5:30, I was surprisingly well-rested and got out of bed at 5:35.

It was really cold this morning. I wore pants and a long-sleeved tech shirt and I was still pretty chilled on my way to the park. This man, however, didn't seem phased by the frigid temperatures.

Our run was casual but not easy for me. My left knee feels a bit wonky, my right ankle is acting up, and my right hip feels a little geriatric. I feel pretty good though and I'm glad I managed 8.62 miles without collapsing on Cat Hill. The being said, I skipped Cat Hill the second time around and exited the park at 72nd.

My average pace was 9:35 but only because of my speedy first mile. I left my running keys (a specific set that only has the two keys I really need and no fobs, chains, or extras) with my super recently and I was concerned that my other set was going to leave me locked out of my apartment. The 3 minutes I spent testing  my door over and over made me a little late so I picked up the pace to meet T. I wish I had given myself enough time to get there on the front end and used that energy for the hills.

East River Runs

Lately I've been returning to my old familiar running route, the East River Esplanade. I leave the apartment, run towards the river, and then run up towards 125th and back. I like to make the run a solid 5 miles so sometimes this requires me stopping the Garmin and walking home or actually running a little extra. It really depends on what kind of creepers are lurking at 125th near the fence and how early I decide to turn around to avoid them.

Wednesday's run was a get outside and clear my mind run. Wednesday was less than stellar and I needed to get out of my head. Look at that first mile - 6:48 minutes. Booyah.

Last Thursday I did pretty much the same run, but I was focused on increasing my turnover. I found that I was able to run more quickly without feeling like I was running any harder. These years of long distances have changed what I consider fast or moderate, so it was nice to know I could still move reasonably well. I am a moron and hit lap instead of pause, which is why the fifth mile is only 0.97 miles and the 6th lap is 0.03 miles.

I've been wearing shorts and a pullover for my evening runs. No undershirt required.

This is in the shop next to my office.

You're welcome.

More Morning Miles

I was working from home again this morning and decided to get a run in before I headed into the office for the afternoon. I like this schedule because it allows me to get everything that demands my immediate attention done first thing in the morning and then I get some me time. I arrive at work to tackle projects or attend meetings and I am able to stay as late as necessary because I've already gotten my workout and shower in, which alleviates a lot of the anxiety I give myself about scheduling my day.

This has become my favorite running outfit lately. I got a pair of Matty M  leggings in grey (super cute) and I wear it with my Under Armour pullover. For a short run I wear Old Navy socks and I've been putting mileage on my Brooks Ghosts to mix it up a bit.

I knew it was colder today than yesterday, but I didn't realize how cold. I was giddily thinking how great it is when Spring begins to creep in because I no longer have to wear gloves. I even thought about writing a post about how great it is to run without gloves. Then I got out there without gloves and my fingertips froze and I was in pain and then I got mad at myself. Thankfully they started to warm up about a mile in.

I saw two NYC Parks Patrol Officers, a policeman, and a photographer staring out at the water. Who knows what was going on but apparently it was fascinating. I saw nothing and they ignored me when I casually asked what was up.

My stupid Garmin took forever to catch today so I actually ran about 1/2 a mile more than the thing claims.

Morning Mileage

After reading about Sarah from Once Upon a Lime try to become a morning runner, I remembered that I used to like to get up early and run before work. I hit snooze multiple times this morning but I was dressed and ready to run by 8 8:15. My Garmin was being an asshole but the walking I did trying to get the satellites to catch gave me a chance to wake up.

I decided that I didn't want to wear my running pouch but I needed a place to stash my keys. My running partner/neighbor (who moved back to San Francisco without telling me!) used to tie his keys into his laces. I am psychotic about things moving and bothering me while I am running so I've always been hesitant to do this, but I managed to get the keys secured in there. I took the lace out of the left loop, strung my keys onto it, wedged the keys under 3 other laces, restrung the lace, and then tied everything tightly over the keys. I also have a separate set of keys I use for running that only have the two keys I need to get into my building and nothing else.

Good morning New York!

I was moving pretty slowly - Garmin says an average of 9:11 minute miles. It was nice just to get out there and enjoy the sunshine.

Don't I look happy?

I didn't even run the whole way back. Once I hit 4 miles, I stopped the clock and walked the rest of the way home, which is probably about a quarter of a mile.

It's sunny out but it's not warm. I wore a pair of ADIDAS capris that I usually wear for spinning. Not ideal running pants because they kept sliding off my ass. Does anyone have any good recommendations that are not lululemon? Ideally, I am looking for bermuda length shorts.

Expensive Stuff That's Worth It

Douglas: Related question: what expensive workout apparel (or gadgets) are really worth it and make a huge difference?

The items that are worth it are the items that you are going to use.

If you're into running, buy a Garmin. It is hands down one of my favorite things in the entire world. Many people swear by the Forerunner 410, but I love my discontinued Forerunner 305. I recommend purchasing the Forerunner 310XT because, like the 305, you can also use it for biking. It's the much sicker version that syncs your data wirelessly and can be used when swimming.

Forerunner 410

Forerunner 310XT

If I leave my Garmin at home or go for an impromptu run, I use the Garmin Fit app. It kills your phone battery and I've managed to accidentally pause it multiple times, but if you're used to using Nike+ to track your runs, this is a superior app.

A good running jacket is essential because it's miserable to run in a jacket that is too bulky and not ventilated. I wear the Brooks Silver Bullet.

Never skimp on your running shoes. You should be properly fitted at a running store where they can analyze your gait. At most places this is free.

If you're not into spinning regularly, don't waste your money on spin shoes. However, if you go at least once a week, they're a great investment because they really change the workout.

Tech materials have really changed my life, but you don't need the expensive brands. The Frank Shorter line offered at National Running Center is much more affordable that lululemon or Sugoi, but I've heard its just as good.

I generally try to follow the rule that if I am going to use it all the time, then I want the best that I can afford. If it's something I'll use only a few times a year, then it's not a priority for me and I will try to do without.

That being said, my dream in life is to wear head-to-toe lululemon and go to back-to-back SoulCycle classes like all of the women on the Upper Eastside who leave their children with nannies and congregate on 83rd Street.