Random rest day musings

In no particular order, well maybe chronological order, here some of my random rest day musings… (by the way, this is what happens when you’re off from work on a Friday, a rest day, and the weather is not very nice out so you can’t go to the pool)

–I love all things New Jersey. People hate on NJ all the time, but I grew up here, went to college here, and live here! So I was clearly excited when my teammate, Julio spotted this shirt after practice one day.

#runhoboken

#runhoboken

–Another reason to love New Jersey. Sure the view from Pier 13 is not of NJ, but only in NJ can you get such an incredible view and good food from a food truck. My latest food truck favorite is a stuffed potato from Hunger Construction.

need I say more?

need I say more?

–I hate hills. I am pretty sure I never, ever liked hills. Please remind me again why I am running the NYC Marathon again, a marathon full of hills! My teammates will also tell you that sprinting up hills is no fun.

the look after finishing a hill sprint workout

the look after finishing a hill sprint workout

 

–Finally a third reason why New Jersey is awesome. Instead of finding rats or raccoons like you do on runs in Central Park, I found a crab! I almost stepped on him (I decided it’s a him, like Sebastian from The Little Mermaid) but so glad I didn’t.

Sebastian, the crab

Sebastian, the crab

–My first of two 18-milers in prep for the Chicago Marathon is now complete. 1 full 6-mile loop of Central Park, two 5-mile loops, and an extra 2 miles and poof I was done. It wasn’t exactly poof but many, many hills later, I was done. Though I have a 20-miler on tap for Sunday, wish me luck!

I was glowing a little too much after the first 6 miles...

I was glowing a little too much after the first 6 miles…

–We had a team run followed by a social last night at Terrior on the Porch on the High Line. I am in love with People’s Pops. I need to go back to try every flavor. And as you may be wondering if I love Manhattan and the answer is yes, I love Manhattan as much as I love New Jersey (notice I am careful to name the borough, not the whole state!) 😉

Blackberry Peach with Coconut Cream!

Blackberry Peach with Coconut Cream!

–I have a water bottle obsession. It’s the only way I stay hydrated during the day. With some the recent studies about BPA-free bottles, I went on another splurge for two different bottles. Thanks to this review, we ended up with the number 1 rated bottle overall – Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel bottle and the number 1 rated glass bottle – Lifefactory 22-ounce glass bottle. Now we just need to replace all of our plastic ones.

The obsession

The obsession

–Josh and I were challenged to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I dumped some water and ice on my head (sorry the video is too big to post, you’ll have to watch it on my Facebook page) and Josh is donating to ALS. Despite the criticism of the challenge, I like how it is raising awareness for a cause that people may not know a lot about. That is exactly what I am trying to do with Alzheimer’s. I had a great week in fundraising; I am now only $40 away from hitting my minimum goal. A big shout out will go to the person who gets me over my goal! Hurry!

The team trying to form a "Z" for ALZ

The team trying to form a “Z” for ALZ

Almost time to head to the Yankee game!

What is everyone’s weekend before Labor Day weekend plans? Have a great one!

 

What happens when you don’t run all the time

Aside from the weeks while we were traveling, I can’t remember the last time I had a full week of recovery to myself! I better enjoy it because marathon training is right around the corner. It’s amazing how many things you can get done when you don’t spend every free waking moment running or doing some sort of cross training.

–Sunday: brunch and yogurt with friends in addition spending a lot of time refreshing this blog. Well, by spending a lot of time I meant Josh spent a lot of time helping me get the new and improved (hopefully you think it’s improved) cindyruns.com up and running.

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Sunday at Pier 13 (yup, that’s Manhattan in the background)

–Monday: normal swim lesson but where I would normally turn down ice cream at 4PM, I didn’t and I paid for it when I felt gross during the lesson. I couldn’t say no, it was a work celebration…

–Tuesday: eye doctor visit take 3! My eyes didn’t improve much more since my second visit; it still stayed at around 90% even though I spent an extra week putting on the ointment and in glasses. However, I was cleared to wear contacts again but will need to use lubricant eye drops/gel morning and night. Of course a trip into NYC (for the appointment) wouldn’t be complete without some shopping. I am happy to report that I have new sandals from J.Crew and clothes from Madewell. The bigger shopping issue lies in that I ordered some sale items from Gap and Piperlime over the weekend and my next Stitch Fix order will be coming this week. Hmmm, I wonder how much stuff I’ll actually end up keeping.

–Wednesday: finally, I run! My shake out run was the last informal group run (before marathon training) with my Alzheimer’s teammates. It was also the first run in a long time where I did not wear a hat or visor. I am testing if I can handle running with just a headband and all my sweat. I think I did okay, this might actually stick. We ran the 5-mile loop in Central Park and I really enjoyed chatting with my new teammates.

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–Thursday: impromptu date night with Josh! Well, not completely impromptu, I was supposed to have dinner with one of my friends but she was sick so alternatively I planned date night at our favorite sushi restaurant. It’s nice when you don’t have to rush home from work, workout, and then eat dinner at 9 or 10PM at night. Also, I received my latest Stitch Fix (review to come) and all of my Gap and Piperlime packages today. There will be a lot of decisions made this weekend on what I will actually end up keeping.

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This doesn’t even include all the Gap items

–Friday: I had grand plans to run 3 or even 6 miles but when I left work, all that went out the window. I decided a mani/pedi was much better use of my time! Then we picked up Thai food and made Josh’s famous dark ‘n’ stormys, coincidentally similar to the actual weather outside right now.

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Notice the new nail polish!

Starting tomorrow morning though, I will get back on the bandwagon starting with hopefully a short run, depending on how early I get up followed by a barre class (which I am already signed up for so I have no excuse).

Wish me luck for a productive and workout filled Memorial Day weekend!

What are your plans for the long weekend?