Category Archives: eat

Sunday Snaps #9 – Last week in Connecticut

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Well, today caps off the end of our six month stint of living in Connecticut. The movers are in our apartment as we speak packing, we picked up our keys to the new place yesterday and tomorrow will be our first official day back in Hoboken.

I kicked off the week with lunch with my running friend, Maria. I had the day off and she works just 15 minutes from our apartment, so we had one last lunch hurrah (we had one in November before I started working) in CT. Tuesday and Wednesday were my last two days of work and then we spent the last couple of days preparing for the move.

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My coworkers spoiled me to lunch at BAR on Wednesday. I had so many slices of pizza I lost count. This delicious mashed potato and bacon pizza is worth a try if you’re ever in New Haven!

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It took me leaving the company to finally get them to take me to New Haven pizza. We’ve been talking about this since I joined and all the hype is worth it! The pizza is not round like New York-style pies and the crust is not thick like Chicago deep dish. The crust is chewy (which I like) but I think it’s less cheesy than New York-style. Anyway, I’m no pizza connoisseur so you’ll have to try for yourself.

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We even capped it off with incredible ice cream from Arethusa Farm Dairy. I chose the Coconut and Dark Chocolate Chunk flavor after sampling a couple of others and it was delicious. There was real coconut flakes in the ice cream! I really don’t know how I managed the self-control to only eat a couple of scoops and saved the rest for Josh.

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And then there were presents! Everyone was incredibly thoughtful and gifted me and the baby some wonderful treats.

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With all this eating, I managed to make it to the gym four times this week – twice on the elliptical, twice on the treadmill and light strength training. I will really miss this spacious gym with windows.

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And here we are to today, the movers are working at rapid speed. In the last three moves we did, we had the movers pack us and I have to say it is worth every penny. The cost is not much more in comparison and to not have to worry about having enough boxes, tape, or bubble wrap and paper is totally worth it. While we may be generally organized in everyday life, we are procrastinating cheapskates when it comes to packing, so we’re the ones at midnight the day before the move scrounging the garbage rooms looking for newspaper and boxes. While the movers may occasionally take you literally when packing (i.e. when we lived in our tiny 1-bedroom in NYC, we had shoes by the kitchen since it was right in the entry way, the movers threw shoes in with our pots and pans!), it is worth the extra money and slight surprise when unpacking to not be fighting into the wee hours of the night and approach moving day with as relaxed of a mindset as possible. How else would I be able to be blogging now?!

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And with that we’re saying goodbye to this view. See you back in New Jersey!

Pointers for successful races during pregnancy

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Last weekend, I ran my 4th timed race of the pregnancy – the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K. While I ran this race two other times before, this year’s experience was much different from previous years.

As each week progresses in the pregnancy, my speed decreases. I am very careful and always monitoring my heart rate and feel and as soon as I feel like anything is too strenuous I pull back. While I ran three other races prior to this one, all of those experiences are very different as they were earlier in the pregnancy.

While I am not a doctor (and be sure to consult with your doctor before engaging in any activity during pregnancy), I compiled some helpful pointers to make any race experience during pregnancy more successful:

img_4618—Do not focus on time. This is not the time to set a new PR but rather a time to enjoy the run.

—Eat a fairly sized breakfast about 2 hours before the run regardless of distance. I used to eat a much smaller breakfast before races but now I am very careful to make sure I eat something more substantial.

—Carry fuel with you even if it is a short race. For this 5K, I carried a Honey Stinger Chocolate Waffle with me just in case I got hungry before, during, or after the race.

—Don’t be afraid to grab water at the water stations even if it is within the first mile of a 5K. Staying hydrated is much more important!

—Do not start the race in your normal or assigned corral (based on previous times). I took my time getting to the start line of this race. It was very crowded and I was not afraid to start in one of the very last corrals. I did not want to feel the pressure of others going faster than me and I also didn’t want to be a bottleneck for those who were running faster than I was.

img_4617—Dress more warmly than usual. Depending on the weather on race day, dress more warmly than you would used to pre-pregnancy. While your body temperature is more elevated during pregnancy, you will be running slower and as a result out on the course longer. It’s important to be prepared for the elements and worst case is you can shed layers.

—Do not be afraid to walk or stop. There is no shame in walking or stopping EVER, before, during, or after pregnancy! It’s an accomplishment to be out there.

—Meet up with friends. If you have other friends running the race, meet up with them before and/or after the race. It’s a great way to make the race feel more social but they’re also amazing cheerleaders!

—Make sure emergency contact information is on you at all times. Whether you write emergency contact information on the back of your bib, wear a Road ID, or carry ID and phone with you, it is important to have at least one or two of these handy in case something were to happen. I have a Road ID on my shoe and always my phone and ID on me during all races.

—Enjoy the experience. This course was hilly and in the past, I cursed every hill and did not appreciate the scenery. This year, I slowly trucked up the hills and enjoyed the hillier parts by The Cloisters and Fort Tyron Park.

There will always be good days and bad ones but I am very thankful for the days that I am able to get out there and exercise. Be proud of your accomplishments and even if the distance and time is much shorter and slower than you expect, your body, mind, and baby will thank you for just getting out there!