Seen in Pittsburgh

Now that we’re back from the weekend, we can talk about where we went. Josh and I made quick trip to Pittsburgh for a surprise birthday party for his aunt.

IMG_2648As seen on our way to Pittsburgh, it looks like LGA is getting the upgrade. The last time we flew out of there was to Chicago and the terminal looked like it was falling apart. Terminal C for Delta is quite the scene. You can order food from an iPad on your table and even put in what flight you’re on so they can plan accordingly. We didn’t end up doing this since they took away breakfast while we were browsing and we didn’t prefer the lunch options. It did look like the breakfast was pretty good and if you were ready to spend $20 per person, then this would be a decent choice.

IMG_2649Now, in Pittsburgh, well technically Monroeville to be exact, I saw this sign at the ice cream sundae station at Max & Erma’s. “Unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten.” Now had the sign said puppy, I would have found a way to claim unattended children.

IMG_2650I ran on the treadmill with Josh’s parents two straight days! It was because of them that I ran 5 more miles than I wanted to on Saturday. I felt pretty bad for the first 60 minutes of my long run (was supposed to be 12 miles) and was ready to stop but when they came in, I was motivated enough to run another 5 to finish up with 11 miles. They’re not my best 11 miles, but I’m glad I got them in.

IMG_2653After an afternoon of errands that avoided the birthday girl, we were ready for the party. It’s surprising but I do own non-running clothes and I don’t always wear my hair in a ponytail.

IMG_2655The next morning, I was feeling so inspired by all the United NYC Half Marathon runners that I ran a fartlek on the treadmill while obsessively refreshing the race app (I had some very VIP runners that I needed to track!). I don’t typically do a speed workout the day after a long run but since my legs felt pretty fresh after the bad long run, I was looking for something speedier to focus on form and heart rate. On the race front, it was a great day in NYC, all of my VIP friends ran great races and some with amazing PRs. Even though I wasn’t live cheering, I was anxious and excited for everyone.

IMG_2654And then there were high winds in NYC which caused cancellations and delays into the NYC-area airports (luckily that didn’t seem to affect too many of the half runners). Fortunately for us, our flight was just delayed and we made it home in time for our FreshDirect delivery. However, when delayed at the Pittsburgh airport, it is important to treat yourself. And in our case, we had some Pinkberry. When we’re at home, we’re loyal to 16 Handles due to their location but I think I am a bigger Pinkberry fan. I have absolutely no self-control so it works out better for me when someone else has to scoop me my toppings.

And that about sums up our weekend.

How was your weekend? Did you do any running?

Friday Favorites – #1

A couple of years ago when I was going through a rough patch at work and came home every night complaining, Josh suggested I start a journal to jot down all the positives in my day. A very bitter person back then, I laughed at the idea. That is until I discovered distance running and blogging.

Image from: Paige at http://thecreativepaige.com/

Image from: Paige at http://thecreativepaige.com/

This has been a very interesting week – for one, it’s a 6-day work week, I had a couple of days where I fell off the training wagon, and I am hoping to tackle my first 20-miler of this training cycle this weekend. All of this got me thinking that I want to start a new routine – Friday Favorites – where I will share with you my favorites from the week. I’m going to aim to share at least five things, but hey if I have more things that make me excited, I’m going to share more. I hope you will enjoy going on this weekly journey with me!

Keeping this in mind...

Keeping this in mind…

Closure. There has been some things in limbo and I am so glad to finally have some closure. I’m not a very patient person so you can imagine my pain. Cryptic, right? Why share when you won’t share all of it? I know, I stink, but trust me I will share one day when I can and that it is all good.

Local Barre. This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about Local Barre but I really love the classes and instructors there. So far this week, I’ve been able to take two classes, HIIT the Barre and Open Barre with two of my favorite instructors. I love how clean the facility is, the classes are organized, the instructors are creative and they really care about your form. I always leave feeling like I had a great all around workout and when I add a run before class, I get a great stretch that I am not as diligent about doing.

My attempt at being creative

My attempt at being creative

Snow. Okay, I hate this winter. I grew up in the Northeast but I feel like I get wimpier each year. However, even though the snow this week has derailed more than one workout, it is quite pretty to look at and take pictures of. Yesterday’s snow storm was fluffy and the lightest snow we’ve had all winter, so it was quite fun to walk through. I also like how the snow changes up my work hours and routine. It makes the 6-day work week easier to bear.

Treadmill. I’m lucky that I can trudge downstairs in my shorts and t-shirt to the gym in my building. It really makes sticking with a training plan much easier in this weather.

Love these :)

Love these 🙂

Brooks PureProject Seamless Ombre Capri. I haven’t gotten on the patterned tights bandwagon yet but these Brooks capris will have to do for now. I love how they are seamless, have a wide waistband, and the pattern on them are pretty (yes, I just called a pair of running pants pretty). I love them so much I have both colors. Now, I’m rooting for more snow, so I can work from home in my workout clothes all day (okay, don’t hate me for saying that!).

AgeUK fundraising. As most of you know, I’m running the 2015 London Marathon with the AgeUK team. I was a little worried about fundraising but am excited to report that I received two donations this week already! Thank you Maria and Stacy! I love London and AgeUK is a great cause so I hope you will consider supporting.

Post-race - official picture of the beginning of the pact

Post-race – official picture of the beginning of the pact

Running with family. This past Sunday, my cousin, Norman ran his first NYRR race, the Washington Heights 5K. We formed a pact on my birthday a couple of years ago that if he ran a marathon, I would bike a century. Clearly, I had one too many drinks that night. Norman is starting to live up to his end of the deal and considering running this year’s NYC Marathon. Oh man, I’m in trouble. I don’t even own a bike!

And that’s it for the first week of Friday Favorites. Happy weekend everyone!

Now it’s your turn. Tell me what you’re excited about!