I did it...

I joined Equinox. I couldn't take it anymore. My new year's resolution of cross-training has been hindered by the crappy classes at NYSC and the long waitlists for my kettlebell classes. And I cannot for the life of me do strength training on my own. So there, I joined. Last night I did a 3 mile run from my apartment to the gym near work, then I did some intervals on the treadmill, then took a Barre Burn class. I used to think these Barre classes were dumb but let me tell you, my hip flexors were on fire. It is so important to have strong hips because that is the cause of many, many running injuries. Strong hips and strong glutes makes for a strong runner.

I used to run every, single day. I am not even joking. I thought that the way to get better at running was to just do it ALL THE TIME...until I got injured, over and over again. I have seen my share of physical therapists in this city and I can give you a list of all my ortho doctors. I've learned that running 4-5 times a week is sufficient and that to become a strong runner you must cross-train, something I have neglected.

Thus, I have justified my membership to Equinox. Let the booty blasting begin. Who wants to come with me? I get guest passes!!

Weekend Update

The weekend is already a blur. Here are some highlights:

We finally saw Cindy's new pad out in Jersey (you know, that piece of land on the other side of the river). There were five of us girls from high school, reunited in Edgewater. Cindy made all this yummy Korean food, including do-it-yourself kimbap. I ate so much and it was all so good. If I could eat Korean food everyday, I would. I would also be  a piece of lard if I did that.

Cindy and Helen with the first batch:

The end result:

During breakfast on Saturday, the girls decided to run a 5k together.  This is GREAT because they are not big runners but have ALL committed to this. I've never run with any of them before so I am very excited because it should be a lot of fun!! The race will be sometime in March. I haven't run a 5k in about ten years but I think these shorter distances will be good for speed training. 

On Sunday I had high hopes of going to a 12 mile group run at 8 a.m. However, I didn't wake up in time because I went to a birthday party Saturday night (I didn't even drink). So instead, I did two easy runs- 6 miles Saturday and about 7 miles on Sunday. My hips are a bit tight today so I'm going to take the day off and go to KBs. I had another cookie for breakfast. This insanity needs to stop...

It's snowing AGAIN...everyone stay warm and run!!

More Cookies...for dinner

I tried to make healthier chocolate chip cookies tonight. I used a recipe from Cooking Light except I only used half the butter and subbed the other half with unsweetened apple sauce. They actually taste pretty good (I had FOUR) but they came out looking like cookie balls. I wonder why they didn't flatten out?! I suppose next time I'll just have to flatten them myself. I made 25 of these balls (recipe called for four dozen).

My workout tonight definitely didn't counter these cookies, which really aren't THAT healthy. I did five miles of intervals. I did this workout, which I will call 1-2-3. It's one min fast, one min recovery, 2 min fast, 2 min recovery and so on. I did 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1 with a warm up and cool down. I had to do this on the treadmill since there is an escaped murderer on the loose in my neighborhood and it was dark out when I got home. I'm going to my friend's house tomorrow night for a girl's slumber party, which means there is going to be a LOT of eating and drinking, which also means I am going to have to literally work my butt off beforehand.

I will continue my search for a healthier cookie recipe that doesn't look like balls!!

KBs and XT

Today there was no running to be done. I've been taking this kettlebell class for almost a year now and it's been my go-to for strength training. It's taught by a martial arts instructor who has a lot of energy and creativity. Don't get me wrong, I love it. However, I have been looking for something extra to do for cross-training...biking?! I need some new ideas...and I need to not pay extra for these new ideas. Sport should be something that is accessible to everyone. No great athlete came from paying Equinox $200 a month. They train outdoors, where nature intended. Great marathoners do not come from taking expensive NYC classes (I am not a great marathoner). They come from running on trails, pavement, track. They cross-train on bicycles, in the water, or use their own body weight. Another reason I need to get out of this expensive city!! 

No pictures today. Just rants. 

Running and Cookies

I was finally able to wake P up after about ten "five more minutes" and "it's below freezing!!" yesterday morning. I took him on an 8 mile run to and across the Manhattan Bridge then back, showing him all the beautiful graffiti that the City can't reach.

We stopped by my favorite bagel store, Bagel Pub, and grabbed bananas and hot chocolate afterward. P looking outside at the suckers who aren't inside, very glad his forced below freezing run is over.

Then we came home and I made a test batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. These were not healthy. I used two sticks of butter and two cups of sugar, making about 40 cookies. I also added pumpkin spice for a kick. I'm going to try a healthier recipe this week, using apple sauce instead of butter and see how they turn out. Stay tuned. P was a good helper and made his own cookie...guess which one is his?

New Gear!!!

I told myself that I would stop shopping...but new running gear doesn't really count because it's a necessity! Plus, new season, new gear. Check out my new online purchases!! Mama needs a new baselayer, jacket, and compression socks :D Now time to put the credit card away, wake up P, and hit the pavement.

Group Run Turned Solo

10 mile group run was a failure. P awoke with a bad back so I decided to just do a solo run. I don't know why this irks me but I hate it when I forget to start my Garmin. I've become too dependent on it. About one mile in my watch goes into power save and I internally scream. So although I ran 8, the Garmin only clocked 7.1. Either way, it wasn't 10. I made it up by doing 10 x 400s. P isn't getting off that easily though...tomorrow's another day. Little does he know what awaits him (until he reads this, that is).

My running partner:

As for tonight I tried to make a healthy-ish beef stew. I used 1 lb beef cubes, browned the meat in 1 tbsp veg oil, and poured two cups of water with 2 cubes of beef bouillon. Then I added parsley, thyme, garlic, and pepper.  Let that simmer for about 1/2 hour. I then added chopped up onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, 2 tsp of corn starch, and simmered for another 45 min. Easy, breezy. Cook up some egg noodles and voila:

We definitely countered any healthiness with lots of alcohol at the bar later on. Good night!

Dinner with P

P is in town! That means he's making dinner for me. Since he knows I won't eat that fatty crap, he made us extra lean turkey meatloaf in a muffin tin! Only 180 calories per meatloaf muffin, he says (probably less). A little about P- he's an avid cyclist, ex-professional triathlete, who knows everything about bicycles, and who also eats pasta every, single day. And I really mean EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Except when he's with me. Tomorrow we're going on a 10 mile group run, whether he likes it or not. This is P and the delicious end result:

Let's Talk Half-Marathons...

It's not only winter but it's also half-marathon training season. I just created a beginner training plan for a non-runner friend who is running her first half - also the Nike Women's Half in D.C. As a disclaimer, I did not pull it out of my head but instead combined a few beginner training plans and tailored it to what I think she can handle.

I've never "trained" for a half-marathon. I've always used them as long runs during marathon training. This year, I've decided that I want to PR any race I run. So that being said, creating my friend's plan inspired me to create my own, incorporating the workouts from the Boston Advanced Half program. I ran the Nike Half course a few weeks ago on my own and it's pretty flat. Thank goodness. Me and hills are not friends. I can't even sprint up stairs without heaving. Anyway, here's my plan:

Winter and a New Year

The winter running season is among us. I personally love winter runs. You don't sweat as much and you want to start running as soon as you're outside because it's just so damn cold. The downside is all the gear you have to put on beforehand. I usually have three layers on top, one on the bottom. My top and bottom layer is usually Pearl Izumi. I like lululemon for base layers because their shirts are long and compress (keeps out the wind). Right now their Run Swiftly top is my fave. It's just so darn expensive.

My a.m. routine usually consists of waking up, checking email, lying in bed for about 10 minutes, then taking another 15 minutes to get dressed and mentally prepare myself. I usually go back and forth about whether I should hit the pavement but once I'm out there, I couldn't be happier.

I need some new races on my calendar for this winter...and more running friends!!! That's one of my resolutions. To make more running friends. Speaking of resolutions...

1. Cross-train more. At least for the first few months of the year. Need to build more muscle to run safe and fast. 
2. Run fast(er), which means more speedwork in my training. 
3. Blog more. It keeps me on track with my training, even if no one is reading but me!