Tomatoes and Real Life

Disclaimer: I am not going to talk about running in this post outside of this paragraph. I am taking this week off from running to give my body a break, and I am thinking happy, healthy thoughts. So on to real life things!

Last weekend (I know it’s almost already a new weekend, but it was a good weekend and I have lots of fun photos of it so just go with it), I went home for my cousin’s wedding reception. As I was packing and getting ready to hit the road Friday evening, I noticed something that made me jump for joy.

You are so little and green and cute.

My tomato plant is actually growing tomatoes!!!!

I’ve begun to think I am cursed with a “black” thumb. Keith gave me an aloe plant for Christmas, which died within about two weeks. And my dad gave me a flower plot, which almost grew, but never produced any flowers.

So when I got a tomato plant earlier this summer, I made it my mission to turn my black thumb green. I urge them every day to grow faster so I can eat them.

We headed to beautiful New Jersey, and enjoyed all the amenities that going home brings.

Grass! Trees! Clean air!

Yummy Treats!

Saturday was spent going to J.Crew to get my fill on outlet store prices, followed by a lobster lunch that I did not partake in. I just can’t handle eating something that was crawling in my parents sink a moment before. So I ate a hot dog instead.

Papa Wyman is too cute.

As we were getting ready for the wedding reception, I was trying to convince myself that I could in fact make it look like I had just been to the hair salon. But after one beer and many bobby pins, camera-ready I was not.

I brought in my personal hair wiz, Kelly, to see if she could do what I was picturing in my head. In about 30 seconds, she put a gorgeous braid in my hair and tied it back into a bun. I went from hot mess to bunhead in an instant.

Hair Stylist Extraordinaire.

The wedding reception was at Triumph Brewery in New Hope, PA – perfect for a bunch of Irish folks like us. We drank yummy beers, caught up with some cousins, and threw in a couple dance moves when the mood was right. There also may or may not have been a Taco Bell pit stop on the way home…

I woke up on Sunday morning to the smell of bacon cooking. Since I won’t be home on my actual birthday, we had a mini early celebration. Birthday brunches are a serious business in the Wyman house, so I requested my favorite selection of mimosas, bacon, pancakes, and omelets.

Note the birthday tablecloth!

It was a relaxing break from the city heat, and I got plenty of face time with my awesome fam.

This evening, I’m off to my beloved Boston for the weekend! I will probably still have the same big smile on my face when I get home Sunday night.

Summer Streets!

Today’s Workout: 4 Miles, Easy

Health Check: I've been feeling pretty tired on on "rest" days, so I've been taking full advantage of my couch on those days. Must mean I am working hard during my runs!

After this weekend’s heat, I am READY for the fall. Bring on the sweaters and booties please.

But until then, I’m trying to make the best of the heat. I’m trying to use a glass-half-full-attitude to convince myself that runs will be much easier come the fall, not to mention how grateful I am that I do not live an inch closer to the equator.

I had a relatively short long-run on the schedule this past weekend, and had Keith to accompany me on the trek (YAY). The weather report for our run? 8:57AM Saturday morning: 82 degrees. Yikes.

We headed into queens, starting our run chatty and energized. There were lots of runners and bikers already out, perhaps also trying to beat the heat, and by the time we got to the Queensboro Bridge, I was feeling nice and warmed up.

Cue the low point of the run - the slowww incline up the Bridge, where there is no shade and apparently no wind. Conversation subsided, and we took our time getting into Manhattan.

Keith and I made it to Park Ave, where pedestrians were in full force, and our endorphins kicked in.  We made it to Summer Streets!!!

We jogged several blocks and started picking off people we wanted to run past. That seemed to be working for Keith but I could only keep it up for about two blocks. Damn my slow-twitch fibers.

My favorite part of Summer Streets by far is Grand Central. You get to run through the cool tunnels that are often only seen from the inside of a cab. It makes you feel like Will Smith in “I Am Legend.” (Not that I’ve seen that movie or anything…)

This reference is a little obsucre, I admit.

The last few miles went by fast. There was a shirtless dude that was about 50 ft in front of us, and Keith and I made it our goal to pass him. So we picked up the pace and it was mission accomplished. Thus explaining the fast split at the end of a hot, hot run.

I was very impressed with Keith’s performance, since he’s more of a gym-goer than a runner. I was even more impressed with the amount of sweat we both produced. It was not a pretty sight.

During the last mile, I was seriously looking forward to the breakfast spot we were going to check out after the run. It was a cute little diner on 1^st Ave called the Ritz (not to be confused with the hotel chain. Absolutely no relation).

This fun run made me realize a few things about training:

Change is good.

I always run the same routes in Brooklyn – for anything under 10 miles (mostly weekday runs), I find it hard to change it up. But I’m going to make it a priority to try new running paths during my long runs, because Saturday’s run was awesome, and this city is worth exploring!

Mind over matter.

Keith usually doesn’t run over 3 miles when he hits the pavement. Yet on Saturday, he was able to finish 7, on a hilly and hot route with a smile on his face. I want to keep this in mind for difficult runs in the future (ahem, two 20-milers on the training plan sjflskjdfldskj). It’s a good reminder that working on mental techniques is just as important as the physical component. No matter the weather or the mileage, I can do it!

This week I will be starting to get into higher mileages, and I want to make sure I do all my runs, and at the required paces. I've been changing my plan around a bit because of my knee, and I want to get back on track. Begin Week 4 of Marathon Training!!!

5 Races in 5 Weekends and the 3-Borough Run

After what felt like a really long week (no California vacations included), I was excited to lay low last Friday night. I pranced around in my apartment in my new Groove Shorts from lululemon, ordered thai food to “carbo-load” and watched Edward Scissorhands for the first time. So nice to see Johnny Depp in a movie where he isn’t acting like his Keith-Richards-alter-ego. 

I fell asleep nice and early in preparation of my long run Saturday morning, and hit the pavement at a sober 9:15AM. My plan was to run into Manhattan and meet Jillian in Central Park (yay!). I left sleepy Brooklyn, ran at a comfortable pace over the Queensboro Bridge, and found Manhattan to be buzzing with activity. I was feeling pretty good, and was pumped to run around the reservoir for the first time.

Is it Summer Streets yet? No?

Jillian and I met up at Columbus Circle, and caught up on everything from running her first marathon to my awesome SF trip. And we found the elusive reservoir I’ve heard so much about.

After a 5.5 loop, we were on a mission to find a diner to consume all the calories we just burned. Cue EJ’s Luncheonette and their greasy, delicious food.

I ended up clocking in just under ten miles, and despite the fact that my quads were a little fatigued and I ran through three boroughs before noon, I was surprised at how good I felt. It could have also been all of the eggs, home fries, bacon and the bagel with cream cheese I ate at EJ's that made me feel so good.

Like a well-behaved Brooklynite, I spent the rest of the afternoon day drinking. It was warm, and I was thirsty.

Unrelated to my day drinking binge.
I just thought this was cool.

It finally hit me today that I will be running five races over the next five weekends. That is a lot of bib pinning. Check back in 35 days to see if I’m still psyched about this whole 9+1 Program.

I’ll stop whining and list something I AM psyched about relating to my aggressive race schedule  – these AWESOME shirts that Lauren made for the Broad Street Run on May 6^th!

On the subject of races that sell out quickly, this year was the first time I didn’t go to Marathon Monday in Boston. I celebrated in spirit, but secretly wished I was filling up on jungle juice and Coors Light on Beacon Street.

Marathon Monday 2010
My shirt says "Run. Drink. Nap."
College.

Today I did just over seven miles in what is surely the warmest day Brooklyn has seen since last year. I was a little excited to sport my new Groove Shorts, so I complimented them with a bright orange tank… and a bright yellow headband… and a bright green sports bra.

Don't worry, this sweaty photo is post-run.

I went out a bit fast and hit the first mile at 8:40. My average pace was a hair under 9:00 overall, but I can’t tell you what my splits look like because I don’t know. I just know what my pink timex tells me, and it does not access satellites, calculate my heart rate or understand any commands other than start and stop.

I felt like I was going pretty fast, so I was a bit disappointed that my accurate and expensive watch didn’t represent pace closer to HMGP (did I just make up this acronym?). But before I started beating myself up, I tried to reason that I did run over the Williamsburg Bridge that has a b**** of a hill (that I love), and it was really, really humid.

Little did I know that the BEST post-run treat was awaiting me at Keith’s apartment. I dropped in to say a sweaty hello, and he offered me an ice-cold Gatorade, a frozen thin mint, and a loaded pita bread pizza that I just had to pop in the oven when I got home. I love him for so many reasons.