Epicurious Runner

Double Run Brunch Weekend

This weekend consisted of running and eating, and that’s about it. I ran the Al Gordon Classic 4 mile race in Prospect Park on Saturday, it was my friend, Megan’s very first race and she killed it out there. I’m so proud of her! She’s already signed up for a 10k in April

I woke up at 5:30 am on Saturday morning to run a 4 mile race, seems crazy, right? Well, traveling from Queens to Brooklyn is ridiculously tedious and it takes an hour train ride, but luckily we got there around 7:30 and had some time to check our bags, find Leticia and head into the corrals. I decided to to run this race sans Garmin, which I never do, so I figured why not try it out on a 4 mile race.

The race flew by! I pushed myself and missed a PR by 13 seconds. Oh well, it was a great race anyway and the best part was the delicious brunch we had after. It was a long, cold walk to Tom’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, but it was well worth it. The food was delicious and pretty damn cheap.

Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and beef sausage

It was fun catching up with Amy, Carla, Leticia, Jenny, and Rebecca!

The rest of Saturday consisted of a nap, buying a new wireless router, and going out with my good friend,s Nick and Em to try some new Empire beers at Sunswick to kick off NYC beer week.

Due to a later start, I got 9 1/2 glorious hours of sleep going into Sunday. I met up with Carla at the Williamsburg Bridge at 10:30 so we could run long together. We intentionally picked a hilly ass route and I was really feeling it at the end. I was pretty happy with it, even though there were some really low moments. I did 16 miles and averaged a 9:43 pace.

Carla peaced out after 10 miles and those last 6 miles were filled with doubt, my pace slowed down a bunch, but I pushed through as much as I could. I did not want to give up. I’m trying to work on running my long runs a tiny bit faster than normal, but also still having some energy left at the end for maybe a few MGP miles.

Brunch on Sunday was more like lunch, since I didn’t get back from my run until 1:45, but I met up with my friends Em, and Megan and we went to Queens Comfort. Unfortunately we had to wait like 45 minutes to get seated and my stomach was ready to eat itself before I even got there. It was torture.

I downed 2 cups of their strong, dark coffee and demolished this Thick Cut Brioche Custard French Toast with Cinnamon Sugar Butter, and Maple Syrup. It was perfect. Except for that big glob of excess butter that came with it.

It’s also time to retire my current pair of running shoes. I’m onto a new pair of the same brand and model; Mizuno Wave Rider 15s, but this time I got another yellow pair.

Nice and bright!

Since my husband works night shift, I’ve been cooking dinner for one and most nights I make some sort of egg scramble, they are so quick and easy. Last night’s included 3 eggs, brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and then it was topped with sriracha sauce and avocado.

French Fries? What are those?

I had a pretty good weekend, it was busy, yet relaxing at the same time. My good friend, Dave is making a short film and this was his last weekend of shooting, so I was at his place all weekend  helping out with makeup and craft services (food for the crew).

Bongo met another Bongo this weekend and they instantly became best friends. They were sad to say goodbye once the weekend was over. Big Bongo was headed back to Boston.

I was able to squeeze in my 12 miler on Sunday morning with Kristin. I’m so glad I had her to run with, otherwise I would’ve just retreated to the treadmill. I needed to get the run done early and stay as local as possible, so we started at 8:30 and ran around Astoria. The sidewalks weren’t terrible, but we definitely had to take it slow and walk during several icy patches. I did the 12 miles in a little over 2 hours and managed about a 10:15 pace. Slower than normal, but necessary since it was snowy and icy out there. It was a great run and I was happy to be back outside.

I don’t really feel like I’m in the midst of marathon training yet. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that I have several other races coming up that I actually want to ‘race’. Also, I haven’t hit the super long runs, but that’s only a matter of a couple weeks, so this feeling will subside shortly.

This weekend, I have 14 miles on the schedule. Unfortunately the temperature for Saturday is a high of 30 degrees, but Friday is a high of 44! I wish it was going to stay warmer into the weekend, but no such luck.

Lent 2013 begins on Wednesday, February 13 and ends on Saturday, March 30.

Not that I ever follow the tradition or even care much about it, but I’ve decided that I’m going to give up fried foods for the duration of lent. I’m just using it as an excuse to try and be a little healthier. I haven’t been eating the best and I really want to make the effort to get my body into great shape. I’ve got the running down, but I know eating better overall and adding in a strength training routine will help shape up my body and mind, not only to look and feel better, but to run a faster marathon.

Yum!

I feel like I eat french fries with everything, so it’s time to lay off of those for a while. That’s probably the only fried thing I really eat, so I’m just going to try and forget that they even exist. It sounds easier than it’s actually going to be.

You plan on giving anything up for Lent? Did you run outside in the snow over the weekend?

Central Park 10 Mile Birthday Race

I had a fantastic birthday weekend! Saturday was filled with lounging and then heading out to a nice dinner with friends at Thymari over here in Astoria.

Derek and I went there a few weeks ago and loved it, so I figured it was a great choice for my birthday dinner. I got the Vegetarian Moussaka and it was amazing! I definitely made the right choice, it was tasty and full of delicious cheese. We also loaded up on appetizers and cocktails and I even had a ‘Marathon’ beer!

Sunday morning was the Central Park 10 miler put on by NYC Runs. I was so happy when they announced this race, since I was really hoping to be able to race on my birthday. I signed up immediately and was hoping to be in the same marathon shape come my birthday, but that didn’t happen. It’ s okay though, I figured I would use this race to see where I was at physically and mentally.

I met up with my friend Jeremy and his girlfriend Kat, before heading to the starting line, which was nice and empty (compared to NYRR races). My plan was to test out 8:45 min/miles, but I just couldn’t seem to get in that groove. I was either going way too fast or too slow. Even so, after about 3 or 4 miles, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to hang onto that pace for the whole race and it was about this time that I ran into Meggie! I caught up to her and ended up running the whole rest of the race with her. It definitely made the miles fly by, so thanks Meggie for keeping me distracted and running strong.

Erica Sara was out there taking pictures, so thanks to her for some of these great shots!

This was right before the finish, where a huge group of our friends starting singing happy birthday to me as I ran by! You guys are the best and really know how to make a girl feel special!

Finished in 1:31:54

Average pace of 9:11

After the race, a few of us went to brunch to stuff our faces and booze it up on bottomless drinks. I only had 2, but that was more than enough because I left very happy and ready to celebrate the rest of the day. Thanks to Leticia for organizing a fun birthday brunch, it was awesome!

Derek and I then headed to Target to pick up a few things with our gift cards we got for Christmas, including a new set of weights. Then we headed to our friends house to watch the Patriots game. Happy they won! I’m not a hardcore fan, but, Derek definitely is. The game led into the Golden Globes, so we stayed and watched those too, since we don’t have cable.

It was a nice and relaxing birthday! I usually go out and drink too much every birthday, and this year I just did not feel like doing that. I wanted to feel good and not wake up feeling like crap, I did enough binge drinking in December anyway.

And, like I said I would, I did my first set of Strength Training for the week tonight! I used the weights that I bought at Target and  I’m happy to say that they weren’t too heavy and they felt right. If you are looking for free weights, they are on sale at Target right now, it was great timing for me.

Did you do your first set of strength training for the week? I know I’m not the only one out there who would celebrate their birthday by running a race, which races have you done on your birthday?

Run Until Finish Line

Time is quickly ticking away and we are down to the wire, people! 1 week until I am running one of the biggest marathons in the world! Ahhhh!

So, I am feeling much, much better, since my last crazy post! The taper crazies were happening, for sure. My weird neck pain went away and I finally feel like a normal human being. So what does my normal human being self do? Make Marathon To Do Lists of course.

We had a few friends over the other night and Nick, one of my friends jokingly added something to my list; “Run until finish line“. I laughed and thought, how appropriate! But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important that one task is. It’s so easy to get caught up in the extra things around marathon training. I know it’s important to feel prepared, but isn’t running a marathon about running and about crossing that finish line feeling proud?

None of these things on my list are really necessary. The only necessary ‘to-do’ is already done. I’ve trained my heart out and the hay is in the barn (I love this saying). Now it’s time to run one of the best races of my life, whether I meet my goal or not, it’s freaking New York City! So that’s what I plan on focusing on; running until the finish line!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still going to cross off all of these tasks one by one, because they will for sure help my brain feel a lot better come Race Day.

I got so much done yesterday! I don’t know where all my energy came from, but it was nice to get it all out of the way, since I am now just sitting in sweatpants watching 30 Rock all day. I started off my day by heading to the Salvation Army to pick up some throwaway clothes. I bought these sweat pants that say ‘Plattsburgh State’, I don’t even know where that is, and yes I am wearing them today. They have been washed and they are quite comfy. Might as well get my $4 out of them!

Then I went to Michael’s and picked up some sparkly pink letters and a cotton shirt that is the same color as the shirt I am wearing for the race. I am planning on ironing my name onto a cotton shirt and then cutting it out and pinning it onto my real shirt. Make sense? This was a set up, just getting it ready!

I also went to Rite Aid to try and find some marathon nail polish. I was originally thinking I would do some kind of orange and blue thing, since those are the marathon colors, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I found this fun sparkly red color and I instantly fell in love. The color is called Red Velvet and I’ve already painted my nails. Hopefully just a touch up before the race will do.

After all of my errands, I came home, ran 8 miles at an average 9:48 pace, did laundry, and went grocery shopping! I was done everything before 8pm! I made this delicious dinner of angel hair pasta with vodka sauce, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.

I ended my night by watching a cheesy horror movie on Netflix!

Today has been about relaxing, hydrating and eating lots of good food. I was planning on going to the Museum of the Moving Image tonight to see Poltergeist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but because of Hurricane Sandy, they are closing early and the screenings are canceled. Sad.

No work for me tomorrow (and probably a lot of NYC) due to the subways and public transportation shutting down, so it’s a 3 day weekend! Stay safe everyone!

Who Wears Short Shorts!

This is going to be a mishmash of things, I have so many little random things to talk about, so lets get to it.

1. I ran an AWESOME 22 miles last weekend! I ran almost the whole perimeter of Manhattan. I saw lots of things and places that I don’t see often, it was quite the adventurous run. I even got caught in several downpours and hid in a bathroom for 10 minutes while one of them passed. I was soaked from rain and sweat once I finally got home. I clocked in overall at a 9:58 pace, which I am happy with, especially since the weather was not ideal.

2. I wore some super short shorts. I bought these Oiselle Stride Shorts before HTC and I was a little self-conscious in them and I only wore them once. I wore them under my Team Sparkle skirt at HTC and since then I’ve forgotten about them. I am basically out of clean clothes and found myself considering them tonight for my run. I put them on and was surprised with how good they felt. I don’t have skinny legs by any means, and I’ve always been self-conscious of my thighs, but I figured I would give these another shot.

Husband: “Jeez, why don’t you put some pants on?”

Me: “Oh my god, do my shorts look bad?”

Husband: “You look like you’re naked”

My husband did not approve of my short shorts, which only increased my self-consciousness as I went outside to run. Well, what happens when you are uncomfortable in your clothes? You run fast! I was supposed to run a slow 5 miles, but I ended up running faster than my 5 mile Tempo run this morning. Oops. By the time I was done, I felt better, but maybe that’s because it was dark out, haha. Either way, I love the shorts now and I will continue to wear them!

Awkward picture, but they don’t look so bad, right?

3. I can’t stop eating bagels. Seriously. My freezer is stocked with them and I should probably stop eating them like I’m running a marathon every day. I should cut myself off. Maybe.

4. I have a bunch of races coming up! Tomorrow I am running the 4 mile race in Central Park. I have 10 miles on my schedule, don’t you just love cutback weeks? So I will be running 6 before the race. My friend Em is running this as her very first race. She is training for the Philly Half in November, which I will also be running! So here’s what’s coming up:

Sept. 15: Fitness Games 4 Mile Race

Sept 22: 5th Avenue Mile

This will be my first 1 mile race, I don’t think I’ve ever even done a 1 mile time trial, so I am excited to see what I’ve got. My ambitious goal is sub 7!

Sept: 23: 18 Mile Tune Up

This will be treated like another training run, where I will be adding 2 miles to make it 20 for the day. I am hoping to finish the 18 around 2:55 if the weather is cool.

Sept 30: Vermont 50

I am running the relay with Lauren and Emily. This came about during our last day in Seattle when Lauren and Emily were discussing the Vermont 50 and I think Lauren suggested running it as a relay, but they weren’t sure who would run in the 3rd spot. I overheard them and thought hm, maybe I could run? I offered up myself, even though I am nowhere near as fast as they are, but they didn’t seem to mind one bit! I am really looking forward to this weekend! It’s going to be filled with VT Cheese, lots of BEER and lots of awesome trail running! Also, what makes it even better is that the husband is coming too! Stoked.

Oct 7th: Staten Island Half

This is a rather hilly race, but I am planning on racing this! Who knows if I will break any kind of record I have, but I am planning on pushing myself to the fullest extent and giving this course all I’ve got.

5. The NYC Marathon is in 7 weeks! This is crazy. It’s so close and I am happy to say that I am feeling more and more ready as time goes on. But, with that, I am also feeling more and more nervous and I’m pretty sure I’m going to puke at the starting line. So there’s that. Jocelyn said she would be there to hold my hair back I am bib #45xxx in the 3rd Wave on the Orange side. Anyone else there?

I leave you with this picture I took on my run last night! The RFK bridge looking over onto Manhattan. I should run at night more often!

Running, Eating, & A Giveaway!

I’ve had a great weekend!

First up, I ran 6 miles late Saturday morning and it was fantastic! I was only planning on running 3 or 4, but decided to keep going since I was feeling wonderful. I finished 6 miles in 56 minutes.

Derek and I had a fun little date on Saturday where we ventured all the way over to Astor Bake Shop to try their incredible veggie burger. It was our first time there and it totally lived up to our expectations. The veggie burger was nothing short of incredible and the place was very cute and quiet, I definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the area.

Derek got the veggie burger and I got the soft boiled egg and salmon sandwich and this Sea Salt Lemonade.

And of course, we finished off with some delicious apple pie that was made with shredded apple slices. AMAZING.

From there, we headed over to the old beer garden in Astoria, drank a few beers and headed back to our apartment before setting off to hang out with our friend who was in from England. I didn’t get to bed until 1:30am and slept in until 10:30, which felt amazing. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately, so it was nice to have a solid 9 hours of sleep.

I then ventured out for a run with Kristin that was supposed to be 8 miles and ended up turning into a 9.25 mile run! Yep, it was another great run where I felt super strong and I definitely could’ve kept running. My pre-marathon training is starting to be where it’s supposed to be and I am happy to have run 19 miles this week. It seems low and it is, but for only running 3 times this week, it’s pretty good.

I received a box of Shower Pill wipes probably a month or two ago and I have been going through them quickly! They are pretty awesome and I admit, I definitely don’t shower after working out as much as I should. I know, I know, but I kind of hate taking 2 showers in one day, especially if I’m not going out anywhere after.

Anyway, these wipes area life saver and they are very convenient when you workout after work and don’t feel like (or can’t) shower before going out somewhere else. They are nice and thick and big enough to cover your whole body. They don’t leave you sticky and I WOULD NOT compare them to baby wipes because of this fact.

I know it’s not much time, but until June 22nd, you can receive 10% off on a box from Amazon by entering the code “RAGNARCH” at the checkout.

If you don’t feel like buying a box, you’re in luck because they are offering up a free box to giveaway to one of you lucky readers!

If you would like to win a box of Shower Pill wipes, all you have to do is follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook and let me know in the comments what you did.

Good luck, I hope you win so you don’t smell bad!

13 Miles to Spanish Food

Ugh! I just wrote this post and it got deleted by Ecto, my blogging software. So here goes again…

It’s been an intense week! Work is suddenly busy, I have a lot of side projects going on, Derek’s birthday was on Thursday and I’ve had an unexpected good week of running.

I met up with Jocelyn, Katie, Laura, Carla, and Alanna yesterday for a 14 mile run. We started on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge and headed toward Prospect Park. We ran the first half of the Brooklyn half course and finished the rest of the miles inside the park.

Salchipapa and Chicken Pio

Maduras

Race Recap: Cherry Tree 10 Miler

I am trying to make a conscious effort this year to make sure I write a recap for every single race I run, so with that said, I’m sorry this is late, but it’s still going up even though the race was almost 2 weeks ago.

I went to bed super late the night before. I had my book club meeting and then stayed up late watching Blue Valentine with said book club friends. Since the race was in Brooklyn, I conveniently stayed over my friend Jamie’s house the night before, which saved me from a lot of hassle trying to get from Queens to Brooklyn on the weekend.

I woke up before my alarm even went off! The race started at 10am, which seemed so late compared to the usual race start of 8am. I had so much time especially since I was already in Brooklyn.

Also, can I just say, I had no idea how beautiful Prospect Park is! I’ve been here a handful of times, but I’ve never actually explored and even in the “winter” the lake is nice to look at.

I finished with a shiny new PR!!! I was pumped to say the least. Two PR’s in a row? Yes, please! Let’s go ahead and make it 3 at the Rock N Roll DC Half.

The course came up a bit short according to my Garmin. But, here are my official results and splits:

Time: 1:29:03 (PR-ed by over 2 minutes!)

Distance: 9.96 miles

Average Pace: 8:55

1. 8:54

2. 8:59

3. 8:51

4. 8:31

5. 8:58

6. 9:08

7. 8:36

8. 9:00

9. 9:35

10 (or .96). 8:27

After the race, I left with a huge smile and headed to brunch with my friends Dave and Jamie. Jamie brought us to this place called Bar Tano in Park Slope. We ordered these homemade chips and man, were they good! They came with this mustard-y dipping sauce and they were just perfect.

The Best Cookie On Earth

I think I have just about found THE BEST COOKIE on the planet!

So, maybe a month ago now, whenever the NYC Chocolate Show was is when I first discovered these oh so tasty and perfect cookies. Yeah I know I said I was going to write about the show and I’m sorry, I’m a bad blogger, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, the cookies! So they are from this place called The Salt of The Earth Bakery. I tried a sample at the chocolate show and instantly fell in love. I absolutely needed to buy some and I immediately regretted not having more cash on me. I only had 5 bucks left! Luckily enough, that was enough to score 2 of them!

It was hard to share, but I did give one to Derek and he swooned over them just as much as I did. I’ve been reading Run, Eat, Repeat and she has recently set out on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie. Well, here it is Monica!

Anyway, lets cut to the chase. Derek and I recently discovered that Salt of the Earth products are sold at Newsbar, which is like 1 block away from my work! Derek bought us these 2 brownies, but didn’t have any luck with the cookies.

Kona Brownie

“Chocolate loves coffee. So we married them. Our intense chocolate brownie combined with aromatic espresso beans make the perfect pairing to any decent cup of coffee, full bodied red wines or even a great cigar.”

Caramel Brownie or The OMG

“Chocolate loves…OMG. There’s no other way to describe it. Take a bite and try not to say it. It will weaken your knees. It will introduce a new degree of decadence to your palate.”

But, guess what? My lovely friend Jamie tried to ask about the cookies today and they were there! I went in and spotted the very last 2! I waited patiently in line and before I knew it, I saw somebody slowly tearing my heart out and running away with one of the cookies! Nooooooooo.

I was able to at least buy 1 and now Derek and I have to split it and only get a small taste. We were so excited when we realized they were there, Derek said he felt like a junky and we were about to buy crack.

These cookies are crack.

We just consumed all 3 treats tonight, we split them and savored each bite, mmmm everything was delicious! They have the perfect amount of salt on them and it goes so well with the chocolate and the rest of the cookie, it seriously could not be any better.

Salt of the Earth, I am in love and I NEED MORE! Please send me some of your delicious cookies!

Also, check out their Facebook page, you might find it a little more fun than their main site.

A Sunswick Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We were really sad not to see our family, but we had to be responsible and take care of our cat who we love very much. Instead of cooking a huge feast for only 2 people, we opted to go right downstairs to our 2nd home, Sunswick.

Sunswick was serving up a 3 course Thanksgiving dinner for only $19.95! It was probably the cheapest and best meal in the city! If you can’t read the menu, here is what they served.

The first course was a choice of Butternut squash soup or a salad. Derek and I both chose the soup and WOW. It was GOOD! I was extremely impressed with how much flavor it had. It almost tasted like turkey. Derek isn’t a huge fan of squash so he was a little hesitant, but he was blown away as well. Very good! I wish they had this on their menu all the time.

The main course came with turkey, pot roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce and gravy! I couldn’t believe how much food they gave you! And it was all amazingly good! I can’t even express in words how delicious and homecooked this tasted. Just like everything else at Sunswick, this was made by their chef and all prepared fresh. A solid substitute to my mom and dad’s fantastic Thanksgiving meal that I sadly missed.

And for dessert…Fresh Roasted Pumpkin Cheesecake! They have an in-house pastry chef that makes all of their desserts and this is one of their best! Served with a side of candied walnuts. Mmm, so freakin good! My only complaint was there wasn’t more!

We got to Sunswick around 4:45 and stayed until 10:30! We drank lots of beer and a glass of complimentary hot apple cider, which I sadly forgot to take a picture of. Bongo, of course made a new friend! This is Drunk Eddie, a cousin of Curious George. He just wears the shirt for promotional purposes (according to Derek).

In case you haven’t heard, Bongo now has his own official Twitter feed! @BongoMachongo