Ten days ago I was thinking I'd have July off.
I pictured myself visiting Paris's sites and monuments with few tourists, dining at restaurants I'd been wanting to try, walking aimlessly through the city streets, and, of course, figuring out what I want to do with my life. I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of not having a job, but my three-month contract had come to an end and I'd been told it could not be extended. I was upset, felt like a failure, worried I hadn't done a good enough job, and cried. I felt my feelings, let them go, and figured I'd figure it out - it would all be OK. This was the right thing.
And in the meantime I'd have the chance to reflect, soul search, and enjoy the calm of a tourist-free Paris. I'd even booked a holiday to the beach in July, thinking it'd be ideal to escape the city and enjoy the ocean. All this, before possibly moving back to the US at the end of July or beginning of August, as I speculated in my previous post.
You know what they say about the best laid plans, though...
On Friday, my boss put a call on the diary, but her schedule got so busy that we didn't connect until Monday. She had found some projects for me to work on, and could I stay on into July if I hadn't accepted any other offers? Of course I told her I could, except for the dates I'm going away, and on July 15 (after my mini-break to the coast and France's Bastille Day holiday) I will work for another month with this team.
[Side note: You know what's funny? I haven't actually met any of my team members in person - except for my boss, whom I met at my last interview back in October, and another member I ran into on the street when I recognized his voice from the countless Zoom calls we've had. For me, it's been a bit strange and unsettling to work with people I've never met - though freelancers and WFH-ers have been doing this since...forever. And it's likely to be the new normal for at least the rest of the year. In fact, I may never work in my company's offices...!]
With this contract extension, I understood that I had worried and projected negative energy onto the situation and myself for absolutely no reason at all.
I'd taken something that wasn't personal, and made it personal.
But it's not about me. It was a business decision. At the time, it wasn't possible to keep me on. But we all know, things change. Things change hour to hour, minute to minute, second to second. Why wouldn't they change from one day to 10 days later, too?
I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with the team for another month, and hopefully make more of an impact. I am excited about the projects that I'm slated to work on - they will offer the chance to demonstrate my skills and also learn new skills. I'm glad to get to work with my colleagues for longer, as I feel I've only really scratched the surface of understanding their capabilities and what we can all achieve together.
One thing I've noticed in recent years is that I can tend to be quite structured. I like routine. I like having a plan. If the plan needs to change, usually I can be amenable to it, but sometimes I'm less flexible. I'd often thought of myself as flexible and adaptable, able to go with the flow, given that my family moved around all the time when my brother and I we were kids. But this latest change - which would usually be seen as a good thing: a contract extension, another month of a salary! - threw me for a loop. I didn't anticipate this outcome, and it threw off my plan for July. In fact, I'd grown attached to the outcome of a free and easy July where I figured out my next steps, and when this objectively good opportunity to extend the contract arose, it took a while for my brain to reboot and adjust the synapses. But letting go of outcomes is something I've been working on this year, and this situation is an example I'll come back to the next time I find myself attached to one thing, but something else happens.
In fact, that's exactly how some opportunities get missed. I can get so focused on one particular outcome that I fail to notice other opportunities around me. In some cases it's good to have a goal, a dream, an objective, something to strive for. I wouldn't have gotten London, then business school, then Paris without setting those objectives for myself. And I have to do the work - though I do believe that luck or timing is involved to a certain degree, dreams and opportunities are not just going to land in my lap. I have to go out and work toward them.
Coming back to my current situation and this new outcome for July, I wondered how it could be true that the right thing for me to do in July was to wander and reflect, and also that I work for the month of July?
Well, as I've seen in multiple examples recently, they don't have to be mutually exclusive. They can both be the right thing.
It's not an either/or, but an and.
In fact, when I think about it, I have managed to have the best of both worlds with this setup. I have two weeks to relax and reflect, AND a month to work on these projects.
What will happen after August 11? Who knows. But I am open to the possibilities. And while I do intend to set some goals, think about what could be next for me, and lay at least a few plans down, I also want to be sure that I accept everything, reject nothing, and enjoy every moment.
Running, cooking, and trying to not get injured
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Typing out loud
Today I had the idea I might publish my brain's ramblings on a blog. I thought, maybe I'll make a new blog. What would I call it? Then thought, wait, I already have a blog, I'll just post there. I came to the site only to learn that my last post was June 20, 2015 - EXACTLY FIVE YEARS AGO. What's more is the post is about a 10k race I ran in Paris...which is where I now live. I can visualize that weekend so clearly - the little Airbnb I stayed in just a few blocks from my previous flat; enjoying a kir in the sun at Le Sancerre, a favorite bar of mine now; coffee in Palais Royal, one of my preferred places in Paris.
And I came back to today to write out thoughts about leaving Paris.
In August 2017 I moved to France to pursue an MBA, a goal I'd had for many years. I moved into a dorm on the HEC Paris campus with 100 fellow classmates and lived there for 8 months before I moved to Paris in July 2018. There, I had a teeny studio with all I needed in life (except a washing machine), plus a view of the Tuileries and a balcony. In July 2019 I moved to my current flat, a larger and more comfortable place with a couch, a faux fireplace, lots of storage AND a washing machine (honestly this flat is the perfect studio). I love it here. I love my neighborhood, the location, how much this place feels like home. It's all mine and I love that.
In January 2019, I started a role at a boutique agency for a big e-retail project for Moët Hennessy. I drastically improved my French, helped the agency win more business, and was able to walk to work (a major win in a city where transport strikes are frequent). The project ended in February 2020, which I took as a sign of perfect timing to pursue another goal of mine: to attend yoga teacher training, which I did in March 2020. Prior to leaving for Bali, I signed a contract at an IGO for a three-month stint, the idea being that in those three months the organization would raise funds for me to be able to be hired for a full-time role afterward.
While I was in Bali, COVID-19 became a global pandemic.
At the end of March, I returned to a very different Paris than the one I'd left a few weeks earlier. The airport was eerily empty. I could easily get a seat on the RER. I needed a form stating I'd just returned from abroad, which was why I was outside the 1km radius we were allowed. At work, I was onboarded to the team remotely, and have only worked from home in this role. To say it's been challenging would be an understatement.
And that funding they'd planned to raise? Needless to say, it did not come through. After June 30, I will no longer be employed.
At first, this prospect terrified me. Jobless in this economy, with four months left on my visa... What if I couldn't find a job? What if I ran out of money? What if I can't extend my lease?
I admit, it still does terrify me. The questions swirl in my head but I am learning to ride the waves. There are always waves in life. In times like this perhaps they become more obvious and look more like swells than waves, but I just have to keep my head above water and ride the ups and downs, remembering that every up has a down, and every down has an up. Instead of being scared of losing something, I can look at it as an opportunity to gain everything.
It's all upside.
I am totally, utterly, completely free. Unfettered. Free to do just about anything I choose. I can try to find a contract here in France, I can set up my own business in France, I can move to the US or maybe get wild and look for jobs farther afield. There are pros and cons to everything, and there's where my head is right now...
Pros for staying in France:
- Affordable healthcare
- Cost of living (no gym, no metro, affordable rent and income coming the next couple months makes it easy for me to afford my lifestyle)
- Way of life (emphasis on life vs. work)
Cons of staying in France:
- Taxes will increase dramatically if I start my own business
- Bureaucracy (renewing visas, paperwork, did I mention taxes?)
- Far from home
And there's also the other side, pros and cons of leaving France...
Pros of leaving France (and moving to the US):
- Closer to family
- Free from this maddening bureaucracy
- Relocating to a place that's closer to nature, the beach...it's something I really miss
Cons of leaving France (and moving to the US):
- Healthcare
- Trump
- Cost of living
There are plenty more to add on both sides of the coin. I've been overseas for six years though, and it's been one of the best experiences of my life (maybe even the BEST experience of my life...!). The people I've met, the places I've visited, the experiences I've had, the things I've learned...the list goes on! I could not be more grateful for this experience, all starting with me asking Ketchum to move me to London, and them obliging me in July 2014. It's been such a rewarding experience. I feel like I came and did everything that I wanted to do. There's always more to do though, isn't there? There are more places I want to visit, things I want to do, people I want to meet!
But right now I have an idea of what's next: take July off, travel around France a bit, and head back to the US near my family at the end of July, when my lease ends. Hang out, start a company, buy a car, and drive to California.
I have some more reflecting to do - what do I want my life to look like five years from now, and what can I start to put into place now to get me there? - but this is a start.
It may be a tiny wave right now, but I have the feeling it has the potential to be so much more.
And I came back to today to write out thoughts about leaving Paris.
In August 2017 I moved to France to pursue an MBA, a goal I'd had for many years. I moved into a dorm on the HEC Paris campus with 100 fellow classmates and lived there for 8 months before I moved to Paris in July 2018. There, I had a teeny studio with all I needed in life (except a washing machine), plus a view of the Tuileries and a balcony. In July 2019 I moved to my current flat, a larger and more comfortable place with a couch, a faux fireplace, lots of storage AND a washing machine (honestly this flat is the perfect studio). I love it here. I love my neighborhood, the location, how much this place feels like home. It's all mine and I love that.
In January 2019, I started a role at a boutique agency for a big e-retail project for Moët Hennessy. I drastically improved my French, helped the agency win more business, and was able to walk to work (a major win in a city where transport strikes are frequent). The project ended in February 2020, which I took as a sign of perfect timing to pursue another goal of mine: to attend yoga teacher training, which I did in March 2020. Prior to leaving for Bali, I signed a contract at an IGO for a three-month stint, the idea being that in those three months the organization would raise funds for me to be able to be hired for a full-time role afterward.
While I was in Bali, COVID-19 became a global pandemic.
At the end of March, I returned to a very different Paris than the one I'd left a few weeks earlier. The airport was eerily empty. I could easily get a seat on the RER. I needed a form stating I'd just returned from abroad, which was why I was outside the 1km radius we were allowed. At work, I was onboarded to the team remotely, and have only worked from home in this role. To say it's been challenging would be an understatement.
And that funding they'd planned to raise? Needless to say, it did not come through. After June 30, I will no longer be employed.
At first, this prospect terrified me. Jobless in this economy, with four months left on my visa... What if I couldn't find a job? What if I ran out of money? What if I can't extend my lease?
I admit, it still does terrify me. The questions swirl in my head but I am learning to ride the waves. There are always waves in life. In times like this perhaps they become more obvious and look more like swells than waves, but I just have to keep my head above water and ride the ups and downs, remembering that every up has a down, and every down has an up. Instead of being scared of losing something, I can look at it as an opportunity to gain everything.
It's all upside.
I am totally, utterly, completely free. Unfettered. Free to do just about anything I choose. I can try to find a contract here in France, I can set up my own business in France, I can move to the US or maybe get wild and look for jobs farther afield. There are pros and cons to everything, and there's where my head is right now...
Pros for staying in France:
- Affordable healthcare
- Cost of living (no gym, no metro, affordable rent and income coming the next couple months makes it easy for me to afford my lifestyle)
- Way of life (emphasis on life vs. work)
Cons of staying in France:
- Taxes will increase dramatically if I start my own business
- Bureaucracy (renewing visas, paperwork, did I mention taxes?)
- Far from home
And there's also the other side, pros and cons of leaving France...
Pros of leaving France (and moving to the US):
- Closer to family
- Free from this maddening bureaucracy
- Relocating to a place that's closer to nature, the beach...it's something I really miss
Cons of leaving France (and moving to the US):
- Healthcare
- Trump
- Cost of living
There are plenty more to add on both sides of the coin. I've been overseas for six years though, and it's been one of the best experiences of my life (maybe even the BEST experience of my life...!). The people I've met, the places I've visited, the experiences I've had, the things I've learned...the list goes on! I could not be more grateful for this experience, all starting with me asking Ketchum to move me to London, and them obliging me in July 2014. It's been such a rewarding experience. I feel like I came and did everything that I wanted to do. There's always more to do though, isn't there? There are more places I want to visit, things I want to do, people I want to meet!
But right now I have an idea of what's next: take July off, travel around France a bit, and head back to the US near my family at the end of July, when my lease ends. Hang out, start a company, buy a car, and drive to California.
I have some more reflecting to do - what do I want my life to look like five years from now, and what can I start to put into place now to get me there? - but this is a start.
It may be a tiny wave right now, but I have the feeling it has the potential to be so much more.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Nike Women's 10k in Paris
When Nike posted their women's races around the world at the start of 2015, I thought about signing up for...all of them.
Stockholm June 27?! Yes please! Except I have Taylor Swift tickets for that day.
Berlin June 20?! Haven't been there in nearly 10 years! Except I had a trip planned for that weekend at the time.
Paris June 7?! MY FAVORITE CITY EVER??!! For only 30 euros?? I had no plans that weekend, so why not do a race in Paris? As they say, Paris is always a good idea. So in February I signed up, bought a Eurostar ticket, and booked an adorable Airbnb. I hadn't really been to Paris since the marathon in April 2014, and I was excited to go back! (I say "hadn't really" been there since I had spent about five hours in the city in April on my way to Istanbul...but I'm not sure that totally counts!)
I decided to turn the race into a long weekend, leaving very early Friday morning (aka 5:40am!) and returning late on Sunday (8pm train back). (The fact that those were also the cheapest Eurostar tickets had everything to do with the timing...) It meant I had three full days in Paris to do...whatever I wanted. The only commitment I had was the race!
BIB PICKUP
Location: Nike shop in a mall in the 15th arrondissement. We got 15% off at the Nike shop, which was enough incentive for me to get new shorts and a couple new sports bras.
Ease: I went on Friday, and everything was quick and went smoothly. You have to bring a doctor's note for races in France (and elsewhere in Europe), so I handed that over and in return received my D-tag, a Nike T-shirt, and a little goody bag. Because I'd been fighting a summer cold, I decided to drop down from the 15k to the 10k, which was no problem. In fact, I learned I could have just changed my mind on race day and it would have been fine!
RACE MORNING
I slept terribly the night before (OK, and I'd had some wine...#wheninparis). The cold that I'd been fighting reared its ugly head and I woke up in the middle of the night with a super stuffy nose, a headache, and quite possibly a fever. In that time I gave myself permission to skip the race if I still felt terrible when I woke up. When my 7am alarm went off, I snoozed until 7:45. When that alarm went off, I actually felt pretty good (and a million times better than 3am!) so I decided to give it a shot!
Location: The race started at the Cite de la Mode et du Design near the Gare d'Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement, which was an easy Metro ride from my flat in the 1st arrondissement. I think I had about 20 minutes to spare before the 9am start, which was fine since I wasn't checking a bag. After I got out of the Metro stop, I just followed all of the peach T-shirts to the start!
Course: The course took us around a corner of the left bank, and included Boulevard St. Michel and Boulevard St. Germain. Honestly, it was pretty crowded the whole time, so I was glad I didn't have a time goal - I didn't even wear my watch! There were a few gentle hills, but nothing too crazy.
There were kilometer markers so you always knew where you were, quite a few water stops and snacks along the way, and pretty decent crowd support in some areas! I didn't run with music, and had a giant smile on my face the whole way, just happy to be logging miles in my favorite city!
Finish: While there were no Tiffany medals to be had at the finish line, there were handsome (French) gentlemen handing out medals/necklaces, as well as tons of snacks (fruit and water, plus some bars and whatnot).
On top of the Cite de la Mode et du Design, they had a little party set up, where you could have a souvenir photo taken, get a massage, and hang out. I only went for the photo, but it would have been cool to hang out a little longer.
That night they had a party for all the finishers in the same spot, but I was on my way back to London by then!
OVERALL
I really enjoyed this race! It was laid back and fun, which is all I was going for. Just don't forget to bring the doctor's note!
It doesn't seem like the kind of race that is set up for PRing (unless you were at the very front?), but it was definitely a cool experience and I'm so happy I went - as evidenced by my sweaty face!
I finished in 54:44, which was great considering not feeling great, the sun/heat, and the crowds. I'll take it!
More to come on the non-race bits of Paris!
Stockholm June 27?! Yes please! Except I have Taylor Swift tickets for that day.
Berlin June 20?! Haven't been there in nearly 10 years! Except I had a trip planned for that weekend at the time.
Paris June 7?! MY FAVORITE CITY EVER??!! For only 30 euros?? I had no plans that weekend, so why not do a race in Paris? As they say, Paris is always a good idea. So in February I signed up, bought a Eurostar ticket, and booked an adorable Airbnb. I hadn't really been to Paris since the marathon in April 2014, and I was excited to go back! (I say "hadn't really" been there since I had spent about five hours in the city in April on my way to Istanbul...but I'm not sure that totally counts!)
I decided to turn the race into a long weekend, leaving very early Friday morning (aka 5:40am!) and returning late on Sunday (8pm train back). (The fact that those were also the cheapest Eurostar tickets had everything to do with the timing...) It meant I had three full days in Paris to do...whatever I wanted. The only commitment I had was the race!
BIB PICKUP
Location: Nike shop in a mall in the 15th arrondissement. We got 15% off at the Nike shop, which was enough incentive for me to get new shorts and a couple new sports bras.
Ease: I went on Friday, and everything was quick and went smoothly. You have to bring a doctor's note for races in France (and elsewhere in Europe), so I handed that over and in return received my D-tag, a Nike T-shirt, and a little goody bag. Because I'd been fighting a summer cold, I decided to drop down from the 15k to the 10k, which was no problem. In fact, I learned I could have just changed my mind on race day and it would have been fine!
RACE MORNING
I slept terribly the night before (OK, and I'd had some wine...#wheninparis). The cold that I'd been fighting reared its ugly head and I woke up in the middle of the night with a super stuffy nose, a headache, and quite possibly a fever. In that time I gave myself permission to skip the race if I still felt terrible when I woke up. When my 7am alarm went off, I snoozed until 7:45. When that alarm went off, I actually felt pretty good (and a million times better than 3am!) so I decided to give it a shot!
Location: The race started at the Cite de la Mode et du Design near the Gare d'Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement, which was an easy Metro ride from my flat in the 1st arrondissement. I think I had about 20 minutes to spare before the 9am start, which was fine since I wasn't checking a bag. After I got out of the Metro stop, I just followed all of the peach T-shirts to the start!
Course: The course took us around a corner of the left bank, and included Boulevard St. Michel and Boulevard St. Germain. Honestly, it was pretty crowded the whole time, so I was glad I didn't have a time goal - I didn't even wear my watch! There were a few gentle hills, but nothing too crazy.
There were kilometer markers so you always knew where you were, quite a few water stops and snacks along the way, and pretty decent crowd support in some areas! I didn't run with music, and had a giant smile on my face the whole way, just happy to be logging miles in my favorite city!
Finish: While there were no Tiffany medals to be had at the finish line, there were handsome (French) gentlemen handing out medals/necklaces, as well as tons of snacks (fruit and water, plus some bars and whatnot).
On top of the Cite de la Mode et du Design, they had a little party set up, where you could have a souvenir photo taken, get a massage, and hang out. I only went for the photo, but it would have been cool to hang out a little longer.
That night they had a party for all the finishers in the same spot, but I was on my way back to London by then!
OVERALL
I really enjoyed this race! It was laid back and fun, which is all I was going for. Just don't forget to bring the doctor's note!
It doesn't seem like the kind of race that is set up for PRing (unless you were at the very front?), but it was definitely a cool experience and I'm so happy I went - as evidenced by my sweaty face!
I finished in 54:44, which was great considering not feeling great, the sun/heat, and the crowds. I'll take it!
More to come on the non-race bits of Paris!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
On the sixth anniversary of my first race
Six years and two months ago, I joined New York Sports Club and started running (OK it was more like shuffling slightly faster than walking pace). I never thought I'd be a runner. I had never watched a race with much interest, except to cheer on a friend or two in college. The idea of running a mile had rarely crossed my mind. The idea of running a marathon had NEVER crossed my mind. Ever. I didn't think I was a runner, so I wasn't.
That changed when I ran my first race on April 26, 2009.
It was the GW Parkway Classic in Virginia. It was a 5k. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes. Those 29 minutes and 25 seconds were HARD, man. If I had it handy, my bright red pain face would tell you all that you need to know. As tough as it was, it sparked something in me to push harder, go longer, go faster. That 5k led to a few of half marathons, a few injuries, a lot of lessons, and now four marathons under my belt.
Honestly, I haven't run a 5k race since that first one. Right now I am NOT in top running shape. Running kind of fell by the wayside and I haven't tried to get faster since the Paris Marathon in 2014.
Watching the London Marathon today, and the Boston Marathon last week, I saw human beings' innate tenacity, resilience, and strength right in front of me. I saw marathon World Record holder Paula Radcliffe run her last London Marathon with a massive smile on her face. I saw a friend from college CRUSH the marathon in 3:12. I saw people missing limbs storm past with fierce determination. I saw a man just sitting on the course, unable or unwilling to get up, while fellow runners encouraged him and two finally got him up and running toward the finish line.
The spark I felt back in 2009 is back. I'm ready to run again, get stronger and faster. I want to crush goals. I want to run for something bigger than myself, a purpose beyond just ME. I want to race the 5k again, the 10k again, the 15k for the first time (Paris in June!), obliterate my half PR, and run a marathon in 3:3X.
...I'm back.
That changed when I ran my first race on April 26, 2009.
It was the GW Parkway Classic in Virginia. It was a 5k. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes. Those 29 minutes and 25 seconds were HARD, man. If I had it handy, my bright red pain face would tell you all that you need to know. As tough as it was, it sparked something in me to push harder, go longer, go faster. That 5k led to a few of half marathons, a few injuries, a lot of lessons, and now four marathons under my belt.
Honestly, I haven't run a 5k race since that first one. Right now I am NOT in top running shape. Running kind of fell by the wayside and I haven't tried to get faster since the Paris Marathon in 2014.
Watching the London Marathon today, and the Boston Marathon last week, I saw human beings' innate tenacity, resilience, and strength right in front of me. I saw marathon World Record holder Paula Radcliffe run her last London Marathon with a massive smile on her face. I saw a friend from college CRUSH the marathon in 3:12. I saw people missing limbs storm past with fierce determination. I saw a man just sitting on the course, unable or unwilling to get up, while fellow runners encouraged him and two finally got him up and running toward the finish line.
The spark I felt back in 2009 is back. I'm ready to run again, get stronger and faster. I want to crush goals. I want to run for something bigger than myself, a purpose beyond just ME. I want to race the 5k again, the 10k again, the 15k for the first time (Paris in June!), obliterate my half PR, and run a marathon in 3:3X.
...I'm back.
Monday, December 1, 2014
I mustache you some questions!
Like some other blogs out there, you may have seen this quiz floating around. No one tagged me for it since I'm not cool enough, but I think it's fun and thought I'd share! :) Plus, I just ran the Mo Run for the end of Movember on Saturday!
Four names that people call me, other than my real name
Four names that people call me, other than my real name
- Bab
- Sweets
- Margo
- Margs
Four jobs I have had (not counting any current jobs)
- Sales assistant at J. Crew
- College tour guide
- Account executive
- Researcher
Four movies I’ve watched more than once
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Atonement
- Edward Scissorhands
- Love Actually
Four books I’d recommend
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
- The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Four places I have lived
- Paris, France
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Bangalore, India
- San Diego, California
Four places I have been
- Australia
- Hong Kong
- Mexico
- Dubai
Four places I’d rather be right now
- Florence, Italy
- Morocco
- Home in Virginia
- On a beach somewhere warm
Four things I don’t eat/drink
- Fruity jam/sauce and chocolate together (just...no. But chocolate covered strawberries are OK.)
- Pumpkin pie (despite my love of all things pumpkin and raging sweet tooth)
- Soda
- Decaf coffee
Four of my favorite foods
- Sweet potatoes
- Green smoothies
- Almond butter
- Chocolate
Four TV shows that I watch
- The Affair
- Homeland
- Parks & Rec
- Currently plowing through Gilmore Girls...
Four things I am looking forward to this year (in the next 12 months)
- Going home to visit my family for Christmas
- Trip to California over New Year's
- Parents coming to visit the UK in the spring
- NYC trip in January
Four things I’m always saying
- Dude!
- I need coffee.
- I miss you!
- I really want to go to...[insert any city here]
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
P90X3 - Block 1 Review
I'm officially 30 days in to P90X3 - one-third of the way there! The month has flown by so I imagine (/hope!) the next two will as well.
I know I touched on it in the last post, but I really enjoyed Block 1. I definitely feel like I got stronger. I didn't really lose any pounds, but I did decrease some measurements, which is a good feeling.
Here's how the first month went:
Workouts:
I loved them. I thought they were all great and I didn't really dread any of them. My favorites were probably CVX (weighted cardio) and Agility X. I only missed ONE workout the whole time, and I just replaced it with a 10k run instead. Let's hope I can keep that up for the next two months, too!
Because there are some new-to-me moves in every workout, it took me a while before I felt really comfortable with pushing it hard in all the moves. For example, I only did Accelerator twice, so I didn't feel super comfortable with it by the end. CVX, on the other hand, I knew SO well by the end since I did it four times. The weight even felt lighter in my last CVX workout!
In Block 2 I'm not going to worry so much about getting the moves RIGHT but just MOVING and getting the form as close to correct as I can. I already noticed in doing Triometrics this morning that I'm hesitant with new moves!
Changes:
Improved balance
Increased strength
Better muscle definition
Better at getting up in the morning!
Runs are not faster, but not bad
Inches lost from Day 1 to Day 28:
Not too terribly different, but at least they weren't gains! And honestly not sure if I did the chest measurement correctly, because 2" is sort of insane.
I know I touched on it in the last post, but I really enjoyed Block 1. I definitely feel like I got stronger. I didn't really lose any pounds, but I did decrease some measurements, which is a good feeling.
Here's how the first month went:
Workouts:
I loved them. I thought they were all great and I didn't really dread any of them. My favorites were probably CVX (weighted cardio) and Agility X. I only missed ONE workout the whole time, and I just replaced it with a 10k run instead. Let's hope I can keep that up for the next two months, too!
Because there are some new-to-me moves in every workout, it took me a while before I felt really comfortable with pushing it hard in all the moves. For example, I only did Accelerator twice, so I didn't feel super comfortable with it by the end. CVX, on the other hand, I knew SO well by the end since I did it four times. The weight even felt lighter in my last CVX workout!
In Block 2 I'm not going to worry so much about getting the moves RIGHT but just MOVING and getting the form as close to correct as I can. I already noticed in doing Triometrics this morning that I'm hesitant with new moves!
Changes:
Improved balance
Increased strength
Better muscle definition
Better at getting up in the morning!
Runs are not faster, but not bad
Inches lost from Day 1 to Day 28:
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Not too terribly different, but at least they weren't gains! And honestly not sure if I did the chest measurement correctly, because 2" is sort of insane.
Before and after pictures:
Just a caveat...I started Day 1 in the evening, after a full day of eating meals and following a gluttonous delicious week in NYC. And I didn't suck in because Tony said not to! ;) Day 28 was taking in the morning before I'd eaten anything. Also YIIIIKES I can't believe I'm putting these on the internet.
I think there are some noticeable improvements - shoulders and back, flatter tummy (some mornings I swear I even see a line down the middle), love handles more in check (OK and I wore my Oiselle Rogas with a flattering waistband for Day 28 instead of my Champion shorts with a band that digs in), arms better defined. More improvements to come!
What I want to keep doing:
Be aware of my sugar intake
Eat healthfully
Push hard in the workouts
Get in all the workouts!
How I want Block 2 to be different:
Add in running 2-3 times per week so I don't lose that fitness
Add in Ab Ripper X from P90X 2-3 times per week for better core strength
Eat more intuitively
Be better about post-workout meals to feed my muscles
Push harder earlier on
I'm definitely intrigued to see where things go from here. I do some some changes over the month, even from only working out once a day for 30 minutes at a time. I hope that adding in Ab Ripper X helps, and that running a couple times a week feels good.
One month down, two months to go! BRING IT!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Back to blogging?
Hello hello to anyone out there who still might get updates!
I've been getting used to a new life here in London. Different running routes, fitness classes, weather patterns, brunch places, coffee options, pastries to try...the list goes on! I haven't been blogging but I think I should change that.
When I first moved here I wanted to try everything that was new to me - Sunday roasts, beers, wines, cakes, brownies, etc. I also baked because I missed home and it made me feel better. Because of that, my pants (/trousers to any of you Brits who might be reading) starting feeling a bit snug. I didn't own a scale at the time, but when I visited New York in October I learned I've been carrying around about 8 more pounds than I'd like to be.
Sure, I'd been running here and there, had joined a gym (which honestly, I just don't love), and had gone to Barry's every so often, but it wasn't enough to offset the crap I was eating (oh and it had also been my birthday, so I ate a LOT of cake). Now don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed every bite, but it's not a healthy lifestyle and I decided to do something about it to get me back on track.
You may remember (eh probably not) my foray into P90X a while ago when I was coming back from a stress fracture. It kept me active and got me super strong - aka I could hold a 5 minute plank. But who has time to do an hourlong workout every single day?
Enter P90X3. It's 30 minutes, six days a week, doable in your living room if you are lucky enough to have one. It would have been almost impossible to do this workout in my studio in NYC, but luckily I have a nice-sized living room in my flat here in London, and can do some of the workouts in my own bedroom. It's 30 minutes so it's done before I'm even awake, and I can't ever think of a reason why I can't workout for 30 minutes.
With the change in workout, I've also changed my eating. I am trying really really hard to cut back on my sugar intake since that is where most of the empty calories come from. I did great the first two weeks, and have been a little bad this week, but week 4 is Transition Week before my first round of progress pictures, so I'm going to work on "being good" this week (just a couple squares of dark chocolate and some pb instead of a delicious cookie in a mug...).
So, how's it going so far?
I LOVE IT.
30 minutes a day is doable. IT IS SO DOABLE. It's also something to keep me busy in the diminishing hours of daylight - it will be (/already has been) so nice to have an indoor workout option that kicks my butt.
And kick my butt it does. I get sweaty in every workout! (Though some more than others.) So what are the workouts? For weeks 1-3 we do:
Total Synergistics: Full body resistance workout that uses minimal equipment. Not my favorite workout, but gets the job done.
Agility X: Lots of jumping, quick movements. Reminds me of Plyometrics in P90X. You need some tape on the ground, but no equipment otherwise. I definitely cannot (and probably never will) do plyometric push ups, but it's a fun challenge and I really enjoy this workout and get super sweaty!
X3 Yoga: Flow style yoga with some balance. I don't really sweat during this workout, but it's a pretty good yoga practice. I'm really happy that I'm guaranteed one yoga workout a week!
The Challenge: Push ups and pull ups all day long. I use resistance bands since I don't own a pull up bar and my flatmate would probably kill me if I installed one. You do two rounds of two different types of push ups and pull ups - wide pull ups with standard pull ups, chin ups with military push ups, etc. It's hard, and can be made harder by increasing the resistance, which I did this week and my shoulders/back are still reeling.
CVX: Dude. This workout. Yes. I love it. It's WEIGHTED CARDIO. So hard, SO good, SO SO sweaty. Every move is a minute long and involves a dumbbell. You do two rounds of three moves and Tony varies the speed and/or intensity of the moves in round two. It's awesome.
The Warrior: Hard. It's an upper body move, a cardio move, a core move, and a lower body move nonstop for 30 minutes. It is intense and requires no equipment. I definitely let out a few curse words when I did this workout yesterday...
Dynamix: Haven't done it. I "rest" on the 7th day, but today I walked 21,000+ steps, and last Sunday I ran a 10k, so I can't say I've really been hardcore resting...
Three weeks down, 10 weeks to go! Considering how quickly every week has flown by so far, I expect the next 10 will follow suit. This week is Transition Week, which basically means I do different, less intense (I think?? but CVX is in there...!) workouts before I start Block 2, which is also different workouts - Eccentric Upper, Triometrics, Eccentric Lower, Incinerator, and MMX, plus X3 Yoga. Will report back on those!
Results so far? Well, I've lost a couple of pounds, but who knows, could be water weight... My pants (/trousers) do feel a bit looser, and I think I am looking more toned. I will have to be more mindful of my sugar intake, but I have been cooking with lots of veggies and protein. Last week I made a green protein smoothie every single day, and it was awesome - filled me up for the morning, replenished my muscles, and sneaked in some fruit and veggies first thing in the morning. Love it.
I'll be back soon with travel and London recaps, and will keep writing about my P90X3 journey! xx
I've been getting used to a new life here in London. Different running routes, fitness classes, weather patterns, brunch places, coffee options, pastries to try...the list goes on! I haven't been blogging but I think I should change that.
When I first moved here I wanted to try everything that was new to me - Sunday roasts, beers, wines, cakes, brownies, etc. I also baked because I missed home and it made me feel better. Because of that, my pants (/trousers to any of you Brits who might be reading) starting feeling a bit snug. I didn't own a scale at the time, but when I visited New York in October I learned I've been carrying around about 8 more pounds than I'd like to be.
Sure, I'd been running here and there, had joined a gym (which honestly, I just don't love), and had gone to Barry's every so often, but it wasn't enough to offset the crap I was eating (oh and it had also been my birthday, so I ate a LOT of cake). Now don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed every bite, but it's not a healthy lifestyle and I decided to do something about it to get me back on track.
You may remember (eh probably not) my foray into P90X a while ago when I was coming back from a stress fracture. It kept me active and got me super strong - aka I could hold a 5 minute plank. But who has time to do an hourlong workout every single day?
Enter P90X3. It's 30 minutes, six days a week, doable in your living room if you are lucky enough to have one. It would have been almost impossible to do this workout in my studio in NYC, but luckily I have a nice-sized living room in my flat here in London, and can do some of the workouts in my own bedroom. It's 30 minutes so it's done before I'm even awake, and I can't ever think of a reason why I can't workout for 30 minutes.
With the change in workout, I've also changed my eating. I am trying really really hard to cut back on my sugar intake since that is where most of the empty calories come from. I did great the first two weeks, and have been a little bad this week, but week 4 is Transition Week before my first round of progress pictures, so I'm going to work on "being good" this week (just a couple squares of dark chocolate and some pb instead of a delicious cookie in a mug...).
So, how's it going so far?
I LOVE IT.
30 minutes a day is doable. IT IS SO DOABLE. It's also something to keep me busy in the diminishing hours of daylight - it will be (/already has been) so nice to have an indoor workout option that kicks my butt.
And kick my butt it does. I get sweaty in every workout! (Though some more than others.) So what are the workouts? For weeks 1-3 we do:
Total Synergistics: Full body resistance workout that uses minimal equipment. Not my favorite workout, but gets the job done.
Agility X: Lots of jumping, quick movements. Reminds me of Plyometrics in P90X. You need some tape on the ground, but no equipment otherwise. I definitely cannot (and probably never will) do plyometric push ups, but it's a fun challenge and I really enjoy this workout and get super sweaty!
X3 Yoga: Flow style yoga with some balance. I don't really sweat during this workout, but it's a pretty good yoga practice. I'm really happy that I'm guaranteed one yoga workout a week!
The Challenge: Push ups and pull ups all day long. I use resistance bands since I don't own a pull up bar and my flatmate would probably kill me if I installed one. You do two rounds of two different types of push ups and pull ups - wide pull ups with standard pull ups, chin ups with military push ups, etc. It's hard, and can be made harder by increasing the resistance, which I did this week and my shoulders/back are still reeling.
CVX: Dude. This workout. Yes. I love it. It's WEIGHTED CARDIO. So hard, SO good, SO SO sweaty. Every move is a minute long and involves a dumbbell. You do two rounds of three moves and Tony varies the speed and/or intensity of the moves in round two. It's awesome.
The Warrior: Hard. It's an upper body move, a cardio move, a core move, and a lower body move nonstop for 30 minutes. It is intense and requires no equipment. I definitely let out a few curse words when I did this workout yesterday...
Dynamix: Haven't done it. I "rest" on the 7th day, but today I walked 21,000+ steps, and last Sunday I ran a 10k, so I can't say I've really been hardcore resting...
Three weeks down, 10 weeks to go! Considering how quickly every week has flown by so far, I expect the next 10 will follow suit. This week is Transition Week, which basically means I do different, less intense (I think?? but CVX is in there...!) workouts before I start Block 2, which is also different workouts - Eccentric Upper, Triometrics, Eccentric Lower, Incinerator, and MMX, plus X3 Yoga. Will report back on those!
Results so far? Well, I've lost a couple of pounds, but who knows, could be water weight... My pants (/trousers) do feel a bit looser, and I think I am looking more toned. I will have to be more mindful of my sugar intake, but I have been cooking with lots of veggies and protein. Last week I made a green protein smoothie every single day, and it was awesome - filled me up for the morning, replenished my muscles, and sneaked in some fruit and veggies first thing in the morning. Love it.
I'll be back soon with travel and London recaps, and will keep writing about my P90X3 journey! xx
Friday, August 22, 2014
New normal
Hello from across the pond! I've been in London for SIX WEEKS now and time is seriously flying. Here's a quick catchup on what's been happening:
Work: I stayed with my company and transferred to the London office from New York. I have hit the ground running HARD and have basically dived right into a bunch of big, exciting projects. That said, the London office is quite different from New York. For example:
There's a terrace where you can have lunch or just bring your laptop up to work for a bit. Granted, I haven't had lunch up there in the past week or so since it's basically fall here in London now, but for the first month I could be found there regularly.
Adjusting to lunch on a terrace is the least of my worries though; there are other things that are taking getting used to: an open plan (I had an office in NYC), the British understatement (oh this just needs a few edits...open document to find a million edits ;), using "diary" instead of "calendar", using a British keyboard (there are differences!), and a much smaller team - just me and my boss, vs. 20 people on my team in the NYC office! I am absolutely loving everything though, and can't complain at all!
Living: I found a flat in Bethnal Green, about a 30 minute walk to work. I have a super nice flatmate, and the place has felt like home since the moment I stepped foot in it. The neighbors are nice and friendly, I get amazing sunlight in my room, and there's a balcony where I can read books and eat banana bread from Broadway Market.
And that brings me to the many amenities afforded me in this location. Broadway Market (on Saturdays) is 20 minutes away, Columbia Road Flower Market (on Sundays) is 20 minutes away, an independent coffee shop with amazing coffee and baked goods is 5 minutes away, Victoria Park (a 2.7 mile loop) is 200 steps away, and endless miles of canals are even closer than that.
Best of all?
I CAN WALK TO WORK.
And I do. Every day, both ways, which is amazing and exactly what I wanted when I was looking for a place to live. I listen to the NPR One app and am better informed on all world news now than I have been in a while, I get my 10,000 Fitbit steps in with ease, and I save money by not riding the tube every day. Win-win-win!
Fitness: Like I said, I walk to and from work every day, which is about 3.8 miles a day. On weekends I walk at least 20,000 steps a day (about 10 miles). Victoria Park and the canals are my backyard. Though I have not (yet?) joined a gym, I get a good workout every day without trying very hard. That said, I am still getting into a workout groove and figuring out what works for me. I've gotten up in the mornings to run, I've run after work, I've done at-home bodyweight exercises, AND I've gone to my beloved Barry's Bootcamp (and bought a nice class package!).
Getting back into a workout routine has not been easy for me. Though the initial place where I stayed my first two weeks in London was near Regent's Park, I was rarely in the mood to go for a run, despite knowing it's good for me and would make me feel more "normal".
Another thing that made it hard for me to get back into working out was knowing that I had lost a lot of fitness in the previous two months, thanks to quitting the gym and ClassPass, packing up my life, pre-move travel to DC and Kansas City, moving to my boyfriend's place for two weeks, and general moving stresses. Frankly, I did not want to know what my pace was because I knew it would be slower than what I had been seeing in the spring when I was training. I knew I'd lost strength and speed, and I didn't want to face it. Surely you've been there before, too, right?
With no fall race to train for (I signed up for the Philly half before I knew I'd be in London!), I am still struggling with figuring out my workout routine and not falling into the ever-present comparison trap that can be difficult to escape in social media. I've always been pretty good about not falling into this trap, but that doesn't mean I never catch myself comparing my runs to others'. I just need to remind myself that we're all different, training for different things (me? I'm training for LIFE), and have different abilities. And my abilities WILL come back, but they need practice! This is the new normal for now, but as I practice and improve, my new normal will improve, too.
Slowly but surely though, after a few gadget-free runs to remind me what this running thing feels like, I'm more comfortable than I was. Still, it is VERY hard to look down and see a slower pace than the one I ran a MARATHON at in April. It is all about perspective though...if I think about where I was two years ago, or five years ago, I have grown and sped up SO much. It's a good reminder when I'm feeling slow.
Beyond the above, I've also got two trips planned (Madrid and Zurich!), I'm exploring London as much as possible, and I'm adjusting to life well overall. There are still some UK things I'm getting used to (such as being paid once a month, saying "trousers" instead of "pants"...since pants = underwear here, and yes, I have absolutely told someone I liked their pants...oops) but I'm getting there.
I'm still trying to make new friends though, so if you're in London and want to run or try to a fitness class or anything, give me a shout! And if you have any London recommendations, I am all ears. I'm trying to soak up as much as I can!
What is your favorite piece of advice to get back into a workout routine?
Favorite running route?
London must-dos?
Work: I stayed with my company and transferred to the London office from New York. I have hit the ground running HARD and have basically dived right into a bunch of big, exciting projects. That said, the London office is quite different from New York. For example:
 |
| Office terrace! |
Adjusting to lunch on a terrace is the least of my worries though; there are other things that are taking getting used to: an open plan (I had an office in NYC), the British understatement (oh this just needs a few edits...open document to find a million edits ;), using "diary" instead of "calendar", using a British keyboard (there are differences!), and a much smaller team - just me and my boss, vs. 20 people on my team in the NYC office! I am absolutely loving everything though, and can't complain at all!
Living: I found a flat in Bethnal Green, about a 30 minute walk to work. I have a super nice flatmate, and the place has felt like home since the moment I stepped foot in it. The neighbors are nice and friendly, I get amazing sunlight in my room, and there's a balcony where I can read books and eat banana bread from Broadway Market.
 |
| Cute little balcony |
Best of all?
I CAN WALK TO WORK.
And I do. Every day, both ways, which is amazing and exactly what I wanted when I was looking for a place to live. I listen to the NPR One app and am better informed on all world news now than I have been in a while, I get my 10,000 Fitbit steps in with ease, and I save money by not riding the tube every day. Win-win-win!
Fitness: Like I said, I walk to and from work every day, which is about 3.8 miles a day. On weekends I walk at least 20,000 steps a day (about 10 miles). Victoria Park and the canals are my backyard. Though I have not (yet?) joined a gym, I get a good workout every day without trying very hard. That said, I am still getting into a workout groove and figuring out what works for me. I've gotten up in the mornings to run, I've run after work, I've done at-home bodyweight exercises, AND I've gone to my beloved Barry's Bootcamp (and bought a nice class package!).
 |
| This is what I see out my window. Those trees? Victoria Park! |
Another thing that made it hard for me to get back into working out was knowing that I had lost a lot of fitness in the previous two months, thanks to quitting the gym and ClassPass, packing up my life, pre-move travel to DC and Kansas City, moving to my boyfriend's place for two weeks, and general moving stresses. Frankly, I did not want to know what my pace was because I knew it would be slower than what I had been seeing in the spring when I was training. I knew I'd lost strength and speed, and I didn't want to face it. Surely you've been there before, too, right?
With no fall race to train for (I signed up for the Philly half before I knew I'd be in London!), I am still struggling with figuring out my workout routine and not falling into the ever-present comparison trap that can be difficult to escape in social media. I've always been pretty good about not falling into this trap, but that doesn't mean I never catch myself comparing my runs to others'. I just need to remind myself that we're all different, training for different things (me? I'm training for LIFE), and have different abilities. And my abilities WILL come back, but they need practice! This is the new normal for now, but as I practice and improve, my new normal will improve, too.
Slowly but surely though, after a few gadget-free runs to remind me what this running thing feels like, I'm more comfortable than I was. Still, it is VERY hard to look down and see a slower pace than the one I ran a MARATHON at in April. It is all about perspective though...if I think about where I was two years ago, or five years ago, I have grown and sped up SO much. It's a good reminder when I'm feeling slow.
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| Can't complain about views like this |
I'm still trying to make new friends though, so if you're in London and want to run or try to a fitness class or anything, give me a shout! And if you have any London recommendations, I am all ears. I'm trying to soak up as much as I can!
What is your favorite piece of advice to get back into a workout routine?
Favorite running route?
London must-dos?
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Two new-to-me spin classes and NEWS
After my Paris recap, I fell off the blog wagon. I've been Instagramming and tweeting, but blogging just fell off the radar. I'm bringing it back today to review two spin classes that were new to me and I'm now obsessed with.
Venue 1: Swerve
I bought two classes for the price of one, an offer they make for first-timers. $30 for two classes?! Yes please! It's now on ClassPass, but it wasn't when I signed up for Swerve.
Swerve is divided into three different teams: red, blue, and green. You pick a team when you sign up for a class. Teams compete during the class at certain points - the instructor will have a 30- or 45-second sprint, or a hill, and teams win points. The whole premise is "Together We Ride", even though you get individual stats, too, and the bike that's "winning" at each push is put on the screen, too (which I didn't realize until the second class).
By nature, I'm a competitive person. I'm probably most competitive with myself, but it is a REALLY good feeling to see my bike number up on this screen, which means I'm beating other people, too. I absolutely push harder in those moments because of the promise of helping my team beat the other teams and get more points! The board is not always up on the screen, but the instructor flashed it during the competitive bits and also shows you where your team is ranking periodically throughout the class.
At the end of the class, Swerve sends you your stats, letting you know how you did on your team and with the rest of the class. The first time I took class, I was last on my team, which was a little bit disappointing, but shows you how hard everyone is pushing! The second time, I did better (second out of five on my team, top half of the class!).
I love this competitive aspect and Dyan is an amazing instructor! I didn't get a chance to try out other instructors, but you definitely can't go wrong with Dyan!
Venue 2: Flywheel
Perhaps I'd been living under a rock, but I had never tried Flywheel until a few weeks ago when ClassPass added it...and I'm SO glad I did. The energy is amazing, I loved the stadium-style class, and, naturally, I LOVED the competitive atmosphere.
Unlike Swerve, there are no teams at Flywheel. You can also opt out (or in) to having your name on the board. Though it shows a username that you created, it still flashes your bike number and your points.
I really love that Flywheel doesn't ONLY rely on RPMs to let you know where you should be - they also let you know a goal torq, and higher torq seems to equal higher points in the end. I saw some riders veer completely away from the RPMs and torq guidelines given by instructors and keep their torq numbers HIGH - which means their score was also among the highest (yes, I'm THAT GIRL who looks at how fast the person next to me is going on the treadmill/spin bike/etc.).
Like Swerve, the board isn't up the whole time, and there are also power moments like hills or sprints where it's an individual competition.
The first time I took Flywheel, my name was up there, and I LOVED having my name up there. It was a really good motivator for me to push harder and NEVER COAST as Flywheel's tagline recommends. The second time I took Flywheel, my name was NOT up there (and I'm still not sure why...do you have to opt in every class? Was it because I was late?), but I could still see what my score was and place myself in comparison to the rest of those who opted in - still motivating me to push harder!
Flywheel also has a dashboard when you log in to your account where you can see what your score was, average torq, average RPM. If you go enough, track your progress. As a numbers-driven girl, this is totally my bread and butter!
Swerve and Flywheel also have an upper body portion, but as someone who started really getting into spin at Revolve, where you completely stop your legs during weights sections, I wasn't a fan of keeping my legs going.
Verdict: UGH they're both good, but if I had to judge on just two classes of each (which is all that I've done!), I'd say I'm craving a Flywheel class a bit more than Swerve...I can't quite put my finger on WHY, but I think the range of class locations is helpful, as well as the progress tracking. Now if I could just figure out how to always see my name on the board...
With my newfound obsession with competitive spin classes, however, I have some news to share...
I'm moving to London! In less than a week. Cue the freakout/excitement/tears.
I'm super excited to run in all of London's parks, try out new fitness classes, and meet new people. If you're in London, be my friend!
Venue 1: Swerve
I bought two classes for the price of one, an offer they make for first-timers. $30 for two classes?! Yes please! It's now on ClassPass, but it wasn't when I signed up for Swerve.
Swerve is divided into three different teams: red, blue, and green. You pick a team when you sign up for a class. Teams compete during the class at certain points - the instructor will have a 30- or 45-second sprint, or a hill, and teams win points. The whole premise is "Together We Ride", even though you get individual stats, too, and the bike that's "winning" at each push is put on the screen, too (which I didn't realize until the second class).
By nature, I'm a competitive person. I'm probably most competitive with myself, but it is a REALLY good feeling to see my bike number up on this screen, which means I'm beating other people, too. I absolutely push harder in those moments because of the promise of helping my team beat the other teams and get more points! The board is not always up on the screen, but the instructor flashed it during the competitive bits and also shows you where your team is ranking periodically throughout the class.
At the end of the class, Swerve sends you your stats, letting you know how you did on your team and with the rest of the class. The first time I took class, I was last on my team, which was a little bit disappointing, but shows you how hard everyone is pushing! The second time, I did better (second out of five on my team, top half of the class!).
 |
| You also get distance, personal score, and team score! |
Venue 2: Flywheel
Perhaps I'd been living under a rock, but I had never tried Flywheel until a few weeks ago when ClassPass added it...and I'm SO glad I did. The energy is amazing, I loved the stadium-style class, and, naturally, I LOVED the competitive atmosphere.
Unlike Swerve, there are no teams at Flywheel. You can also opt out (or in) to having your name on the board. Though it shows a username that you created, it still flashes your bike number and your points.
I really love that Flywheel doesn't ONLY rely on RPMs to let you know where you should be - they also let you know a goal torq, and higher torq seems to equal higher points in the end. I saw some riders veer completely away from the RPMs and torq guidelines given by instructors and keep their torq numbers HIGH - which means their score was also among the highest (yes, I'm THAT GIRL who looks at how fast the person next to me is going on the treadmill/spin bike/etc.).
Like Swerve, the board isn't up the whole time, and there are also power moments like hills or sprints where it's an individual competition.
The first time I took Flywheel, my name was up there, and I LOVED having my name up there. It was a really good motivator for me to push harder and NEVER COAST as Flywheel's tagline recommends. The second time I took Flywheel, my name was NOT up there (and I'm still not sure why...do you have to opt in every class? Was it because I was late?), but I could still see what my score was and place myself in comparison to the rest of those who opted in - still motivating me to push harder!
 |
| Performance data on Flywheel's account site |
Swerve and Flywheel also have an upper body portion, but as someone who started really getting into spin at Revolve, where you completely stop your legs during weights sections, I wasn't a fan of keeping my legs going.
Verdict: UGH they're both good, but if I had to judge on just two classes of each (which is all that I've done!), I'd say I'm craving a Flywheel class a bit more than Swerve...I can't quite put my finger on WHY, but I think the range of class locations is helpful, as well as the progress tracking. Now if I could just figure out how to always see my name on the board...
With my newfound obsession with competitive spin classes, however, I have some news to share...
I'm moving to London! In less than a week. Cue the freakout/excitement/tears.
I'm super excited to run in all of London's parks, try out new fitness classes, and meet new people. If you're in London, be my friend!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Paris: What To Do
After the marathon, I had a full week in Paris to explore, eat, and drink with Dan. Here are a few of my favorites - and there are still so many places I want to try!
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FOOD
Breakfast
Dinner
SWEETS
FOOD
Breakfast
- Laduree: Excellent (but expensive) breakfast. The French toast is to die for. And obviously, you need to get their macarons.
- Holybelly: Such a perfect breakfast spot. Delicious food, excellent service, good coffee and nice ambiance. Best on weekdays, but they have an excellent Sunday brunch (with bloody marys) as well.
- Claus: I didn't actually go here on this trip, but went the time before in March. You get a TON for your money - bread basket with the most amazing butter and homemade jams, muesli, an egg, a coffee, and a juice! I went in March and asked about making a reservation in April, and he told me they were booked through June! So plan ahead and reserve as soon as you've booked your trip to Paris, or do what I did and sit at the bar for breakfast (if there's room). Weekdays are best.
- Coquelicot: Found this spot via an article about less touristy places to eat in Montmartre. They had sandwiches, quiches, and other simple meals for good prices, and it was totally walkable from Sacre Coeur.
- Picnic on the Champ de Mars: Pick up some wine, cheese, bread and a pastry and camp out on a sunny day by the Eiffel Tower. Rue St. Dominique has quite a few supermarkets leading up to the Champ de Mars.
Dinner
- Bistrot Vivienne: We went here after our friend recommended it to us. I had duck and Dan had something delicious that I can't remember. We absolutely LOVED the salted caramel mousse that came in a jar. It felt like quite the authentic bistro!
- Cafe Marly: This spot is definitely overpriced, but the food is good (it's where I fell in love with molten chocolate cake when I studied abroad in Paris) and the ambience is lovely. It's right next to the Louvre, and has a great view of the Eiffel Tower.
- Cafe Constant: This was the best meal we had in Paris. The food was fantastic, affordable, and tres francais! Dan had a beef dish that was amazing, I had chicken (also amazing), we split a pichet of wine and the ile flottante for dessert, all for around 60 euros.
- Creperie Josselin: Excellent crepes in a no-frills environment - just really good food.
SWEETS
- Pierre Herme: Delicious macarons and other amazing pastries (though the location near me just had macarons and chocolates, no additional pastries). Perfect for a pique-nique!
- Berthillon: The best ice cream around! Worth the wait, and be sure to try an unusual flavor. Dan had pineapple basil or something like that and it was divine.
- Du Pain et Des Idees: Run, do not walk, and absolutely get a chausson aux pommes. The pastry melts in your mouth, and there is an entire apple inside so it's totally healthy. Their pain au chocolat is also perfectly flaky, and the pain des amis is absolutely worth getting.
- Poilane: The rustic apple tart is to die for. Just get it. The butter cookies (punitions) are also really good and excellent (edible!) souvenirs. We also got pain au chocolat for the road and they were also really good!
- Aux Merveilleux de Fred: The most unusual/amazing pastry I've ever seen or tried. Meringue, cream, and toppings - including shaved chocolate, speculoos, etc. It was so, so good.
THINGS TO DO
MUSEUMS
- Sainte Chappelle: Beautiful, old chapel. Incredible stained glass. Close to Notre Dame.
- Musee de l'Orangerie: Where 8 of Monet's nympheas paintings live. Each are so different and so beautiful. We got a combo ticket to the Orangerie and Musee d'Orsay for a bit of a discount.
- Musee d'Orsay: Train station turned incredible museum. Amazing view of Sacre Coeur from the clock face, so many impressionists! My favorite museum.
- Dome of Basilique du Sacre Coeur: I don't think I'd ever gone up to the top of Sacre Coeur, but I can't recommend doing it enough. The view is unparalleled! And it's absolutely worth the 6 euros and 300 steps up. It's cool because you have a view OF the Eiffel Tower - rather than being ON the Eiffel Tower and not being able to see it!
GARDENS
- Jardin des Tuileries: A must! Perfect for people-watching and relaxing. Central and can get quite busy.
- Jardin du Luxembourg: A bit off the beaten path from the Tuileries, with great people-watching opportunities as well.
- Jardins du Palais Royale: You could walk right by these without knowing they were there! Very serene, great photo opportunities - less people-watching.
OUT AND ABOUT
- Day trip to Giverny to see where Monet lived and painted: Ridiculously easy to get to and absolutely worth a visit. The gardens are spectacular!
- Markets: We went to one on Ave. du President Wilson as it was winding down on a Saturday morning. I think we liked another one that we stumbled upon even better though - rue de Grenelle, which takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays. So much fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, flowers.
- Canal St. Martin: Cute neighborhood off the beaten path.
- Marais: Good shopping, neat neighborhood. Go to L'As du Fallafel (I didn't make it this time around - always need something to go back for!).
- Stalls along the Seine: We found some really cool prints of perfume ads from the '50s along here.
- Watch the sunset on the Champ de Mars: There's nothing quite like a view of the the Eiffel Tower set against pink and purple clouds. Bring wine.
- Rooftop of the Galeries Lafayette: Something I never knew you could do, but am glad we discovered! Free, nice view of Paris.
- Lots of aimless wandering :) Just go everywhere.
MISCELLANEOUS
I also found it to be incredibly useful to have an offline map app on my phone. This is the one I had. When I was at the apartment, I could add pins to places I wanted to go, and access them when I was out and about. For example, since I knew we were going to go to Montmartre the next day, I looked up potential lunch spots and pinned them so I could easily access them. It was great!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Race Recap: Paris Marathon
Almost two weeks after the race later...I am back from Paris AND have a race recap for you!
Let me just say that my trip to Paris was absolutely amazing. I lived there for six months during college and I feel like this 10-day trip was even better than those six whole months. Dan and I walked everywhere, ate delicious food, and drank loads of amazing (cheap!) wine. I can't forget to mention the pastries and countless cafe cremes consumed either!
Overall, the race was a good one. It was also insanely hard and it was the first marathon where I haven't listened to any music (the two may have been related...). It was sunnier and warmer than I'd expected, and also hillier than I thought it was going to be. But let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Dan and I arrived Friday morning after an overnight flight in coach. I slept a bit on the plane, and when we landed, we headed to our flat and went to the expo. I had absolutely no problems getting my bib and swag bag, and we wandered around the (enormous) expo for a bit before heading home for a much-needed nap.
Friday night, I slept incredibly well, but the night before the race I slept pretty horribly - a rarity for me. I was up for about an hour around 2am, tossing and turning, and finally fell back asleep around 3am. At 6:45am, my alarm went off and I started prepping for race day, snacking on a bagel with almond butter I'd brought from home, with banana slices and a cup of coffee. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the starting line! Dan headed over with me as well, and I handed off my gloves and arm warmers to him, knowing I wouldn't be needing them today (the temps were already in the 50s).
Let me just say that my trip to Paris was absolutely amazing. I lived there for six months during college and I feel like this 10-day trip was even better than those six whole months. Dan and I walked everywhere, ate delicious food, and drank loads of amazing (cheap!) wine. I can't forget to mention the pastries and countless cafe cremes consumed either!
Overall, the race was a good one. It was also insanely hard and it was the first marathon where I haven't listened to any music (the two may have been related...). It was sunnier and warmer than I'd expected, and also hillier than I thought it was going to be. But let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Dan and I arrived Friday morning after an overnight flight in coach. I slept a bit on the plane, and when we landed, we headed to our flat and went to the expo. I had absolutely no problems getting my bib and swag bag, and we wandered around the (enormous) expo for a bit before heading home for a much-needed nap.
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| 2:03 is a reasonable goal, right? |
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| Pre-race Arc de Triomphe selfie! |
I got to the corral around 8am (the race had a staggered start, with the first corral going at 8:45 - I was in the fourth corral, I think) and immediately hopped into the neverending portapotty line. For some inexplicable reason, there was exactly ONE portapotty in my corral of several thousand people. I had made my opinions of this terrible idea very clear in my Paris Marathon survey response, so I will spare you here. Suffice it to say that one portapotty is not enough portapotties.
ANYWAY! I crossed the starting line around 9:15am. We start out running along the Champs Elysees, away from the Arc de Triomphe and toward Place de la Concorde. Also, the Champs Elysees is sort of cobblestoned - not a surface I had trained on, but nice anyway! We ran around Concorde and headed east along rue de Rivoli, which offered some much-needed shade.
My first four miles were good ones and I felt strong - 8:30, 8:25, 8:29, 8:25. I'd hoped for 8:30s so was pleased when I was holding to that.
Miles 5 to 8 - 8:21, 8:22, 8:24, 8:15. These were also some great miles, but shade was scarce. I saw Dan and our friend Ryann around mile 7.5 in the Bois de Vincennes, a gorgeous park on the east side of Paris, and I felt so relaxed and calm during that part of the run. Seeing them was a great pick-me-up, as you can see in my mile 8 time!
Miles 9 to 12 - 8:24, 8:42 (uphill), 8:07 (downhill), 8:17. I liked these miles as well, and was so happy to turn around and head west. The sun was at my back and I was almost halfway there!
Miles 13 to 16 - 8:22, 8:18, 8:27, 8:27. I actually almost fell on my face when a runner nearby tripped me by one of the nutrition stands! Luckily he also caught me before I fell, but it threw me off a bit. There was the ONE AND ONLY Powerade station around mile 14 as well (why there was one...I do not know, but it was NOT ENOUGH!), which was the best thing to see on such a warm day. Around here was also where we ran by Notre Dame. I remember seeing some signs for it, but to be honest, I barely took in any sights during the entire race!
Miles 17 to 20 - 8:38, 8:36, 9:14, 9:00. Around here was where the wheels started to come off. I saw Dan again near the Trocadero (~18.5), and seeing him was a much-needed pick-me-up. I was starting to really struggle mentally, and I think in these miles some music would have been good to throw on. I had my phone and headphones with me, but I also have a password on my phone (for work, so I couldn't disable it), AND my phone was in a plastic baggie, so I just didn't even bother.
Miles 21 to 22 - 8:48, 9:38. Yep, you are reading that right correctly, 9:38 for mile 22. There was a hill and there were tunnels and I don't remember much other than pretty much wanting to stop. My goal for a 3:40 marathon was way out the window, and I strongly considered throwing in the towel and just running whatever pace I wanted for the rest of the race.
Miles 23 to 24 - 9:00, 9:00. We entered the Bois du Boulogne, which meant there was like, HARDLY any race left at all! And I told myself that it was going to hurt no matter how fast or slow I went, so I might as well go fast! This was a great trick to play on my brain and totally got me moving :)
Miles 25, 26, 0.4 (because I suck at running tangents...and because the crowd NEVER thinned in this race!) - 8:46, 8:50, 7:37. One thing I hated around here - I could see these enormous streamer things ahead of me and was like OMG THE FINISH LINE! But NO! It was just some decoration to show you were at the 42km point! RUDE. Anyway, when I realized that I actually COULD PR (by a tiny bit), I sucked it up and ran with all that I had left in me. It was not pretty, and it was not fun, but it felt SO AMAZING to cross that damn finish line.
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| Just a little excited about being done! |
I finished and immediately wanted to collapse/fall over/chug some Gatorade and/or a smoothie. My official time? 3:46:56, exactly 44 seconds faster than my Chicago Marathon time of 3:47:40 (on a flat course on a perfect marathon temperature day, mind you! And only one hour of jet lag instead of six!). As soon as I finished, I texted my dad and Dan to share with them the lesson I had learned during the race: "Holy sh*t, that was hard!"
It was actually super easy to get my medal, my poncho, my finisher's shirt, and find Dan. It was a much faster and easier process than when I'd waited over an hour to find Dan after the NYC Marathon in November.
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| Somehow still standing! |
So YES! I PR'ED!!! Very exciting, I'm totally thrilled. I worked my ass off through a challenging course on a (much) warmer day than I'm used to, on a hillier course than I'd expected, where electrolyte beverages were distributed exactly once. And I moved up places in every single 5k, which means I passed more people than passed me - which is awesome and an accomplishment I'm incredibly proud of. However, to say I'm not at all disappointed would be a lie. I am a very teeny tiny bit disappointed that I had such a strugglefest for a few of those miles. I was trained for a faster marathon for sure, and I know that I have a faster one in me.
But, as I mentioned, there were a lot of things out of my control, and I'm incredibly proud of how I handled them all. I could have given up, thrown in the towel, and run a non-PR marathon - which would have been fine, because there are pastries to eat and wines to drink in Paris, after all.
I was quite close to giving it all up, actually, but decided to give it an extra push and see what I am made of, and I can't be disappointed in myself for doing that. In fact, I celebrated.
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| Champagne, jam, and butter procured on Saturday since everything is closed on Sundays |
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| Dan bought me macarons and flowers. And we went to the Trocadero to take pictures by the Eiffel Tower. Because Paris. |
Till next time, Paris. And till next time, marathon. I'm coming for you, 3:40. Maybe not this year, but 2015 better start looking out.
A post about all the fun and cool stuff we did in Paris to come soon!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Quick bonjour from Paris!
I'm popping in just to say that today I ran the Paris Marathon - and PR'ed after a particular strugglefest during miles 17-22. I PR'ed by 44 seconds but I'm not discounting that - a PR is a PR and I'm damn proud of it!
I'll be back next week with a full recap. Until then you can find me drinking wine and champagne, eating macarons and pain au chocolat, and wandering around my favorite city.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for pictures!
I'll be back next week with a full recap. Until then you can find me drinking wine and champagne, eating macarons and pain au chocolat, and wandering around my favorite city.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for pictures!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Week 15 - Ready or not...
It's here...RACE WEEK!
Last week I only ran...no strength, no cross training, just running (sadly, all on the treadmill). The marathon is only six days away. I have two more runs to get done before Sunday - and they shouldn't be tough at all: 6 x 400m to keep leg turnover quick, and a 3 mile run at marathon pace (which I may save for when I arrive in Paris).
Here's a look at last week's workouts:
Tempo:
2 miles warm up, 3 miles at an 8:00 pace, 1 mile cool down. Legs felt good, even when I thought they'd feed like total lead. I told myself I could take a break during the tempo miles, but ended up not needing any breaks! This was the first run where I wore my new marathon shoes (I know, should have worn them the week before if not earlier!) so they felt a little weird - one shoe felt tight, the other felt perfect. They felt better by the end, and two more runs later, they feel MUCH better.
Speed:
1 mile warm up, 5 x 1000m at 8.2mph with 400m rests, 1 mi cool down. Great run! Pretty unmemorable, but it felt good, went well, and legs felt great!
Long:
8 miles! I went back and forth about running outside or running inside. It rained all day Saturday and rain was threatening on Sunday. I had a million errands to run on Sunday (including DSW for cute Paris shoes, Jack Rabbit for gels, Lululemon for a marathon top!) and by the time I was done, it was 5pm and thunderstorms were predicted, so I took it inside. Not ideal at all, but I figured it was better than risking illness. Plus it was windy, cold, and rainy! Of course, now rain is predicted on April 6 in Paris, so maybe it would've been good practice ;)
That's it guys...as they say, the hay is in the barn. I've put in the work. Nothing I do between now and Sunday is going to make me any faster. I'm going to focus on eating well, sleeping a lot, and finishing all the errands I have before I go (laundry is on the list for tomorrow!).
So what are my goals? I'm hoping for a 3:40, but I will be SUPER happy with a PR. My current PR is 3:47:40 from the 2012 Chicago Marathon, something I did not know was possible based on my training. This training cycle, I've been running a lot faster, so a PR is possible!
While a PR would be awesome, but I know that there are a lot of things working against me: a plane ride, jet lag, possible dehydration (planes are dehydrating by nature)...but I've got weapons to fight these! I'll bring a water bottle (and Nuun!), wear compression socks, and try to get right on track with sleeping as soon as I get on the plane.
I'm not bringing my computer to Paris, but follow me on Twitter and Instagram for my Paris adventures! And please send me fast thoughts on Sunday, April 6 - I need them! :)
Last week I only ran...no strength, no cross training, just running (sadly, all on the treadmill). The marathon is only six days away. I have two more runs to get done before Sunday - and they shouldn't be tough at all: 6 x 400m to keep leg turnover quick, and a 3 mile run at marathon pace (which I may save for when I arrive in Paris).
Here's a look at last week's workouts:
Tempo:
2 miles warm up, 3 miles at an 8:00 pace, 1 mile cool down. Legs felt good, even when I thought they'd feed like total lead. I told myself I could take a break during the tempo miles, but ended up not needing any breaks! This was the first run where I wore my new marathon shoes (I know, should have worn them the week before if not earlier!) so they felt a little weird - one shoe felt tight, the other felt perfect. They felt better by the end, and two more runs later, they feel MUCH better.
.JPG) |
| Old and new! |
1 mile warm up, 5 x 1000m at 8.2mph with 400m rests, 1 mi cool down. Great run! Pretty unmemorable, but it felt good, went well, and legs felt great!
Long:
8 miles! I went back and forth about running outside or running inside. It rained all day Saturday and rain was threatening on Sunday. I had a million errands to run on Sunday (including DSW for cute Paris shoes, Jack Rabbit for gels, Lululemon for a marathon top!) and by the time I was done, it was 5pm and thunderstorms were predicted, so I took it inside. Not ideal at all, but I figured it was better than risking illness. Plus it was windy, cold, and rainy! Of course, now rain is predicted on April 6 in Paris, so maybe it would've been good practice ;)
That's it guys...as they say, the hay is in the barn. I've put in the work. Nothing I do between now and Sunday is going to make me any faster. I'm going to focus on eating well, sleeping a lot, and finishing all the errands I have before I go (laundry is on the list for tomorrow!).
So what are my goals? I'm hoping for a 3:40, but I will be SUPER happy with a PR. My current PR is 3:47:40 from the 2012 Chicago Marathon, something I did not know was possible based on my training. This training cycle, I've been running a lot faster, so a PR is possible!
While a PR would be awesome, but I know that there are a lot of things working against me: a plane ride, jet lag, possible dehydration (planes are dehydrating by nature)...but I've got weapons to fight these! I'll bring a water bottle (and Nuun!), wear compression socks, and try to get right on track with sleeping as soon as I get on the plane.
I'm not bringing my computer to Paris, but follow me on Twitter and Instagram for my Paris adventures! And please send me fast thoughts on Sunday, April 6 - I need them! :)
Monday, March 24, 2014
Week 14 - FIVE MORE RUNS
Another week of training in the books, and one week closer to the Paris Marathon!
This week's plan was:
Monday: Off - check!
Tuesday: Run - check! 7 mile tempo
Wednesday: Strength - nope, off
Thursday: Run - nope, off
Friday: Strength - nope, ran (speed!)
Saturday: Run - nope, spin!
Sunday: Off (might switch Saturday and Sunday) - ran!
After running 21 miles last Sunday, I NEEDED rest!!! So I rested. And then attacked a tempo run on Tuesday night. I just could not get up in the morning this week to workout. I also slacked on strength workouts, but it was a busy week at work and I wanted to get a lot of sleep. I actually took RIP Ride in an effort to get a little strength work in! Hey, whatever works, right?
Tempo:
This week's tempo was 1 mile warm up, 5 miles at 8:15 pace (7.3 mph), 1 mile cool down. My leg was bugging me again - felt really tight in the calf area, then loosened up after a mile or so. It ended up being a really good run! I ran the last tempo mile at 7.4 - gotta love when there's a little left in the tank!
Speed:
The speed run was 8 x 800m at 8.3 mph (3:36 for each 800) with a warm up, cool down, and 90 seconds rest intervals between 800s. For the last 800, I ran it at 8.4 mph! I felt so good during this run - no tight leg, felt strong, and the 800s FLEW by. That is the thing that I LOVE about speed workouts. I was tired and didn't feel like running after work, but after a little pep talk and a reminder that speed workouts go by quickly, I went for it and before I knew it, it was over!
It was a great run! So happy I got it done. The reminder that I had only eight runs between me and the marathon also helped!
Long run:
On Sunday I ran 13 miles in Central Park. It was windy and cold, which is why it took me a million hours to get out the door (plus I was watching Breaking Bad on Netflix). After I realized that this would be my LAST double digit run before the marathon, I got more psyched up. I ran without music, took it easy, and ran all over the place!
I averaged 8:31 over 13.15 miles. I'm SO ready to tackle this marathon!
So yes, I was lacking some motivation on the running from this week. It was tough to get out of bed, hard to get moving sometimes, but weeks like these happen to the best of us. And this one reminded me that once I DO get moving, it's not so bad! The marathon is on the horizon. It's so close I can almost taste the butter croissants and cafe cremes. I've put 14 weeks into preparing for ONE race...and I'm not going to lose those 14 weeks of hard work!
In addition to the running, I was also lucky enough to receive a StrideBox special for Paris Marathon, on behalf of Schneider Electric, the main sponsor of the Paris Marathon.
I actually bought a couple of the items in this box last week at Jack Rabbit, so I'm excited to have more opportunities to try them out. The box came with:
This week's plan was:
Monday: Off - check!
Tuesday: Run - check! 7 mile tempo
Wednesday: Strength - nope, off
Thursday: Run - nope, off
Friday: Strength - nope, ran (speed!)
Saturday: Run - nope, spin!
Sunday: Off (might switch Saturday and Sunday) - ran!
After running 21 miles last Sunday, I NEEDED rest!!! So I rested. And then attacked a tempo run on Tuesday night. I just could not get up in the morning this week to workout. I also slacked on strength workouts, but it was a busy week at work and I wanted to get a lot of sleep. I actually took RIP Ride in an effort to get a little strength work in! Hey, whatever works, right?
Tempo:
This week's tempo was 1 mile warm up, 5 miles at 8:15 pace (7.3 mph), 1 mile cool down. My leg was bugging me again - felt really tight in the calf area, then loosened up after a mile or so. It ended up being a really good run! I ran the last tempo mile at 7.4 - gotta love when there's a little left in the tank!
Speed:
The speed run was 8 x 800m at 8.3 mph (3:36 for each 800) with a warm up, cool down, and 90 seconds rest intervals between 800s. For the last 800, I ran it at 8.4 mph! I felt so good during this run - no tight leg, felt strong, and the 800s FLEW by. That is the thing that I LOVE about speed workouts. I was tired and didn't feel like running after work, but after a little pep talk and a reminder that speed workouts go by quickly, I went for it and before I knew it, it was over!
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| My speed workout method involves Post-Its |
Long run:
On Sunday I ran 13 miles in Central Park. It was windy and cold, which is why it took me a million hours to get out the door (plus I was watching Breaking Bad on Netflix). After I realized that this would be my LAST double digit run before the marathon, I got more psyched up. I ran without music, took it easy, and ran all over the place!
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| Before - terrified for the cold |
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| After - happy!!! |
So yes, I was lacking some motivation on the running from this week. It was tough to get out of bed, hard to get moving sometimes, but weeks like these happen to the best of us. And this one reminded me that once I DO get moving, it's not so bad! The marathon is on the horizon. It's so close I can almost taste the butter croissants and cafe cremes. I've put 14 weeks into preparing for ONE race...and I'm not going to lose those 14 weeks of hard work!
In addition to the running, I was also lucky enough to receive a StrideBox special for Paris Marathon, on behalf of Schneider Electric, the main sponsor of the Paris Marathon.
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| Supersweet StrideBox! |
- Gu Brew in lemon lime - always good to have on hand
- Gu energy gel in salted caramel - so delicious - seriously, amazing
- Lenny & Larry's Fit Protein Brownie - looks yummy!
- Hyland's Bioplasma Sport - the little packet dissolves on the tongue - so cool!
- Skin Strong Slather Anti-Chafing Cream - I'm usually a Body Glide girl, but it's good to know this exists!
- Fluid Recovery Drink Mix in chocolate wave - this was one of the things I bought last week, but haven't yet tried
- Honey Stinger protein bar - love their waffles
- LaceLocker (I like the idea of this - I HATE when laces click on my RoadID so this could be a good solution
And some cute little signs, perfect for selfies!
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| Next to my quote of this training cycle - if you want something you've never had, you must be prepared to do something you've never done! |
This week's workout schedule (March 24-30):
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Strength
Thursday: Run
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Off
Sunday: LAST LONG RUN!!!
FIVE runs to go...let's do this thing!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Week 13 - Dreamy peak week
This week....this week was a magical week. I did absolutely no strength training, but I did spend a collective 14 hours on a plane, 60 hours in Paris, and 5 hours running. I ran 36 miles in two beautiful cities, PR'ed in the half marathon, AND enjoyed a kir on a Parisian terrace. It was a truly wonderful week and a fantastic way to head into taper city.
A recap of my week's workouts (March 10-16):
Monday: Off - check!
Tuesday: AM run - check! 10 x 400 before work
Wednesday: Off - check!
Thursday: AM run - check! 8 gorgeous miles around Paris
Friday: Strength? - nope
Saturday: Off - check!
Sunday: 13.1 for the NYC Half + 6.9 miles! - check! 21 miles and a half marathon PR!
Here's a rundown of this week's runs:
Speed:
This week's speed workout was 10 x 400m at 8.5 mph with 400m rest (plus a warm up and cool down). I ended up going just 6.7 miles in the hour - 400m rest is a LOT of time off when you're just doing 400m repeats! The 400s felt really good, and in the last two repeats I bumped up the speed to 8.6 mph. I was so happy to get this in before my flight to Paris that night!
Tempo:
I arrived in Paris early Wednesday morning and spent most of the day working. I woke up Thursday to sunny skies and temps in the mid-50s - I couldn't NOT run in that weather! So I set out for a scenic loop of Paris, hitting up the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, the Seine and its many bridges, and Notre Dame, before heading back to the hotel, which was near the Louvre. It was perfect! Even though I spent just over an hour running, an hour and a half had elapsed from when I started to when I finished, since I took about a million pictures. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful run!
Long:
I went to bed last night looking forward to running 20 miles in the morning. I felt well rested, happy, and excited. It was my last super long run before marathon day! This positivity helped me immensely during the race.
I split today's run into three: 3.1 miles to the NYC Half start, 13.1 miles during the half, and 5.1 miles after a nice, long nap. I had to hustle to the start line but made it with about 5 minutes to spare, hopping over the barricade to my corral. My Garmin went craaazy during the race and said I ran 14.24 miles...now, I know I suck at running tangents, but I don't suck THAT badly. Somewhere along 7th Avenue it just went a little wonky and for the rest of the race it was all wrong with crazy splits. Ohhh well.
The race was actually REALLY great! I wasn't such a fan of it last year, but this year I was really impressed by it. Around mile 9 I realized that I could probably PR today, and started to kick it up a bit in the last two miles. In the last four miles, I also did some visualization for marathon day, imagining that I was at mile 22, tired but strong, and how I was going to be so happy to be running in PARIS!!! I also negative split the race - the first 5k was at an 8:33 pace, and ended with an overall 8:15 pace! So happy with this race today. It was awesome! Came in at 1:47:54, which is a minute and a half PR. Plus friends came and met me, and we went for brunch at a cute little diner - I was hungry!
The last 5 mile run followed a lovely nap and was a simple out and back. It was cold and windy, and probably not ideal that it was done a few hours after running the 16 miles (ideally I'd have run all the miles at once, but I did what I could with what I had), but 21 miles for the day is GREAT!!! I'm so happy with today's long run!
Overall, this was a GREAT week of running. No strength training, but a trip to Paris, a half-marathon PR, AND I got all three runs in!
Here's the plan of attack for my first week in Taper City, USA (March 17-23):
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Strength
Thursday: Run
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Run
Sunday: Off (might switch Saturday and Sunday)
Hope you all have fantastic weeks!
A recap of my week's workouts (March 10-16):
Monday: Off - check!
Tuesday: AM run - check! 10 x 400 before work
Wednesday: Off - check!
Thursday: AM run - check! 8 gorgeous miles around Paris
Friday: Strength? - nope
Saturday: Off - check!
Sunday: 13.1 for the NYC Half + 6.9 miles! - check! 21 miles and a half marathon PR!
Here's a rundown of this week's runs:
Speed:
This week's speed workout was 10 x 400m at 8.5 mph with 400m rest (plus a warm up and cool down). I ended up going just 6.7 miles in the hour - 400m rest is a LOT of time off when you're just doing 400m repeats! The 400s felt really good, and in the last two repeats I bumped up the speed to 8.6 mph. I was so happy to get this in before my flight to Paris that night!
Tempo:
I arrived in Paris early Wednesday morning and spent most of the day working. I woke up Thursday to sunny skies and temps in the mid-50s - I couldn't NOT run in that weather! So I set out for a scenic loop of Paris, hitting up the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, the Seine and its many bridges, and Notre Dame, before heading back to the hotel, which was near the Louvre. It was perfect! Even though I spent just over an hour running, an hour and a half had elapsed from when I started to when I finished, since I took about a million pictures. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful run!
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| Tuileries, Champs-Elysees, and L'Arc de Triomphe in the distance |
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| Gorgeous flowers |
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| Eiffel Tower selfie! |
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| Amazing route throughout Paris! |
I went to bed last night looking forward to running 20 miles in the morning. I felt well rested, happy, and excited. It was my last super long run before marathon day! This positivity helped me immensely during the race.
I split today's run into three: 3.1 miles to the NYC Half start, 13.1 miles during the half, and 5.1 miles after a nice, long nap. I had to hustle to the start line but made it with about 5 minutes to spare, hopping over the barricade to my corral. My Garmin went craaazy during the race and said I ran 14.24 miles...now, I know I suck at running tangents, but I don't suck THAT badly. Somewhere along 7th Avenue it just went a little wonky and for the rest of the race it was all wrong with crazy splits. Ohhh well.
The race was actually REALLY great! I wasn't such a fan of it last year, but this year I was really impressed by it. Around mile 9 I realized that I could probably PR today, and started to kick it up a bit in the last two miles. In the last four miles, I also did some visualization for marathon day, imagining that I was at mile 22, tired but strong, and how I was going to be so happy to be running in PARIS!!! I also negative split the race - the first 5k was at an 8:33 pace, and ended with an overall 8:15 pace! So happy with this race today. It was awesome! Came in at 1:47:54, which is a minute and a half PR. Plus friends came and met me, and we went for brunch at a cute little diner - I was hungry!
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| Shiny medal, shiny PR |
Overall, this was a GREAT week of running. No strength training, but a trip to Paris, a half-marathon PR, AND I got all three runs in!
Here's the plan of attack for my first week in Taper City, USA (March 17-23):
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Strength
Thursday: Run
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Run
Sunday: Off (might switch Saturday and Sunday)
Hope you all have fantastic weeks!
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