Back from NY

I never thought I'd say this, but...I am glad to be back in Cleveland!

During our two weeks in New York, I kept thinking about all the places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do--back home. This is big for me. Since moving from NY 2 1/2 years ago, I have always missed it. I still do, but I never missed HOME when I was visiting, well...my first home!

Lorelei did great in New York. Of course, she still had her incredibly fussy moments, but, considering we were in a new environment, she slept fairly well. And she even transitioned back to our own apartment nicely! (Except for the fact that since we had turned the heat off when traveling, our apartment was friggin' FREEZING for a few hours while it warmed up.) She's been giggling and smiling more often. She's napping now in her swing, which we both missed very much (mostly me, because it is a surefire way to get her to calm down and/or nap while I take care of chores and stuff).

While in NY, we visited a store called Waddle 'N Swaddle in Poughkeepsie (right near Vassar's campus -- we took a day trip there). We throughly spoiled Lorelei by getting her some really nice stuff, including two blankets from Tickety Bu and (for me AND her) a Beco baby carrier (the one pictured here is the design we got). I'll have to post some pictures soon (this is obviously NOT me! Ha ha).

We also visited Vassar's campus and ate at The Dutch Cabin...oh, the memories.

We saw a bunch of friends during this visit, including Trish, Eliza, Heather, and Mike (who came over the day after Thanksgiving); Matt and Sarah (who we visited in Brooklyn); Rob (with whom we met up for dinner); and Kristin and Wil (who had us over to their Washington Heights apartment this past Friday night.

All in all, we had a great time, but I was very glad to get back home last night.

Lorelei at almost 9 weeks

Today is a perfect day for just sitting around the apartment, as it has started snowing and it's supposed to continue! Hopefully Lorelei will continue to take good naps today so that I can get some stuff done around the house. But, as I've learned so far, never expect anything to happen...just take it as it comes. If cleaning doesn't get done, it doesn't.

We definitely have hardly any food in the house. I was going to go to the store, but with the snow, I think I may just do a makeshift meal in the crock pot instead!

Here's a picture of Lorelei in her car seat on our way to see Kristin. (This was BEFORE she started screaming her head off in the car...oy vey.)

Just a couple more weeks until Derek and I go to Michigan to spend time with his family! He's going to use the rest of his vacation days, so he'll be off as of December 18th. And I think Derek's sister Becca will be paying us a visit next weekend to hang out and give us a hand. Something to look forward to!

Powered by Chocolate

...Aren't we all a little bit more motivated when we pop a piece of chocolate into our mouths?  Whether it's out of guilt (and we're working off what we already ate), or as an incentive (high mileage = free pass for lots of chocolate)?  Ha ha.  Well, today my usual pre-run meal variation just wasn't cutting it.  I needed a little extra boost...so I reached into the freezer for two mini Snickers bites!  YUM!

I actually waited quite a long while to run today, although I was up early.  I had to bring the car back yet again (last time for awhile, I promise!) and was waiting on S to give me a call back about it.  I was getting antsy waiting...not only because I wanted to run, but because I had other errands to do with the car, and also because I didn't want another bomb dropped on me about $$$ like last time!

Turns out all was fine (just needed an alignment this time) and - WOW, there is a difference in the way the car feels.  I guess it was worth it.  Well, it was definitely worth it in terms of safety, but in terms of how the car is driving...it's much better too!

Went for a 4.5"ish" mile run.  Didn't bring my watch today, so aside from the somewhat inaccurate mile markers on the towpath trail, I didn't have a strong concept of how much time I spent - probably close to an hour including cooldown and stretching - plus I took a detour off the main path and I'm not sure how long that part is because there are no markers there. 

A couple things about running in parks with mile markers: ONE: It's nice for speedwork and you want to time your splits and you don't have a Garmin (or you just don't feel like waiting for the ^@*&!%* thing to load!). TWO: they are great for long runs, when you don't want to have to look at your watch but just wanna know when you've finished your distance wtihout worrying about time.  BUT, THREE:  like I said, the measurement is slightly off, especially because I've heard that most paths, race courses, etc. are measured on all the tangents and would measure the shortest distance from point A to B on the path, not taking into consideration all the curves and stuff that, were you sticking to your correct side of the path, you'd have to run through.  So in a way, the timing is slightly slower/you are running slightly longer if the course is really twisty and curvy (like this one is). 

Whatever, it was still a good run. I have come to the conclusion that sometimes, today included, I really like running without a watch.  It's like, the only thing I have to be accountable to is finishing the run, not worrying about my time.  Save the time obsessing for speedwork and races -- two things I am forcing myself to take time off from until December.  Still practicing the every-other-day rule until I feel no more pain, I am not running tomorrow but going to hot yoga (finally!) with Claire at Inner Bliss in Rocky River.

This evening, I made the pretty bad mistake of doing some grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.  I just hate it there so much, I can't describe it, but it is cheap and close by so I sucked it up and bought just a few things I needed (mostly things with the brand "Great Value").  Plus, I felt right at home in my flip-flops, baggy sweatshirt, unwashed hair, and sweatpants.  Nice to feel that you don't have to impress anyone at Wal-Mart.  (By the way, if any of you really like Wal-Mart I am sorry and I don't mean to offend anyone.)  I was behind the slowwwestttt family in history - isn't that always the case? and even though we were in the "20 items or less" line, it took forever and I was certain my ice cream was going to melt before getting home!  Oh well, I had to go.  It was time to re-stock up on some staples, like light mayo, butter, sugar, as well as some skim milk and yogurt (Weight Watchers has a large vanilla yogurt now!  Yay!). 

I also got some sweet potatoes and a bunch of onions and thyme because I am going to try a recipe my friend sent me for this pre-Thanksgiving pot luck dinner we're going to tomorrow night.  Actually, come to think of it, I don't even know if it's a pot luck; it was just called "Drunken Thanksgiving" and the hosts are providing their home-brewed beer and they're inviting a whole lot of people, so I want/need to bring at least one thing anyway.  In addition to the sweet potato dish I am thinking of roasting this bunch of beets I've been saving for a little while.  Does anyone have a good suggestion or recipe for a dish featuring roasted beets?  I was just probably going to let them come to room temperature after roasting and then slicing them and tossing them with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and fresh pepper.  Unless anyone else has another idea! :)

Another thing I'm looking forward to tonight...relaxing with a big glass of Sangria!!

High Five

This has been a great weekend so far, and it's not even halfway over!


Yesterday, I was a huge nerd.  After picking up my car from the mechanic, I went over to the Old Angle Tavern to...wait for it...meet a bunch of people I didn't know.  That's right, there was a Yelp Cleveland meet-up last night.  For those of you who don't know about Yelp, it's a website where people review local businesses and share information.  There's also a discussion forum where people write about funny topics. Anyway, I joined in September to give me something else to do (other than blogging of course) while job-searching...and the people are really nice.  One of the girls sent out a message this week suggesting we all get together for a drink on Friday night - and we did!

It kinda felt like a group blind date at first, especially when I was the first one there and didn't really know which group, if any, was the one I should be looking for.  Turns out that I was sitting one seat away from another yelper at the bar (she didn't have a picture up on the site, so I didn't recognize her) and only realized it when A., another yelper, came in!

It was really fun, and, for the first time, I felt like I was taking some sort of initiative with my social life.  Being married is so great, but it's difficult to meet new people without going a bit out of your way.  I have met a couple of cool new people at work since I started 2 weeks ago, but this was another way to feel like I was making new friends.

I got home at about 8:30, and my two sisters-in-law, Becca and Alida, arrived shortly thereafter to spend a weekend with us in ol' Cleve-o!  We had fun last night walking around the Tremont Art Walk, popped into Loop, the new coffee shop/record store on our corner, and got some pizza from Edison's.  The girls seemed to really like the neighborhood.

Watched some late-night entertainment shows like The Soup and Chelsea Lately - hilarious!  and then went to bed.

This morning I went out for a great 5-mile run.  The weather was unseasonably warm - and I guess I was a little overdressed in pants and a long-sleeve shirt - but it still felt great.  The sun felt so nice on my face and, additionally, it just felt great to be out there.  My goal was to do either 5 miles or an hour-long run, whichever came first.  Turns out I did 5 in about 57 minutes, but then jogged as a cooldown until my watch said 1 hour, then did the routine stretching and whatnot.  The foot felt pretty good, and at one point I didn't feel any pain at all.  I was a bit tired during this run, but was still really glad to do it and felt great afterward.

While Becca was at her physical therapy conference at the Cleveland Clinic, Derek and I took Alida to the West Side Market - she was so impressed!  We got a bunch of stuff for sandwiches and are currently just having a lazy afternoon at home.

More tomorrow!

NYC Marathon Recap: Post-Race

After crossing the finish line, I was thrilled to receive my 40th anniversary medal, mylar heat sheet, and goody bag.  What I was not happy to do was..just STOP.  Yep, with all the crowds backing up, we pretty much bottlenecked as soon as we stopped running.  There were announcements being made, "emergency vehicles" transporting injured runners, golf carts driving through, and we had to further squish to make way for them.  We were directed to the left in order to immediately get our UPS checked baggage back.  Good idea, but this left us no choice but to stand there in agony as our muscles cramped up and we couldn't walk it off.  It was also very difficult to eat or drink, because we were so packed in and we had to hold our (very heavy!) goody bags.

It pretty much felt like a bad dream, but I was still exhilarated from the race that I held it together and tried not to let panic get the best of me.  Now I understood what they meant when they said it would take approximately 30 minutes for runners to meet their waiting friends and family.  I quickly called mom, who was so surprised to hear from me! and Derek, whose phone had died (of course) but who had already met up with my folks.  Also spoke to Heather, who was heading to the meeting place.

When I finally got through the crowd, we had to walk up to 77th and exit the park, then walk south a bit to meet up with people.  I said goodbye to Maria and Louise, who I was going to meet for a quick celebratory bite to eat at Cassidy's on 55th between 5th and 6th.  To be honest, I was not really looking forward to dragging ass across town, especially since I needed to head back to Louise's on the east side and pick up my stuff before going back to my parents' house in Croton, but I did want to spend a little extra time with them and relish in our accomplishment!

I met up with my group and let them know where I was going.  My parents and Derek went back home (Derek had to do work), while Heather and Mike and I tried in vain to find a cab.  Nope!  After looking for 30 minutes, we finally decided on the subway.  We took the 1 to Columbus Circle, then transferred (after another 20 minute or so wait) to 47-50 Rockefeller Center.  Got out at 50th and 6th, and that was only a few short blocks away to the bar.  (By the way, during this entire debacle, I kept missing calls from Kristin.  I found out shortly that she had been at the finish and I didn't know it!  She ran into my folks, who told her I had just left.  Gave her the info for the meeting place and hoped she would be able to make it!

Now, I had mentioned before that I wasn't too keen on staying out for a long time.  But as soon as I entered the bar, it erupted in cheers and applause!  I couldn't believe it.  Turns out a lot of marathoners came here for their post-race celebration, and every time another runner came in, everyone gave it up for them. That really turned my mood around; the stress from traveling so long to get there was gone and I could enjoy myself!  And what do you know, 5 minutes after I entered...in came Kristin!  Yay!

I usually can't eat a great deal right after races, but I did have some of those delicious Emerald Roasted Almonds from the goody bag and part of an apple.  Also ordered the mushroom barley soup at Cassidy's with extra bread, which hit the spot -- it was delicious!

Also got the opportunity to meet some of Maria's family.  While we didn't stay for very long, it was the perfect amount of time to relax and refuel a bit before heading back to Louise's.  And, of course, we couldn't leave without getting a picture of the three of us!

After saying goodbye to Heather, Mike, and Kristin, I hopped in a cab (yay for cabs!) with Louise and Britt back to the east side.  Took a MUCH needed shower and changed while waiting for Jack to come pick me up.  We started watching the newscast from earlier in the day - guess it wasn't Paula or Ryan's day. :(

I really wanted more food (duh), so Mom, Jack, Derek and I went to Cappricio's - heaven!!!  I had my favorite meal of all time, of course: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. The entree looked like it could feed a family of four.

The rest of the night and the next day I just relaxed, mostly with my feet up...went for a walk by the river with Cody (puppy) the next day and just enjoyed being home.  Had another stress-free traveling experience on the way back.  All in all, a wonderful weekend, filled with family and friends!  Best time ever!

This week I am not going to run for at least a few days.  This is now day 3 of no running.  I think I am going to wait until Friday to attempt a very slow, easy jog.  My legs were crazy the other day but now are feeling good, it's just that my right foot kills around the arch - blast!  Going to try yoga today.

Of course I wouldn't be me without looking ahead to my next marathon...ok, I have to be honest: I am considering a May marathon!! (Maybe.)  I want to keep it at least semi-local, so my choices right now are the Cleveland Marathon (May 16), the Cincinnati Flying Pig (May 2), or Pittsburgh (also May 2).  Hmmm...will keep you posted, without a doubt!  But until then, will try to work on my times for shorter races. :)

Memories of Madison...

I was fooling around with Picasa today...and finally figured out how to make a collage! Here are a bunch of pictures of me and my friend Kim from Madison - I miss her so much!!!

Today is rainy and dark. And gross. Glad I don't have a run scheduled for today :)

Recap

Ok, once again, sorry for being out of the loop.

Some recent news:

1- I got an offer to tutor kids after school part-time. Yay! Still looking for more work, but at least this is a start. First training session begins October 10.

2- Sent an email to a principal in the area offering to volunteer at her elementary school. I figure it's a good way to get exposure, help out, etc.

3- Also sent volunteer requests to Shoes and Clothes for Kids as well as Team in Training (alumni)...should be great!

4- Been baking/cooking even more now that mom got me that Martha Stewart cupcake book...good thing I'm marathon training!

5- Signed up for yelp and have been writing lots of reviews. I'm trying to figure out how to link them directly here, but until I do, you can click on the right-hand side of the page on that little yelp map and you can read the reviews. I've done mostly Cleveland places, but I did touch a bit on NY pizza places and one place in Madison so far.

I also started reading New York Magazine's "The Cut" Blogs again, now that Gossip Girl, as well as the Hills and the City, are back in full force. You may keel over laughing if you read this article about last night's Gossip Girl!

What else?

Not much.

Training this week is as follows:

Mon 9/28 - 4 miles, Towpath Trail @ Canal & Rockside
Tues 9/29 - pilates
Wed 9/30 - 6 miles, Steelyard Path
Thurs 10/1 - 6 miles, TBD
Fri 10/2 - Off
Sat 10/3 - 20 miles!!!!!!!!!!!! Last one!!!!!!!!!
Sat 10/4 - Off or an "easy 3" (By the way, love those T-shirts that say "On the seventh day, God did an easy 3.")

And then, thankfully, the taper begins. I felt so strong today though, and I am ready to conquer 20 once again. And then 26.2 in exactly 4 weeks from Sunday!!!

Also, next weekend (Oct. 11) I've decided to run the Towpath Half Marathon with Claire. Good times!

Kristin came to visit last weekend, which was wonderful, and we went apple picking at Heavenly Hill Farm in North Royalton. Here are some of our photos:




On a final note: made some buttermilk biscuits with this recipe by the Food Network's Tyler Florence....one thing: there MUST have been a mistake on the recipe because it calls for a full tablespoon of salt. Blecch! I am annoyed that these were pretty much ruined...but still fun to make. :)