Girl with the Black Fit

For Christmas, Evan gave me a wonderful warm running outfit to complement my winter running. I have tried it out twice this week (one time being today!). And because he knows black is my FAVORITE color, the "fit" is ALL black!

The pants are Nike thermal insulated spandex and the jacket is Saucony and is a lightweight  windbreaker (with multiple pockets, reflectors and a cool light to use at night). After using the fit twice, I have to say I LOVE the pants; they are SO warm, but do not make my legs feel sweaty. I feel like I can run in all temps/conditions with these babies. The jacket is a nice extra layer. You definitely cannot wear it with only a t-shirt under it (at least not in the winter), but it is a nice complement to a long sleeve shirt. And I do have to say that I look pretty cool in it (haha)!!!

What do you wear running in the cold weather? 


Using my hot new fit, I ran 8 miles around my parents' neighborhood (we are staying with them for a few days). I decided to do a long run today because we are heading up to the mountains with friends for a long weekend and doubt there will be any form of exercising going on besides skiing. So 8 miles it was this morning, and here are my stats according to the Garmin (why does it work so much better in the 'burbs than in Boston??)

Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 1:9:30
Mile 1: 8:57
Mile 2: 8:38
Mile 3: 8:28
Mile 4: 8:50
Mile 5: 8:31
Mile 6: 8:23
Mile 7: 8:31
Mile 8: 9:12 (MAJOR, MAJOR hills!!!)

This run was challenging for many reasons! First the roads out here are a mess and there is deep snow and ice EVERYWHERE!! I tried stay to stay on the sidewalk whenever I could, but that is where the snow was the worst and it was to hard to run. My legs felt like they were running in place multiple times. However, when I did venture off the sidewalk I had to dodge multiple different cars coming my way! It was a very scary run! Especially because I kept going from street to sidewalk and then back to street. In addition, the hills around my parents' house are a nightmare. Almost the whole last mile was up hill!!! Anyways, the time is a minute and a half longer than my 8 mile run over the summer, but that run was done with no snow on the ground and in flat Boston. Oh well, no two runs are ever the same, at least not for me, but that is kinda what's fun about running!. But on a more positive note, my stomach and knees felt great and the weather was absolutely beautiful today!! Oh yea, and I had a pretty awesome outfit on!!!

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In other news, I met a few high school friends for lunch yesterday. We met up at the Rattlesnake in Boston. We enjoyed catching up (one friend that was there I hadn't seen in over 4 years!!!) and eating (and drinking) some yummy food. Over the course of the afternoon I enjoyed two Magic Hat #9's, which is one of my all time favorite beers! And ordered a swordfish sandwich and side salad for my entree.

This sandwich was surprisingly very good! I was not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised!!! The swordfish tasted fresh and the aioli sauce and olive tapenade were nice complements to the sandwich! It was a lovely afternoon and a great time with friends!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to post over the weekend because the Mountain house we are staying in does not have Internet access. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful night/day and the new year brings you lots of happiness!!! 

What are your New year plans? Anyone have any resolutions for the new year??

The Calm After the Storm

Thank you all for your sweet comments!!  I am very excited and since you asked for it here is the ring!

The ring is actually Evan's great aunt's and has been in his family for a LONG time! It is just BEAUTIFUL!!!

After much celebration and SNOW,  my family started going a little crazy, so we ventured out to the mall last night. I returned a few presents that didn't fit and picked up a couple of items!! We then met up with Evan and enjoyed a little of this:

Cheesecake is not one of my favorite restaurants, but my family (and Evan) LOVE it! We started with the Factory Nachos (these were unphotographed because we all basically inhaled them) and BREAD!

For my entree, I ordered the Fresh Vegetable Salad with chicken.

This salad was OK, nothing impressive, but not bad (could have used more veggies in my opinion). We all stuck to water because we have been enjoying too many cocktails the past few days. However, we could not say no to desert: Reece's Pieces Chocolate Cheesecake (split 5 ways)!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The BEST reason to dine at Cheesecake. 

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Today I had a VERY productive day with LOTS of cleaning and organizing around my house. I also worked on a report for work and just about finished it! Yaya!! Oh yea and I ran 6 miles on the treadmill (in 53 minutes). The roads were just too snowy and it was too cold out (yea I am a baby!!). The run was good, but I had really bad stomach pains during the whole run. I think all this eating and drinking is catching up to me. So, Evan and I decided to cook a healthy, home cooked meal!

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin, broccoli and yellow rice with sauteed spinach. It was really, really good!!

I am off to watch Eclipse and maybe have a spoonful or two of ice cream! However, I leave you with a few "outtakes" from Christmas to enjoy!

A Merry Engagement!

Hello, hello! For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you all had a Merry one! I had the best Christmas EVER!!! Evan and I got Engaged!

Evan surprised me Christmas morning with a beautiful ring and flowers and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him!

Evan and I met 6 years ago (almost to the date) and had our first date on January 15th, 2005! We have had an incredible 6 years together and I could not be happier to know that I will be spending the rest of my life with such an amazing person!!

Now off to plan a wedding!!!! I can't wait!!!!!

Christmas Eve Morning

Merry Christmas Eve!! Yesterday, I did a great speed workout on the treadmill. I first warmed up for a mile alternating my speed between 6.0 and 6.5. Then I did 6 "400s" at various speed 7.0, 7.3, 7.5, .7.8, 8.0, and 7.3. I recovered in between each 400 at 6.3 for a minute. I then cooled down for a mile. I did a total of 4.25 miles in 38 minutes. Great workout! After spending the rest of the day getting last minute shopping done, my friends from high school and I had a little reunion at a bar in Boston. Before meeting up with everyone my friend Vicki and I dined at a Mexican restaurant close by.

I started with a "skinny girl" Margarita, but after the first sip I realized that there was NO alcohol in it (well, it had triple sec). Oops, guess I should have read the menu better. So, what is a girl to do: order a shot of tequila that's what!

After catching up and exchanging Christmas presents (Vicki brought me cappuccino cups back from France and Glass Tupperware that I have been eyeing at her house for the past few months!!!), we ordered some Mexican! I order the "special" of the night: Ahi Tuna Tacos with rice and beans and a side salad.

This meal was HUGE!!! I definitely could have split it because I could only finish one taco, all the rice/beans and half the salad. The taco was very different tasting, but good. It did not taste like traditional Mexican and I was glad I got it, but I am not sure I would order it again. I guess when I go out for Mexican I want it to taste like Mexican food!

Once we arrived at the bar we had a great time catching up with lots of old friends. It was SO fun to see lots of friends that live in other states and catch up on their lives and realize how old we have gotten. I feel so fortunate that I can still see old friends, even if it is for just one night a year!

Needless to say I consumed a few beverages throughout the evening and woke up this morning feeling not up to par. So, Evan graciously made me a WONDERFUL Christmas Eve brunch!

Served with Dunkin Donuts coffee!

Happy Holidays to you and your family! I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Incredible Meals!

I just got back from a really fun run with the DreamFar team! Before we headed out for our run the team's "nutritionist" came to have a talk with us. The nutritionist is a co-founder of a nutritional clinic in the area and has volunteered to work with the DreamFar organization. She agreed to teach the students (and coaches) about nutrition, specifically how to eat when you are training for a marathon. She is making her initial rounds to all the high schools this week. At our meeting, she stressed that eating for a marathon should be NO different than eating on a regular basis.

The nutritionist (we will call her Judy) talked about the foundation of everyone's eating should be based on a Real Food diet (sounds like Katheats!). Judy went over how processed foods should be eliminated from ALL diets and protein should be the main focus instead. She said 18-25 grams of protein should be consumed at all 3 main meals and 10 grams at 2 snacks per day. Complex carbs (fruits/Veggies and Starches) should also be consumed in high doses, as well as dairy and fats (Omega 3s and 6s) daily, but in smaller doses. The most interesting part of the discussion was when she explained that it is natural to gain weight during marathon training and explained she will go into more depth next time when she has more time. Finally, Judy said she did not believe in eating during a run unless you are exercising longer than 90 minutes. Judy will be attending and providing healthy snacks at our Saturday practices, so it will be great to have more in depth conversations with her!

After the talk, the students and coaches from Newton North High School joined us on our run. We ended up running 6.75 miles in 67 minutes. We ran to a local arboretum, which included running up a LARGE hill to enjoy beautiful views of the city! It was great! Even though it was dark outside the run wasn't very cold and the views were beautiful (even in the dark!). I LOVED meeting some new friends and being inspired by others! I am pretty sure a marathon is in my near future!

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Speaking of nutrition, Evan and I have had two AMAZING meals these past two nights (and also wine!). Recently Evan and I have been craving steaks, so we decided instead of paying a ton at a restaurant we were going to buy some really nice steaks and make them on our own. So we bought two beauties from Whole Foods: Fillet Mignon for her and New York strip for him.

Grilled with garlic butter and rosemary,

with some mashed potatoes and asparagus on the side

Enjoyed some wonderful wine that Evan's father bought us during their visit in September.

It was SO good and had a stronger flavor than most Pinot Noirs. Thanks Allen!!! It was a LOVELY meal!

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Tonight we went a little south of the border to Mexico and enjoyed Mexican Bowls!

Made with yellow rice, 3-bean salsa, peppers (green and red), chicken and cheese

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Two GREAT nutritious meals!!! Hope everyone is having a good week!

What are your Christmas/New Years plans???

Sleepy Saturday

Well I am almost done with all my shopping, only two more presents to go!

Prior to shopping, I went for a 6.3 mile run around the Charles River in 54 minutes. I do not have my splits because my Garmin did not receive satellite reception until after the first mile. Errrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! Boston has too many tall buildings; it is so hard to get satellite reception. It has been especially hard since I have been using it in Brookline (when I run with DreamFar) and then Boston (when I run at home). The Garmin has a hard time switching back and forth I think. Anyways, I had a lovely but cold run around the Charles. Even though it was cold, it felt invigorating to run outside! Marathon training here I come!

After a long afternoon of shopping, Evan and I decided to reward ourselves with some beer (and we had to work on our Beer Marathon) So, of course we went to Parish Cafe. I started out with a Rogue Dead Guy

This "ale" was good, but not as good as a Belgium Beers. However, the beer flavor was strong and delicious! Next up Endurance Pale Ale

I mostly just love the bottle this guy came in! The beer kinda tasted like a weak IPA. It was good, but definitely not my favorite. Evan and I also munched on some onion rings as we sipped our beers

These guys were incredible!!! They had herbs in the batter and they were fried so the flavor was awesome!!! Beer and onion rings, you can't ask for a better (or more unhealthy) snack!

As we were leaving the bar we received a text message that our ride (we don't own a car) to the holiday party we were attending cancelled on us, which meant we couldn't attend the party. So, we texted a few other friends to see what they were up to. Evan and I were feeling a little tired so we decided to go over a friend's house and watch a movie and eat dessert!

As we headed over we stopped at our old favorite sushi restaurant: Symphony Sushi. Since leaving college, Evan and I have been to more gourmet sushi restaurants, but we always come back to our old favorite Symphony Sushi.

We started with Edamame, Miso soup and Seaweed Salad

and hot tea to drink

Next up, Evan and I split "sushi deluxe" and an Eel roll

Everything was fresh, simple and delicious. And so much less expensive than other sushi restaurants in Boston. Sometimes simple and inexpensive makes a PERFECT Saturday night.

Even though we were both VERY full, we went to Whole Foods to pick up some desserts to take over to Laura and Matt's house for dessert and a movie.

Split four ways: Christmas cupcake, Peanut butter chocolate tart and chocolate raspberry bar. 

Enjoyed with "Eat, Pray, Love"

I have seen this movie and read the book, but it was still enjoyable the second time around (however the book was WAY better!!). I don't know if I was in a food coma or I was tired from a long day of shopping or I was comfy and cozy, but I fell asleep about halfway through the movie. Oops! I still had a nice  relaxing night with friends! 

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend!! So excited for a short work week!!