Birthday Celebration!

Yesterday's (Wednesday) 5 miler went pretty well. My legs were not sore, however my back and hips were a little sore from yoga. I decided to do my run on the treadmill because it was a little hot for me outside and I didn't want to wait till it cooled off. I ran 5 miles in 44 minutes varying my speed from 6.0 (10min/mile) to 8.0 (7:30min/mile). I also varied my incline between .5 and 1.0. I changed my speed every minute or so and my incline every 5 minutes.

After my run I came home and made delicious lunch of an open face grilled sandwich of ham, Swiss cheese, cucumbers (with salt and pepper), goldfish and a few cantaloupe pieces for dessert.

After lunch Evan and I were off in search of "nice" jeans. My present to Evan, for his birthday, was a trip to the mall to help him find and buy a "nice" pair of jeans that he could wear out at night. We started at Lord and Taylor to try on Levi's and a few other designer jeans. No luck there, so then we went to the Gap. No luck  there. We made a quick pit stop at Starbucks, where I had my first Pumpkin Spiced Latte of the season.

After our coffee stop, we went to Lucky Brand Jean Company. What a great store! Evan tried on about 10 pairs of jeans and we narrowed it down to 3 pairs we LOVED and then finally (after a couple extra tries) we picked out the perfect pair of jeans.

Once home, we showered and beautified, then we were off to grab a drink before Evan's birthday dinner at Hamersley's Bistro in the South End.

Evan is wearing his new pants

We decided to grab a drink at Stephi's on Tremont because it was close to Hamersley's. I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and Evan ordered Johnny Walker Black on the rocks.

After sitting, sipping and chatting, we glanced at the bar menu and realized they had a cheese board for only $10. We LOVE cheese boards, but they are always so expensive, so we had to get this one. We were expecting a small little board, but WOW we were wrong! This board came with three different cheeses, apples, strawberries, bread and an apricot jam.

After our appetizer and drinks we headed to the restaurant for dinner.

We decided to dine inside because it was getting a little cold out and Evan preferred to eat inside. What a cute restaurant! The decor reminded me of (what I think) sitting in the French Countryside enjoying a lovely dinner. The staff was very nice and helpful. The restaurant was sophisticated and charming without being snobby. We started with a bottle of wine that the waiter helped us pick out.

It was a Chilean wine that started out smokey with a peppery finish. It was great and went perfectly with our dinners. I ordered a Bluefish with rice, beans and salsa and Evan had the Rabbit with mushrooms and fennel. We also had some bread!

Bluefish

Rabbit

Yum Bread!

Everything was incredible, especially Evan's Rabbit. Evan proclaimed it was the best meal he has EVER had. The sauce on Evan's Rabbit made the meal. The Bluefish was smokey and had a nice southwestern taste and went perfectly with the wine. Mr. Hamersley's came over to our table at one point to ask us how are meals were. We both agreed that was what made Hamersley's Bistro unique because it gave that personal warm touch that most "fancy" restaurants forget. In addition, the waiter overheard (wink wink) it was Evan's birthday and brought out some sorbet with a lit candle for dessert.

Happy Birthday Evan!

What a GREAT restaurant Hamersley's was, one of the best we have been to in Boston! We will definitely be going back, someday! Today I am in search of some veggies. Have a GREAT Thursday!

Lets Go Sox!

I woke up yesterday (Tuesday) feeling SOOOOOOOO sore!! However, my knee felt great! I was really sore in my calf muscles and back (weird). So I rolled out of bed and decided I would try to find a yoga class to participate in for my work out. As I was eating my cereal, banana and peanut butter I scrolled through the Internet looking for yoga classes in and around Boston. There are a lot of different styles of yoga to choose from in Boston. My favorite yoga studio is the Baron Baptist Power Yoga studio in Brookline and Cambridge. I thought about going there, but realized I did not have 2.5 hours to dedicate to yoga (it is about 1/2 there on the T). So, I continued to look, but did not find anything I liked and finally decided on a Power Yoga class at my gym (Boston Sports Club). I usually do not like yoga classes that are held at my gym, but I figured I would give it a shot.

After a little food shopping at Whole Foods, I headed to the gym for yoga. I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical to try and loosen up my legs and then went into the yoga class. When the teacher walked in, she explained that the class was Hip Hop Yoga, which is basically yoga done to Hip Hop music. "Ok", I thought (I guess they did not change the schedule on-line). This could be fine because I just need to stretch, I do not need to have an intense work out (i.e. Power Yoga). So, I stayed for the class and it was fine. A lot of stretching and not much work out, but the class forced me to stretch for an hour. I also really enjoyed the music and the teacher was very nice. I am not sure if I will go back to this class, but maybe I will try out the Power Yoga class another time. After the class I cooled down with another 10 minutes on the elliptical.

I came home and prepared a lunch of leftovers. I used the veggies from the Blue Ribbon BBQ lunch and some hummus leftovers I got at the Cheesecake Factory on Monday night. I added some lettuce (50/50 mix) and pita chips to the mix.

Yummy lunch! I quickly got ready and headed over to a School Psychology Social at a local bar: Solas. While chatting and catching up with my classmates and professors I enjoyed a pint of Harpoon UFO. Afterwards I went home to catch up on Entourage and relax a little before Evan and I headed to the Red Sox Game. Around 5:30, I asked Evan if he felt like sausage and peppers (which we had planned to eat before the game). We usually eat at the park, but I always feel sick after I eat that food and I think it is WAY overpriced (I would rather use the money to pay for overpriced beer instead). However, Evan proclaimed he was still to stuffed from lunch to even think about food. So, I changed my plans and made a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some cantaloupe and carrots.

With dinner I also enjoyed my favorite beer: Magic Hat #9.

Evan and I were rooting for opposing teams. I was cheering for the Red Sox and Evan was for the Rays (he grew up around Tampa). Here we are with our opposing gear.

We walked over to Fenway and got there just as the game was starting. Well, I don't really want to talk about the game. Let's just say it started off good and then got worse and worse. I was revived with a little Sweet Caroline in the 8th, but by the 9th I decided it was time to leave. Oh well, at least Evan and I had fun! I had one Bud Light at the park and Evan had two. 

On the walk Evan and I did not want the evening to end, so Evan suggested going to a bar and getting another drink or going to get a burger and fries somewhere. I, of course, chose the food option. We walked by a Be Good on the way home and decided to stop in. Evan ordered the El Guapo burger with a side of sweet potato fries. He was nice enough to share his fries with me and I ate about half. I LOVE sweet potato fries. 

Today's plans include running 5 miles, laundry, going shopping and then taking Evan out for his birthday dinner! I will be back with a recap tomorrow!

Run The Goose!

Happy Labor Day and what a Labor day it has been! Let me start with my pre-race fuel starting with my dinner last night. After a nice day at the beach with family I came home, to my parents' house, to eat a burger and left overs. I put my burger on the goat cheese bread from Friday night, SO GOOD!

With a brownie sundae for dessert (needed the extra fuel for today's run!).

Last night I tried to go to bed around 11 (I had to watch Mad Men), but could not fall asleep till close to midnight. In addition, I had some pre race nervous and was up frequently through out the night because I thought it was time to wake up. When my alarm finally went off (6am) I bounced out of bed and immediately made a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing: I changed, washed up and got all my race stuff together. Then I made my usual toast, peanut butter and banana with a large cup of coffee.

I was on the road by 6:50 and headed to meet my cousin at his house (he also ran the race). I arrived and jumped into his car and we were on the road by 7:20. After a lovely car ride of chatting and water drinking we arrived in Gloucester at 8:15. We parked, signed up for the race, picked up our swag (a t-shirt) and went the bathroom. By 8:40 we ran an easy (9ish/mile) mile around the track to warm up. We stretched and lined up on the start line by 8:55.

By 9am we were off! My cousin and I stayed together for the first mile, but it was WAY too fast (6:15/mile) and we looked ahead of us and all we could see was hills, hills and more hills. My cousin said: "Go ahead, I am going to slow down a bit." I tried to keep my pace, but I quickly slowed down too. There were SO MANY hills and most of the race was around a pond, so the roads were unpaved. It was like a nature path of hills. Also, I did not grab water at the first water stop because I figured I would get one half way, however there was not a second water spot until mile 3.5. Needless to say my second mile was a LOT slower (8:06/mile). My third and forth mile were better: I eventually got used to the hills and got into a groove, although by mile 3.5 I heard a lady yell: "keep going you will be the second girl overall." So I sped up and kept going, but then a girl came right behind and I looked ahead and saw at least 3 more hills. I gave up, mentally, and let the girl pass me and then a second girl pass me. I ran the last 1.85 miles at about a 7:45 minute/mile pace. I felt strong and good, just a little out of breath from all those HILLS!!! Here are my splits according to my Garmin:

Distance: 4.4
Time: 33:51
Mile 1: 7:04
Mile 2: 8:06
Mile 3: 7:58
Mile 4: 7:45
Mile 0.4: 2:57

I crossed the finish line and in less than 1 minute saw my cousin finish. Great Job Anthony!!! After we both crossed I ran a slow 1/2 mile to cool down and then stretched.

We went to check out our results and the awards ceremony. Surprisingly, I won an award for coming in 1st place in my age group (women 20-29).

After the race I re-fueled with some orange slices, sandwich (chicken, pastrami, cheese on a wrap), goldfish and a peach. Beautiful morning and a great time running "Run The Goose" with my cousin! Thanks Anthony!!! Enjoy Labor Day!

Food, Food and More Food!

Hello there! First I want to say a special:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!!!!

Today is Evan's 26th birthday, but unfortunately he has to work part of the day so we are not doing a dinner celebration until Wednesday.

On the running front, I decided to run a 7K race on Monday with my cousin, so my training schedule this weekend has been a little thrown off. However, I ran a 5.3 miler today, but will take another rest day tomorrow so I can be rested up for my race on Monday. Here are my splits from the today's run.

Distance: 5.3 miles
Time: 45:44
Mile 1: 8:40
Mile 2: 8:20
Mile 3: 8:34
Mile 4: 8:28
Mile 5: 8:27
.33: 3:16 (this was up a HUGE hill)

I felt really good during this run. My legs are feeling better (I definitely needed that rest day yesterday) and I am getting really excited for the race on Monday. My goal for the race is to do between 7:15-7:30 minute miles. I have not run a race since my knee injury, so I will see how it goes. I am going to take it easy if I start to feel ANY pain because I do not want to be out for the 1/2 marathon in a month.

 I feel like I have had so many fun meals the last few days, so I thought I would share them with you.
 Friday afternoon my brother met Evan and me at Mela, an Indian restaurant in the South End. Mela offers a $9.95 lunch buffet during the week, so we went to check it out. Here are some pictures from lunch. This was some of the best Indian food I have had!!!! I highly, highly recommend Mela!!!!!

I started with a salad with a Samosa on top

Garlic Naan

A mix of yummy food!

Rice Pudding

Fun and Yummy lunch! Later on that evening I went to my parents house to eat some more; however, I did not get even a little hungry until around 9pm that evening. My mom made Corn Chowder and Salad

I tried to recreate the Goat Cheese sandwich I had in Montreal for my parents. It came out pretty close. I just got a french bread and sliced it, spread some goat cheese (from Trader Joe's) on it, cut up tomatoes, then drizzled some olive oil and prinkled spices on top. I baked the bread for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Perfection!

I also made some brownies for dessert.

Here is my dinner all together:

Evan did not come with me to my parents house because of his work schedule, but I did go into the city today to visit him and have lunch for his birthday. On my way into Boston, I picked up a cake for Evan and also some food from his favorite restaurant in Boston: Blue Ribbon BBQ. Evan is from the South, so it has been hard for him to find good BBQ. However, we discovered this place a few months ago and he said it rivalled BBQ in the South. I got him the meat duo platter (2 meats and 2 sides). His choices were pulled pork and beef brisket with Cole Slaw and Rice and Beans. I got the 3 side platter with Collard Greens, Green Beans and Baked Beans. We also got corn bread with our meals.

My lunch:

Dessert:

Birthday Cake!

After lunch Evan and I enjoyed the beautiful day in Boston and walked around a very packed Newbury Street.

Hope you are enjoying the weekend! I will be back with a race recap on Monday. Stay tuned....

Spicing Up Training Runs

Happy Friday! I am very, very soar today! It might partly be due to all the dancing I did last night with my friend ; ) Today I am taking a complete "Rest" day (I am trying to do minimal walking too). So, I thought I would entertain you with a review of a recent article I read: 3 Tips To Keeping Your Marathon Training Runs Fresh. I really liked this short article and thought it gave some helpful advice. My thoughts:

** I agree that training for any type of race (especially half marathon and marathon) can be hard. Balancing the training between all other aspects of life can be challenging. This time around, with my training, I am taking the advice of the article and learning to be more flexible. I have a "Type A" personality, so learning to be more flexible and not following a training plan exactly have been hard. However, adding flexibility into the plan has allowed me to not stress about the weather, enjoy an unplanned race, enjoy social events, etc. I think flexibility is extremely important to one's sanity while training.

**I have never done "The Ladder" workout while on a long run, but when I run on the treadmill I usually change up my speed every minute or two. This technique has definitely helped me with the boredom of running in place. As I get up to higher distances on my long run days I will definitely need some incentive or motivation enhancer, so I will give this workout a try.

** I do the "Social Butterfly" workout quite frequently when I run outside. I am naturally competitive when I run(which is SO weird to me because I am not competitive AT ALL in real life), so I usually try to run and pass the person in front of me. This "game" is pretty fun and can make the time go by. I highly suggest trying this workout!

**My favorite workout in this article is the "Explore." I think it is a very, very creative idea and I will definitely try it soon. I have never done this type of workout, but I have done a similar one where I take the T to a destination and then run back from it. This was pretty fun and switched things up from a typical long run. Also, (I have never tried this but really want to) I heard of people running the Freedom Trail in Boston (about 3 miles one way).

Has anyone tried any of these workouts? Does anyone know of other "fun" workouts?


Have a great day and enjoy the long weekend!!!!

Kids and Fitness Fun

Hello there! Today and yesterday can be summed up in two words: kids and fitness. I had my last two babysitting days for the summer, so I did a lot of playing. Since it has been SO hot in Boston my little guy and I headed for the Boston Aquarium yesterday (Wednesday). I have not been to the Aquarium since last summer, so it was really fun to look at all the exhibits again. Also, my little boy is a year older and can talk (he couldn't talk last summer) so it was really fun seeing him enjoy all the fish on a whole new level.

Everything at the Aquarium went great, until we went to leave. As we were leaving, I got sucked into going in the gift shop. Once in there I was asked to buy him a toy. I said no and then got a million "Why" to which I responded "Sorry ____ I do not have any money." Then I got tears! Needless to say I got him home in one piece but a little sad. When his mom got home he told her "Lauren didn't buy a toy because she has no money" (his mom told me today he repeated that phrase to her and his dad multiple times that night). Oops!

Once home I ellipticalled for 15 minutes and then went to an hour Total Body Conditioning class. This is my FAVORITE class ever invented. I thought I LOVED Body Pump, but this is by far my favorite fitness class. This class includes both strength moves and cardio conditioning moves and does not give one break. It was so hard I had to stop a few times during the class. Also, I like (although intimidating) it when an instructor shows an example of the move, then walks around the class to confirm all the participants are doing the moves correctly. Oh I LOVE Total Body Conditioning!!!!

Dinner was a quick summer vegetable sauce. All I did was saute some zucchini, mushrooms and diced tomatoes in garlic and EVOO. Once the sauce was simmering I added some cheese to make a creamier consistency. Then I added some hot pepper, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and drizzled the sauce over pasta. YUM!

Today (Thursday) I woke up around 8:00 and had a bowl of instant oats with flax. I think I added a little to much water because the oats came out a little soggy : ( Oh well, nothing a little peanut butter, jam, coconut and raisins can't solve.

Today at babysitting we attempted to go to the park, but it was WAY TO HOT! We barely lasted 30 minutes and reverted back to the library for air conditioning. At the library we played with Legos (big and small), read books and made some friends.

After babysitting, I went to the gym to do a speed workout. I actually planned to go run up and down Beacon Hill, but had to change plans do to the weather. My workout was as follows:

Miles               Speed        Incline
.5(warm up)    6.0              1.0
.25                  8.0               .5
.15                  6.3               .5
.25                  8.0               .5
.15                  6.3               .5
.25                8.0-8.3          .5
.15                  6.3               .5
.25               8.0-8.3           .5
.15                  6.3              .5
.25               8.3-8.5           .5
.15                 6.3               .5
.25               8.3-8.5           .5
.15                 6.3               .5
.25              8.5-9.0            .5
.15                 6.3               .5
.25              8.5-9.0            .5
.10                 6.3               .5
.50                 6.0              1.0

Distance: 4.2 miles
Time: 35:40

This was a good work out. Tough, but I felt pretty good. However, when the work out was over my body felt really, really soar and both my knees started to hurt, especially my left knee (the injured one). I think this is due to many days of working out. My usual "rest" day (last Friday) included a lot of walking, especially up hill, so it did not end up being a "rest" day. I am definitely taking a REST day tomorrow. I also tried something different than I usually do during this speed workout and decreased my rest time in between each 400 (.25 miles). Although I felt strong and ready to complete my next set, this shorter "rest" time may have contributed to my soar/hurt knees. I did a LOT of stretching (including foam rolling) after my workout. Once home I iced both knees for 10 minutes.

As Evan and I were walking home from the gym, we passed a small farmers' market and decided to stop and buy some bread to go with dinner.

However, we got roped in to buying some Carrot Cake bread too. SO GOOD.

When we got home I had a piece with peanut butter.

Dinner tonight will be simple because I am going out to the bars with a girlfriend. We are having this  canned soup.

Some of the baguette from above and a salad will also be had. Have a great night and I will be back tomorrow with a review of some running articles I recently read. Stay tuned...........

Grown up Kind of Day

Yesterday (Tuesday) was definitely a grown up day. I did not have to babysit so I started my day off with some coffee, Vanilla Chobani with cinnamon, granola and banana, and the news.

It was SO hot in Boston (95 degrees and humid) that there was NO WAY I could run outside. So to the treadmill it was for me. I ran 4.5 miles on the treadmill in 40 minutes. I usually start at about 6.0 (10 minute/mile) and then fluctuate between 6.5 and 8.0. I also tend to keep my incline at 1.0. After my run I took a 1/2 hour core conditioning class.

I walked 15 minutes home and I think I sweat more on the walk home than while I was running. Once showered, I made myself a quick lunch of a simple salad, bbq chicken and cheese sandwich, a plum and a little cantaloupe.

Then the grown up part started: laundry, cleaning the house, looking for a plan book and then helping my brother move into a new apartment.

While I was walking around I noticed this sign and it reminded me that Fall is right around the corner.

But how could this be, it is 95 degrees out? Anyways, I LOVE Fall it is my favorite season for many reasons: weather, fun races, the start of school vibe, the seasonal food, etc. So I was VERY VERY excited  to see this sign. As I was walking around I snacked on a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough LaraBar (best flavor EVER!!).

Once home I made dinner for Evan and me. We usually make pizza using pizza dough, but lately it has been coming out too wet. We have been playing around with ingredients and have not been able to get it right. So tonight we tried Naan Pizza. I put mushrooms, peppers, monterey jack cheese and parmesan cheese on my pizza. Evan used all the same ingredients plus bacon and ricotta cheese. We also had a salad on the side.

This pizza came out just as good if not better than dough pizza. I can't believe it has taken me this long to try Naan Pizza. It was SO good. After dinner I enjoyed another cup of ice cream while catching up on Glee! Yesterday I felt like an adult, but today I feel like a kid (more to come later.....).