Monday morning was a tough wakeup, even harder being a Patriots fan living in NYC. Rather than sulk over the loss, I thought I’d try to undo some of the damage done during the game and start the week off right. I went for a lovely sunrise run along the west side highway. With everyone being up late last night (and presumably eating and drinking a lot) the running paths were unusually clear. It was the perfect 4 miles of peace that I needed to remind me that every loss makes you appreciate every win. 

Looking at my tumblr drafts folder, I realized I never posted about the Summer Solstice yoga class I took! Here’s a brief description from what I recall.

To celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, various free yoga classes were offered throughout the city. I saw that a giant one was taking place in Times Square and decided I HAD to participate. The class was at 7:30 but they suggested getting there by 7. I did just that and saw a gigantic line looping around where I thought the entrance would be. Fortunately, it moved quickly, and after picking up a free mat and bag of goodies, I found a spot to put my mat and settled in. 

The class itself was good, vinyasa flow, really got my body moving, but the experience was out of this world! Doing yoga with over 1000 people in the middle of hustling, bustling Times Square was such a unique experience. The billboards were all flashing around us (including a video focused on us the whole time) and cars zoomed by on the outside of police barricades. The company’s insight was that it’s easy to be calm and focused on your practice on top of a secluded mountain or in a quiet studio, it’s an entirely different thing to find peace in the epicenter of NYC insanity. 

Definitely hoping to participate in this event again next year!

The other day I was fortunate enough to get out of an editor’s session pretty early and not have to go back to the office. I took this opportunity to go to the SoHo Equinox. I got in a great cross-training workout on the bike, stairmaster and walking on the treadmill on an insane incline. On the way home, I decided to take a nearby N/R train home, rather than walking an extra bit to the familiar 4/5. I wasn’t paying attention and suddenly saw the train go above ground, thinking to myself “wow, I had no idea the trains are ever above ground in Manhattan.” They’re not. We were on our way to Brooklyn. “no big deal” I thought, “maybe this takes me right at the end of the BK Bridge, I can take a nice little walk back over it, since it’s still early. Nope. After at least 10 minutes on the train, it went all the way to Atlantic/Pacific! I hopped back on an inbound 2/3 train and made it home, having turned what should have been a 15 minute journey into a 45 minute one. Oops. Lesson learned - pay attention on the train. 

PS - snapped the above photo in the station by the SoHo Equinox, I thought it looked like me on my way to an interview, only reason I’d wear heels and carry a bit portfolio during the week. 

Running last night was one of those absolutely spectacular evenings that makes me so thankful to have the good health to run outside and the good fortune to do so in NYC. I got home after the sun had set on the east side but hoped that if I scooted out quickly I could get to the west side before it got dark (and a bit dangerous). Also, last night was the first day in which the heat wasn’t unbearably oppressive (not exaggerating, it’s been in the high 90s and humid for a week!) It seemed like a lot of people had the same idea and were out enjoying the weather. I don’t know if it was the weather, the company or the surprisingly tough day at work but last night’s run rocked. I got in just under four and felt fabulous the whole time. Truthfully I’ve been a bit nervous for Falmouth and last night’s run gave me the confidence I need. Stay cool out there!

Monday night I was fortunate enough to get out of work at a decent time so I scooted up to Central Park. I did two laps around the reservoir, getting in a little under 3.5 miles. After being away from NYC for 9 days, running in the park with the great view of the skyline was positively exhilarating. I just felt so happy to be out running in the daylight, running in NYC and just running in general! It was a fabulous evening. I even tested out the free Nike+ app I downloaded for my phone the other day, a review will come soon.

I dragged myself out of bed this morning for a quick run before work. I had read about doing tempo runs recently and realized I’ve never really been one to incorporate them. I usually just go out there and keep to a pace that feels good. I do want to keep my speed up, especially if I hope to run a sub 4:00 marathon in the future (totally possible based on my half marathon PR). So with that in mind, I plugged 7.1mph into the speed (about an 8:24 minute mile) and went off. Holy moly. I usually do 6.5 and when I do intervals go up to 8.5 but staying at the 7.1 pace was harder than expected. Definitely a little wakeup call. I’m going to start incorporating a tempo day every week to make sure I stay on top of my game.

The walk home from the gym was nice. The weather is gorgeous and I took a minute to really explore the statues in Louise Nevelson Plaza. I walk by them frequently but never really looked at them. The statues are called “Shadows and Flags” and are each over 20’ tall. The different shapes and proportions are really interesting and certainly break up the dull buildings of midtown. 

Saturday’s weather was absolutely perfect for my long run. I mapped out an 11 mile route that would take me from home up the west side highway and then to the gym. The parkway was packed with runners, bikers and other people out enjoying the weather. The wind was against me the whole way north so it was nice to have it on my back for the end of the run. The turnaround point for my run was in Clinton Cove Park where I discovered this neat bottle sculpture. I was able to find some info about it online and thought I would share. 

The sculpture is a 29’ wine bottle called “Private Passage” with a recreation of a Queen Mary cabin inside. Clinton Cove Park is where the Queen Mary used to berth. The bottle has become green with weather but you can peek inside to see the shiny, metal cabin. Photo above courtesy of Tyson Williams.

2010 MORE Magazine | Fitness Magazine Half Marathon in the pouring rain. Will 2011 be better?

This morning found me back at spinning, loving it. My hamstrings have been out of control tight lately but spinning seemed to loosen them up. Because I had to fit in my three miles for half marathon training, I ran to and from the gym and added two miles in on the treadmill. 

This morning I signed up for the MORE Magazine | Fitness Magazine Half Marathon on April 3. The spots were filling up quickly and I didn’t want to miss out. I’m so glad to have a race on my calendar again. Besides the Turkey Trot (which I don’t really count) I haven’t run a race since the NYC Marathon. I kind of miss the leaving bars early after only a drink, getting up at an ungodly hour and running many miles before my friends roll out of bed. Really though, I missed having a goal. I was enjoying my goal of adding new cross-training and will continue to do so, but knowing I have this event on my calendar is getting me psyched. Last year it poured rain (photos above) and I still had a blast so this year it can only get better!

By the grace of God (or thanks to loads of Italian and water) I woke up feeling pretty good this morning despite a long night of drinks and dancing with my friends. I wanted to get in a great workout to end last week and start this week right. I ran around the tip of Manhattan, pausing for a minute at the East Coast WWII Memorial statue of an eagle to take photos. After that 2.75 mile run, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike and then some strength training. It felt great. 

This morning was my first back at work. Determined to start the work week off right, I dragged my bum out of bed into the dark, cold morning and ran to spinning. Spinning was great, we did 4 sets of sprints and hills. It was a challenge and a great way to start the day. I believe this teacher always does the Tuesday class so I’m looking forward to seeing her again. After class I walked home to cool down a bit. NYC is still COVERED in garbage from last week’s storm. This massive pile couldn’t ruin the beautiful morning but I was so happy to see it gone by the time I got home from work this evening. Hoping the city cleans up its act soon!