I was recently looking through images on my computer and realized how many breakfast photos I’ve taken. I would venture to say that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I especially enjoy weekend breakfasts that sometimes linger on for hours.
I usually think about the day ahead and catch up on some online reading (whatever I fancy at that moment) while eating my breakfast. It’s my morning ritual before I embark upon my daily to-do list.
Are you a morning person? A breakfast person?
I made myself a tasty dinner last night if I do say so myself.
It consisted of the following: gluten-free pasta, sauteed peas, garlic, olive oil, a dash of white wine, black olives, two tablespoons tomato sauce and fresh spinach. I topped my dish with a sprinkling of Daiya Cheese. To be clear, I’m not a fan of processed faux meat or cheese. Until I found Daiya. It’s truly not so bad and it’s the best substitute I’ve found yet for when I’m eliminating cheese (since cheese doesn’t always like me). Daiya Mozzerella Shreds (my favorite) are made from plant-based ingredients. I like when the ingredient list is short and to the point and I can understand and pronounce everything.
On the side I baked garlic bread in the oven using seven grain bread topped with a little organic butter, nutritional yeast and minced garlic.
This past Saturday I ran the the Joe Kleinerman 10K race in Central Park. I wasn’t particularly excited about racing but knew it would help me achieve some running mileage. I’m not pumped about running lately as I am still a part of the “getting back in shape” club. It’s much more fun to run when you feel light and breezy as if you are gliding through the air. On the flip side, I know I need to keep trudging away in order to obtain that feeling. It won’t miraculously happen on its own. So I keep putting one foot in front of the other.
When my alarm went off on Saturday morning bright and early I had a conversation with myself in my head as to whether or not I would get out of bed to do this race. I finally got up and moving. I would have felt bad about myself if I skipped out on the race, especially since the temperature was perfect for running.
I gulped some water and opted out of pre-race fuel. This wasn’t the best idea at all but I didn’t feel hungry and was running out of time. Sleep trumped pre-race preparation. Please don’t follow this advice at home. I left my apartment ten minutes late as I let myself snooze a little longer. I hopped on the uptown train which was also filled with tons of other runners. Once we arrived at our train stop I suddenly realized that maybe I shouldn’t have allowed myself the extra sleep time. Did ten minutes really make a difference in my day? I had only a few minutes to spare and still needed to check my bag and get to the starting line.
I began running to the park. I thought this was a good thing as it’s always acceptable to warm up your legs before a race. As I entered the park I realized I needed to change my plan of attack to a sprint in order to make it over to the bag check area. Once I arrived I threw off my layers of clothing and hustled back to the start just in time. I took a moment to catch my breath and get into a zen space as there is nothing worse than starting a race in panic mode. Seconds later I felt fine and jumped in with the corrals of runners.
I was very pleased to be running in a tee shirt and immediately felt a sliver of spring fever. I was pretending it was March and springtime was right around the corner. That thought always makes me quite giddy.
I was running without my beloved watch as I didn’t want to worry about how slow I was running. Instead, I ran by how I felt the entire race. I kept a steady pace throughout and enjoyed the course. I’ve run this loop of Central Park over a million times but it felt new and fresh during this race.
While conquering the last mile, I thought I recognized another runner I knew and decided not to let him out of my sight. This made me pick up my pace and even though I was about thirty feet behind him I kept up and ran through the finish line strong. Turns out, this wasn’t the runner I thought I knew but I’m still glad a stranger helped me achieve a strong last leg of the race.
My final race stats: 1:02:09, 10:02 pace/mile.
Next up on my racing calendar is the Manhattan Half-Marathon on January 21st. This will serve as a training run for me. A very speedy friend offered to pace me. This scares me a little. But this year I’m all about doing things that push me out of my comfort zone so I suppose I should embrace this offer.
In other news, I just signed up for the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon on April 15. This will be my spring “focus” race as far as training goes. While registering, I filled out a survey and was asked how many half-marathons I’ve completed to date. I wasn’t sure off the top of my head and went to check my results on the New York Road Runners website. To my surprise, I’ve completed 67 NYRR races including 13 half-marathons. I’ve also completed 7 marathons and 2 triathlons in my lifetime and a few additional smaller races that weren’t organized through New York Road Runners. For a moment there, I was very proud of myself for my achievements. I’ve only just begun racing in 2006 and I’m so happy this has become a lifetime hobby/sport for me.
I’ve had a serious craving for vegetarian meatballs lately. First things first. If you have never visited The Meatball Shop, please do so. They have wonderfully flavorful veggie meatballs on the menu. The beef meatballs are pretty much out of this world as well.
I decided to recreate their veggie balls using the recipe posted on The New York Times website. The only ingredient I didn’t add was the Parmesan cheese. Crazy, I know. No one loves cheese as much as I do but I’m trying to steer clear for now due to the fact that it never agrees with me and throws my body out of whack time and time again.
The veggie balls turned out glorious. I highly recommend this dish.
One of my New Year’s Goals is to do something every week that pushes me out of my comfort zone. It’s #14 on my list.
I originally came up with this idea a few months ago while stumbling upon the book My Year With Eleanor by Noelle Hancock.
I thought the book was such an interesting concept. It all began with a quote the author read in a coffee shop by Eleanor Roosevelt stating “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Ultimately, Noelle decided to make her 29th birthday the start to her yearly challenge to do something every day that scared her. I actually only just began reading the book so I cannot provide my full review quite yet, only my adoration of the concept.
I found myself relating to the author when she seemed to have discovered that she is more fearful now than her younger self and she found herself to be less social now than before. It struck a nerve with me. I don’t think I’ve realized some fears that have sort of snuck up on me through the years. It’s nothing that would be blatantly obvious, more so under the radar.
On the other hand, my twenty-three year old self would never think twice about anything. I would jet set anywhere at any time. I would make plans with friends at the drop of a hat. I wouldn’t worry too much. I thought I was invincible. Now I feel myself contemplating things over and over. I am hesitant in situations I would never have dreamt of being weary about ten years ago.
So, one of my goals for 2012 consists of me doing something that scares me every week. I thought each week may be a little more feasible and manageable for me rather than every day and I don’t want to set myself up for failure.
Every Friday I’ll keep myself accountable by posting what I’ve accomplished each week to move past any given fear.
This week I’ve focused on the “be more social” aspect of my existence. I opened myself to accepting invitations that came my way. I’ve made some plans with friends that are now on my calendar. It’s funny as more than a few plans came to fruition as soon as I opened myself up to receiving the opportunities.
I can say with certainty that this little project will assist me to grow as a person. I look forward to the discoveries and the adventure.
Have a great weekend.
Would you ever consider this type of challenge? What fears would you like to overcome, if any?
I was having a “girl night in” with myself the other evening. I watched The Break Up and Friends With Benefits, both of which I’ve seen a million times. Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point. While watching Friends With Benefits, there is always one part in the movie which makes me just about shed a tear. When Justin Timberlake’s character is at the airport having a heartfelt conversation with his father, his father provides some advice basically summed up as such: Life is short and you can’t waste a minute of it. Do whatever it takes. I also love when Woody Harrelson’s character drives Justin T. and his dad across the Hudson River from New Jersey to Manhattan in a speed boat. Lastly, my heart fills up when Justin’s character pulls out all of the stops with a romantic gesture for Mila Kunis’s character by staging a flash mob. I realize if you have never seen this movie, my explanations don’t make sense, but it’s OK. You get the gist.
These particular movies that make me giddy get me thinking about life in general and how there is this huge world out there and I want to eat it up.
Bold statements…
Paris in the springtime.
The promise of a new beginning.
Dreaming.
This past November while in Naples, Florida I visited the zoo. This may sound a little “off” regular topic of conversation but I was looking through my photos the other evening and thinking of what a wonderful day I had during my visit.
I have a soft spot for animals. Some of my favorites include alligators, lions and the Komodo dragon. I was excited to learn that a Komodo dragon was actually housed at this particular zoo. Unfortunately, I didn’t happen to see him (or her) during my visit.
Early on in my visit I was pleased to learn that a Naples Zoo Conservation Fund exists and they support many conservation projects (across the world) including Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge. The zoo also hosts events for wildlife groups and provides in-kind services.
If you are ever in town, I recommend a day trip.
Alligator feeding.
Bubba was my favorite gator…
Beautiful creature.
This lovely ape lady friend below was so neat. I just loved observing her.
Look at this guy below. He’s so massive but hidden.
