Weekly Workout Recap: Christmas and Washington Snapshots

Hi all!

Hope you had a lovely holiday, if you celebrate Christmas, and a lovely day off if you don't. I had a fantastic time relaxing at home in the Pacific Northwest with my family. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed a few sunset and beach snapshots. I got really lucky and it only rained once during my time in WA, so my family took full advantage and got out every single day.

Unfortunately, I wasn't so good with the whole "taking pictures of people" thing. We were too busy eating, I guess...

My dad made a delicious paella for Christmas eve dinner, and Christmas day we had a Thanksgiving-style meal. Friday we had a big lunch with my old piano teacher and surrogate grandmother, and Saturday we feasted on tamales and homemade guacamole. Oh, right, and there was some great gift-giving, too! (Clearly we're a food-focused family.) I am now officially 100% stocked on running gear and have no excuse to buy anything in 2014, other than new shoes.

I flew back to NYC yesterday, and I'm back at work today. I have New Years off and am so excited to run the New York Road Runners 4 Mile New Year's Eve Midnight Run Race on Tuesday night! I'm not sure what this week will look like workout-wise, but starting next Monday, I'll be back in training mode. The NYC Half is only 10 weeks away!


Workout Recap


Monday: Rest day (travel).


Tuesday: 3.4 miles along my favorite running path at Semiahmoo Park.

We got out to the park around dusk after picking my mom up from work. It was pretty dark, but it wasn't too cold and I was so happy to be running on my favorite running path again that I kept a really fast pace (for me). The path is only a mile long, but it's one of the prettiest places in the county, so I never mind running back and forth along it.


Wednesday: 5 miles at Semiahmoo Park.

Christmas day miles, again at an extremely speedy (for me) sub-9:00 pace. It must have been the Christmas sugar cheer powering me along.


Thursday: (1) 60 minute yoga class (2) 60 minute boot camp class.

In addition to a 2 mile walk, I took my dad's morning yoga class and accompanied my mom to her boot camp class. It's a program that meets every weekday from 7:30-8:30 PM. The boot camp seemed sort of like CrossFit, from what I've read (I've never actually been to a CrossFit "box").

The class first warmed up for about 5 minutes by running up and down stairs and doing inchworms across the floor, then did a roughly 40 minute workout of the day -- a 12 days of Christmas-style workout starting with one stretch, two flights of stairs, three lunge jumps, etc., all the way up to 12. We finished with 12 minutes of the Thursday workout: three rounds of four exercises, trying to see how many reps of each exercise we could do in a minute. I was sore the next day! I'd never done a "man maker" before, and we did about 50 altogether (slightly adapted from this guide -- no single arm row or second push-up).


Friday: (1) 2 mile run (2) 60 minute boot camp class.

It rained most of Friday, but the sun came out around 2:30 PM, and we decided we had to get out to Semiahmoo one more time. We got lucky and the sunset was stunning. I was sore from Thursday's workout but had promised my mom I'd also attend the Friday night boot camp, so I did two slow recovery miles to try to get my muscles moving.

The second boot camp class wasn't quite as intense, thank goodness, since I was extremely sore, but it still had me dripping sweat. These classes are no joke! (If you happen to live in the Bellingham area and are interested, the program is only $180 for 6 weeks, which averages out to $6/class. Kind of amazing! Here's the website.)


Saturday: (1) 75 minute yoga class (2) 4.4 mile walk.

It's incredible what yoga can do for sore, tired muscles. I have to remember this and make sure I get to yoga classes during half-marathon training!

My parents and I finished the day by taking a long walk along Bellingham Harbor and, once again, we saw a beautiful sunset.


Sunday: Rest day (travel).


How was your Christmas? Do you have a favorite running path near your parents' home?

Happy Birthday Mom, Traveling Back to NYC, and Random Happy Things

Happy hump day!

Today I'm flying back to New York City! Yes, my traveling days are over (for 2 weeks, until I head to Chicago to run the totally-not-terrifying distance of 26.2 miles). Well, they're over after I spend today driving, flying, laying over, flying some more, and finally taxiing back to Manhattan.

I start work on Monday (!!!), so I'll be spending the rest of this week trying to get everything in order, and fitting in some time with NYC friends I haven't seen in ages.


Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy birthday to my amazing mom! It's her birthday today. We celebrated last night, since I am flying back to NYC today. She has always been that person I can count on to have my back and to support me, and knowing I'll always have her love and support has given me the confidence to do things like move across the country for undergrad.

I miss my family a lot when I'm in NYC, but often I'm so busy that I forget just how big of a hole I have without them in my life. I can't wait for the time when we live closer together... hopefully that time will come soon!

Kilos of kisses and hectares of hugs, Mom! Love you!! (P.S. Mason says he misses his Grandma!)


Things Making Me Happy

These four random things are making me happy right now.

Starbucks has Seahawks cards! I got one and loaded it with money, for no reason other than it makes me really happy to pull that out and pay with it. I think I need a real credit card with the Seahawk on it...

These magnets that say "Yay! ____!" I wanted to get about ten of them, but restricted myself to one, and then my sister bought me another. I am now the proud owner of "Yay! Mountains!" and "Yay! Dogs!" magnets. I'm 100% sure my fridge will be mocked by friends and I really don't care. I'm proud of my mountain love.

I got this card for my mom for her birthday. Inside it said "You're aging gracefully, too!"

Honestly it could have said "Get well soon!" and I'd have bought it. I love the expression on the second from the left ... ballerina (?) so much, and I knew my mom would, too. 

Sunsets. I've been lucky enough to see some amazing ones over the past six weeks. You can see great sunsets in NYC, too, of course. But watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean or Puget Sound or Rocky Mountains, rather than New Jersey, is just a totally different game.

What are some random things that are making you happy right now?

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Dress Shopping and Tough Workouts

Hi all!

I only have two more days with my family before I head out on my road trip! My eight days at home have gone so quickly, but I get another eight days with my family after the road trip.

On Friday, I got in those mile repeats I was so afraid of, and yes they were difficult, but I also felt SO strong when I finished them. Each time I felt like my legs were about to give out at the end and each time I pushed through. Fighting through that feeling in speed work is such a confidence booster!

Saturday started with my dad's yoga class, followed by a tasty lunch at Dashi Noodle Bar, and then a very special and important appointment -- wedding dress shopping for my sister, Priyanka! She looked absolutely gorgeous, with each dress looking even more stunning on her than the previous one. She may have found "the one," but we all agreed that she should still visit another shop that she'd made an appointment with, just to be totally sure.

Obviously this wasn't "the one"! But doesn't she look lovely? She's going to be the most beautiful bride next year!!!

In comparison to wedding dress shopping, Sunday was pretty boring, but still nice. After our Sunday morning family breakfast (half an almond waffle and scrambled eggs for me), I got in my "long" run (7.33 miles since it's a cutback week) and participated in a bit of my dad's yoga teacher training.

It was great to see how my dad teaches would-be yoga teachers, versus teaching a normal class, and to sit in on my mom's anatomy lecture. She's a physical therapist's assistant, so she's been going over muscles with the trainees. As luck would have it, she was going over leg muscles! I may ask her to write a post on the leg muscles at some point, since I think it's useful information for any runner.

So, let's get on to the actual running!


Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 10

Here was what Coach Jess assigned me last week:
√ 3 mile recovery run
√ 3 strength workouts (2 classes, 1 mini workout)
- 2 yoga classes
√ cutback week long run (8 miles)
√ tempo intervals (5 miles total)
√ mid-distance run (8 miles)

Jess had assigned me one yoga class and one rest/yoga day, so I didn't feel bad making my rest day a full rest day on Thursday, although it was supposed to be Saturday. My mom's surgery was Thursday, though, and I wasn't able to get in my assigned workout that day so I had to switch around the schedule a bit.

Monday: 3 mile recovery run (29:38) on treadmill.

I love getting in a workout before I fly somewhere. It just makes me feel crazy efficient to know that I worked out AND flew around the country all in one day. Less impressive when it's 3 miles on a treadmill and just flying from LA to Seattle, but I still felt awesome.


Tuesday: 1 hour and 20 minute hike up Tabletop Mountain with my dad.

Hiked up mountain with my dad! 3 miles round trip, 560 ft elevation gain over 1.5 miles at 5700 ft high. I didn't feel like I was working super hard, despite a bit of barre-like burn, but just like with a barre class, my legs felt a bit jelly-like at the end!


Wednesday: 8 miles at moderate pace (1:20:30) around Birch Bay.

8 miles at 10:04 average. "Moderate pace" felt slower as I went along, so I tried to listen to my body without concentrating too much on the numbers. Probably in part because I went out around midday without having eaten lunch (yes, mistake, I know). I was really ready to be done by the last couple miles so picked up the pace then... probably a bit too much?

Splits: (1) 9:49, (2) 9:58, (3) 10:20, (4) 10:22, (5) 10:13, (6) 10:33, (7) 10:16, (8) 8:56


Thursday: Rest day. Walked 3 miles with my friend Anna and saw this beautiful sunset.

Friday: (1) 3 x 1600's (AKA mile repeats) in and around Lynden Park. (2) 60 minute Physique 57 online workout.

Jess's directions said to go at a pace that felt harder than last week's tempo miles but easier than 800s. I wasn't sure if I was going too fast, but Jess confirmed that this was the right pace. I felt slightly nauseous during the last one... so I think I was doing it right? Did these around noon and fueled with half a picky bar beforehand, then drank a Starbucks chocolate milk carton immediately after and ate lunch to refuel.

w/u - 10:49
(1) 8:19, (2) 8:12, (3) 8:16
c/d - 11:38

I also did a 60 minute online Physique 57 workout, which felt harder than the mixed class I took in LA recently! Highly recommend the workout. Since it's only $7, it's a huge savings over a live class. 


Saturday: 75 minute yoga class.

Oops, no picture! Took my dad's Saturday morning yoga class. I felt really strong in class, despite the mile repeats the day before, which made me happy. However, my balance was totally off, and all the balance poses ended in me nearly falling onto other students' mats! Maybe I was tired...?


Sunday: (1) 7.33 mile cutback week long run (1:16:35) on South Bay Path in Bellingham. (2) 30 min mini yoga/strength workout.

This run was supposed to be 8 miles, but I left late and had to cut it short or risk missing most of my dad's yoga teacher training. I honestly didn't have any reason to leave late, I just had a hard time getting my shit together and getting out of the house! One nice thing about starting on my road trip is that I will have to run or work out first thing in the morning or likely won't get in my assigned workout. And that's simply not an option for me, so I know I'll get it done.

Anyway, it was actually a fantastic run! Coach Jess wants me to focus on getting my long run pace a bit faster, as long as it still feels pretty easy, and as luck would have it, mid-10's felt totally easy on Sunday. It might have been the total lack of humidity, the breezy low 70's temperatures, or the lovely trails, but I had a great run. It's crazy that going out for an 8 mile run feels like nothing now! Marathon training is so weird.

Splits - (1) 10:20, (2) 9:50 - big downhill, (3) 10:43 - big uphill, (4) 10:32, (5) 10:29 - big downhill, (6) 10:49 - big uphill, (7) 10:39, (.33) 3:12 (9:34 pace)


Finished Sunday with a 30 minute strength yoga practice (lots of warrior poses, push-ups, planks and side planks) followed by 15 push-ups and a 1 minute plank. As opposed to Saturday, where I felt really strong in yoga, I felt extremely exhausted doing this. Today's mile repeats should be interesting!


Total Mileage = 23.33


Next week's training schedule

It seems we've entered the phase of marathon training where each week's assigned workouts scare me a little a lot. Bring it on! As much as I get nervous about a tough week of training, I love the feeling of knowing you absolutely killed that week's workouts. Hopefully I'll have that feeling a week from now!

This is what Coach Jess has me doing this week:

• 4 x 1600 (Mile repeats. Yes. Again. Ahh x 2?)
• Middle distance run (9 miles)
• Strength workout + 1 mini core workout
• Shakeout run (3 miles)
• Long run (18 miles)
• Yoga class

I also have to concentrate on stretching and foam rolling a lot since I'll be driving so much over the next 3.5 weeks!


How was your weekend? If you're training for a fall race, has training ramped up for you yet? Do you like mile repeats?

Exciting Sister News!!

Nothing much to update on since I spent most of yesterday in bed trying to beat this cold/conjunctivitis into submission. I even have the wound to prove it -- I have an extremely swollen left eye that makes me look like I have some terrible disease. It's actually kind of hilarious and Sourabh and I keep laughing at my one swollen eye. The other one is completely fine for some reason.

Anyway, like I said, swollen eyes are pretty much what's up in the Mishette household (that would be our last names, combined).

So I hope you won't mind if I share something that I'm excited about -- my sister just got engaged! Priyanka and her boyfriend fiance, Jason, have been dating for five years. Jason is a great guy and I have even gone so far as to refer to him as Uncle Jason when he's playing with Mason. Oh, you didn't know that was how dog relations worked?

It looks like Mason is snarling in this picture, but he isn't, I promise. 

Jason proposed while they were up in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a mini getaway. Priyanka and Jason go up to Vancouver for a couple days at least once a year, so I thought that was great -- they'll have something wonderful to remember every time they go up there!

This wasn't a total shock since they'd been talking about it and my parents let me in on the secret that Jason had told them he was going to propose. But it was still awfully exciting to get the pictures and hear about how it all went down!! I just wish I lived closer and could celebrate with them!

Congrats, you guys!!! They haven't set a date yet but it'll probably be August or September next year since those are the only two months that are reliably nice in WA. I'm thinking Priyanka will have to buy a dress in NYC just so I can take part in the trying-on of dresses!!

The Case of the Valentine's Day Pastry Thief

Happy (day after) Valentine's Day! A day often filled with post-sugar-overload hangovers. Or real hangovers, depending on how you choose to celebrate (no judgment). Seriously, I hope everyone had a great day and spent it with people you love (romantically or otherwise).

I sent my family this collage as a valentine. My mom always used to give my sister and I valentines and I loved it as a kid because my classes tended not to have mandatory-cards-for-all, so I was happy to get a little something special. I think it's sweet to remind your family how much you love them, even though, of course, we should do this every day!


It's been a loooong week. I've been able to get all my planned runs and workouts in so far, including a pre-sunrise run Thursday morning when I met up with Julianne, who just ran her first marathon in Miami! I seriously love meeting other bloggers, they're always so much fun. And there was no way I would have woken up at 6:20 AM if not for her.

sunrise in Central Park

Oh, and don't worry mom, pre-sunrise means pre-sun-rising-above-buildings. It was still plenty light out!

BUT all of this means that I have also been sleep-deprived, so I skipped my evening seminar last night in favor of making a homemade pizza for Sourabh and I to share and calling it an early night. We caught up on some shows, gave some much-needed attention to Mason, and finished off the giant brownie I baked him.

is it bedtime yet?

The Case of the Valentine's Day Pastry Thief
It's a day late, but I wanted to share the story of my freshman year Valentine's Day because it's kind of ridiculous. My best friend from undergrad, Katie, is a fantastic baker. She baked a variety of things and had a plate of them for me and for a guy friend of ours.

I was firmly convinced at the advanced age of 18 that I would never meet anyone who loved me and would end up alone and eaten by wild dogs (bonus points to the person who can identify that reference). So Valentine's Day sent me into a tailspin of teen angst.

an accurate depiction of my fragile emotional state on that day 

I'm not sure where it came from, but there was an enormous amount of candy in my dorm room, in addition to the cookies Katie had given me. I decided I needed to drown my sorrows in sugar, so I ate, like, all of it. Huge quantities of candy and baked goods. I was basically bouncing off the walls from the sugar high.

me, on my epic sugar high

And then, logically, I started crashing from my sugar high and getting emotional and even more angsty than before (I think there was some crying over Grey's Anatomy involved?). Only I couldn't go out to find more sugar because we were snowed in by the Valentine's Day Blizzard of 2007.

So... I went into our guy friend's dorm room to steal his baked goods because I was desperate for sugar (no one on my freshman floor really locked their doors). Serious addict behavior right there, I know. He came back to a partially eaten treat plate. And immediately guessed it was me.

a muppet version of me ... this was the best I could do when searching for "cookie thief"
(source) 

Obviously, I did have the common decency to later make it up to him with some other treats or something (this was 7 years ago and I have a terrible memory). Katie and I still refer to this incident every Valentine's Day.

Anyway, I'm off to a full day of classes and then a friend from undergrad is visiting the city and I'm taking her to Refine Method! I love a good sweat date. (Er, that sounds a bit inappropriate actually...)


Do you have a three-day weekend? Any ridiculous Valentine's Day stories (that you're willing to share)??

January Intentions Recap and February Goals

Happy February!!

First off, I have to say Happy Birthday, Dad!! It is my dear ol' (but not old) dad's birthday today. I am always so bummed that I live far away and can't spend my parents' birthdays with them. He is 62 today. My mom is also 62 (her birthday was in September), but you'd never guess it from looking at them. As I've mentioned before, my dad is a yoga teacher by night/mornings/weekend, and an accountant by day. My mom went back to school to become a physical therapist's assistant and used to teach singing.

also, they've been married 43 years. that's just crazy.

They both continually inspire me to remember that age is only a number. My dad has recently taken up running and started a running group at work -- they run 3-5 miles at lunch three days a week! That's in addition to his own speed workouts I've given him, some weights, and teaching yoga. My mom is working with a personal trainer and working out consistently despite being on her feet and doing physical work in her job. She can't run until she has a minor surgical procedure that makes high-impact workouts ok, but she's already excited to enter some 5k's once she can!

No More Sick
So guys, I ran last night! I think that's the biggest sign that I'm no longer sick. I ran on the treadmill for four miles (since I didn't get back from work/class/meeting until 9 PM) and did a super short strength workout with heavy weights since I only wanted to do one set.

apparently if you don't hook yourself up to the heart rate monitor it just... estimates for you?

My appetite still isn't back, which is worrying me. I'm normally always hungry. Like always. But after throwing up about 20 times in the span of 12 hours (TMI? sorry...), I feel queasy even thinking about food and everything is giving me a stomach ache.

I did feel a bit hungrier after running though, so clearly running is the cure to everything.


Recap of January's Intentions
As I wrote on December 31, 2012, I have five general intentions for this year that I'm trying to follow through with by setting smaller, tangible goals each month. My intentions are to (1) continue my plant-based diet, (2) get faster, (3) disconnect more, (4) cook more, and (5) be on time, and I set four goals that would further those intentions.

As I was reviewing them, I realized that, to my surprise, I think I was actually pretty successful with my goals! I cooked a lot more often, at least once we were back in NYC and weren't sharing food prep duties with my dad.

I didn't do speed work for two weeks following my half-marathon because I didn't want to do any intense running workouts, but I did do one each week after that. I've started leaving for things a bit earlier (ok, maybe not 15 minutes, but it counts right?). And I have been getting off my computer more often in the evenings, trying to do my seminar readings on my Kindle.

I'm excited to continue to pursue my intentions by setting more concrete goals for February. Since I always set weekly workout goals, I'll call these my "big" goals.


February's Big Goals

Be a more mindful food consumer. I eat very healthy, especially for a grad student, but truthfully I am not very careful with the food choices I make in terms of how my purchases affect others. I've always been vaguely aware of the fact that fisheries are depleted, but I didn't realize that 85% of fisheries are "exhausted or on the path to collapse." After reading this Greatist article on the ethics of healthy eating, I want to be a more savvy and concerned food consumer and use my purchasing power in a positive manner.  This is especially important when it comes to fish and produce. I also want to avoid the "dirty dozen" -- those items with the highest amount of pesticide residue (which include potatoes?? what?).

Continue my speed workouts and run with faster friends. I've already seen the benefits of running with faster friends, but January was a tough month for meeting up with people. I wasn't even in the city until the 20th, then I was getting my new extern/school schedule set, then I got sick! So my goal is to work out with friends more. I work harder and improve more -- and it's more fun!

clearly these are excellent people to work out and run with...
(and if any of you read this, I'll be bothering you more to run/lift/work out/yoga with me) 

Leave my phone charging more often. Once I plug my phone in to charge, I check it much less because it's not there so there's no temptation to constantly look at it. If I plug it in soon after I get home, I won't check it as much and that combined with shutting my computer = disconnecting!

Cook a new and different cuisine at least once a week. I did pretty well on the cooking front last month, and I think I'll be more excited to cook more if I make more recipes that are different (while still being quick and easy). I made these Thai Peanut Noodles, found courtesy of Janae at Hungry Runner Girl, (swapping in almond butter because I was out of peanut butter) on Wednesday night and they were really tasty! If I'd thrown in some chopped bell peppers and broccoli there would have been veggies in there, too, which is what I'll do next time (I was up to cooking but not grocery shopping).

Don't read blogs during breakfast. What? This one seems super random, right? Well it turns out y'all bloggers are so interesting that I get sucked in and lose track of time and suddenly I'm late because I was reading about someone's amazing training run or their kickass race recap (or, y'know, just what they had for breakfast -- it's interesting at 7 AM) and suddenly I'm running late and haven't even changed yet.

pretty Top-of-the-Rock picture inserted for no reason other than to show my favorite place, Central Park

How are your New Year's resolutions/intentions/goals going? How are your initial workouts when you're coming back from being sick?

Christmas Fun & Pfeffernusse Recipe

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas weekend! The past few days have been relaxing and full of family fun. Also full of a lot of Pfeffernusse, a spice cookie that my family makes for Christmas every year, which I included a recipe for below.

After a call to discuss a pro bono project with my supervisor Friday morning, I spent the afternoon running a couple of miles before taking a barre class with my mom and sister at a brand new studio in a nearby town. At 3 classes for $30, I had to try it!

Unfortunately, the class was a bit too easy for me. However, since I have 2 more classes, I think I'll try another instructor and see if I can get a good workout. I sweat a lot when I work out normally, even in barre classes, so the fact that I was dry the entire time was disappointing. Fingers crossed the next class is better!

rural roads make for great running :)

The rest of the weekend was spent buying last minute gifts, running on some gorgeous country roads, and being extremely lazy. I baked cookies with my parents and enjoyed a delicious quinoa salad at one of my favorite local cafes to make up for all the cookies. I sat on the couch a lot. It was a lovely weekend.

the "downtown" area -- the town has a Dutch influence, hence the windmill 

Then, I ran 12 miles on Christmas Eve Day. It was another tough run -- I started when it was about 34 degrees out and it never got above 38 degrees. However, that didn't stop the clouds from opening up. Despite forecasted sun, I ended up running in freezing rain (when it's 4-6 degrees above being snow, I think it qualifies as freezing).

The middle miles were rough and slow, and since I was running in my town I was mainly running through residential neighborhoods there wasn't even interesting sightseeing. I wanted to run on a trail, but my parents asked me to run in an area with plenty of people so they wouldn't worry. Town run it was! Their house, their rules :)

The run was a slog, but I pushed through and got the miles in, finishing with an 8:57 mile! I feel very ready for Monday's New Year's Eve Half-Marathon. Although right now the forecast is saying high 20s or low 30s, cold for Washington... ahh!! Hopefully my breathing is ok! Whatever happens, I'm really happy I put a race on my calendar to keep me active while home in Washington.

yumm -- lots of avocados were consumed

I refueled post-run with a delicious Christmas Eve dinner of Mexican food, and of course lots and lots of cookies. Not very traditional, but I was happy -- I love Mexican food! After some caroling and watching the Nutcracker, we trotted off to bed (with visions of sugar plums, stockings hung with care, etc.)

thank you, Instagram, for capturing the glowy-ness of our Christmas tree 

I had so much fun picking out gifts for my family this year, so it was wonderful to see them open their presents. A few of them were even fitness-related (what can I say, I'm obsessed). I got a foam roller for my dad, who's new to running and has back issues, and an Erica Sara Designs Say It Do It bracelet for my mom to help keep up her gym motivation. I also received some great items as well, most of which were for running, of course. Nothing like a stocking full of nuun to make me happy!

Merry Christmas, Mason!

The rest of this week will be full of taper goodness, with just a couple of short runs, some yoga, and lots of foam rolling!

Elf for Health

When I saw all the Elf4Health chatter on Twitter, I was curious what the challenge was. It's basically a series of mini daily challenges to keep you healthy during the holidays, but it also involves matching up with a fellow Elf to support them! I loved the idea so much, but unfortunately I found out too late to participate in the first rounds. I am signed up now, though, and was matched with Sophia!

We both successfully completed the Monday challenge of calling an old friend to chat. It's funny -- I rarely call people other than Sourabh or my parents! It was nice to chat with an old friend and figure out when we'll be seeing each other over the holidays. We ended up getting a white Christmas after all when it started snowing around 11 AM, so Tuesday's challenge of taking a walk with the family was a no-go since there's nowhere to walk around my house and the roads weren't plowed. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the challenges and getting to know my fellow Elf more!

Pfeffernusse Recipe
Makes roughly 4 dozen

These cookies are nutty, spicy, and full of deliciousness. You could use them as run fuel if you're a whole foods-fueling runner since they're basically sugar and nuts with some flour thrown in, but no dairy to cause phlegm (my nemesis when running). If you want to make them sweeter, roll them in powdered sugar after they come out of the oven. If you want to make them vegan, here are some suggestions for how to replace eggs in baking. Otherwise, enjoy a semi-healthy and extremely tasty spice cookie.

Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup honey (warm)
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
3 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons cardamom
2 teaspoons fresh finely ground black pepper
4 teaspoons fresh ginger
2 cups finely ground hazelnuts
2 cups finely ground almonds
4 cups unbleached flour (can substitute 2 cups regular for 2 cups whole wheat flour)

bonus: you can fit a lot on one baking sheet!

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine sugars and eggs.

3. Add honey, soda and spices then mix.

4. Fold in nuts then add flour gradually. You may need to combine using your hands as the dough becomes quite thick.

5. Round dough into 1 inch-thick balls, place 1 inch apart on non-stick pan or on parchment paper and bake 12 to 15 minutes.

6. Let cool on wire rack (option to roll in powdered sugar here).

How was your Christmas? Are you running any holiday races? Any special holiday recipes?

Happy Holidays!

I am going to go dark until after Christmas so that I can spend the next few days hanging with the family without distractions. I have some great posts that I'm excited to share next week, including another circuit workout that I'll be drilling my mom and sister in over the weekend, and a German spice cookie recipe (because holiday cookies can be enjoyed after Christmas, right?).

I wish you all a very merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and a happy long weekend if you don't! 

I'll leave you with this -- a corporate lawyer's mark up of a holiday greeting!

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful to be here in Washington after yesterday's epic day of travel. A bumpy hour-long cab ride followed by a six and a half hour flight with a dog and then a two and a half hour drive to my family's home meant that I crashed immediately after getting here.

I thought I'd do a quick Thankful Thursday post because I always feel very thankful after getting to my destination safely. Then I'm going to drive (!!!) to Starbucks where they have fresh-pressed green juices (!!!). If the exclamation marks didn't alert you, I love driving and green juices.

I am thankful for...

right before boarding. he looks...bored.

... my dog. It's a huge pain to travel with a pet, and yet having him with me makes any place happier. He was so incredibly well-behaved during the entire process. I felt like a parent because I was so proud as he received compliment after compliment. "Why yes, he is a perfect pooch. Thank you." I left out the part about him being bossy...

... my family. Well, obviously. How could I not be thankful for them after they drove 2.5 hours to pick me up and another 2.5 hours to get me back? My mom even went to work early so she could get out in time to drive down with my dad. And my sister cleaned my old room so it would be nice and cozy for me to settle into. So much love to arrive to... and I am so thankful for them.

(source)

... good customer service. I was honestly amazed when the DryBar said my blowout was being comped because it was their first day in their Upper East Side location. That, in addition to the great blowout, the friendly women manning the front desk, and the delicious biscotti, are why I will certainly be back. I hadn't had a great evening and this perked me up so much.

... healthy fast food. I know, so superficial... blowouts and food. Sorry, but I was extremely thankful for this yesterday. On our drive back, we stopped at a chain called Taco del Mar where I could get black beans, rice, fish, salsa, and guacamole in a bowl. It was 10 PM my time and I was famished. Being able to eat something filling and quick was amazing. I love that more and more places are offering healthy fast food.

... beautiful sunrises. I got to see this on my last Central Park run of 2012 as I rounded the Reservoir. I'm often up fairly early, but rarely up early enough to see the sun rise. I was actually so awed that I turned off my music so I could just enjoy the calm, quiet beauty of morning in Central Park.

What are you thankful for today? 

New Year's Eve Half-Marathon

Well, the title kind of says it all. I'm running another half-marathon! I've already signed up for one in the spring and entered two other lotteries, but they're so far away that they seem nonexistent. 

there's a marathon and a half-marathon, but the half didn't get a banner
(and yes, I know, you're so jealous of my paint skillz)

When I saw that there was a half-marathon close to my hometown on New Year's Eve, I got extremely excited. I'm going home for an entire month over the holiday break because I am so rarely home and I don't know the next time I'll have an opportunity to spend so much quality, uninterrupted time with my family. 

I ran a race last time I was home, but running a half-marathon is a much bigger event, especially since it'll only be my second half-marathon. I loved the idea of running one in Washington so that my family could cheer me on. Almost equally cool is the fact that I'll close out 2012 doing something that I realized I loved this year. 

My training plan

The numbers roughly correspond to day of the week (i.e. 1 = Monday), but I may mix things up because of the weather or a busy schedule, which is why I wanted to use numbers rather than days of the week.

The speed work is going to be very important to me. The first speed workout will definitely be intervals of some kind and then the second may be closer to a tempo run -- something with a more consistent pace, but really focusing on speed. Last time, I only concentrated on distance. This time, I want to make speed the emphasis. 

The truth is, though, if this doesn't happen exactly according to plan, I'm not going to be that bummed. I have several big projects coming up and I'll be home for 10 days before the half, so I just want to do my best in the half-marathon. If I end up with a worse time than at my first half, it'll be fine. The big goal is just to run another half-marathon with my family there to see me doing something I love to conclude this year on the highest note possible.

Are you running any longer races before the end of 2012?