Workout Recap & Weekly Goals: Fun Runs, Book Club, and a Beautiful Wedding

Happy Monday!

I hope you all survived the scorcher of a week we had at the end of last week. From 40s and 50s to high 90s in less than a week? Well, okay, New York, I'll move away if you insist. (just kidding... kind of)

Sunday marked the inaugural meet-up of the Fitness & Frozen Grapes and Jen's Best Life Book Club! The picnic potluck was delicious and it was fun to discuss May's book. Carrie and I will both have more detailed recaps of our thoughts on our blogs together, and we'll both link to posts about the book if you read it and you'd like to post about your thoughts. (PS: I made this salad, minus the tofu croutons, and it was delicious!)

Also this weekend, I participated in a Fun Run hosted by Picky Bars, Oiselle, Nuun, and Greatist. Despite it being crazy hot, it was a great run with friends, sharing the love for some brands I adore. Thanks to Jocelyn and Meggie for organizing it!

Julianne and I, right before we ran away to find smoothies

Now, on to the big highlight of this weekend! My trainer, Amanda, was married on Saturday and Sourabh and I were lucky enough to attend her beautiful ceremony and reception. We were not lucky enough to have a single working camera between the two of us, so these photos are all from those uploaded to Facebook, but I had to share a few snapshots!

Amanda has had such incredible impact on my life. She got me to start running, to eat cleaner, and to embrace and love a healthier lifestyle overall. While I still have my moments of negative thoughts toward my body, I have a totally different attitude toward it, and that's all honestly due to her influence.

I was so happy that I could share in her special day, celebrating her marriage. The wedding was extra significant for me because her fiance husband, Sebastian, is Indian. Sourabh and I kept talking about how much we loved how they'd merged two cultures and all the ideas we loved. (Which was basically all of it and now we've decided we'll have to steal their entire wedding and not invite them so they don't know we copied them.)

The combination of traditional American wedding and Indian traditions was just so thoughtful and lovely, from the couple wearing a white dress and suit for the ceremony to Amanda and Sebastian changing into more traditional Indian garb for the reception. It was all beautiful and SO MUCH FUN.

Midway through their first dance, they broke out into a choreographed routine to "Jai Ho," from Slumdog Millionaire. It was really freaking awesome. Then they invited everyone onto the dance floor to dance for a few numbers before returning to our seats for more food.

The whole wedding was perfect from start to finish. I am so incredibly happy for Amanda and Sebastian and am so happy that Sourabh and I were included in their day!


Workout Recap
Last week's workouts consisted of upping my mileage in anticipation of marathon training soon (not officially starting until the third week of June) and trying to get some quality strength training in, as well as some yoga.

Monday: Rest (vacation). Walked around Quebec & climb 30 flights of stairs at Montmorency Falls.

Tuesday: Rest (vacation). Drove back from Quebec.

Wednesday: 2 miles with some intervals thrown in. 50 min. strength workout with Amanda. Lots of moving strength work -- jumping squats and lunges with weights.

Thursday: 3 mile easy run, speeding up at the end. Legs felt fantastic the whole time and I could have kept running if I were outside and not on a dreadmill treadmill.

Friday: 75 min. yoga class at Strala Yoga with Tara Stiles. The class was filled with young, preteen girls, who made the class feel even more fun and lighthearted than a Strala class normally does.

Saturday: ~5 miles with the Oiselle/Picky Bars/

Sunday: 30 min. strength workout with Sourabh (!!!). Led Sourabh through three circuits of strength moves, including total body moves and muscle-concentrated moves. We be up in the gym just workin' on our fitness...


This week's goals:
I felt amazing after Friday's yoga class. As always. Yet it's often the first thing I scratch off my schedule when I get busy, probably because the studios I go to don't pre-reserve! Trying to make yoga happen again this week.

So this week, I want to do:

• 3 runs (one longer run, two shorter runs)
• 2-3 strength workouts
• 1-2 yoga classes
• 1 spin class


What are your goals for this week?

Bits and Pieces: New Hair, NYC Half Presents & Core Foods Review

Lots of random things to share today!

I'm Blonde(r)!
Yesterday I decided I was sick of having dishwater brown/blonde hair, since I haven't colored my hair in two years, so I headed to a nearby salon for highlights. I'm typically very careful with who I let touch my hair because it's a lot thicker than it looks and I've had some disastrous haircuts and colors.

But I threw caution to the wind yesterday (seriously, it was really windy) and made an appointment at a salon near me, Blondi's, that had a 20% student discount. Highlights were $80 with the discount and a glaze to better blend things in was $35, for a grand total of $115. If you know NYC prices, you know that's a pretty good deal! A blowout wasn't included, but I just blow dried my hair myself before leaving. I think my stylist, Randy, did a great job and I'm pretty happy with it!

I then wore a pink headband, pink top, purple sports bra, and blue shoes to my workout that afternoon. Yep, full-on Barbie in honor of the blonde hair.

I mainly wanted to color my hair because I have so many photo-filled events coming up. In addition to races, I have Barristers Ball (AKA "law school prom"), graduation, and traveling with my parents for four days after graduation.

Core Foods Review
I received a sample of Core Foods in the mail through my role as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. I was excited because a healthy meal to-go means more time to sleep in the morning! These are definitely a meal since they range from 350-400 calories (the package says one of these plus a glass of water is the equivalent of a bowl of oatmeal).

However, I was dismayed by the taste. While they tasted ok at first, the aftertaste was really unpleasant. I sent one with Sourabh for him to try and he didn't want to finish it. I will admit, we're both a bit picky, and I have gotten over unpleasant tastes in the past for performance foods before a run. But since this is supposed to be more like a meal, I was disappointed.

The ingredients are great, however. Seven ingredients each that are organic and gluten-free for those who need that. There are also amino acids and lots of plant fiber in each one.

I love the idea of these, but I just wasn't sold on the taste. However, if you don't mind that when looking for performance foods, this might be something to check out!


NYC Half Presents

I got a few lovely presents in honor of my PR at the NYC Half that I wanted to share. I got them a while ago, but my phone died last Wednesday and I was phone-less for a week, so I couldn't take pictures of the necklace until now!

Sourabh got me this necklace after I mentioned how much I loved the quote on it. It's a custom engraved necklace from Erica Sara Designs that says "Above all, be the heroine of your own life," a Nora Ephron quote. I absolutely love the necklace and wore it through a tough strength-training workout just fine yesterday. (FYI: I'll be working at the ESD booth on Saturday, April 13, during the MORE/Fitness Half Marathon Expo. If you're in town, drop by and say hi!)

I got this gift before the Half -- a big box of nuun from my parents! It's great to have a stockpile of this stuff. I'll never be lacking in electrolytes ;)

And finally, these gorgeous flowers were a gift from my trainer, Amanda. They lasted a really long time and were absolutely beautiful. They made my apartment look like spring, even if it doesn't feel like spring outside!!

Have you received any special gifts after running a race?

Holiday Stocking Gift Guide

'Tis the season for gift guides. And since I love and adore lists of any kind, I wanted to put together a guide, too! But this one is slightly different -- it's a stocking gift guide. If you don't do stockings, then I feel sorry for you, because my favorite part of Christmas is reaching into a stocking and pulling out random little gifts. So, here are a few suggestions for how to fill the stockings of your loved ones.

Oiselle runfinity scarf or rundies

Oiselle runfinity scarf - $22 (source)

I ordered the runfinity scarf because (1) it's made of wicking material so I can use it to keep my neck warm on runs, (2) it's an infinity loop so there's no figuring out how to tie it in a casual-yet-cool way, and (3) STRIPES. I love stripes. Who doesn't love stripes? I'm wearing the scarf right now. It's amazing. Stuff it into a ball then put in the stocking.

Oiselle rundies - $65
(source)

I think these are the cutest things ever. If you're a runner and you like cute undies, how could you not love these? Ball each one up individually to fit into a stocking.

Nutritional Shake Powder

Pro tip: get the individual serving packets. It'd be hard to fit the whole bottle into a stocking. 
(source)

This one seems weird, I'll admit it. However, if you're related to someone who works out a lot, then there's no way they won't love and appreciate this gift. Protein shakes are a delicious and nutritious post-workout snack/meal, and any dedicated sweataholic will appreciate this. Since some brands taste horrible, I highly recommend Vega. I've never tasted a Vega flavor I didn't like!

Justin's Nut Butter (Vanilla Almond)

$9.99 at Whole Foods
(source)

Random? Taste it and tell me it doesn't belong on every holiday list ever. Sadly, the Vanilla Almond Butter is only at Whole Foods, but I think the Chocolate Almond Butter is found in many places, and it's also crazy good. This would make an awesome stocking stuffer. Or just a gift to show a person how much you love them because after tasting this, there can be no question. These also come in $0.99 single-serve packets that are also perfect for stockings.

Magazine subscription

$19.99 for 1 year subscription (but look for deals!)
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Magazine subscriptions are easy to find deals on, and you can often order an annual subscription for someone for $10 or less. I just started getting Runner's World and really like it, but there are plenty of other magazines for the health-conscious -- Women's Health, Self, Health, Fitness, Shape, Oxygen, Running Times, Women's Running, etc. etc. etc.

Run fuel

On-the-go nutrition products make great stocking stuffers. They're not that expensive so you can stuff quite a few in! Nuun is great for hydrating for long runs (drop a tab into water and drink before or during a run). Clif shot gels are another kind of running nutrition. I find they're great pre-run but I have a hard time swallowing them when my mouth is slightly dry during a run. The chocolate or mocha flavors are my favorites -- they taste like frosting! I'm a big fan of Lara bars since they have a wonderfully short ingredient list and are pretty filling for a bar. My favorite flavors are apple pie, blueberry muffin, and peanut butter chocolate chip (extra protein).

Fun hair accessories

Kitsch hair ties - $9.99 for 5-pack
(source)

Sparkly Soul headbands - $15 for 3/8 inch, $17 for 5/8 inch
(source)

I love sparkly, colorful things for workout apparel, and this extends to my head. I've mentioned my love of Sparkly Soul headbands before, but not Kitsch hair ties, which are also super cute. These would be extra fun to wrap around some other stocking gift, like a protein bar or nut butter.

Classes at a favorite studio

This sort of qualifies as a regular gift (especially at NYC class prices), but gift cards can easily go into a stocking since they're small. If you know your loved one likes taking group fitness classes, then look into getting them a class or pack of classes. This kind of gift is especially appreciated after the holiday season! Jen-approved studios include Uplift Studios and Refine Method for cardio-strength-circuit workouts (Uplift has workout+wine classes!), Flywheel Sports for spinning, and Physique 57 for barre work.

Erica Sara Designs Say It Do It bracelet

$18 for brass (currently sold out), $32 for sterling silver, and $40 for gold fill
(source)

I love, love, love these. I got an Erica Sara Designs SIDI bracelet to motivate myself to a sub-2:00 half-marathon in the next six months and I wear it every day. It really is inspirational to see a note to yourself carved into metal on your wrist. And you can customize the engraving, the strap color, the metal, and the font! It's not often that you can make jewelry quite so personal. Again, a great stocking stuffer for a family member who you know has a fitness goal or likes external motivation.

Running socks

$10 for 1 pair
(source)

Laugh all you want at putting socks on a Christmas gift guide, but if I receive running socks in my stocking I will be thrilled. (That might just demonstrate the depths of my run-nerdiness) Proper running socks can help you avoid blisters, blackened toe nails, and other running ailments. I have a pair of Injinji socks that I bought after Dori recommended them and I wear them for every long run. I haven't developed any running shoe blisters since switching to special run socks for long runs!

Do you love stockings? What are your favorite stocking stuffers?