Anniversary

Today, Mike and I are celebrating three years together. I enjoy anniversaries of any type because they give you chance to reflect on the progress you’ve made in the past and realize how much things have changed.

The past year was certainly filled with ups and downs, as we transitioned from a couple in a long-distance relationship to roommates. We discovered a lot about each other, learned to co-exist in the same living space and developed ways to tolerate each other’s annoying habits. At the same time we grew individually, working towards achieving personal dreams and goals, as the other quietly supported and encouraged the pursuit.

While thinking about our anniversary, I began contemplating other anniversaries which afford us the same luxury of reflection. Most momentous occasions have anniversaries: we celebrate becoming another year older, the importance of our parents, our gratitude freedom and the protectors of that freedom - the list goes on.

But once we move past these society-wide anniversaries, there usually aren’t any anniversaries to celebrate the unique relationships which we purse as individuals.

I think my love for baking is likely wired into my genetic make-up. It is no coincidence that some of my earliest recollections are of being in the kitchen with my Mum, pretending to make miniature-sized versions of whatever she was creating.

Nowadays, I see my mother in me when I am happy to spend an afternoon baking delicious goodies, trying new recipes and cherishing the traditional ones. It the outlet which allows me to create and perfect. My love for baking has never been and never will be in question: we are soulmates.

On the other hand, my relationship with running was not nearly as natural. During my first three years of high school, I absolutely detested running, as it was a big part of conditioning for the upcoming field hockey season.

I don’t think I can put into words how much I hated running; I was slow, it was always hot and I just wanted to play field hockey. But, a coaching change during my senior year began to turn the tables. Running was the only the only time I had to mentally prepare myself for the disorganization and inefficency which were our practices.

In college, running and I had a love-hate relationship. I went through times where I absolutely adored running; I would run every day, every week. This infatuation would usually last about a month. And then I hated running. My running shoes would collect dust until I again needed a way to burn off stress or extra pounds a few months later.

After college, running and I really developed our relationship. Within one week of graduation, I had been transplanted into someone else’s adult life. I was lost, homesick and probably a little bit depressed. I was a young female who had left her family behind to purse her dreams in NYC; but there was nothing romantic or unique about this characterization – this described thousands of other young females I trudged to work with every morning.

I felt like I wanted to run away and never look back. So I put on my running shoes.

Running and I are now in a much stronger relationship than ever before. As soon as I accepted running for what it was, not as a tool for conditioning or for combating extra calories, it became something I couldn’t live without. Sometimes we meet-up for lunch, other times we see each other before dinner and every weekend we spend more time than usual getting reacquainted.

The meetings are sometimes dreaded and sometimes craved. Our relationship will be put to the test many times this year and in-between we will have to learn how to better prepare for the next. The relationship takes a lot from me, but the reward is always much greater than the sacrifice.

This afternoon, running and I enjoyed a lunch date. This evening, baking and I will enjoy creating chocolate pudding with espresso whipped cream. And tonight, I will celebrate three years with someone who whole-heartedly accepts all my other relationships.

Fortune Cookies

I’m feeling good about the race next Sunday. My tempo run last Thursday went better than I expected; I ran three miles at a pace of 7:40 per mile – this was the fastest I’ve ever run. I was tired at the end of it, but I felt good. I was also starving by the time I got home and consumed a large amount of steak stir-fry in a relatively short period of time, a sight which undoubtedly frightened Mike.

Feeling good about my work out and refueled from dinner, I opened a little package from my Mum. Inside was a Chinese take-out box which held adorable felt fortune cookies and dark chocolate. Each fortune cookie had a slip of paper inside with a quote about running or baking! Each quote made me smile, the ones about running made me feel even better about my run and the ones about baking made me want to put on an apron and make all the recipes I’ve been meaning to try. So many of my favorite things wrapped in a small package - the gift was absolutely perfect.

By the time I got into bed that night, my shoulder was absolutely killing me. I think I’ve had a pinched nerve under my right shoulder blade for the past few weeks, probably a product of my strength training and running. It started off as an almost unnoticeable ache under my shoulder and then I lost a lot of strength and feeling in my right arm. But I must have really aggravated it during my run today, because the pain was suddenly quite noticeable. I put a heating pad on it, but it didn’t help. I was in and out of sleep most of the night.

I was exhausted on Friday and the pain had now made it’s way into my neck. The pain was unbearable and I knew I would not be able to sleep or run during the weekend if it didn’t get better. I decided to skip cross-training for the night and instead made an appointment for a deep-tissue massage. Mike recommended a massage therapy clinic, since the injury was sports-related. It is right around the corner from the apartment and about half the price of a massage at a spa. And it was totally worth it! She spent about half the time working on my right shoulder and back and the rest on my legs and arms. I think this place will be an excellent resource if I end up training for a marathon this year. Mike and I ordered take-out from the Thai restaurant and we both finished a grotesque amount of food. All in all, a pretty relaxing Friday night.

Although I usually do my long run on Saturday, as I usually have more motivation, this week I decided to run on Sunday to mimic my race schedule of the upcoming week. I went to spinning class Saturday morning, which I will not do next week so as to keep my legs fresh. Temperatures this weekend were cold, but much better than the last. And after my encounter last weekend, you couldn’t have paid me enough to go for my long run at the gym again.

Sunday morning, I bundled-up and set off for my longest run to date: 7 miles. I was frozen for the first half mile. But as my body realized I was not in fact kidding about foregoing the warm blankets for a cold run outside, it reluctantly warmed-up and allowed me to settle into a comfortable pace. I made my way towards Central Park, where I was planning to run one of the 5 mile loops. Running this loop was a bit out of my comfort-zone, as I have in the past always stuck to the little 1.5 mile loop around the reservoir. Truth be told, I am absolutely terrified of getting lost on a run; the paths through Central Park can be a bit tricky, especially for someone with no sense of direction. But today was a day to step out of comfort zones.

First mile behind me, I arrived at the Park and started down the path of the 5 mile loop. I noticed a fair amount of people on this stretch of road, which wasn’t necessarily uncommon for a Sunday morning. But then I started noticing cones and volunteers – I was definitely on the same path as a race. I racked my brain to think of what race this was – then I remembered it was a half-marathon being put on by the NYRR. I was intermixed with runners who had given-up hope and walkers who were determined to make it to the finish line.

The race had been going on for about two hours at this point, so running the same path was completely legal. While I usually feed-off passing other runners, I felt a bit guilty about doing it this time. There was just an air of defeat all around me. For each person I passed, I wanted to pat them on the back and tell them to keep going. I wanted to congratulate them for being out here; I wanted them to know I empathsized with their disappointment. But, I showed my respect my keeping to the outside of the lane. The volunteers called endless words of encouragement from their respective posts; I quietly remembered these words were not intended for me.

The hills on the East side of the park were there to greet me during the middle miles, just as my legs were beginning to feel like cement. The end of the run was somewhat uneventful, except for the fact that I finished my distance goal for the week. I ran 7 miles (7.14 miles, to be exact) in 1 hour 2 minutes 21 seconds. I felt amazing at the end; if not for the nagging blister on the bottom of my right foot, I’m pretty sure I could have kept running forever. My splits for the day worked out to be 8:43 per mile, a respectable time for someone slowly increasing their mileage.

Perhaps those fortune cookies brought more luck than I thought.

Cruise Control

My training has remarkably stayed on schedule this week. I'm two weeks out from my next race, which is when I typically get complacent and bored with running. When a race is two weeks away, especially a shorter distance race, it is still far enough away to not yet be considered a threat.

I was a bit worried how the week would go when I skipped my strength training on Monday. Having the day off from work was as relaxing as expected, but threw me off my usual weekday routine. After a trip to Whole Foods, Mike and I escaped the cold and snow by watching Law & Order episodes. But as the afternoon ticked-away and the snowfall turned heavy, my well-intentioned plan to go to the gym was suddenly a distant thought. I did a quick yoga session and started the core workout, which I have now started incorporating into my workouts three times a week. But five minutes into the core workout, I was bored and had no energy.

Tuesday is my easy run day. I packed my gym clothes and was planning on going to the gym after work. But my dentist called in the morning and said he needed to check out two things from last week's X-Rays, but could only see me at 5:30 that evening. Knowing I would have no incentive to run afterwards, I headed to the gym on my lunch hour. Two easy miles on the treadmill and a quick shower later, I was back at my desk eating lunch. The visit to the dentist didn't go as well; I have to get my first filling in February. I don't like to talk about it.

On Wednesdays I either rest or cross-train. I figured taking a rest day wouldn't really be to my benefit this week and I needed something to keep me motivated for my tempo run on Thursday. So, I signed-up for my first spinning class after work. Truth be told, I had always been a bit terrified of spinning classes. The instructors always look too intense/scary and, most importantly, the classes looked hard!

I researched articles on spinning classes before I went (no, I am not kidding) and they all suggested informing the instructor if you were a first-time student. So I did this and the instructor helped me adjust my bike to the correct height and length. And, to my surprise, it was definitely one of the best workouts ever! It was high-intensity and was definitely a good compliment to my running. In fact, it was so good that I plan to add this into my cross-training schedule each week. I might have even convinced Mike to join me! My glutes are a bit sore from yesterday, but I'm headed to the gym after work to get in my tempo run.

I can feel myself starting to get restless with my current running schedule. I've set some pretty big goals for my running this year and I am anxious to start pursuing them. As in life, I don't do well in cruise control, maintaining my current state until I can again accelerate towards a goal. That said, I have another three weeks before I can start training for the half-marathon in April. It will be a long stretch of road.

Long Weekends

Despite the aggravation of yesterday, I absolutely adore long weekends. For some reason the extra day just seems provide a relaxing tone for the weekend. Long runs don't seem to cut into valuable time, I can linger a bit longer under toasty blankets and more thoroughly enjoy conversations over a delicious meal.

Mike and I went on a lunch date early this afternoon to a neighborhood Thai restaurant: Land. Intrigued by the number of people in the building who order take-out, I looked up their menu earlier this week. I had never actually had Thai food, but the menu looked delicious. They also have a lunch special where you can order two courses for $8. Mike quickly agreed to go with me.

We slept-in late, so decided to head over for a not-so-traditional brunch around noon. The decor was lovely and the food was absolutely phenomenal. For the first course, I ordered the root vegetable spring rolls and Mike ordered the beef consomme; for the second, I ordered green curry with chicken and Mike ordered the drunken noodle with chicken. I had not planned on ordering dessert, but decided to try the blood orange sorbet. Excellent decision on my part. I look forward to trying many more dishes from here and hopefully taking visitors to share in the deliciousness.

Today is much warmer than the past week, but the sky is still a bleak gray. Every once and while, I relish days like this. The day just seems to say, "They only thing you need to do today is stay inside and relax." Mike and I came home after a quick stop at the grocery store. We picked-up some of our favorite beer and he is making his amazing chicken chili for dinner.

I put on a full pot of coffee, which each of us will sip throughout the afternoon. I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies to accompany the coffee. Although I kept the recipe the same, I changed how I formed the cookies. I asked Mike which style he liked better. He announced he would need to taste-test two cookies in order to make an educated choice. Two cookies later he decided he didn't care how they looked - just as long as they tasted the same.

I usually just scoop the dough onto the sheet, which yields cookies that are not perfectly formed. This time, I rolled the dough into about 1" balls, which baked into a more traditional looking, perfectly round cookie. I actually think I like the appearance better when they are not so perfect; the imperfectness looks a bit more homemade and earthy.

Since I have been planning on adding photography to the blog, I decided to take a photo so you could all join.

Time Limits

With temperatures hovering below zero, an outdoor run was out of the question for today. I do not have the proper attire to regulate my body heat in such cold temperatures, so my long run of the weekend was going to be on a treadmill.

Apparently I spent a bit too much time catching up on sleep, because the gym was packed when I arrived at 10:30 AM. I waited in line for about fifteen minutes until a treadmill opened up and then began my stationary 6 mile run. The treadmill strips everything I adore about running outside - changing scenery, uneven surfaces and a general feeling of freedom. Jammed in between other sweaty runners and gasping for a breath of fresh air, the treadmill only affords its users the physical aspect of running. There is no mental escape.

The run was going well, until I felt a tap on my shoulder after 4.5 miles. I turned around. "Um, there's a 30 minute limit when there's a line. You've been on there for 37," a woman in a perfect gym ensemble quipped. I was shocked, "Let me finish up this mile and you can have it," I managed. I looked around at the other runners, many who had been running before I started. Everyone else had a towel over their screens; too bad mine had slipped off during the first mile.

Annoyed that my long run would be cut short by a mile, I felt another tap on my shoulder. The woman had gotten a trainer to pull me off the treadmill. I left the gym absolutely seething - I understood the time limit rule from a business standpoint, but as a paying customer at a gym, I expect to be able to purse my athletic goals. They were not fairly enforcing the rule; no one had been there to pull people off the machines while I was waiting.

That encounter set the tone for most of the day: I messed up the pancake batter, purchased the wrong size insulation for the bedroom windows, had to make two trips to Blockbuster because I didn't have my card the first time. It was one of those days where you feel like the world is against you.

There was only one cure for a day as frustrating as this one: a long, warm bath. I dropped in a Lush bath fizzy (my favorite), which unexpectedly released stars and confetti. I soaked, read and relaxed until the water was cold. Later, Mike and I enjoyed movie night with a bowl of popcorn. At least the evening left a good spin on the day.