Race Recap: NYC Half Marathon 2013

This past Sunday, March 17th I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by running the NYC Half Marathon.  I was pretty excited about this race, mostly because it's a fantastic course through my beloved city.  Also, aside from the lottery requirement and fairly steep race fee, I knew it'd be a great race because NYRR (almost) always has their stuff together.  The volunteers are AMAZING and the races are always well organized with plenty of water/Gatorade and port-o-pottys!

The 7:30am start time meant Dad and I were up and at 'em by 4:30!  We bundled up in our throwaways and met Steph and Lauren (who both ran for Team in Training--way to go, girls!) at the subway.  It was low-mid 30s, but windy and felt like in the 20s!!! We had to be in our corrals, which were supposed to (but never did) collapse by 7:00am.  We dropped our bags and outermost layer and spent the next hour freezing our butts off waiting in the corral! 

Steph, Dad & I freezing pre-race!

I wore a long sleeve, RRS shorts, ProCompression socks and as always, a Sparkly Soul headband.  Although I've never been colder waiting for a race than I was on Sunday, I knew I'd warm up within a mile or two and be so thankful I wasn't overdressed.  Just before 8:00am our corral crossed the start line and we were off!

Mile 1 (10:14)-I couldn't feel anything from my waist down and was so excited to be moving that I didn't even notice this mile go by!

Mile 2 (10:30)-We began to thaw out a bit and I started taking in the beautiful sights of the  Central Park loop.  Cat Hill came and went and we tried to stay conservative with our pace being that we were so early into the race.

Mile 3 (10:02)-I was started to defrost so I used this mile (and sweet downhill) to take inventory.  I'd been experiencing some calf/shin pain two weeks prior to the race (shin splints,maybe?), so I had skipped my last long training run and rested more than usual.  Luckily, my legs felt fantastic.  I wasn't in any pain and I was totally ready for the beastly Harlem Hill.

Mile 4 (10:48)-Right after the 5K point, we started the uphill.  I tend to do pretty well on hills, but this one is always a struggle.  I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other until we reached the crest.  There were a lot of people cheering along this mile, which was awesome! Just before the 5-mile mark, I took half a pack of Gu Chomps.
Mile 5 (12:06)-I usually don't mind the rolling hills along the West side, but Sunday they seemed to go on forever.  I also started feeling like I had overhydrated, which meant I had to stop at the Port-o-Potty.  Hence the extra 1:30-2:00 added to this mile. 

Mile 6 (10:10)-At this point, I still hadn't turned my music on and just past the mile marker I heard someone yell "You're halfway there! Keep going!".  I wanted to scream.  We were NOT halfway...and by the way 7.1 miles is still a LONG way to go!  But I was so happy my leg was cooperating as we headed South and out to the most exciting part of the course!  My stomach started feeling iffy, but I just ignored it. 

Mile 7 (10:12)-Turning out of the park and onto 7th Avenue was awesome!  We were able to spread out a little and the energy along the course was amazing.  Somewhere in the 50s I saw (and heard) Beth, Abby, Liz and Allison cheering!  It was a perfect little boost and definitely put a smile on my face!  As we headed into the heart of Times Square, I knew we'd be seeing our family cheerleaders.  They grabbed a great spot at 42nd and 7th and we were able to stop for some high fives! 



Dad and I on 42nd Street

Mile 8 (10:11)-We hit the West Side Highway and as the crowds and excitement died down a bit, I started noticing that stomach pain again.  I am lucky to normally have a super solid stomach, especially during exercise.  This was not the case on Sunday.  The stomach upset was all I could focus on.

Mile 9 (10:00)-At this point, the course turned Southeast and the Freedom Tower came into view.  It was so incredible to see and I got a little emotional.  I was reminded how lucky I am to be alive, living in this amazing city and physically capable of running through it!  This was a temporary distraction from my stomach issues.  Mile 9 is usually when I take the rest of my Gu chomps, but I was scared that would lead to another bathroom trip and there weren't any port-o-pottys in sight!  Instead, I held the pack in my hand for a few miles, debating whether or not to take it and hoping the pain would dissipate.  I couldn't keep pace with Dad who was feeling great, so he started creeping ahead of me. 

Miles 10 (9:54), 11 (10:01) and 12 (9:33)-I felt fantastic during these miles, except the nagging stomach issue.  I eventually gave up on the Gu chomps and tossed them, knowing I only had a few miles left and they wouldn't help me anyway.  My legs were feeling so good and I was keeping Dad in my sights.  I knew this race wasn't going to be a PR, but I still wanted to finish strong.

Mile 13 (10:41)-This mile included that very short but killer hill coming out of the Battery Tunnel.  Luckily, Beth warned me about this little hill, so I was mentally prepared but it still wasn't fun! I was ready to be done and hit the bathroom.  Sorry if that's TMI, but I discuss this stuff all day everyday so I'm used to it!  The last 400 meters of the race was jam packed with people cheering and I fed off that energy to power through to the finish. 

Official finish time: 2:14:58 (10:18 pace)

I couldn't have expected a better time, given the bathroom break and the annoying stomach issue.  Not to mention I wasn't the greatest at getting in speedwork this training cycle.  But I ran an absolutely awesome race with my Dad through my city and I loved it.  

More than anything, I have to say I'm SO unbelievably proud of my cousin Steph, for finishing her first half-marathon (in a fantastic time btw) and raising over $2,000 for Team in Training/LLS.  She ran and finished the race with a huge smile on her face!  I can't wait to see what she does next! :)

Congratulations to all the finishers, many of who had amazing PRs at this race (and in DC)! And a HUGE thank you to all my cheerleaders, who braved the cold and wind!  Spectating is not easy by any means and you're all amazing! 

Up next...NYC Marathon?  ;)

Spotlight on Steph: Running for a Cure with TNT

Meet Steph.  

She is my cousin, my best friend and a recent addition to the Team in Training NYC Chapter.  On March 17, 2013 she will run the NYC Half Marathon and complete her first half marathon.  Steph will be training and fundraising for the next three months so that she can raise money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an incredible organization that works to fight blood cancers.  I couldn't be more excited for or proud of Steph for having the courage to take on this incredible challenge.  Both the training and fundraising will certainly be tough but ridiculously rewarding!  Please join me in supporting her (both emotionally & financially) and stay tuned to continue following Steph's story here on PB&P!

For now, let's get to know Steph a little bit better:

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Stephanie Meyering, I’m a 26 year-old publicist and I live in Astoria, New York with my boyfriend, Kevin and our energetic puppy, Kirra. I love to cook, entertain, and spend time with Kim and my other amazing friends!

What’s your current level of exercise? 

I was a competitive cheerleader for about 18 years and was able to stay in shape for a few years after college. But at the moment my level of exercise is probably not as up to what it should be! I sit at a desk for probably 8-10 hours a day and I’ve been running on and off for about 6 months but have definitely not committed myself to a training program – until now!

What inspired you to sign up for a Half Marathon through Team in Training?

Believe it or not, I’ve had a few inspirations for signing up for Team in Training:

• First and foremost, in October a colleague of mine, Ellen Kushman lost her battle with blood cancer. A group of my colleagues and others that loved Ellen decided that joining Team in Training to raise money to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. 
• Secondly, as you know, my cousin and uncle are huge runners! Reading this blog alone, you come away inspired. Their love of running is contagious and I hope to catch the bug! 
•  Last June, my boyfriend participated in the Ride to Montauk with Team In Training. He fund raised about $3,000 for the cause and rode a 100-mile bike ride! Seeing Kevin meet new people and grow through the process was also a huge inspiration to sign up. 

Raising $1,600 is a big challenge!  That's a lot of money. Are you worried you won’t be able to meet your goal?

Well, yes! But Team In Training provides you with support to discuss fundraising ideas and help you plan any fundraising activities you’d like. In addition, my team has already begun planning our fundraisers and we’re ready and rearing to go! As a team we want to beat our goal of $15,400 and give LLS as much support as possible.

So, how are you feeling as you head into this crazy fitness & fundraising journey?

I’m nervous and excited about this! My first official training run is tomorrow and it kind of feels like the first day of school! This past week there was a kick-off meeting and we met our coaches and now I’m ready to go! I’m sure there will be good days and bad days but I am just going to think about who I’m running for and that by running I  will be helping others!

Besides crossing the finish line on 3/17/13, what are you hoping to get out of this experience?

Through training for this half marathon and fundraising for LLS, I hope to become a better person! This will be a challenge for me physically and mentally and I can’t wait to take it on!

Last but definitely not least...What can we help support you and TNT?

If you’re interested in supporting the cause, you can check out my Team in Training Page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/halfnyc13/stephaniemeyering  

Because I am a part of  Team Ellen we also have a team page, you can check it out here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/halfnyc13/teamellen 

In addition to collecting donations on the site, Steph will also be documenting her training and fundraising here on PB&P.  Please donate what you can, help us spread the word and check back to see how she's doing!

Thankful Thursday: Hurricane Sandy Edition

Thankful Thursday this week has been brought to you by Hurricane Sandy.  This disaster has made a huge impact on the North East but has more personally reminded me how thankful I should be for what I have.  

Although I always have a lot to be thankful for, this week I'm thankful...

...that my people are all safe & sound.  My family, friends, coworkers and colleagues have all pretty much come out of this unscathed.  Some have lost power, some have flood damage...but most importantly, everyone is alive and well.   

...to be reminded of what matters.  To put it simply, things don't. People do.  It's hard to hear people complain about not having TV or internet.  Stop worrying about being able to update Facebook and start worrying about people who lost their lives and homes.

...for the first-responders, medical personnel, government employees and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to help others despite whatever personal tragedies they were experiencing at home.

Source

...that my city (and state) is resilient.  We are strong and will rebuild, as we have every time something or someone has tried to knock us down.  

...that I'll be cheering on the amazing runners this Sunday in the ING NYC Marathon (with this lovely lady).  I'm not really sure what my own opinion is on the post-Sandy marathon debate, but I'm sure the decision to host the marathon despite the hurricane aftermath was not an easy one.  And no matter what the final decision was, people would be angry.  What I do know is that this race will be an inspirational event that can restore a sense of normalcy and hope for New York.  So join me in supporting a race that highlights the strength of our runners and the incredible strength of our city!

What are you thankful for this week?  Tell me.  And let me know if you're running/cheering for the marathon on Sunday! :)

Pasta Giveaway Winner & Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I first want to start by saying I'm feeling incredibly thankful that I am able to sit here and write this post today.  Unlike so many others in the tri-state area, I woke up this morning to an apartment that is heated, powered and free of any real damage from the nightmare that was Hurricane Sandy.  My iPhone is charged and I have complete access to Facebook and Twitter.  More importantly, I know that none of these things matter.  It is not lost on me that so many have not been as lucky as I have.  People have lost their lives, their families and their homes.  But one thing we can all count on is the resiliency and strength of our nation, our state and more particularly, our beloved New York City.  Now more than ever, I'm so thankful and proud to be a New Yorker.  My heart goes out to any and everyone affected by this disaster. 

In addition to being Halloween, today is the last day of National Pasta Month.  That doesn't mean we can't celebrate all year round with tasty & nutritious pasta recipes! Especially since we know that Pasta Fits into a healthy lifestyle!  Also it's time to announce the winner of my Pasta Prize Pack giveaway! 

Congratulations Tiffany!  I'm so excited that you'll be receiving this awesome Pasta Fits prize pack, including Dreamfields® Spaghetti, Mueller's® Whole Grain Spaghetti, Heartland® Gluten Free Wheat Free Penne, Ronzoni Healthy Harvest® Spaghetti, Ronzoni Garden Delight® Rotini and an Ultragrain Pasta® Spaghetti Spoon!

Please send me your contact information and we'll get your prize sent out to you! 

And finally...Today is the October Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day! :)

Here's what the program is all about...

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

To get more info on Foodie Pen Pals or to join for October, visit The Lean Green Bean or click the icon below.  

This month my Foodie Pen Pal package came from Lauren over at Lauren Living Locally.  Thanks, Lauren! :)  I really love the concept of her blog, which follows her adventures in cooking food from local farmers markets and CSAs.  

Here's what she sent:

Kashi TLC bars

Sea's Gift Seasoned & Roasted Seaweed Snack

Lara Bar (love them)

Celestial Tea

The cutest baby Tabasco sauce! (I told her I liked spicy things)

Homemade Granola 

Once again, big thanks to Lauren for my FPP package this month!  

You can head over to The Lean Green Bean FPP link up to check out what other pen pals sent and received this month.  And if you're digging this program, sign up by November 5th to participate! 

Happy Eating, Happy Halloween and Stay Strong Everyone! :)

September Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

So this month I participated in a fantastic program hosted by Linsday (a soon-to-be RD!) over at The Lean Green Bean.  She created Foodie Pen Pals, which allows people from all over to get a taste of new, interesting, sometimes healthy, sometimes indulgent foods! This was my first time participating and I can't believe I haven't signed up before!  It's an awesome way to try new products, share recipes and get inspired in your own kitchen.

Here's what the program is all about...

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

To get more info on Foodie Pen Pals or to join for October, visit The Lean Green Bean or click the icon below. 

So...since this was my first time participating in FPP, who better to get matched up with than the mastermind herself? A big thank you to Lindsay for sending me a fabulous package!!!

Inside the package, Lindsay included her super cute business card and a letter explaining the contents of the box.  She also included a Cooking Light magazine, which I think is a really smart foodie-friendly way to recycle! :)  In terms of preferences, I told Lindsay that I love both sweet & spicy things...and that's exactly what I got! 

First up: Lindsay included a sampling of her own vegan cookies! Of course I snacked on one of those as soon as I opened my package. As much as I love to bake, I've never tried a vegan recipe and after trying these I think I'll have to give it a shot!

A few items I really want to highlight...

Key Lime Avocado Salsa. I love avocados, so I was very excited to give this a try! The key lime flavor is really strong and I kept saying I felt like I was drinking a margarita! Unfortunately the avocado flavor didn't come through for me.  I also wish it had been a little chunkier like traditional salsa.  It's pretty thin but I bet it will be great to use on enchiladas or tacos!

Raspberry Habanero Preserves. Wow.  As I said, I'm a big fan of both sweet & hot and this stuff is just that.  The sweetness of the raspberry is immediate and the habanero gives a lasting spicy kick.  I put this on a piece of whole wheat toast and it was definitely a wake-up call to my tastebuds!

TJ's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds!  One of my favorite things to do at breakfast is to mix a 1-2 Tbsp nut butter and 2 Tbsp of Roasted Flaxseeds into my oatmeal, so this product is perfect for that! :)  Unfortunately, this is one of many products on the FDA Recall List...but once I know it's Salmonella-free, I'll be snatching this up from Trader Joe's!

Also in my package: Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (yum!), Sweet & Spicy Pecans, Red Lentils, and TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute, and Chia Seeds.

Thanks again, Lindsay! :)

I'm really looking forward to using all of this stuff in all sorts of ways over the next month! Now it's time for you to head over to The Lean Green Bean to check out what other Foodie Pen Pals got this month and to sign yourself up!

Summer Wrap-Up

Since it's officially September and we'll soon be welcoming in fall, I thought I'd do a post recapping all of the amazing things I did this summer.  

I used to hate when you got back to school and teachers made you talk about all the fun and amazing things you did over the summer, because of course it meant that fun was over for the next 10 months.  Well now that I'm a "grown-up", I love looking back on the awesome things I've done.  It makes me feel grateful and inspires me to carry the awesomeness into the next season!  In this case, my favorite season: FALL!

So, here's what I did over my summer vacation....

I went to my best friends bachelorette party!

 And then her wedding...

<3

 I graduated from my Dietetic Internship program! Woohoo!!!

I went to a bunch of Yankee games.

I carried a tire around.  

And ran/crawled through some mud with these guys:

I spent some time at the beach and Astoria Park pool. 

I got dragged into some intense crafting projects with these lovely ladies:

I enjoyed some delicious food.

I found out I'm going to be an aunt!!!

Hi, Nephew baby! Can't wait to meet you!

I had color thrown on me with my friends.

And I got all sorts of sweaty, as much as I could!

As I'm sure you can tell, I had an absolute blast this summer.  I'm sad it's coming to an end but I have a lot to look forward to this fall.  My plans already include running the Staten Island Half with dad, reuniting with friends upstate and spending lots of money spoiling my little nephew fetus.

Stay tuned for fabulous fall updates.

In the meantime, tell me what about your summer! Go!

Race Recap: NYRR Back to Football Run

News flash: It's football season!

Okay, fine. It's still preseason until Wednesday, but it's basically football season.  

And for the first time, NYRR teamed up with the NFL for the Back to Football Run in Central Park.  The race started at 7:30pm, which was a little late for my liking...but not too bad for a 4 mile race.

I was pretty excited to combine my love for running with my love for football & the NY Giants!  And I'm always on board to plan an awesome race "outfit".  Hence:

I have to say the best part of this super fun race was getting to meet some fabulous blog/twitter friends!  I've been following Kristin's blog for awhile now, but for some reason or another we've never been able to meet!  Last night the stars aligned and it happened.  Clearly, we hit it off right away...

Hope it's okay I'm borrowing this pic, Kristin! :)

Despite her poor taste in football teams, she's awesome and I'm so glad she shares my enthusiasm for serious race costumes and sparkles.  Oh, and she brought cookies to fuel with. Amazing.

So...the race.  My quads were feeling tight and I was kind of just running for the fun of this race, so I didn't have a goal pace or finish time in mind.  Kristin was on the same page, so we just ran, talked and eavesdropped on a certain couple arguing/inspiring each other behind us.  

The course was one loop starting and ending on the 72nd street transverse, which includes a few nice rolling hills.  These are probably highlighted below in orange/red where I was slowing down.  There were some awesome spectators/volunteers cheering on all the different NFL teams represented.  As always, NYRR had plenty of water/Gatorade available and one thing I haven't seen before at a finish line: PLUMS! Yum!

My official race time was 40:16 (10:04 pace).  Sounds good to me...can't ask for more on a fun run with great people who were all celebrating the start of football season!

Other fabulous ladies I met at the NYRR Back to Football Run? Stephanie and Beth! If you don't already follow these girls, get on it.  I really do love how running brings together so many unique and amazing people.  

Overall, the NYRR Back to Football Run made for a great Thursday night!  

Race Recap: The Color Run NYC

In case you haven't heard (or aren't yet sick of hearing...) this past weekend was The Color Run NYC.  The Color Run is labeled the "Happiest 5K on the Planet", where at each "K" runners get splattered with a different color powder (corn starch).  

Since this fun run is super popular, TWO race days were offered...which both sold out within 48 hours of registration opening.  Only two of my planned "team" made the cut-off and we opted for the Sunday race.  

So...on Sunday, my alarm clock went off at 5:30am.  I woke up to this:

Wake up, Mom! It's time for The Color Run!

We got on the road at 6:15am, knowing we'd have to deal with race day packet pick-up and anticipating traffic!  The Color Run continued to warn about the ridiculously long lines we'd be facing if we picked up our numbers the morning of the race.  Ya know, because there were 10,000 runners each day. Well, I guess we were a little overly zealous because parking was a cinch and packet pick-up took less than 5 minutes.  Way to over exaggerate, Color Run.  

We had over an hour to wait for the start, so we had some free time to pose for fun free pics! The Chevy Spark tent had a fun photo op with cute props! You probably can't see it, but my sign said "Ummm we like color...Ummm we like running."  

So fresh and so clean, clean.

And that killed a solid 5 minutes.  So we headed to the start around 7:45 and ended up in the 2nd corral.  Groups took off every 5 minutes, which was an effort to keep congestion down.  Because this is not a timed race and most "Color Runners" are just doing this for fun, the corrals were not divided by pace and it was a mix of runners, joggers and walkers.  I was shocked that despite the thousands of people, congestion really wasn't a problem.

At about 8:15, Team CT took off and ran-walked our way through all 4 color stations: yellow, red, blue, and pink! 

Clockwise from top left: yellow, red, blue, pink!

The course was an out and back with a water station at the turn-around.  There was a DJ at the start and right before the half-way point which added to the fun of the race.  The volunteers at each color station had squeeze bottles to squirt us with the designated color.  I do have to say that we definitely had to slow down and walk directly by a person to get color on us.  We each also had a packet of color with us that was meant to be used at the post-race "Color Festival".  A few people even preemptively opened these packets to add extra or different colors to each other during the race!  This was probably a good idea because when we were finished with those 4 color stations, we just looked kind of blah.  I kept seeing orange, magenta and bright purple colors, which looked the most fun...yet were missing from the race stations! 

So after our sweaty 3.1 fun was done, here's how we looked:

The End Result.

We grabbed our post-race fuel...more water, KIND bars (my fave!), Yasso frozen Greek yogurt (no relation to Bart) and Fuze (not a fan).

Mmm Greek Fro-Yo!

Finally, we headed to the post-race color fest!  Essentially, this was a mosh-pit in front of the DJ stage and every few minutes finishers toss their color packets into the air and paint each other.

Pretty colors!

And we took some more fun pics of course!

Hooray for Color Run!

Apparently there were "blowers" to help runners get rid of excess color before heading home.  We didn't see these, but no worries!  I'm always prepared and had read up on tips in advance.  I brought blankets and towels to protect the car, baby wipes to clean ourselves up, a change of clothes and bags to wrap up our rainbow colored gear.  

[Side note: to any runners thinking about doing a Color Run:  You can't go into this being competitive or thinking it will be like a normal 5K.  It's advertised as a fun race to do with fun people, and that's exactly what it is.  It's not timed.  And more importantly, most people don't have any sense of running "etiquette".]

So am I going to do this race again?  Probably not.  I definitely had a blast being silly with my "team" (shout outs to Stephy & CT!) and I'm all about events that gets people active while having fun.  But I think I got my fill of color fun for quite some time!

Next up: NYRR Back to Football Run on Thursday!

Have you done a Color Run? Thinking about doing one?  Running the Back to Football 4-miler? Tell me about it!

Dear Thankful Thursday, Get Rid of My Headache!

And we meet again, Thursday.  I've had a killer migraine all day, for which I am NOT thankful.  I was struggling to get any work done and could not get rid of Mr. Migraine.  I even choked down a cup of coffee! Ack! Since nothing else is working to clear my head, maybe making a nice list of things that make me happy will work! Let's do it.

Today, I'm thankful...

...for a nice cool run this morning.  When I stepped outside, it was 67 degrees and breezy...SUCH a nice change from the disgusting humidity we've been having! It got me pumped up for fall running! 

...that my new baby Klean Kanteen arrived today! :)

I haven't been the best at staying hydrated at my new job, so I needed a mini size water bottle to keep in my lab coat!  And being the super environmentally friendly person that I am, Klean Kanteen was the way to go. I love their bottles and I'm psyched to keep hydrated with this little pink guy!

...for a fabulous beach day with some cool people last Sunday.  Of course we didn't take any pictures but it was beautiful and we had a grand ole time!

...for "our" new SodaStream! Roomie was basically dying for this awesome contraption, so it was the perfect birthday gift for her! It's a fantastic way to make our club soda without buying and wasting plastic bottles! Gosh, we are so green! :)

...that NYC has so many runner-friendly routes/backdrops to explore! 

I took this baby midway over the Queensboro Bridge..ya know, running into Manhattan.  To learn more about this route and many others, check out the NYC Running Routes posts from fellow blogger, Kristin!

So this headache is still lurking around, but Thankful Thursday definitely helped pep me back up.  Tell me, what are you feeling thankful for?