Category Archives: Boston

Oct29

The Power of a Storm

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I’m currently holed up at home as Sandy makes its way through New England.  I worked a few hours this morning but then the wind picked up and our Director sent us home, it wasn’t worth risking it plus we connect to a server in Westchester County, NY and it was starting to act weird.  I’m anxiously waiting for Michael to get home from work, he promised to be home by 3pm when the high winds arrive. B (our cat) is pacing like an expectant father and is clearly nervous…never a good sign if you ask me.  Animals are smart.

Yesterday we “prepped” for the storm but really prepping meant holing up inside, eating all things dairy and perishable and discussing why we would need to fill the bathtub with water.  It was incredibly relaxing…I read magazines front to back, watched a movie, created my playlist for Tuesday’s yoga class and felt like I had nowhere to be and nothing to do.

Hurricane Sandy

It got me thinking about the power of Mother Nature.  As American’s we are always on the go, figuring out ways to work harder and longer.  We find ways to let nothing slow us down but despite all our efforts we cannot stop Mother Nature.  We can predict and follow her all we want but at the end of the day we cannot control her.  She has the power to cancel schools, shut down roads, and eliminate power. She has the power to make us come to a halt and focus on the things that matter in life, our loved ones and our safety.

So I encourage you to accept the storm, embrace the down time and enjoy the quiet if the power goes out.  My thoughts go to those who are in the path of the storm…I’m hoping the flooding and wind damage is not devastating.  And for everyone in the path of Sandy…stay safe.

How are you staying safe during Hurricane Sandy?

Sep6

Yoga For Bloggers!

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A few months ago I connected with some of the people behind  Vita Coco and Eventbrite here in Boston.  Vita Coco offered to work with me to host an event for local healthy living bloggers.  I was excited about the opportunity and was psyched to join in!  Last Thursday night we held the event at Soul.Train., an awesome new studio in Sommerville.  The top floor is a beautiful yoga studio…the soul.  Downstairs is a gym with all you’d need to build strength and muscle (think Cross Fit kind of style)…the train.  Erica Bornstein led the small group of bloggers through a great vinyasa flow complete with tons of abs and a rocking sound track.

Yoga For Bloggers Event!

Rachel from Healthy Chicks was there to give a chat about nutrition and healthy eating as well as Ayurveda.   I was intrigued by this and definitely wanted to learn more since it meshed with all my yoga teacher training.  I filled out a questionnaire which asked questions about my eye color, hair type, stress, etc.  The 3 doshas you can fall into are vata, pitta, kopha.  I fell into the pitta dosha and based on this Rachel was able to recommend foods I should eat and avoid in order to find balance.  Things like meditation and yoga will help me to feel peaceful and foods with bitter, astringent and sweet foods will help to “cool” my body.  When Pitta’s are out of balance we tend to feel irritable and aggravated and can experience inflammation.  You can take a quiz and learn more about your dosha here. 

We closed out the night with dinner provided by Eventbrite.  They ordered tons of Greek food that was so delicious.  We had beet salad, fried zucchini, couscous, hummus and pita, marinated chicken skewers and much more.  It was a feast to say the least!

The event was very small and intimate which I really enjoyed, it gave me an opportunity to connect with local bloggers and get to know them more personally.  A few of the girls grew up near each other and knew many of the same people! I’m always amazed at just how small the world really is.   We were there for just over two hours and time flew by!

A big thanks to Vita Coco for hosting a great event and working with me over the last few months! It was a great experience!

Jul19

I’m Running the B.A.A. Half Marathon!

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So it’s official.  I have an addiction, an addiction to long distance running.  Of course, you already knew that.  You also know that I was going to take some time off from running and just focus on yoga and my upcoming yoga teacher training.  That is still happening but with a small twist.   I’m going to be running the Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon on October 7th!

I feel like I’ve finally kicked the “marathon hangover” and am feeling like my motivated self again.  In fact just this morning I was up before 5am and out the door to get in 4 miles, some abs and some weights before work.  I’m not going to lie, the excitement of registering for this race put a little “pep in my step”.

I first ran this race in 2010 and PR’d.  I ran it in a time of 1:41.38.  It was also the race that motivated Michael to agree to run the Chicago Marathon with me.  I remember the race and the day so clearly.  It was a cool, crisp fall day with just enough sunshine to warm you up.  I made my way to the race on my own, checked my bag, stretched and got into the corrals early.  The gun went off and the first mile of the course was downhill.  I remember telling myself to take it easy and not push too hard.  My first mile was a 7:15.  The miles ticked by and my pace remained low.  I was cruising and felt awesome.  Around mile 6 I was still holding the pace and did some quick math and realized I could PR in a big way.  I kept pushing it and was able to hold the pace.  I saw Michael around mile 8 or 9 for the first time that day and was so happy.  We’d only been dating for a month or so at that time and since he was finishing up his Masters and taking time away from his thesis to cheer me on it felt like a big deal, which it was.  I remember mile 10 was really hilly and my legs were screaming at me but my mind knew we had this half marathon.  I pushed and pushed and loved the downhill at mile 11.  I saw Michael for a second time and threw my pack of Shot Bloks at him and continued on.  He knew I was rocking that half marathon and was in the zone.  As he says, my face said it all.  Part of mile 12 was uphill and I just threw it down.  I pushed and pushed and told myself to keep going.  When I crossed I was thrilled! Michael was waiting for me at the finish and we got my medal and race shirt.  I remember walking through the park back to the car and that’s when we decided we’d run the Chicago Marathon together the next fall.  We went to this awesome diner nearby for the breakfast of champions; eggs, pancakes and a milkshake.  I spent the rest of the day napping and relaxing on the couch while Michael cooked and chatted with me.  It was a pretty perfect day.

I really hope that the BAA Half is just as good to me this time as it was then.  I’m not planning to go for a PR because I doubt I’ll be able to get in as many long runs as I’d like; teacher training takes up quite a few weekends between now and then and fitting in 9 or 10 mile runs after work will be hard.  I still hope to have a good race and enjoy the experience.  Michael will be there to cheer me on again and this time I’m lucky to be running with my friend Lauren.  Lauren and I became friends through Team in Training and ran the Boston Marathon together.  She is a fantastic running partner and will enjoy the post half-marathon brunch just as much as I will!

Lauren and I running the Boston Marathon!

I think running and training for this will be the perfect way to bring in the fall.  It will give me something to look forward to and I know I’ll get the most out of my runs.  I plan on one easy day, one speed day and one long run per week.  The plan will also incorporate teacher training so it should be a good mix.  I’ll post the plan once I get it all together!

And a few random thoughts to round out the post…I took a new yoga class on my way home Tuesday night.  I LOVED it! The room was a perfect 85 degrees, the music was good, the Vinyasa flow felt divine and the instructor was encouraging and insightful.  I’ll definitely be heading back there next week! Tonight I’m heading to Providence, RI after work to meet some fellow lady bloggers for snacks, drinks and some shopping at Lululemon! I am SO excited and plan to get some goodies for the start of teacher training!

Are you running the BAA Half Marathon?  Have you ran it in the past?  What was your half marathon PR like?

Jul16

Color Me Rad!

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Oh Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!  We had a great weekend…we spent most of our days at home getting organized, cleaning and the like.  It felt good to be home, I always feel more centered when everything is in order at home.  The weather was hot (highs in the 90′s), hazy and humid so we didn’t feel like we were missing much beach time.  It wasn’t all work and no play though! Friday we cooked a really good dinner, then went for a drive so Michael could show me some places to run and expand my loops and we stopped for ice cream.  Soft serve with jimmies is so, so good!  Before cleaning and tackling the to-do list Saturday we headed out for 9 holes on the par 3 course near our house.  I’m pretty new to golf so this was perfect for me, I even got my first birdie!  Saturday night we headed out for a little date night and went to a ‘new to us’ sushi place in Arlington.  It was delicious!  Sunday morning we were up early to head to the Color Me Rad 5K…

I won an entry for the Color Me Rad Run from Mattie at Comfy and Confident and was pretty excited.  I asked Erin from Creative Soul in Motion to run with me.   By the time she went to register the race had already sold out so she emailed the race director, told them she was a blogger and was hoping to run and blog about it.  The emailed her a few hours later and told her she was in! I was pretty impressed with that and so glad she could join me!

We met at the South Shore Mall in Quincy around 7:15AM.  Our wave went off at 8AM.  The Color Me Rad Run is an un-timed 5K where you run through color stations where they spray or throw color on you.  The idea is that by the end you’ll be tie-dyed!  We wore white shirts, old shoes and shorts and I sported a white bandana to avoid getting the dye in my hair.  They said with light-colored hair it often can take days to come out, I’ve never dyed my hair so I wasn’t willing to risk it.  As part of your race packet they gave you fun colored sunglasses!

Erin and I Before the Run! Still WHITE!

We set off for the run which weaved through the South Shore Mall parking lots.  We ran through 5 color stations and realized after the first one you really needed to slow down and run to the side to be sure that you got colored the most.

Erin and I Approaching the Finish!

As you come to the finish they hand you color packets and then once you cross the finish they have “color parties”….

Color Party!

Everyone throws their color packets at the same time and you become completely tie-dyed!

Crazy Color Party!

We finished the race completely colored with big smiles!

Erin and I Colored Rad!

It was a really fun way to spend the morning! I would definitely recommend the Color Me Rad races, especially for those who have kids.  They let kids under 7 run for free and the course is very open so it would be a ton of fun as a parent! I even saw some parents pushing running strollers (covered in garbage bags to protect them).  The other awesome part of this race is that the T-Shirts are really cute and I’ll definitely be wearing mine! And in case you were wondering the color came right off with a wash cloth! I washed my clothes on warm in the washer and all the die came out!

Have you ever done a Color Me Rad Run?  Would you like to get tie-dyed? 

Jul3

Guest Post: Inspired to run (a marathon)!

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While I’m in Maine relaxing in the sun, golfing, enjoying the ocean, sightseeing and more I’m leaving you all in the hands of some of my favorite bloggers.  Jess from EatDrinkBreathSweat is today’s guest blogger! She shares her experiences  with running and barre n9ne on her blog and inspires me to run, sweat and live in the moment.  She always seems to be writing what I’m thinking!  The best part is Jess live *this close* to me and will soon be a blogger turned real life friend!  Hopefully you’ll enjoy her writing as much as I do and take a minute to check out her blog! 

One of the things that I love about blogging is the people. In fact, it’s the MAIN reason I blog to begin with. I’ve met some really incredible people through blogging – some that I now call my lifelong friends IRL, even.

So when I decided (along with  my husband) to run a marathon this year, it wasn’t just because it was on my fitness bucket list. But it was also because I was finding myself surrounded by some incredibly badass and TOTALLY inspirational runners everywhere I looked (read?). One of those runners is Whitney. I followed her most recent marathoning journey and was constantly impressed by her enthusiasm and sheer joy over the entire process that is marathon training. She immersed herself in the process, she bonded with her Team in Training friends and she ran the toughest marathon ever – Boston.  On one of the hottest days on record for the marathon.

I remember watching that marathon (it was my first time actually seeing the Boston Marathon which is a total SHAME since I’ve lived in Boston my entire life!) and thinking about how incredibly mental running is. Not just racing, but running in general. And my mind popped around to the various people I knew that were running that day along with Whitney. And I was inspired more and more by the minute. Watching the runners pass by me at mile 26 and seeing sheer determination and the WILL to keep going. It was unreal.

So for me – this is sort of becoming a blogging breakthrough for me. To push myself to new heights (all 26.2 new heights) because I’ve seen the transformation it evokes in the bloggers around me who have conquered 26.2 before. Blogging is not just something I do, it’s a part of who I am today and it’s part of what’s shaped me as the person I’m becoming today. The very person that will stare down 26.2 this fall even if it STILL scares the pants off me. Maybe Whitney can talk me off the ledge…I think she knows a thing or two about these things. ;-)

So the moral of this story – if you’re a blogger (or not), stop and look around you once in a while. Celebrate the bloggers (and the people) around you that inspire you, lift you up, and challenge you. Take a page from their book now and then. I think we could all stand to do a lot more “group hugs” up in here, don’t you?

…and if you’d like to stop on by my blog now and then, I’ll try to keep you entertained with plenty of stories along my own journey towards 26.2 this fall. I can’t promise it’ll be pretty though. ;-)