New Year, new me right? Blogging hasn’t been on the tip top
of my list of priorities, but it is definitely on my list of resolutions! I
would like to realistically do a few posts a month, aka what I have been up to,
recipe ideas, running, etc.
So since we’ve last chatted, life has been pretty sweet to
me. I spent Thanksgiving with my dear friend Grace at her home in New Hampshire
and had such a wonderful time. We went to the beach on Thanksgiving Day (her
family tradition), her amazing mother made me a completely vegan meal, and took
a drive up to Mount Washington and along the scenic Kancamagus Highway. We
didn’t get to hike, but I will definitely be planning a trip to do just that
this coming summer! It was bittersweet to be away from my family, but knowing I
would see them for Christmas and having such an incredible time with Grace made
for a very memorable trip.
My mom came to NYC (quickly becoming her favorite city I do
believe) for a Christmas extravaganza! We ate lots of vegan dishes, saw the
incredible Rockettes show, ice skated in Bryant Park, and toured the Rolling
Stones exhibit in the West Village. We also got to see the film Jackie that I
was dying to see, and it proved to be absolutely incredible. Of course we had several AMAZING vegan meals at my favorite spots! Her visits are always
a whirlwind of fun, and never last long enough.
Jujube Tree in Astoria
Kimchi at Chelsea Market
As far as running goes, I took on my first (and maybe last)
cross country race at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. My enthusiastic
teammates talked me into it, and I am very easily influenced into signing up
for any and all racing events. My sister, Tara, an avid cross country runner in
High School and college gave me some tips, and I strapped on my trail shoes and
took the train out to the park on a very chilly and wet morning. Standing at
the start I realized “what have I got myself into” as we spread out and headed
out quickly into a flooded field. Soaking wet, we turned onto the trail and
began a very steep ascent into the hills. My legs burning, I put everything I
had in me into finishing as fast as possible and trying to not finish last. As
a distance runner, speed isn’t my thing and multiple times as I tried to speed
up I told myself I hated running and would never race again. Crossing the
finish line was a relief, and about 2 minutes later I decided it was really fun
to race such a difficult trail! Runner’s brain for you…
I also ran the Ted Corbitt 15k in Central Park with my team,
which was a lot of fun and I set a nice new PR! Other than that, I have been
adjusting to winter running in the cold and snow and really enjoying it so far.
Other than freezing hands, having no issues and I think that winter really is
my favorite season! Another little note: started a new job as a Catering Sales
Coordinator planning all weddings at the Plaza.. a real dream come true!
Keep running friends!
