20 Miles of Smiles

Life has just been speeding along and I am a little concerned that tomorrow is APRIL already. Where is time going? 

For the past two weeks I attempted to be gluten and dairy free - it was going really well for awhile. I think the reason I felt better wasn't necessarily because my body doesn't like gluten or dairy (in moderate amounts) but because I was taking the time to really think about what I was eating - lots of quinoa, veggies and chicken - all real food instead of processed and packaged things. 

(What my dinner looked like most nights!)

But then Peter and I FINALLY found the Speculoos Cookie Core Ben & Jerry's flavor. 

(DELICIOUS! However, I don't think I would say it's my favorite B&J's.)

And then I was out for happy hour (sorry, but Bud Light is more budget-friendly than cider, wine or cocktails) and needless to say I quickly fell off the wagon. I would like to try again to make it an entire month and I'm definitely going to try to be good the 2 weeks prior to the Pittsburgh Marathon! My key finding was that Soy yogurt is vile and is in no way an appropriate replacement for Greek yogurt. Instead, I started making lots of chia seed pudding - big fan! 

(Chia seed pudding is an acceptable yogurt substitute as long as it's CHOCOLATE)

Let's see. Last weekend I had a 12 mile run that seemed like it was never going to end. I was not a happy camper and it was pretty torturous if we're being honest. But, it got done.  

That afternoon, Allison came into the city and we met up with her parents for suchhhh an awesome night - dinner at PJ Clarke's followed by The King and I at Lincoln Center! 

(Dinner was delicious, I had a chopped shrimp salad that had chickpeas and lots of other yummy things. The dressed was light and not drowning the salad.)

(This was my first time seeing a show at Lincoln Center - It's so beautiful!)

(The show was GREAT. I didn't know what to expect going into it, and I didn't know any of the music (except "Getting to Know You") but Kelli O'Hara was PHENOMENAL. Seriously, she opens her mouth and makes it seem absolutely effortless.  The plot reminded me of The Sound of Music, the cast was great, and it was very classic Broadway.) 

After the show, Allison and I sat and chatted over a glass of wine at ABV on Lex and 97th - it's super cute inside, the bartender was really nice and let us try like 4 different wines each, it was quiet so we could actually talk, and although it cost more than I would usually try to spend, the prices really are average and totally do-able especially if you're just going out for one drink! I definitely want to go back to check out the food one night. 

We slept in, something I hadn't done in far too long, and got ready for brunch (I mean, Sunday morning, what else would we do?) Did you know that Bareburger has a brunch menu now? Well, it does, and you should seriously get on that. My love of Bareburger was newly ignited with my Farmstead Burger. I need it again. Nowwww. 

(Farmstead = Sweet Potato & Wild Rice burger with cauliflower hummus (!!!), tomatoes and baby kale wrapped in a collard green)

Next we headed downtown to check out the Macy's Flower Show - my mom always tells me to go and I usually roll my eyes but I guess I'm getting old because I suggested it and actually enjoyed it. 

(Basically anything where I can just wander around taking pictures is something I'm going to enjoy!)

It was finally feeling a little springy outside so we walked from Herald Square to Grand Central, stopping for a few pictures of the ever-lovely Empire State Building. Truly never gets old. 

(This is the view from near my desk at work!)

I've been trying to be consistent with Monday morning Bodypump classes at NYSC so that was my Monday morning. I found someone to cover for me at the running store and went straight home and into my bed where I proceeded to listen to showtunes while coloring in an adult coloring book for approximately 2.5 hours. That's not an exaggeration and I have no regrets. 

Tuesday morning I was up early for 5 miles in the park because after work Peter and I got on a train to head to Long Island for his first ISLANDERS GAME at Nassau Coliseum. I'm getting seriously emotional about them not being there next season. Of course, since I was there, the Isles lost, but it was still great, as usual, to be there. 

(Two of my favorite things! Well Peter's not a thing, he's a person, but you get it.)

We went from my comfort zone of the Coliseum to way way wayy out of my comfort zone at a country night at a bar nearby - line dancing and me, as I suspected, are not exactly a match made in heaven. I probably learned one of the steps correctly. But what I DIDN'T expect was for me to find myself thinking that I want to learn! Everyone looked like they were having so much fun, plus I don't like being bad at things, so I may just have to give it another try. 

Wednesday we woke up super early to get a 6 a.m. train back to the city and I went to NYSC for a back workout before work. Back day = favorite day. One day I'll be able to do an unassisted pull-up...

Thursday I finally got to check-out Mile High Run Club - you can read my review here! 

Friday happy hour and Quinnpiac hockey game watch resulted in a few more drinks than I had planned on, but nothing to derail my plans for my 20 miler! Ahhhhhhh. 

(QU lost BIG TIME but the bar had lots of fun pom poms and beads and thunder sticks. We managed to destroy all of these things - woops.)

Saturday morning I ran the 2 miles to Nike's store on 57th and then had a couple minute break while we waited for them to get their group run started.  Then it was out for a 16 mile route down the west side, around lower Manhattan, over and back over the Manhattan Bridge, and back up to the store. Once we got back to the store, I still had 2 to go, which I finished still feeling mahvelous. 

I've run with Nike Run Club one other time (which you can read about here) and while I was grateful to have company for the 16 miles, I definitely felt like I was cheating because we stopped and started so much (running through Chinatown, really?) The water breaks and snacks to refuel are really clutch, And having a pacer was what kept me feeling so strong and confident the entire run - I wasn't wasting energy changing my tempo the entire time. But I reallllly don't like stopping. 

Peter, Kaitlin, Tiffanie and Taylor all made the 20 miles so much more bearable. And I felt surprisingly strong the entire time. I kept being seriously confused as to why everything felt so good. When I finished at 20 miles, I definitely could have kept going, which made me feel confident and also a little nervous! It's really not that far away now, and already thoughts of PRing are starting to slip back into my head. 

(My boyfriend REALLY LOVES RUNNING WITH ME can't you tell?)

Another plus to running with Nike? PICTURES! My favorite! And I love how some of these turned out. 

After my 20 miles I had no time to rest. It was time to shower, pack and head to Connecticut for my wonderful college rommate's birthday party! I was really nervous I would be too tired and cranky and sore to have a good time, and I was worried about bringing the mood down (and I think I was really out of it the beginning of the night - sorry guys!) but when you're surrounded by your best friends and the best music, you can't help but have an amazing night. 

(LOVE THESE CREATURES)

(QU + Allison who may as well have gone there at this point!)

And that's just what happened - the bar played one song after the other that elicited singing at the top of our lungs and somehow I was able to Cotton Eye Joe till the cows came home (my legs on Sunday though, different story). 

(Iiiiiii wanna dance with somebodyyyyyy, Iiii wanna feel the heeattttt with someboddyyy)

All that's really left besides some shorter-long runs (oxymoron?) is the 22 miler on April 11th and then it's time to run a marathon! WHAT. Cannot believe it. 

(A little Cheno love)

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Not So Fly Mile High Run Club Review

For over a month, I have been beyond excited to try a class at the new fitness studio Mile High Run Club. A boutique fitness studio in NOHO (28 East 4th Street to be exact), Mile High Run Club is neither conveniently located or cost-effective - but I was determined to experience a class that attempts to turn the typically solitary and boring act of treadmill running into a black-light, music-blasting group fitness-fest. Unfortunately, MHRC didn't live up to the hype. 

A group of us decided to go on a Thursday night after work, using a code for a free class that we got from the wonderful  blog Ali on the Run. 

We showed up at around 6:15 for our 6:30 p.m. class - the lobby was nice, and the receptionist let me know which treadmill I had signed up for before giving us a little tour - there's locker rooms, showers, and a wall of lockers outside of the studio. They're the complicated lockers with the built in programmable locks that I somehow always manage to screw up -  but I guess it's for the best since I recently lost my real lock (which I've had since freshman year of high school - so I'm really sad it's gone!) The lockers were like Mary Poppins' bag. They looked so teeny, yet somehow fit my giant ass bag. 

We stood outside the studio waiting to be let inside, and it was a little cramped and crowded but not too horrible. This is the part where I should have scoped out the locker rooms and bathrooms/showers so I could write a little something about them but, I didn't, so sorry 'bout it. From others' accounts the locker room had very few lockers which were all taken and the bathroom had two showers. There, now you know everything! (Spring Awakening reference, anyone, anyone? Probably not.) 

One of my biggest pet peeves is when classes don't start on time. We still hadn't been allowed in the room when the clock struck 6:30, which was a big no-no for me. They let us in around then, but obviously, there was no way we were actually starting the workout at 6:30. The part that was frustrating was that no one was in the studio before us, so I'm not sure why we couldn't have been in there filling up our water bottles and getting settled a few minutes earlier. 

The studio itself is what you would expect, a big room with lots of treadmills. The room is dark and black-lit, so pro-tip - if you plan on taking pictures (for Instagram, obviously) then wear neon! 

(Rebecca got the neon memo, apparently!)

There's a spot in the back to fill up your water bottles and each treadmill has a towel waiting at it. (As I mentioned earlier, when you sign up online you pick a treadmill and that's your assigned spot for the class). 

Another pro-tip (since I am obviously a pro after just 1 class) - treadmills 4, 9, 17 and 21 have giant columns in front of them, so you a) won't see the instructor and b) won't be able to yourself in the mirrors. Seeing the instructor isn't all that important, but I'd imagine staring straight at a blank wall for a half hour could get kind of annoying. That's just me. Maybe it would help you get in the zone. Do you. 

I was treadmill 20 - but if I were to take another class, I would probably pick something in the back row. My reason is such an asshole reason, but I'm going to be honest about it because I'm sure there's more than a few people out there who would be the same way. If I had been in the back row,  I would have been able to see a lot more people's treadmill screens and have been able to see how fast they were going throughout the class.  No, I would not have used this information to judge the people going slower than me, but I sure as hell would have used it to push myself to try to get on some of the speedier people's levels. 

Mile High Run Club offers 3 different classes at the studio:
The Distance: Our advanced performance improving class incorporates 60 minutes of continuous intervals, tempo, and hills on the treadmill and is coached by elite runners.
Ultra: Our advanced performance improving class incorporates 90 minutes of continuous intervals, tempo, and hills on the treadmill and is coached by elite runners. 
Dash 28: This 45-minute class provides a foundation for runners of all levels with about 28 minutes of structured intervals followed by 10 minutes of strength plus power training with kettle bells.

We took a Dash 28 class with Debora Warner, the founder and program director of Mile High Run Club. Once we had all settled in, we stood besides our treadmills for a warm up of squats, high knees, butt kicks, etc.  

Each treadmill comes with a pace card, giving suggestions for the speeds you should hit during each interval as a beginner ("joggers") or a more advanced runner ("racers"). The treadmill portion of the class went a little something like this: 

4 minutes warm-up pace

1 minute level 2 pace
1 minute level 3 pace
1 minute level 2 pace
2 minutes level 3 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace at a 3.0 incline
2 minutes level 4 pace 

2 minutes warm-up pace

1 minute level 2 pace
1 minute level 3 pace
1 minute level 2 pace
2 minutes level 3 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace
2 minutes level 2 pace at a 5.0 incline
2 minutes level 4 pace 

Thoughts on the interval portion of class:
-I was a fan of the actual intervals. Nothing was too long - you could always tell yourself, "Only 90 seconds left, Only 45 seconds left, etc." 

-Debora's counting was horrendous. Each time she counted down from 5 was completely different - but not once was 5 seconds actually 5 seconds. There was even a digital clock in the middle of the room for her to use, so I'm not really sure what the issue was.

-5.0 incline is no joke and I totally had to decrease it before the 2 minutes were up.  Pittsburgh Marathon, City of Bridges...here I come? Gulp. 

-It would have been a lot more motivational had the instructor been on a treadmill too. It's like going to a spin class and having an instructor who walks around the whole time. Or even worse, just sits on their bike not spinning. 

-It was a little difficult to understand Debora - the mic was fuzzy and the music was loud and her prompts weren't always clear. I'm pretty sure I was on that 5.0 hill earlier than I was supposed to be because her counts and directions were so hard to understand. And it's not like it was anything too difficult to understand! 

-The playlist - so meh. 

-Apparently these are state of the art treadmills used at Mile High Run Club, and it was nice that you don't run into the front of it, although I'm still not sold on the ribbed belt ever since I tripped on one at New York Sports Club. I did a little research, and MHRC uses Woodway treadmills which feature "slat belt" technology and are supposed to feel like you're running outside. Yada yada. They felt nice. 

(This is the Woodway 4Front treadmill - there's 30 of them in the MHRC Studio. I'm assuming they cost a lot of money.)

-IT WAS SO HOT AND SWEATY IN THERE! Finally with 5 minutes left of class Debora was like, "Oh, does anyone need a fan?" Uhm, yes dear lord, please. There were sweat puddles in my sneakers. And I'm not someone who sweats a ton! 

After some light jogging/walking it was time to get to the power/strength portion of the class. Everyone grabbed some kettlebells in various weights and brought them back to their treadmills. 

I actually really liked the combination of exercises we did during this part of the Dash 28 class and I thought it was great. However, the instructor did such a poor job of explaining what exactly we were supposed to be doing. And I've been to a lot of classes, I'm usually pretty quick at picking things up. Nothing we had to do was that complicated, but she just didn't explain them very well. Or would demonstrate them in a way that wasn't how she actually wanted US to do them, which just makes no sense. 

ANYWHO. 

We started by alternating for 30 seconds between kettlebell squat and presses and kettlebell curls (2 rounds of each exercise). 

Next were step ups onto the treadmill (finally a good song! Shots is my new favorite song for step-ups). 

We also did lunges, pushups, squats onto the belt followed by a hop up, and hip dips with our feet on the treadmill and our elbows on the ground (those burned). 

I was a sweaty mess by the end of class, which is usually all I need in order to be satisfied with a class, but this time I just felt so meh about what I'd just done. 

I ended up running about 3.1 miles or so. 

Worst part - we end class and Debora DOESN'T HAVE US STRETCH. I swear, it's like she just wanted to be out of there. She basically said, "If you want to stretch go ahead." Ok. 

After class, the locker area that felt just slightly crowded earlier felt catastrophically crowded as our class came out and the 7:30 class went in. Double the people plus all the sweat = ugh. 

I can definitely see how MHRC could be a great class - but unfortunately, the unenthusiastic instructor really ruined it for me. I would still be interested in trying one of the longer classes with more running, but at $34 per class, I'm not sure that's in the cards. 

I also think that what makes spin classes and even indoor group rowing classes work is the fact that at times, everyone in the room is doing the same thing. With indoor treadmilling (yes, that's a word now) there's no point where everyone's at the same pace or doing the same "choreography" (sometime's jumps in spinning remind me of dancing, OK? And everyone rowing in sync looks pretty!) There's also no real way to push yourself against others at MHRC, and obviously you can always compete against yourself, but when your instructor isn't saying things that encourage that mindset, it's hard to get into it.  

Not to mention you can go on Pinterest and get endless treadmill interval routines and save yourself a whole lot of money. You'll still be next to people who are also running and you can listen to a playlist of your own creation.

So, in conclusion, Mile High Run Club isn't really for me. HOWEVER, I do think it's great that it's seeing so much success and getting more and more people into a fitness class that includes RUNNING! It's usually such an intimidating concept to people, and I think MHRC is changing that perception for some people which is wonderful! 

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Restaurant Review: MAYA

This Restaurant Week, I shockingly didn't spend hours poring over menus and comparing prices and fitting 4 meals out into my schedule. 

I just moved, and my wallet is feeling it. 

But I DID get to go out for one lovely dinner during restaurant week - at a Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side by restaurateur Richard Sandoval called Maya. He has over 30 Latin-inspired restaurants across the world (I ate at Masa in DC which was delicious!) and fun fact: he's built the largest collections of tequilas in North America and the Middle East - so round of applause for Richard. 

Maya isn't your typical Manhattan restaurant where diners are sitting on top of each other, crammed into tables that make it just as easy to talk to the stranger next to you than the guests you went out to dinner with. The interior is pretty expansive and open, reminding me of restaurants like Tao and China Grill, where you just feel like you're eating somewhere that makes you someone. Or something like that.

The bar area seems to have some great happy hour deals, with $5 margaritas on Wednesdays (and a free one if you check in on Yelp!) 

Since we were doing the Restaurant Week menu, we couldn't capitalize on the $5 margaritas, so I stuck to the chow (again, I'm feeling pretty poor at the moment!)

Normally, I'd like to each order a different appetizers so that we could try more than one thing. But it was pretty obvious we both wanted a full serving of the Smoked Brisket Tostadas - corn tostada, black beans, lettuce, cojita cheese, avocado and tomatillo salsa. 

I love corn tostadas/tortillas and these had a good flavor, although they got slightly soggy.  The smoked brisket was pretty damn good - my dad has his own smoker, and I grew up eating his smoked blue fish and smoked pulled pork - so I know when something has a good, authentic smokey taste, and these did.  They were very generous with the avocado, and cojita cheese added a little something extra. 

For my entree, I ordered the Salmon Al Chipotle - achiote-marinated salmon, chipotle, coconut milk, oyster mushrooms, rice noodles and pasilla oil. 

Ok let's break that down. 

Achiote-Marinated Salmon = salmon rubbed with achiote paste which comes from bixa orellana - basically it's a shrub that produces a flower whose seeds are used to create a paste that is rubbed on fish and meat to give it a unique flavor and red coloring. 

Chipotle = this sauce was KILLER. Spicy, but not to the point where I couldn't eat it. A litttttttle too salty for my liking, but there was definitely flavor to it besides "salt." 

Coconut Milk = a wonderful Indian-esque touch to the dish that surprisingly worked really well with the chipotle! 

Oyster Mushrooms = loaded with them, although I could always eat more mushrooms! Mmm. 

Rice Noodles = a wonderful, light, thin consistency that didn't overwhelm the subtle flavors or the salmon. As someone who loves angel hair, this was really similar, so I was a fan. 

Pasilla Oil = after some research, I guess this is what added the little kick to the dish, since they're a type of chile!

Last was dessert. I opted for the Chocoflan! I had never had flan before, and I'm still not entirely sure what flan is supposed to be like - so I'm not sure if this was good flan or not. But if it was good flan, then I don't think I'm a fan of flan. Say that 10 times fast. Fan of flan. Fan of flan. Fan of flan. HA. It was very underwhelming, not very flavorful, a weird consistency.

I know I said it wasn't the type of place where you felt uncomfortable close to the people next to you - but we did have a lovely exchange with the couple dining next to us when the guy gave us the dessert he wasn't going to eat. SCORE! It was strawberry sorbet and IT WAS GOOD. There were chunks of strawberry in it, which I was definitely feelin'. 

One thing I don't like about Restaurant Week is that the menu often features things that you can't typically get at the restaurant. Some people may like getting an "off menu" item, but to me, I want to be able to try their signatures dishes, the dishes that they're serving up every night - Restaurant Week is supposed to make these restaurants more accessible to the average New Yorker - let us eat the food you offer everyone else! Both the appetizer and the entree I ordered aren't anywhere to be found on the real Maya menu.Even the dessert wasn't what they usually serve - my Chocolate Flan didn't come with the pistachio gelato, rose petal cream and mandarin that the dinner menu describes!

But, I guess I can't be too angry, since the food that they made was actually really flavorful and yummy. 

I think I would go back if my parents were in town and picking up the bill ;) (Hi Mom, hi Dad!) The quality of food is good and the restaurant itself is really nice. There's definitely some things on the menu that I'd like to try. 

AND I need to go back for their brunch.  Here in New York City, sure we like our bottomless booze on Sunday afternoons. But Maya offers bottomless booze AND bottomless FOOD. Yeah, you read that right.  For $43 (yes, it's a little steep, but TREAT YO SELF right?) you get 2 hours of unlimited small plates and brunch cocktails.  Those brunch cocktails include margaritas, bloody mary's, flavored mimosas and something called a bloody maria - tequila + sangrita WHA?! And the small plates? Let's just say there's Mexican french toast with nutella, bananas and whipped crema fresca. Oh yeah, and chipotle cajeta. Aka chipotle syrup. 

I'd call Restaurant Week this winter a success!  

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The Wrap That Won My Heart

I've referenced it in multiple posts, but it's time that the energy wrap receives its own post!

Most people know of my love for peanut butter. Because of this very public love of peanut butter, a friend from November Project told me that a deli near our office had a delicious breakfast featuring some of my all time favorite things - for under $5! 

The description of this wrap had me SO excited. I might have even drooled a lot upon hearing the ingredients. 

But nothing could have prepared me for how truly delicious it was. Words don't really do it justice, and neither do pictures, you really need all of these flavors mixing together all up on your taste buds. 

So what is the energy wrap exactly? 

Whole Wheat Wrap. An actually tasty whole wheat wrap - like, next time I go I'm probably going to ask them what brand they use. 

Banana. One whole banana. Usually, sliced, but when 15 people go after a November Project workout and order the same thing, I guess they get lazy and just unpeel the naner and plop it in the wrap.

(Sorry if this was overwhelming...1237819 energy wraps please!)

  

Peanut Butter. Skippy. No organic, unprocessed, no-sugar added PB up in hurr. And I can't say I mind it... 

Walnuts. Do you know how expensive walnuts are? Expensive. They give you a big handful of crushed up walnuts - probably at least 2 "servings." (I have a serious problem with the serving sizes for nuts - I want to be able to eat more, dammit!) We won't even talk about the fact that a serving of walnuts is 185 calories...

(What 100 calories of almonds, pistachios, peanuts and walnuts looks like...looks like not enough to me...)

Granola. I have a real addiction to granola. I can no longer allow myself to keep it at my desk at work because it's gone in a day instead of the week or so that it should last. 

Raisins. Raisins are a staple in my oatmeal. Love 'em. Sugar and all. 

Honey. SO MUCH HONEY. I never used to like honey that much, but on this wrap, it #WERKS. It also makes it a little difficult to eat this neatly, but you'll be so happy to be eating it that you won't care what you look like. 

(Please stop and appreciate its beauty!)

So where can you get this? 

Delis 48 - on 48th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. 

And are you ready for this? Walking to work the other day, I saw Toasties advertising the exact same thing, with the exact same name! I think I'm going to have to stop by one day and have a wrap-off. 

Word on the street is Alex from Burke's Bites created her own spin on the energy wrap! And it sounds deeeelicious.  You should check out her blog for other awesome recipes too! 

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Row Row Row Your Erg - ROW HOUSE REVIEW.

On Wednesday night I finally took an indoor rowing class at Row House NYC! 

For awhile now, I've been really interested in attending an erg class [indoor rowing machines are technically called ergometers, according to Wikipedia!] They're like the new spin class, popping up all over. These studios' gain in popularity coincided with me meeting a lot of new people through November Project who rowed in college, and definitely got me interested in giving it a chance. As a runner who feels like they're constantly injured, rowing is a lower-impact workout, while still being great for your entire body and not skimping on cardio! 

Just last week, Row House celebrated their 1st Birthday! I stopped by their party for some cute little hors-d'oeuvres from Just Salad and delicious drinks from fancy organic vodka and tequila brands that I can't remember the names of, oops. 

(Cheers!)

But let's get to the good stuff - the class. I signed up for a class at the Columbus Circle location [In reality, it's a bit of a trek from Columbus Circle - a little over a half a mile to 59th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues]. The studio has lockers, two bathrooms [each with a shower - and the showers are equipped with TRESemme shampoo and conditioner, classy!]  

A few minutes to six we were led into the studio, 3 rows of ergs with a giant mirror in the front. Our instructor, Eric sat front and center and explained that for most of the class we would be rowing together, following either his stroke or that of another coach who was in the class in the front row.  I sat directly behind Eric, hoping some of his form would rub off on me! 

Eric Von Frohlich was not only my instructor on Wednesday night, but he, along with wife Debra, are the founders of Row House! He's been interviewed for a bunch of fitness magazines on rowing technique, since a lot of people don't know the first thing about this piece of gym equipment.

 (I certainly didn't know a bout proper rowing technique, until this guy showed me the ropes!)

So when Eric asked who was new at Wednesday's class, I raised my hand, but I knew I had an advantage. When he started going over form, I was already a few steps ahead of the game, knowing that you're supposed to send your arms out first before bending your legs. 

He's clearly experienced in teaching people how to row, because what could have taken up a quarter of the class was done succinctly and quickly - a few strokes to get the arm movements down, then a few strokes putting everything together, learning that you're body is supposed to hit 1 and 11 on the invisible clock, and then it was time to get started. 

Like I said, for most of a Row House class everyone in the room is expected to row in-sync. After all, when you're actually outside rowing, that's what it's all about - teamwork to make the boat move! Eric led us through intervals, 10 strokes of recovery followed by 20-30 power strokes at differing strokes per minute. 

There's a lot of new terminology when it comes to using the erg - but going to a class at Row House will be SO helpful in letting you put together your own erg workout if you're so inclined to use the lonely little rower hidden in corners of gyms. 

But rowing as a group, in a dark room with music, makes indoor rowing a lot more enjoyable, in my opinion. 

(Eric demonstrating perfect form!) 

After 10 minutes of intervals, we got off the rowers for some body-weight exercises. 

First, squats. Then, front lunges. Next, back lunches. Last, inchworms to push-ups. I also liked that Eric included a stretch before we got back on the machines - and one that was good for our IT bands no less [I was concerned that my IT band would bother me during this workout, and as a runner, that's not a body part I'd like to upset!] 

Next we did another 10 minute section of intervals on the erg. The more I row, the more it starts to come together. Your power is mainly supposed to come from your legs and core, not just your arms. You can bring your pace down in two ways - either by pushing off/pulling harder or by slowing down your recovery time [simultaneously upping your strokes per minute]. For me, I found that keeping my strokes per minute on the lower end and taking a sufficient recovery (slower on the way back down to the front of the rower) allowed me to have a stronger stroke which in turn made my pace (per 500 meters) drop. 

After the second 10 minutes of rowing we hopped off again and did side lunges followed by push-ups to side plank and another stretch. 

The last part of class was probably my favorite part. Eric said that now that we successfully rowed in sync it was time to let us go our own speed. He turned the lights out and told us to see how far we could go in 4 minutes. Having the lights out definitely allowed me to block everything else out and just focus on finding a rhythm that worked for my body. 

For the 4 minutes, Eric walked around encouraging people and trying to get them to give a little extra push.  Lucky for me, Eric stopped by my rower with 40 seconds left, and the extra motivation saw my pace drop to the lowest that it did the entire class - 2:19. To be fair, there were plenty of people going a hell of a lot fast than me, but I was happy to see that I could give a little more than I thought. 

At the end of 4 minutes Eric told us to look at how far we had gone, and add 50 meters (or more) to that number.  That's how far we were trying to go in the next 4 minutes. UGH. Then he gave a motivational but not at all cheesy or over-the-top speech about setting goals and learning more about yourself the loftier the goal. 

I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I did add 30 or so meters to my first 4 minutes. 

Sadly, a few stretches and we were done. I wanted to keep going! 

It was definitely a full-body workout and I definitely sweat, though I've been sweatier in other classes.  

Row House Full Body is the class I took, but they also offer Row House Core (where the time off the rower focuses on abs only) and Row House Express (only rowing for 35 minutes). There's also Row House Endurance which is a 50 minute class with more rowing drills. 

The music Eric played during the class was GREAT. When Geronimo came on it was hard for me not to erg-dance. Is that a thing? 

At some point during the class I realized that each machine was customized with a clever quote, which I probably enjoyed more than I should have.  "Stroke of genius." "Don't resist the erg." There is nothing I like more than a fitness-themed pun. 

We all wiped down our machines at the end of class, got some high fives from Eric, and were on our way.  They had two foam rollers in the back of the room which I appreciated, and probably should have used, but I waited until I got back to my apartment to roll it out. 

You've probably never thought about taking a group rowing class. But I think you should. 

Row House has two locations - one at 555 West 59th Street (between West End and Amsterdam Avenues) and one on the Upper East Side (come on NP people!) at 406 East 91st Street (between First and York Avenues).  

Row House also is awesome on Instagram and likes my pictures, holllllla. But really, having a fitness studio that gets to know their clients is awesome, and it was very obvious that a lot of the people in the class are regulars. 

They offer a great beginner package - 3 classes for $75 (single classes are $35). 

DO IT.

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San Francisco in 24 Hours

I'm incredibly lucky that I have gotten to see so many new cities since I started my job a year and a half ago.  

If you couldn't tell, I like pictures A LOT. So I think that's the best way to some up where I've gotten to journey. 

(Detroit. Not the most exciting city in the world, but The Big House is seriously incredible!)

(Los Angeles. This was my first trip to the West Coast and it was AWESOME. This night at Venice Beach was picture perfect!)

(Chicago. It was SO cold that I barely got to be outside the entire trip, but I DID get my photo op with the bean and I DID have the best meal of my life at Girl and the Goat.)

(Vegas. I had been here before, but a long time ago. Vegas is, Vegas. It's not my favorite - but it's warm and I like warmth.) 

(Philadelphia. Kind of weird that I had never been here before, and I really wasn't expecting much, but I absolutely fell in love with this city. I'm usually a snob when it comes to New York and no city ever comparing, and while I stand by that fact, Philly was a place I could see myself enjoying for awhile. Such a bummer that I didn't know about NP while I was here - I'm sure it would have made me like the city even more!)

(DC. Definitely not a first for being here but I love history, I love how walk-able it is, there's some pretty delicious food, but WHY ARE THE SUBWAYS SO ANNOYING?) 

(Columbus, Ohio. Random? Perhaps. But the people here were literally the nicest people I've ever met. Everyone was so great!) 

(Santa Clara/San Jose. I was expecting to like it here more than I did, but I was also sick for a majority of the trip so it's probably not fair for me to judge. Their donut game is ON POINT though, that's for sure.)

Travelling for work, in general, is an amazing perk. Especially for someone like me, who really hasn't gotten to see a lot of the country! 

Sometimes, I get caught up in the constant grumbles of my co-workers who have been doing this for years and years. They're married or have kids or have just been doing this for so long that they're over it. In the height of our travel season, it is easy to feel not-so-great. You're tired, you're constantly surrounded by a lot of different personalities, you're eating like crap no matter how hard you try to tell yourself "this trip I'm going to be healthy, this trip I'm not going to drink, this trip I'm NOT going to eat the arena cookies..." 

(Trying to stay active...)

And it's true that by the end of a couple of events you are run-down and tired of hotel rooms that leave you waking up with a cold every morning, and you're tired of delayed flights and airports with no Wifi and of course there's all the weekend plans that you have to forego.  But at the end of the day, look at all that I've gotten to do! I ran up the Rocky Steps and I got my picture with the Bean. I went to a Bulls game, I got to eat at incredible restaurants, I ran a 5K with coworkers, I've visited November Project workouts, not to mention going to the actual events that we're there to put on - which I still find myself tearing up over sometimes. 

So the moral of the story, as I sit here thinking of missing Mother's Day and Father's Day and my mom's birthday, and my sister's birthday, and a slew of NYRR races that I'd like to run this summer, I need to remind myself more often how lucky I am. 

My recent trip to San Jose is the perfect reminder of why I should have zero complaints. I was able to extend my trip by a day so that I could finally see San Francisco! And although we were only there for 24 hours, the trip was pretty damn near perfect - we got to do and see so many things in a small amount of time! So here's my guide to seeing San Francisco in 24 hours: 

1) Rent a car. Yes, I would have liked to walk around and maybe take the trolley, but since we were on a time crunch, having a car was what made all of this possible.  Not to mention our incredible luck in finding street parking throughout the day everywhere we went! Someone was looking out for us. 

2) Golden Gate Bridge. I wish I could tell you the name of the viewing area we went to, because it was great, but alas, I don't know. We started up near the parking lot in a grassy field with this view: 

Then there was a walk down a path/steps (lots of people out running) which we stopped on for a different view (OK the view wasn't that different but we just really like taking lots of pictures) 

The path finished down here with this view:

3) The Painted Ladies. I grew up watching Full House so I naturally went here and proceeded to play the theme song while prancing around taking pictures like a giant tourist. It was well worth it. The Painted Ladies were kind of a let down, they weren't even the prettiest of the painted houses we saw. But the park was nice and there were so many people out relaxing. Probably because you have to walk completely uphill to reach the park. Everyone was ready for a nap in the grass by the time they got there (I'm dramatic, and I really hate hills). 

4) Brunch. We found a cute place called Squat & Gobble and enjoyed some OUTDOOR EATING. 

5) Castro. Unintentionally, we realized we were in the Castro neighborhood and strolled around for a little bit. Some hysterical signs and lively places. This is probably where I would hang out if I lived in San Fran, if we're being honest. Very Village-esque.

6) I had read about a place called Philz Coffee with a MINT MOJITO iced coffee. It sounds like a weird combination, but it was so refreshing! 

7) Union Square. As soon as we got here, it's like I was back in NYC.  The whole area around Union Square is like Manhattan. I kept pointing out streets with the same names and all of the stores were what you would find along 5th Avenue. 

8) China Town. What I would expect from a China Town - very similar to New York. Tons of typical tourist souvenir shops which I managed to go into and not leave with some ridiculous thing that I didn't need. I did take pictures with the greatest monkey statue though.  And turtle.  And lion.  Sorry.

9) Lombard Street. We were scared the line to drive down Lombard Street was going to be really long, but it wasn't at all! It was bizarre but the houses along it are so pretty and the view from the top was awesome too. How do the people who live there own cars? Crazy. 

10) We were going to attempt to go to a speakeasy I had read about, but then I saw the sky starting to change colors and realized we were getting close to sunset. I have a serious obsession with sunsets, and the last time I was in California Emily and I were at Venice Beach for one of my favorites EVER (from the picture above) so I thought we should catch one in San Francisco together. We drove down to the Marina and walked out to the pier for a pretty sunset and dipped our toes in the water. 

11) Ghirardelli. Yes, I did the touristy thing and bought a bunch.The selfie stick was almost left behind on this stop- PHEW CLOSE CALL!!

12) Fisherman's Wharf. Yes a very touristy place, but I still wanted to see it, and while dinner wasn't the best thing I've ever had, we did have some yummy sourdough garlic bread! We were shocked at how early everything closed though! 

13) Mitchell's. Of course my research into San Francisco included extensive reading up on the best ICE CREAM. Mitchell's was the closest one I had read about to Fisherman's Wharf so we headed there after dinner. Mitchell's made my list because they have really interesting flavors like purple yam, avocado and halo halo, which is a combination of all different weird tropical fruits. I ended up getting a scoop of the halo halo and I wish I could describe it to you, but I can't really. It's not fruity, despite being filled with pieces of fruits. You should try it if you ever see it on a menu. I also got a scoop of mint chocolate chip because it's always my favorite. 

14) November Project. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to stay the extra day in San Francisco- so I could check out the San Fran tribe's workout on Friday morning. Unfortunately, my legs were on pretty strict rest, but I jog/walked and did the workout to a STUNNING sunrise, free from any fog! Everyone was friendly and badass and I don't understand how they run those hills. Crazy, all of ya. 

15) Mrs. Doubtfire House. Photo op! 

16) Last stop was back to Fisherman's Wharf to go to the Boudin Bakery. I never realized I even liked sourdough until I was in San Francisco. The breakfast at Boudin's was a great price - I went with the Belgian waffle with berries but the bread bowls with scrambled eggs probably would have been the better choice. If I'm every back, I would definitely like to take a tour of the bakery and maybe even make my own little bread creature (yes, that's a thing that you can do!)

See - told you we got to do a ton! 

If I were to go back, I would definitely plan on more food-related activities. Brunch filled us up so much the first day that I couldn't eat my way through San Fran like I would have liked ;) I would also loooove to do the tour of Alcatraz! 

So there ya have it. Whenever I'm being a grump about travelling please just direct me to this post, tell me to chug my Emergen-C to avoid airborne germs before my next flight, and send me on my way! 

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