A Frigid Saturday: Well+Good NYC Yoga for Athletes

Even though it’s Saturday, and our double date didn’t end until well after midnight, I was up by 7:30 this morning. Waking up for a fun workout made it a lot easier to get out of the warm, comfortable bed. It is a blustery, cold day in New York City.

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After a frigid 15 minute walk, I was welcomed into the warm heat of Jack Rabbit Sports.

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Well+Good NYC was hosting their second Yoga for Athletes in partnership with Jack Rabbit Sports and YogaWorks.IMG_0757

The store transforms into a hard wood yoga studio for an hour of stretching and relaxation. We had far more space this time since the nice folks at Jack Rabbit moved all the racks to the back of the store. There were no arms hitting racks today during our practice!IMG_0756

The hour practice was once again lead by YogaWorks senior instructor, Elizabeth Neus. A past marathoner, her class focuses on the entire body but spends the most time on the hips and legs. My favorite thing about this class is that it truly feels like a Saturday morning treat. Not a sticky bun or maple syrup covered waffle treat but a spa day or extra few minutes in bed treat. A single drop of sweat isn’t seen during the class and it truly is 60 minutes of stretching and relaxation. These legs and my sacrum were especially happy after today’s class!   Thank you Well+Good, JackRabbit, and Elizabeth for a great, free class! If you’re interested in joining the next yoga class, check out this website with more information.IMG_0755

After the class I headed back into the cold for an hour of sweat at Equinox . Since Sara is under the weather, I was on my own this week. I did 3 miles on the treadmill (6.2 speed) before joiningCorey Hill’s Core Upper Cuts and Ab Blast.

I was starving after my workout as I didn’t eat breakfast before. Stupid decision! Luckily, my Equinox also features a delicious cafe which has a great and reasonably priced salad bar. My favorite crunchy chip made an appearance in today’s weekend lunch: Food Should Taste Good’s Sweet Potato chips. I forgot how much I loved these!

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I couldn’t be happier that the weekend is here. I’m currently curled up on the couch in my favorite winter lounge wear ready to enjoy the rest of the day!

Winter Lounge Wear

Winter Lounge Wear by ashdiamond83

 

What is your favorite tv series? Bo and I love watching tv shows on NetFlix. Last year we watched the entire West Wing series this way and now we’re watching Law and Order SVU from the very beginning! 

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Pre-Marathon Whirlwind

 

The last 18 hours have been a pre-marathon whirlwind with one of my favorite friends, Leslie!

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This morning, we woke up at bright and early for a relaxing pre-marathon yoga class at Lululemon Union Square. The class was small due to it’s early time but this meant we each received plenty of 1:1 from Sarah, this morning’s instructor. The class was the most relaxing yoga class ever filled with lots of hip openers, bends, and block assists.

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We had one thing on our mind after yoga- the expo! We wanted to beat the crowds and have plenty of time to explore the expo. This was my first ING NYC Marathon expo experience and I didn’t know what to expect regarding crowds and attendance.

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The expo opened up five minutes after we arrived the line moved very quickly. The volunteers and NYRR did a wonderful job managing the crowds and moving people through the stations quickly.

Due to the size of the marathon, runners have to go through 3 different stations: registration card verification, bib pickup, and DTag scanning.

 IMG_6783There was a bump along the way due to my driver’s license having a different last name than my marathon entry. Darn wedding! I DEFINITELY need to get my name change done IMMEDIATELY!  

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It’s official! Within a few minutes, we were checked in and ready to check out all the booths. My favorite part of expos is trying and tasting new products.

IMG_6792After a few minutes experiencing The Stick, Leslie convinced me that the stroke is a necessity for any distance. I love that it is easy to use and more portable than a foam roller. IMG_6790IMG_6791

We practiced our balancing with the Power Balance team. IMG_0188

WHAT IS POWER BALANCE?

Power Balance is Performance Technology designed to work with your body’s natural energy field. Founded by athletes, Power Balance is a favorite among elite athletes for whom balance, strength and flexibility are important.

•HOW DOES THE HOLOGRAM WORK?

Power Balance is based on the idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow, similar to concepts behind many Eastern philosophies. The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body.

We may, or may not have invested in a bracelet for tomorrow. 😉 Leslie has seen them at every expo and at this point in the game the marathon is 100% mental. One piece of jewelry, placebo or not, can’t do any harm. Have you ever tried this or something like this?

There were some water and fuel stops along our Expo course, just like tomorrow’s marathon!

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The Odwalla Pumpkin Protein was absolutely delicious. While I don’t normally drink Odwalla it was exactly what we were craving. We forgot to eat breakfast this morning between the yoga and marathon excitement so these samples were definitely enjoyed!

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The new oatmeal raisin Powerbar protein bites were delicious! Can I please have a bag of these tomorrow after the race? 🙂

IMG_6794We both enjoyed a cup of the new grape Gatorade product and some sparkling water. The strawberry kiwi reminded us of summer!IMG_6788

In between fuel stops, we stopped for some fun poses and pictures. Expos are so much fun when you experience them with a friend!

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We also gained some inspiration through the posters, t-shirts, and signs!

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What’s your inspiration? Tomorrow I’m going to focus on all the inspiration I’ve gained from readers comments, friends and family, other runners, and especially my mom and dad’s daily cards. They can’t be in NYC for the race but they mailed daily cards with different inspirational comments and thoughts. Most of all, I know that I’m running tomorrow’s marathon for myself and no one else. My goal, as many people have asked, is to finish and thoroughly enjoy myself and the experience!

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After a few more purchases and pictures, we headed back towards Eataly to meet Bo and his mother, who is in town this weekend for a friend’s birthday. Paragon Sports was kind enough to provide free transportation back to their Union Square store which was right where we were heading.

Within minutes of leaving the expo, we finally had the fresh juice we’d been craving all morning, compliments of Equinox.

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Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enjoy lunch at Eataly with Bo and his mom due to the crowds and lack of table space. After a busy morning, we were hungry and ready to get some R&R!

We decided to walk back towards home and find a simple sandwich shop instead. We’re both hesitant to introduce any new foods or heavy meals before tomorrow’s marathon. Press was a perfect alternative!

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After choosing your dough, they press it into a warm flat bread and fill it with your choice of fresh vegetables, proteins, and sauces.

I filled my whole wheat wrap to the brim with fresh, crunchy vegetables, barbeque chicken, and barbeque sauce!

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IMG_6816We enjoyed this delicious lunch with our feet propped up back at home before diving through our marathon bags and finishing up some last minute chores like ironing my name on my Lululemon shirt.

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Ironing letters on a shirt, especially a Lululemon shirt, is harder than it sounds. This process took FOUR attempts to get right!

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Now that this bib is in my hand, I feel like the dream is finally coming true! IMG_6820

I am in Green Wave 3 – Corral 60  – Number 153 – all that together means my bib is #60153 if you are planning on tracking me. If you want to track runners ahead of time, it costs $2.99 unfortunately, but you can track up to 3!

In addition, there is free tracking starting tomorrow at 7am at www.ingnycmarathon.org.

If you’re out cheering tomorrow and see a gal run by in this outfit, please say hello!

IMG_6833This is my first marathon so I have no idea what to expect of my body. But, I know that any happy screams or cheers along the way will be very WELCOME! 🙂 In addition, if you’re running tomorrow and hanging out on Staten Island feel free to say hi. We can stay warm together. 🙂

Here goes nothing….

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Happiest When I’m Busiest

 

It’s a good thing I’m happiest when I’m busiest because the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind! We’re heading into our “busy season” at work which means lots of customer presentations, long nights, and travel. But, I love what I’m doing so no complaints! In order to balance out the work, I’ve been packing my days with lots of fun activities!

Lauren and I have done yoga two times this week at Equinox! We’ve decided that it makes sense to focus on evening workout classes near our office which we can do together. It really helps to have a friend motivate you to leave the office.

Tuesday night we enjoyed Vinyasa Yoga with Samantha Debicki. The class melted the stress away while stretching out our tight tired muscles. My favorite part was when she asked for suggestions and requests. One participant asked for hip openers which was a welcome stretch for my tired legs.

Tonight we returned to Tracy’s Power Vinyasa Yoga class which we’ve missed over the last three months. We went to this weekly during the winter but let our schedules get the best of us during the summer. I love this class because you leave feeling 10 pounds lighter due to the stress release but your muscles are crying and she pushes you to the next level.

Like usual, runners lunge or ardha mandalasana was the best stretch for my tight hips and legs.

What is your favorite yoga pose for tired legs or tight hips?

Bo and I enjoyed our first US Open experience last night!  We followed the crowds out to the Billy Jean King Tennis center last night after work.

 IMG_4990  It was an absolutely gorgeous night! The air was a cool and crisp 70 degrees! IMG_4992IMG_4991

But the wind had no mercy and was chilling the crowd’s bones all night long. People were buying sweatshirts and long sleeve t-shirts right and left just to stay warm!

Bo and I warmed our souls with a Heineken Light from the Heineken Lounge as soon as we arrived! The entire place was green!

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Sometimes a cold, crisp beer just hits the spot!

Next on the agenda was dinner. I tweeted quickly trying to figure the best option. Fried foods and hot dogs were everywhere but none of it sounded very good. Meanwhile, Bo had his eyes set on a foot long.Eck!

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Eventually I settled on fried shrimp as everyone was raving about their flavor!

But, within two minutes, I saw exactly what I wanted.

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Oh well, too bad I wasted $7 on my first dinner which was immediately abandoned before I even tried a bite.

The Stonyfield Cafe had salads, sandwiches, soups, and even organic beers! It was hard to make a decision but I finally went with their salad combo. It was absolutely delicious and filled with the perfect amount of bleu cheese and chicken. Bo was even surprised by its flavor and freshness.

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Once we’d finished our dinners we quickly headed into the stadium just in time to see the end of the women’s match before Federer took the court!

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Our seats were in the promenade level which meant we enjoyed a bird’s eye view. We still enjoyed it and don’t regret buying the cheap tickets through my alumni club versus paying more than $200 for quarterfinal tickets.

Do you enjoy tennis? Who are you rooting for in this year’s US Open?

I’m off to bed so I can get some much needed rest before tomorrow morning’s 17 mile run! YIKES! I’m so nervous I could vomit. But, I’m just telling myself that slow and steady wins the race. My goal is to keep around a 10:45 pace and follow a flat course. I’ll head out before 5am since I need to be at work by 9am. Hopefully this mean’s I’ll enjoy some wonderful sunrise views along the Hudson River.

In order to get pumped up, I downloaded a few new songs tonight thanks to Jes and Nicole’s great suggestions!

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