Music

My son has a music class every Thursday at 64th and Riverside. That is over 2 miles away. What better way to get a workout in and for son to enjoy his music class? This particular day, it was raining/sleeting, but my son was comfortable in his little rain shielded micro climate and I got 4.5 miles in for the effort.  

Ridiculous

My husband and I have been told on many occasions that we are crazy in the many odd things that we do; not only in our travel adventures and fly-by-the-seat of our pants mentality, but in our systematic processes too for making it in NYC. This is one such day. 

I was on a mission to find the ingredients for a Greek dinner I planned to make for a friend who just had twins...some of these ingredients can be pricey in a New York City grocery store. So. I put my son in our Kelty child carrier (fits like a hiking pack) and set out to hit four different grocery stores across 2 miles of the city. 

After surveying the prices for each item, I worked my way backwards and purchased the least expensive item at each store...and yes I bought at least one thing from each of the four stores. So not only did I get a great deal on my Greek dinner (I spent about half as much as if I had just gone to one store), but I got a strenuous 2 mile hike in with 40 pounds on my back, groceries in hand...and to top it all off, the elevator was broken when I returned home, so I hoofed it up 6 flights of stairs with said child and groceries.  

??

I am behind on my running chronicles...so I know looking back that I ran 3.3 miles and did strength training on this day, but I can not recall where I ran or what my run was like. oops. 

Low Energy

I am really tired today, and was reluctant to go out on a family run with my husband and son...stumbling through the miles at a measly 10 minute pace, my husband stopped at 2 miles to play soccer with my son while I trudged on for another 2. I can't complain because I got 4 miles for the day, but the glacial pace I am not thrilled about. Come on energy!

Push It

Busy morning. I had an interview this afternoon, so there was a lot of accomplish in getting prepared and making arrangements for my son...and running. I decided to take my son out in the jogger to see how many miles I could squeeze in. Turns out I ran 3.7 miles pushing the kiddo. Yessss.

Easy 3

Just went out for an easy 3 miler today...feeling run down and unmotivated this week...

Of Course...

... I'm feeling fatigued today, my husband gently points out as I complain on our group run today, I ran a hard tempo run Sunday and have managed to incorporate strength training four days in a row now. Give yourself a break he asserted as we wrapped up 3.2 miles. 

Lickety-Split

Today was nasty out (freezing rain and snow) so I couldn't take my son out for a run...ironic that today is the first day of spring, no? I was able to squeeze in abbreviated strength training and a quick 2.3 mile run between dinner and story time :).

Surprise Tempo

We headed out on a group run this afternoon, the hubby by my side pushing my son who was grasping his new soccer ball. Our plan was to get in a few good miles, then stop at a field and let my son play for a while. And while that is what happened, the pace we ended up running was neither planned or expected. I ran the first mile fairly pedestrian (9:14), then picked it up for the second mile (8:30), then really picked it up for the next .6 (7:45 pace), rounding out the third mile with an 8:39. We had reached the playing field by this point, so we let my son run around for a while, then ran the last mile home at a 9:26. You just have to love a good tempo run and the benefit it bestows, like fiber-rich food.  

Walk

It was not near as nice today as yesterday, and we had free movie passes, so we decided to walk down to the movies, play on a nearby playground beforehand, and walk home. Four miles in all. Not too bad for a day at the movies!

Weather Trumps Run

Today is was 76 degrees. 76! I could not pass up the opportunity to take my son to the zoo, which is about a 2 mile run away. Perfect, I will get in about 4 miles...or so I thought. Seems like the free world also thought to descend upon the park, thus making my journey to the zoo nearly impassable. So. I took a short cut, enjoyed the zoo very much, and on the way back it remained so nice out, my son wanted to walk home. Who am I to encourage my son to get in a stroller? I'm not going to be one of those moms with an 8 year old with their knees in their face riding around in a stroller. So walk we did. I ran the last mile home because it was getting close to dinner time. All in all, I ran 2.8 miles.  

Getting There

Today's run was all about getting somewhere. My son had a music class this morning, then I had a meeting, followed up by a playgroup, and a rush home for lunch and nap time. I racked up 3.9 miles for the effort, and saved the subway fare to boot. Hmmm, should I say it?? ... yea ... getting there is half the fun.  

Optimistic

I wasn't feeling partial to any of my typical loops in the park today, so I just set out and headed North to the hills, ended up cutting through some woods, wound around the bridle path for a bit, and ended up back home with 3.5 miles to add to the log. I am feeling optimistic about this week's running... 

Welcome Back...

After a particularly trying week, followed up by a brief stomach bug, I was finally able to run today for the first time in a week. Still feeling a few residual affects from the weekend bug, I decided to just run a few laps around the reservoir and bridle path; 3.3 miles total. Even though I have not been running, I have been pretty consistent with my strength training since January, and today's run definitely lacked the typical sluggish fatigue that comes with the first run after a week off. I am pretty stoked about that, and I think it will encourage me to keep up with the strength exercises. 

Seriously?!

If ever the universe wanted to thwart my running endeavors, it was today. I ran a measly 11.5 miles (total!) last week...and off week to say the least. So today, I was ready to run a good 5 miler and make up for my shortcomings for the week prior. Let me see if I can sum it up: 3pm I left the apartment with my son, realizing I had missed the traffic window in the park, and headed South (it was sunny but cool)...I decide at the bottom of the park to to head West to the West Side Greenway to avoid traffic and run back North, mobs of people and traffic ensue, winds so blustery they nearly rocked over the jogger with my son in it, total backtrack through the city to avoid the wind, a "quick" stop in the grocery store only to leave 30 minutes later empty handed because the lines are so long, and a long slow progression back home to complete my totally deflated state. I still managed 4 miles, but it took me 2 hours and wrecked my dinner plans...hello Chinese, good bye March 7th.    

Pacer

Today's run was a family affair, which means I had a little boost from my pacer (aka the hubs). I  love it when the three of us get to go running together, but I love it even more when we cover 5.1 miles in 45:21...hello 8:53 pace! And I didn't even feel like I was struggling with that pace, it felt comfortable. Translation: I need to pick up the pace on my solo runs, I have been lazy!

Cutting It Short

I wanted to run a good 4 miler or so today, but I ended up combining my run with an outing for my son in the park, so when the wind unexpectedly picked up I cut my run short and took him to the Belvedere Castle to play instead. I still got 3.5 miles in, but I skipped the North Hills, which is such a good workout pushing him in the jogger. C'est la vie.