Pizza PSA: Not So Wild About Wild

I'm not about to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon - but I did take a trip to the latest gluten-free pizza hotspot in the West Village recently to check it out.

Unfortunately, all Wild did was reaffirm my belief that unless it's medically necessary for you to be gluten-free - you should eat real pizza and doughnuts and bread. Gluten and all.

Wild was a cute spot but very dark, crowded and noisy. The service was pretty terrible throughout the night too.

Avocado Toast

We started out with the avocado toast which was interesting because it was topped with honey, gorgonzola and walnuts. It was a unique combination that I was excited to try - but ultimately disappointed with. My other issue with this was that the toast was more of a cracker than a piece of bread - but that's the GF life for ya.

Tuscan Kale Salad

We went back and forth on a salad option before setting for this one, sadly. The group unanimously decided it was probably the most boring, bland, useless salad we had ever had.

Wild Mushroom Truffle Pizza

It's no surprise that I didn't love this pizza seeing as I can't stand the taste of truffles. But what surprised me when I took a few small bites was the fact that more than anything, I was overwhelmed by the mushroomy-ness of this pie. It was soo intense that I had trouble finishing even one small sliver. 

Other Forgettable Pizzas

The rest of the pies were unimpressive and forgettable - I can't even remember which ones we ordered after looking back at the menu!

In a city filled with stellar pizza options, I certainly don't suggest a trip to Wild.

But hey, the company was good and it got me out of my normal stomping grounds!

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Why Fall Might Just Be My New Favorite Season

This year, I'll be traveling for work throughout much of the holiday season. Ice skating in Central Park, browsing the Union Square Christmas Market and battling the crowds at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree might not be part of my December this year, which is making me feel a little blue. 

So instead of mourning the loss of Winter in NYC I've been soaking up every bit of this wonderful season called Fall and let me tell ya something - so far it's giving summer a run for it's money.

The tourists have yet to descend on midtown and the anxiety of holiday shopping is still seemingly far away. The leaves are changing colors and everything has a golden-hue to it. Roasted vegetable season is HERE and I have my eye on a cranberry margarita recipe that ensures this tequila-loving girl doesn't need to give up on her beverage of choice as the cooler temperatures settle in. 

Yeah, life is pretty good right now. 

And while I may not be able to sing "Tis the Season To Be Jolly" while drinking hot chocolate and decorating gingerbread houses in December...'Tis the Season for some other great things this October. 

TIS THE SEASON FOR WALKING HOME THROUGH CENTRAL PARK 

It's perfect weather for walking across the park instead of taking the bus and I've been doing it every chance that I get. Other days, if I have time, I'll walk the three miles home from work. 

On a recent walk home, I was completely zoned out and listening to music when the guy next to me started motioning for me to look down over a short stone wall. I bent over and was surprised to see 5 or 6 raccoons! They were somewhat scary, somewhat cute and a sizable crowd quickly gathered to check them out. 

I've heard that raccoons can be pretty personable, and I swear that these raccoons were posing for all of the cameras and cell-phones snapping pictures of them. One lady was even feeding them hard boiled eggs! 

They were getting really close to people and it started to freak me out as more and more gathered so I got out of there quickly after getting a few pictures of my own. 

Another afternoon as I crossed the park, I saw the perfect patch of sunshine under one of my favorite trees. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to lay in the sun listening to music for a little while. I almost dozed off! 

TIS THE SEASON FOR  NEW SHOWS 

I was so excited to attend a preview performance of the new production of Tick, Tick...Boom! at Theatre Row (playing at the Acorn Theater). 

I've had the Tick, Tick...Boom! soundtrack memorized since I discovered it back in high school, during the heyday of my musical theater obsession. When I found out that RENT's creator Jonathan Larson had penned an autobiographical musical before the success of RENT, I quickly learned every lyric. 

The new production is wonderful for what it is - but Tick, Tick...Boom! is simply not of the same caliber as RENT. Awkward transitions from song to scene are inescapable given the script, but the trio on stage power through and create a thoroughly enjoyable show. 

It was great seeing a production of Tick, Tick...Boom! because so many of the songs that I grew up memorizing the lyrics to suddenly took on so much more context and meaning within the larger story. 

Also interesting to note throughout the show were the subtle connections between RENT and Tick, Tick...Boom! Michael, the best friend who gives up on his acting career and "sells out" to the corporate life seems a lot like Benny from RENT. And Susan is a dancer, a la Mimi! 

Even the structure of the play is similar to RENT, with Jon narrating portions of it and telephone call interludes from parents and agents. 

I'm a huge fan of both George Salazar and Nick Blaemire who star as Michael and Jon respectively. The triumvirate is completed by Ciara Renèe as Susan. 

The flaws of Tick, Tick...Boom! are all but forgotten when the final song is sung by the trio - belting words that perhaps resonate even more today than they did when they were written by Larson in 1990:

Why do we follow leaders who never lead?

Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?

If we're so free, tell me why?

Someone tell me why

So many people bleed?

Tick, Tick...Boom! plays at the Acorn Theater at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street near 9th Avenue) through November 20th. You can buy tickets here.

Speaking of new shows - this weekend I'm PUMPED to go and see Josh Groban in his Broadway debut in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. I'm going with my grandparents and younger cousin and I can't wait. I have no idea what the musical is about - but it could be about ANYTHING and I'd thoroughly enjoy it as long as I get to listen to that voice for 2 hours and 30 minutes...

TIS THE SEASON FOR HOCKEY 

That's right, hockey season is officially ON. I somehow snagged tickets to the Rangers season opener which happened to be against my team, the New York Islanders. Isn't it weird how possessive people can be about sports teams? But I am totally guilty - MY Islanders, MY team, MY boys - all things I have said with 100% seriousness. 

The Islander's lost the game, but Lana and I were the real winners because we saw each other for the first time in MONTHS and had a great time in amazing seats. 

I'm so excited to share my hockey-loving ways with a few friends who have never seen a hockey game live. We're headed the Barclays Center on Friday night and I hope that they love it as much as I do!

TIS THE SEASON FOR ROASTED VEGETABLES 

My past two weekends have been spent cranking up the volume on Spotify and cranking up the heat on the oven to roast up ALL the fall vegetables. Kabocha squash, Calabaza squash, mushrooms, green beans, eggplant, sweet potatoes - I am in veg-heaven. Paired with kale and quinoa, I could happily eat this every night of the fall/winter. 

I alternate between drizzling balsamic glaze, tahini and Dijon vinaigrette all over my plate - sometimes all three if I'm feeling crazy. 

Do you need help deciphering all the delicious fall squashes out on supermarket shelves? Can't tell the difference between a butternut squash and a spaghetti squash to save your life? I have a #SquashGoals Guide for that! 

TIS THE SEASON FOR NEW FITNESS GOALS 

I will admit that my desire to workout has been seriously slacking. My shins are bothering me a lot and my motivation when the alarm goes off every morning is non-existent. 

I'm going to be using the cold winter months as a deterrent from running too much - I want to give my legs a break so that I'm ready to rock and roll for the New York City Marathon in 2017. The colder weather will also mean an unappealing indoor pool situation and a miserable bike riding experience...

Needless to say, I'm on the hunt for my next challenge, and I think it might be Crossfit! Stay tuned for more. 

TIS THE SEASON FOR BOUGIE MOVIE NIGHTS

Movies are a huge deal to most people. Something that they could talk about for HOURS. That's never a good place for small talk to go as far as I'm concerned, because I am not a movie person. I don't watch them at home, and I rarely watch them in theaters. I bet if you named 5 movies, chances are I would have maybe seen one. And that's being generous. 

That being said, there are movies that I like to see - usually ones that are based off of books I've read. A group of us recently decided to check out Girl On A Train and one of my friends suggested we go to the Village 7 theater. Being a non-movie-goer, I had no input to offer on theaters and was happy with whatever spot the group picked. 

I grumbled a little to myself about paying $18 for a movie ticket, but this is Manhattan and I assumed that was just the going rate these days. Turns out, I'm an idiot. We weren't just "going to the movies." We were making a magical night out of the movies. 

When we walked into the theater I was astounded by the fact that each chair was a freaking SOFA. I swear, this thing was huge. And it reclines. All the way. I was curled up in the fetal position during one scary part of the film and I was no where near touching anyone around me. There are only around 54 seats in the entire theater and you have SO MUCH ROOM it's insane. 

Pair that with the fact that we had brought in our own boxed wine, popcorn, and chocolate covered almonds and I am now 100% a movie person. 

TIS THE SEASON FOR COZY COFFEE DATES

Before checking out Tick, Tick...Boom! I met a friend for coffee and a bite to eat. Since the theater was in a bit of a strange location, I didn't have a go-to spot picked out. Naturally, I did some research and couldn't have been happier with our choice of Rustic Table.  

It was cozy inside at our seat at the bar and my Americano was delicious. I ordered the side of roasted vegetables which came in a little skillet and cost only $3! There was zucchini, chick peas, sweet potatoes, squash and mushrooms and I was 100% satisfied.

My friend ordered the banana date smoothie that was also delicious and at $6.50, the price was right!  

I also recently spent some time blogging at Cafe Jax - where they serve a killer (though pricey) dirty chai latte and Underwest donuts! Cafe Jax has it's own charm - with scattered tables, desks and couches that are always packed with students doing their work. They have WiFi and it's just the right amount of quiet. You can softly talk to friends but everyone is respectful of the fact that almost everyone is trying to get shit done. Many people go there to hunker down for the day. 

I'm excited to explore some more cute, cozy coffee shops while we're in Portland, Maine for Halloween weekend and throughout the fall and winter. 

TIS THE SEASON FOR PUMPKIN EVERYTHING

True Life: I've never ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

But recently, I did sample and rate 11 different pumpkin beers while eating pumpkin truffles and vegan pumpkin donuts.

It was actually really fun to use the beer rating cards to write down what we thought of each beer as we tasted it. Among the beers we tried were Southern Tier, Two Roads, Captain Lawrence, Coney Island, UFO, McKenzie's Hard Cider, Dogfish Head, Greenport and more.

What did I find out? I don't like ANY pumpkin beer. OOOPS. It was still a fun night!

Another night we got together at a friends apartment to plan our Halloween weekend trip to Portland and feasted on the delicious pumpkin mac and cheese that she made using this recipe from The Lemon Bowl.

So the moral of the story is I'm changing the lyrics y'all.

Tis the season to be jolly, fall la la la la la la la fallllll. 

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Workout Wednesday: Flywheel Class Review

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to take my first Flywheel class for free thanks to an event hosted by Rachel from RachLMansfield.com and Jordan from The Balanced Blonde. 

Everyone always tells me they think I would love Flywheel - SoulCycle's equally trendy and expensive but less cult-ish and more performance-based counterpart. 

THE STUDIO 

The class was held at Flywheel's Chelsea location (on 17th Street between 7th & 8th Avenue) but they have many throughout New York City (9 to be exact) and throughout the US. They've even gone International - hey, Flywheel Dubai!

Everything looked new and sparkly clean but walking in was totally overwhelming. It was PACKED and I was surprised to find that there were no locker rooms - just shower/changing rooms and a bathroom. The lines were long and class started late because there were still so many people waiting to change. 

There were lots of things around the waiting area that were convenient - like hair ties and mints, apples and bananas but I wish there had been locker rooms. 

The cycling studio itself was large and set up stadium-style so that no matter where you were sitting you had a great view of the instructor. 

THE CLASS 

Flywheel offers 45, 60 and 90 minute classes and the one I took was 45 minutes. For me, that's a good amount of time for a spin class because I typically am able to push myself realllly hard and am completely dead after those 45 minutes.

WHAT I LIKED: 

-The shoes all seemed brand new and the bikes were nice as well.

-Focus on Metrics: Each bike has a small computer that lets you know metrics throughout your ride including RPMs, torque (resistance) and an overall score. 

-TorqBoard: Another thing I loved about the class was that if you had a username registered with Flywheel, it appears on a leaderboard (the "TorqBoard) that comes up on the screens throughout class so you can see how your score stacks up. They also give you the option of opting out of the TorqBoard, which I think is great since some people might not feel comfortable with it. 

Having metrics is HUGE for me in a spin class. It's why I love SWERVE and Peloton so much. Not only does it ignite my competitive spark with the other people in the class, but it drives me to do better each class that I take and to compete against myself.  

-What I appreciate about Flywheel is that while they have you "tap it back" a number of times throughout class, that's pretty much the extent of the movement on the bike. There's no crunches and squats and other weird bullshit that you would never do on a bike (I'm looking at you, SoulCycle and Cyc!)  

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

There was one song that focused on arms during the class - using 2 or 4 pound bars instead of free weights. As usual, I half-assed this portion and focused on keeping  my legs going. 

THE INSTRUCTOR 

The instructor was great about letting you know how much resistance should be on your bike and how fast you should be aiming to spin during every song.

The music choices were solid as well and there was just the right amount of inspirational babble. I'm not being sarcastic - there really is a sweet-spot for that kind of stuff during a class. 

THANKS RACHEL & JORDAN! 

After class, we all got goody bags from Rachel and Jordan filled with chia seeds, Justin's peanut butter and other treats. There was also free Suja juices and samples of Barely Bread awaiting us in the lobby. I was so surprised by how delicious the odd-sounding red-cabbage, lemon water concoction was! (It was the Lavenade that I tried). The Barely Bread grain free loaf was ok, but the bagels were downright disappointing. 

THE RUNDOWN 

THE STUDIO - 6

The amenities were gorgeous but it was a real bummer not having a separate girls locker room where I could change. Instead, tons of people were waiting in line for the changing rooms. The line was so slow moving because people from the previous classes were showering. 

CLASS SIZE - Large 

There are probably around 50 bikes per class so you definitely won't be getting any personalized corrections or attention from instructors during a Flywheel class, but spin is one of those things were a large class doesn't really make or break the workout. You've got your own space so it doesn't feel overcrowded. 

SWEAT SCALE - 8 

I always leave spin a sweaty, sweaty mess. This was no different at Flywheel. 

FUN FACTOR - 7

The fun factor here didn't really come from anything that Flywheel did, but rather the fact that I just generally enjoy spin classes. Give me a dark room with loud music and some stats to push myself and I'm having a good time. 

AMENITIES - 9 

Free apples, bananas, water bottles, hair ties, mints and shoe rentals earn Flywheel a big thumbs up. 

COST - $34

It's expensive, but standard nowadays in NYC. 

For first time riders a Flywheel, they offer a $15 class voucher on their website. 

THE BOTTOM LINE 

Everyone who told me I would love Flywheel was right. And if I could afford it, I might become a regular. Flywheel is a no-nonsense on the bike spin class that uses metrics and a competitive atmosphere to push you to a great, sweaty, workout. Flywheel has secured itself a spot in my top three spin studios and I'll certainly be back. 

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South African Eats on the Upper East Side

I'll try anything once when it comes to food. Ostrich, rabbit, goat, frog's legs - bring it on. If you're looking for an adventurous meal, I highly recommend a trip to Kaia Wine Bar, the Michelin rated African restaurant on the Upper East Side!

I've passed it many times and always thought, "This place looks cute." When I finally stopped to read the menu posted in the window, I was slightly surprised to find that it was African cuisine - but intrigued!

My parents were in town one night and since not a ton of people I know are willing to shell out money at a restaurant where they can't pronounce anything on the menu - I decdied to tell my parents that's where I wanted to go. Thanks, Mom & Dad! ;)

Everything here is farm-to-table, which in my opinion, is the best way to eat! The menu at Kaia is pretty authentic South African fare right down to the wine and beer lists. I ordered a South African IPA and though I didn't love it, it was cool to try something so different.

Kaia was fairly noisy, but the space was trendy and the service was phenomenal. Our waiter was extremely nice and gave us lots of information and recommendations as we perused the unfamiliar menu-items.

The menu is constantly changing, so what we enjoyed during our meal may not be on the menu for your trip - but here's what we ended up ordering!

Bread and Dukkah

The meal started off with a BANG - fresh baked bread with olive oil and dukkah. Dunk your bread in the oil, then cover it in dukkah spice blend - my new favorite thing in the world! Dukkah is a blend of spices, seeds and nuts that originated in Egypt. Each dukkah blend is unique, but most contain curmin, coriander, sesame seeds, salt, dried herbs, nuts and seeds. Lately, I've been seeing it on a lot of menus, but my first encounter with it was at Kaia.

Slider Trio

We decided to try one of each of the out-there slider options as an appetizer. I say "out there" because instead of lamb, turkey, chicken or beef - these sliders were ostrich, elk and wild board. Each had a distinct taste and the toppings paired perfectly with their respective meat. I think that the wild boar was my favorite!

Grebakte Suurlemoene

Baked lemons stuffed with tomato & olive pesto and topped with goat cheese

This was weirdly good - I wasn't expecting to love it, but the hint of lemon with each bite was justtttt right! I still prefer stuffed peppers or mushrooms or spaghetti squash but lemon was a nice change of pace.

Spiced Meat Crepe

I totally made that name up because I can't remember exactly what I ordered - but it was delicious! It was really seasoned/fragrant meat with a hint of sweetness to it wrapped up in a pillow-y doughy crepe.

Bier Prawns

Head on tiger prawns in a peri peri beer broth served with coconut rice

These guys were a little terrifying when they came to the table. My dad and I were supposed to split this and my entree but I wasn't really feeling these monsters - they were way too fishy tasting for me. My dad seemed to enjoy them though!

Lamb Burger

My mom's lamb burger was huge and filled with blue cheese! It also had a delicious fruit chutney. She really enjoyed it and it's a staple on their menu!

Malva Pudding

Never one to pass on dessert, we asked which was the most authentic on the menu and went with that. The Malva Pudding was a sticky cake with apricot creme that was just the right amount of sweet to cap off the night.

I highly recommend a trip to Kaia Wine Bar if you're looking to mix-up your boring Italian, Mexican, Chinese food rotation.

 kaia wine bar
1614 third avenue (between 90th and 91st)
212-722-0490
www.kaiawinebar.com

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How To Stay In Shape When Traveling For Work

So you’re on the road for a week, or two – maybe even for a month. Your work hours are long, your gym is back at home along with your workout classes and normal running routes, and you’re staying in a dark, comfy hotel room. Have you tried waking up at 5:45 a.m. to work out when you’re in a pitch black hotel room?  A place normally representative of relaxing vacations? It is no easy feat, my friends.

But if you're a fitness fanatic who frequently finds themselves on the road for work, it's NOT impossible to fit workouts into your trip. And in fact, it could be a huge factor for stress relief and keeping some semblance of sanity and routine when life becomes very work-centric. 

Here's what 3 years of traveling for work have taught me about staying (somewhat) in shape on the road! 

Get It Done Early 

Whether you're typically an early morning workout person or not - when you're on the road, it's always best to get it done in the a.m. You're there for work, and things are going to come up throughout the day that may turn what was supposed to be an early shift into something much longer than intended. 

A group of coworkers may ask you to go out to dinner, and you can't say no. Your boss may give you an assignment that can't wait. And you might just be too damn tired at the end of the day. The excuses will only pile up as the day goes on - so set that alarm and get 'er done. That way, all of your focus can be on the job at hand. 

No Excuses 

There are going to be many, many reasons you can give yourself as to why you shouldn't work out. Even more excuses than you normally manage to come up with. While you're traveling for work there's a whole new slew of "why-nots." 

"The gym here sucks" 
"I'm going to be too tired at work if I get up now" 
"No one else works out on the road" 
"I shouldn't go for a run when I don't really know the area" 
"I can't take a class" 
"I don't have my bike" 
"I only have 20 minutes" 
"I don't want to run into co-workers" 

You need to dig deep and find a way to silence those voices in your head that are non-stop-naysayers. If you set an alarm for a morning workout, you need to dig your heels in, show some resolve, and just do the damn thing. Instead of giving voice to all those excuses in your head, I suggest: 

Remind Yourself Of Why You WANT To Workout

Remind yourself of all the reasons your alarm is going off at a somewhat ungodly hour. Don't' even let your mind go toward the excuses - immediately re-route those thoughts to remember why you set the alarm in the first place. 

Because Exercising Is YOU Time 

You're traveling for work and you're constantly surrounded by coworkers. But for those 45 blissful minutes in the hotel gym at 5:45 a.m. - you're only worried about YOU. 

Because Exercising Relieves Stress 

Work work work and no play is no good for your stress levels! Working out is a huge way to handle the stress of your job. 

Because Exercising Will Start The Day Off Right 

Starting your day with a healthy dose of endorphins ensures you won't be the grump who shows up miserable to work in the morning. 

Because It's What You Do 

When you're home you exercise, so why should things be any different when you're traveling? Traveling for work already throws many aspects of life out of wake - but it's in your power to keep exercise as a consistent part of your daily routine. Do it. 

BECAUSE YOU HAVE FITNESS GOALS 

Whatever your fitness goals may be - remind yourself of them in the morning. Maybe you're trying to achieve the elusive pull-up. Maybe you're training for your first triathlon - don't let a work trip derail your hard work and determination to achieve your goals. I trained for a marathon through multiple work trips - and while it wasn't fun to run 13.1 miles in a new city before a 12+ hour day, I was determined to run my first marathon. And I did! 

You'll Feel Better 

This is usually the first thing I tell myself. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. and trudging to the gym half asleep never feels good. But I am 100% guaranteed to feel better on the way back up to my room - and that feeling tends to stay with me throughout the day! Reminding myself of that fact is usually enough to get me up and out. 

*I cannot stress enough that one thing you should never use to try to get yourself to the gym are body-shaming thoughts like, "You ate out last night," or, "You're going to gain so much weight on this trip if you don't go." Trust me on this one, self-motivating reminders of why working out makes you FEEL good are 100X more effective. 

Manage Expectations 

Just because you're successful in getting yourself to the hotel gym, doesn't mean you're going to have a stellar workout. I've found that I need to manage my expectations while I'm on the road and can't expect to feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger after a workout in a gym with little more than dumbbells and an elliptical. You need to be okay with a decrease in: 

Length of Workout 

Realistically, you're going to hit the snooze button a few extra times when you're on a work trip. At least I know that I do. While I normally work out for around an hour at my home gym, I'm more than happy if I can get in a solid 30-45 minute workout on the road. 

Intensity of Workout 

Same here - my head is normally not as "in the game" for workouts when I'm on the road as they are in a group fitness class or workout in a place I'm familiar with and comfortable in. Not to mention the equipment available in a hotel gym can put a serious damper on intensity. That, paired with long hours, means I'm not dripping with sweat at the end of all my work-workouts. I usually try to get in one HIIT workout per week on the road where I am really kickin' my booty. 

Complexity of Workout

This goes back to the equipment and space that you have to work with. You're probably not going to be able to do a ton of complex exercises if all you have to work with are free weights and a treadmill. I prefer to see it as a challenge - what's the most interesting workout I can create with not a lot of options? It usually means lots of body weight exercises! (Hi, burpees - ugh). 

This is also where the Internet can come in reallllly handy. There are tons of "no equipment, small space" workouts available online. There are apartment workouts and hotel room workouts aplenty on Pinterest! Use them!

Embrace the Space and Get Creative

That being said, some hotels have wonderful fitness facilities and you should take advantage of those when they're available! Don't just phone it in because you're in a hotel gym - use what is available to you. 

I've stayed in hotels with lap pools, tennis courts, bosu balls, spin bikes, classes, running groups, kettlebells. You just need to adapt to the tools you have available. 

Switch up the way your format your workouts - add in some tabata, choose 10 exercises and cycle through each for a minute before taking a :60 rest and repeating. There are so many different ways to assemble a challenging workout and none of them are entirely equipment dependent. 

One of my favorites is a deck of cards workout where you assign a different body weight exercise to each suit. As you go through the deck, you perform the exercise as many times as indicated by the card. There's even an app you can download so you don't need to bring 52 cards to the gym. But you could do that too, I guess! 

Keep It Fun 

The odds of you working out are already diminished. If you add to that plans for a workout that you don't love - you're setting yourself up for failure. If you love running and shoulder day, focus on those during your trip. If you really hate the stationary bike - keep that out of the mix. Crazy about planking? Give yourself something to look forward to and come up with a plank-filled workout! 

Do What You Can 

So you had to be in to work at 6:30 a.m. and there was no way you were waking up at 4:00 a.m. to workout. Don't write off the day entirely! Do your best to stay active in any way possible throughout the day. Walk as much as you can. Convince your coworkers to do some mid-day wall sits and planks! It might sound crazy, but I've done it! And I guarantee your coworkers are in the same boat and feeling pretty bad about their lack of exercise during the trip. They might be more willing than you'd think to lunge across the office or do some dips on their chairs. 

Find Someone To Hold You Accountable 

If you can find a co-worker who is just as committed to working out while traveling - that's a HUGE bonus. My friend and I try to plan our workouts together as much as we can - if we plan to meet at a certain time, you don't want to be the one that doesn't show up! 

If you're the lone crusader from your company hitting up the gym - have one of your fit-friends from home check in in the mornings. If they Snapchat you a picture of them lacing up their sneakers, it might be that extra oomph you need! 

Workout Like A Local 

Take advantage of your new location! One of my favorite things to do is visit a November Project workout if they have a tribe in the city I'm working from. I've gotten to attend workouts in Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Toronto thanks to work travel. These workouts are a huge breath of fresh air because they double as social time away from work and remind me of home. 

There's also nothing saying you need to workout in the hotel gym all the time! See if there are any nearby fitness studios where you could sign up for a class. Bonus? Many places have first time student discounts - and since you're from out of town - chances are you haven't been there before! 

I've also signed up and run a road-race while traveling for work which was a great way to experience the local running scene. 

I also highly suggest looking up the running groups and running stores in the area to see if you can find other fitness-minded people to workout with in the area. Who knows, you might even make a lifelong friend! 

Be Smart 

Always, always be smart. If you're exhausted, if you're feeling injured, if you've got an 18 hour shift ahead of you - reconsider your workout. Go for a walk instead, or take all the extra sleep you can get. Being on the road is stressful. Traveling isn't great for immune system. If you're body is telling you that it needs to take it easy for the remainder of the trip - listen to it! Your gym, your fitness classes, your running group will all be there waiting for you when you return! 

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The Best Parts of Traveling for Work

My previous post highlighted some of the main things I struggle with during extended work travel. Like everything in life, work travel isn’t 100% perfect all of the time. That being said – it’s an amazing opportunity especially as a twenty-something with no house, family, etc. to worry about. I know how lucky I am to go on these trips, and there are a number of reasons I wouldn’t dream of trading them in for a more sedentary job.

EXPLORING NEW CITIES

By far the best part of work travel is getting to visit so many new cities. Since I started traveling for work, I’ve become obsessed with reading and creating travel guides that show you the “real” spots in cities across America. No TripAdvisor recommendations for me!

When you’re in a city for over a week, you can really start to get a feel for it – and I’ve fallen in love with quite a few cities on the road. It’s also made me realize that while European and international travel is a great experience – there is SO MUCH to explore in our own country.

Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, San Jose, St. Louis, Washington DC, Buffalo, Toronto, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Vancouver, Detroit, Nashville, Columbus, Minneapolis and Boston are all places I’ve gotten to go for work. And each time I visit a new state or city, it makes me anxious to get to the next spot on my list (which is rapidly growing!)

GETTING OUT OF THE OFFICE

I don’t think anyone dreams of sitting in a cubicle day in and day out. It can be monotonous, boring and mind-numbing. It’s certainly wanderlust-inducing. Having my year broken up with intermittent trips does a lot to keep me from feeling trapped in an office.

When I travel, sure, I’m in another office setting – but it’s a change of pace and a change of scenery that makes office-life bearable the other days of the year.

EATING OUT

This one is definitely a double-edged sword. As someone who is border-line-obsessed with restaurants and food, I would be remiss not to include this on my list.

I touched on the reasons that it isn’t all its chalked up to be – eating out 3 meals a day for weeks on end can in fact make you feel like crap – but I think the reasons that it’s awesome are fairly obvious.

My hands down favorite meal ever was at Girl and the Goat in Chicago on a work trip. I still think about the soft-serve spot I found, and frequented, in Philadelphia. Is there anything better than a company-paid acai bowl on the Venice Beach boardwalk? And it goes without saying that my donut-escapades would not be possible without my various work trips!

SEEING YOUR HARD WORK PAY OFF

When I’m on the road, it’s typically for an event that my job is putting on. I can’t imagine a better reward for weeks of hard work and long hours on the road than seeing these large-scale events come to fruition. Not only do I get to see the events unfold, but I get to see fans enjoying them!

I still get chills and tear up at some of our events – and it’s during those moments that the exhaustion and tears and missed moments at home – the stress over crappy food choices and missed training runs – matter a whole lot less and it all seems worth it. Because my job is pretty damn awesome.

WORK HARD PLAY HARD

In my experience, when people are on the road and dealing with long hours, stressful days, and lack of routine – they tend to gravitate towards bars at the end of the day.

There is never a shortage of people ready to go out for a drink at the end of the day and there are many fun nights on the road. Open bars and free food and parties abound.

I’ve gotten to see concerts, sporting events and more as part of my work trips. In fact, my first NBA game was made possible by a work trip! It’s not all work, all the time, though you are always with coworkers so it’s important to keep that in mind while you’re enjoying yourself.

RELATIONSHIPS

The bond you form with coworkers that you travel with is a lot different than a typical office setting. There are many more opportunities to talk and interact in non-traditional settings and situations. Get your head out of the gutter – all I’m trying to say is that the vibe on the road is much more relaxed. Wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants and working out of a trailer tends to put people in a different mindset than they are in a corporate office building in Times Square.

Granted, running into coworkers at the gym in the mornings took some getting used to, but we’re all in it together which is a cool feeling. It’s kind of like being on a sports team or in a gang when you take over a hotel with your coworker #squad.

The biggest bonus of work travel is that you automatically have people who get it. All those things I talked about that are hard to deal with when you’re constantly traveling for work? The things you can’t quite find the words to explain to friends and family back home? Your work friends know exactly what it’s like.

I’ve formed extremely close friendships with the people that I spend time on the road with. It’s important to keep your work life and personal life separate, but there are also instances where forming a friendship that transfers outside of the work-realm is necessary.

It seems to me that most people end up with that one friend in particular who is not only their coworker but one of their best friends IRL as well. Call it your “work-wife” if you will – this person is the one who keeps you sane and is single-handedly responsible for getting you through those long trips. They’re the one who calms you down when you’re ready to have a break down. They’re the one who knows about things going on in your life outside of work and can have a totally non-work-related conversation with you at the end of the day. They’re the one who you’ll eat dinner with in the hotel lobby when you can’t bear another dinner out with the department.

BREAK FROM SOME OF LIFE'S RESPONSIBILITIES

I’m not going to lie – getting a break from doing laundry and dishes and making your bed can be nice. Sure I miss my apartment on the road, but it’s nice to come home to a hotel room where everything has been cleaned. I have fresh towels and a new batch of toiletries and I could even have dinner delivered to my room every night if I wanted to.

As a resident of NYC – a week or more of taking taxis whenever I need to get somewhere instead of trekking to and from my destinations on the subway is a great mental break.

SKYMILES & OTHER SUPERFICIAL THINGS

Of course there are some superficial perks as well – and I can’t pretend they aren’t pretty cool:

• Racking up my own Skymiles every time I fly
• Ditto for hotel points
• Starbucks err day - make it a Venti for good measure
• Not having to stress if my luggage is overweight – which it usually is
• Making bank in overtime
• Free outfitting for every event
• Visiting November Project workouts throughout the US and Canada!

So there you have it! Why it’s all worth it. Up next, how to stay healthy on the road – how to keep fit and how to eat okayish. 

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8 Reasons Work Travel Isn't A 'Vacation'

For those people who know about my life through the lens of social media - they probably think I've been on a vacation in Toronto for the past month. 

Eating out, drinking, going to workout classes, concerts, and hockey games. Those are the things highlighted on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. But if traveling for work has taught me one thing, it's the absolute truth behind the idea that social media is the highlight reel of someone's life. 

I recognize how incredibly lucky I am that my job allows me to not only travel, but experience amazing things that many people can only dream of. There are certainly a number of perks to life on the road - someone to make my bed every morning and give me clean towels and fresh water bottles. But in some moments the not-so-great parts outweigh the positive parts. 

Here's the truth about the roller-coaster of emotions I experience on work trips - behind the smiling Instagrams and non-stop-party Snaps. 

YOU'RE ALWAYS WORKING - ALWAYS 'ON'

When you're away on a work trip, there's no "off" button. Even when you shut down your laptop for the day and stop checking your emails, you're surrounded by co-workers. You walk into the hotel lobby and there they are. You walk to the nearest restaurant and there are tables full of coworkers. And you think when you grab a drink or dinner with them work-talk is off limits? No shot. It's the one commonality and so therefore, it's usually the main topic. 

When you're around coworkers, you need to be "on." You need to be acting professional, you need to be watching what you say, you need to be making small talk because they aren't people you're comfortable with in silence. 

As an introvert, it gets old really fast. 

TIP:

The best way to deal with this is having one co-worker who is an IRL friend too – someone who knows about your life outside of work and who you can have a non-work related conversation with.

It’s also great if you happen to know someone in the city you’re visiting who isn’t a coworker. A night out with them can make a huge difference!

This co-worker turned real-life friend turned not-coworker was free to grab drinks on a work trip to Chicago. It felt like a mini break!

HOTEL ROOMS ARE LONELY

That being said, there's nothing worse than going back to an empty hotel room. It's not your space, and so therefore it's not the same relaxing feeling you get when you open the door to your apartment at the end of a long day. 

At the end of the day I typically return home to an apartment with two roommates, or I got for a group run or have dinner with a friend. While hanging out with co-workers isn't always appealing, it's also not appealing to have zero human interaction for the remainder of your day. 

TIP:

Skype or Facetime with people from home if you’re in early one night.

If you want a low-key night but aren’t ready to lock yourself away in your room quite yet – order some delivery to the hotel lobby and eat with a co-worker.

EATING OUT - ALL. THE. TIME.

It's no secret that I absolutely LOVE eating out and trying new restaurants. It's up there on my list of all time favorite things to do. 

That being said, I'm also a fan of eating healthily for the most part - and I typically cook my own food throughout the week. I pack breakfast and lunch and bring it to work with me, and most nights I cook my dinner too. 

When I'm on the road, I lose the ability to prep my meals for the week - breakfast, lunch and dinner need to be bought out. It's delicious, don't get me wrong. But it takes a toll on my body when I'm eating so many meals from restaurants that don't prepare their food very "cleanly." 

The biggest thing I notice is that amount of salt - I always feel so bloated when I'm constantly eating out. 

The other problem? I'm a meal prepper. I'm used to getting home and popping something into the microwave and sitting down to eat it. My breakfast and lunch is pre-packed and ready to go. Zero thought, zero effort, zero wait. 

When I'm on the road and working long days, the last thing I want to do is figure out where I'm eating. Sure, I could stop at the first place I see - but that's so not me. I've got a million Yelp tabs open and I'm trying to figure out the best place for a delicious, somewhat healthy meal that isn't going to make me feel like crap afterwards. Then I'm trying to figure out how close it is to my office or hotel. Then comes the fact that instead of sitting on my couch and eating within 5 minutes, I'm sitting down at a restaurant dealing with the whole service. 

I know, it sounds like a crazy thing to complain about. But from deciding what you want to eat, to when you want to eat, to who you want to eat with - 3 times a day - it's a lot of extra thought and planning that gets really old. 

TIP:

I’ll have a whole post on this soon -  but it’s important to let yourself enjoy, but also not get swept up in the “YOLO IT’S FREE” attitude.

FOMO

When on a work trip, your life is in a weird kind of freeze-frame. Your real life is on hold while your work-trip-life becomes your new reality. What's hard is the fact that back home, life is still moving on without you there. Friends birthday party's, family events, group runs and potluck dinners happen whether you're around to take part in them or not. 

I'm usually fine with waking up on a Sunday morning and going to work when I'm on the road - what else am I going to do? But the second I open up Snapchat or Instagram, I realize, "Right, it's the weekend - friends and family are living their lives and I'm...here." Seeing all the things happening at home without me never gets easier to brush aside. 

I've missed my dad's birthday, my sister's birthday, New Year's Eve, my mom's birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and many other things while on work trips. 

TIP:

For me, one of the ways I unconsciously combat this is by being pretty disconnected from home while I’m away. I always tell myself I’m going to do a great job at staying in touch but usually, I’m pretty distant. I don’t follow up with messages and texts, I don’t Facetime or call often, I try to stay off of Facebook – it’s a defense mechanism that sometimes makes me feel bad but also stops me from fixating on the things that I’m missing. It’s hard to explain how I’m feeling when I’m away – so I’ve stopped trying to explain it to friends and family and instead just live in my own little “road bubble” while I’m gone.

SLEEP NO MORE

I am someone who is very good at sleeping. I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. But when you aren't sleeping in your own bed for weeks at a time, it's hard to get the same quality of sleep. And long hours + not great sleep can = some serious bad moods. 

TIP:

Melatonin. And for a long-haul trip, my pillow-pet from home. Sad, but true.

ANTI-GLAM

When I'm on the road, sure I'm staying at a hotel which is nice but my long hours are typically spent in either a locker room, batting cages, a trailer, or some other converted office space. It's not exactly glamorous to work at a folding table and stare at a wall constantly. 

Have you ever used porta-pottys and trailer toilets for 18 days? It smells like you're being locked inside a room with 50 litter boxes. I actually get queasy thinking about it. 

This trip, security was sent to the bathrooms because, "I smells like someone might have died in there." 

Also not glamorous? Traveling during the winter months - delayed flights, slushy commutes, lots of colds on the road when you can't be in the comfort of your own place. Traveling and flying can take quite the toll on your body. 

This is an example of not-ideal travel conditions. A boot, a snowstorm - and we had just taken a bus 8 hours from Ohio because all flights were cancelled. 

TIP:

For my longest work trip, I brought some pictures from home and taped them up on my trailer wall to give me a daily smile. You could also buy yourself some flowers for your desk!

As far as the health side-effects of traveling and long hours - EMERGEN-C! Lots and lots of it. 

THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE

Here's a look inside my head when I'm on a work trip and I get out of the "office."

FREEDOM! What should I go and do? 
I really don't feel like doing ANYTHING but sleeping. 
You have some time to yourself, enjoy it! Explore! Find a nice restaurant! 
This is my first down time in a week, maybe I should just relax in the hotel room and order room service. 
How depressing is it to just go lock yourself in your hotel room and be alone the rest of the night? 
I just want to hang out with my friends. 
Maybe I'll call one of them. 
That's just going to make you sad to hear about all the things they've been doing at home. 
Alright just grab dinner with a coworker and be social. 
I'm so over small talk - take some time for yourself. 
It's a night off in [insert city here] - go out! Have fun! You're 26 years old! Live it up! 
You have a long day of work tomorrow you can't be going out and drinking too much. 

It's like that, on an endless loop. 

TIP:

Realizing that it’s OK if you don’t feel like doing anything. You don’t need to “take advantage” of every night by having grandiose plans exploring and eating and partying. Calling it a night at 9 p.m. and ordering room service while watching Netflix is actually an IDEAL SITUATION that you should totally go for.

ROUTINE RE-ROUTED

You’re daily routine is completely squashed while you’re on the road. Your eating habits are forced to change, your workout habits are forced to change, your social life is forced to change, your sleep habits are forced to change.

If you’re someone who likes consistency and routine in their life, it can take some serious adjusting to accept that you no longer have your gym, your bike, your running routes, your workout groups, your kitchen, your microwave – even a refrigerator.

What might not be expected is the major adjustment it is on those first few days back home in your apartment and at the office. You’ve just seen your coworkers in a much different setting for an extended period of time and it’s always weird to go from running into them in the hotel lobby to running into them at the copy machine.

And getting home and facing laundry, dishes and other household chores you haven’t had to worry about is always a bit of a bummer.

TIP:

Again, I’ll have a post about keeping some normalcy to your workout routine in a future post. The rest of it, I’ve found, it just something you need to live with. It’s a bit of a roller coaster – you finally adjust to life on the road and then you’re thrown back into “real life.”

Coming up next, I’ll highlight some of the best parts of traveling for work along with ways to adjust your routine to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle on the road, while granting yourself some flexibility and forgiveness to enjoy new cities and experiences. 

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Top Toronto Workouts & A 10K Recap

While I was in Toronto, I managed to get in a workout per day with 3 rest days - one per week. Not to toot my own horn, but I was pretty impressed! 

It helped that I was in a major city with fitness at my fingertips. There were three workouts in particular that stood out during my trip. 

MEC TORONTO 10K

When Brynn and I knew we would be in Toronto with a day off on Sunday we started looking up a race to run. We found a race put on by MEC that offered a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon. The best part was it was 5 minutes from our hotel and only $15!

My pre-race meal was the delicious sandwich I had at the Beet Organic Cafe. We got to bed at a decent time and in the morning I made myself PB2, a multigrain sandwich round and a banana – it looked like a taco but it worked given the hotel-room circumstances.

We weren’t expecting much out of a $15 race, but Kind and Vita Coco were both there along with Tiger Balm and a few other vendors offering samples. Bib pick up was a breeze (and they called it chip pick up aw!)

This 10K (my favorite distance) was by far the best course I’ve ever run in my life. Not only was it perfectly flat, but it was absolutely gorgeous. We ran through a bird sanctuary with water on all sides. It was an out and back and at one point we crossed over a bridge that gave a breath-taking view of the Toronto city skyline. It was so hard not to stop and take a picture! But if you take a look at my Strava map and use your imagination, you can pretend to see the amazing water views. 

My goal going in was a sub 8:00 pace and negative splits and I’m happy to report that the race was a success on both of those fronts!

Towards the end I paced myself off of a girl slightly in front of me and it ended up being a lifesaver. When the finish line came into view at 6 miles, I booked it for the final .2 and it was THE BEST FINAL KICK OF MY LIFE! That’s a bold statement, but entirely accurate. I felt like I was flying.

As soon as I crossed the finish line I turned around to find her and we both had big smiles and hi-fives for each other which was awesome.

My splits were
8:00
7:48
7:40
7:35
7:28
7:28
and 6:20 for the last .2

Later, when I looked at my results - I was pleased to find that I was the 13th Female finisher! 

SPOKEHAUS SPIN CLASS

A few of my co-workers and I were determined to fit in a spin class during our time in Toronto. It had to happen early on, or there would have been no shot as we got more and more run down as the weeks progressed. 

We found a spin studio close to the hotel that happened to have a 2 for 1 deal - meaning that we only paid $14 for a class. Not too shabby (especially considering the exchange rate was in our favor!) 

The waiting room looked all white, shiny and new with automatic lockers. I didn't look in the locker rooms, but I'd imagine those were nice as well. The shoe rental was included in the price of the class, which is always a plus. Unfortunately, the bikes were pretty outdated - they didn't have any bells and whistles and there were definitely no statistics (my favorite part of a spin class, personally). 

I liked the name and I liked the logo - but unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy the class. It was VERY heavy on what I refer to as "bike dancing." Lots of "and crunch to the right, crunch to the left" along with push-ups and "tap backs" while speeding along with little to no resistance. If you like SoulCycle, you'd probably  like a class at Spokehaus, but I'm one of those obnoxious people who insist that doing those types of things on bikes is silly and downright bad for your body. 

I'm also the type of person who doesn't give a crap about being the odd one out in the middle of a group fitness class - for the most part I did my own thing, focusing on spinning with higher resistance in time to the music. I even sat out the arm track which is a blatantly obvious thing to do. Ooops for drawing attention to myself, but I'll never see any of these people again anyway! 

My biggest eye-roll came during the last song when electric candles were placed around the room. I might have audibly groaned. 

NOVEMBER PROJECT YYZ 

For those of you that are new around here, I'm part of a fitness cult, I mean, group, called November Project. You can learn all about it from all of the press it's gotten in places like the New York Times, Good Morning America and the Washington Post. But essentially, its a group that extends far beyond New York City, where I first joined, to include 28 cities across the world. We workout at 6:30 a.m., which is crazy to some people, but ideal for me! 

I was able to wake up early on my first Wednesday in Toronto and hop in a cab to the meeting locations for Toronto's November Project tribe - at the Baldwin Steps of Casa Loma Park. My cab driver was definitely a little concerned about me when I told him to pull over and drop me off - seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the early morning hours. 

But I was quickly joined by others ready to workout. The Toronto tribe leaders, Sam and Michelle, were out so babysitters Ben and Arden took the reins with a killer pyramid workout. 

1 Loop around Casa Loma Park (this includes a fairly steep hill!) 
2 Sets of Baldwin Steps
55 Lunge Jumps (PER SIDE)  - these are my least favorite exercise ever, for sure. I would have rather done 55 burpees. But it was good that I was forced to do them during this workout! 
45 In & Out Crunches
35 Push-Ups
25 Squat-Star Jumps
15 Burpees
1 Loop around Casa Loma Park (this includes a fairly steep hill!) 
2 Sets of Baldwin Steps
15 Burpees
25 Squat-Star Jumps
35 Push-Ups
45 In & Out Crunches
55 Lunge Jumps Per Side

Then, I proceeded to run the3.5 miles back to the hotel! The run didn't feel effortless, but by the end my  legs were feeling much better and I was able to negative split, with my last mile clocking in at a swift 7:19 pace and the last half mile at a 7:07! 

Getting to go to a November Project workout put me in a GREAT mood that lasted throughout the day. I can't explain how waking up at 5:45 a.m. on my own accord and physically exerting myself game me MORE energy throughout the day - but it definitely did! 

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Canadian Culinary Adventures: Where To Eat in Toronto

Oh Canada, my home and native...

Sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm not actually Canadian as I recently went on my longest work trip to date - spending a solid three weeks in Toronto, Ontario. 

I must say - it's a beautiful city. I didn't have a ton of time to explore, as I was working out of a trailer in a parking lot, but the times that I did get out for runs along the water, November Project workouts, and delicious dinners - I was all about it! 

Here's the run down on the spots I enjoyed while in Toronto, eh? 

Veg Food Fest

My first night as an 18-day resident of Toronto, I was thrilled to discover that there was a vegan food festival happening a few blocks from my hotel.

I spent the night stuffing myself with vegan food samples – vegan cheese, milk, sausage – you name it, they had a vegan version!

Some of my favorite finds from the night were:

Earth Island Vegan Cheese

They were giving out free blocks of their Provolone cheese and even though it was completely vegan, I was OBSESSED! They served it cold and it was so hard not to eat the entire block of cheese. On my way home to New York, I even bought one of these in the airport as a snack!

Prana Coconut Chips

These things were FREAKING AMAZING. I could have stood eating the samples all night long. I liked every flavor equally. It's interesting to eat a savory flavored coconut chip because no matter what, it still has the sweetness of the coconut to it. The texture was what made them great. 

They also sell 100% hazelnut and almond butter and I cannot explain to you how incredible the taste was. It ain’t cheap - $43 for 35 ounces but it was the purest tasting stuff in the world.

I bought a bag of these for us to snack on in our trailer throughout the week. 

Upbeet Foods

This new food delivery service was challenging people to a blind taste test – guess three ingredients and you got a 50% off coupon! I chose the savory and correctly identified onion, pepper, couscous and black beans! It was really tasty.

The Green Zebra

Though I was stuffed after all of the free sampling, I decided to buy something for a somewhat real “dinner.”

I ordered the Thai Salad think d from Green Zebra Kitchen (a healthy meal delivery system) which came with zoodles, grains, cilantro, veggies and a delicious almond butter dressing. It was light and full of flavor and the perfect way to end the night on my walk “home” along the water. 

St. Lawrence Market

My second morning in Toronto was a Saturday and I didn’t need to get such an early start. I woke up, worked out at the gym, and ran the quick .8 miles over to the St. Lawrence Market. I of course had a great time looking around at all the stalls and though I was tempted to get a Montreal bagel, I held off until my sit down brunch. The St. Lawrence Market was rated #1 in the world by National Geographic! I was a little skeptical of that claim after my visit, but there was certainly tons of fresh food to look at.

The St. Lawrence Market is closed on Sundays, so keep that in mind on your visit! 

Impact Kitchen

A quick shower after the St. Lawrence Market and I was off to brunch at Impact Kitchen, whose healthy eating guidelines are:

Ingredients Matter.
Don’t Count Calories Count Quality.
Eat Minimally Processed Food.
Plant Power.
All Proteins are Not Created Equal.
Embrace Healthy Fats.
Hydrate With Purpose.

The place is open and spacious with a weekend breakfast menu that includes paleo waffles, a frittata, breakfast bowls, smoothie bowls and avocado toast. It covers alllll the bases – plus offers juices, smoothies and coffee.

My friend and I each ordered a Power Breakfast Bowl – spinach, chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, salsa fresca, sweet potato, squash mash, avocado and green onion. It was very fresh and filling.

We also split the Superfood Bread (gluten free chia flax bread) with “avocado smash” but the avocado to put on the toast was the same as the avocado that came with our bowl and the bread wasn’t that flavorful.

Our Americano Mistos with Almond Milk were good, but not great.

Though this is my favorite type of place – it wasn’t my all-time favorite. They have many lunch bowls and salads as well, and I’d love to give their smoothies a try.

Plus – free WiFi and we were able to snag an outlet to get some work done.

We also went to Impact Kitchen for dinner one night and I appreciated the fact that they had kombucha. I ordered the Maverick Bowl with vegetable mash, avocado smash, broccoli, salsa fresca, sprouts, hemp seeds, almonds and pesto. I was very underwhelmed, as everything was pretty bland, but the best part was definitely the blackened trout I had added on top!

We also split a Vanilla Berry Chia Seed pudding for dessert that wasn’t thrilling.

Impact Kitchen is one of those places that serves very fresh food with very little preparation – it’s definitely healthy, but it isn’t the most delicious thing in the world. it’s the reason some people think healthy food is a little boring.

The Beet Cafe

Dinner on Saturday night before our 10K was a bit further out of the way than we thought, but ended up being worth it in the end.

The Beet Café wasn’t fancy by any means, but I got one of the best sandwiches in my entire life. I ordered “The Verde” sandwich which was loaded with avocado, tamari ginger tofu, cheddar, spicy mango chutney, fresh herb aioli, pickled red onions, cucumber and sprouts. Paired with a bomb side salad and a side of sweet potato fries for the table, I was in heaven and ate every scrap of food.

Like I said – the ambience was a little lacking, but the food more than made up for it. They also have an impressively large smoothie menu!

Kupfert & Kim

For a post-race brunch we headed to a vegetarian restaurant called Kupfert & Kim and I had an incredible quinoa bowl that was very reminiscent of our favorite dish at Galeria in NYC – the Cauliflower Tahini bowl from Kupfert & Kim was packed with quinoa, hummus (some of the best hummus ever at that), roasted cauliflower, za’atar salsa, carrots, cabbage, beets, mint, pomegranate (key), greens, watermelon radish (the prettiest), sesame seeds and a lemon tahini dressing that tasted like heaven. It also came served with a delicious seeded flatbread.

Kupfert and Kim was casual and cute inside with KOMBUCHA ON TAP, WiFi, coffee and club-like music. We were perfectly content to do some work as we listened to “We Found Love” and “Turn Up The Music.” Also – they serve alcohol here – something to keep in mind if you want a healthy brunch with a side of booze (which is the best kind, IMO). 

Tabule

For awhile, I didn’t have a go-to meal before a race, but in the last few months I’ve gotten it down to a pretty standard dinner and that dinner is one of my favorite cuisines – Mediterranean and Greek!

This wasn’t the night before a race, but I was still happy to eat a delicious, somewhat healthy, completely satisfying meal at Tabule.

They have two locations in Toronto, and though we weren’t able to get a table outside, the ambiance at the Queen Street location was great.

We had a FEAST of appetizers and their sample platter (pick any 3 cold appetizers) was an extremely generous portion of hummus, babaganuj (eggplant dip) and labni (a homemade Lebanese yogurt cheese mixed with spices). I think the labni might have been my favorite – it was like a really thick, creamy, rich, savory yogurt.

The pita was thick, soft and warm – aka perfect pillows of pita-y goodness.

We also ordered some vegetarian grape leaves which were a tad on the disappointing side as were the kubbe (whole wheat shell stuffed with ground meat, onions and pine nuts).

The cauliflower appetizer - flash fried cauliflower finished with a touch of tahini – was addictive.

Since we went all in on the appetizers, my friend and I split an entrée – the lamb skewers entrée – two lamb skewers served with rice and vegetables. We should have paid the upcharge for a double serving of veggies as we could have done without the rice after all of our pita!

The lamb we OK, but nothing to write home about. It was a little on the dry side, though slathering it in tzatziki certainly helped.

I’m sure that Toronto has better Greek food, but the atmosphere and apps made Tabule worthwhile and I would recommend it to folks looking to enjoy cocktails and shareable appetizers. Especially if you can get a seat outside! Their cocktails sounded and looked great – though I can’t speak for them from experience. 

Fresh Restaurants

One restaurant that kept coming up in my “healthy dinner” Google searches was Fresh – serving vegan and vegetarian food with four locations in Toronto.

I had read that their quinoa-crusted onion rings were to die for – and though we didn’t end up ordering them, I saw them at a few tables and they were impressive looking.

We were exhausted when we arrived at Fresh after work one night and immediately ordered some “Green Poutine.”

Leave it to us to find a healthy version of the gravy and cheese-laden French fry dish that Canada is famous for. Our sweet potato fries came smothered in roasted mushroom gravy, steamed baby bok choy, kale & swiss chard, green onions and sunflower seeds. With a side of vegan cheese sauce for good luck. We inhaled it. The roasted mushroom gravy was like CRACK.

The Fresh menu has a large variety of choices – salads, tacos, burgers, and bowls with either rice or soba noodles. There are so many options, as each dish can be customized in a variety of ways. I was a little overwhelmed – but one thing spoke to me – the soup, salad and cornbread combo. Because I LOVE CORNBREAD.

This cornbread was pretty dry, but you could tell that it was a “clean” cornbread made with actual corn. I loved dipping it in my split pea and sweet potato soup (it had a hint of curry to it which was delicious!) The salad that came with it was the superfood salad – edamame, napa cabbage, cucumber, assorted sprouts and microgreens, parsley, cilantro and “fresh salad topper.” Mine was dressed with the “house” dressing – a vinaigrette with flax oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tamari and mustard that was quite delicious and not too overpowering.

I loved Fresh because while it was, well, fresh, and healthy – it was far from bland and boring.

The service and ambiance weren’t great, but the place was packed and the food was great. 

El Catrin

Three things I really love are family-style small plates, margaritas and guacamole.

El Catrin is one of the few Mexican tapas restaurants I’ve been too and each time I look at the menu I am impressed by its depth and creativity.

Not to mention their larger than life bar and restaurant interior which reminds me of the Mexican Tao – you feel like going there for a meal is an event. You feel like a somebody the second you walk through the door.

We sat at the bar because it was bumpin’ – there was even a long line of people waiting to get onto the patio seating. I ordered the Reposado margarita because if I know one thing, it’s that a phenomenal margarita’s secret ingredient is Grand Marnier.

Guess who sat down next to us? Robby from the Bachelorette. No big deal!

We thought I went a little overboard on the ordering, but the serving sizes are pretty small, so it ended up being a pretty good amount of food.  Here’s what we ordered (for 2):

Guacamole – Regular size
This is the real deal, made in front of you with a heavy duty mortar and pestle that must be an arm workout for the servers to carry. Served with clearly handmade tortilla chips, it was quality guac.

Loteria Salad – Red beets, carrots, daikon and golden beet fideos, requeson cheese, cilantro and cucumber spicy vinaigrette, roast pumpkin seeds.

This dish was a beaut – it was also tasty, but not mind blowingly so. Who knew that fideos is a noodle in Mexican? And who knew that beets and daikon made good veggie noodles?

Ensalada De Kiko – Quinoa, tomato, cucumber, avocado, quest fresco, cilantro, smoked corn aioli

The smoked corn aioli was magical.

Callo de Hacha Monte Alban – Spicy pan roasted scallops, grilled corn, peanut and arbol chili

Scallops always do it for me. These didn't disappoint. 

Pipian Poblano - slow cooked chicken supreme in mole verde risotto, seared sweet potato

This was our favorite and you should definitely order it!

Mini Vegetariano Burrito - Plantain, asparagus, bell peppers, lime juice, chili oil, tomatillo, spinach flour tortilla

Pretty yum - even though I'm morally opposed to flour tortillas. Definitely a bit of kick to it!

Glory Hole Doughnuts

Of course, no food guide to a city would be complete without a doughnut recommendation - and this is my first international doughnut review! Toronto's most recommended doughnut shop was Glory Hole Doughnuts. 

I sampled quite a few of their yeast doughnuts, including 2 filled, though none of their cake variety. The dough itself was pretty standard yeast-doughnut dough, but I was IN LOVE with their London Fog doughnut - a doughnut with an amazing Vanilla Early Grey filling. It was so tasty - not overly sweet, but the perfect creamy, pudding-y consistency. 

Glory Hole is best known for their "Toast and Butter" doughnut - a yeast raised doughnut topped with brown butter frosting, sweet breadcrumbs and cinnamon. Though the topping was certainly sweet and delicious, there wasn't enough of it to make me feel that the doughnut was exciting or unique. 

The on in the bunch I didn't sample was the Sprinkfield - a yeast doughnut with pink glaze and rainbow sprinkles. 

The Coconut Lime was refreshing and light while the chocolate coffee filled was decadent with a rich chocolate flavor. They weren't exceptional, but they were solid. The Pumpkin Spice stood out from the pack, especially because it was topped with actual pumpkin seeds. 

By far the standout was the London Fog – which I didn’t anticipate liking at all! I would put it on a top 5 doughnut list, in fact! 

Woods Restaurants

For a girls night out, we made reservations at the farm to table spot called Woods Restaurant. 

Want to know my biggest tip for finding restaurants in different cities? Search farm to table - find a place with a constantly changing, seasonal menu, and you're sure to get fresh dishes! 

Woods Restaurant uses local, seasonable and sustainable ingredients - even growing their lettuce and sprouts right in the restaurant's main dining room!

Woods was really chic inside and the menu had tons of things I was intrigued by. We ended up ordering: 

WILD DIGBY SCALLOPS

Roasted Corn, Tomato, Cilantro, Salsa Verde 

Scallops are always a good choice, in my opinion, and these didn't disappoint. We got 2 orders because we were a group of scallop lovers. 

ARTISANAL CHARCUTERIE 

House Made Mustards and Pickles, Crostini, Duck Ham 

Though we were expecting a cheese plate - must of this got eaten, aside from the pate. The crostini were delicious, though I wouldn't order this again in the future. 

WATERMELON SALAD 

Compressed Watermelon, Mixed Lettuces, Cherry Tomato, Sheep Milk Feta, Pistachio, Vincotto 

Give me watermellon and feta and I am a happy camper. This was served with big squares of watermelon each with it's own piece of feta. 

ONTARIO LAMB 

Lamb Rack, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Cucumber Yogurt, Charred Dandelion Green, Jus 

Ok, this might have been the sole reason I suggested this restaurant. This is one of those dishes that I read and think, "Yahtzee!" It's like it was made for me - so many of my favorite things! I didn't even care that this was the second night in a row I ate lamb for dinner. After all, I always say I could easily give up beef and chicken - but lamb, not so much! 

The lamb was cooked pretty well, but not fall off the bone like some other places I've had it. the yogurt was thick and creamy and the rest of the accouterments were the perfect combination. 

But perhaps the best part of the meal was when we were presented with the check - and a complimentary dessert! 

Homemade marshmallows charred to perfection and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbles. We were all in heaven and wanted to ask for  a to go container filled with them! 

Byblos 

I was most excited for dinner out with my parents at one of Toronto's top restaurants - Byblos. This Eastern Mediterranean restaurant has received high praise for its shareable small plates. 

It was a small restaurant and our server was fabulous. We showed up an hour early for our reservation because I was an absolute crank and we were miraculously seated in a corner booth without having to wait!

I started with a cocktail to celebrate my parents being in town. I ordered a gin drink with pistachio and egg white - it was very interesting and overall I enjoyed it! 

LAMB RIBS 

I'm about to drop a serious accolade here. The lamb ribs at Byblos was the best lamb dish I've ever had - even though it was only three bites. The lamb was incredibly tender and falling off the bone. The dukka spices paired with the sweet carob molasses and buttermilk sauce was an absolute dream and I actually said, "THIS IS LIKE A LAMB LOLLIPOP!" 

ROASTED RED BEETS 

Again, labneh coming in HOT. This was flavored with honey and olive oil and paired wonderfully with the earthy beets. The Barbari bread that came served on the side, topped with more Dukka spice, was a vehicle for pretty much everything during my meal. I couldn't stop eating it! Barbari bread is a Persian flatbread that's actually quite thick.

CREAMED SPINACH WOOD FIRED PIDE 

Pide is another name for pita, and describes an Arabic, Lebanese or Syrian bread. Byblos serves a variety of pides - filled with things like goat cheese and mushrooms, black truffle and halloumi, and feta and za'atar. The creamed spinach pide had feta, toum (garlic sauce) and dukkah (I CANNOT GET ENOUGH DUKKAH! It's a blend of various nuts, herbs and spices and its my new favorite thing). 

I was a little disappointed with this dish - it didn't have any real "wow" component. But it looked pretty! 

SPANISH OCTOPUS 

Each piece of perfectly cooked octopus was served atop a piece of fingerling potato. I loved this dish, since it's so hard to mess up octopus. But when you have a good piece of octopus, it's incredible! This had a great, simple flavor. 

TURKISH MANTI DUMPLINGS 

These were interesting - I couldn't really tell that they were filled with eggplant but the yogurt sauce with molasses was very different. My mom wasn't a huge fan, but I thought it was flavorful, though I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was. 

HAND ROLLED CAULIFLOWER 

This cauliflower was cooked in DUCK FAT and it was INCREDIBLE! I think I ate the majority of it, sorry Mom & Dad!

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The Best Low Calorie Ice Creams - So You Can Stop Eating Arctic Zero

When I first heard that there was practically calorie-free ice cream back when Arctic Zero first came out, I was over the moon.

In fact, after a break-up, I marched to the store and spent an absurd $7 to purchase my first pint – determined to eat the entire thing in one serving because I COULD. There were only 150 calories in the whole container after all.

There were a few problems with this plan.

1)      I was a poor graduate student and couldn’t afford to maintain an Arctic Zero dependent diet.

2)      Emotional eating is a poor substitute for dealing with your feelings.

3)      If I really wanted ice cream, I should have gotten some real damn ice cream.

4)      Arctic Zero was actually pretty crappy.

Each time I ate it, I tried to convince myself it was a miracle cure for my sweet tooth but in reality I really didn’t like the taste OR texture of it – and it definitely wasn’t a substitute for real ice cream.

Since then, I’ve accepted that sometimes, when you want ice cream – you should go nuts on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Or show some self-restraint and get a single scoop of fancy ice cream.

But I do still have that hard to satisfy sweet tooth and sometimes it’s nice to have a frozen treat that’s not so loaded with calories.  Here are some alternatives – for the love of God, please stop eating Arctic Zero and Wink!

1.       Halo Top

This is bar far the best ice cream alternative I’ve found. If you give it a few minutes to soften up, it even gets a bit of a creamy consistency. And the flavors are so tasty – zero whey protein taste at all. I’ve tried their strawberry, chocolate and mint chip and loved them all equally.

Calories Per Pint: 240-280
Protein Per Pint: 24 grams
Flavors: 7

2.       Enlightened

This high-protein ice cream company makes pints and bars and both have great flavor and consistency. I’ve tried the mint and sea salt caramel but next time I see their Frozen Hot Chocolate flavor at the store, I’m ready to pounce!

Calories Per Pint: 320-400
Calories Per Bar: 70-110
Protein Per Pint: 28 – 32 grams
Flavors: 7 pint varieties and 9 different bars!

3.       Yasso Bars

I really, really love these frozen Greek yogurt bars. If they are on sale at the store, you better believe I’m scooping up a box. Yes, it’s greek yogurt and not ice cream but it’s incredibly creamy and the flavors don’t taste artificial. They aren’t pumping these with protein powder – and you can tell! They have a huge selection and recently started making the healthy version of a Twix or Snickers frozen ice cream bar (you know what I’m talking about, right?)

Calories Per Bar: 80-150
Flavors: 15!

4.       Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches

I’m fairly certain that many people will chime in that Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients – but when it comes to taste and a real ice cream feel- Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwiches and other products certainly do the trick while coming in at under 200 calories.

Calories Per Ice Cream Sandwich: 150 Calories
Flavors: Skinny Cow offers 6 kinds of Ice Cream Sandwiches, 4 cones, 5 bars and more!

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Galeria Brazilian Brunch Is Bangin' and Beautiful

Leaving Ice & Vice the other day, my friends and I noticed a cute little restaurant on Clinton Street in the East Village and stopped to stare in awe at the menu – we would gladly have ordered anything on it.

We were especially intrigued by the acai bowls since it was a Brazilian restaurant and seemed to be authentic. So like the good little Bucket List builders that we are, we snapped a picture in the hopes of one day returning.

I fully expected it to disappear into the depths of my phone, but when we went to the Lowline Lab (a cool concept, but you might want to just wait until the real park opens) a few weekends later, we were throwing out lunch options in the area and realized we were really close! Instead of waiting an hour for a seat in El Rey, we headed over to Galeria and were instantly seated at one of the coolest tables ever.

Yes, the table was cool. And it was for sale, since Galeria is part restaurant/part art gallery! 

Here’s the run down on our brunch!

1.       Pao De Queijo

If you have never had these little Brazilian cheese balls you are MISSING OUT. Get to the nearest Brazilian restaurant ASAP and have your mind blown by these traditional cheesy popovers.

The first time I tried one was at my birthday brunch at Calle Ocho two years ago and that day I ended up smuggling out a half dozen in my purse.

If you’re picturing liquidy cheese inside of bread – it’s not like that at all. The cheese is much more incorporated into the dough. You can’t tell where the bread stops and the cheese starts and it’s like a big interconnected ball of love. The circle is round, it has no end, that’s how long I want to eat pao de queijo.

2.       Acai Bowl

We knew we had to try an authentic acai bowl, and we had ours additionally topped with almonds and honey. All of their acai bowls come with banana, granola and coconut! There were a ton of other options, but at $1 each, it could get really pricey!

This was great – but the smoothie was a little less solid than I would have liked. That’s completely a personal preference though, and flavor wise this was one of the best acai bowls I’ve had. We all agreed it was definitely top notch.

3.       Rainbow Cauliflower Bowl

This was hands down our favorite part about lunch at Galeria and a dish I would go out of my way to eat again.

This “unusual bowl” came with a poached egg, pine nuts, coconut, bulgar, herbs, cauliflower, tahini and a pomegranate dressing.

The combination of pomegranate, pine nuts and coconut was what really kicked this bowl up a notch. We all couldn’t stop raving about it.

And did I mention that it was SO BEAUTIFUL and Instagrammable?

4.       Pesto Tofu and Spinach Tapioca Sandwich

I still don’t really know how to explain this tapioca sandwich – the bread was brittle and crackery but also spongey? It was a very interesting consistency and though it took some getting used to, by the end I was enjoying it.

I think I liked this the most out of the three of us, but that’s because I’m absolutely in love with pesto and you could put pesto on anything and I would be a fan!

I would be really interested in trying their sweet version of the tapioca sandwich which comes with chocolate and berries.

I would HIGHLY recommend this spot if you’re looking for a delicious, healthy, trendy brunch with your girlfriends but don’t feel like waiting an hour on the sidewalk for a seat. It doesn’t have a ton of seating, but it wasn’t crowded when we went at around 1 on a Sunday which is prime brunching hours. 

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What I Ate Wednesday: Cape Cod Home-Cooking Edition

I eat out A LOT. From the time I was younger, I was used to eating in restaurants at least once or twice a week. In fact, I used to cry that I didn’t want to go out because I just wanted to stay home reading!

Now, I obviously appreciate and LOVE restaurants. But there are still times when I need a break – some good home cooked meals or simple things thrown together to detox from restaurant’s not-so-healthy preparation techniques and serving sizes.

And sometimes it’s nice to just dance around a kitchen and eat in your shorts and t-shirt and immediately flop on the couch after eating.

Oh, and save some money.

So – for all of the above reasons, I was so excited for our trip to Cape Cod this summer where we looked forward to a big grocery shopping trip in a suburban Stop & Shop and a long weekend full of fresh meals prepared in a giant kitchen!

Here’s what we ate (and drank) on the Cape!

Road-Trip

Gotan

None of us were about to eat truck-stop food for dinner – McHellNo!

Before leaving the city, I stopped at my all-time favorite spot Gotan, to load up! At this point, I’ve tried almost everything on the menu. I ordered the Beet, Sauteed Greens & Grains salad for the first time and was BLOWN AWAY. I think it’s definitely my favorite! Just look at it, and you’ll see why – beautiful!

Filled with freekeh, grapes, cilantro citrus yogurt, herb vinaigrette and pistachio dust. I felt like a queen eating this in the back of the car. And for dessert?

PB&J with homemade jam and banana dust, duhhhh.

Breakfasts

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes With Berries

Not only did we make lemon ricotta pancakes, they were topped with whipped (and heavily sugared) Ricotta – no syrup necessary when your pancakes are smothered in this deliciousness!

Veggies, Eggs and Fruit

The other mornings we had a smorgasbord of fresh fruit and eggs scrambled with delicious veggies like spinach, peppers and onions. One morning we made a sweet potato hash too!

Snacks

Most days our “lunch” consisted of snacking on the beach. Veggies and hummus, apples, popcorn and Terra chips – we were perfectly content.

Appetizers 

Caprese

Kayla, Queen of Caprese. She whipped this up like it was no big thang.

Clams On the Halfshell

I was so excited to witness Kayla try her first raw clam! We headed out for a low-key happy hour at a local restaurant that advertised “Fresh Music, Live Seafood.” I was equally excited that they had my absolute favorite beer – Long Trail Brewery’s Limbo IPA.

Drinks

Other than our happy hour out, we stuck to making our own drinks using New Amsterdam Mango Vodka. 5 FOR YOUR NEW AMSTERDAM MANGO VODKA, YOU GO MANGO VODKA! Despite drinking a fairly significant quantity each day, we had ZERO hangover and most importantly, every drink tasted like a tropical island in our mouths.

Frose (Frozen Rose)

This has been the “it” drink this summer and isn’t it obvious why? Frozen rose ice cubes + fresh watermelon + mango vodka (many shots more than the recipe called for) = a phenomenal summer beverage. After taking a picture of your frose, you should definitely let any fruit garnishes soak up the alcohol before eating it when you finish your drink.

Frozen Mango Lemonade

If you ever find yourself on Cape Cod, you should go to the little beach snack bar we found and you should most definitely ask for a “small cup’s worth of frozen lemonade in a medium cup” and you should most definitely pour New Amsterdam Frozen Vodka into it. It sounds #basic, but it might just well have been the most enjoyable drink I ever did drank.

Dinners

Fish Tacos

Our first day on the Cape we made delicious fish tacos that went undocumented due to many glasses of the aforementioned Frose cocktails. It was accompanied by corn on the cob! We discussed the genetic implications of how you eat your corn (in a circle, in rows or like Kayla – completely haphazardly).

Seared Scallops with Pesto Zoodles

We took a trip to the fish market in town and while we were getting fish for the tacos, decided to go rogue and get some scallops too.

Though I had never cooked scallops before, my dad coached me through it, and I must say – these came out realllllll pretty.

Scallops are up there on my list of favorite seafood. They are just so sweet, tender and rich! The zoodles with pesto helped keep things light.

Desserts

Forget Ben & Jerry. It’s all about Tate’s & Talenti. All night, every night.

Homeward Bound

Red 36

We decided to break up our car ride home with a stop in Mystic, Connecticut for a beautiful lunch on the water. I did lots of research during the first half of the trip, looking for the perfect spot. We ended up at Red 36 and couldn’t stop squealing about how beautiful it was.

This was definitely a game-changing move and felt like we got to take a little mini-vacation on the way home from vacation!

We started with the summer flatbread special that was deeeelish and loaded with roasted veggies.

I ordered the Ahi-Tuna Kokuho Stick Rice Salad which came with avocado, grapefruit (my favorite combo), Thai vegetables and Nuoc Cham (a sauce made with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chilies). It was a stunner, and full of flavor.

Jess and Kayla split one of the salads and these beautiful Crab Cakes just bursting with crab meat! They were even topped with a lobster chive sauce.

We also got a side of French fries with a special request for the truffle cream that was listed with the seared scallop appetizer. We are so needy. But it was such a good call, even as someone who isn’t a big truffle fan.

Not only was the food delicious, but it was a dining experience made even better by a wonderful server and an incredible view! 

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8 Products I Kind of Hate

For the longest time, I was convinced I was going to be the next Ben Brantley. Don’t know who Ben Brantley is? Not shocking. He’s the theater critic for the New York Times – and as a journalism major in college, that was my dream. Being paid to enjoy and write about theater all day? Sounded like livin’ to me.

But the more I wrote, the more I realized, “My reviews don’t have a whole lot of criticism in them, do they?” In line with my personality my reviews tended to focus on the positive aspects of a production while shying away from negativity. That’s when I realized my writing might be better suited for public relations.

Where am I going with these saga about my changing career goals (spoiler alert: I now work in event operations – doing a whole lot of things that I didn’t learn about in college)? I’ve started to think that people may be experiencing a similar phenomenon while reading my blog. Thinking to themselves, “Wow, she just really loves every restaurant, every workout, and every health-food she tries!”

And while I do think my reviews are honest – and I try to point out the pros AND cons – there are also things that I try that I dislike and therefore, I’m not excited to write about them on my blog. Those misses often go un-noted while I rave on about the hits. Until now.

Here are some things I’ve tried and given a THUMBS DOWN. Keep in mind - many of these are great companies with a large offering of products. Plus, everyone's taste buds are different! Don't let this stop you from giving them a try and coming to your own conclusions!

1. Evian Water

That may sound odd – how can bottled water be bad? But when I made my Facebook status about my distaste for Evian, I was shocked when tons of people chimed in and agreed with me!

Something about it just doesn’t taste refreshing – it’s got a strange cloudy feel to it.

I’ll stick with NYC tap water or some Poland Spring, thanks!

2. Revive Kombucha

I am a HUGE kombucha fan (which is why I eventually started brewing my own – it’s an expensive habit)! I love GT’s, enjoy Health-Ade and have pretty much been happy with each of the other brands I’ve sampled.

One day, I picked up a bottle of Revive Kombucha at the store because I thought the bottle was cute. To my dismay, it tasted like vanilla extract! I love kombucha for its tart, acidic taste – and this was totally NOT that.

Revive reached out on Instagram, which I appreciated, but after a second taste this month – I must say, I really dislike this product.

3. Papaya & Cantaloupe

Sorry, nature – I’m just not feeling these fruits of the earth!

4. Primal Strips

I actually reallllllly like jerky, and I’m all on-board the “meat protein bars” (LOVE Epic bars). But vegan jerky? Sorry, nope – not feelin’ it. I tried Primal Strips one day at LaGuardia airport and was pretty grossed out, actually.

5. Bare Cinnamon Banana Chips

Yes, I ate an entire bag. But that’s only because I didn’t have any other options for something crunchy and sweet! I didn’t think these were very good.

6. Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips

I looooove their kale and broccoli chips – but their roasted kale was very disappointing. It’s more of a consistency problem than a taste problem- they’re way too crumbly - but I would never buy them again!

7. RX Bars

This might be an unpopular opinion, since I know tons of people who love these bars, but I was very unimpressed! They were very bland, in my opinion and I didn’t love the texture. I like my bars to have some crunch to them.

8. Big Slice Apples

This was another snack that I picked out to try from LaGuardia airport. It was very odd, to say the least. It was difficult to eat, goopy, and just a very weird product. 

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What I Ate Wednesday: Pudding, Pierogi, Panera

Once again I have failed to document an entire day of food. Yet once again, my phone's camera roll is filled with pictures of food.

So I again present a hodge podge What I Ate Wednesday with some of the delicious things I've enjoyed in these final days of summer (SAY IT ISN'T SO!)

Pesto Zoodles with Mint & Lemon Salmon

Whenever I see my parents, I steal some of their fresh basil and mint from the garden. Is there anything that tastes better than fresh pesto? Is there anything more expensive in a grocery store than pine nuts? These are the questions I ask myself.

This time, I was out of pine nuts and feeling a little broke. So I whipped up pesto using basil, kale and walnuts! Tossed with zoodles, it was lean and green! I baked my salmon with mint and lemon which was a good summer flavor combo.

Pierogi & Shashlik

Steamed and fried cheese pierogis with a Russian beef shashlik and sour cream

I recently attended a press conference and they made some passed h'ordeuvres that were pretty divine. This one was definitely my favorite! 

Swedish Meatball Fondue

Sweet Swedish Meatballs, Cranberry Glaze, Gruyere Fondue

There were also served at the press conference and I couldn't resist giving them a try! Is there anything that ISN'T made instantly better when it's dipped in cheese? 

A Smorgasbord of Thai Food

On the same work trip, we FEASTED on Thai takeout during a loooong night of meetings. Thai isn't something I typically order or eat, because I'm not much of a takeout gal, but this Thai food was SO FRESH looking and tasting. It was full of flavor, not super oily and greasy, and tasted light and delicious. I am definitely going to need to get more Thai food while I'm in Toronto next month! 

Panera Party

The next day the office we were working in catered lunch - tons of options from Panera! I had about 283942 helpings of the watermelon feta salad because my arugula addiction is SO REAL. But I also went to town on the apple chips that were on top of the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken. 

Also, can we talk about how every time I eat Panera I'm impressed with how fresh and delicious it is? It's definitely underrated, in my humble opinion. 

I also had a little bit of the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich which is ridiculously flavorful. 

Peaches + Green Smoothie 

One of my favorite discoveries in Toronto has been iQ Food Co. I love their smoothies in the morning! This was my first time trying the Peaches + Green - peaches, cashews, kale, spinach, banana organic agave, lemon juice and coconut water. 

I will say that smoothies are just never satisfying enough for me in the morning. I need to chew something! But this was delicious and I'm always happy when I stay at a hotel close to an iQ Food Co. 

Salmon Salad

Airport food can be scary - luckily, I found this delicious salad in Toronto and it hit the spot before my journey home! 

Steak?!

I am not a big steak eater, but when the craving for meat hits me, I know it's because my body needs it. This was my first time cooking steak by myself and it actually turned out to be pretty tasty! With some salad, sweet potato and veggies - it was the perfect meal before heading home for my triathlon! 

Sorghum and Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers 

There's nothing I love more than a night in with friends cooking, talking and drinking. My friend Rebecca developed this delicious veggie burger recipe that we recreated over Labor Day Weekend - along with some St. Germain, Gin & Watermelon/Ginger/Lime cocktails (using this new Califia Farms product as a mixer)! 

We wrapped our veggie burgers in collard greens and added avocado, heirloom tomato, ketchup and mustard! 

Baegels

When I was home for my triathlon, I obviously needed to get a bagel to eat on the beach. What's better than an egg everything bagel? An egg everything bagel loaded with egg salad.

Homemade Brunch 

 A Monday morning off means a chance to cook myself a real breakfast - complete with toast, eggs and fruit! I really just took this picture to show off my new mug that a friend surprised me with - I'M IN LOVE it makes every morning better. The other side says MMM DONUTS!

New Favorite Lunch

I've been making this a ton! A can of tuna salad mixed with plain Greek yogurt and some mustard + avocado and cucumber served over zoodles! I usually top it with some crunchy chickpeas!

Magnolia PEANUT BUTTER Banana Pudding 

My amazing friend surprised me with a container of the 1-week-only PEANUT BUTTER version of the famous Magnolia pudding as a good luck gift for my tri. 

If you haven't tried their banana pudding yet, I cannot recommend it enough. My mom is not a dessert person, yet this blew her away and she asks about it whenever she's in the city! 

I'll never forget the first time my friend Roseanna took me to Magnolia - I thought we were getting cookies or cupcakes but she told me I HAD to order the banana pudding. I had no clue what to expect, but fell in love immediately. 

It's full of full chunks of banana but my most favorite part is the layer of Nilla wafers. 

The peanut butter version was SUPER peanut buttery and I especially loved the chunks of full peanuts. I'm shocked to say, however, that I think I prefer their regular banana pudding! 

So happy I got to try it though since it was flooding my Instagram feed. 

Pro tip: You need to just eat it all in one day - don't try saving it. The bananas turn and get a little too sweet the longer they sit. I don't think you'll have any problems finishing it in one sitting though...it's THAT good. 

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ICE & VICE Sure Is Nice

If you had to eat only one dessert only for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Donuts? Cupcakes? Cookies? Brownies?

The correct answer is ICE CREAM. Ok, you’re entitled to your own opinion…but in my far superior opinion, ice cream is the king of the dessert jungle.

Here in New York City – there are a multitude of ice cream options. There are places that specialize in small-batches of unique flavors, Thai-Style ice cream rolls, soft-serve ice cream a la Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, vegan ice cream like Van Leeuwen's, goat milk ice cream from Victory Garden– you name it, New York City has got it. It’s a wonderful thing.

This summer wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to one of the much-talked about ice cream shops of the summer – Ice & Vice.

Not only do they have unique ice cream flavors, but their cones get in on the action too!

Paul Kim and Ken Lo opened Ice and Vice’s brick and mortar location on the Lower East Side after winning a Vendy Award for the Best Dessert in 2015. The space isn’t just an ice cream parlor though – they can also pasteurize the product on-site, making up to 15 gallons at a time.

And the counter has the ability to set a different temperature for each flavor!

When we went, there was a line but it was moving fairly quickly. It’s a small space with just a few tables – which I wouldn’t recommend for the claustrophobic.

Lately Ice & Vice has been partnering with other dessert destinations in the city for some crazy creations like an Underwest Donut ice cream sandwich and ice cream between two Bruffin rainbow cake cookies. Or how about the ice cream sandwich made between two of Kossar’s black & white cookies?

Part of me was tempted to go for the ‘gram with my order, but I decided that if this ice cream was really as good as they said it was, a single scoop in a cone should do the trick.

I actually like that despite not being the most photogenic thing in the world - it's just white ice cream - this ice cream shop has received so much love. Isn't it crazy to think that restaurants now have to think about how their product will look on Instagram - the crazier and most absurd the better, despite the taste or necessity? (I'm lookin' at you Black Tap and Loopy Doopy).

The flavors were all extremely unique, which made picking just one pretty overwhelming. Luckily, they allow you to sample a few flavors before you choose.

I thought for sure I would end up ordering the Food Baby – concord grape. Donut soil, raspberry coulis and rainbow sprinkles – but I didn’t love it. I tried one other that was delicious before settling on the seasonal “Nuts of Wrath.”

When I tell you what the description was, you might think it’s a little strange. But I’m here to tell you it was phenomenal! And that it tasted like each thing listed in the description.

Ready?

Marcona almond and Grape Kool-Aid jam. Mmmmm.

I asked the person behind the counter which cone they suggested and went with the Salted Blue Corn Honey. It was the right move.

Ice & Vice cone are made by The Konery and they are awesome artisanal waffle cones. My friend Abby who works for Tasting Table told us that during the non-summer months, when The Konery has left over batter, they make fortune cookies! How cool.

I don’t typically order my ice cream in a cone, but I am happy to report that Ice & Vice may have changed that going forward.

Ice & Vice really was one of the most unique ice cream shops I’ve visited and the taste was WONDERFUL. It was such a multifaceted experience for my taste buds (yeah, I really just wrote that). And the texture/consistency is just how I like my ice cream – a little on the harder side!

The price may come as a bit of a shock (the specialty cones are $1.75 in addition to the cost of a single scoop being $4+) but it’s worth it if you’re going to go out for ice cream.

 I look forward to stalking their Instagram feed until the next flavor that “I NEED” comes around!

Ice & Vice

221 East Broadway

Monday - Thursday 2 PM - 10 PM
Friday 2 PM - 12 AM
Saturday 12 PM - 12 AM
Sunday 12 PM - 10 PM

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I'm A Triathlete! TOBAY Triathlon Race Recap

Helloooo! Here is where I delude myself into thinking that the readers of PB Is My BF have been waiting with bated breathe for my TOBAY Triathlon race recap. 

I love writing race recaps for something to look back on. Sometimes they are reminders of a well-organized, fun race that I'd like to do again. And sometimes they're reminders that "I WILL NEVER RUN THE BROOKLYN HALF MARATHON EVER AGAIN..." (lies). 

PRE-RACE PREPARATION

Saturday A.M.

Saturday morning Callie and I walked our bikes and backpacks across Central Park and hopped on the subway down to Penn Station. We met our friend Abby and the joys of traveling on the Long Island Railroad began. Let's just say that LIRR cars are not bike-friendly and we had to create some interesting bike sculptures in order to keep our bikes out of the aisles. 

2 hours later we were at my house and shortly thereafter, headed to pick up bagels for some relaxation at the beach. 

Saturday Afternoon

Abby and Callie get major points for loving my North Shore beach despite it's rocks and for happily floating around for a little bit in the Sound to test out the temperatures. We were pleasantly surprised that it was so warm! 

I was happy as a clam eating my egg bagel with egg salad, lettuce and tomato while soaking up the sun and chatting. We stayed a few hours, changed back at my house, and accompanied my parents to the yacht club for a drink on the deck.

Surprisingly, I was feeling pretty zen every time the tri came up - I think part of me couldn't believe it was actually going to happen. Throughout the day we would vocalize our fears - mine being drowning, Callie's being getting a flat but overall we were confident that it would be a fun day no matter what happened. 

Saturday P.M. 

After a beer at the yacht club (it was a struggle to keep it to 1 - Monkey's Fist IPA by Shipyard is fab) my parents dropped the three of us off at Mavi - a Mediterranean and Turkish restaurant near my house. 

We went to town on pita with hummus, babaganoush, white bean salad, and olives before entrees of chicken shishkabob with bulgar, rice, grilled veggies and tzatziki sauce. I still don't have a "go-to" pre-race meal but after reading my nutritionist Julie's advice, I thought Mediterranean was a good choice. I'm used to eating it, it's fairly simple, and my meal had protein and carbohydrates along with some veggies. Bonus points: delicious and such a cute little restaurant! 

We got home and were all shocked at how exhausted we were considering it was only 7:30 at night. We got our things organized for the morning and I did a little Addaday and lacrosse ball rolling while we watched Mean Girls. That movie will truly never get old. 

Obviously I couldn't go to bed without the dessert my mom had picked up for me - Tate's White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies! If you've never had a Tate's cookie (Long Island made!) you need to get on that. They have tons of Gluten Free options too. 

I took a Melatonin before bed because I expected to have trouble sleeping due to nerves, excitement, and sleeping on the couch but I'm constantly surprising myself with my ability to sleep - I didn't have any trouble at all. 

WHAT I PACKED 

I've got my pre road race packing down to a science but with a triathlon, damn is there a lot to think about!

GENERAL 

Tri-Shorts - I found mine on clearance at Marshall's well over a year ago, when doing a triathlon was just a tiny little thought in the back of my mind. Impulse buy for the win! I saw tons of people wearing Orca shorts and they worked perfectly for me. I trained in them too, because no new things on race day!

They're fast drying, have leg grips that keep your shorts from riding up your quads during the bike, and a quick drying pad between the legs that helps make up for the fact that you're not wearing fully padded bike shorts. 

The tie in the front kind of bothered me, but for $15, they were great. Another brand I saw out on the course a lot was Zoot. 

Flip-Flops- Before the race, I walked around in flip-flops and left them at my transition area when we walked down to the water for the start of the swim. 

Road I.D. - I finally got a road I.D. and I've been wearing it on all of my bike rides and runs - especially with so many awful stories in the news about runner's being attacked.

Nutrition- Since working with Julie from The Athlete's Palate, I've been trying to be better about fueling during workouts and now, races. I've been using Clif Bloks and have always had success with Clif Shot gels so I packed one of each. 

Water Bottle- I'm very bad at hydrating, but I kept a water bottle at transition to remind myself to drink! 

Sports Bra- Duh. 

Shirt- My original plan was to take off my wetsuit after the swim and finish the tri wearing my tri-shorts and a sports bra. But then I realized I needed to pin on a bib for the bike and run! I pre-pinned my bib to one of my favorite shirts - my blue Sugoi one - it's so light and soft!

Necklace- Yes, I wore my necklace for the entire race! I'm so used to working out in it that I didn't notice it once. 

SWIM 

Wetsuit- I don't know if I would have made it through the swim without wearing a wetsuit. It provided so much buoyancy and gave me a little extra confidence. It didn't fit me perfectly, it's my mom's, but I'm glad I had it as my security blanket. 

Swim Cap- We were the white swim cap wave and we had to wear the swim cap provided by the race. I was nervous it wouldn't fit my head, but it was actually perfect. 

Ear Plugs- I had a slight scare while setting up my transition area when I realized that my ear plugs were in my dad's truck. Luckily, he was able to go and grab them. I've never swam without them, and constantly get swimmer's ear, so that would have been a disaster. 

Goggles- Self-explanatory. I like the pair I use. Callie found them and I'm not sure of the brand, but they stay fog-free for the most part and are pretty comfortable. 

BIKE 

Bike- Important 

Helmet - Also important. Safety first! 

Flat Repair Kit- I keep this in a little pouch under my seat, though if I had gotten a flat during the race I'm not sure I would have been able to repair it on my own. 

Cycling Shoes- I love mine because they're teal and they're actually tri shoes! Again, I bought these a long long time ago before I even owned a bike, and they ended up working really well. They slide on super easily, which is what makes them great for tris. That being said, they're very open and my feet freeze in the winter. 

Cycling Socks

RUN

Feetures Socks - I love the pull tab on these. No blisters!

Garmin Forerunner- I didn't want to down my Garmin on the swim, so I put it on when I got out of the water and wore it for the bike and run. 

Sneakers- For the run portion I wore my Asics GT-2000. I haven't been loving any of my sneaker options lately, but that might be because everything hurts regardless of what shoe I choose to wear. I like these Asics because they're very cushioned. 

SUNDAY A.M. 

Our alarms went off in perfect synchronization on Sunday morning at 4:45 a.m. I shockingly wasn't all that exhausted due to the 9:30 bed time. 

The first thing I saw was a text from my sister, who had also set her alarm for 4:45 a.m. so she could wish me good luck. AW! 

We quickly dressed while my dad loaded the bikes onto the rack on his truck. My mom thought it was so weird that Abby, Callie and myself all wanted the same thing for our pre-race meal: 

2 Pieces of Whole Wheat Toast
1 Banana
Peanut Butter
Cinnamon

Callie and I also had coffee. 

The car ride was uneventful as we ate and made comments like, "I can't believe this is about to happen," and, "Just going for a lovely swim in the Sound." We enjoyed pump up music like Shots! and Yeah! Nothing says "IM ABOUT TO RACE MY FIRST TRIATHLON" like Lil Jon at 5:30 a.m. 

SET-UP

My dad pulled over near the entrance and we took our bikes off the rack. After a short meltdown where I couldn't work the tire pump and was convinced I had a flat, we walked over to packet pick up (super easy) and started to set up our transition areas. 

I racked my bike without incident and laid out my towel while attempting to organize things on it in some type of order. I didn't have a chart or layout, but I imagine that one day I might very well be that anal triathlete who has checklists and balloons for my transition area. 

For now, I just tried laying everything out in the order I thought I would need them. That's when I realized my ear plugs were missing and frantically told my mom through the fence that my dad had to look for them in the truck. I also handed her my bag - something I would miss when it came time to pack up all my things at the end of the race....rookie. 

Next stop was "Body Markings" which might have been my favorite part. While the lady wrote my number and age on my arms and legs she told me it was so I could see someone in my age group and try to pass them. Gotta love that competitive spirit! I felt like a badass with my new tattoos. 

But this badass realllllly needed to pee. So we hopped on the porta potty line which was long, but not too awful. 

Dad saved the day with the earplugs and after lots of hugs and "OMGS" we headed back to our bikes where I slipped on my wetsuit, grabbed my goggles, swim cap and earplugs and headed toward the water. 

As we got closer, my eyes tracked the course and my stomach twisted. That looked far. We joked as we walked, "Look - it's like a minute walk from where to go into the water and wehre we get out - it must be really short!" But I could stop looking at all those buoys marking our route. 

It helped when my parents popped up next to us near the water. They got this really great picture of us looking like athletic aliens. I gave them lots more hugs and my mom told me she would see me when I got out. 

This was the part where I needed to start consciously breathing slowly and deeply to keep the nerves at bay and I was shocked that I was able to do it. I had an almost totally calm feeling as we stood knee deep in the water (somewhere, got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair...) which was a beautiful temperature. 

THE SWIM

Next thing I knew we were going! As I looked around, i saw that almost everyone still had their heads up and were slowly making their way towards the first buoy while the group naturally spread itself out a little bit. 

My wetsuit, which I had promptly peed in, was helping me float fabulously and I didn't feel too much urgency to start freestyling - my doggy paddle technique was going just great. At one point, Callie and I looked up and were right next to each other doggy paddling along - we smiled and cracked up which are two things I did NOT think would happen during the swim portion of my first tri. Tears and stress? Yes. Smiles and laughing? Not so much. 

Soon Callie started swimming for real but I was like, "Nah, this whole swimming with my head out/backstroke/doggy-paddle is extremely inefficient but it's also much more relaxing and enjoyable." 

I swallowed a lot of water. A lot of times I just stopped and treaded water in place. The sun was very bright and I couldn't really see where I was going. It was very slow going. I veered off course more times than I can count. I ran into some people. Some people ran into me. A lot of times it seemed like I wasn't getting any closer to the end. But there was never a time when I thought, "I'M GOING TO DROWN OUT HERE!" In fact, I even remember thinking, "This is actually kind of cool that it's a gorgeous day and I'm going for a swim in the Sound." I probably stroked a total of 20 real swim strokes, but I traveled the half mile and emerged from the water with a smile on my face and that my friends was the first victory of the day. 

SWIM TIME: 26:13 or 3 minutes/100 yards

TRANSITION ONE

My wetsuit was the one that was victorious, however, as I struggled to unzip it on my run from the water to my bike. People kept trying to help by shouting to me which shoulder it was over but heck if that helped. I was so frazzled from having just spent a half hour in the water with the sun in my eyes and earplugs in my ears. I was a little discombobulated. But I did hear my parents yell for me which made me happy, even if I couldn't focus on actually making eye contact with them! 

I made it out of my wetsuit and since it doesn't fit me perfectly, it was really easy to peel it off. I put on my Garmin, drank some water (definitely not enough water), popped a Clif Blok in my mouth, wiped my feet off on the towel and put on my cycling socks and shoes, threw on my shirt, strapped my helmet, lifted my bike off the rack and wobbled my way to the bike start. I was actually surprised at how fast I ran in my cycling shoes - maybe not smart, but thankfully I didn't eat it. 

I got on my bike without much trouble and was on my way to the bike portion. 

TRANSITION ONE TIME: 3:04

THE BIKE 

I didn't know much about the course going into it other than there was one fairly large hill. 

The course wasn't too crowded in the beginning which was nice, but soon I found myself surrounded by more people. For much of the bike, part or all of the street was open to traffic which I didn't love, but it didn't cause too many problems. The one part that sucked was when we were on a main road that was still open and we could only ride in the shoulder. I wanted to pass people on the up-hill but was forced to slow down at some points. 

When I got to that one large hill - there was no question that it was "the one." It was a hill alright. My legs were screamin' and seeing people walking their bikes up it realllllly tempted me to do the same. But I shifted down to the lowest gear, grit my teeth, and made it up the hill even when I felt like the end would never come. 

After that, the rest of the course was fairly flat and the end was downhill. None of the turns were too scary and though my legs were tired, I tried to give them pep talks that they still had to run 3 miles. 

On one of the downhills I shakily grabbed my water bottle and took a sip and somehow managed to get it back in its cage without flipping over the handlebars. 

The bike was probably the most enjoyable part of the race for me, but that's also because I was purposely taking it easy and trying to relax and enjoy. 

Soon I was nearing the bike finish and gingerly dismounting while trying not to flop onto the ground. My legs were like jelly! 

BIKE TIME: 32:24 or 17.6 mph 

TRANSITION TWO

The run from bike back to transition was a lot slower. I switching socks and decided to go for it, putting on my Feetures followed by my Asics. 

I should have already had my Garmin going, but alas, I did not. 

I grabbed my Clif Shot gel and got to see my parents again as I went out for the run! 

TRANSITION TWO TIME: 1:46 

THE RUN 

In my head, this was going to be the victory lap. The best part of the tri. Totally fun. Easy, breezy. I had practiced going from biking to running twice and both times was pleasantly surprised. 

But the TOBAY Triathlon course had some serious hills in store that I was not mentally prepared for. 

The entire first 1.5 miles of the run course was straight up up up. What made it even worse was that it was an out and back, and the entire time people who had already made it to the turn around were whizzing past me on the downhill. It sucked. Plain and simple. 

My shins were absolutely screaming bloody murder. 

At the second water station, I did something I RARELY do - I walked while drinking my cup of water. Even though I only had 1.5 miles to go, I ripped open my Clif Shot gel - I needed something, anything, to get me up the rest of this mountain. 

When I finally made it to the turn around and started running downhill, things got marginally better. My legs were still in pain, but at least I knew I was in the home stretch. 

Without around a mile left to go, someone near me on the course started joking with a friend about how crazy we are to do this stuff for fun and it made me smile and get out of my head for a second to realize "Hey, I'm doing this, I'm going to finish my first triathlon!" 

When the finish line was in sight I was able to kick it into high gear and finish strong, bursting across the finish line and instantly chugggggging a water. I was definitely super dehydrated. Woops! 

First I saw Callie and gave her a big sweaty hug and high five - WE DID IT! Then my parents came from the other side and got sweaty, wet, salty hugs too. It was so so so amazing to have them there since they have heard me bitching and moaning about swimming for over a year now. 

They took some very flattering post race pictures and next thing we knew we were cheering Abby across the finish line too and WE WERE ALL DONE! 

The run was actually so much faster than it felt at the time (unless the course was short!) 

RUN TIME: 23:50 or 7:41 pace 

POST-RACE

We packed up our things (I forgot my wetsuit and had to go back for it later, fail) and went over to the post-race festivities for ice cream and beer. It was a really nice finish area and we sat out in the sun recapping the race and taking more pictures because heading to Huntington for brunch with our familias! Avocado bacon burger with a Bloody Mary was the perfect recovery meal! 

I was asleep within 10 minutes of the train ride back to the city and a lazy blob the rest of the day! 

THOUGHTS:

 The race was very well organized and the perfect size! It wasn't overwhelming at any point and everything went pretty seamlessly. 

The swim, though many people said it was long, was very calm and warm. 

Now that I know I don't need to be Michael Phelps to travel half a mile in the water, I'm much more comfortable with the idea of tris. The fact that I managed to do the whole swim without ACTUALLY swimming is comforting and also something that I now see as a challenge to improve on instead of an insurmountable hurdle. 

Callie did the best braids!!! 

Having my parents there for this was HUGE. They are my biggest supporters and the fact that they woke up at 4:45 a.m. and dealt with my stressed, overwhelmed, scared, anxious, crankiness all day means the world to me. 

Every race should have beer afterwards. 

I love the shirt that we got! 

Most people have asked if I'm "hooked" on tris now. I definitely plan on doing more, and I still hope that I can make an Olympic Distance happen someday. But I wouldn't say I'm addicted. It's a lot more stressful and a lot more work than simply running a race - the logistics of traveling with my bike alone make me think this isn't something I'll be doing every weekend while I'm still living in NYC. 

That being said, I had SO MUCH FUN doing this with Abby and Callie. That made all the difference in the world!

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Pre-Race Nutrition Tips from a Pro

Hi folks! I survived my first triathlon, but I'm going to keep you in suspense for the recap as I process yesterday's experience. 

In the meantime, I'm going to share some fun nutrition information that Julie Sparkes from The Athlete's Palate shared with me prior to race day. She's been helping me for a few months and I'm happy to report that my stomach cooperated throughout training and tri-day thanks to her advice and guidance. 

So here ya go!

1) What are some tips for fueling the week leading up to a race? 

• Drink lots of water but not too much. Make sure that you are well hydrated but not to the point that you're going to the bathroom frequently. 

• A week or two before the race when tapering most athletes are really hungry. I recommend that you eat foods with more fiber. A good option is chilli because is so healthy and filling, you can make a big pot and it's easy to reheat during the week. 
   
• Add fruit to your carbs to help slow down the breakdown and will slowly release in your  digestive system. This will make you feel full longer and will help reduce those snacking habits. 
   
• Maintain eating foods that your body is used to and easy to digest. This will prevent any digestive issues. 

2) How long of a workout until you should consider refueling during it? 

• The body is burning energy as soon as you start your workout. Carbohydrate and sodium stores should be replenished every 20 minutes into the workout and continue to be replenished every 20mins. As workouts increase in time or intensity this becomes more critical. 

3) What are your thoughts on carb-loading and how far out from a race would you start? 

• Carb loading in moderation is important because it gives you a chance to top up your glycogen stores. Glycogen is mainly stored in the liver and muscles. When you fuel, your body breaks down the carbs from your food during digestion and converts the carbs into glucose. Your body will use the glucose right away and will store the remainder in your muscles. The greater the glycogen storage you have, the longer you will be able to maintain your exercise intensity. 
   
• With being said, for endurance sports I recommend to eat a good serving of healthy carbs during your training 3-4 days before your race.  
   
• Here are some examples of carbs that are high in nutrients and carbohydrates: 

Starchy Vegetables

• Potatoes
• Yams
• Squash
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Taro
• Pumpkin
• Plantain
• Beets

Whole Grains

• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Farro
• Oats
• Bulgur
• Whole Rye
• Whole Barley
• Buckwheat
• Freekeh

4) Pre-race meal (the night before and morning of) tips

• Eat food that your body is used to and easy to digest. Don't try anything new the day before the race or the morning of. Eat meals that are high in complex carbs, healthy fats and lean protein. 

5) Is a post-race beer detrimental to recovery? 

• As a holistic nutritionist I can't say that alcohol in anyway is beneficial but with that being said I like to have a celebratory beverage just like the next person. Life is all about balance and sometimes it is good to reward yourself! On a positive note beer does have the perfect carb to protein ratio with 4:1 which helps with recovery. 

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Ready or Not - Here (tr)i Come

Somehow, the Tobay Triathlon is upon us. In two sleeps I will be waking up in my childhood bed at an ungodly hour to journey to my first multi-sport race.

Joining me on the course will be two amazing ladies and the world's best support squad. Yet despite the comforts of home, the fun of racing with two friends, and the support of family members:

I am straight up petrified, people.

This is the first time in awhile that I'm attempting something I've never done before and it's scary. I've tried thinking back to how I felt before my first marathon and I don't think I was this stressed out. With my marathon, I bought into the whole "trust your training" mantra hook line and sinker.

But with this tri, my training hasn't had me run into the Long Island Sound with hundreds of other people kicking, swimming, and splashing around and on top of me.

Physically, I know I can handle a sprint distance triathlon. Mentally, it's a whole 'nother story.

It's no secret that I've struggled with swimming. Multiple times I've cried about it (dramatic, I know). I'm not comfortable in a 4 foot deep pool with no one around me. How the hell am I going to make it a half mile in the murky, crowded Sound?

It comes down to determination and reminding myself of how far I've come and how badly I've wanted to become a triathlete. It's focusing on the fact that I have overcome a lot of mental challenges already - getting to the starting line wasn't a cake walk. Here's a reminder to myself of how I got here:

• Over a year ago I got myself into a pool. I've consistently swam, even taking lessons in a disgusting Chinatown pool, for over a year despite dreading it each and every time.
• I worked for months at a running store after my 9-5 day job - saving everything I made there until I could buy myself a road bike.
• Embarrassment didn't stop me from clipping in for the first time in the middle of Central Park completely alone - where I promptly tipped over into a giant patch of mud.
• Despite my initial fears, tears, falls and flats - I've learned to love my bike. It's taken me fun places, brought my roommate and I closer, and even introduced me to new friends.

• Biking and swimming provided an outlet while I suffered through months off from running.
• Being able to swim in a giant pool in the middle of Central Park is just one of those NYC things that makes me question how I could ever leave. Also, I question how I never noticed Lasker Pool until this summer.

As I was typing this and listening to showtunes (naturally) - I Have Confidence from The Sound Of Music came on. New theme song for Sunday:

I've always longed for adventure

To do the things I've never dared

Now here I'm facing adventure

Then why am I so scared

So many people have promised me that during my first tri, many things can and WILL go wrong - but that I will still absolutely love it. We'll find out if that's the case on Sunday!

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A Week of Workouts In The Woods

While I spent a week in the woods with 20 family members, the calendar crept closer and closer to August 28 – the date of my – gulp – first triathlon.

Here’s how my training went down for those 7 days.

Saturday – Intervals

This was my first time running “fast” in about 3 months. It was hard – but it felt so nice to feel that burn in my lungs again and I was on such a runner’s high when I finished.

I warmed up for a mile and then ran hard for a quarter mile before jogging a quarter mile. I did 8 fast quarter mile (200 meter) repeats before a cool down mile for a total of 6 miles (the most I’ve run since the Brooklyn Half in May!)

I am slower now than I have been in at least 2 years, but I honestly just loved the sweaty, spent feeling at the end of a hard workout.

Warm Up Mile: 9:01
Mile 2: 8:07
Mile 3: 7:58
Mile 4: 7:59
Mile 5: 7:54
Cool Down Mile: 8:41

I was happy that I was able to drop the pace from my first mile to my last!

Sunday – Nike App Workout + Bike

I woke up Sunday morning not really wanting to work out, if we’re being honest. It was gross out, it was the first day of vacation, and my dumbbells were locked in my sleeping father’s truck.

I walked up to one of the smaller cabins that no one was staying in and played a workout video from my Nike app – a few burpees, side planks, and pushups were part of the 28 minute routine which wasn’t really much of a challenge.

Then, later in the day, my uncle decided to try to tackle his 40 mile bike ride. He participates in a two-day century ride every summer and is in the middle of his training.

I was really nervous to join him on this ride because it meant going on a winding, hilly road with no bike lane. But I decided to give it a shot.

We got about 7 miles before it started to rain – no service + wet, winding roads didn’t seem like the best plan so we stopped under in awning in town to wait out the rain. Luckily, my dad happened to drive by at that exact minute and we flagged him down. Our bikes juuuust fit in the back of his truck.

I had been really excited to complete a 40 mile ride (my longest ride is 38 miles) but it wasn’t in the cards for this vacation – though my uncle did manage to do it the following day!

Monday – HIIT

This was the day that my aunt wanted me to come up with a workout for us – which I happily agreed to and created this.

10 Jumps up the stair
10 Dips
25 Squats
25 Mountain Climbers
10 Shoulder Taps Each Side
10 Pushups
50 Toe Taps

We went through this circuit 5 times before heading to the top of the driveway for 7 hill sprints.

Tuesday – First Brick Workout!

I knew that this was the week I needed to try a bike to run transition. I’ve heard that it’s by far the most difficult part of a triathlon. Getting off a bike and getting your legs to switch to running is apparently not the most enjoyable or comfortable thing in the world. I can now 100% confirm this rumor as fact!

I went out with my uncle and we biked 5 miles before turning around and heading back for a total of 10 miles. I took the return trip a little quicker, trying to replicate the effort I’ll be putting in come race day.

After 10 miles at around 15 mph I got back to the top of the driveway where my sneakers were waiting for me. I swapped my Pearl Izumi cycling shoes and helmet for my Saucony Rides, handed my bike off to my uncle (THANK YOU!) and headed out for 3.1 pretty painful miles.

At first, my legs felt like complete jelly. I was thinking to myself, “Well, this isn’t as bad as people say. My legs don’t necessarily HURT, I just can’t really feel them and it’s kind of hard to run when you feel like you’ve got nothing holding you up…”

After about a mile, the pain set in. But by then I knew from my Garmin that I was moving at a sub 8:00 pace which I did NOT want to give up. I was absolutely shocked – it was the first time I had run sub 8:00 miles since the Brooklyn Half!

I pushed through the 3 miles and finished with a 7:44 pace.

I was exhausted just thinking about the fact that when I do that in 2 weeks, it will be AFTER swimming a half mile. And people do Olympic distance tris…? 

Wednesday – Circuit

Wednesday I created another circuit for my aunt and I that was a little easier on my legs – no hill sprints! And my momma joined!

We did

1 Minute Jump Rope
1 Minute Crunches
1 Minute Running Up Set Of Stairs
1 Minute Renegade Rows with 10 lb Dumbbells

:45 Minute Jump Rope
:45 Minute Crunches
:45 Minute Running Up Set Of Stairs
:45 Minute Renegade Rows with 10 lb Dumbbells

:30 Minute Jump Rope
:30 Minute Crunches
:30 Minute Running Up Set Of Stairs
:30 Minute Renegade Rows with 10 lb Dumbbells

Afterwards, we did some lunges, high knees, butt kicks, bunny hops etc. before finishing up with 7 Minute Planks

1:00 Plank
1:00 Left Side Plank
1:00 Right Side Plank
:45 Plank
:45 Left Side Plank
:45 Right Side Plank
:30 Plank
:30 Left Side Plank
:30 Right Side Plank
:15 Plank

The 7 Minute Plank routine is becoming a staple for me – I do it at least once, usually twice a week. And it’s gotten noticeably easier over the past few weeks!

Thursday – Bike + Doughnut Run!

This was a fake brick workout since there was around 30 minutes between my bike and run.

First I headed out for a 15 mile bike ride and later, my sister and aunt ran about 3.5 miles to a local doughnut shop to pick up fresh donuts for the fam.

My uncle picked us up and oh lord were we sweaty.

It was my first time going for a run with my sister EVER and it made me so happy!

Friday – Arms + Swim

I started off the morning with a few arm exercises using the dumbbells – mainly shoulder stuff.

Then it was time to suck it up and get in the water – something I had been putting off all week. My dad and I used Strava and the power boat to roughly figure out where a quarter mile was and then my mom kayaked besides me as I swam a ¼ mile out and a ¼ mile back for a total of around ½ a mile – what I’ll need to swim in my sprint triathlon.

Unfortunately – it wasn’t pretty. I panicked, got frustrated, got in my head, cried a little, yelled at my mom when she offered advice, and declared that I would rather waste the $135 than do this triathlon.

I was wearing a wetsuit – which made me float SO much. I wasn’t scared of drowning or anything like that, but actually SWIMMING just wasn’t happening. There was a lot of backstroking. That’s pretty much all I did the entire ½ mile. As soon as I tried the freestyle stroke, I made it about 5 strokes before I stopped. Having no “end” of a pool in sight was a huge mental hurdle.

I was being dramatic when I said I didn’t want to do the tri – but this swim did absolutely nothing to ease my fears about the swim. In fact, it only magnified them.

Saturday – Bootcamp

Saturday I looked at an old picture from my favorite boot camp class that I go to on Long Island if I’m home on the weekends and completed it (minus the running portions usually included after each set of exercises).

It was a killer workout as usual (Marianne Fitzgerald is THE BEST) and a perfect way to prepare for hours sitting in the car heading home from vacation.

30 Squat press
20 Superman Push-Ups
10 Burpees

30 Mountain Clumbers
20 Release Push-Ups
10 Burpee Star Jumps

30 Wall Jumps
30 Jack Pushups
20 Burpees
(I completed this set as 15 Wall Jumps, 15 Jack Pushups, 10 Burpees, 15 Wall Jumps, 15 Jack Pushups, 10 Burpees)

30 Curls with Squats
20 Lunge Jumps
10 Burpee Squat Jumps
(I completed this set as 15 Curls with Squats, 10 Lunge Jumps with 10 lb dumbbells, 5 Burpees Squat Jumps, 15 Curls with Squats, 10 Lunge Jumps with 10 lb dumbbells, 5 Burpee Squat Jumps)

30 Walking Leg Lift Lunges
20 Knee to Elbow Jumps
10 Mountain Climbers

30 Power Jacks
20 Plank Jacks
10 Drunk Chicken 

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No Equipment HIIT Workout To Pack on Summer Vacation

This past week I spent 7 days nestled away at Camp Fieldstone in The Adirondacks. Despite packing my 10 lb dumbbells and knowing the effectiveness of body-weight exercises - I was a little unmotivated without a gym for the week. I woke up early every morning and entertained the eternal internal battle - get up and workout vs. click snooze. 

That is - until my aunt asked me to come up with a killer workout to start one morning off on the right foot. My wanna-be-personal-trainer was up for the challenge. I created the following NO EQUIPMENT, MINIMAL SPACE workout. 

I then proceeded to make my sister take pictures of each exercise for me ;) Thanks, Sam! 

10 Jump Up Stairs

10 Dips

25 Squats

25 Mountain Climbers

10 Shoulders Taps Each Side

10 Push-Ups

50 Toe Taps

Repeat 5X

Next, we went up to the mountainous driveway and ran 7 hill repeats! 

BOOM. 

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