Posts Tagged ‘Central Park’

  1. Getting Social

    July 8, 2011 by justgathering

    I haven’t been on my bike nearly as much this summer as I was last. I’ve gone through long spells of using my bike as my primary transportation, but with my current job it’s not quite as easy. It’s a much longer ride, and arriving to work sweaty is not as acceptable. I could probably still swing it and should really just find a way to make it happen, but I’m not there yet, especially when I often get up early to run before work. Ah well, at least I have relaxing evening bike rides with lovely company to look forward to after work.

    Last night, Daniel, Steff, and I biked up to the George Washington Bridge and back. (Steff actually biked much longer, because she rode up to us on the Upper West and then back downtown when we parted ways.)

    Helmets. So dorky looking, and so important. (I was particularly thankful for mine when I was an inch away from being hit by a cab on the way home. My brakes aren’t the best, so I swerved and managed to avoid being hit without totally wiping out, but I was happy that my head was protected anyway.)

    The part of the ride not on the busy city streets was breathtaking. We all remarked that it didn’t even feel like Manhattan anymore. For about a mile, we were surrounded by forests, and the smells brought me right back to summers growing up in Illinois. (Girl Scout camp, anyone?) It was a peaceful part of the city to which I’ll definitely be returning soon — on a run, with my phone so I can take plenty of pictures.

    Our ride wasn’t all leisurely; Daniel and Steff are both very speedy cyclists, and they made sure we got a few sprints in. I managed to catch up with them eventually… and Daniel and I conquered a few hills on the way home. Good ride, good ride.

    This morning I was up early to run with friends from my building, and Sofia joined us for an easy three miles in Central Park. Runs go so much more quickly when there are fun people to talk to. Anyone else up their social workouts in the summertime?

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,, | 3 Comments

  2. NYRR Running Class: Week 7

    July 6, 2011 by justgathering

    Only three running classes left? This is very sad news. Each week is better than the last.

    The workout was simple: 5 miles at a moderately brisk pace (between a 9:15 and 9:30 mile), probably something around marathon race pace for most of the group.

    The cool part? Since this week marks 18 weeks from the NYC marathon, we ran the finish. The park was incredibly crowded and a ton of weaving was involved, but we ran the finish.

    For those just beginning their training, this workout was probably exactly what they needed. Motivating, excitement-building, and (most importantly) memory-making. Come November, when they’re just a few miles from the finish line, they’ll think back to the summer, and over the months that have passed, and they’ll be amazed at how far they’ve come.

    Memory-making runs are sometimes the most important ones in your training. When you get to that hill, you’ll know you can do it because you’ve done it before. It’s all mental.

    Action shot.

    I’m excited to see what Coach has in store for us next week. Until then, I’m planning some social cross training in the form of a bike ride with Steff, followed by an early morning run on Friday with the lady runners in my building. Til then!

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,, | 4 Comments

  3. Fantastic Fourth

    July 5, 2011 by justgathering

    I really couldn’t have asked for a better Fourth of July. The fun started with a killer 4 mile run around Central Park with my building friends Dawn and Jane. (Yes, I’m friends with people in my building. No, that’s not very New York of me.) The run was followed by a brunch double date at Good Enough to Eat with one of said friends and her husband. Daniel and I split a savory dish (Asian vegan scrambled tofu) and a sweet dish (strawberry almond waffles). Amazing.

    Not three hours later, we were out in the park for Sofia and BT’s potluck picnic. Sofia loved our picnic so much that she decided to recreate it, and I personally think this should become a weekly affair. Friends, food, drinks… what else do you need?

    Sofia, Megan, and Kelly have already covered the picnic extensively, but I’ve got a few pictures and words of my own.

    I started with one of Megan’s kohlrabi and mozzarella crostini. This was a yummy little crostini, and I am excited to try cooking with kohlrabi in the future. I have always been intimidated, but Megan explained her technique to me, and I feel confident now that I can handle it.

    Daniel and I contributed a beet and barley salad. It was just roasted pink and golden beets (diced), spinach, barley, chopped and toasted walnuts, walnut oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Simple, and it turned out alright if I do say so myself.

    And I absolutely love that adding beets to barley turns the grain pink. Pink food always tastes better.

    Sofia made this killer apple pie. Look at that lattice. It was light yet chewy, exactly how I like my pie crust. Forget the flaky crust; I want something really worth eating, and this was it.

    With vanilla gelato from Screme. Even better.

    Barbara and Gully waited patiently for their treats. They were rewarded with plenty of picnic leftovers. These pups love to picnic.

    After we said goodbye to our picnicking friends, we headed downtown to watch the fireworks from my friend Sarah’s roof in the West Village. Check out her view.

    I know.

    Seriously.

    It just keeps getting better.

    We relaxed, listened to music, and had some beers, including this old favorite:

    Just as the sun was setting, the Empire State Building was illuminated with red, white, and blue.

    Around 9, we decided to venture down to the Hudson to try to get closer to the fireworks.

    Magical. I do love a good fireworks display.

    The day was full, mostly of awesome people and the food they cook. Pretty much my perfect Fourth of July.

    Tomorrow, I’ll post about tonight’s running class. Let’s just say, I’ve got high expectations for my weekly class now, and I was not disappointed. But for now, this tired lady is heading to bed.

    Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day as well.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  4. NYRR Running Class: Week 6

    June 28, 2011 by justgathering

    My Tuesday night speed workout with the New York Road Runners has become one of the highlights of my week. I spent the whole day looking forward to this and enjoyed every [hot, grueling] second of it.

    Tonight Coach took us to a loop near the 97th Street transverse in Central Park. The loop was .38 miles around this lovely green field, and though we were dodging pedestrians and kids on scooters and bikes the whole time, we managed to achieve what I consider to be a great pace.

    My Times

    Interval 1 — 2:47 (7:19 mile)

    Interval 2 — 2:40 (7:01 mile)

    Interval 3 — 2:40 (7:01 mile)

    Interval 4 — 2:41 (7:04 mile)

    We jogged about a mile to warm up, and I jogged another half mile home. My jog home felt ridiculously easy, so I was surprised to look down and see that I was running at a 8:15 pace. It’s all relative.

    And perhaps it felt like a breeze because running in the heat in New Orleans was so intense. Whatever the reason, I feel like these classes are definitely paying off. I’m getting faster, people! That’s exciting!

    Four more weeks. Dare I set a goal? I’d really like to run a mile under 8 minutes. Send some encouragement my way, and let’s hear your goals too. After all, we’re all in this living healthy thing together.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  5. Just Made: Chewy Chocolate Flourless Cookies

    June 21, 2011 by justgathering

    Remember these?

    I can’t wait to make these cookies again, and I think you should make them too. They are moist, chewy, and brownie-like, and they’re vegan and gluten free to boot. I just typed “to boot,” and I’m leaving it because I think it’s funny.

    Coconut. Yes.

    Maple syrup. Almond butter. Yes. Yes.

    Flax egg. Sure.

    With all these fantastic ingredients, these cookies were a sure bet. Well, not really. Nothing is really ever a sure bet when it comes to baking, but I had high hopes and I was not let down.

    Recipe, please? Okay. This one’s an adaptation of the Flourless Chocolate Cookies from Oh She Glows, and it made 16 cookies for me.

    • 1 T ground flax
    • 3 T water
    • 1/2 C dried shredded coconut
    • 1/4 C cacao powder (I used a cacao/maca powder combination)
    • 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 C almond butter
    • 1/4 C maple syrup
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/4 C dark chocolate chunks
    • 1/3 C slivered almonds
    1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease your cookie sheet.
    2. Whisk the flax and water in a small bowl to make the flax egg and leave it for a moment to gel.
    3. Mix the first five dry ingredients in a large bowl.
    4. Mix the wet ingredients, including the flax egg, in another bowl.
    5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold in the chocolate chunks and almonds.
    6. Spoon dough onto cookie sheet, leaving room between the cookies.
    7. Bake for 16 minutes and then cool for at least 10.

    Enjoy!

    There’s no running class post this week for two reasons. (1) I am flying to New Orleans tomorrow for my sister’s wedding and had to come home after work to pack and get things in order. (2) I wore new fancy shoes out Saturday night and got a bad blister that sidelined me from running for a couple days. I am happy to say, though, that I managed to sneak in 4 miles around Central Park this evening just before sunset.

    My time for these 4 was 35:10. Not too shabby. Plus, I was beaming the whole way, which is what happens when you are forced to take an unwanted break from running for a day or two. Another morning run before I skip town? Crossing my fingers.

    Talk to you from NOLA, friends.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,, | 4 Comments

  6. Potluck Picnic in Central Park

    June 19, 2011 by justgathering

    We have the good fortune to live ridiculously close to Central Park. Daniel jokes that it’s our backyard, and it really is almost that close. I take advantage of this by running in the park as much as possible, and we’re there with the puppies several times every day.

    We also made it one of our unofficial goals this summer to squeeze in as many picnics in the park as we could. Eating is just better when it’s outside in the sun, with friends. And beers.

    So today we decided to throw a little potluck in the park. Around 25 of our friends showed up, all bearing delicious food and drinks and some with puppy friends. I took a few pictures in the calm moments before the party, and once it got going, I just enjoyed. But here’s what we made:

    Chickpea and Israeli couscous salad with a creamy lemon dill dressing.

    White bean and walnut pesto.

    Fudgey flourless chocolate cookies.

    Sofia brought a tasty quinoa salad that was quickly devoured, and Leslie made a dip with garlic scapes that I absolutely loved.

    All in all, a successful picnic. Now, after several hours in the sun, we’re crashing on the couch for a low-key evening, but I’m planning on posting my cookie recipe tomorrow. Trust me, you’ll love them.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  7. NYRR Running Class: Week 4

    June 15, 2011 by justgathering

    Guess how I’m starting my day?

    Yes, it’s iced coffee season.

    Last night it didn’t really feel like June, though. It was chilly and rainy, and for a hot second I was tempted to skip running class. But then I thought about how awesome I would feel after a really tough speed workout, and that was enough to make me throw on my running clothes and head over to the Upper East Side.

    Our workout last night was 3 1-mile intervals on Central Park’s lovely rolling hills. Coach explained beforehand that she wanted us to get comfortable with running these hills not at the same speed but at the same level of effort. Most NYRR races take place in the park, so doing this type of workout there is a great way to prepare.

    (This thought occurred to me on Saturday when I was running up Harlem Hill during the Mini 10k: Coach probably had us run and conquer this hill last week so that when those of us running on Saturday encountered it, we felt ready. I certainly felt like I could take that hill when the time came, when I probably would have otherwise been a little intimidated.)

    My mile splits last night made me very happy.

    Mile 1 — 8:38 (although my Garmin told me we actually ran a little over a mile on this one)

    Mile 2 — 8:08

    Mile 3 — 8:12

    We did a bit of warm up and cool down running and covered around 4 miles in all. And once we got going, the rain actually felt really nice and the cool temperatures weren’t so bad.

    And it’s gratifying to actually see and feel myself getting faster, since most of my improvement in this sport has been so gradual. Anyone else experienced this — a season in which you know you are becoming a better runner?

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  8. Just Ran: Short Run + Brussels Sprout Salad

    June 9, 2011 by justgathering

    Tonight’s run was literally a recovery run; I’d had a bad day and needed to (a) process it and (b) turn it around.

    My destination: New York Road Runners headquarters on East 89th Street to pick up my race number for Saturday’s NYRR Mini 10k.

    I mapped a 1.5 mile route through Central Park from my apartment to NYRR. It was near 100 degrees and I was one of the only runners in the park. I actually love the heat, so I was reveling in it.

    It was a hazy, cloudy heat. Toward the end of my run, I could tell it was about to storm; you could just feel it in the air.

    Not a bright sky. I cut back through the park the short way, since it was clear that a summer storm was brewing. I made it home before the crazy thunder and lightning struck. Just 2 miles in all, the first in 8:55 and the second in 9:30, but it was exactly what I needed.

    Dinner was last minute and delicious. It made up for last night’s attempted curry, which looked beautiful but was WAY too spicy.

    Daniel and I made this with our friends Jayme and Roaine, and we’d done something similar before… just throwing together lots of veggies to simmer in some coconut milk and experimenting with the spices. We messed this one up though. It was pretty much inedible and had us all in tears. Ah well.

    So I suppose tonight’s dinner was a recovery dinner too. We had a salad at a restaurant in Chicago last December that was amazing and we’ve been talking about recreating it ever since. This wasn’t exactly it, but it incorporated the element we loved: raw brussels sprout leaves.

    Daniel diligently tore all the little leaves off the sprouts, while I chopped up some roasted beets and whipped up a dressing (grainy mustard, balsamic, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper). We added finely sliced onion, slivered almonds, and goat cheese. So good.

    You know what else is good? The awesome t-shirt I get to wear on Saturday.

    A pink race t-shirt that is actually cut to fit? It may not be a technical t-shirt, but this is already my favorite race tee of all time. Adorable.

    Can’t wait to show it off on Saturday. Anyone else running the Mini?

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  9. NYRR Running Class: Week 3

    June 8, 2011 by justgathering

    Last night, two areas of my life converged in order to teach me one lesson: it’s all about attitude.

    To take a small step back, I just began reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. My friend Fionnuala recommended Rubin’s blog to me way back in the day, but for one reason or another I never followed through on her tip. Earlier this week, though, I was searching for a good piece of nonfiction to dive into, and I came across this gem in the give-and-take library in our building’s basement laundry room. Jackpot.

    I loved this book from the first page, and I especially loved one of Rubin’s commandments laid out in the beginning: Act the way you want to feel.

    What does this have to do with running?

    Last night’s running class was tough. It was hot and humid, and since New York jumped straight from winter to summer, none of us are acclimated yet. Coach told us we’d be doing a pyramid workout: 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile, all as fast as we could run those distances.

    The quarter mile kind of sucked for me. I’d been one of the leaders in my pace group the past two weeks, but I fell back to the middle, which was discouraging. The 1/2 mile went much better – 3:50 time. Then came the mile.

    Coach lined us up to run a mile as fast as we could — up Harlem Hill. This hill is killer. We were already sweaty and tired. We all started grumbling.

    Coach didn’t like this. She turned to us and simply said, “Hey. Check your attitudes. Hills are good for you. They’re like vitamins. Now let’s go.” And we were off.

    I knew she was right. So I began repeating what she’d said in my head as we started up the hill. This is good for me. Like vitamins. I then switched to my favorite hill mantra, one that’s gotten me through every race I’ve ever run: This is what I came here for.

    It worked wonders. Most of the mile was actually fun. By the end, I realized that I was either going to cry or vomit, and I just went with it. I was ready to do either and be fine with it — and then it was over. A mile up Harlem Hill in 8:30.

    It’s all about attitude. Countless of my life’s miles would have gone unrun if I started with the idea that I couldn’t do it. But when I adjust my thinking — act the way I want to feel — not only am I able to do it, but I have a really good time too.

    We ran another 1/2 mile interval after that, and then Coach called off the last 1/4 due to the heat. I totally would have done it though — and happily.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  10. Happy Tuesday

    June 7, 2011 by justgathering

    Two things I encountered on the morning walk with the dogs and Daniel:

    I have so much appreciation for the person who goes around the park writing us all messages. It’s probably a whole bunch of people, but I like to imagine it as one little Central Park fairy who visits in the night.

    And on the side of our building, this visitor. Here to wish us a happy Tuesday.

    Have a good one, friends…

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Older Entries
Newer Entries