Weekend Recap: Oakley 10K, Brunch, and everything in between

Good morning all!

Happy Monday <3.

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Hope everyone is doing and well had a great weekend. Work and life have both been busy so it feels like I haven't passed by here in a while. It was time to give my blog some love!

This past weekend was tons of fun. I was finally able to run the Oakley 10K in Central Park, a race I have been wanting to run for the past three years or so but it had never worked out. I don't know what happened in 2013 but last year I was in Washington, DC around this time. But anyways, the point is I finally ran jogged my way through, and it was awesome.

My beloved sister joined me in this adventure- and finished the race about 20 minutes before I did! I also got to meet some friends from her job whom participated as well, and are super awesome.

my sis and her friends

So happy to add another precious medal to my collection (it had been too long!)

After the race we all went for brunch at a local spot and it was delicious.

Mott Haven Bar & Grill in the Bronx.

I usually have eggs Benedict every time I do brunch but decided to switch it up. Opted for the Greek Omelet which came with a side salad, potatoes and whole wheat bread on the side. Thumbs up.

I spent most of Sunday running errands (hello Target), went to the gym, enjoyed the gorgeous sunny day and enjoyed some quality time with my parents.

This week should be a busy, yet productive one. Looking forward to getting a lot done. It is raining today in New York City and I cannot deny I am feeling kind of gloomy at the moment. Making a conscious effort to cheer myself up- 'the sun always returns'.

...and this is totally random but I've been making a yummy salad this week which I've been pairing up with whole wheat french bread. I got the idea from a Panera salad I tried a while ago and fell in love with. The only difference is that making this salad cost me about 1/3 of the price:

And that's all folks! Thanks for passing by. Wishing you a great week!

Love,
Mabelle

Lets Catch up Part 1: Divas Half Marathon *and* Rock N' Roll 10K

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I passed by here! We have a lot of catching up to do! Okay maybe not a lot but enough that I can’t see myself writing just one post so I may split this up between 2 or 3 posts max.

Where should I even begin? Well, I can start by saying that, as promised and previously announced, I ran the Divas Half Marathon which took place in long Island on Sunday October 6^th and the week right after that, on October the 12^th I ran the Rock N Roll 10K race which took place in Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park. So, basically a whole lot of running has been going on. I have to say both races were a lot of fun and it was great that I was able to share the experience with my sister and friends. The most important part of running both races was that I (once again) was able to appreciate my body which is capable of so much. The races were a couple of friendly reminders to love my body and not take it for granted. We should all remind ourselves of that even when we aren’t running/putting our bodies through strenuous activities but sometimes we all need a wake up call!

After completing both races I felt extremely thankful that the half marathon took place the week before the 10K. I am not sure I would have been able to endure it had it been the other way around. Here is a quick recap on both races.

Divas Half Marathon:

So, let me just start by saying that aunt flo’ decided to show up in the middle of the night just hours before the race. Lately this ‘monthly visitor’ has had a tendency of showing up at the most inappropriate times (i.e.: went to Costa Rica back in April and she showed up the first day of vacation). But anyways, somehow I managed to dress ‘appropriately’ and drank two Advil’s prior to the race to stop any cramps from gearing their ugly heads. I am happy to say that my strategy worked and I was able to run smoothly, with no discomfort, at least at that level.

The weather on the other hand was not exactly perfect. It was cloudy and at times some drizzle was coming down. The sun did not come out once during the entire 13.1 miles but at least it didn’t actually pour rain (although running a half marathon in pouring rain actually sounds fun).

My legs and knees were amazing until approximately mile 10-ish when apparently my extremities finally caught on and that’s when I really started to feel super exhausted. My poor right leg/knee was particularly not happy at all. However, I kept going considering that when you’re consistently running so many miles; it sometimes hurts more to stop. However, when exhaustion hit, I mentally prepared myself to stop and take a real walking break at around mile 11.5, which I did. I lost my running partner as she continued running but everyone is different and I had to do what felt best for my body. I picked up the pace again at around mile 12-ish and ran the rest of the way—taking it slow. I surprisingly picked up some type of strange (yet, extremely welcomed) speed at around mile 12.5 or so and finished strong!

Photos:

My little cousin rockin' my crown post race...lol..isnt she gorgeous (Love her!!):

At the finish line I received the most awesome medal Ive gotten to date!.

My time was a little bit longer than my first half marathon (by about 10 minutes) but I honestly did not care! Two half marathons in one year has been quite the accomplishment for me and I am very proud of myself and my body. I may not be running half marathons at stellar times but I know what my body is capable of doing and an average of 10-10.30 (sometimes 11!) minutes a mile has gotten the work done and it works for me!! What works for you?

Rock N’ Roll 10K Brooklyn

Another super fun race! Thankfully aunt flo’ was long gone by the time this race came around so I had one less thing to worry about! The day was much nicer than the weekend before and although when my sister and I woke up for the race (~5:30 am) it was kind of dark outside; by the time we were all gathered at the starting lines the sun was beginning to peek through!

The weather was pleasant, I was comfortably dressed, and I ran the entire 6.2 miles quite smoothly. After running double that amount the week before; this particular race almost felt like a breeze! (Which is when I realized how grateful I was the long race had already been done and over with!).

I had never ran in Brooklyn’s prospect park before (or anywhere in Brooklyn) so I am happy to say it was truly an amazing experience.  

At the end of the race I got my super cool medal and tons of freebies (including several bottles of nesquick chocolate milk—ooolala so delicious). Another amazing race for the books!

Photos:

Favorite Photo:

Post race we found this little dinner in some random street by the park and had the most delicious brunch!!

And that's PART UNO of my catching up series :)

Hope everyone is doing great! 

Tell me, Have you ran any races lately? What’s a “comfortable running pace” for you, especially when it comes to long races?

My First Race of 2013 -N- Fun February Objectives!

Hey Everyone! Happy Monday!

I am feeling a million times better than last week considering Im finally settled in to my work/school schedule and can finally plan meals, workouts, and fun times accordingly.

Yesterday I completed the NYRR Gridiron Classic 4-miler with my sister and her friends. It was freeeezingggggggggggg. It literally felt in the negative degrees. Thankfully once I started to run I eventually got warmer.

 I have to say this was probably up there as one of the most difficult races I have ever done for two reasons: 
1. the ridiculous temperature 
2. an unexpected amount of hills. 

Just a couple of months ago or so I ran an ENTIRE 10K (my first one) NON STOP and felt amazing the entire time (minus the muscle pain the next day). For this particular race, although it was only 4 miles I actually had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath!

But, all in all I loved racing with my sister and her cool friends whom are also really in to running. We actually created our own little running club so, I cant wait to do more races with them. Below are some of the pictures from yesterday (still waiting on my sis to send me the rest!):

(In case you are wondering or forgot what I look like I am the girl with the Gray sweater and the blue headband! lol)

Very cool collage made by my sis (and stolen and cropped borrowed from her Instagram):

So, side note: My sister's new boyfriend is so cool. He now comes to races with us and is in to running (when he's never ran in his life! lol) thats when you know someone is really in to you--> When they are willing to try new things they've never done before just to be around you. How awesome is that!

So, moving on to the stuff I want to get done in February. Want to make this quick because my dinner is waiting :)

Objectives for Feb 2013:

1. Fitness: Finish week 2 of Jillian's Shredin30 (Finish Strong!) and sign up for two races

2. Health: Make a conscious effort to Drink at least 3.15 pints of water per day (baby steps)

3. Money: Organize my finances & Set a "on my way to riches" plan 
I am usually pretty good with finances overall but when it comes to paying bills and actually opening correspondence on time I need to get more organized!

In terms of the "on my way to riches" plan that's pretty much setting a more advanced version of a budget for myself that I can comfortably follow.

4. Friendships: Set a "catch up date" with a close friends (I want to set aside more time for my good friends)

5. Personal Development: Complete at least 1 module of the investment course I am taking online

Okay that's it for February. There were a couple of things I wanted to add (ie: read another book) but I dont want to over-extent myself considering I have quite a few things going on. If I end up doing more than the above, of course I will share!

Q: Do you have any goals for February?!

Fortunate Fridays

Hey everyone!! Ugh! another busy week. Although it was a short week (thank god) I barely had time to come on the blog (as usual). However, cant miss Fortunate Fridays, can I?! So here goes...this week I feel fortunate for:

1. My sister and the fact that she loves to run and is motivating me to sign up for several races! I have a goal in terms of the number of races I want to run this year and I have several super fun ones on my radar which I will be signing up for within the next week. So excited! 

2. Jillian Michaels DVDs! I swear her workouts WORK! I feel so much stronger and although she kicks your butt she gives you results. Plus- I cant mention enough how much I love the fact that the workouts are only 20-3 minutes. Amazing.

3. The text message I got from one of my friends today thanking me because she was able to raise her credit score significantly, save on her 401k, get out of debt and started investing. About a year and a half ago I wrote up a financial plan for her and she followed it to the T!!! I always tell her that it was her focus and hard work that has gotten her to this point. My plan may have been a blue print but it was all up to HER because SHE wanted to improve her life. Either way, that text made my day and made me feel incredibly grateful that I was able to help her. The greatest satisfaction is simply to see her reach her goals and I cant wait to see how much further she goes.

4. Living in America! Okay this is going to sound random but I LOVE this country and I feel incredibly blessed to live here. So many opportunities to do some many things I probably would have never been able to do had I never moved here. I feel really, REALLY blessed. 

5. On that same "I Love America Note" I feel fortunate for the Stock Market and for being able to participate in it. This is another random fact about me-- I LOVE investing. Is one of the things that I am super passionate about. I follow market news, listen to podcasts, read the books, etc. etc. Such an exciting world. If you arent in to stuff like that you may think I am crazy. But everyone has a passion or two, right?! I may share more about this stuff on the blog. What do you think? Would you be interested? I dont see enough females excited about the market and I feel that this is a skill everyone should have! Is often known as a "mans world" but it should not be! I would love to change that.

6. BONUS FORTUNATE: Cant forget the blogger award I got this week!! I get so happy when people find my blog and enjoy my posts. Thank you!! I am still finalizing my list of 11 bloggers I will nominate so, cant wait to share it with others.

Okay this is it for today! Its been snowing in NYC but I want to see if I can run tomorrow. With my work schedule I can usually only run on weekends. When he weather gets better I hope to be able to run outside more often.

Cheers to the weekend!!!

Question: Any plans for the weekend? anything great happened this week that you are feeling grateful/fortunate for?