Training Log 5/4

I haven't run since last Sunday, when I raced the Pike's Peak 10K. Earlier this week was soaking wet, so I only got to ride outside on Monday. My legs were a bit sore after the hard 10K effort, but a few miles in, they seemed fine. Nothing like a nice bike ride to cure sore legs!

The weather on Tuesday and Wednesday was gross, so I went to yoga. I still wanted to get some cycling in before I left for Boston for three days, so I did a workout on the bike trainer. Short, but pretty effective!


On Thursday morning, my dad and I left for the 8 hour drive up to Boston to go apartment hunting. We actually ended up taking close to 9 hours because of rest stops and traffic. We didn't even stop for lunch! Just to get gas and take bathroom breaks. The route we took had an exceptional amount of tolls and construction zones, which really slowed us down. We got to Boston around 5pm and checked into the hotel. It was a good time to arrive in the city, just in time to find a place to get dinner and then walk around to explore. We strolled around Boylston and the Back Bay area. I kind of squealed when I saw the Boston Marathon finish line! I also fell in love with the neighborhood; the streets lined with brownstones are beautiful! I wish I could live in that kind of a neighborhood someday.

The apartment hunting was actually successful, and by the time I left on Saturday afternoon, I had secured a perfect place. And it was in Back Bay, too! It is so convenient, great restaurants and bars in the area, safe neighborhood, and a quality bi-level apartment. I feel so lucky and so happy I found it! Can't wait to start my new life in the city :)

I didn't get to run while I was in Boston because I was too busy dealing with apartment stuff. I even brought my running clothes, but oh well. I'll have plenty of chances to run along the Charles when I actually live there.

We made it back late Saturday night, and I was planning on going for a long bike ride the next morning with my bike club. I had a great ride in the countryside, even though I got lost for a little bit. I ended up cycling 68 miles, and I was pretty wiped out by the end. The pollen levels today are very high, so I spent the rest of the day sneezing my head off and dying of itchy eyes and throat. Fun. But so worth it!

Monday- cycling 21 mi, avg 17.9 mph

Tuesday- 75 min vinyasa yoga

Wednesday- 60 min hot yoga
                      30 mins on bike trainer, 5 x 1 min hill repeats w/ 2 min rest

Thursday- rest

Friday- rest

Saturday- rest

Sunday- cycling 68 miles, avg 16.7 mph

Totals

Cycling- 89 miles

Running- 0

I haven't seen a zero for my running mileage in so long! Hopefully I can get at least one run in this week. I am still focusing on strengthening my bike skills for my first road race on May 18th. I have two weeks left to train, so I need to learn fast. I'll share more details about the race when I actually register for it.

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Views from Boston

Hello! I just got back from a weekend in Boston. I drove up here with my dad on Thursday, and we are here until Saturday to apartment-hunt. I am moving to this fabulous city in August, when I start dental school.

Walked around on Boylston Thursday night and I came across the Boston marathon finish line! I geeked out a bit when I saw this and took a pic like a tourist ;) By the way, there are so many people wearing their Boston jackets! I want one :(

On Friday morning, we walked around the city and passed through the Public Garden on the Boston Commons. So beautiful right now with flowers everywhere.

I went to Flour Bakery to grab a second breakfast: Twice-baked Brioche (like an amazing almond-crusted French toast) and an iced coffee.

After spending all afternoon apartment-hunting, I headed over to Quincy Market to check it out. It's pretty touristy, with street performers and gift shops. There was so many food options!

I ended up chilling at the Salty Dog with a beer and fried calamari ;)

I had a great time in the city with my dad. After walking around and exploring the different neighborhoods, I feel a lot more familiar with the city that will be my future home.

Have you ever been to Boston? 

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On my way to New York City!

I'm going up to New York City this weekend to hang out with a bunch of girl friends from college! It'll be kind of a reunion, so it's going to be wild ;)

Aside from catching up with my friends, my priorities are eating ALL the delicious food NYC has to offer. Okay, maybe not all the food, but we are planning every single meal at delicious restaurants, and not a bit of stomach space will be wasted.

Can't wait to share everything I ate on my weekly Weekend Eats post, and you can be sure that it's going to be epic!

 Grey hounding it up to the City!

I'll be blogging on the road this weekend, so more pictures, less words. 

What are your plans for this weekend? Have you been to NYC? What's your favorite place or thing to eat there?

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The Ultimate Weekend Eats: NYC Edition

I am back from my weekend trip to New York City! In the 48 hours I was there, my friends and I packed a lot of fun things and good eats and had a wonderful time. Of course, I splurged mostly on food and I have to share all the delicious things I ate.

I started my trip at Union Station in Washington DC on Friday morning. There was Chop't, a salad restaurant, that I have been wanting to try, so I got a salad to eat on the bus. It was massive and took me 45 minutes to chew through this entire bowl of greens. I knew I would be eating a bunch of not so healthy things this weekend, so this was a good choice.

After meeting up with a friend and checking into our hostel in Chelsea, we walked around and decided to grab a snack. I saw Doughnut Plant was nearby, so I had to go try it! I heard good things about this place, and I was not disappointed. I got a peanut butter and blackberry jam filled doughnut and my friend got coconut cream. I liked hers better, since the blackberry jam was a bit overwhelming (not enough peanut butter!). The shop is adorable decorated, too! We sat against a wall covered in donut-shaped mosaic. The wall adjacent to us was covered in beautiful donut-shaped pillows. They also serve coffee and tea drinks that looked really good.

 

Next, we met up with two other friends and headed over to Brooklyn to get pizza at the original Grimaldi's location. Grimaldi's is an iconic pizza place, located under the Brooklyn bridge. It was pretty good, not amazing, but solid pizza. It is coal-fired pizza and the crust was flavorful and nicely browned. This style of pizza is not greasy, which I liked. We got two large pizzas split between four people, and I ended up eating more than half a pizza because I didn't want it to go to waste. It was good, because the pizza fueled me for the long, cold walk across the Brooklyn bridge after dinner. We saw some beautiful views of the skyline at night, so it was worth the frozen extremities!



After walking the Brooklyn Bridge and around Wall Street, we decided to get dessert at Serendipity 3. The restaurant serves some lunch/dinner food, but the thing to get there is their outrageous desserts. They are famous for their frozen hot chocolates, which is like chocolate milk blended with ice and topped with an obscene amount of whipped cream, served with four straws. I decided to try one of their ice cream sundaes, and got the "Can't Say No" Sundae which has vanilla ice cream, humble pie (basically pure peanut butter with a ton of sugar), hot fudge, banana, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. It was huge and rather pricey ($15) but I figured I'd splurge and see what this place is all about. My friends had a few bites, but I finished most of it myself. Which gave me a huge sugar rush and probably gave me enough sugar and saturated fat to last me the month of March.



On Saturday morning, we headed to Brooklyn again to visit the Brooklyn Flea Market and Smorgasburg (like a food flea market). I hadn't eaten breakfast, so I got a few bites to eat, including a $4 rice ball (not worth it) and half of a $5 mini apple pie (so worth it!)


After browsing the flea market, we decided to grab lunch there as well. I ended up getting a vegan sandwich at Monk's Meats. I got the jerk seitan and my friend got a vegan "B.L.T". We swapped sandwich halves, so we got to try both. I liked the BLT better, though they were both good! I also got an amazing horchata made with cashew milk. It was so creamy, sweet, and cinnamon-y

The Brooklyn Brewery was nearby, and the tasting room was open, so we headed over to sample some beer. And by sample, I mean buying five 12 oz beers to share among four people. I was already really full at that point, so drinking beer was even more filling.

We ended up eating a late dinner near the hostel after such a food-filled day. I decided on a Vietnamese place called Co Ba. It was a small restaurant with an intimate, candle-lit atmosphere. They served pretty creative dishes, and I decided on pork with rice "ravioli", which was bundles of wide rice noodles cut into bite-sized piece. The dish was covered in fresh herbs and vegetables, and was the perfect light and refreshing meal after indulging so much.

On Sunday, we started the day with breakfast at the Grey Dog, which has multiple locations. It's a cute cafe that serves breakfast as well as sandwiches and soups for lunch. I got the challah French toast, served with real maple syrup and fruit. It was really delicious!

Next, we headed over to Central Park for a stroll, and ended up at Laduree on Madison. Laduree is a French bakery with only one other location in Paris. They are best known for their amazing macarons. I ended up buying nine, with the intention of sharing with my family, but I may just eat them all to myself :P

  

For my last meal in NYC, I met up with a friend who took me to Taqueria Lower East Side, a hole-in-the-wall taco place. I got carnitas (pork), barbacoa (lamb), and lengua (beef tongue), and all were really delicious. Maybe a tad salty, but good, authentic tacos compared to what I can find in the suburbs of DC.

And of course, I had to finish the weekend with a bang and more ice cream. I heard great things about the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, so I had to try it. I got the Monday Sundae, which is a Nutella lined waffle cone, vanilla/chocolate swirl soft serve, salted dulce de leche, and whipped cream. Seriously good stuff. 

   

This weekend was a success and I hit up all the food places I've been wanting to try. I had a scary amount of sugar, but I also walked around so much (in heels, too!) that my legs are quite sore, so it probably all balanced out ;) Can't wait for my next visit to the City!

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NYC Weekend in Pictures

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Obligatory Times Square visit

Grimaldis pizza

Serendipity 3

Doughnut Plant 

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