It's Quiet Around Here

This was a great weekend! Lots of walking, laughing, eating, laughing, rain, running (them, not me), a bachelorette party and now, exhaustion! It was so fun to have Melody and Julie visit. We got to catch up on a lot and get the scoop on all of Melody's wedding plans (Julie and I are bridesmaids for her June 5 wedding!). The weather Friday and Saturday could not have been better. Unfortunately, Sunday and this morning was miserable, but that happens sometimes.

This was Melody's first time in the city, so we walked around quite a bit Friday afternoon, seeing many sights, including Grand Central (where there was a great Earth Day Festival), Bryant Park, and Times Square.

After breakfast at the Boathouse in Central Park Saturday morning, we walked through the park to hit up the MORE/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon expo at Roseland Ballroom. This expo was much better than the NYC Half Marathon expo that I volunteered for, and the goodie bag was fantastic! We checked out all the vendors, Melody bought a running belt, Julie a pair of running capris, and we tried out Skinny Water (still too sugary for me) and Silk Soy and Almond milk. The volunteers were great, the process completely smooth and the atmosphere was high energy, fueled by many excited women!

Then we checked out the first day of the new Hester St Market on the Lower East Side. I definitely don't think they anticipated so many people, all of the food vendors were running out by mid-afternoon and the very small space was packed. When someone came through with a stroller, there was hardly room to move. The market is a great idea and a good addition to the neighborhood, just wish they had more space! I'll probably go back with Woody, if only for a St-Viateur bagels driven to NYC from Montreal by the new-ish Brooklyn restaurant, Mile End, each Saturday morning. We had these bagels when we were in Montreal last summer and loved them. Dare I say, I may love them more than most NYC bagels?!

These are not the St-Viateur bagels, but bread from another food vendor at the market.

We woke up at 6am Sunday morning to rain. It rained all throughout the race, but Julie and Melody were amazing and finished with smiles! I went to cheer them on and was able to see them twice on the route and just before the finish line! I was completely inspired by all the women who got out there, even in the pouring rain and cold temps to run 13.1 miles through Central Park! What dedication! I really wish I had been able to run with Julie and Melody, but there was really no way I would have been able to do it. Hopefully we'll have another chance in the future to run a race together! Julie made these awesome shirts for the race - ours say 'bridesmaid' and Melody's says 'Bride in training'! So cute! I wore mine even though I wasn't running, of course!

Melody & Julie just before getting in their corral.

Post race smiles and fuel!

 The best picture from Melody's bachelorette 'party' (drinks and then dinner & a show at Lucky Changs!) is still on Melody's camera. Let's just say it was an interesting and hilarious night that involved drag queens and karaoke! I think all three of us are still recovering. I hope they both got some sleep on the plane!

Have you run a race in pouring rain before? How do you push through the mental challenges to finish the race?

Random note - thinking about Brett Michaels and hoping he recovers soon! It's so tragic whenever anyone suffers from something so life threatening. Another reminder to enjoy every single day.
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Workout Stats -
45min bike
stretching