Running and Pickles

Hey! How ya doing? My posts have been far and few between, I know. Hopefully I’ll have time and energy to write more often but the last few weeks have just been a bit draining and busy. I’m sure you all know how it can be sometimes!

Next Sunday I have a race. I’m determined not to take another DNS but since I hardly worked out at all the week of the hurricane and I haven’t run for weeks, I’m a bit nervous. Since running downtown is nothing like running in Central Park, I made the trek uptown this morning.

Today is probably the nicest, warmest days we’ve had in several weeks, so there were a lot of people in the park. And I realized pretty quickly that I was way overdressed.

okay, so not many people in this picture, but there were a lot of people in the park!

I decided to run the race route to get reacquainted with the hills. I actually like this route because except for the small hill on the 72nd transverse, there’s a nice downhill and somewhat flat stretch towards the end of the route. Granted, Cat Hill is right at the start, but I like getting that out of the way.

It’s obvious I haven’t been in the park for a while because it was my first time seeing the new running and bike lanes. I’m a big fan. I imagine the cabbies don’t like it very much, since there’s only one driving lane now, but oh well! It’s great to have wider, separate lanes for runners/walkers and bikers. It definitely felt like there wasn’t as much frustration on the roadway – everyone had their own space. Well, except for the tourists who just didn’t pay any attention.

My run was actually a whole lot better than I expected it to be. Granted, it probably had something to do with the Excedrin I took before leaving the apartment, but still. My legs felt good and my hip didn’t hurt. Things were good. I was able to zone out and think about things other than a niggle in my leg or a tight muscle. It was very good.

Unfortunately when I got up to the 102nd transverse to head south, I ran into this:

When I took a detour just south of the transverse I saw that there are huge piles of trees and branches that came down in the storms that are waiting to be turned into mulch. It was really sad to see. All those trees that make the park so beautiful. The park has had a tough time the last few years with several big storms hitting it. The park is still awesome and thousands will enjoy it every day, even with some trees down. I can’t help wondering though, if the transverse will be cleared in time for the race next Sunday. Hopefully when those piles are gone, the mulching will be done.

I finished strong and feel really good about my run today. It wasn’t fast, by any means, but I didn’t struggle and didn’t hurt so I’m happy. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the water fountains still working. Bonus! I had definitely overdressed and so thankful there was water to drink along the way.

Even though I was way over dressed for the weather today, at least I was sporting some cute Oiselle gear!

After I got home we headed over to the New Amsterdam Market which was holding the 2nd Annual Peck Slip Pickle Festival. I’m not a huge pickle fan, but this place was definitely heaven for pickle lovers. It was also great to see so many people there as the market is held near South Street Seaport which was hit hard by the hurricane. Very few businesses are ready to open yet and most of the buildings are so damaged they aren’t cleared for occupancy yet. There are tons of crews working round the clock to pump out water, clean our the buildings and fix equipment. In a neighborhood that is far from getting back to normal, it was nice to see so much energy in at the market.

This is one great thing I’ve noticed in NYC since the hurricane – people are coming together, pitching in and helping out. Whether it’s donating supplies and goods, donating time and skills, offering a warm place to stay or supporting local businesses. People are working hard to help the city to recover. There’s still a lot to do – more in some areas than others – but there is hope and we will get through this.

• What was a highlight of your weekend?
• Restocking our fridge after having to dump everything & my great run this morning!
• What is your stance on pickles?
• I love sweet pickles, but can’t stand dill pickles. It’s not cool when pickle juice gets on my sandwich at a restaurant. The pickle ends up on Woody’s plate asap.
• What is your favorite holiday dessert?
• Before I realized how unhealthy it was, chocolate pecan pie was my all-time favorite. Now I go for slice of pumpkin or apple.

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Today’s workout -

• ab exercises
• 4mile run
• stretching