Autumn Brown

Time to grab a beer!! This one is a new one for me. I live close to Chico, where the Sierra Nevada Brewery is, but have never tried this Autumn Brown Ale (photo credit). I think I would like it, as it looks dark enough for my tastes. Hmmm..

You know the drill. This is the point where we grab a beverage, make yourself comfortable and enjoy a recap of the week (a la Kim's Look What I Did Last Week).

This week was a busy one. I had the day off on Monday, so the (short) work week was more hectic than normal. Plus we are trying to finish up work in the area we are in and will be moving to a new area on Monday. So of course this week has consisted of tying up a bunch of loose ends and finding out at the last minute what the issues with certain projects are. Monday will be the last meeting and then we are out of here!

On top of that, I have been training for the marathon and so have spent most of my evenings running, running, showering, driving to running and....washing running clothes. But...in between all that, here is what else I did this week.

I got more books from the library. My stack is growing.

Beware of the Evil Gost.

The running shorts get funkier and funkier! 

I went to New York. I love New York. Really, not just the I heart kind but REALLY. 

We went to Le Parisien for dinner. Yum.

I couldn't resist. Pluck U too buddy. 

We met a friend at Zabars for some cheese shopping. I love cheese. 

Almost as much as I love New York. 

We went to see the Freedom Tower. Expected to be done in...2021.

And of course, no trip to NYC is complete without a trip to Central Park. 

Goodbye New York. I will miss you.

Or should I say...Until Next Time. 

You can read about some of my other trips to NYC HERE. 

What is your favorite place to visit in the Fall? Do you have a place you keep going back to over and over? Do YOU heart NY? What did you do this week?

I Run New York

50 cent ain't got nothin' on me! So you may have heard the song that he sings? I Run New York? I think he's talking about how long his gun is and how important he is in the City, but I, I actually RUN New York. Yeah. MOVE OVER, 50 (fitty); I will do the running of New York, thank you very much.

Last weekend I spent a marvelous weekend, if you can't guess where, in New York. Knowing I had to do a long run of 15 miles, I got prepared before I went. First I found the local running store and found out that, yippy, they had a group long run on the weekends. I emailed them. I did not get a response. Next, I contacted this runner, who lives in the city, and asked her if she could give me some advice. Hurray for the running community. Not only did she give me advice, she gave me a play by play of where I should run. So I google mapped it to figure out which specific streets I would need to go on to get in enough miles (and not accidentally do too many!)

So, as you can see from above map, I started in Midtown, ran East to the East River and then south along the East River to Battery Park. Here are a few examples of the views I had while running on the East River.  These photos were taken with my phone, which I carried.

I also carried a pack of Black Cherry clif shot bloks and a bottle of water. I still have not purchased a fuel belt, since the only one I have been able to physically try on is the Nathan Speed 2 and the Nathan Trail Mix. I like the feel of both of them, but want to have something to compare them to before making my decision.

FYI, in case you were wondering how my Fuel Experiment was going...the Bloks taste okay. They are a little sweet, but pretty easy to eat. I drank lots of water and only took two bloks over the entire 15 miles (one at mile 6 and one around mile 10). The only thing I did not like is that the aftertaste is a bit like cough syrup; it's a little medicinal.

After running to Battery Park, I headed north along the Hudson, which was a nicer path but in my opinion, the views from the East River were better. By the time I got to this side, I was pretty tired and did not take any photos. Also by this time (around 9 a.m.) there were TONS of other people out jogging and riding bikes and walking dogs. I may suggest getting an earlier start than I did (7:45).

From there I cut across to Central Park at 72nd St and then around the park and back down to my starting point. All in all, although my legs were screaming, the rest of my body, lungs and stomach felt great. To celebrate my longest run ever, we went to Zabars to fight the crowds for the last piece of lox meet up with some friends and have a huge (and I mean HUGE) turkey and pastrami sandwich on rye. Yummy.

Where did you run this weekend? Have you ever been to New York City? What's your favorite place to run and/or eat there? What fuel belt (or bottle) do you use?

Don't forget to link up with Jill for Fitness Friday! And if you have not already done so, go and Enter My Giveaway for Fun Scrapbooking and Photo Software! Ends October 16th!