Weekly Recap: May 24-May 30

I'm officially back to running & injury free! It's kinda nice not having any major race plans in the immediate future so I can just go out and run whatever I feel like and not have to follow a specific plan. I think this will also help in not getting injured again....hopefully. This morning Todd & I are off for a 4 mi run at Sharon Woods, one of the metro parks in Columbus. I'm excited to run some easy, shorter miles with him since I feel like all I'm ever doing is training for half or full marathons.


Monday: 30 min elliptical, ran 1.5 mi (8:37 pace); push-ups

Tuesday: REST

Wednesday: ran 3 mi (8:26 pace); total body circuits

Thursday: 45 min elliptical; core

Friday: 45 min spinning

Saturday: 40 min elliptical; lifted total body

Sunday: 30 min elliptical; core (at the hotel in Cincinnati)


TOTAL: 4.5 mi

Weekend Plans

Todd & I have a fun, busy weekend ahead of us. In fact, we'll have quite a few of those coming up as we're traveling 5 out of the next 6 weekends.

Tonight, we're heading downtown to the 1st annual Columbus Beerfest. I will be buying a DD ticket to let Todd fully enjoy what the beer tasting festival has to offer. There will be over 150 craft beers from Columbus as well as from all over the country and Todd will get 25 tasting tickets each good for 5 oz. of beer.

Tomorrow we'll head to Cincinnati for a wedding of one of my good friends from grad school, Sheri, and hang out with Alyssa, who is also invited & a good friend from grad school and former co-worker.

Sheri, Alyssa, and I at Alyssa's Wedding Shower a few years ago

We'll be staying the night since it's about a 2 hour drive from Columbus and Todd already suggested stopping at the outlet malls on the way home on Sunday. No arguing by me on that suggestion!

Since Monday is Memorial Day, it means we also have a 3 day weekend! If the weather is nice, I'm hoping to be able to lay out by the pool, relax, and maybe even grill out.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Time Flies By

Wow, it's hard to believe that on Saturday, I''ll have been at my job for 3 years! I feel lucky that I wake up everyday and look forward to going to work. I mean, there are definitely some days I wish I could still be in bed sleeping but I never dread going to work. The best part of being at my job for 3 years? It means I'm fully vested in my retirement fund (my 403b, similar to a 401k) and any money that my company has matched is rightfully mine. I feel old & lame talking about my retirement savings since I have quite a few years of working ahead of me but in early 2009 when there were a bunch of layoffs, I never thought I'd make it to my 3 year mark.

I still remember where I was when I got the phone call that I had the job. I was in my last quarter of classes in grad school and just had my internship remaining. I applied for my current job and was lucky enough to get it and have it count for my internship so it was double bonus with getting a paid internship but then also continuing to work there after I graduated and have it as my full-time job. I interviewed for the job a week before I was leaving for a long weekend trip to Portland, Oregon to visit my brother. I had just landed at the Portland airport and had a voicemail from my boss telling me to call him back. I called back immediately and found out I had the job! Needless to say, I felt like I had a giant weight lifted of my shoulders and really was able to relax and enjoy my trip.

While in Oregon, my brother & I did our own tour of Steve Prefontaine and drove all around Oregon visiting famous sites related to Pre.

Pre's memorial where his car crashed the night he died

Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene

The famous "Stop Pre" t-shirt My brother & I enjoying a quick break while walking along NW 23rd in Portland

I'm excited to head back to Portland this summer for the Hood to Coast relay and although Todd & I won't be visiting any Pre sites, I'm sure we'll be taking a stroll along NW 23rd for some shopping.

Belated Birthday Present

I came home from work yesterday with a note from UPS saying I had missed a package that needed to be signed for. They were going to try again today between 10 AM- 2 PM but since I work, I wouldn't be here so I decided to pick up the package from UPS myself. I lucked out since it's only about a mile from my work. I wasn't sure what the package was but I had a feeling it was my birthday present from my brother. He had warned me that my present was going to be a little late because whatever it was he got me was taking awhile to ship.

I got my package during my lunch hour today and immediately opened it up. I was so excited to see 2 bottles of red wine from Rideau Winery in Solvang, California. Rideau Winery is near Santa Barbara, CA and is one of the Santa Ynez wineries. I've never been to this winery but my brother used to live in Santa Barbara (now lives in San Fran) and belonged to their Wine of the Month Club so I trust his opinion. Thanks Jeff!

2007 Tempranillo and 2007 Sangiovese

Todd & I love our wine as you can see from the empty bottles above my kitchen cabinets and these are only bottles from wineries we've visited

I also just bought a wine journal over the weekend so this will be the perfect opportunity for my first entry

Weekly Recap: May 17-23

As you can see from my workout on Friday, I couldn't go another day not running. My leg is feeling 100% and Emily was in town again so we worked out bright & early and decided to run a little bit before lifting. After doing 20 min on the elliptical, we hit the treadmill & started with a half mi walk before doing an easy 2 mi run (around 9:30 pace, it felt pretty darn slow but so good to actually be running!) then finishing with an easy half mi walk. Afterwards, we did a couple total body circuits that kicked my butt! I was sore on Saturday morning, that's for sure.

I haven't decided if I'm going to run again this week or wait until next week like I originally planned. If I do run this week, it'll only be once or twice for another slow couple miles. I have a couple 5Ks I'd like to train for in the next couple months, which I figure will be a good break from the long runs from marathon training.


Monday: 40 min elliptical; lifted total body

Tuesday: 15 min elliptical, 45 min spinning; core

Wednesday: 45 min elliptical; total body circuit (did 50 push ups total!)

Thursday: 40 min elliptical; core

Friday: 20 min elliptical, 3 mi on the treadmill (walked 0.5 mi, ran 2 mi @ 9:30 pace, walked 0.5 mi); total body circuit

Saturday: 45 min elliptical

Sunday: taught 20 min core & taught 50 min spinning

Farmers Market

I got up bright & early this morning to get in a workout before heading to the Worthington Farmers Market with my Mom. It runs from May-October and with it only being a few miles from my apartment, I wanted to head down to see if I could get some fresh fruits & veggies.

A few of the booths set up on the green space in Old Worthington One of the first places we stopped at was a stand with organic cheese so I tried a couple samples and decided on the Colby Dill cheese for Todd.

Tons of different cheeses such as Chipotle Cheddar and Muenster (my favorite)

There were probably 30 stands set up with anything from cheese to plants to pastries to meat. Since it's still pretty early in the season, there weren't a lot of fruits & veggies available. I was hoping to find some strawberries, cucumbers, and bell peppers but the majority of what I saw was asparagus, lettuce, and green beans. I think I might have more luck in June or July with what I'm looking for.

A few of the pretty flowers one vendor was selling

Even though I didn't find what I was hoping to get, I still came home with several fun things to try. I got the Colby Dill cheese for Todd, some all natural Cheddar Garlic Biscuits, and Luna Burgers.

The goods

I had never heard of these vegan burgers but I found out they're locally grown & made from farms across the Columbus region and are actually sold at several local natural food stores, including Whole Foods. They also serve these at several restaurants across Columbus. They come in 3 varieties: Classic, Garden Thyme, and Farmhouse Chili. I got the Classic, which is made of rosemary, beets, and black beans. I'll definitely have to keep my eyes peeled from now on when I'm at Whole Foods to find these. I had a sample at the stand and they were delicious!

Riding Ladder 72

One fun perk about my job that I've mentioned before is going out to a local fire station and putting the firefighters through a workout. I go out 3 mornings every other week so it ends up being about 6 times per month.

The other morning I was there and towards the beginning of their workout, a call came through dispatching them to a local nursing home. Since Medic 72 was out of service on a run already, Ladder 72 went and was going to meet Medic 71 there (from the same department but different station). The guys asked me if I wanted to come. Um, of course I wanted to go!

My ride

I hopped in the back with a couple of the guys, they handed me headphones to put on so I could hear them talking, and we were off with the lights & sirens going. Talk about an adrenaline rush! We weren't even going to anything exciting, like a real fire or something, but just a nursing home because some woman was having shortness of breath and chest pain. I was able to even go in the patient's room and see the guys do their thing. It's different to see them in a professional setting when I'm used to seeing them joking around and working out.

We were there for probably 15-20 min and then they decided to transport her to the hospital so the medic took over from there and we went back to the station to finish working out. I've been lucky enough to go on several runs with them over the years and it never loses it's appeal. It just fascinates me to see them in action and out saving lives. And maybe I'm even helping contribute to that just a little bit by trying to keep them in shape.

Birthday Weekend Recap Part 2

After a great day on Saturday, Todd still had more birthday plans on Sunday. I had talked about going to COSI (Center of Science & Industry) to see the Titanic Exhibit a few weeks ago so Todd surprised me with a trip there.

Titanic Exhibit Poster

You couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit so this had to do

The exhibit was incredible! It's amazing to see how many artifacts they've recovered from deep in the ocean decades later. They had dinner plates that weren't broken that had been used to serve food on board, wallets from passengers, and even bottles with alcohol still in them. One neat thing they also did was when you first walked into the exhibit, you're handed a boarding pass with the name & info of one of the actual Titanic passengers. At the end, you get to see if you lived or survived. Todd & I were both first class passengers so we figured we'd both live and we were right.

Our boarding passes

Aside from the Titanic exhibit, COSI has a ton of other science exhibits, such as Labs in Life. I was especially interested in this because it's a collaboration between OSU & COSI and features the exercise science & nutrition departments, which is what I was a part of when I was in grad school at OSU. OSU has 3 lab spaces in this exhibit that they actually use for research projects. The 3 lab spaces include VO2max testing, body composition via Bod Pod, and DEXA, which measures body composition and bone density. There were big crowds gathered around the VO2max testing as they were testing some elite cyclists.

The VO2max testing lab space
The Bod Pod

Another exhibit we checked out was Progress where you travel back in time to see the technology in 1898 and then turn the corner and see the same town in 1962. I didn't take pics from 1898 but Todd & I had a blast hanging out in 1962.

The diner
Todd playing pinball in the diner

Pretty sure this was meant for someone under the age of 6 but Todd felt the need to go for a ride.....and it was hilarious!He had a little trouble getting back out & I couldn't stop laughing
Gas station in 1962

Clearly, I've got my race face on

Our weekend ended with dinner at my parent's house. We had a great summer meal of barbecue ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans, fruit salad, and of course, wine. The weather was still nice so we were even able to eat on the back porch.

Our meal

After dinner, I opened birthday presents from my parents followed by more cake & ice cream.

My parents know me well & wrapped my presents in pink
I think Todd wants his own Coach purse
Todd & I

I would have to say this was probably the best birthday I've had. It was an awesome weekend and I was sad to see it end but am looking forward to lots of fun things planned this summer!

Birthday Weekend Recap Part 1

My weekend started with a going away party for one of Todd's coworkers at a local pub & grille on Friday night. We had been there for about a half hour when all of a sudden someone taps me on the shoulder & wishes me a happy birthday. I was really shocked because I knew that no one knew my birthday was the next day so I turn around and my friend Emily was standing there! I must have had the biggest look of surprise on my face and kept asking her if she was really here. She drove down from Cleveland just for my birthday. Her & Todd had been talking for a couple weeks about it and I had no idea. I didn't know a ton of people at the going away party but Derek & Emily were also there so it ended up being a great night especially since Emily from Cleveland knew Derek & Emily because we'd all hung out before.

Emily, Emily, and me Emily, me, and Todd

Emily stayed at Todd's apartment Friday night and we got up on Saturday (my actual birthday) to do Race for the Cure.

We met Derek & Emily beforehand and walked to the start together

The Race for the Cure in Columbus had over 50,000 racers this year and is the 3rd largest in the world! It was awesome to see all these people out for a great cause. You could see pink for miles.

Some of the racers wore pink wigs in honor of a local news anchor, Heather Pick, and Stefanie Spielman (Chris Spielman's wife), who both passed away from breast cancer

We finished the 5K in about 45 minutes. Obviously with 50,000 people the start was pretty slow and we didn't run the whole thing. We walked the first half mile, ran a half mile, walked the second mile, and ran the last mile. We were going at a pretty slow pace while running, around 10 min/mi but my leg felt great!

Em & I ran into Tracy at the end of the race, one of our running buddies Todd & I afterwards

The 5 of us headed to brunch at Tasi after the race. This restaurant is in the downtown/Short North area near High Street but is off the beaten path so I feel like it's kinda a hidden gem. They make a great brunch though, I highly recommend it!

Outside Tasi

After what seemed like a long morning since we had been up since 7:00 AM, Emily, Todd and I headed back to Todd's apartment and Emily left shortly after. I was so excited to see her and spend part of my birthday with her.

Todd & I took a quick nap before getting ready for our picnic. He had been asking me all day when I wanted to open my birthday present and I figured it was a good time before we left for the afternoon. He brought my present into the room & I knew right away I would love it.

I mean, c'mon, what girl doesn't love getting something in this little blue bag

Last year, Todd got me a ring from Tiffany's and when he was there, he saw some earrings he liked so he went back this year and got them for me. I honestly was very surprised because I didn't have a clue what he was going to get me and I think he did a great job because I love them. They're very simple which is definitely my style when it comes to jewelry.

My new earrings

We were finally off for our annual birthday picnic in the early afternoon. We really lucked out with the weather because it had rained a lot the past few days but it ended up being sunny & perfect on Saturday. We headed to the same spot as last year, the Park of Roses.

Columbus Park of Roses

Our spread: sandwiches, chips, fruit, Sangria, and chocolate cake
Since it was so hot outside, the icing on the cake melted & it was more like chocolate sauce

Hanging out in the park

We came back to my apartment after the picnic and apparently Todd was pretty tired because he took another nap. Yes, he took 2 naps on my birthday. It's ok though, I figured it was my half birthday present to him since our birthdays are exactly 6 months apart.

Since we had already had brunch and a late picnic lunch, we didn't end up going to dinner until close to 8:00 PM. We tried a restaurant in Grandview that's only been open about a year that I'd been wanting to go to called Third & Hollywood.

Todd & I before dinner

We sat outside on the patio since it was a great night out. We started with an appetizer of guacamole & pimento dip with tortilla chips. I wasn't a huge fan of the pimento dip but the guac was excellent.

Our appetizer

I was so excited for our main dishes that I completely forgot to take a picture. Todd got the seafood special which was grilled char (similar to salmon) with mashed potatoes. I got the avocado & chicken caesar salad but they were out of chicken (I know, how does a restaurant run out of chicken?) so I substituted with the grilled char. We also ordered a side of garlic herb rolls that were to die for. All in all, it was a great meal with great company and capped off a wonderful 27th birthday.

The front of Third & Hollywood & our table we sat at

Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2 of my birthday weeekend!

Weekly Recap: May 10-16

I felt like I had a strong week of workouts and have been noticing that I've been sore a lot more after lifting. I think part of it is because I'm doing more circuits, which means more reps and less rest between sets. I also ran on Saturday! Well, I guess you could call it a slow jog. I actually did wear my garmin just because I knew I'd be curious about my pace during the Race for the Cure. We walked the first half mile or so just because it was so crowded but then ran about a half mile. My leg felt good after that half mile. We walked the second mile and then ran the last 1.1 mile to the finish. Our pace was right around 10:00 min/mi which I was totally fine with. The good news, my leg didn't hurt! The bad news, I told myself I'd wait to start running until June 1 so these next couple weeks are going to be torture since I know my leg doesn't hurt.

Monday: 40 min elliptical, 15 min stepmill (intervals with 2 min @ 70-75 steps/min & 1 min @ 90-95 steps/min)

Tuesday: 30 min elliptical; total body circuit including running 2 floors of stairs x 10

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: 45 min elliptical; lifted legs & core

Friday: 45 min spinning

Saturday: Columbus Race for the Cure 5K; I ran about half of it and walked about half of it

Sunday: taught 20 min core & taught 50 min spinning

Weekend Plans

Well, another work week in the books! I feel like this year is just flying by and I can't believe we're already halfway through May. I started my weekend a little early today. I headed out of the office around 1:00 pm to meet my Mom for lunch and then ran a bunch of errands afterwards. The nice thing about working those crazy early or late hours is that we can save any hours over our normal 40 hour work week and use those hours whenever we want since we don't get paid overtime.

I have yet another busy weekend ahead of me but I actually don't know all the plans because tomorrow is my 27th (!) birthday and Todd has some plans I don't know about yet. Tonight, we're heading to Digger and Finch Grille & Pub for a going away party for one of Todd's friends & coworker.

Tomorrow morning, Todd & I have to get up bright and early to head downtown for the Race for the Cure 5K. I signed us up for my work's team which meant an extra pink t-shirt (my favorite color!), a place to park, and a free breakfast. It was weird picking up my bib number the other day and seeing that my age on it was 27 and not 26. I'm pretty excited to do this race because, surprisingly, I have actually never done this race. Last year, there were over 45,000 people who either walked or ran it. Since I haven't run really in the past couple months, there's no way I'd go out and actually run the whole 5K because that would be dumb. My leg is feeling 100% and even though I'm not really planning on starting to run again until June 1, I think I'm gonna try to walk/run this 5K. I have a feeling I'm gonna get bored walking 3 mi and would rather just get it over with. Luckily with so many people doing the race, my pace will be slow, which is good since I haven't been running.

Race for the Cure Shirts & Bib Number

After the race, Todd & I are going to shower up and then go on our annual birthday picnic....and by annual I mean we did it last year and decided to do it again this year. The rest of the day is up to Todd so I'll have to let you guys know next week what we ended up doing!

Sunday will be spent teaching my core & spinning class, hanging out, and then Todd & I are heading to my parent's for BBQ ribs on the grill and birthday cake, which will be followed by working at 4:00 AM on Monday morning....ugh.

Sangria Tasting

Last night, Todd & I went to Barcelona Restaurant in German Village for a sangria tasting. For those of you who don't know, sangria originated in Spain and is a fruit-based wine "punch." It is typically made with red wine, fresh fruit, and some sort of bubbly water or citrus-flavored soda. If you remember from a few weeks ago, I mentioned Barcelona was one of my favorite patios in Columbus. Unfortunately, the sangria tasting was held inside the restaurant but at least our table was facing right towards the full length windows to the patio so we had a great view.

There was a limited number of reservations for the tasting so it was a nice group of around 30 people. We were sitting at a table with 7 other people and met a few very interesting people, including one man who had worked in the Virgin Islands a few years ago and had plenty of stories to share.

Throughout the tasting, we tried 3 different sangrias (full glasses too!) paired with light tapas. After they served each glass, the manager of the restaurant explained how they made the sangria and talked about the ingredients.

Our evening started with a glass of their red sangria along with cheese & crackers. I typically like white wine and white sangria, but this was my favorite of the evening.

Red sangria with cheese & crackers Next, we tried the white sangria with chorizo & peppers

Our last glass was the peach sangria with a mini flatbread pizza that had caramelized onions, spinach, and cheese. The sangria was very light and they actually make it with peach soup from their restaurant menu.

Peach sangria with my favorite tapas of the night

At the end of the night, they gave us all the recipes so Todd & I decided we’re going to try to make our own sangria this summer!

A very happy couple after tasting some delicious sangria