Spartan Race Training Recap - 5/19

There are only a couple weeks left until I participate in the Reebok Spartan Sprint on June 2, 2013.  I really need to step up my training, but unfortunately my work week and the weather weren't really cooperating.  This week I took a lot of SoulCycle classes which are great for cardio and weights, but I really want to get back into running and strength training.  I see great results with running.  I'm hoping I can get more done next week.  Here is what I accomplished this week:

Monday - SoulCycle with Erin

Tuesday - SoulCycle with Chanelle and Abby

Wednesday - SoulCycle with Conor

Thursday - Run with Fitness Magazine for #FitBlogNYC

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - SoulCycle with Abby + 6.2 miles in 57:50

 

If you have any workout suggestions from blogs or YouTube, please send them to me via e-mail or the comments below.  I love trying new things!

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

Adventures with Mom: Part II

As I mentioned previously, my mom came to visit me in NYC for a long weekend.  Be sure to check out my recap of Saturday's events - my mom's first SoulCycle class, the Five Boro Bike Tour expo, the Brooklyn Bridge, and dinner at the Trailer Park Lounge - if you haven't already.

 

Sunday morning, we woke up bright and early for the Five Boro Bike Tour.  I don't remember where I first heard about this event, but I've wanted to do it for over a year and a half!  I'll do a separate post on the Five Boro Bike Tour, but here are some sneak peek photos:

 

 

Although it isn't a race, it took a lot longer to bike the 40 miles around Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island than I thought (although we took our sweet time).  We were still on Staten Island at 4pm, so it mixed up the rest of our Sunday plans.  We grabbed a ferry back to Manhattan, had dinner while getting ready in our hotel room, and then made our way to our second amazingly fun event of the day - the MasterCard Priceless Premieres concert featuring Justin Timberlake!

 

 My stepmom was kind (and lucky!) enough to get my mom and I tickets for this sold out show.  The concert took place at the Roseland Ballroom, which is a very intimate setting for a JT concert!  The venue was set up with just a bar in back and a large, open space in front of the stage which we all crowded against. 

 

 

Timbaland made an appearance as well as many other celebs that came out to enjoy the show!

As usual, Justin put on a spectacular performance featuring all of his greatest hits plus more.  In honor of one of his latest singles, he rocked a suit and tie the whole show which I loved (although his latest accessory - the wedding ring - is a dagger to my heart...)!  My fourteen year crush on him continues on.  Can you blame me?  The guy has a great voice, killer dance moves, he isn't too terrible to look at, and he can captivate a room for hours.  Someday I will cross of #54 on my bucket list - meet Justin Timberlake!

 

Post-concert, my mom and I made our way to Serendipity 3 to knock off #11 on my bucket list - try their famous frozen hot chocolate!  Serendipity is known for their desserts including their $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae.  No worries - their frozen hot chocolate is more reasonably priced at $8.95.  I've heard previously that their regular food is nothing special, and I'd have to agree.  My mom and I randomly split a broccoli and cheese omelet that was just only so-so.  The frozen hot chocolate, on the other hand, was fabulous!  I've never seen a larger dessert in my entire life (the photo doesn't do it any justice).  If you have a bucket list, I definitely recommend stopping by Serendipity 3 to taste it.

 

 

We didn't get back until about midnight.  While still fairly early, we were exhausted from the day's activities.  Check back tomorrow for my recap of Monday, my mom's final day in the city.

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

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Adventures with Mom: Part I

My mom recently came to visit me, and we had a wonderful long weekend exploring CT and NYC!  On Saturday, we kicked off her first full day in town at SoulCycle in Conor's class.  She has done cycling at her gym in Atlanta, but this was her first SoulCycle class.  It's a little different than your average cycling session...

 

For lunch, we hit up Capriccio Cafe in Stamford, CT because they have outdoor seating and the weather was gorgeous.  We shared the margherita pizza and the farfalle salmone (bow tie pasta with salmon).  It's my go-to meal whenever I eat there.  So good!

 

After briefly showing her around Stamford, we headed back into the city to hit up the expo for the TD Five Boro Bike Tour before it closed at 7pm.  The expo was put together nicely and run really well.  Although we checked out all the booths, we didn't spend much time there since we aren't serious cyclists.  We did do what we do best though - take advantage of all the random photo ops:

 

 

 

 

Because we were in Lower Manhattan, we decided to make our way to the Brooklyn Bridge.  I walked the Brooklyn Bridge solo a few weeks ago, and it easily made its way to the top of my list of Coolest Things I've Done in NYC.  It's free, it's chill, and it has beautiful views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty. 

 

After that adventure, we hit up the Trailer Park Lounge.  I forget where I first read about it (probably on a blog somewhere), but it was #145 on my bucket list.  While the food isn't anything special (We split nachos, a Sloppy Joe with tater tots, and Moon Pies for dessert.), it's definitely a fun atmosphere.  The walls are covered in old, colorful junk, and there is a full sized trailer parked in the middle.  I really enjoy over-the-top, cheesy places like that.

 

 

We made our way back to TriBeCa post-dinner to rest up for Sunday's Five Boro Bike Tour.  I'll be doing a separate post on that soon, but tomorrow I'll be recapping the rest of Sunday's activities.

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

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Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

 

It finally happened.  After months of anticipation (especially after they postponed the release date from December to May), I finally got to experience The Great Gatsby!  On Sunday, I planned a little movie date with my friends from work.  It was tough avoiding reviews on Friday and Saturday.  While movie critics seemed to love it, I was reading a lot of negative feedback on Facebook and blogs.  I didn't want them to influence my own opinion of the film.

 

I ended up really enjoying the movie!  I keep telling everyone that I think it's beautiful and fantastic.  Below are the main things that caught my attention: 

 

Photo from here.

The Director:  If you don't like Australian director Baz Luhrmann's style then you won't enjoy this movie.  I loved Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, so I was really looking forward to experiencing Luhrmann's interpretation of The Great Gatsby.  He's a very bold director though, so I can see how he might not be every one's cup of tea.

 

The Film: One comment I didn't ignore was people's thoughts on 2D vs. 3D.  I read really negative posts about the 3D version being over-the-top and cartoonish.  Because of that, I made sure I saw the 2D version (and I'm glad I did!).  The film is already very colorful, artsy, and has a lot going on especially during the NYC and party scenes - I can see how watching it in 3D could be a little overwhelming.

 

The Music:  I read a Facebook post about how the music completely ruined the film, but I have to disagree.  I thought it was wonderful!  I'm absolutely obsessed with the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, so I had high hopes for The Great Gatsby's music.  I love how Luhrmann takes classics songs from Elton John and Queen and sets them to a story that takes place in 1900 for Moulin Rouge!.  For Gatsby, he took a little Beyonce and Kanye and made it work in a 1920's setting.  When "Crazy in Love Kid" started playing during the movie, I couldn't help but smile.

 

Photo from here.

The Cast:  Leo made a perfect Jay Gatsby in my opinion.  I thought it was cute that his real life bestie, Toby Maguire, played Nick Carraway.  Carey Mulligan was lovely as Daisy - it was easy to both adore and despise her character.  My only complaint is that Isla Fisher (LOVED her since Wedding Crashers) is in the movie for all but about 10 seconds and 5 of those seconds she is playing a dead body!  (No, I didn't ruin the movie for you if you paid any sort of attention in high school English class...)

 

The Story:  Speaking of English class, I thought the movie did a good job of sticking true to the original story.  A lot of the script seemed to come straight from the pages of the book.  As with Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, it's hard to take such a classic tale and spin it in a modern way without people complaining about it.  I bet it's also difficult to keep people interested in a movie when they already know the ending.  Luhrmann did a good job completing both tasks.

 

Photo from here.

The Fashion:  The 1920's fashion and accessories might have been my favorite part of the whole movie.  Obviously, I'm already a sucker for guys in great suits, so this movie was my heaven.  The ladies looked just as stunning in their lace and beaded outfits.  Daisy's flowy, feminine dresses were my favorite, but her Tiffany jewelry definitely stole the show.  The first shot of Daisy includes just her left hand and her enormous engagement ring.  It's so beautiful!  Her diamond and pearl headpiece she rocks at one of Gatby's parties might be my second favorite favorite piece of jewelry (It can be yours for only $200,000!).  I saw both pieces at Tiffany on 5th Avenue, and they are breathtakingly gorgeous in person!

 

While The Great Gatsby doesn't break my Top 5 Favorite Movies List, I still really enjoyed the film.  Luhrmann and the cast did a wonderful job of representing the Jazz Age Era and F. Scott Fitzgerald's tragic tale.  Plus, the soundtrack is amazing.  I've been jamming out to it as I type this...

 

If you saw the movie this weekend let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

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Restaurant Review: New Haven's BAR

Right before New Year's Eve, Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie and I grabbed lunch at BAR in New Haven, CT.  Our lunch date took place hours before my dad ended up in the hospital, so I never got around to blogging about it.  But, BAR is definitely blog-worthy!

 

BAR, famous for its brick oven pizza and micro brewed beer, is located on Crown Street in a beautiful wood and brick building.  It includes multiple rooms with different atmospheres including a room with a dance floor, but Erin and I just ate lunch in the main "Bru Room". 

For starters, Erin and I split the BAR salad.  It was topped with pears, caramelized pecans, blue cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.  It was really delicious and huge - a family of four could easily split it!

 

 

For our main course, we ordered the famous mashed potato pizza!  It was the food item I was most looking forward to eating because I had heard so many great things about it, and it did not disappoint.  I'm pretty sure you can add other topping such as more cheese and bacon, but we just ate it plain.  With the garlic potatoes, the pizza doesn't really need much else.  Like the salad, the pizza was huge especially for only two people.  Don't let the thin crust fool you, the pizza is very filling!  While I recommend ordering it if you make your way to BAR, I suggest splitting it with at least four people or plan to take home leftovers.

I've heard of Chicago and New York's battle to claim Best Pizza, but until I moved to CT, I wasn't aware that CT was trying to claim that title as well.  There are supposedly many delicious pizza joints located in Northern CT, and BAR is known as one of the best (mostly for it's pizza crust and mashed potato toppings).

 

 

I'd love to return to BAR for some more pizza and beer sometime soon.  A day of hiking Sleeping Giant in Hamden, CT followed by a meal at BAR sounds like the perfect summer day!  I might just have to get on that.  Who's with me?!

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

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My Current Fitness Challenge - Become A Spartan

Photo from here.

My next race will be the Reebok Spartan Race on June 2nd in New York!  The Spartan Race is a timed obstacle course event with four different levels of TOUGH - the Spartan Sprint, Super Spartan (8+ miles, 20+ obstacles), Spartan Beast (12+ miles, 25+ obstacles), and the Death Race (unknown).  I will be participating in the Reebok Spartan Sprint, a 3+ mile course filled with over 15 obstacles.  You know, starting "easy" and working my way up ;o)

 

Photo from here.

Reebok, the event's sponsor, wants to empower people to get off the couch, get active, and be fit for life!  Reebok partnered with the Spartan Race series in January 2013 as a way to promote this lifestyle.  Participants will be challenged mentally and physically as they make their way through the course.  Along the way to becoming a Spartan, runners will face obstacles such as fire, mud, barbed wire, multiple climbing walls, a spear throw, and my person favorite - the gladiator arena.  I'm down.  Are you?!

 

Photo from here.

While I have completed two obstacle races before, they do not compare to the Reebok Spartan Race.  The races I did previously were more of fun "mud runs" with obstacles.  They weren't even timed.  This makes me both nervous and excited for this upcoming challenge!  To train, I'm continuing cardio sessions of SoulCycle classes mixed with runs (2-6 miles) and adding more strength training.  In addition, I will be working on my burpees - the dreaded punishment if you don't complete any of the obstacles.  On Sundays, I will post recaps of my training from the previous week. 

 

Interested in testing your own strength, endurance and resilience?  Sign up for a race at the Reebok or Spartan Race websites.  With 71 events happening worldwide in 2013 alone, there is bound to be a race near you!  With a little training and the right mind set, we can all be Spartans!

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

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I'm Back!

I made this collage as I was leaving NYC yesterday - I love this city!

It has been a hot minute since my last post, but so much has been going on!  I've spent the last 5 days playing tour guide around NYC while my mom was visiting.  We had an amazing time, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.  In addition, many exciting things are happening with my blog, so I'm just trying to keep up!  I have a bunch of neat posts planned for the next few days:

 

Multiple restaurant reviews

Recap of the 5 Boro Bike Tour

Recap of Mastercard's Priceless Premieres concert featuring Justin Timberlake

Multiple items crossed off my bucket list

Announcement of my next race!

Photos from the Met Gala red carpet

Multiple posts related to The Great Gatsby...I'm beyond excited for the movie this weekend!

 

On Thursday and Friday, I will be heading back into the city to check out some of Reebok's latest products and gear.  I can't wait to report back!  I know this post is somewhat of a tease - I just wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about my blog and that I have a bunch of exciting things to post about in the near future.  Check back tomorrow for the announcement of my next race/my training plan!

 

Stay fit and fabulous,

 

A

 

Please follow me on Twitter and "like" my blog on Facebook if you enjoy what you read.  Thanks!