BK Half Training- 2 weeks to go!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: NTC- Sweat + Shape

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

I brought my gym clothes to work all week with every intention of going to the gym, but I could not make myself. Even getting excited about wearing my new Nike gear didn't even motivate me to go. Sometimes you just need a break and this week definitely was needed.

Remember, when I was super excited about the NTC app? My initial reaction was: interval training? AWESOME! I can do anything for a minute. 

No. No, I cannot do anything for a minute. 

That app is no joke, people. 

Talk about a serious case of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, for those not in the know). Let me just tell you, that's an understatement. I did the 30 minute workout on Thursday. I felt fine Friday, almost like I didn't even work out at all. Then Friday night hit. I was so sore, turning over in bed was painful. 

Moral of the story: Do not underestimate the Nike Training App.

I really wanted to do a short long run, so I could recover faster, but that wasn't in the cards for me this weekend. I had a lot of errands since I was out of town last weekend- so my "recovery" was a day of shopping throughout the city. If you've ever spent a day shopping around the city, you know that's no joke either. I'm pretty sure I did a 5k walking through Bloomingdales. It's no Macy's in Herald Square (which I avoid like the plague) but it was definitely an obstacle course for sure. 

I'm also scheduled for a massage today, which is very much needed. I'm hoping to flush out all the GSC/ NYC Half/ Nike Women's races so my muscles can start fresh for the Brooklyn Half in a couple of weeks. 

Celebrating Earth Day with Bears

Happy Earth Day! 

We are really big fans of going to see the new Disney Nature film that comes out to celebrate. This year did not disappoint! Bears was a super adorable story about Momma Bear, Sky and her 2 baby cubs. John C. Reilly narrates and it's great. If you went opening weekend, proceeds are given to a film related charity so it's a win win!

Last week, I also happened to stumble upon a Q&A at the Apple store with filmmakers Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey and DisneyNature ambassador, Dr. Jane Goodall. It was a great experience and fun to get more insight as to how the film was made. If you want to see that panel, Apple will be posting it to their website, where they have tons of sessions like it from all kinds of Apple stores all over the world. How cool is that?

During the panel (as well as a trailer before the film) they gave a sneak peek to the next Disney Nature film, Monkey Kingdom. It was described as the real life Jungle Book, where monkeys rule. It sounds like it's going to be quite the comedy. Can't wait for next year!

Are you a fan of DisneyNature? 
Do you do anything special for Earth Day?

The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging to talk about something that I'm geeking out about. No, I wasn't asked to write about this, I'm just that excited about it.

 

I read a news article about The Fabergé Eggs yesterday, and then kind of forgot about it. Then, I went to Columbus Circle to run in the park last night, and discovered about 10 of the over 260 eggs that are all over the city. I'm already a huge fan of the artistic sculptures that cities will randomly do (my favorite to date are the New Orleans Bead Dogs they did a couple of years ago), but put an interactive aspect to it, and I'm sold! 

Enter The Big Egg Hunt app- You can collect eggs with the QR codes, see the latest news and even view a map to let you know if you're close to any eggs you haven't cracked yet. There is even a leader board letting you know how other many eggs the top collectors have. The campaign started yesterday and by the time I downloaded the app and got involved, some people had already found 80+ eggs. That's impressive. There are also a few different sweepstakes/ contests going on that you can win prizes for which definitely ups the stakes.

When you collect the egg, you can also read the description of the piece and find out more about the artist. This really made me do a double take at a few eggs and appreciate some more than the ones I was initially attracted to.

Then, there is merchandise. I've never in my life wanted to own a Fabergé egg- until now! I've scoped out a few of the ostrich sized replicas I'd put on my mantel. . . whenever I have one ;)

The hunt will go on until the 17th, then they will move them to Rockefeller Center. They will be on display there until the 28th and auctioned off for charity. The charities are Studio in a School and The Elephant Family- saving the arts and animals, what could be better?! 

So, now you know what I'll be doing next weekend and probably my lunch all week.

Kudos, Fabergé and all of your sponsors!

Influenster J'Adore VoxBox Review!

I'm really excited to share my thoughts on the J'adore VoxBox, thanks to Influenster today. I was provided the box for free to test out the products and share my thoughts (if I so chose to). If you'd like to be involved, check out more details here.

Red Rose Simply Indulgent Teas
For generations, members of the Red Rose Family have shared life’s special moments over the perfect cup of tea. Now, Red Rose ensures the tradition continues with a range of full-bodied and decadent black tea blends, perfect for any occasion. All the indulgence, none of the calories

This was the most delicious desert like teas I've ever tasted. I received the Creme Caramel and decaffeinated Lemon Chiffon. I've been really big on having afternoon tea and these are perfect to add into the rotation! I will mention the Caramel smelled a lot sweeter than it tasted, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. I also wasn't expecting to fall in love with the Lemon Chiffon (my new favorite!) either!

Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes 
Made with a revolutionary technology that creates tapered ends, KISS Looks So Natural lashes blend seamlessly with natural lashes. Significantly lighter in weight than traditional lashes, the wearer can barely feel them on; 97% of women who wore these lashes felt the difference! These feathery, soft lashes are available in various styles, from natural to dramatic looks.

It's been a very long time since I tried to put lashes on. I used to be extremely good at it, too- but apparently time was not on my side. I tried putting these babies on for a fun night out last week, got too frustrated and gave up. For the few minutes they were on my lashes, I really liked how natural they looked. A trick I've learned is to cut them in half and only used the outer part as an accent. They would be great to wear every now and then for special occasions (just make sure you have the time and patience for applying!)

John Frieda Frizz Ease 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray

Revolutionary heat-activated formula wraps each strand to seal in longer-lasting straightness for up to 3 days* without weighing hair down. Formula, infused with Keratin, protects against heat damage and blocks frizz making hair glossy, smooth, and swinging with body.

My hair is naturally pretty straight, so I wasn't really sure if this was going to make a difference. When I do wear it straight, a once over with the straighten is usually good enough for me. I've heard good things about straightening products that have Keratin in them, and this one does. When I used it, I definitely noticed a difference. I wash my hair every other day, so I don't know about the 3 day promise, but it did work. I would suggest going with less sprays- I have really long hair and the first time I tried it, I used the higher of the suggested amount and it was too much. 

Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask

Treat your skin to deep cleansing with this mineral-rich clay mask. Designed for use on normal skin, the unscented, hypo-allergenic formula absorbs excess oil and deeply cleanses skin. The oceanic clay exhibits a negative electrical charge, which helps to draw out impurities without overdrying, skin is left looking clearer whilst feeling softer and smoother. Willowbark, a key ingredient in the Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask, is nature’s champion clarifier. The bark of the willow tree is a natural source of salicylic acid which helps to refine skin texture and actively target imperfections.

Using a mask is usually inconvenient for me, but I need to start using them more often. It was definitely much needed and I love that it's natural ingredients.

Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate

The right words don’t always come easily. And sometimes it’s impossible to say what you really mean. But give someone HERSHEY’S® KISSES® Chocolates and you’ll instantly say it all.

The Family size bag that came in the influenster box was amazing. We still had a half of a bag of our own Kisses in the apartment, so these guys came to work with me. They were a big hit. My favorite part about Kisses are they're the perfect size for a post-meal sweet. I'm not usually a big chocolate person, but if it's around, it won't last long. Having a kiss after a meal is the perfect amount of sweet without all the guilt! 

Thanks again, Influenster and all the participating products!

Cook&Go Culinary Studio

I was really excited when I got the invitation to attend Cook&Go because it would force me into learning something new to cook. The menu in my apartment is in desperate need of a refresh, the healthier the better. It's easy for us to fall back on what we know how to make and what's quick. Full disclosure: I am not usually the cook (more like the sous-chef), but I try! I figured attending would be a perfect way to expand our menu and have some fun while doing it.

A little bit about Cook&Go Culinary Studio: After several years of expansion in France, the NYC location (443 W 16th St between 9th and 10th ave) is the very first Cook&Go Culinary Studio in the United States. They offer workshops for anyone who is looking to improve their cooking skills, or who just wants to learn a new set of dishes (and eat them!) You’ll be cooking up individual dishes on the spot and be given the recipes to make the meals at home. At Cook and Go, you make the entire meal, not just a part of it.

Bonus? Everything on the menu for the night sounded delicious and I'd have a chance to make it myself!

Our menu was:

• Chickpea Burgers and Tahini Sauce
• Spinach, apple, carrot, ginger smoothie
• Raspberry filled shortbread sandwich

Like any awesome meal, we started with desert- making it that is. This is about the point when I realized I was way out of my league. I was a little overwhelmed at how fast it was going and wanted my dishes to be perfect. Once I let go of the fact I was not going to be the next Top Chef within 90 minutes, I started to enjoy myself. Our teacher was awesome, she made it an extremely laid back environment all while being extra informative. The company was great as well, but when is it not when bloggers are involved?! 

We moved on to the chickpea burger, who knew they were so easy to make?! It's definitely going to be added to the menu at my apartment! But even better than the chickpea burger was the Tahini sauce. None of us could get over how delicious it was! The list of ingredients for everything we made was so short, it's almost embarrassing that I hadn't thought to make it before. 

Next on the list was the smoothie, which was what I was looking forward to making most. I've been wanting to get a blender specifically for green juices for awhile and I think this was the push I needed. I don't know why I thought it was so complicated. I've been hesitant about making it because I'm not a fan of chunky or pulp, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. We used an immersion blender to make the juice; which I found out is usually used for soups, not so much chopping fruits and vegetables into smooth green juices. Honestly, I didn't mind the pulp as much as I thought I would. I'm pretty sure I need to get a regular blender now. 

Proof I did it!

The final products!

If this was a normal class, we would've packed up our dinner and left (hence, Cook&GO). When the weather's nice, most people take their dinner and eat it on the Highline, which is only a block away. I'd probably want to eat it ASAP instead of waiting to get back to Brooklyn, but that's only because I spend the last hour and a half drooling over the food. Since this was a private event, we got to eat there and I just couldn't believe how delicious it was. 

Brittany, Kimberly, Bridgitt, Our Awesome Teacher!, Carly, Me and Amanda!

This event was really great and I appreciate being invited. I'd definitely go back; it would be perfect for a girls night out or a date night. If you're interested in attending a class, which I highly recommend, use code BLOG14 for a 15% off. You can set up an account and every time you go, your recipes will be there.

Have you ever gone to a cooking class before?

I was invited to this event and enjoyed it so much, I wanted to share my experience with yall. I was not compensated or required to write about my experience. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Spectating the WDW Marathon 2014

Don't let anyone lie to you. Spectating a race, is hard work! Whether you're following one runner along on their journey, or trying to catch as many of your friends as possible, it takes serious work- mentally and physically!

My original plan was to try to catch everyone in Magic Kingdom. I've always said if I were to ever be a spectator, I'd want to spectate there. BUT I know how much it means to have support later in the race, so I decided Hollywood Studios (mile 23ish) would be a good place to spectate with the best possibility of seeing everyone. I was trying to spectate about 6 different runners, all at different paces and I was worried I would miss people if I tried to move around. Plus, this way I'd finally get to "sleep in" and planned to get to there as soon as it opened at 9am.

In case you're ever in a spectating situation for any morning half/ full marathon, it's important to know that all transportation stops between the hours of 5AM and 7AM. So, in order to see your runner at Magic Kingdom/ TTC/ Polynesian/ early in the race, you pretty much need to wake up and go to the start with them. I've also heard that the monorails are extremely packed with other spectators, so you need to account for that travel time as well. 

First things first, breakfast of spectating champions: Coffee and King Cake. Thank you, nolarunner! MacKenzie's is and always will be my favorite King Cake (even if the official bakery isn't around anymore) and it was as delicious as I remember!

Soon after I boarded Disney transportation to Hollywood Studios, my text alert told me that Sarah was already at mile 20! Geez, speedy! Slow down. This is a Disney race. Seeing as the park had just opened, I didn't think I had enough time to fight with the security bag check and get into the park to see her. So, I hopped off the bus and stayed outside of The Studios.

As I waited, I made friends with some other spectators who had already spectated their friend twice that morning (TTC and Polynesian) and after this stop were going to Epcot for the finish- Kudos to them! My running around that day consisted within the smaller park on property and I was still exhausted. 

Within a few minutes, Snow White came running down and I was screaming and jumping! The entire area I was in asked what her name was and joined in the cheering. It was a great moment and I was so excited I got to see her. She looked awesome and I hoped we were a good pick up for the last couple of miles. PS- That was her 2nd fastest marathon ever- even AFTER the Half marathon, 10k and 5k the days before. That's insane and I am so proud of her!

Sarah kicking some serious marathon butt!

After that excitement, I knew I had some time, so went into the parks to see what characters were out. Normally Donald, Daisy and Stitch meet and greet outside of the hat, but since that's right where the race was going, they moved to the Animation courtyard.

Score for getting Daisy and Donald in their Hollywood attire WITH NO LINE! 

Stitch says he'd rather sleep than get up and run. 

After that, I got the notification that Fred was on his way, so I went over to the Street of America to catch him. That ended up being my to-go place to see everyone. I even made friends with the cast member who was directing the day guests around the course. Tip: This is a GREAT area to spectate. No crowds of spectators, or even day guests. It was awesome! Super emotional for me, too (when isn't a race emotional for me?!). A continuous loop of New York, New York? Reminded me of the start line of NYCM. 

Fred flying in!

The text message alert system was extremely helpful all day and pretty accurate. Sadly, the only glitch was it didn't send me Karen's mile 20 update, and I missed her, but she seemed to have a great race- riding Everest twice and picking up a funnel cake to give to the runDisney announcers! My friends are pretty Dopey ;)

I must say, the crosswalk system Disney had in place for The Studios was brilliant! Since I'm usually running, I've never noticed it- just the crowd of people either cheering as they wait or giving us death stares. Cast members direct runners to one side of the road while other cast members "unload" and "load" guests into a holding area in the middle of the road. Once the area is loaded with guests and there is a break in runners, they start directing runners to the other side of the road. The guests are unloaded to the other side and then repeat. I never waited more than a few minutes to cross- and I was crossing throughout the day. 

Originally, I thought I would ride rides and play in the park as I waited for people, but I was too excited and just continued to cheer for runners. It's not every day you're in Disneyworld and a marathon is running through it. Note to self: Next time, make a sign and have a cowbell! 

I saw this runner at the half marathon finish line the day before and originally thought it was fake. Nope. This is a real Tuba and he ran the half marathon AND the full with it. WOW!! 

This Dopey runner stopped to pin trade. No lie. What other marathon in the world can you see all this shenanigans?! It. Was. Awesome! 

Next up was Mrs. Jeannine, who was in great spirits! She was on track to finish pretty much over an hour before we did last year. The cooler weather was definitely making it a better race (I was down right COLD! Extremely thankful I had a jacket, but wished I had a long sleeved shirt under it) and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tad jealous. But don't worry, not enough to attempt to run it again, ha! 

Soon after, Pam got there and I followed her along the course to the finish. She was struggling a little from having a blister pop earlier in the race. Ouch! So, I talked to her and tried to distract her from the pain. I followed her around the course to Epcot, and then to the finish line. By the time I got around to the family meeting point, she was just getting there as well. I made sure she was good and got her onto a bus back to her resort. 

Couldn't resist this photo op! 

I made a stop in the merchandise tent for a quick survey. They had stuff available for all the races- Half, Full, Goofy and Dopey. They even had Sweaty Bands left! This also peeved me, but glad to know that Disney is on top of that issue as well (fingers crossed, anyway!) Tip: Every WDW race I've run, has had a merch tent at the race and they have had stuff I didn't see at the expo. If you're looking for something in particular, always check there.

The original plan was to go back and play in Epcot, but there wasn't enough time. I only had time for some popcorn and people watched then it was time to say good-bye. It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I got to experience it with all my Dopey friends! 

Volunteering for the WDW Half Marathon 2014

As soon as I decided I was going to run the inaugural WDW 10k, I knew I wanted to volunteer for the half marathon. I wasn't really interested in running an UNofficial 19.3, but didn't know if I could justify another trip to Disney for just a 10k. I would be back to run the Princess Half the next month (which is pretty much the same exact course and the 19.3 is the official Glass Slipper Challenge), so why not have a new experience and give back to the runDisney/ running community? So, that settled it.

I did a little research about volunteering at runDisney and waited for sign up to open. From what I found, if you think runDisney races fill up fast, try signing up for a volunteer slot! Word on the street was registration would open about 5 months out. I was sitting in the airport waiting for my delayed flight home from The Tower of Terror weekend, when I saw signup opened and I was on it! My main goal was to try to get medal distribution, but that wasn't available so I signed up for Finish line runner direction- it was close enough to the action for me! 

This year the volunteer headquarters was at the Blizzard Beach parking lot. I was hoping that was a typo and it was still at Downtown Disney, that way I could walk there from our hotel. No such luck. So, I scheduled a cab to pick me up for 4:30AM. From Saratoga Springs Resort, it was only $15.

I checked in, got my awesome orange volunteer jacket and a ziploc bag of snacks. (Tip: They give you a bigger bag when you pick up your credentials: bring it. This would've come in handy. Normally the volunteers use the pouch that the previous year's half zips come in, but this year it was a full zip jacket. Another veteran volunteer showed me that the pocket cut outs could be used as snack storage as well. I looked like the Michelin man all day, but crisis averted.) Then we boarded the bus to shuttle us to the finish line. We sat there for about 45 minutes- we had to wait for the race to start so the roads would be clear. I accidentally fell asleep on the ride over (It was dark and warm and 5AM- what do you want from me?!) but woke up when the bus stopped a couple of times- apparently the state troopers weren't given the memo the volunteer buses were allowed to go through. 

Once we got to the finish line area, I followed a group of volunteers and we went in the wrong direction. We missed the first part of the responsibilities speech (like, keep the runners moving, don't take pictures for them. opps) but I guess we figured it out. Biggest word of advice: if a runner is bent over, do NOT stick your head under there to see if they're ok :) If we saw someone limping or had bloody nipples (which was way more often than I thought), we would point them in the direction of the medical tent. Of course, if we saw someone in real trouble, we'd just call for medical but they were always close by. The medical volunteers were really good about spotting the runners who needed help and would escort them over to the med tent. Luckily, we had good weather, so we didn't see too many runners needing serious attention (at least not where I was). 

I'd say my main job was to answer where the Dopey/ Goofy tent was. There were a couple of volunteers who had the "medical on the right, water and Powerade straight ahead" spiel down, so I did a lot of smiling and congratulating. We were standing along the barracades where finishers could see their family, so we had a lot of people stop to say hello/ have a quick photo taken, which we could allow, but they had to keep moving. We took finisher photos for runners, but then stopped because it started to get crowded.

The only issue I saw was in the beginning of our shift. 2 runners ran up to us from the other side of the barricades demanding we give them a medal because they missed the start of the race. Because WE, the finish area runner direction volunteers, didn't clearly tell them about how transportation worked, it was all our fault. If they flew home without a medal, their husbands were going to divorce them. YIKES! Granted, I don't know the whole story and I also don't know what ended up happening, but I can't imagine the feeling of not getting to the start line of your race. I hope everything worked out.

Ready for the runners!

The Team Leads were super nice and you could tell they really enjoyed their jobs. They made a point to tell us to hydrate and move around. They checked on us throughout the day. The medical lead even came around and brought us more water. There were a couple of times I started getting dizzy from watching the runners come in, and I had to stop trying to focus on them. I was very grateful for the trail mix I had stashed in my pocket as well. It really helped when I started to feel lightheaded. I wish I would've walked around more, but I didn't know where to walk to!

Every time I saw a friend finish, I would use that time to walk them down the finisher's chute as my time to move around. It was working really well! I only missed a couple of people's finish. But walking back upstream through a wall of sweaty/ tired runners was challenging!

 Fred made it!

As did Karen!

(everyone else did as well, I just didn't get photos)

When it started to get towards the end, I walked closer to the finish line to cheer on the last bunch of runners. I got pretty emotional at how ridiculously inspiring and overwhelming it was. I totally cried when Katy Perry's Roar came on (it was the song I finished the NYCM to) and when the massive group of TNT coaches ran the last finisher in. 

Fun fact: The Balloon Ladies are NOT the last to cross the finish line. They crossed the finish about 10-15 minutes before the official last finisher. This was very surprising to me, from all I've heard about being swept during the runDisney races. (I also saw them in Epcot during the full and there were TONS of people behind them. I guess as long as you're in front of them before the last sweeper spot, you're ok) 

Once the last finisher crossed, we headed to the buses to go back to Blizzard Beach to check out. They punched out credentials and handed us a park ticket- that will come in handy for GSC!

Luckily I made a friend with one of the volunteers who was sweet enough to give me a ride back to my hotel, otherwise I had no idea how I was going to get out of the Blizzard Beach parking lot! I understand that most volunteers are local, but making it a tad easier for those of us who want to help on our vacation would've been nice. Again, at least at the old Downtown Disney meetup, you had guest buses. I heard there was lots of problems with Blizzard Beach's parking lot not having enough parking space, so maybe next year it'll go back to how it was.

It was a great experience and I would highly suggest giving back to the running community if you ever get the chance- runDisney or local. 

"Christmas Time" at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Seasons Greetings, everyone! 

Hope you're having a magical day and if you're celebrating, 
I hope Santa brought you everything you wanted. 

In mid-November, my family and I got to visit Walt Disneyworld during the "holidays". Yes, I know it was a tad too early to be celebrating, but I didn't care. This was going to be our family Christmas since I wouldn't be going home for the holidays this year. Plus, I was excited to be visiting the parks without the holiday crowds of people. On our last day there, we visited my old stomping grounds- Animal Kingdom. It was my first time getting to see it holiday style!

Seeing the Jingle Jungle parade was on my must-do list. Granted, I've never seen The Jammin' Jungle parade but I absolutely LOVE the soundtrack. Everything I read about it said it's just the regular parade with decorations. After seeing it, I don't believe that at all- the music is completely different! Yes, it's the same floats with decoration, but definitely worth it to see all the details (like the stockings on Goofy's float, pictured above) It's definitely a really cute parade that you should see if you ever have the chance. 

Camp Minnie Mickey was another must-do as well. I really wanted to see it one more time before they closed it forever, to make room for Avatarland. We decided to look around and take character photos while we waited for the next show of the Festival of The Lion King. Best idea ever: no lines! Each character spot had their own uniquely decorated tree.

The Minnie Tree was my favorite.

All of the characters were out in the holiday attire to greet us! I was a little sad Baloo and Louis didn't have the Christmas shirts they wore for the Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k, but that just gives me incentive to run it next year ;) Minnie and Mickey were greeting guests in Asia (which is where they will be moving all of the Camp Minnie Mickey meet and greets when they close camp, from what I understand) and we didn't get a chance to say hello. I really wanted to visit them in their holiday attire! Maybe next time. 

Of course there were multiple rides on Everest (where my parents and I graciously volunteered to take photos of everyone else on the big drop; we totally got a kick out of that!) and Dinosaur (where I tried very hard not to recite the entire pre-show and attraction script).

My mom and I paid a visit to Santa-saurus while everyone else traveled on the Primeval Whirl.

I will admit, I haven't been giving Animal Kingdom as much love as the other parks on my recent trips, but it's definitely something I plan to remedy. I was really glad I got to see all the festiveness and hope I get to go back during the holidays sometime soon!