TCS NYC Marathon Training – Week 11

UGH!!!

Another failure of a training week. I did not have as a productive training week as I would have would have liked; BUT, I did have a fabulous social week. Man, I do not remember having such difficulties balancing a social life and marathon training. Perhaps, I had less responsibility while training for my last two marathons. Since the fall semester has started, I’m going to “restart” my training plan . . . in terms of dedication . . . again.

Monday: Planned – 3 mile recovery | Actual – 3 miles

Simple recovery run, nothing much to write about.

Tuesday: Planned – Zumba | Actual – Yelp Elite Event at wagamama

I forgot that I received an invite to a Yelp Elite Event. I rarely get those; even though I RSVP every Friday (maybe I am not cool enough). I decided to skip out and check out wagamama, an U.K. Asian-fusion restaurant, in Flatiron. The event, food, staff, and restaurant were really nice. Even though wagamama has opened shop in Flatiron, with plans to expand into the E. Village, does NYC need another Asian-fusion restaurant? It seems like Asian-fusion restaurants are a dime a dozen in the city. To be perfectly honest, nothing on the menu really stood out to make me want to be like “I must eat here”. But, hey, I’m just one person with one opinion.

Some of the food pics:

Whiskey-based Tea Cocktail

Chicken Katsu with Curry Sauce – the sauce was the best part

Pad Thai Salad – Why would anyone want this as a salad?

Duck Dumplings – nothing to write about

Again the event was really nice, but I do not think that I will go out of my way to eat here. That said, I would not mind having wagamama’s cocktails . . . No surprise there 😉

Wednesday: Planned – 5 miles and Zumba | Actual – 3 miles and Zumba

Since I skipped Tuesday’s Zumba for the Yelp event, I went to my alternative Wednesday Zumba class with a quick 5-mile run on a treadmill. I ran only 3 miles, because my left knee started to feel a little funny. I have been noticing this weird feeling in that knee for treadmill runs. I think that I’m landing weird, because many of the guys’ treadmills are in great need of maintenance.

Thursday: Planned – Strength training | Actual – not a damn thing

Oh wait, I lie. Thursday was date night. The BF and I hit up Alphabet City for Ethiopian food (Haile Bistro) and ice cream (Big Gay Ice Cream Shop).

Haile Bistro

Meat and Veggie Combo

Ethiopian-style Samosas

Although I am not a huge fan of communal food sharing that typically is associated with Ethiopian food, it is perfect when dining with ONE other person. Unfortunately, I was still hungry after the meal. I guess that it is good that the food is kind of cheap at this restaurant . . . for NYC. The meat and veggie combo was around $18. Rather than ordering more food, which I really wanted to do, we decided to get some ice cream.

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

The shop is known for dipped soft-serve cones; in particular, The Salty Pimp Cone – dark chocolate with salted dulce de leche. Instead, I went for the American Glob Cone – dark chocolate with pretzels.

Friday: Planned – Strength training | Actual – losing my damn mind in Hoboken, NJ

A very old friend, her husband, and kids were visiting NYC from California. OMG, we had so much fun and partied like it was ’04-’08 (of course the kids were home with a babysitter). She was a part of the memories that I mentioned in my Summer Streets post (***). One of the common themes of that night was “Man, We are Old”. It seemed that every bar’s music was sooooo damn loud. I saw myself as the old guy yelling at the young people to turn that racket down. 😉

Saturday: – Planned – Percy Sutton 5K race | Actual – nursing my hangover

It took a little longer than I had anticipated to commute from Hoboken to home in Bed Stuy (Path Train -> F train -> J train). I arrived home at 2 AM, knowing that I would have to wake up around 6AM. The funny thing is that I woke up on time, but I told myself five more minutes of sleep. We all know what happens when you trust your body to snooze? Basically I woke up again at 8 am, so there was no way that I would make it to Harlem by 8:30 AM. Just grrrreat. Now, I probably will have to run the New Year’s Eve race.

Saturday, also marked the start of the new semester.

My Saturday and Sunday classes went well and the students seem OK. However, one my Sunday students has a bit of attitude, which will not end well for her ;). Aren’t you supposed to be on your best behavior during the first class and start with the B.S. towards the middle of the semester?

Sunday: – Planned – 15 miles | Actual – 5 miles with 1 mile of 200 m sprints

I was so disappointed with my performance on Sunday. My legs just did not have the energy for a long run, and my brain really did not give any f*cks. At 4 miles. I knew there was no way that I could run 11 more miles, and I pretty much gave up. Rather than completely giving up, I did some sprints.

During my lame attempt of a long run, I noticed that a new (well, new to me) Sweet Chick has opened on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn. This is a great place to get bougie-style chicken and waffles. Bougie-style waffles because you have the following options: Gruyere and Thyme Waffle (my favorite), Celery and Carrot Waffle, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Basil and Parmesan Waffle (my second favorite), Rosemary-Mushroom Waffle, etc.

 

I hung out with the BF on Saturday night, which probably was one of the reasons why I did not have the energy to finish my run (I’m not blaming him). My BF works in the food industry, so he often finishes work around 10:30/11PM, and it’s 11:30/12 by the time he makes back to the neighborhood. So, if we want to get a drink or something to eat then we will not get home until 1/2 AM. This schedule kind of sucks when one has to wake up at 6/7 AM the next morning to run 13+ miles. I did enjoy just ONE frose at Sunrise/Sunset (Bushwick, Brooklyn), which was very refreshing. Normally, I am not a rose fan, but I do like it in a slushie form.

 

Wow, this post ended up being way longer than I had anticipated. Plus, writing about all of this food has made me hungry.