Welcome to Healthy Life Happy Wife! My name is Alex and I am a 27 year old trying to live a healthy life (with the occassional glass of scotch) in Brooklyn, New York with my husband, BLC & my puppy, Freckles. Thanks for reading :)
Week in Review and End of the Year Goal
20 Jun
Monday June 11
Ran 3 miles in 33 minutes with BLC over the Williamsburg Bridge.
Tuesday June 12
Crunches, 3×1 min planks, push-ups
Wednesday June 13
Ran 3 miles in 33 minutes with BLC over the Williamsburg Bridge (notice a trend here?)
Thursday June 14
Speedwork on the treadmill. Did not go as planned. Started off way too fast, ended way too slow. I think I overestimated my speed because of last week…oops. 5 miles in 52 minutes in the books.
Also of note, I tried the Apple Turnover Über Larabar before my run.
I was a big fan. Very different from the original Larabars – much more chunky & sweet. Really good, though. I will definitely be trying the other flavors.
On Thursday night, I was in Philly for a close friend of my brother’s memorial service. So sad. 21 year old kid…if you couldn’t guess, it had to do with drugs. The service was very emotional because I had known him when he was quite a bit younger & he was always the sweetest, most caring kid. But he was also very impressionable & always wanted people to like him.
What I took away from the service was:
1. Don’t take for granted the moments you have with the ones you love. You never know what tomorrow will bring.
2. If you have a family member or friend that you are even somewhat concerned about, don’t ignore it. While they may not listen to you (they probably won’t), the more help that is offered to them, the easier it may be to change their lives.
<3 r.i.p. L.A.
Friday June 15
Needless to say, Friday I was a bit down. I worked at my Dad’s office & took NJ Transit back to NYC.
BLC & I watched some Natgeo & drank some scotch…then went to bed early. Wild & crazy Friday!
Saturday June 16
BLC and I woke up early for a long run on the East River. I did not bring my hydration belt (spoiler alert: bad idea) because I thought I would be able to use the water fountains on the East River path.
I ate a banana & we left around 9:30a (probably should have left a little earlier…) We ran over the Williamsburg Bridge and down the East River Path toward Chinatown. We turned around once we got to the Manhattan Bridge.
It was pretty hot & humid. I took advantage of every water fountain I passed & ran in the shade whenever possible. Regardless, it was wonderful to run with BLC! <3 husband/wife run dates.
When we got back to the Williamsburg Bridge, BLC headed back home & I continued up the East River Path.
The water fountains slowly stopped popping up. I kept hoping that I would miraculously stumble upon one…but no such luck. I crossed over at 34th street & then ran down 1st ave. I had wanted to run 10 miles but without any water…it just wasn't happening. Plus, I happened upon a Dunkin Donuts at 8.25 miles – so guess when I stopped my run?
I went into Dunkin Donuts & got a gigantic iced coffee which I purchased with sweaty money (sorry, cashier lady). I then walked down 1st ave about a half mile to the Essex stop & took the subway back home.
Things I learned on this long run:
1. I love running with BLC! We have been taking the pace really slow & stopping whenever he starts feeling like his shins are hurting. (he has had some shin splint issues in the past so we are doing everything possible to avoid it happening again)
2. When in doubt, bring water! Especially now that it is summer on the East Coast. Happy Summer Solstice!
3. Run long runs earlier if possible!
4. Put money in a plastic bag in your pocket so you don’t have to be embarrassed about giving soggy dollar bills to the DD cashier lady.
5. Always bring a Metro card (I did on this run but I will continue to do so even if I don’t think I will need it).
After our run, I came home, showered & then headed back into the city to meet up with a friend for lunch & a Central Park romp.
We went to SaraBeth’s across from Central Park South. We got seated right away & each got a drink. I had the Strawberry Mimosa – excellent! Our food was really good (we all had breakfast foods – Salmon Benedict, Salmon Scramble). Would recommend this restaurant if you are near Central Park.
After that we stopped by the liquor store & made rum/cokes for our walk through Central Park (straight class, I know).
I love Central Park!
It was totally packed with people…
BLC never believed me when I said that people laid out in Central Park…but I wasn’t lying!!
We wandered around for a while, in awe that we were in the middle of NYC…
Central Park is truly gorgeous.
But then we stumbled upon something that I will be frequenting every Saturday, Sunday or Holiday for the rest of my life (FYI 2:45p-6:45p)…
The Central Park Dance Skaters!!!!!
Um, amazing!
There is a section gated off, with a DJ in the middle & roller skaters/roller bladers DANCING around. This is by far the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen in my life. We didn’t want to leave.
Did I mention this is in the middle of Central Park?!
There were quite a few characters who were participating…do you see that pup? Can you tell who her owner is? Also, can you see what is on her back?!
A bird! Guess where else that bird ended up?
Yep. That happened. Crazy amazing Saturday.
Sunday June 17
Nothing all day 
Although we did head over to a friend’s house for a True Blood party that night. Obsessed.
Monday June 18
Ran 4 miles in 40 minutes over the Williamsburg Bridge & back with BLC. Beautiful running weather.
Also, made a wonderful dinner!
Tilapia & roasted cauliflower. This time I added the capers & used the same dressing for the cauliflower on the Tilapia. I cooked the tilapia for 12 minutes at 400 degrees & it turned out perfectly!
Now – my end of the year goal:
I want to run 600 miles by the end of the year. I have been running a bit more the past few weeks & while it is a lofty goal considering I am currently only at 208 miles for the year (I had a very low April & was not very consistent while moving), I think I can do it! I will keep you updated!
YTD: 208/600 miles for 2012
Great week! I have to remember to bring water now on anything more than three miles, ugh the heat is horrible!
I definitely think you can hit 600 miles this year!
Thanks, Jamie! I really hate running with water but it is so necessary in this weather!! I hope October is a bit cooler
I didn’t realize SaraBeth’s was a chain! I’ve been to the one in TriBeCa – good stuff!
I didn’t know that either! Weird!
I can’t wait to go back to Central park for the skaters. Great time
Love this post! How have I never seen these skaters?! Thats too funny. Gorgeous pics of CP, its so pretty in the spring/summer
PS. One day lets run over the Manhattan bridge together my BK neighbor!
The skaters are so entertaining!! Def check them out!
& we totally need to make a run date!! Maybe when it’s not 100 degrees out, though…lol.
I am really bad about taking things on my run with me, but you are right i should plan better you never know how a long run will go!
ok the skaters are crazy!
I’m bad, too! I never wanna carry anything but a water bottle would have been heaven sent!!
Sorry to hear about your friend. A good friend of ours lost his son around the holidays to drug use. It was a very sad time.
Good luck with your goal of 600 miles. I think you can do it by the end of the year.
Thanks, Dawn!
Sorry to hear about your friend, as well. Always hard – especially when they are young