NOLA Trip Recap

I've been terrible about keeping up with my blogging lately. Hopefully I can get myself back on track. First, a little bit of news. I found out that I passed my Pediatric Echocardiography boards! It was honestly the longest 65 days of my life waiting for those results, but now I can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. Now, on to my New Orleans recap.

If you read my Jazz Half recap, then you know Mom and I had been preparing for the Jazz half for months. Unfortunately for me, my training had suffered due to my obsession with studying for my board exam. We flew down on Thursday, October 30th after work, and didn't get to NOLA until after 11 pm. We decided we would sleep in on Friday as we didn't have any real plan of attack for the day. Once we got up and got going it was after noon so we decided to venture out and find some lunch. Some friends of my parents had suggested we try the Central Grocery and get a Muffaletta sandwich. So we walked down to the Central Grocery, bought our sandwich, then walked back to Jackson square to eat. The Muffaletta sandwich consists of olive salad, mortadella, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone. I wasn't a huge fan of the sandwich as I don't like olives or ham, but at least I can say I tried it.

After we had lunch, we walked around Jackson Square. There are a lot of artists that set up artwork around the square to sell each day. It can also be different stuff on any given day.

After walking around the square we decided to go on one of the carriage tours through the French Quarter, and out to one of the St. Louis Cemeteries. This was a fitting activity to do considering it was Halloween!

(This was a great way to see different parts of the French Quarter!)

(It was definitely fun touring the cemetery on Halloween)

After the tour, mom and I ventured back to the hotel and stopped at a few of the shops on the way. Friday was a pretty low key day considering we had the half marathon in the morning.

We relaxed at the hotel for a while before getting ready to go out for dinner. We weren't really sure where to go for dinner since we didn't know the area too well, so we stopped down at the front desk to ask about a good Italian restaurant to fuel up before the race. They made a few recommendations that were within a few blocks of where we were staying. Before we went to dinner we decided to walk up to Lafayette Square where the race was set to start and finish, so we had an idea of what time we needed to leave the hotel in the morning to walk there. I don't think it took us more than 15 minutes to get there, so we would be in good shape.

As we were walking back toward the hotel and in the direction of the restaurant, we passed a few people dressed up for Halloween. One guy stopped me and said, "What do you think of my costume? I'm a formal apology!" He was wearing a tux that had "I'm sorry" written all over it. Haha

Mom and I had dinner at a small restaurant that wasn't too busy in the warehouse district. We both ordered ravioli, and they were pretty good (even if I had to force feed myself). After dinner we went back to the hotel and got our stuff around for the half in the morning. I won't go into details from the half as you can read about that here.

After the cold and windy half, I melted into a hot bath for about an hour to thaw my frozen muscles. Once I thawed, I swear I must have napped for about 2 hours. Once mom and I got up, we took our time getting around for dinner. We decided to go to the other restaurant that the hotel recommended the previous night.

(Dark, but enjoying a well deserved glass of wine)

After dinner we went back to the hotel to relax and get to bed early. Sunday morning we decided to get up and head to Cafe Du Monde for Coffee and Beignets! The line was SO long, but surprisingly, it moved quickly! To make the wait seem shorter there was even a jazz band playing on the corner by the cafe!

Mom and I enjoyed 2 orders of beignets, and they were absolutely worth every calorie! After breakfast we ventured around the French Quarter a little more. We scheduled a tour of the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery at 2 pm, and the shuttle service was picking us up around 1:20. The tour was a lot of fun, and honestly not at all was I was expecting (in a good way). We got to sample each type of rum they make there, and they gave us a complimentary tea. The Gingeroo was definitely my favorite!

After the tour we were dropped back off at our shuttle stop and mom and I walked back toward the hotel along the Mississippi River and looked into maybe having dinner on one of the river boats. We decided against that though.

That night, mom and I went to dinner at Origami, a sushi bar in New Orleans not too far from where we were staying. We still look a taxi even though we would have been able to take the street car. The sushi was outstanding, and I honesty don't even remember what I ordered. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went to bed. 

Monday we got up and had realized that we had soaked up a lot of what we wanted to see, but headed back down to the French Quarter for the afternoon. We decided to walk Bourbon Street...

(Being a goof ball)

Then we went to Pat O'Briens for a Hurricane...

(Probably more than I needed, but delicious!)

After Pat O'Briens mom and I ventured back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We had made reservations at NOLA's, one of Emeril Lagasse's three restaurants in New Orleans. Mom and I enjoyed a great meal and a glass of wine. After dinner we went back up to the river walk to take a few pictures. Then we made our way back to the hotel to pack to head home in the morning. 

I had a great time exploring New Orleans with mom. I would go back again during a festival or Mardi Gras so I could enjoy a different experience.

QOTD: If you've been to New Orleans, what was your favorite thing to do?

Jazz Half Marathon Recap

I've been so terrible at posting on my blog lately. Saturday, November 1st, mom and I ran the Jazz Half in New Orleans. As you recall, I sat for my boards on October 4th (and I still haven't received my results), and my training had fallen to the wayside since studying became my number one priority.

The race was set to start at 7 am, so mom and I got up around 5:30 to get ready and walk to the start. I had set all my stuff out the night before so I could be sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

Before we left for the race I decided to throw a long sleeve shirt on just until the sun came up. I'm so glad I did, mom and I took one step outside and it was FREEZING! I checked my phone as we made our way to Lafayette Square, and the temperature was 39 degrees and it was windy! Great.

We hung out around Lafayette Square for a good 20 minutes before the start of the race trying to do whatever we could do the keep warm. Honestly, this is our bad for not checking the weather report, but who would have thought it would be that cold in New Orleans in early November. Not to mention ,the day before the race was gorgeous! Unfortunately for us, a cold front came in that night.

Finally the race started, and I was hopeful that my muscles would warm up and the cold and wind would not bother me so much. Yeah, that didn't exactly happen. Mom and I tried our best to stay positive the entire race. The first 3 miles of the race we ran with the 5K runners, then when they were coming up on the final 2/10th of their race the half marathon course turned right and headed across the city to Audubon Park. We looped around the park and ran back to the finish the same way we came (out and back course).

  

(Source)

Mom and I made it to mile 9 and we were completely miserable, our muscles never warmed up, and our legs were starting to stiffen up. At that point we decided to just power walk the rest of the half. I promised mom we would finish, and that was all that mattered at that point. About a mile from the finish we caught up to another walker and we casually chatted. Turns out she is going back to school to become a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist), so it was interesting to talk to her about school, and she was interested in my job as a cardiac sonographer as she has been part of transesophageal echoes in the past.

Talking with her made the last mile fly by, and finally, we turned a corner and we could see the finish. I said to mom that we should at least jog that last little bit. We started to jog, and oh my, did it hurt. My muscles were so stiff I could barely bend my knees. Once I crossed the finish line, I received my medal from the volunteer and kept walking in an attempt not to stiffen up anymore.

Mom wanted something to eat, so we walked over to the finisher party in the square. I wasn't hungry, so I just hung out in the sun. It was still windy out and it never really warmed up. I was over being outside, and just wanted to crawl back to the hotel and melt into a hot bubble bath. Before mom and I left the park to hobble back to the hotel, we did get a finisher photo together. I'm so proud of my mom for running this race with me! It was on her bucket list to complete a half, and she did it! Unfortunately, the conditions were less than desirable, so she gets extra brownie points for dealing with that.

(Glad to be done, but in so much pain)

Once we started our walk back to the hotel my right groin completely tightened up, and I was unable to bend much of my right leg. The walk (hobble) back to the hotel was pretty miserable. I was so relieved when we got back to the lobby, and just to be inside where it was warm.

In all honesty, I would consider doing this race again if I had the proper attire. The course is completely flat. There were a lot of bands along the course to entertain the runners. Seeing all the big homes decorated for Halloween was also interesting - some people have unique taste. The post race party also offered a nice variety of refreshments for the runners.

Over all, the race is worth the money you spend on the registration - but there is a way you can waive the registration fee. Runners have the option when they register for this race to set up a fundraising page to raise money for pediatric cancer. Runners looking to run the half for free need to raise a minimum of $250.00. Runners that would like to run the 5K for free need to raise a minimum of $100.00. So that is a great option if the registration fee is more than you're looking to spend, and it's for a great cause.

QOTD: Have you ever run a race when the weather conditions were not what you were expecting?

No Use Crying Over A Cancelled Disney Trip

It's been nearly a month since my last post, and I feel terrible about that. Let's just say things have been a bit hectic for this girl. It amazes me how much things can change in the matter of one month, and honestly, I can't complain. But my oh my, where do I start?

The last time I posted about regaining my freedom after my board exam. I still haven't found out whether I've passed or not, but I will know in less than a month (hopefully it will be an early Christmas present)! I also mentioned that I had slipped in my half training plan from the studying, and that it was going to hurt me during the Jazz Half. Mom and I did go to New Orleans and we finished the half, but the Jazz Half deserves its own recap, which I PROMISE I will get to (I have a few recaps I need to catch up on, yikes)! I will also eventually post about my trip to New Orleans.

My birthday was in August, as I'm sure you may know from my Disneyland Half Health & Fitness Expo Recap, and my parents were still asking me what I wanted for my birthday. They came up one weekend to help me around the house, and I had mentioned I wanted to look into getting a new front door because my is pretty drafty, and in these cold Upstate NY winters you can definitely feel it! (You also know you're growing up when you ask for that for your birthday!) However, when all was said and done, a new front door was going to cost more than I wanted to spend at this point. So my parents sent me money for my birthday, and I actually bought a new bike. Unfortunately, I can't use it until spring, because sure enough, it's snowing here now.

(Birthday goodies!)

While I was in New Orleans, my friend had text me to tell they had been offered a job promotion, but unfortunately it interfered with our travel plans for the Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland that was about 2 weeks away, and they were now unable to go. I was a little bummed at first, but after I thought about it, I had REALLY hated running the Disneyland Half in August, so I brushed it off. I called and cancelled our hotel reservation and my flights. I lost money on the trip, but no big deal, in the long run I'd actually be saving money on food, and other stuff that I probably didn't need. I got that squared away, no use crying over a cancelled Disneyland Trip.

So, what does one do when their mini vacation gets cancelled? They plan a trip to their happy place! That's right, I kept the time I had off and decided to drive down to State College to see my friends and take in a Penn State game. I knew I wouldn't have any other opportunities to do that this fall as I have a lot coming up over the next few weeks. So I got a hold of my friend, Danielle, and just like that, I had a new "mini vacation" planned. I spent from Friday afternoon until yesterday in State College with my friends catching up.

Friday night Danielle and I took it easy. We ordered our favorite D.P. Dough, we each had a bottle of wine (I nearly finished mine, oops), and we watched Friday Bride Day on TLC. Kora, Josh's pit bull puppy made herself comfortable on my lap most of the night. She is the laziest puppy I've ever met, but so adorable!

We got up early Saturday and headed to a special tailgate at the Pegulla Ice Arena for Veterans. There was a huge assortment of food and desserts. We hung out there for a few hours and stayed warm before heading over to Beaver Stadium for the game.

(We felt like VIPs!)

(This was actually my first time in the arena, hard to believe, eh?)

We headed over to the game with Danielle's sister and her friend. Danielle had the goal of making it to one game this season before kick off because she had yet to do that. Just as we were walking into the stadium in our section Coach Franklin was walking down the tunnel with the team. It felt good to back in Beaver Stadium with 107,000 of my best friends.

(Right on the 50. Not one bad seat in the Beav)

(Let's Go State! Trying to stay warm)

We decided to leave after the 3rd quarter. It was freezing, Penn State was winning, and they just continued to fight on to a victory. We are also bowl eligible! We went back to Dani's house to rest up and thaw before getting ready to head out for the evening. We decided to go to Inferno for drinks, and my friend Jordan met up with us! He saw through the Facebook grapevine that I was in town.

(A little dark, but still good!)

Sunday was a veg day. I met up with Dani and her family to see Big Hero 6 (GREAT movie by the way, highly recommend it), and after, Dani and I went to Barnes and Noble to have coffee with her mom and gram. Sunday night I started feeling like I was getting a cold and even made the comment that I thought I was getting sick.

Monday I woke up feeling okay, and I met up with my friend Kristen for Breakfast at the Waffle Shop to catch up with her. After breakfast I went downtown to do a little Christmas shopping before heading back to NY. I also splurged on a few items for myself...

(Love.)

I started feeling worse as the day went on, and sure enough, I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and I couldn't breathe and I felt like I had a marble in my throat.

Once I got home from New Orleans I went a little crazy spending time with my friends and family. I had plans with my friends every single night up until last night, and I've been up until close to midnight nearly every night for the past 3 weeks. I should have known better than to do that. Now I need my own Baymax to make me feel better (Big Hero 6 reference). I'll definitely be veggin' most of this week to recoup. I'm also on call this weekend, so I'll have plenty of time to relax. I'll need some movie ideas for the weekend.

QOTD: Who ran the Inaugural Avengers Half? What's your favorite movie to watch when you're not feeling well?

Getting My Life Back

The boards are over!!! That's right, I sat for my exam Saturday, October 4th, and am relieved to finally have that weight off of my shoulders. It didn't hit me right away after my exam that I was now "free" to have my life back, but it slowly crept up on me that Saturday evening, and by Sunday evening I was feeling better than ever knowing I don't have to study. It was so great to sit in bed Sunday evening and catch up on Grey's Anatomy, and not feel guilty that I wasn't studying! If you recall, I had posted that I was giving up my summer back in June to study.

The only stinker about this exam is that I won't find out whether I passed or failed until roughly Dec 15th. I received a print out that stated I'd receive an email notifying me that my results would be available online on my account. That being said, I have a little more than 60 days of freedom until I find out my fate. In all honesty, I feel the exam went well. And even though I told myself I would NOT do this, I sat at work one day last week and looked up some of the answers to questions that had me second guessing myself. Of the questions I looked up, I only got one wrong, and the correct answer was the other option I was going between, so I can't feel too bad about that. If it turns out I failed the exam, I will just reapply and sit again next spring, at least I know what to expect the next time around. However, I choose not to worry about that until I know for sure.

Next, can I please just brag about the amazing people I have in my life? I realize that I've been MIA on my blog for much of the summer and fall (due to my exam as you know). Not only have I been MIA on here, but I also was to my friends. I had not seen Mel and Nita (other than at the Rochester Marathon Relay) since our trip to Disneyland in August. That was particularly rough on me, especially during the last week when my anxiety was getting the best of me, and I nearly had a meltdown the Monday before my exam. Work has been busy, and my supervisor knew I had been stressing about the upcoming exam. When I walked into work the Thursday before my exam, she had left me a card with encouraging words and a Starbucks gift card to treat myself after the exam!

The Friday before my exam, I pulled into my driveway, and I had a box sitting on my front step. My friend, Mel, had eluded to the fact that something would be sitting there and not to be alarmed. I brought the box inside and opened it. Inside I found a card with little notes of encouragement from Mel and Nita, along with a bunch of my favorite snacks, a candle and some cute Frozen items! I was so overwhelmed with the kind gesture from my friends. I'm so very fortunate.

(Seriously, the best friends EVER!)

Now that my freedom is back I have so much to get back to. Running being one of those things. I have not been keeping up with my training schedule, especially during the month of September, which is surely going to hurt me during the Jazz half at the end of the month! Mom and I will be flying to New Orleans for our first time (and her first half), and I can't wait! So much to experience in the 5 or so days we'll be there! Beignets, beignets, beignets!

Last week I also treated myself to a new pair of running sneakers. I have been running in Mizunos, and so when I went to try on new sneakers, I wore my old Mizunos so they knew what to look for. The guy helping me at Medved brought out a few pairs of stability sneakers, and the first pair he pulled out were a gorgeous pair of Mizunos. Not the same pair I had currently been running in, but very similar. He said the only difference is that there is more cushioning in the new pair. I tired on a few other brands to compare, but there was no comparison. The Mizunos are so light, and I feel like I'm running on a cloud. The sales associate also said that people who run in Mizunos often only run in Mizunos, and he wasn't going to try to get me to switch brands.

(Love at first sight)

Last Sunday, Nita and I went for a long run. It was nice to get out and run with her again. I had joined her once in September as a part of her 20 mile training run. She ran 15 miles, then I met her for the last 5 miles. She had to run 8 this past weekend as her last long run before her marathon which was today (and she finished, success)! We ended up running just a touch over 7.5 miles.

(Post long run with roomie!)

I also wore my new sneakers for a test run, and I love them! I had a 10K this afternoon with my mom and I wore them again. It's awesome that I have ZERO PAIN running in Mizunos, they're just amazing. I'm hoping I can get them broken in enough before my half Nov 1st. As for the 10K, it was my mom's first official 10K. We finished in 1:20ish, and I stayed with her for the race. It was chilly, cloudy and breezy, but overall a beautiful course. I'm hoping I can catch up on my race recaps now, I'm so behind!

There's A First Time For Everything...

...and with that, my mom is officially registered for her first half marathon!! Sunday evening my mom and I registered for the Jazz Half in New Orleans.

So how exactly did I come across this race? This past January I was reading in my Runner's World magazine about the year's best half marathons, and the Jazz Half was listed as one. Ironically, my mom had just been saying a few days earlier that she wanted to visit New Orleans, so this presented the perfect opportunity! I mentioned the race to her, and she seemed open to the idea. We waited a bit before registering to give her a little more time to decide, and also more recently because of my hands. After my doctors appointment we officially decided we were going to run it.

Source

I'm really excited to be doing a half marathon with my mom, and in New Orleans no less! We've done a handful of 5K's together, and I always enjoy them. We usually separate during our 5K's, but we will most definitely be sticking together for this race. It's always nice to have someone to pass the miles with (believe me, I know), and this way we'll be able to encourage each other, and even stop for photo opportunities. The race is on Saturday, November 1st, so mom and I are planning on flying down after work on Thursday evening. This also means we will be in New Orleans for Halloween, how exciting!! We obviously still have a lot of planning to do (hotel accommodations, restaurants, and other sightseeing), and I'll keep updating as we go along. Now we just need to stick to a training schedule, which we still have time to figure that out as well.

Speaking of training, last week marked the beginning of my Dumbo Double Dare training. For those of you not familiar, this race is during the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend held Labor Day weekend, and the Dumbo Double Dare consists of the Disneyland 10K and the Disneyland Half Marathon. I was the only one out of my group of friends crazy (or stupid) enough to do this one. However, my friend, Mel is running the 10K, and my friend, Nita is running the half. So I'll at least be waking up ungodly early and venturing to the start with a friend. Still, I'm so excited! This will be my first race on the west coast AND my first trip to Disneyland! OH, and did I mention the trip falls on my golden birthday? YEP! (I apparently have a lot to be excited about)

Images from runDisney

Back to Dumbo Training... I follow the Jeff Galloway training schedule that runDisney posts on their site. I was able to download it directly into my calendar on my iPhone, so it tells me how much I have to run and on what days. I'll admit I did not do either of my 30 minute runs during the week last week. The first run would have fallen on Monday or Tuesday, which at that time I still had not seen my cardiologist. The second run would have fallen on Wednesday or Thursday which I honestly have no good excuse for not running (shame on me). I did go for a 3 mile run with my mom on Saturday. The run with my mom was actually my first in 3 weeks, and we had a great time. There is a nice walking/running trail back home that we've used a few times, and I quite like it. I really wish there was one close to where I live now, but I'm slowly scoping out new running areas around here. I'm just glad to be back running!

QOTD: Have you ever been to New Orleans? If so, what's your favorite thing to do while there? If not, what's the one thing you would do if you could visit?