back in the saddle

we went for our first weekday morning run this morning, after snoozing half a dozen times. time to get back in the saddle with just 13 weeks before the asics marathon on march 15th (and the last two weeks don't even "count" as you're tapering). we took it at a comfortable pace and i finally checked out the skate park at the piers! super cool - can't wait to go watch thinley and pema do those 10' drops!

work was sheer madness as almost every single index rebalance announced changes late friday night. the day went by in a blurrrrrr. i find myself so tired these days after work, probably because i don't get a break at work anymore. looking forward to hiring an analyst in jan!

quick dinner at chipotle where we got a free order of tortilla and guac, and i found myself back on the chaise with a cup of peppermint tea watching gilmore girls, with my tech geek hubby busy fiddling with the server, and commenting on my show which i think he's started to enjoy :) 

before the night was over, we baked a big batch of granola, this time, putting the sour cherries in only for the last 15 minutes of baking. they're chewier this way!

last night in brooklyn

thursday started off on the right foot (and not because i'm a righty :p) as i arrived to midtown 15 minutes early and decided, what the heck - let's treat the guys on the desk to some maison kayser pastries. it was my first time to MK on a weekday morning and i picked up a dozen pliets, pain au chocolat, and almond croissants. they were gone within minutes of arriving at the desk :)

the rest of the day was a blur as the indices ripped me a new one, but there was one shining light! i interviewed a third candidate who had a good amount of experience in index work and was also very sweet and candid. she also left a very good impression on my boss, which is a good sign. since we have only spoken with a few candidates at this point, i think we will speak to a few more and then hopefully make a decision we're both comfortable with.

after work, kevin and i made our way over to the jacob javitts center where we picked up our bibs for both races this weekend: nyrr dash to the finish 5k and nyrr marathon 26.2. the place was PACKED with all types of runners, different shapes and sizes, from all over the world. it's pretty exciting! also asics, paragon, powergel, newtons, skechers - all the big guns had booths and people were trying on and buying up anything they could get their hands on with "TCS marathon 2014" embroidered on it. kevin and i did not participate ... but we did receive two long-sleeve tech shirts for these races. yay :)

then we took the L towards brooklyn, for probably the last time in a while, getting off at lorimer station for one last visit to okonomi's for its weeknight moonshine: yuji's ramen! we were lucky to be seated immediately at the bar and ordered the barley tea, boston mackerel sashimi, braised squash, and two types of ramen with onsen tamagos: one with a monkfish liver base and the other with a pork broth. the former was heavier with a stronger flavor, while the latter was a pure broth and very light. i think both were filling, but a little underwhelming, so we will probably stick with okonomi's weekend breakfast menu going forward. we picked up cereal milk soft-serve with cereal flakes on the way home.

it's really been a nice staycation in williamsburg and i will miss it!

best: a relatively quick pack and cleanup at the apartment after dinner because we got started with the vacuuming the night before. splitting up the tasks made it more pleasant and easier.

worst: getting caught in cold weather. :/ unprepared for the cold weather, i donned a silk long-sleeve dress with my fur vest, a blazer, and birkenstocks. eek! it was an especially long, cold walk to and from the jacob javitts.

smile: the asics salesperson at the expo KNEW what she was talking about! she knew all about the different models and their heel drops. this type of passion makes me happy.

night run

today was just another busy tuesday at the office. just a few highlights:

the new asics store opened across the atrium from our office building! it's 2-3 times the size of the former location a block away, with many more shoe options it seems. unfortunately when i went inside to ask some questions about the elite performance vs performance socks, the salesguy didn't seem to know much. in fact, all the sales people on the floor looked like they were picked off the street. bummer that they don't educate their sales staff more to better represent their product, like paragon or jackrabbit.

new asics store

the stone guys came today and started our counter installation! yay. the painters were also there starting with the first coat.

counters being installed

after work, met kevin at grand central and we went for a night run at the park.  i think there was a nike training run going on too because we saw probably a hundred people stretching and women wearing lime green nike pacer tops. it's exciting and motivating to see strangers in the city congregating at the park to get their workouts in :)

legs were heavy from sunday's run, but the cool temperature and darkness were really helpful in terms of keeping us focused. we managed to squeak out 6 miles at 7:52. achilles was a bit tender in the first mile, but otherwise, felt pretty good. harlem hill and the three sisters are starting to feel like good old friends.

central park night run

best: bumped into a friend, nate, on my way to grand central! what a small world ... haven't seen him much since he's moved back to the city after bschool, but hopefully we'll get together soon and catch up.

worst: disappointing donuts working at the asics store. the couple guys i spoke with were not knowledgeable about their product offerings, and i don't think really had much interest in running either. bummer! i could see a lot of potential there.

smile: kevin brought me into the grand central marketplace to check out this cute little yogurt at murray's cheese. haha ... the little sweet pleasures in life! we treated ourselves to one each :D