My Running Mojo is Back!

Okay, I probably just jinxed myself with that title but I can't help it!

This Saturday I ran the Central Park Conservancy Run for Central Park 4-miler. Although it was a gorgeous day, for the purpose of running it became very hot very soon. Luckily there were plenty of water stations dotted along the race course, along with a rather popular misting station where us runners were sprayed with jets of cold water. Despite these ameliorations I decided I was going to listen to my body and not push myself too hard in this weather. To my surprise, for the first time this year (since having my baby) I ran a sub-10:00 pace! My official time for the 4 miles was 38:28 at an average pace of 9:37/mile. I really should invest in a Garmin so that I can record my splits but I was thrilled nonetheless! I still need some work in order to get back to my former pace but for the time being I am happy. I won't lie, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get any faster. Hopefully this is an indication that, yes, we are moving along the right track!

The next day I met up with some of my favorite food and fitness bloggers! Jess, Ali, Melissa, Sofia, Leslie and I had a delightful brunch in the Great Lawn at Central Park. After telling everyone we would be meeting in the northeast corner of the lawn, I proceeded to park my picnic blanket in the northwest corner and wait for everyone to come and find me. I am so directionally challenged. Sorry, bloggy friends. Thankfully we all found each other without too much ado!

Check out the lovely spread!

And the even lovelier dessert!

We are a happy, well-fed bunch of bloggers!

Yes, we are!

July 4th weekend recap and Uncle Sam Cereal Giveaway Winner!

Hey all. Hope you all had a great July 4th weekend! Alright, first thing's first. I am going to announce the winner of the Uncle Sam Honey Almond cereal giveaweay courtesy Attune Foods.

I compiled the following list:

Then used random.org to generate:

Congratulations to Sofia! Please email me your mailing address at momatthebarre@gmail.com and we will get that box of cereal over to you as soon as possible!

So the weekend was pretty relaxed but highlights included:

1. Dinner at Rouge Tomate with a friend.
 
The space is gorgeous. Clean and minimalist.

The food? Phenomenal! The seasonally inspired menu is Modern American with a strong emphasis on fresh and locally sourced ingredients.

To start, we shared the Chickpea hummus with sweet pepper, house-cured olives and flat bread crisp.

Then, for my main course, I had the Grass Fed Lamb Loin, with fennel, turnip, Beldi olives, bing cherries and Greek yogurt. It was lip-smackingly good! Also, not a huge portion, which I am often afraid of whenever 'Lamb' and 'loin' are on the menu!

Yum!

For dessert, I decided on the Passion Fruit Tart with pineapple, mango, coconut and pink peppercorn. This I could probably have done without. The first few bites were heavenly but it became a little too sweet afterwards. Gorgeous presentation though, no?

A lovely evening with great food. Highly recommended if you are ever in New York!

2. Worked out on each of the three days of the Holiday weekend:
- Tried Core Fusion Sport for the first time on Saturday-which I shall review soon. I bought a $25 certificate on Gilt a few months ago for two weeks of unlimited classes at Exhale Spa. I thought it was an amazing deal! So I am looking forward to trying all this studio has to offer.
- Took a Physique 57 class on Sunday when it was pouring. I got to the studio drenched and grumpy but once we got started I fell into the groove and had a fun class! I tried a new instructor and thought she was great (thanks Brigitte!). I love Physique 57 so much.  It really is like my therapy.
-On Monday I tried Exhale's newest class, Core Fusion Bootcamp-which is also to be reviewed in the near future.

3. Spent some quality time with friends and family in the Park.
With the exception of Sunday, the weekend had some gorgeous weather and we were able to take advantage of it and spend some time in Central Park, where we caught the roller-bladers in action. Check out the guy roller-blading while balancing bottles on his head!

Ah, love New York city in the summer!

Question: How did you spend your July 4th weekend?