I Will Run this Marathon - Yes I Will

I just realized that I have not posted since May when I wrote about getting yelled at at Soul Cycle. I was floored by all the comments I received, both on the blog and off-line. People felt very strongly, whether they were for or against the 'newbie in the front row' concept. Anyhow, loved reading all the comments!

But back to why I have been MIA. I do feel bad. I tried out a ton of great classes over the last few months, and went to a few fitness events but have not gotten around to writing about them. I will over the next few weeks but today I want to write about the three new developments in my life that have been all-consuming.

1. New Job:
In June I went back to work. Granted it's only for the summer (I still have a semester of grad school left) but I am working which means not a lot of free time galavanting around time trying fitness classes. This job is different from anything I have done before and was a little out of my comfort zone when I first started. But I'm already a few weeks into it and I'm loving it. The learning curve has been steep, the people have been amazing and it's a reminder that it's never too late to make a switch in one's career. Having said that, I am now a working mom and it is tiring. Which brings me to development number two.

2. My Child is a Toddler:
My son is now 18-months old. This means that he is constantly "discovering" things. This has involved turning on our stove, rummaging through the cleaning supply closet, or attempting to lock himself in our walk-in closet. We have survived one instance of a partial hand burn when he immersed his hand into a boiling hot cup of coffee, as well as a more recent trip to the ER after he caught his hand between the elevator door and the adjoining wall. Every day is an adventure! The weekends are a constant quest to keep him entertained. Which also means that I am exhausted. And finally...

3. The NYC Marathon:
For those of you that do not know, I will be running the marathon this Fall. I caught the running bug three years ago and decided that I really wanted to run the NYC marathon once in my life. I applied for the lottery that year and was rejected. The next year I attempted the New York road runners 9+1 program, which guarantees automatic entry for the following year. However, I got pregnant and since I was not running regularly decided to hold off it for a while. Last year I ran my 9 races, volunteered for one and now I'm in. Which is great. Except that my life is completely different now than when it was three years ago. Career, child, family-there are too many variables and I cannot plan things in advance the way I used to. Which can make training for this race challenging. I contemplated deferring it or just bowing out. But what if I regret it? A switch went off in my head and I decided that I was going to do this. I bought the Nike sportswatch to keep track of my miles and pace, an armband for my Ipod. Now all I needed was a plan. I did not want to invest time running 4-5 days/week. I love Physique 57, Refine Method and Flywheel Sports and really want the option to be able to mix them into my training plan. Dori, a blogger and runner I admire a great deal was kind enough to share her marathon training plan from which consisted of three runs a week. Works for me.

I completed week 2 of training today. It hasn't been easy. I tried setting my alarm for 530am so that I can get a run in before work and also before it gets too hot. The snooze button and I have become way too familiar and so runs have been pushed to after-work when it's a little cooler. I ran 10 miles yesterday, the most I have ever run. After 7 miles an overwhelming sense of fatigue came over me. My feet began to hurt, my calves started to cramp and my head started to pound. I remembered a tweet I read from Katherine earlier in the day: 


                                              "If it was easy everyone would do it"


And so I pushed on. Thank you, Katherine! I walked a good portion of the last mile but I did it and collapsed in a heap by the time I got home.

NYC 2012, it's on!

Question: If you have run a marathon or even a half, I would love to hear your number one training tip for first-time marathoners, be it fueling, pacing, speed training.

Rear-Facing Car Seats and Other Nuisances

Air travel with an infant is bad enough but a 12 and a half hour flight is especially bad. Add to that the usual flight delays, excessive taxi-ing on the ground and all that good stuff and you have a very unhappy infant and an even unhappier mom. I am a slightly over-prepared sort by nature and so I had been researching the whole how-to-fly-internationally-with-an-infant for weeks. You can do one of three things:

1. Ask for a seat with an attached bassinet (Won't work as my baby is too big for the bassinet)

2. Hold your infant in your lap for the entirety of the flight (12.5 hours? Are you kidding me?)

3. Buy another seat and attach a car seat for the baby to sit in.

To make my life a tad bit easier I chose option number 3. My car seat is airplane-compatible however, because I have a 7-month old this means I need to use an infant car seat, which by definition is rear-facing. I soon learned that this rear-facing nature would become the bane of my existence.

Rear-facing car seats are recommended for infants upto the age of 1 by the American Academy of Pediatrics and recently the guidelines have been revised to include children up to the age of 2. This is based on data assembled from car crashes and it has been shown to be the safest way for babies to travel.

I lugged this car seat all around the airport, along with a stroller, a diaper bag and a handbag (thank goodness for strength training). I pre-boarded (hey, I have an infant. I can do these things now), attached my rear-facing infant car seat to the airplane seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Phew. I survived.

Not so fast.

Within fifteen minutes a host of flight attendants swarmed around me.

"Maam. This car seat has to face forward."

Me: Um, no. It's rear-facing.

Stewardess: No, maam. It has to face forward.

Me: It is an infant car seat. They are all rear-facing. Forward-facing car seats for infants do not exist.

Stewardess: No, maam. It has to face forward.

Me (in my head): Are you not listening to anything that I am saying, dammit?

Me (out aloud): Okay, let's try to place it facing forward.

Obviously it did not work. These seats are designed to sit stably only when rear-faced. Forward facing will quickly result in toppling forward. Which it did when I succumbed to the stewardess' pressure.

Stewardess (seeing the topple): This won't work

Me: Ya think?

Stewardess (thoroughly confused): Hmm. What should we do?

Me: Look, I have used this seat before on flights. Please let it stay rear-facing. It is stable.  According to the manual this is the correct way for the seat to attach.

I was starting to get scared that she would take away my car seat and I would have to hold my squirmy, does-not-like-to-sit-still little guy for the entirety of this fast-becoming-quite-miserable flight. I put my game-face on to show that I meant business and that this seat was going to stay.

Compromise achieved. Game-face was a success: Hold the baby in your lap for take-off and landing and he can stay in the seat during the remainder of the flight.

I'll take that.

I came home and started Googling to see if I had done anything wrong. Turns out that I had not. Apparently this happens all the time. Airlines, especially international airlines, see rear-facing car seats and their knickers get all twisted. Most people opt to carry their infants in their laps and only use forward-facing car seats once their kids are old enough. As a result airlines are just not used to the concept of infant car seats and are thoroughly perplexed when they make an appearance. So annoying! Moral of the story: When wanting to install an infant car seat in a plane, have your facts ready and be persuasive.

I am flying back next week and am anticipating a brawl. Better get my game-face ready.

Depriving My Child

I took my little guy on a play-date recently. At that inevitable hour when all the kids decide to get fussy in unison the other moms promptly took out an array of cute and colorful toys. Unfortunately my 7-month old has not had any new toys since he was, I don't know, born?

Embarrassed, I pretended to forage in my diaper bag and found a small rattle that had been placed there months ago and handed it to him. He was not impressed. He wanted his friend's Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy whose buttons when pressed played excepts from Mozart, Beethoven and Vivaldi (pretty nifty!). But his friend would not have it and so a tug of war ensued on this poor little musical toy as I was left to wonder, hmm, am I a bad mom for not buying my child any toys?

The next day I made a trip to the toy store, marveled at how expensive everything was and proceeded to buy it anyway.

Fun toys, no? I sure thought so. My son? Not as impressed. He spent a grand total of one minute examining the new acquisitions and them moved into greener pastures.....this...

An empty jar of my husband's protein powder that was lying on our kitchen floor, waiting to be disposed of.

Since the jar is providing so much entertainment in my little baby's life I have decided to delay its disposal.

Who needs Take Along Tunes when you can have a large jar?

What is your All-Time Favorite Book?

I have not been attending my book club meetings of late. I can't even remember the last time I read a book. Actually, that's not true. I can. It was this past January, while bed-ridden after an unpleasant C-section experience. The book was Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom", which, if you have seen the sheer size of the book, kept me occupied for most of my 6-week recuperative period. That was it. The last book I read. I have still been buying books, mind you. They're just piling up higher and higher on my bookshelf.

One of my three overflowing bookshelves

I have always loved to read. Anything and everything. Chick-lit, biographies, contemporary fiction, memoirs, classics. I was one of those kids who would hide a small flashlight in bed with me so that I could catch up on the Famous Five's latest adventures under the covers when I should have been sleeping.

So why am I not reading now? Well, it's because when I read, it usually takes me a while to really get into a book, and that means I want to be reading more than just a few chapters in one sitting. It's hard to do that now until my baby boy is fast asleep, at which point I'd rather be watching bad reality television or stalking my favorite blogs.

According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll:
- In one year, the typical American reads four books. 
- One in four adults reads none.

I have always prided myself in making the time to read more than the average person but this year I am way behind. I had better get a move on it if I hope to even hit the average. That means I have 5 more months to read another three books. So, I need three amazing reads; no time for duds, and that's where you come in. Your all-time favorite book. A loaded question, I realize.

Source

I'll start it off by listing my top 5 favorite books. So here goes:

1. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
- This book was my class reader in the 11th grade. I am so glad it was because I don't think I would have read it otherwise. I love the whole 'Count of Monte Christo' throwback. The thwarted love interest protagonist returns, richer and more powerful,  and attempts to win the society woman he loves who had rejected him for his lowly social status. All set in the backdrop of the decadent excess of the 1920s. Love Fitzgerald!

2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
-Magical, fantastical, bizarre. I think that's all I need to say.

3. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
- I have read this book so many times and it never gets tiresome. I love how the author infused such individuality to the personalities of these five exceptionally strong women. You read the book and can almost immediately relate to one of them.

4. The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
- I love reading about dysfunctional families, and have no qualms admitting it.

5. Palace Walk - Naguib Mahfouz
- Naguib Mahfouz is probably one of my favorite writers. This book is the first of a trilogy, and in my opinion, his greatest book. A family saga, it is full of vivid characters, drama, intrigue, and political themes, literally transporting you into the heart of Cairo.

Honorable mentions in the books I have read more recently (in the last year):
One Day - David Nicholls
Little Bee - Chris Cleave
Freedom - Jonathan Franzen

Question: Now it's your turn. Do you like to read? What are your top 5 favorite books? Or if you have one, what is your all-time favorite book?

"Winging It": The Five Things I Have Learned as a New Mom

You may have noticed that the word 'Mom' is in the title of my blog. You may also have noticed that I have yet to write a post related to my being a mom. I think the reason for this is that it's still not something that has really hit me. I see my beautiful boy every day and still wonder incredulously, wow, Sam, you're a mom? While it is still something I am trying to accustomize myself to I am happy to say that I have learned the following five things which have helped make the transition smoother:

1. Multi-tasking: I can now multi-task like it is nobody's business. At any one moment in time I am feeding baby Z a bottle with one hand, checking Twitter on my IPhone with the other and have a cup of coffee handy  to make a quick switch in duties. I am also (I sheepishly admit) watching a recorded episode of "The Real Housewives of New York City" but let's not dwell on that too much. I'm sure that will come up once Z starts therapy.

2. The Art of the 10-minute Nap: Those days of sleeping in are long gone. Regardless of what time I have gone to bed the night before I am up at the crack of dawn. Not by choice. I have to. That is precisely when babies decide that they would like their day to begin. To deal with this disruption in my sleep cycle I have perfected the art of the 10-minute nap. Throughout the day, I try to take a few of these, usually coinciding with when baby Z takes his (micro) naps. Not the healthiest thing in the world, sure, but it keeps me going.

3. "Me" Time: Before having a baby I was fiercely protective of my "me" time. After having a baby I am even more fiercely protective of my "me" time. Thankfully I have a husband who understands that Z is as much his child as mine and so "me time' is not so hard to negotiate!

4. Learn to say Yes: As a rule I hate asking people for favors. Even if someone volunteers their services I am known, by those close to me, to always (politely) refuse. Not the case anymore. I soon realized that I needed help and that I had better ask for it. If you are lucky enough to have friends and family that are offering to help you, don't refuse it. I have cashed in my fair share of babysitting offers from friends. You know who you are, love you guys!

5. Learn to Laugh At Myself: You can read as many books as you want, talk to as many doulas as you like, be as prepared as you think you will ever be, but something will always one-up you in the baby-game. That is okay.  I did not read any books or even prepare, as such. Not wanting to stress or overwhelm myself, I decided to 'wing' it and learn things on the fly. As you can imagine there have been some bumps along the way. One particular incident showcased my inability to properly position the rain canopy on my child's stroller. This resulted in my pushing a stroller around the Upper East side of Manhattan with the rain canopy perfectly plastered over my child's face. I noticed the looks from other moms and nannies and, cluelessly, figured they must be admiring my little guy's cute get-up. Shortly afterwards, horrified, I realized the error of my ways and swiftly rectified the situation. I got over my horror quickly though. For me the take-home message was that I will mess up, lots, and the only way to deal with it is to see the humor in it!

The hood needs to come out, people, in order for the rain canopy to function properly!

It has been 6 months but I am still learning, however, I am pleased to report that the learning curve is pretty steep, and the experience is actually a lot of fun!

Have a great July 4th holiday weekend!

Also, don't forget to enter my Uncle Sam Honey Almond cereal giveaway. I am accepting entries till Monday July 4th at 10pm EST from readers in the Continental US. I shall announce a winner on Tuesday July 5th.

The Carnivore's Delimma

The last few weekends with their excesses and indulgences have left me wanting to turn over a new leaf and do something radical with my diet. I love food too much to partake in juice cleanses. So the next best thing (for me) is to try being a vegetarian for a few days. I am toying with the idea of eliminating dairy also while I conduct this experiment but I'm still on the fence with that, and till then I shall consume all the cheese I want!

So now that I have reconciled with eliminating meat for a few days, how to approach to my meat-loving, veggie-hating husband that we are about to embark upon a 3-day vegan adventure? I decide to skip sugar-coating the facts and just inform him.

We are eating organic vegetables for the next three days.

A look of horror on his face.

Okay, two days, I proffer.

Still some reluctance on his face.

Okay, can we just try it for today, please? 

Okay, he says, let's see how this goes.

Awesome!

So then began the process of choosing a recipe palatable enough to not remind the hubby that anything is lacking.

Carnivores love burgers so I decided to make a veggie burger. I got a bean burger recipe from Kath's amazing website and tweaked it a little, throwing in my own additions. I also decided to make Kale chips as a side. Here are the recipes.

Bean and Pea Burger

Ingredients (Makes 3 burger patties):
1 can of Pinto beans

1/2 can of peas

Whole wheat flour-3 Tablespoons 

Salt (a dash)

Pepper (1/2 teaspoon)

Garlic (1/2 teaspoon)

Red pepper flakes (I overdid this by adding 1 teaspoon. It gave it a real kick, which I liked, but please use less if you do not like food to be too spicy)

1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Mix the beans, peas, flour and spices using a grinder/food processor 

2. Heat a skillet with medium heat and spray some cooking spray.

3. Make patties and place on the skillet.

4.Cook for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.

They should look like this

Done!

Place it in a hamburger bun and add whatever garnishes you prefer. I added a slice of lettuce and some ketchup.

They were delicious. Even the hubby agreed! 

Kale chips

Ingredients:

Bunch of kale

Salt to taste

Shredded or powdered parmesan cheese (you can avoid this if you prefer-they still taste amazing)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Wash kale and dry it well. Use a salad spinner if possible. I do not have one and so I employed the meticulous use of kitchen towels. Spoiler: It worked out!

3. Tear the leaves off the stem into chip-sized pieces

4. Spray some cooking spray into a cookie sheet and place the kale chips on to it.

5. Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the edges get brown

Done!

These were amazing and the real winner of our meal. The hubby polished off the first batch before the burgers were even ready and so I had to make a second batch. They were that good!

So now that I have shown the hubby (and myself) that we can indeed eat enjoyably and nutritiously without the use of animal products, and Veggie-Day was such a hit, I am already planning our next meal!

Although the hubby did well with this one-day experiment I shall not subject him to any further dietary restrictions! Who knows how long I can keep this up. I know I am not converting into a vegan or a vegetarian any time soon but I do think there is something to be said about how good I felt all day today.

Question: Have you ever gone out of your comfort zone to try a new diet/way of eating? Were you successful or did you soon revert back to old eating habits?

A Motherhood First + A Spectacular Dining Experience

This past weekend was eventful because it marked one of the many nerve-wracking "firsts" that a new parent undergoes. There was the first time my baby projectile vomited on me in public. The first time I had to change a soiled diaper in the middle of a snowstorm at a Denny's off the highway. Saturday marked another first, while not as traumatic as the above, equally nerve-wracking! It was the first time I left my baby with a babysitter. This time last year my husband and I were discussing how we could resume our 'regular' life post-baby and reasonably concurred that a babysitter would feature prominently in our lives. Cut to the present day, four months post-baby, and no babysitter has entered the picture. Don't get me wrong. We had family helping out for the first few months who let my husband and I sneak out for the occasional date night. But this was always within a few blocks radius of our neighborhood and leaving your child with grandparents versus leaving your child with a complete stranger are two entirely different things. Like any new parent I felt very protective. Umpteen different scenarios kept clouding my ability to reason. What if the sitter does not respond to my baby crying? What if she does respond and terrifies my baby who was expecting mommy's smiling face? What if what if what if?

This weekend I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. I found a great sitter through a friend, put my baby to sleep and the husband and I met some friends and went out for dinner at an adult restaurant! Which brings me to my review of Soto, a Japanese restaurant in the West Village which recently acquired its second Michelin star. Soto has been around since late 2007, and has been getting rave reviews since. On the higher side of the price spectrum, it's a special place, to be reserved for a special occasion.

Located on sixth avenue, there is no sign outside the restaurant. You walk into a space with wooden panels and a very minimalist feel. The sushi bar is to your left where the chef Sotohiro Kasugi is at work with a few assistants, and according to our server, "is involved in at least 90% of the preparation of all the dishes being served." Luckily for him, only 42 patrons can dine at one time but still thats a lot of work! So was it worth it? I have one word for the meal that I had. DIVINE! It was the best Japanese meal I have had, and in the top five best meals I have ever had. The sushi was good but what really stood out were the small plates composed of raw and slightly cooked seafood. Uni (sea urchin) is the specialty of the house, so one should definitely get a few uni dishes.

Some of our meal's highlights:
1. Sea Trout Carpaccio: Cured Tasmanian sea trout with black truffle sea salt and sweet miso mustard sauce

2. Uni Ika Sugomori Zukuri: Sea urchin wrapped in thinly sliced squid with shiso served with quail egg and tosa soy reduction, arranged with thin strips of seaweed.
The picture below does not do it justice but underneath the quail egg and the seaweed nest lies a marriage of creamy uni and pieces of squid! This is a must-have. It is so unusual and so melt-in-your-mouth delicious that it would be a travesty to come to Soto and not try this.

3.  Steamed lobster with uni mousse: Steamed lobster and uni mousse in a lotus wrap, garnished with smoked uni and caviar.

Everything on the menu was highly inventive and a testament to the creative genius that is Sotohiro Kasugi. It is a quirky and playful take on traditional Japanese cuisine and was a remarkable and unforgettable dining experience!

Also, I am over my babysitter hang-up.