Cupcake | The Runner's Kitchen

For the past few weeks, I’ve been running in the morning. I feel like exercising before work allows me to have more flexibility later on in the day (impromptu happy hour, anyone?) and my motivation is highest as soon as I wake up. However, on Thursday, I decided to postpone my run until the evening.

I prepared by fueling up with a baggie of pretzels around 5pm (it was warm outside, needed that extra salt!).

I hopped on the subway after work and was back at my apartment by 6pm. At this point my motivation was pretty low. It had been a long day, I was tired, I didn’t want to run, blah, blah, blah. But I knew I’d probably feel better once I got on the roads, so I changed into my running shoes and off I went!

I ran to the Northern entrance of Central Park and started down the West side. I was a little stiff for the first few miles, but by the time I met up with Ani and her brother at mile 2.5 I was feeling better. I ended up running about 8.5 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes and still felt like I had a lot of energy left. My right upper hamstring/butt was giving me a bit of trouble whenever I tried to drop the pace, but I’m currently massaging it out with a tennis ball, so hopefully that will help.

I forgot how enjoyable a night run can be! I was able to do my run without the time crunch that mornings usually bring and running in the dark (don’t worry, I stuck to well-lit paths!) was an interesting change.

After stretching, foam rolling, and some ab work it was time for dinner:

I toasted up a slice of whole wheat bread and topped it with a falafel sunshine burger, sprouts, mozzarella cheese, and chipotle hummus. Arugula, dried cherries, and walnuts drizzled with balsamic vinegar rounded out the meal. Yum!

After a shower and some Gossip Girl (FINALLY caught up to season 3), I ended the night with a cup of tea and a leftover red velvet cupcake from Crumbs. Cupcakes + Gossip Girl = my favorite guilty pleasures

We all know I have a HUGE sweet tooth, so I need to do everything I can to prevent cavities. A few weeks ago Waterpik asked if they could send me an sonic toothbrush to try out. I’ll admit it – my dental care can be a bit lacking at times. I try to convince myself that Orbit gum is just as good as a brushing. Um, no. It’s not. So this morning I plugged in the Waterpik and gave it a whirl! The toothbrush stays on for 2 minutes (the recommended teeth-brushing time), so I really had to focus on cleaning every nook and cranny. The toothbrush also buzzes at 30 second intervals to remind you to switch quadrants. Loved that! After my thorough brushing, my teeth and gums felt very clean. Recent studies have shown correlations between mouth health and heart disease risk, so I think oral hygiene is something we all need to pay attention to. Thanks Waterpik!