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Friday, May 29, 2015

Corporate Fun Run

Last night after work, some of my coworkers and I headed over to the Meadowlands Racetrack for a corporate fun run. Our company had abour 30 people.

I wasn't going to run but my one coworker said she was so I decided to. 



I finished in around 32 minutes. It was really hot last night - close to 90 but thankfully there was a breeze.

Have a great weekend! 
Ours will be spent spreading dirt and mulch in the yard - HOORAY!


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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

10K PR!

I love that feeling when you think it's Monday but keep having to remind yourself it's Tuesday already!

Yesterday, Saro and I ran a local 10K with our running club. My official time was 1:06:58 and Saro's was 1:01:52. I ran it 7 minutes quicker than my last 10K which I'm happy about! We have another 10K next weekend.

The course was great. Residential and flat. So many people were out on the sidewalks cheering us on, playing music and some even spraying us with their hoses which felt great! It wasn't super hot but pretty humid.

It was fun to be part of a team this time around. We hung out with them to cheer on the 5k runners. We also watched a local fireman break the world record for running the fastest mile in his full gear. He ran it in 6 minutes, 45 seconds! It was really cool to witness that.

Despite having some inurjuries the last couple years and not even wanting to run some days, I can say that I really LOVE running and everything about it. A runner with arm crutches and another with a cane, ran the 5K yesterday. People of all ages participated. Some kids were probably 6 or 7 and others in their 70s.

I think it was my favorite race so far! I really like 10K distance.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

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Thursday, May 21, 2015

Running Club: 4 Miles

Last night, we went to a local park with the running club. I had never been to this one before so it was a nice change. We ran 5 laps around the pond which was exactly 4 miles. To my surprise, I ran it in 39:13! I'm aiming for a 10 min mile or better for both of my 10Ks coming up so I was happy about that.

The coach advised us to run the first half of each lap at "race pace" or a little quicker and then the last half of each lap a little slower (if we wanted to).

So far, I'm really enjoying it. I look forward to it each Wednesday. It's something Saro and I can do together and meet some new people.

They seem to do a lot of fun races together. Last year, they did a race in Long Island and then spent the day at Jones Beach. Sounds fun!

I'm really looking forward to the 10K on Memorial Day. It's in the next town over from us, about 2 miles away which is convenient. It might make the most sense to walk there, lol.

Happy Friday Eve before a long weekend!


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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Shoebuy Deal

Morning, everyone!

Just wanted to share this awesome deal from Shoebuy.com. It's been about a year since I purchased new running sneakers so I figured it was time for a new pair. I still plan on wearing my old pair for cross training as they're still decent.

While I like to support small businesses in town or nearby, $120 is a lot of money. I found the same shoes on Shoebuy for 10% cheaper plus this awesome promotion code for 30% off and free shipping! PROMO CODE - TWITTERFRIEND2015.

So, I ended up spending $75 and will get about $5 back from eBates!

Have a good one!


Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Ebates Sweet Sixteen


Shopping for anything online this week? Be sure to shop through Ebates to get 16% cash back at 150+ stores! If the online store has a current promo code, even better! A favorite of mine, Toms shoes. 16% cash back plus $5 off $25 or more with code SPRING15.

I've received $759 cash back over the last few years! It's definitely worth signing up for free.

Tip: Call me cheap but when shopping online, I always Google promotion codes for the store before checking out. You'd be surprised at what you can find!


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Monday, May 11, 2015

'Round The Country Vacation Recap

Serious case of the Monday blues, folks. But I wanted to recap our vacation! It's a long one so get comfy.



On April 30th, we were off to Des Moines, Iowa for our friends wedding. We had a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis first which was spent having dinner and a couple drinks. From Des Moines, we drove the 45 minutes to Ames which is where the festivities were. Our friends are big into brewing their own beer and just beer in general. We went out for a bit with them before heading to the hotel around midnight.





The next day was the wedding but we had some time to kill before that so we ate at an awesome place called The Cafe in Ames. After that we took a little nap and then got ready for the wedding. It was at a winery and unfortunately it rained right before the ceremony, so it was held inside but then it cleared up a bit so they had pictures outside which was nice. Weddings in the midwest are very different than here! Much more relaxed and casual. We had fun sampling the couples home brewed beer!




On Saturday, we met up with the bride and a couple friends for lunch before heading to the airport.

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We arrived in Seattle Saturday night pretty late but we were hungry. The hotel recommended a place called Ten Mercer which was two blocks from the hotel. We had a drink and some awesome half price appetizers!


Sunday morning, my aunt and uncle picked us up and we went to Magnolia Park where you get a great view of Seattle, the Fremont Sunday Market and famous bridge troll, followed by the Ballard locks, Shilshole beach and dinner in Capitol Hill at Terra Plata.



Saro @ the top.




Monday, our anniversary, Saro and I went to the top of the Space Needle, Olympic Sculpture park, Pike Place Market, the gum wall and then took the bus over to Issaquah for dinner at my aunt and uncles. We grilled some awesome burgers and enjoyed with potato salad and tomato mozzarella salad.







Gorgeous moutain views from Olympic Sculpture Park!




The gum wall. Yuck.



Tuesday, we took the ferry boat over to Bainbridge Island. Fun Fact: Dr. Derek Shepherd is supposed to live on Bainbridge in Grey's Anatomy.



It was a bit rainy but nice nonetheless. We had lunch (see a pattern here? lots of eating last week!) followed by gelato and stopping in a few shops. We met my uncle downtown near the market around 5:00. He works nearby so it worked out. We had dinner at Etta's and then I ugly cried when I had to say goodbye to my aunt. Happens every. time. 

The original Starbucks @ Pike Place Market

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Wednesday, we flew to San Francisco from Seattle, rented a car and drove 220 miles south to Morro Bay, CA which is where my grandma lives. She lives a block from the beach but beaches are very different on the west coast. It never gets hot in MB and you need a wet suit if you so choose to go swimming. Brrr.



5 miles from my Grandma's coming up and over the mountain in Cayucos, CA.

We arrived around 7:30pm where she had beef chili and sourdough garlic bread waiting for us. It was perfect! I hadn't seen my grandma in 5 years so it was really nice to see her and catch up. She always makes me laugh. 



The Morro Bay rock



Thursday, I took Saro to San Luis Obispo which is 10 miles inland from where my grandma lives. It's a town of about 50,000. It has great restaurants and shops. We had breakfast at a great spot called Louisa's Place followed by a latte at Scout coffee.



I can't believe I didn't gain any weight after this trip!!! SO much good food, drinks and treats. We did manage to get 5 Beachbody On Demand workouts in plus one run and a bunch of walking.

Thursday night we ordered Mexican from a great place I remember as a kid, Lolo's. My grandma had some sparkling pinot grigio for us and her friend came over. We talked and laughed some more.

Friday before heading back to SF, we stopped at her house for breakfast and said goodbye. 

We decided to take highway 1 up the coast back to the city. It definitely adds on an extra 2 hours or so but the views are SO worth it. If you've never done it or are looking for somewhere to visit, I definitely recommend Northern California and doing the coast drive. one way. Specifically San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.










We drove by the Painted Ladies and the house from Mrs. Doubtfire. They're located on the same street in a beautiful neighborhood of San Francisco.





We checked into our hotel, walked over to The Top of the Mark which is a restaurant at the top of the Intercontinental Hotel and has magnificent views of the city.



From there, we walked over to The Stinking Rose and met my uncle and cousin for dinner. Garlic, garlic and more garlic. Stinky but yummy! I had the short ribs.

Saturday morning we woke up early to meet more family for breakfast at The Hollywood Cafe near Fisherman's Wharf. From there, we headed to the airport and that pretty much concludes our trip.

Phew!

It was really fun and we covered a ton of ground in a little over a week.



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