New York New York

So, our weekend in NYC was bittersweet. Amazing to see friends and watch the marathon, but sad I wasn't part of the race. It was so much fun to hang out with my running buddies Nancy and Laryssa and to see my college roomie Debbie. We got down Thursday night and then walked around on Friday. Here are some pics!
Friday night, we went to dinner at Atlantic Grill in NYC on the Upper East Side. It's one of Debbie's favorite restaurants and the food was soooo good. Debs and I split sushi and Tuna.
On Saturday, we went to the marathon Expo then met up with Laryssa's aunt and uncle in Union Square and hit this chain restaurant. Another great restaurant choice!Now let's talk about the marathon! The girls woke up bright and early to get to the start line at Staten Island. Around 8, I got moving so I could get over to Queens. The elite women started at 9:15 and I knew I wanted to see them and find a good spot to watch. Just after 10:30, the elite women raced by me. Paula Radcliffe was in the lead group but she couldn't hold on. I was watching right around mile 13.5. Right past the halfway point.
The elite men came around shortly after and the lead group included both Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi. Meb (guy in white back left) ended up winning.

Then I waited close to another hour (the elite runners got a head start) before seeing my friends run down the bridge in their tutus and magic wands! I jumped in with them for a half mile while giving water and Advil and obviously taking pictures. Then I quickly jumped on the train to make it over to mile 17. Unfortunately I got to 83rd and 1st and the crowds were four rows deep so just as I popped my head over the crowd, I saw the pink tutus but couldn't get to them in time. So I decided to head towards Central Park. When I got there, I had no idea what mile marker I was at, but knew I was somewhere between 23 and 24. I waited there for 15 minutes then saw the 3:50 pace group and five minutes later, saw Laryssa! She looked so happy- you would have never guessed she had just run 23 miles! She ended up finishing in 3:54! Amazing!!! (She even still had her magic wand!!)I jumped in with Laryssa for a half mile to take pictures and then stopped to look for Nancy. A few minutes later, I spotted the tutu! I ran with Nancy almost until the finish line (when I was kicked off course). Of course, I got some great photos - running while taking pictures isn't easy! Look she is running so fast you can barely see her!
That looks like a half smile right?
And here the girls are at the end of the race! They both set PR's. Laryssa ran 3:54 and Nancy ran 4:10. So proud of both of these girls and can't wait to run a marathon with them!

CONGRATULATIONS NANCY AND LARYSSA!!! GREAT JOB : )

Okay, Monday we drove home and Monday night, I got cooking. I missed the kitchen! I decided to make a Grilled Fish Sandwich with Cabbage Slaw and Corn and Shrimp Chowder and of course, some Kale Chips!

Grilled Fish Sandwich with Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 onion, diced
3 tablespoons of mayonaisse
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
lots of s & p
EVOO for sauting
1.5 pounds of cod
yummy rolls

Instructions:
In a bowl, toss cabbage with the first four ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Heat skillet to medium-high heat and season fish with salt and pepper and place in hot skillet with a little EVOO. Grill fish for 3 minutes on each side and transfer to a plate. Dress the rolls with the cabbage slaw then add the fish and enjoy!

and Corn and Shrimp Chowder
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn
4 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 baking potato
2 tablespoon of flour
1 cup of cream
2 cups of skim milk
2 cups of broth
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of cumin, mustard powder and lots of salt and pepper
1/2 pound of shrimp
1/4 cup of seafood stuffing
1/2 cup of kale

Stand corn in shallow bowl and use a sharp knife to cut off kernels into bowl. Add potato and onion into soup pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add flour and cook for one minute then add all the liquids except the water. Add the seasonings and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender. Add corn, shrimp, seafood stuffing and kale and cook for 5 minutes more. If the soup is too thick, add in water to thin out a bit. Then season with salt and pepper and top with bacon slices.

I thought about using the immersien blender for this, but decided it tasted good chunky! Nice hearty dinner.

Workouts for the week:
Monday- off
Tuesday- 25 min eliptical, lift legs
Wednesday- Physical Therapy
Thursday- Muscle Conditioning
Friday- eliptical, lift legs
Saturday- spinning