Sometimes you need a big salad

Today was one of those days.

Since there weren’t any salad fixins in the fridge this morning, I knew I’d have to buy food in order to fulfill my salad craving. When I’m feeling ambitious (or when I want a really fun salad) I’ll make the trek to Chop’t in Dupont. Other (read: lazy) days, I’ll head to my safety lunch spot – Capitol Grounds Café. It’s nothing fancy. Totally one of those hole in the wall places that always smells like burning toasting bread and is stocked with random fun goodies like Haribo gummies, Soy Crisps, Clif bars, and roasted soybeans. Not exactly a cheap place, but it’s one of the better options near my office. Plus it's super fast. I can be in and out in 5 minutes. Ended up getting a chicken salad salad which wasn't bad...it was massive though - I swear it took me at least an hour to chomp through 3/4 of it!

Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually group run days for me, so you'll definitely see some track workouts and/or running routes those days (with the exception of today). Since everyone else was busy today, I took advantage of the situation and tested out some new sneakers at the gym. I'm super picky about running shoes - it usually takes me at least 3 tries before I find a pair I like. I've been a faithful Mizuno wearer for the past 3 years. LOVE them. However, I let the running store man suggest some other options when I stopped in last week. This is day 3 of running in these:

I kinda like the Nike Zoom Elite 4...so far. They fit snug, but have a somewhat roomy toebox. Definitely more cushioning than my old sneakers and they feel a lot lighter. I think I'm going to give them one last run on the treadmill before making a final decision though. I have at least 2 pairs of sneakers in my closet that I was too quick to decide on and couldn't return :(

I'll remember to bring my camera to lunch tomorrow to snap some pictures of lunch. Meeting a friend for lunch at either Sweetgreen or Nando's Peri-Peri. I've wanted to check out both for some time now. Will keep you posted on where we end up!

let the blogging begin...

So looks like I've finally jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I've tried this a couple of times now on Xanga (back in the college years) and MySpace, failing miserably on both attempts. Though I had good intentions, I just couldn't commit to posting on a regular basis. I promise, this time I'll be better!

Just a few things to expect on this brand spanking new blog...

• Running Routes - I love when people post routes...it's one less thing I need to worry about before heading out on a run! Over the past 3 years, I've come across some awesome routes and some duds. I'll be sure to post my findings!

• Restaurants - I love all (well, almost all - we'll discuss this later) kinds of food and a good bargain. I'll share my favorites if you share yours :)

• Recipes - In this economy, I can't afford to eat out ALL the time...even if they are cheap eats! I love to experiment with recipes, especially for friends. Hopefully I can start keeping track of all my food experiements here.

• Doodads, Gadgets and Treats - I'm one of those people that is easily amused by gadgets, food in fun packaging and doodads. Yes, I said doodads. It's a fun word. If I see something nifty online or in a store, you bet there will be a post about it.

• Travel - I love (what don't I love) traveling. In the past three years I've been to Grenada, China, Japan, Argentina and Uruguay. There are so many other places I'd like to visit, but work keeps getting in the way ;).

• Races - For those who like to nerd out on running like I do, I'm going to post mini reviews of the races I run. Last year I ran a lot of new races and had no idea what to expect. Let's take the NYC Half for example. Yes, I heard somewhere that there were hills. I didn't know that all of Central Park would be rolling hills. I also didn't know that Times Square on a Sunday in July smelled like a bar full of stale beer and trash. Now I know.

Stay tuned :)