I don’t think there is ever such thing as a leisurely work trip. Instead, they are always a whirlwind of taxi rides, events, hunting for WiFi and back on a plane before you know it. But despite the tornado of activities, this up-and-back trip to the Big Apple was anything but dull and I managed to squeeze in two (small) runs – let’s discuss the difficulty of traveling and getting your training in another post.
First adventure of note: hopping in a taxi from the airport and within a matter of 400 meters, flashing lights. Was this an omen of what was to come? I tried not to think so and instead told myself, “Ahhhh, welcome back.”
Thursday was our big event, but before heading out I woke up at an ungodly hour to get any amount of mileage in before heading to work. Four miles of speed work worked up a good sweat, but my word of advice to you is to always check what’s in the treadmill cup holder before you leave your phone in it. In my case, it was a giant pool of water. My new iPhone 4 still hasn’t recovered.
Next up, the main event: a Levi’s Shape What’s to Come and Curve I.D. booth at the Independent Fashion Blogger’s Evolving Influence Conference. Our event was a success, complete with free jeans for attendees and a great open-air photo booth. I’ll spare you the work talk but share some of my favorite photos. Oh, and if you ever want to feel like you don’t know crap about fashion – come to New York Fashion Week. Apparently the sky-high, chunky heels and turban trend hasn’t made it to the west coast yet. Note to self: get sky-high, chunky heels if I want to look like I’m uber fashionable (or abnormally tall).
Did I go to some snazzy party afterwards? Sadly, no. I went back to the hotel to finish working and try and get some sleep because I was determined to get in a run before heading home the next day. The next morning I woke up and layered on my gear to ensure that I wouldn’t freeze my toosh off on the run. The concierge recommended running along the West End Highway (I think that’s what it was) and I gladly obliged.
HOLY CRAP! I wasn’t prepared for the absolute frigidness. My running tights could have been, oh I don’t know, TRIPLE the thickness and apparently you need to run with a full face mask if you don’t want your cheeks to freeze off…and a face mask is definitely a piece of running gear that I don’t have in sunny California. But my new Surf City fleece had the perfect sleeves/built-in mittens. Nice work, Surf City. After four miles, I had to get back a) to start packing and b) to prevent frost-bite. I probably sounds like a California baby compared to all of you east coast runners, so to those folks, how do you stay warm during your freezing cold runs?
The run was still gorgeous and one of the best ways to explore new parts of old and new cities and overall, the quick trip was a success and I am so thankful to have experiences like this. Now, back to regular training…
Happy running!
P.S. Random factoid: I LOVE grocery shopping, even if it is just perusing the aisles for pure stress relief. So when I stumbled upon Dean & Deluca, I couldn’t help but to stop in just to oogle their goods and the hustle and bustle of New Yorkers buying expensive cheeses.
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Day 43: Travel = 0 miles
Day 44: Squeezed in 4 miles before the event
Day 45: Squeezed in 4 freezing miles before my flight
Day 46: 20 miles (more on this later)
Looks like the trip was a huge success, congrats! I can’t believe you didn’t bundle up more for your run!! It was SOOO cold up in Boston that I actually started crying (lame and wussy, I know!) My biggies for staying warm are making sure my feet, hands and head are all warm! Luckily you don’t need to deal with those frigid temps now that you’re back in Cali!
SO jealous of you!! Your trip looks like such FUN!! I have to run in the cold all the time (I live in England!) and for me it’s all about the layering, and warming up first inside! Really helps 🙂
I’m TOTALLY with you! I LOVE grocery shopping, and I spend too many hours and too much mula in foodie shops! 😛
Wow sounds like you have a really cool job!! Nice job getting the runs in before work.. Its so tough to get workouts in when you’re traveling! Especially in NYC I would imagine.
Sorry to hear about your iphone! I would try to go to Apple, usually they are cool about replacing things for free, hopefully it recovers! That pic by the fence of the water and the NYC skyline is awesome.
nice job getting in miles while traveling – i always find that challenging. i think its hilarious that surf city provided you with a fleece (of all things) to wear for winter running! 🙂
ack that sucks about your phone! hope you can get it replaced : ( looks like a fun trip!
in order to stay warm when running in freezing temps= dont run outside… run on treadmill 🙂
looks like a fab trip! i love that you squeezed in runs both days. that run along the west end highway looks awesome. i think it was definitely worth the crazy cold.
I fully want to know the answer to how people run in such cold! as a spoiled californian, I consider skipping out on runs when it is below 55 degrees. I’m such a weather wimp.
One of my favorite cities! I went to school there and just hearing about it gave me a bit of nostalgia :o)
So, I remember in high school we used to wear two sweatshirts (and a t-shirt), leggings and then sweatpants, sometimes two pairs of socks, mittens, and an ear wrap/muffs. I still remember running on packed snow my senior year. I would get winter-induced asthma every December at the beginning of the winter track season and then it would go away after about a week. So funny that I didn’t even think about it much back then but now? 35 feel super cold.
Way to get your training in when on vacation, its so hard to do sometimes.
I love Dean & Deluca’s, I’ve been to the on in DC several times and I could spend hours wandering around it.
Your poor phone!! How do I deal with cold runs? I’m a wimp and I head inside to the treadmill. So, good for you for getting out there!
I think I need to go to Dean & Deluca’s now…
AHHH I want to go to NYC! How fun, even though it was the fastest trip ever!