Laboring on Labor Day

Labor Day has never been anything special to me. I basically know that I have the day off and that my family is usually getting together and using the grill. You can't go wrong with that. So this is my first Labor Day on my own, others having been spent with my parents, others probably with college roommates watching reruns of The Hills....which may have also happened this year, just on my own.  Don't judge me....

I didn't have too many definite plans this weekend, but I certainly kept myself occupied. My plan for Saturday was to go bargain hunting around the Upper East Side seeing as I haven't bought new clothes in about...a year. It's strange when you move out and need to decide between a new pair of shoes and the electric bill. Obviously, the electric bill wins out.

So I set out with my list of places to go with a couple things in mind to buy. The first stop was Modell's (kind of like Dick's Sporting Goods for those not in the know) where I was hoping to find a cheap Mets shirt to wear to the Mets v. Braves game this weekend. Well, they only sold Mets stuff in little boys sizes at this store (thinking about it now, I probably should've hit up a Modell's in Queens where the Mets play...) and I wasn't about to waste money on that. I left empty-handed after about five minutes.

Next I went to Urban Outfitters, where everything on sale was not work appropriate, and everything regularly priced was not of interest to me or too expensive. I also felt a little intimidated by the hipsters in there.

I went to Gap after that where I finally tried something on, and found out that I'm in between pants sizes so I can either where ones that are too big (making me look bigger, and who wants that) or ones that are too small. Disappointing.

Jackrabbit Sports was the biggest success of the day where I stocked up on Stinger waffles and Gu energy gels for the last couple weeks before my half. Everyone there was super nice, asked me about my training, and wished me good luck. Runners are the best. Seriously.

Last, I tried H&M. I was completely overwhelmed by the messy store. I tried on a pair of pants in the size that was too big on me at Gap, and I couldn't even fit my calf in them. What the hell? So I was already peeved at this point. Next I tried on this short lace dress with long sleeves. It started out great as I put it on, totally fit everywhere...and then the dress ended way too soon. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't be able to walk up the subway stairs without being obscene in this dress.

Feeling defeated, I knew I wasn't going to do any shopping for the rest of the day and I was starving. So I made my first trip to Shake Shack.

This is the closest I'll get to an In-N-Out burger on the east coast, and it's such a close tie. I only rate Shake Shack slightly higher because I noticed it was less greasy than the burger at In-N-Out. And I think I like In-N-Out's fries better (though Shake Shack's still ruled), but I guess I'm just going to have to try them again next time I'm in California. Darn :)

Sunday I woke up early to take on a 12 mile run in Brooklyn. I used my same 10 mile route and continued into Brooklyn Bridge Park to tack on the extra two miles. My goal was to pace myself, which worked really well while in Prospect Park. The first lap was great, and by mile 4 I was really feeling the humidity. I pressed on, keeping my pace, and was getting really tired by mile 6.

So I head out of the park around that time, and by mile 8, I was exhausted. I didn't want to walk though, so I continued on, dragging myself for two more miles. The last two miles were the worst. Brooklyn Bridge Park still has some parts under construction and the path is quite gravely over there, so I had to change my stride to accommodate it. It's also a lot more difficult to run on that surface. It's like running on a beach. So I had to walk for about a tenth of a mile overall (not terrible), and I did stop at mile 11 to take this shot:

The walk back to the subway was a slow one for sure, and I was pretty sore the rest of the day. I still feel it today but not as bad. The half is now less than two weeks away, and I've made peace with the fact that I won't finish it in less than 2 hours. Hopefully it will be less than 2 hours 7 minutes and some change!

Today I slept in, watched I Love You, Man, and now am making snickerdoodles. These are my ultimate fall cookie, and my mind is fall-focused after Labor Day, so these will be coming into work with me tomorrow.

Seriously, my apartment smells amazing right now. I need some hot apple cider to make this perfect.

I think that covers everything for now. No ideas for what's to come in food this week, so stay tuned :)