First CSA

I am unreasonably excited to join my first CSA! I was researching available options this morning for the Upper East Side (my new neighborhood!), but was a little discouraged at the high prices (at least the UES is consistent with their image?).

A typical CSA box (via)

But before I go into too much detail, what's a CSA?!

CSA allows city residents to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by regional farmers.

 

When you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of vegetables from a regional farmer. Weekly or bi-weekly, from June until October or November, your farmer will deliver that share of produce to a convenient drop-off location in your neighborhood. (via)

Unlike weekly shopping at a farmer's market, you pay one time at the beginning of the summer- it works out to a few dollars a week, but the upfront cost can be a bit of a shocker. The ones in the Upper East Side were in the $400-$500 range for the summer, which was just a bit too much to handle. Plus, there were no 1/2 share options- a full share is designed to feed a family of 4-5, so there would be too much waste for just an apartment of 2 people. 

But as luck would have it, I got an email today saying that my office participates in a CSA- with 1/2 share options! I'll be able to pick up my goods every week at the office coffee bar (yeah, that's a great perk- an in house barista!) and even better, for a fraction of the price I was finding for the Upper East Side CSAs!

We decided to do a 1/2 share of fruit and juice to see how it goes-I was gung-ho for the adventure of discovering 'new' vegetables and the challenge of creating new recipes, but my housemate is a little picky when it comes to vegetables. So we decided to play it safe and see how the fruit worked out, and if we liked it, we'd try vegetables in the fall. There are some other exciting choices as well- bread, meat, cheese, and honey were all additional options. I think the meat and cheese would be really great, but they were a little on the pricey side-- especially during the summer, when it's harder to plan when you'll be home to take advantage of the yumminess!

I can't wait for my first box... I wonder what will be in it! Currently dreaming of peaches! If you're looking to join a CSA, the one I signed up for through work (Local Roots) also offers pickups around Brooklyn. If you don't live in Brooklyn, visit JustFood and enter your zipcode to see your options! Happy eating :)

$32+

While I'm still sitting on the bench with my running injury, I'm thinking about my plan of attack to get stronger once I'm 100% healthy. I've been reading lots about the benefits of cross-training and strength training, both things I'm woefully bad at and know I need to incorporate into my mostly running-only exercise schedule.

But the frustrating thing is, every single cross-training or strength-building class I'm finding in NYC seems to be $32/class or higher. <pause> !!!

Ballet/Barre classes- I actually used to regularly attend Physique 57 and then became a member at Exhale for a few months (back when I thought spending over $300 a month on barre classes + a gym membership was reasonable). Drop-in classes at Physique are $36 and $37 at Exhale. Going just four times a month = over $140.

Spin classes- Soulcycle and Flywheel incorporate arm weights into the spin classes, so you get more of a full body workout than just cardio. At $34/class and $32/class they are slightly cheaper options than barre classes, but still almost as bad.

Small circuit classes- I think this is what I'm most interested in pursuing, but the prices are still so dang high! I've always been scared of the weight room at gyms and have zero motivation for circuit-style workouts on my own. Other bloggers rave about Uplift (which apparently pairs workouts with wine!) and Refine (love their infographic above, because this explains my dilemma perfectly), but classes are still $32 each.

Crossfit- I am something holy terrified of Crossfit. Two bloggers that I love (here and here) are obsessed with Crossfit, and both have banging bodies, but I am terrified that my clumsy self just won't be able to handle it. That, and I'm absolutely petrified to attempt jump boxes. Petrified. Crossfit does offer somewhat of a break with pricing at only $25 per class, but it's still a pretty penny.

I bet you're saying, but just join a gym that offers classes! Been there, tried that. NYC gyms are always PACKED and trying to join a group class is more headache than it's worth- no personal attention (which I think is important, especially if you're new) to check form, and usually, not enough room to properly perform a move.

Frustrating, right? It's a little disheartening to think that to take a few strength training classes a month it's at least an extra $100 bucks... and to see real results, it's more like $200-$300. Not for the faint of heart, and not for someone on a tight budget.

What's a girl to do?!

3.0

... is the speed I walked on the treadmill at the gym this morning. 3.0 is slower than my normal cool down, but today it felt like speed lightning.

Ironically, I wore this shirt today. It should read 'I miss sweat.'

At my doctor's appointment last week I found out that while my stress fractures are healing, I still won't be able to run for at least another month... walking at 3.0 is as fast as I'll be for the next few weeks. I'm up to about 25 minutes of comfortable walking (this is not the time to push it or feel uncomfortable), am able to do some arm weights again, and can attempt swimming. (although the doc said not to use my legs or kick much... hmmm)

Am I growing impatient, especially as the weather turns nicer and it seems like all of Manhattan has now picked up running? YES. And do I have moments of whining and self pity? YES. But I will run again-- thoughts of Boston are still weighing heavy on my heart, and so many people won't have the chance to run again. And I will. I'm channeling this thought to try to stay positive and focus on the big picture-- come end of May, I should be proudly able to run a mile again. And that makes me smile :)

Running injuries are not fun, but they aren't the end of the world. They are frustrating, humbling, and painful. But they are temporary! 

Pray For Boston

My heart goes out to everyone in Boston tonight. It's strange to think that just a few hours ago, as I watched the elites this morning, I felt happier than I have since fracturing my pelvis- the runners' endorphins were somehow mine, and I felt as if I was running with them. That same joy is now sadness; some say running is a solitary sport, but I'd beg to differ. Runners share a special bond and have a strong sense of community, never more evident than during a marathon. Runners are family and we're all in this together. Love and prayers to my family in Boston.

Happy Ending

This past week was tough  just awful. Last Thursday (as in April 4th), I started feeling some pain in my side. Nothing awful, just a constant dull pain. The dull pain turned into uncomfortable and spread into my back by Saturday, and by Saturday night I was waking up in agonizing, mind-numbing pain. I've never felt anything like it.

I took several ibuprofen, but woke up Sunday to worsening pain, now centered in my back. After calling my parents (like a 5 year old) to ask them about the pain, we decided I should go to urgent care. After a test for a kidney stone came back negative, the doctor said it could still be a kidney stone or could be a muscle ache. Frustrating, especially since I didn't see any reason to have a muscle ache as I've been practically sedentary after learning about my pelvic fractures. The doctor told me to keep taking ibuprofen, but to go to the ER if the pain continued to get worse.

After another sleepless night on Sunday, I muscled through work on Monday to steadily worsening pain. The pain had now spread from my back to my stomach, and my skin was hypersensitive to touch. After waking up at 3AM with severe pain, I decided to go to the ER.

I've never been to the ER before, and I never want to go back. It was miserable- I've never had so many tests in my life (to rule out appendicitis, kidney stones, or anything with my ovaries) for so little result. I was relieved to find out that nothing life threatening was wrong, but even after a dose of morphine and approximately 8 hours later, I left the hospital with a fever, still in as much pain as I came in, and with a diagnosis of muscle spasms.... which the doctor thought was somehow related to my stress fractures. But after taking muscle relaxers and still not finding any relief, I called my primary care doctor, who listened to my symptoms and immediately said, 'Shingles.'

Y'all. Until a few weeks ago, I don't remember the last time I went to the doctor. I NEVER get sick. To hear the word 'shingles' was shocking. Especially since I'm not 80 years old. But as my doctor went through my symptoms, it made sense- excruciating pain on only one side of the body, fever, and skin that was hypersensitive to touch. AND I had just gotten a chicken pox booster shot the week before at his office. So the possibility was high I was either showing the first signs of shingles or having a bad reaction to the booster.

Hospital fashion... will not miss this

Thankfully, it seems to be the latter. I'm finally feeling better more than a week after the symptoms started to show themselves. I'm still not feeling 100%, but I'll take it as a good sign that I'm feeling better and have yet to see the other side of shingles, the horrible blisters.

I think this is a sign that I need to take better care of myself- the stress fractures coupled with starting a new job and looking for a new apartment (yay, finally found one!) was just too much for my body to handle at once. Now that everything is settled and my fracture is healing, hopefully I won't be seeing the inside of a doctor office for a looong time.

The highlight of my week was being able to see my family and celebrate my little brother's birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Guess he's not so little anymore... He's 23! Nothing like being with family when you aren't feeling your best!

ONE WEEK

1 week until my next set of x-ray's, aka 1 week until figuring out when I might be able to run again! I can feel my pelvis getting stronger every day, and although it's been slow going (I still walk at a mid-west tourist pace) and frustrating at (lots of) times, I can tell I'm getting better.

But where have I been if I haven't been running?

Traveling/having fun at another wedding (our 2nd in as many weeks!) and visiting Jason's family...

Celebrating a special anniversary...

And oh yeah, STARTING A NEW JOB!

I was very happy with my current position, but a new opportunity came along that I just couldn't pass up. It's my first time working in an agency and I'm still learning my way around, (although one thing I know is to grab your seltzer early in the day. Agency folk love them some seltzer) but I think it's going to be lots of fun and a great challenge.

So while I'd rather be running, especially with this week's forecast, I'm keeping busy and counting down the days until next week!

Coincidence that my appointment is on the same day as Boston? I think not ;)