Purple Nails

This post is all over the place. I just wanted you to know that I know.

I ran this morning, a nice 5 miler, first time back since our race this past weekend. I was planning on a run yesterday morning but when my alarm went off, it was pouring rain. So I ended up going to the gym for some much needed yoga. But I think having three full days rest was for the best- even today my legs still felt a little tired.

April, I've already had enough of your showers. Over the past 3 weeks your rain has really messed with my running outside, and at this point - I don't even bother with the treadmill because I know how the story ends...sick of it after a mile. Maybe your point is to make me truly appreciate sights like these

on the gorgeous days we do get. I was running our go-to five mile route, on the Capital Crescent trial portion when there was a break in the trees and I could see the sun coming up, illuminating the key bridge. I had to stop and snap a pic. At least three bikers whizzed by as I was doing this and I'm pretty sure thought I was crazy.

I treated myself to a little more of this beautiful day by going out for a manicure and pedicure during lunch. I had my toes painted this lovely lilac color:

and I have to say - I am digging it. I think I'll polish them purple more often. I tried in vain to snap a picture of my actual toes to share the real life result with the internet. You can thank my iPhone for the color not turning out like I wanted for you being spared that picture. Oh, and I also finally tried the new gel polish. You know - the one that is supposed to last at least two weeks. Unfortunately they do not make Essie gel polish yet so my nails did not get the same purple treatment.

As one more tribute to Spring, I share this picture I snapped while out walking Tallulah yesterday evening:

It's currently my favorite yard in Georgetown (if you can even call them that for row houses). With the garden in full bloom, it finally matches the brightly colored house, no? Maybe the purple flowers in the foreground were subconsciously my inspiration for my polish choice.

Sal is working in the Big Easy for the rest of the week. In honor of of one of my favorite cities in the U.S of A - I thought I would create a route for good 'ol NOLA and share a FEW things from my personal "best of" New Orleans list. [Disclaimer: this list is not all encompassing - that would require an entire post of its own]

• Best running route (I haven't actually run it myself , but I could only imagine it's the best because it's begins in the Garden District so you can see the beautiful houses, includes a cut through Audubon Park, finishing through the quarter and ending at Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. Hey you earned it, you just ran 8.7 miles)
• Best place for a Po' Boy - Domilise Sandwhich Shop
• Best restaurant that I want to try that I haven't yet tried - Cochon (how do I know it's the best if I haven't been there myself you ask - well I have it on good authority...and I have been to it's sister, Cochon Butcher for lunch, and it was amazing)
• Best place for Chargrilled Oysters - Acme Oyster House
• Best B&B in the Garden District to stop and have a drink in their bar or on their glorious porch - The Columns
• Best place to spend entirely too long at lunch (and possibly see someone famous) - Galatoire's
• Best Bloody Mary - John Besh's Luke
• Best carousel bar (not that I've ever been to another) - Hotel Monteleone
• Best bar if you have ever wanted to dress up like a pirate - The Funky Pirate - go see Big Al sing and request the song "Take Your Drunk Ass Home." And if you want, you can literally spend like 17 dollars for your very own sword, eye patch, and a bandanna or something (and no I haven't bought the pirate get-up - but I just might know someone that has).

That is all,

Coffee (and Tea) Talk

I’ve been trying to kick the coffee habit for a while now by switching to green tea. Coffee has always had a stigma in my mind ever since I was a little girl - I remember one Christmas morning when all 6’4” of my great uncle hovered over me and told me never to drink coffee because it would stunt my growth. It was hard not to believe him considering his height, and yet, life’s chaos settled in as I grew up, and coffee somehow found its way into my mug. But one morning when I was really craving a cup of joe/majorly dragging at work and feeling guilty about it, it occurred to me that I’m not really sure why I’m depriving myself because I’ve never bothered to look up any actual research defending one against the other. So I decided to do a little digging...

A) of all, I’ve never been a huge coffee drinker to begin with. Every now and then, I may overly indulge, but for the most part, I’ll have a cup of coffee maybe 3-4 times a week. Ever since trying to switch to tea though, I’ve upped my intake a bit because I’ll use a cup in the AM as a caffeine kick, and a decaf (okay, fine. It’s usually caffeinated too) cup in the afternoon to stave off hunger/prevent me from attacking our secretary’s secret candy stash. [pause...um Liv here. Our secretary has a secret candy stash?! You've been holding out on me. Oh - and yes, Sal + Liv work together, share a cube wall actually - but more on that later.] So am I really any better off? Well, let’s see…

Black coffee (which is how I like it) can ward off diabetes, Parkinson’s, heart disease and possibly some types of cancer – but in order for me to reap any of those benefits, I’d need to slurp back at least 3-4 cups a day. Eww. Stained teeth and bad breath aside, I’m pretty sure that much java in any given day would make my insides feel like mush. 

Tea also has some pretty bad a$$ benefits – preventing Alzheimer’s, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis, fighting cavities, speeding up your metabolism, etc, etc. But supposedly, I may have to drink a lot more than 1 – 2 cups to get any of these benefits, too. 

Hmmm. After several weeks of research, I've yet to find a conclusive answer. Which leads me to believe that there is no real answer. I think we have to listen to our bodies and determine what makes us feel our best. For me, that means sticking to tea whenever possible, but not beating myself up over the occasional coffee indulgence - after all, I need something to dunk my donut in, right?

Any helpful insight out there? What makes you feel your best – particularly when preparing for a long run? Talk amongst yourselves – gotta go grab a cup of joe I mean tea.