Wet In The City

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Coco

This week I had a quick business trip to New York City for a meeting on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, I took an early afternoon Acela so I could meet a friend for dinner. As the train approached the city I could see flashes of lightning in the sky. I figured we were in for a quick afternoon storm, but I grossly underestimated the situation.

When I got out of the train station, this is what I saw:

It was pouring, and the sidewalk was flooded with puddles several inches deep. People making a run for it looked like they were wading up to their knees!

I waited it out for about 1/2 hour, and then finally bought one of those $5 umbrellas from the newstand. Just then, the skies opened up for another deluge, so I kept waiting under the building overhang while I assessed the taxi situation. The storm had blown over the taxi queue dividers, and there was a free-for-all of people racing to be the first into the few taxis that were stopping. Once a bit of organization was restored and the rain slowed to a heavy rain, I got into the newly forming queue and waited for another 20 minutes until I finally got in a taxi. In my rush, I threw all of my bags on the seat, and then realized that water was pouring off the umbrella into my lap. Ugh!

I gave the taxi driver the address of my hotel, but apparently that was not a good decision. The last time I stayed at this hotel I walked from Penn Station, but I noticed that we were going much farther than I would have walked–even on a nice day. I finally realized that he had confused the street number I had given him with the cross street, and was heading about 32 streets too far! Luckily I noticed this when we only had gone about 15 blocks past my hotel.

By this time, the situation was so ridiculous that I didn’t even think of being mad. I remembered that Carla (@MizFitOnline) had an even more bizarre lost taxi driver experience in New York City, and so I decided to celebrate the detour in honor of her birthday. 🙂

https://twitter.com/Got2Run4Me/status/225702965644783617

When I made it to my hotel, I changed into one of their crazy bathrobes while I used the hairdryer to dry my dress.

By the time my dress was dry enough to put on again, it was time to meet my friend for dinner. It was still raining, but barely. After being fourth in line for a taxi for 10 minutes, I decided to walk to the restaurant, which was about a mile away. My friend already was there waiting for me, and I was more than ready for some girlfriend time!


We had a lovely dinner, and she was nice enough to walk back to my hotel with me, to extend our time together.

Do you have a crazy lost taxi story?

Have you ever had to dry your clothes with a hotel hair dryer?

Posted in Life | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Product Review: Bengay Zero Degrees

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Coco

A few weeks ago, BENGAY® reached out to me to let me know about their new product, BENGAY® Zero Degrees™.

 

According to BENGAY®, it is “the first and only topical pain reliever that can be stored in the freezer, combining the instant sensation of ice with the long-lasting, pain relief of BENGAY® Gel.” I was intrigued, and since my physical therapy exercises sometimes leave me with achy spots, I told them I would be happy to try a sample.

As you can see from the picture, the product comes in a dispenser that looks like deodorant, and it works the same way as a cream or gel deodorant dispenser–you turn the dial at the bottom, gel comes out at the top, and you just rub it on where you need it. 

As they say:

Developed with a unique, no-mess stick delivery system, BENGAY® Zero Degrees™ starts to soothe tired muscles on contact with a vanishing scent that begins to disappear in minutes.

I keep the product stashed in the freezer and have tried it several times. It definitely feels cool going on, and the scent does dissipate quickly.

I usually use Biofreeze, so I decided to compare the two. I applied approximately equal amounts to each calf, and tried to notice any differences. At first, they both felt about the same–except for the coolness of the frozen BENGAY® Zero Degreesâ„¢. They both smelled about the same, and they both “tingled” about the same. The sensation seemed to last about the same length of time. Menthol is the active ingredient in both products, and BENGAY® Zero Degreesâ„¢ is a 5% formulation, while Biofreeze is a 3.1% formulation.  Pricing them on Walgreens.com, they seem to cost about the same ($14-15 for 3 oz.).

The bottom line: I like the BENGAY® Zero Degrees™ product. When I run out of my sample and my supply of Biofreeze, I certainly would consider buying it, especially if I can find it at a local store.

FTC Notice: I was provided with a free sample of BENGAY® Zero Degrees™.  This review reflects my own personal opinion of the product.

How do you care for your sore muscles?

Have you ever braved an ice bath?

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Simple Gazpacho

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Coco

When my Mom called me in a panic over the number of tomatoes ripening on the vine in her yard, I knew it would be a perfect time to make gazpacho.

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Posted in Food | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Running Any Day Of The Month

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Coco

This is not a sponsored post, but it should be. At least then you might understand why I am writing about feminine hygiene products. 😉

Since I am a pre-menopausal woman and a runner, I sometimes run at an inconvenient time of the month. I am lucky that I don’t get cramps that keep me sidelined–and my family is lucky that I can get a dose of endorphins to counteract those moody hormones! Although that time of the month makes running more complicated, I have found two products that help keep me running any day of the month, even when Aunt Flo is visiting.

The first product is the Tampax® Compak line. As described on the website, they are full-sized (with a full-sized plastic applicator), but packaged in about half the size. They are small enough so that I can fit several in my fuel belt pocket, and I even can tuck one in that little pocket that is built into most of my running shorts.

The second product is Always Feminine Wipes in the individually wrapped packaging. These are useful anytime of the month, and especially good to have on hand if you have to brave the port-a-pottys before a race. They also are small enough to fit in a fuel belt pocket and I probably could squeeze one into that small shorts pocket.

Does your period interfere with your fitness routine?

What euphemism do you use to refer to TTOM?

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Six At Six

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Coco

When my physical therapsit cleared me for 6 mile runs, I hoped my friend would be able to join me for a Saturday morning run. We had been running together almost every Saturday until my ITB/glute/pirifiromis issue demanded more attention–and less running–and I have missed that girlfriend time.

(A good friend will pose with you even when
you are wearing an ugly sweater to donate at the start line!)

We agreed to meet at 6:00 am for a 6 mile run, so I set my “weekend” alarm for 5:00 am.

(Ugh!)

When I got up it was pouring, so we debated what to do.

(It was my friend who went back to bed. I tried to walk the dog, but she wasn’t interested.)

The Weather Channel App was right–it did stop raining by about 5:30–so we met at 6:15. Since our usual routes are 7 or 8 miles, we had to improvize a 6-ish mile loop, and ended up going a bit too far. It was cloudy and felt remarkably nice–a breeze kept the humidity at bay and the sun didn’t come out until much later. After our run, we got coffee at Starbucks and sipped those while streteching and chatting.

After all that, I still got home at 8:00! That left me plenty of time to walk the dog, do my core exercises, and make my husband some banana bread–all before he got out of bed!

Garmin Data
Total Distance: 6. 5 mile
Total Time: 1:02
Avg Pace: 9:32 min/mile

Do you set your alarm on the weekends?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments