July 18, 2014

Friday Favs_7.18.14

July 18, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

Today's "Friday Favs" is dedicated to Summer. July has proven to be quite eventful and mama nature has cooperated nicely. Every year, I can never get enough of the following places and things! Hope July is treating you all wonderfully!

Duxbury beach in the late afternoon.

The every-changing view of the city from Castle Island at dusk.

Buttery lobster rolls.

Fresh and plentiful herbs right from my deck garden.

A crisp cold glass of rose or chardonnay.

What are you favorite summer past times? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a wonderful weekend! xo

May 27, 2014

Life Lately_5.27.14

May 27, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

First and foremast, Happy Birthday to my niece, Ella, who turns 8 years old today! The sweetest girl who has brought so much love to our lives since 2006!

So, I know I've been an absent blogger lately. There has been a lot going on that I'm not ready to talk about on here yet, but, I'll do my best to get back on track. So here's what else has been happening lately...

Jenn's bachelorette in Miami was a blast! The weather was perfect and the company was incredible. Jenn is prettttty blessed to have such awesome girlfriends in her life.

Nights out on the town followed by days at the pool and beach equaled = fun & relaxation at its finest. I am so happy for Jenn and excited for the wedding (in just a few short weeks!). Eeeeek!

Once I got back from Miami, it was time to REALLY focus on training for the Run to Remember half marathon. Remember this race from last year? It's a pretty special one around these parts. This year, I was already in the middle of my sugar-free challenge, which really helped with my training. Besides that, I pretty much followed the plan that I did last year: long runs every weekend, boxing classes 2-3 days, and a short run once per week. What helped this year is that Rob also ran it so we were in the same boat in terms of long run days, being in pain, nights we had to stay in, nutrition etc.

To me, the best part about long runs is getting into the city and taking in the views. These are a few of the photos I took during my long runs. I would just put my arm up in the air with my phone in hand and snap a couple shots. Funny how some of these came out so good!

As I get older and smarter with training, I've learned a couple really important things:

1.) Do the plan that works for you. I've found that continuing my boxing classes keeps me strong and my endurance up. I may not run as many miles per week as most half marathoners, but, I'm injury-free, strong, and balanced.

2. Pay attention to your diet. Fuel properly. Cut back on the sugar and increase the protein intake. Your body goes through a lot during training and it needs to be properly nourished.

3. Rest days and foam rolling are essential. Listen to your body. Rest is just as important as training days. Yes... JUST AS IMPORTANT. Muscles need to recover to get STRONGER.

Finally, race day arrived and I was as nervous as I always am before the race. I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4:45am on Sunday morning (race began at 7am). Rob couldn't believe how awake I was, but, adrenaline was already pumping! I made a gluten free english muffin, downed my vitamins, and continued to drink water.

After my nerves settled and it was time to line up.... Rob headed to the front of the pack with the 6-minute mile crew (I know, crazy good) and I hung out at the 8/830 group. I looked down to put my ear buds in and noticed the little rubber cover that keeps the bud in my ear must have fallen off. So, (without panicking) I put my problem solving skills to work - took one of the energy gummies out of my pocket, rolled it into a ball and stuck it on the end of my ear piece and stuck it in my ear. It worked! Although it kind of blocked the sound haha

We finished! Rob completed it in 1:28:19 and in 106 place out of 7172 runners!!! He shrugs it off like it's NBD. I think he's superman.......
I finished in 1:58:47 (#2692)... my second best time. I was happy with that. Endurance-wise I felt great... My ankles though... man... for the last few long runs they start to kill at 8 miles. I've taken the last two days off. Tomorrow, I'll head back to boxing! All in all, it was another great experience. The weather was perfect for running and it's always incredible to see so many runners and police offers running for their friends and family. <3

Anyone have any races planned lately? Did anyone run the Run to Remember this weekend? How did it go for you?

Hope you all have an awesome week! xo

March 21, 2014

Friday Favs_3.21.14

March 21, 2014/ sherri d'alessandro

Yay Friday! I can't believe I only have one week left at C&E. This week seriously flew and was filled with fun activities. Dinner at Arika's on Tuesday night with Becca. Going away party last night with the gal pals from work for Natasha. And finally, March Madness is in full swing and I'm really into it since I have a bracket and picked a lot of upsets which, so far, is a good decision!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend planned - enjoy!

Here's this week's favs.

So, I went for a run on Tuesday night. I went because it LOOKED like SPRING and it's starting to SMELL like SPRING, but, it was 20-something degrees and I was frozen. Such an odd feeling. That being said - I did take this photo from Castle Island. It LOOKS warm, doesn't it?

Later that night... Arika had Rebecca and me over for dinner. It was so lovely! She had just visited her dad in Idaho and brought home Elk steaks which were SO DELISH. She also prepared a delectable little salad and broiled asparagus. We went through a bottle of Prosecco and a bottle of red wine. Perfect little evening. (and her place is adorable!)

This article from Women's Health scared me. It will make you think twice about getting an antibiotic.

Every since my dinner with Rae & Becca last week at Blue Dragon, I've been making Asian Noodle Dishes. Total experiments because I'm not using any recipes, but, I must say... I've kind of nailed them. I'll be posting a couple soon so stay tuned.

Rachael sent me this article last night regarding heart disease & eating fats. Seriously good read and gives even more weight to my favorite saying: Stop eating processed shit. That being said, I'd tread lightly before adding in loads of saturated fats into your diet. Atkins-diet-living is not healthy. Moderation is always key. Just stay away from trans-fat, low-fat, fat-free bullshit. If high cholesterol runs in the family or you're already a victim... bacon and cheeseburgers will NOT help the situation. Just like SUGAR is not a good idea.... which is essentially what this article is about.