Week 5: A good-for-the-soul reset

Plus, some bovine colostrum discourse.

I’m training to run the TCS NYC Marathon this year! This newsletter is a weekly recap of the highs and lows of training, and my best efforts to stay mentally and physically healthy through it. This is week 5/36. 

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This week would’ve been just as miserable, if not more than last week. But my family was in town, which made everything sunnier and warmer despite the sub-30s temperatures and torrential downpour. 

We played tourist by walking the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting the NYC Transit Museum, seeing Roméo et Juliette at the Metropolitan Opera, going to the Top of the Rock, walking the Highline, shopping in SoHo, and eating so much food. We also had time to lounge in: My parents putzed around trying to make chai in my tiny apartment kitchen, and I watched some of my comfort movies (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Devil Wears Prada). This week was a good-for-the-soul reset.     

Top of the Rock on sunday. what a dumb, beautiful, awful, wondrous city. i love it here.

How I’ve Been Training:

Showing family around and feeling under the weather made for another not-so-exercise-oriented week. I’m trying to take the right lessons from these “off” days when it’s so early in the year. When they happen further in the running season, I want to be better equipped to stay on track, physically and mentally. 

• Monday: Studio boxing (I’ve already written about this.) 

• Tuesday: Nothing

• Wednesday: Zip

• Thursday: Zilch

• Friday: Zero

• Saturday: Nada

Miles run: 0

What I’ve Been Eating:

No cooking, and lots of great meals out. This is a food blog now. If you’re in NYC, use these as recommendations, I guess? 

Carnegie Diner waffles, a boxful of sweet pastries from Silver Moon Bakery, and then another savory pastry from Mah Ze Dahr. Excellent hand rolls from Nami Nori. I made fresh-whipped cream to eat with strawberries and Nutella while my brother and I watched Spirited Away. 

Homemade avocado toast with fried eggs, then garlicky broccoli rabe from Tiny’s in Tribeca. Cinnamon oatmeal with blueberry compote I made because I insisted we needed some fiber to start our day. Hefty, 10/10 sandwiches from Court Street Grocers. Piping hot garlic knots and platters of slicked-in-sauce pasta from Rubirosa. 

A stellar crispy chicken bánh mi and soothing pho from Bánh on the Upper West Side. A huge Mediterranean spread with fresh-fired bread at Dagon, also on the UWS. An even huger spread of pastries and sandwiches from Rosetta’s Bakery. A spicy mix of curries and noodles at Sala Thai. Scones, bomboloni, and more at Sullivan Street Bakery. We capped it all with Penn Station Krispy Kreme Donuts. A great week for eating in the city. 

What I’ve Been Writing:

For one of my last bylines for Bon Appétit, I wrote this story about bovine colostrum supplementation, an article I’m really proud of from pitch to print. 

Working on it made me reflect on when I’ve taken supplements, beyond the doctor-prescribed couple. I would religiously take whey protein in my morning smoothies when I was in my MMA gymrat phase, in denial about how it gave me the worst acne of my entire life. 

I also tried BCAA (branched chain amino acids) powder because it seemed like everyone at the gym was shaking it into their water bottles during training. I have no idea if it helped “muscle recovery and regeneration,” but it certainly made me bloated, puffy, and caused, um, significant GI distress. ( 💩)

I’m older now, and my goals are significantly different and more balanced. (I’m running a marathon to celebrate my health!) But talking to registered dietitians for this article was a helpful reaffirmation of what changes to focus on when I’m not feeling my best. I want this quote from Jamie Vespa, RD pinned to my wall to reference in case I feel that fanatical itch to “boost,” “bolster,” or “improve” my athletic performance.

“You’re always better off focusing on the basics, and the low-hanging fruit: adequate sleep, stress management, and eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.”

While my article focuses on the moment’s Tik-Tok-influencer-peddled cow colostrum, it could be broadly applied to pretty much any trendy supplement of the moment. Don’t fall for them! Take a nap instead!