NYC Marathon Training: Week 12 ( Sept 19th -25th)

This was a good week. To mix it up a little bit, I ran at two new locations: Carlsbad and Dana Point. I actually work in Carlsbad but I never ran more than 5 miles in this area ( except for the Half Marathon). Logistically, it makes sense since it's getting dark very early lately and I live 1 hour from work. I think this will be my mid-week run from now on.

My second long run was coordinated with a special event, an early celebration of our 15th anniversary in OC. We call it, Part I. The BIG event, of course, is happening in Las Vegas in December.

This is what we did. After dropping our kids with auntie Moe, we headed to the Irvine Spectrum shopping center to have an early dinner at the famous vegetarian/vegan restaurant VeggieGrill . Unfortunately, it was impossible to park so we left for some place closer to our hotel in Dana Point.

We stopped at another vegan place called Native Foods Cafe in Aliso Viejo. We have visited the sister restaurant in Palm Springs and I really liked it. I was curious to see if it was the same.

Yes, the menus were the same but the service was different. This was more like a fast food joint. You order at the counter and they'll bring it to your table.

I ordered their Gandhi Bowl. Chef Tanya’s blackened Tempeh on a bed of jasmine and brown rice. Topped with kale, steamed veggies, wild curry sauce, cranberries and green onions. To drink, delicious lavender lemon juice.

After dinner, we I decided to stop by the boutique next door, Modern Romance. All I have to say is that OC is a dangerous place! I ended up buying a sweater for $90 and discovered my new favorite clothing line, Peace Love World

From here, we went to our hotel, the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa. It was beautiful and perfectly located. We enjoyed the room upgrade and relaxed by the jacuzzi at night. One problem, we didn't wake up on time to run the 18 miles and be back for breakfast. Instead, we went for an 8 miler and enjoyed the rest of the day.

Since my husband mentioned to Reservations that it was our anniversary, the hotel offered us free buffet. It was a nice gesture. The food tasted amazing after those 8-miles along the coast.

After breakfast, we headed to the hotel Spa for a couples massages. It was extraordinary. I like when they include aromatherapy with the treatments. It's all about the engagement of all senses. They use vanilla orange for the body massages, eucalyptus for the steam baths, cucumbers to flavor the water.

We had free champaign with strawberries by the fireplace right after the massage. It was perfect and very romantic. Needless to say, with all this relaxation we left the spa hungry.

After checking out, we drove to another famous vegan restaurant in Laguna Beach, The Stand. I've previously read some reviews at quarrygirl and it looked appetizing.

It was simply delicious. My husband had a carrot & apple juice and a hummus & guacamole burrito. I ordered their half sandwich special ( a cup of lentil soup and an avocado sandwich with tomatoes, romain lettuce, alfafa sprouts and guacamole with lemon herb dressing. To drink, I had an almond milk with dates shake.

After lunch, we picked our kids and surprised them with a short three hour visit to Disney


Weekly Summary

Mon:	REST
Tue:	90-min Bikram Yoga at 6:30am
Wed:	REST
Thu:	90-min Bikram Yoga at 6:00am + 8-mile run
Fri:	4-mile run (hills)
Sat:	90-min Bikram Yoga at 8:00am
Sun:	8 mile run + lots of walking
Total:	20 miles + three 90-min BY classes