Breakfast in the Park

This morning before heading into work, I decided to take a moment for myself.

Before I proceed, let me first say, I'm not one who has time in the morning for such leisure. I am of the belief that time works against me. No matter how early I awake, I'm usually flying out the door half clothed, half make-up'd with an armload of essentials like house keys, shoes for the office, and of course, my pre-breakfast snack.

But, this morning was different. I was recently promoted to a new role at work and today was officially my first day on the job. Plus, and this part makes me just giddy with excitement, as a result of my new role, I've been transferred to our brand-spanking-new office near Bryant Park in Manhattan.

I awoke excited and didn't mind having to descend to the ovens that house the trains that take me to work. And I felt my excitement grow as I ascended the station steps nary half a block from my new office tower.

Once at street level, I felt New York City bless me with an energy that I've missed for the past 15 months while working in Queens.

So, this morning, it being a bright and cool fall morning, I decided to prolong the good vibes before I become, once again, my usual curb-enraged speed walker.

I stopped at 'Wichcraft for a healthy breakfast. Born from chef mastermind Tom Colicchio, 'Wichcraft elevates the sandwich (hence its namesake) to a new level by offering wholesome, local products and creating gourmand-friendly fare.

Over the past few years, the chain has expanded its menu options to include Coffee & Pastry, Soups & Salads, and Ice Cream.

In Bryant Park, 'Wichcraft has segregated its offerings into portable-looking huts that are scattered around the park. This morning, I went to the Coffee & Pastry stand and ordered a Greek yogurt with granola and honey. I then took a seat at one of the bistro tables to enjoy my breakfast while watching the tail end of a bocci game.

The honey was richly sweet and it balanced the sourness of the creamy yogurt. The granola added a great crunch. But, they added an incredibly healthy helping of plump, juicy raisins to the mix. This wouldn't be a problem if I enjoyed or even mildly liked raisins, but truth be told I can't stand these shriveled, would be, could be, should be grapes.

I ate around the raisins as best I could, but in the end, I had to give up and I headed into the office. Maybe not a completely satisfying start to this new chapter, but a healthy one nonetheless!

I Run Because...

Last weekend, I ran in the Human Race – a 10 km course sponsored and hosted by Nike+. It was an incredible event that got about one million people racing in 25 cities around the world. In New York, there were more than 10,000 people who turned out for the event. Part of the proceeds from the race supported various charities.

It was pretty amazing to be part of something so big. But, with big crowds come big issues.

The event was horribly disorganized – there was a 30 minute start delay and when we finally got started, the course couldn't handle the large crowd. At one point, the race came to a complete halt as thousands of people tried to cross a very narrow bridge.

To top it all off, upon crossing the finish line racers were offered warm water and yogurt with granola. Mmmmm – there’s nothing like dairy to quench your thirst!

Over the years, many have asked why I run and I've always had a hard time answering them. Why? Well, because I both love and hate running (New Balance's recent commercials epitomize my feelings to a T).

There are the health benefits - I can stave off heart disease and other chronic illnesses. It also satisfies my need to compete and achieve - is there any better competitor than yourself? And, when I'm actually running, I feel strong, energized and empowered.

This is all great, but more times than naught, I loathe the effort involved. I don't like leaving my bed at 5:45 most mornings, I’m not happy about passing up my glass of wine when I’m training, I’m not a huge fan of sweating, and I could really do without the aches and pains that follow me after my outings.

So, why do I do it? Well, to be completely honest, there’s only one reason that keeps me going: food, glorious food! Really, is there any better reward than knowing you can actually eat - and eat well - without fearing (too much) the consequences of the weight scale?

On Sunday, after running for 1 hour and 10 minutes (my worst performance to date), I decided I was owed a little treat. Since Nike wasn't kind enough to feed me, I made a quick pit stop before heading home: