Healthy Kidney 10K.

Saturday, I and Askhad ran our first race together! How exciting it is! He was able to get me a spot in the Healthy Kidney10K run while picking up his number. I never manage to tackle my day off runs in the morning since most of the time I would sleep in after a week of exhausting work. This time I was excited to give it a try. My second race, here I come...

We were blessed with glorious spring morning and thrilled to run for such a great cause {benefits  the National Kidney Foundation}. New York Road Runners do such a tremendous and awesome job organizing these races.

Askhad got  #112  and I got  # 2970 and we started race in different groups 3-5 minutes apart. The course ran through gorgeous Central Park- home of my usual laid back runs on almost daily basis.
 I love Central Park and know every inch of it ;) The run was quite  challenging as I tried to keep up with fit folks in my group whose pace was faster than mine. Sun was shining from the early morning already, promising very hot summer-like day in New York and it was too warm for my comfort zone.
 I even had to grab some water on way {usually I don't drink any if I run entire loop}

It took me 47 min to finish 10 km and I was exhausted.  The man who won the race finished in 28 min:28 sec{!}and the woman who was the first came in a bit over 34 min- fantastic and mind-blowing pace they held!

We met with Askhad after I crossed the finish line  in the recreational zone and both had huge smiles on our faces.  I always feel good after finishing run {talking about those endorphins released after this fantastic activity}.

I wish we could cross the finish line together someday)

We were given bagels and apples for carbohydrate boost,  but no medals this time.

Statistics of the Healthy Kidney 10K :   7.918 total finishers, 4,181 men and 3.737 women

 I already looking forward for my next race...

Manhattan street views watercolor

Yesterday in the afternoon we were wandering in the west village with our shiba inu, enjoying warm beautiful weather, Italian gelato, trendy boutiques window shopping and people watching. 

On the corner of the Bank and West 4th street  we spotted an artist painting those amazing watercolor sketches of Manhattan street views

Check it out!

Aren't they awesome? 

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Elvina on Pinterest

The name of the artist is Kazuya Morimoto and you can find his wonderful works on flickr

Beauty list

Here are some items that i got recently and really enjoy:

1. Chloe eau de Parfume. 

It is my spring/summer favorite. Smells amazing! Fresh, smooth floral fragrance with top notes of pink peony, freesia and lychee, at the heart midtones of magnolia flower, lilly of the valley and rose and at base -cedarwood, amber and honey. 

Addictive, romantic, and sophisticated! 

Source: sephora.com via Elvina on Pinterest

2. Shiseido oil-free UV protector SPF 42

Sun is pouring outside and that means we need more protection from UV lights and opt for sunscreens with  higher SPF.  Of course SPF recommended all year round but in spring/summer time we do need  stronger protection, including not only skin care products but also wide brim hats.

I got Shiseido, oil -free UV protector with SPF of 42,  which has very liquid and light texture, easy to apply and not greasy, lives skin silky soft.   No shine when applied, great for oily skin.

 I also tried it  on for  running outside at +19  C and was very satisfied, it absorbed quickly and did not make my skin oily or greasy at all. 

Source: sephora.com via Elvina on Pinterest

3. Bronzer. 

In love with Terracotta bronzing powder from Guerlain for instant natural-looking tan, its formula enriched with moisturizing ingredients which will not dry out the skin. Leaves face glowing...

It is pricey but worse money it costs.

Source: sephora.com via Elvina on Pinterest

What are your summer/spring favorites and must-haves?

Home ideas.

I love the idea of having a picture frame wall. I might even try to put one together  in our apartment, but quite overwhelmed by the prospect of choosing the right frames. May be thin black and white frames or simple  wooden frames from Ikea would be a good start, though I really tempted to get some vintage frames from Brooklyn Flea market. 

Here are several photos of frame walls I am inspired by currently...

Green smoothie a day

You already know that to eat better means to enjoy more vegetables and fruits in your diet, aiming for up to five servings a day!

How about a perfect way to sneak in a load of fresh greens in one simple delicious smoothie that will instantly boost your energy level and make your skin glow?

I recommend adding to your diet green smoothies as a perfect way to pump in a ton of nutrients and vitamins. Not only they taste amazing and low in calories, but also quick and easy in preparation.

Mainstays of green smoothies are greens: kale, chard, Romaine lettuce, spinach, collard...

 Greens are rich in vitamins A, C, K, B2, B6, magnesium, folic acid, iron, calcium, potassium, protein, phosphorus, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Think about the best source of micronutrients!

The formula for a green smoothie is simple:

GREENS + LIQUID+ FRUIT/BANANA/BERRIES ± ICE  ± EXTRAS

1.  Greens. The darker greens particularly taste a bit bitter, so if you are a novice in green smoothies and want to adjust to the taste first, start off with the spinach- it blends very well and you can barely taste it.

2. Liquid – can be anything you like: water, almond milk, regular milk, soymilk, juice, etc.). Usually 1⅓ - 1 ½ cup of liquid is enough.  The less liquid you add the thicker will be your smoothie. Creamier beverage like milk will produce creamier smoothie.

3. Frozen or fresh fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya, orange, banana, etc) or berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc).  You also can combine them according to your taste!  

4. Ice  - optional if you are not using frozen fruit or you want some extra coolness.

5. Extra ingredients can be added up according to your taste.  Example:  flax seeds for  omega- 3 fatty acids, scoop of protein powder to increase the protein content, peanut or other nut butter, etc.

Try this simple green smoothie: 

2 cups of spinach + 1 frozen or fresh banana+ 1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks + 1 ½ cups of liquid of your choice+ ice (optional)

Place all  ingredients into the blender starting with spinach first then add banana, fruits, and liquid.

Blend everything well.  Add ice and blend on the ice setting for some extra time. Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy. Be ready for an instant boost of energy!

Want more ideas for  green smoothies? Check out this site.  

Skylight one hanson

happy weekend everyone!


today we were off to brooklyn flea market located  at one hanson place, fort green. it was our first time there and we wanted to explore the place without any particular things we'd wanted to buy in mind. 


it was like a tour in museum as the flea featured hundreds of vendors of antique furniture, vintage clothing, collectibles, huge selection of jewelry, art and crafts by local artisans and designers. 


not to mention amazing skylight one hanson itself -an art deco and romanesque masterpiece with marble floors, carved teller stations, magnificent 63 foot vaulted ceiling and 40 foot mosaic,  located inside the world-famous former williamsburgh savings bank clocktower.


we definitely enjoyed...

new york half marathon recap

finally it happened and i ran my 13.1 miles on a sunday morning on march 18th.

the first ever race, for which i was training since the end of december 2011.

it was awesome despite the fact that i caught the cold three days before the race day, and even the night prior, wasn't sure whether i should run or not with still ongoing symptoms of cold.  i drank tons of tea with lemon, honey and raspberries and teraflu on occasion all those days and felt much better on the morning of the race (i really- really wanted to cross the finish line).

i had to blow my nose as i ran, but nevertheless the whole experience was great. i loved the energy of the race and enjoyed the amazing course through central park, times square and along hudson river.  i had the best support i could imagine- my mom, sister, and askhad. he was literally running the whole race with me,  taking the pictures  along the way (best running paparazzi, i can say). askhad did not officially participate in the race but jumped in and ran almost to the finish line - it was such a huge support  for me!



we started off central park - one loop equals 6 miles (i knew every inch of that route!!!)  and it's quite hilly.

the course then ran down seventh avenue through times square out to the west side highway and around the tip of manhattan to south street seaport - all flat surface.

 during my training i was not following any specific plan. working full time with one day off, i just tried to accommodate as many runs in central park as i could (usually 3-4 times per week) along with yoga classes - it meant 'no'  to almost all happy hours.
if it was raining (thankfully winter was amazingly warm this year)  i would skip the run in the favor of yoga.  it was a bit scary to even imagine to run 13 miles, especially when my longest run was about 9 miles.  i am sure- training in central park (which is definitely the hardest part of half marathon course) allowed me to tackle the distance without much problem.

i managed to accomplish my goal- to run the whole thing and  though did not care much about timing was very pleased with my finish time - 1:48. 

camera awesome or my family is finally here

i have some great news to share!

i can't even express how happy i am...

my mom and my youngest sister are here in new york! 

we haven't hugged each other in several years!!!(we've been talking on skype quite often though while apart).

it's quite awesome to have my family finally gathering together. 

as i and askhad running around new york in all our spare time showing the city to mom and sis, we take great amount of touristic pictures in places which are a "must see" for everyone visiting new york...  

i am going to upload our pictures soon;)

recently i've come across a nice application on the iphone -"camera awesome" which is partially free and here are some of the results:   

1001 nights

hope you had a great weekend and start of the week!
mine started with a busy day in the outpatient clinic where i had morning and evening sessions.  the whole day was spent in the medical office seeing patients and discussing cases with attending.

after work i went to yoga class at sonicyoga and it was awesome (recently i've been going there only once per week and by chance it is always monday).

since half marathon is around the corner, i try to get as much runs in central park as my schedule allows...and sacrifice my yoga (i surely lost almost all my flexibility and my hamstrings are as tight as they could ever be).

over the weekend we had a great meeting with our tatar friends. thanks to mansur, who organized the party  and gathered us together. this time we were pleasantly surprised that so many people from tristate area have showed up. it was awesome to see old friends and meet new in such a cozy place as 1001 nights located in brooklyn. we all agreed on that particular place since it offered  authentic middle eastern menu very close to tatar national cuisine (samsa, pilaf, lagman, manty) for a very reasonable price.

i want to share with some of the pictures taken that evening:

 the whole crew posing outside)

  beautiful liliya that we met the first time and right away became friends

 alsu and leysen - we were so lucky that day to meet such an interesting and talented people.

those two girls have such a nice sense of humour!

   leylochka and guzel both very charming and beautiful young ladies. 

 renat, leana and kamil - have the most beautiful smiles ever!!!

  askhad and rasikh. 

 me and liliya again

kamil and leana

 bulat and radik

 beautiful couple- rasikh and leysen

  finally, gentelman wearing the blue shirt is mansur (thanks again for gathering us)!!!!

 talhat and renat

belly dancing

ruslan was charmed by a belly dancer) 

renat

and yet another surprise-his name is also askhad!

tea drinking of course a hit! 

after party most of us went to dance in the nearby lounge.

i want to say thank you again for such a wonderful evening we all spent together!!!!