I went to bed well past midnight last night, so needless to say my 5:30 am alarm came a bit sooner than I would have liked this morning.
But I didn’t mind getting up, because today I had a plan.
Today, I declared, I would make my weekday return to Central Park.
Remember when I used to run in Central Park almost every morning? I stopped for a while, because I didn’t feel like I had enough time to run there, do a few loops and then make it back to the apartment with time to get ready for work.
I also started relying a bit more on the ol’ Snooze button on my alarm. Oops.
Today, although it was a mere 30 degrees outside, I was so excited to get back to Central Park for the 6.4 mile route I loved not too long ago.
I felt great during the entire run. My body finally loosened up and warmed up around mile 2.5, and it was amazing seeing so many people in the park. Runners, bikers, walkers — everyone seemed happy to be outside while it was actually light out.
Naturally I snapped a few (probably blurry) photos as I ran…
Because I ran longer today, I was in a bit of a rush to get ready for work. It’s a beautiful, sunny day in NYC, even if it is a bit on the cold side. And nothing can get me down when I’ve got this view on my walk to the office:
Now I’m ready to take on the day in my polka-dotted outfit.
NOW LET’S TALK: This morning, in order to save time while getting ready, I didn’t watch the Today show like I normally do. I often get distracted while it’s on, which results in me taking much longer to get out the door. What can I say? Matt Lauer seduces me through the TV. So what are your morning time-savers? Do you skimp on makeup to save time? Or forgo blow-drying your hair? When I’m really in a rush, I throw my hair in a quick braid instead of drying it. Tell me what you do.
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I like your outfit 🙂 I save time by doing way less makeup- only very minimal is needed!
I’ve developed day 2 and day 3 hairstyles that work so I don’t have to get my hair wet or re-do anything. I will do a more natural make up look (1-2 mins max), and throw on whatever I decided the night before (or while i was hitting the snooze button). I’ll drink the coffee from work instead of making it myself (doesn’t taste as good but saves time), and throw a can of soup in for lunch instead of making a sandwich. I can be out of the house in 20 minutes if I need to…
I love that skirt! Adorable! I need help getting dressed. Oh..this reminds me I need to go put scrubs in the washer for tomorrow..way to remember at 10:30pm.
I’m the slowest person in the world to get ready in the morning. I don’t skimp on anything. I’ll be late to work if I have to. That is horrible. I know. I’m working on it. I decided tonight that I have to start getting to work earlier. I go in @ 9 (i’m allowed), but I need to be there @ 8. OY. This means actually getting up when the alarm goes off and not hitting snooze for an hour.
i do everything i possibly can the night before. mentally decide on my outfit, make my breakfast and lunch and snacks (i eat at my desk and don’t have time to go pick anything up, and this saves a lot of $$) for the next day.
p.s. cute skirt!
I am running the More Half in April, and recently for the first time ran in central park. I live downtown and usually just run up the west side highway. Those hills in the park are killer. I recently added a hill training run into my training. I am so nervous for the race, it loops around twice. Any tips on not loosing the pace I have worked so hard on? Thanks so much!
My advice for conquering hills is to stay calm. If you over-think the hill and let it get to your head, you’re going to slow down and your body will retreat. Once I started looking at hills as just another part of the run, I didn’t dread them so much.
Also, what goes up usually comes down! Think about the downhill on the other side!
Of course, doing hill training helps, too. While I was training for my first half-marathon, the group I was training with (Team Challenge) did “hill repeats,” where we’d run up and down a long hill in Central Park several times in a row while trying to remain our pace. It’s tough, but definitely helps.
It’s on my bucket list to run in Central Park. This needs to happen sooner rather than later. I want my turn on Cat Hill! What a beautiful way to start the day!
I actually get ready really quick, but I am still the biggest time waster in the morning. I take watch the Today show, play on the computer, cuddle with the dog, change my outfit because it gets full of dog fur…it’s never a good thing! I know my morning routine would benefit from less laptop, but I just can’t bear the thought!
Make up is usually the last thing I do before I head out the door so it usually is the thing that gets pushed back. I end up putting on makeup at every stop light I hit on the way to work.
You always have the cutest work outfits! And the run through Central Park this morning looked gorgeous. So glad you guys are getting some slightly warmer weather out there!
To save time in the mornings, I have to make sure I don’t get onto my computer, or I’ll end up grabbing a cereal bar instead of a real breakfast.
Running + The Today Show are definitely in my morning routine as well! When I’m in a time crunch, I skip breakfast! I know that sounds bad, but not really…I always keep a few hard boiled eggs in the fridge so my go to quick time saving, high protein packed breakfast is an egg, string cheese, a Clif or Luna Bar, yogurt and an apple or banana which I eat on my walk to work!
That run looks so nice! I can tell why you would like it so much! When I work out in the morning I take a quick shower, towel dry my hair and let it air dry on the way to work. I’ll probably just put it up by lunchtime anyway….
That outfit is super cute! I am not usually a fan of polka dots, but they look great on that skirt.
I have to say, seeing your pics of your running route makes me wish I lived in NYC so I had such pretty routes to run! Love that. As for your question? I have NO idea how to save time in the morning, I am way too freakin’ high maintenance and such a perfectionist. I can’t seem to cut down at ALL on my morning routine. Crazy, right??
Dear Ali, why are you so CUTE? Please come over and dress me in the mornings. I am miserable at mornings, but I guess I would say the things that keep me from being obscenely late, rather than just kinda sorta late, are doing eye makeup at work (mostly because my eyes tear in the cold) and eating breakfast at work.
I save time by packing my lunch before bed and I eat my breakfast (instant oatmeal) at my desk once I get to work.
Also – don’t you just love mornings when you are kind of dragging yourself out for a run, but once you get out there and see all the other runners you are instantly motivated and pumped to be up early? 🙂
Central park, what a great place to run! Love the polka-dots!
cheers
My morning routine is to shower while my eggs are in water to hard boil, out by boiling time and then dressed and packed by the time they’re done sitting in the pot for 1o minutes. Basically 28 minutes of pure chaos is my standard get-ready scene.
During the winter, I save time by sleeping in my gear. So when I wake up, all I have to do is put on my shoes and contact lenses, gulp down some coffee and I’m usually out the door within 10 minutes of the alarm going off.
To save time in the mornings, a lot of times I’ll just blow dry the top part of my hair and then put it in a low bun. It looks put together but doesn’t take very much time. 🙂
I have that same fake collar sweater but in black! I LOVE it! I should have bought more. I got it 4 years ago! I save time by looking disgusting every day. It isn’t pretty but it gets me to work on time.
Two words: dry shampoo. Oscar Blandi Pronto dry shampoo. I used to wash my hair every other day, and now I’m down to 2-3 times a week. Typing that grosses me out, but my hair never smells or looks greasy…on day 3 of not washing last week my BF actually told me my hair smelled good. Seriously, saves SO MUCH time!!