There’s a lot going on the work front right now, so I needed to summon some strength this morning.

I absolutely summon strength through my sartorial choices, so this morning I put on the dress I was wearing when I interviewed for this job and my marathon necklace. (Yes, this photo is in the bathroom stall. Too paranoid to do one outside the stall for fear of being caught.)

I also summon strength through my workouts. I never thought I’d say this, but waking up early to work out is becoming much easier (except yesterday. I totally overslept for Physique 🙁 ) This morning, I woke up before my alarm and took out my bike, which I’ve decided to name Bruiser (since I will likely fall relatively often) for 9.12 miles to attempt to burn some stress. I rode up to Central Park, rode the loop and rode back, and it took me about an hour. I have no idea if that’s slow or fast, and I don’t care to know right now, so don’t burst my bubble. I’m tracking my speed and distance to see how I improve, but I’m not ready to compare myself with others yet.

Knowing that loop so intimately, I knew exactly where the uphills and downhills were. I expected that the uphills would be easier on a bike, but they actually felt much harder than they do running.

I’ll do a more in-depth post on the differences I’m noticing between biking and running (other than, you know, the wheels and that big pole between my legs), but one immediate difference is that it’s much harder to stop and take pictures. Sorry.

I also summon strength through eating my healthier versions of comfort foods.

I picked the winner of my Starbucks giveaway this morning! I used a giveaway winner plugin, and it chose…

Me. I shit you not. While I may buy myself a Starbucks gift card anyway, I figured I should pick a real winner…

So Sara, please email me so I can get you the gift card!