We’ve been reaching the mid 50s here in New York City lately! I’ve been really testing my willpower and not running even though it’s been such great running weather. So I’ve been doing a lot of the next best thing….walking with the doodlebug.
watching the ducks
no parking! duck crossing.
Duncan was a little weirded out by the horses (in the background)
it’s nice that they are prepared for this lake to freeze over
Happy Tuesday y’all
I got up a little earlier so I could drop off Duncan at my friend Nicole’s house for the day while I’m at work. He is a lucky boy and will spend the day with his pals Biggie and Cody. He loves the morning car rides. It’s that moment when he expects that I am leaving for work and then when I open the door I surprise him and say “wanna go in the car?”
I hope we’re going to Biggie & Cody’s house
Cody & Duncan
When we got to Nicole’s her daughter was coloring in a Hello Kitty coloring book with jumbo crayons and I was having major arts and crafts envy!!!! Next thing you know, I’m headed out the door with a Hello Kitty picture colored just for me! And Nicole even gave me a fresh slice of banana bread to take with me. Now that’s what I call a good way to start off the day.
My day at work started just like this
My weekend was super busy but so much fun!
The cupcakes I helped decorate for the Pictures with Santa event at the dog park came out adorable (if I do say so myself). And the dogs? Oh they were so cute. Some even got dressed up for theur photo op with Santa. I wish I had more pictures of the dogs with santa but i took them with someone else’s camera. If I can get my hands on any later I’ll post ’em.
After that I drove to the charity drive that my sister in law was spearheading…
Sally Claus
I wrapped up the gifts I bought for Joshua the child I sponsored while lots and lots of families came to wrap the gifts that they bought for their sponsored kids.
The amazing generous families hard at work wrapping the gifts they bought for the kids
These are for Joshua…the boy I sponsored. He’s getting everything he asked for. Art supplies, an mp3 player and a sweatshirt
My niece and her friend manned the chocolate dipping station set up for everyone to indulge in =)
My niece….and lots of melted chocolate for dipping
All in all over 140 children will be receiving gifts that they requested. And on top of that an additional $2500+ in grocery store gift cards was raised so that these families can get some much needed food essentials. Truly a meaningful afternoon.
Saturday night, Mr. SOTSS and I went to see the movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon. It is based on a true story about a woman who decides to walk 1,100 miles of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) after her mom dies. I won’t give away any more of the movie but as a runner I can tell you that she had some issues that are similar to marathoners….toenail issues…..chafing issues…
Sunday was another great pack hike and my ankle is literally 100 percent healed!!!! I am sort of in shock but so very happy.
That face
Duncan Rocks!
I really need to work on my balance
Isn’t he agile?
One happy pack!
This is Boone! He’s the cutest beagle ever
I will probably ease back into running on Thursday. I haven’t run in over 2 weeks! Still have the knee weirdness that started at the beginning of October so I’ll have to work on that so it doesn’t ever become a full blown injury.
And I have so exciting news. I will be doing my first ever giveaway very soon. The great people at Luna followed up with me to see if I received my gluten free bars.
Gift from Luna
When I told them I did and that I was enjoying them they said they would be more than happy to send a box of goodies to one of my readers. Woo hoo! I will be sure to post about the giveaway next week.
Have a great day!
Have you seen any movies lately? Have you ever hiked long distances? The longest I’ve ever hiked is 10 miles.
Hi there.
Have you braved the madness in retail today? Not me. I got up early, ate some apple pie for breakfast, did a lot of laundry and then worked on the computer with some of my photography and created some holiday gifts and my holiday card and uploaded to the printer.
In the afternoon I took the doodle for an invigorating walk in one of our favorite spots. It was super cold and windy but the sun kept appearing in between cloud cover. We were literally all by ourselves so I let him off the leash and we ran around and acted silly. =) We’ve been spending lots of time with other people and other dogs and I have to say it was fun to frolic around just the 2 of us. We also worked on his recall and I’m trying to teach him “heel”. I know he’s going to be 6 next month but he’s a smart cookie.
brisk walk with my doodle including a HUGE hill!
We came home, I changed into my running gear and set out for a run. I figured I should probably run more than 3 today. I’ve got that 15K in 2 weeks. So I doubled it and ran my own personal Black Friday 10K. Oh and look at my new gadget….
Black Friday 10K
It’s the Garmin Vivofit. It’s sort of an early holiday gift from my sis-in-law. By the end of the day I know I’ll reach 20,000 steps. Hello! That’s awesome!
Yesterday morning I took my boyfriend and some of his family to my office to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We were 8 stories up and had such an amazing view.
Superman
Hello Kitty
Pillsbury Dough Boy was new this year
After the parade the boyfriend and his family went to their Thanksgiving dinner and I went to my brother’s house for my family’s festivities.
Since I’m sure you’ve seen enough, I’ll spare you the pictures of my plate filled with turkey and stuffing. Your welcome.
Now that Thanksgiving is over I finally allowed myself to listen to some Christmas music today. I’ve been avoiding it on the radio the last two weeks. I just don’t believe in rushing the holidays.
I just read on Facebook that there’s an organized 4 mile trail run here on Staten Island tomorrow morning. I’m thinking of going. Sounds like a nice change of pace from my usual blacktop routes. I haven’t joined this group since last summer! Let’s see how I feel in the morning.
Well I’m off to tackle some more stuff on my ever-growing To-Do list.
Hello. Happy Tuesday!
I just got back from a short run. I went out SLOW and my knee seemed to hold up. YAY! At least I know I’m making progress. Crazy weather here. 62 degrees today and we’re expecting snowfall of 3-6 inches tomorrow!
So I made it through working 2 days straight at the Philadelphia Marathon Expo representing the New Jersey Marathon. Day 1 was AMAZING and EXHILARATING. But Day 2 was even better!
First and foremost, we gave out about a gazillion pounds of Jersey-shore-made salt water taffy. It’s nice to know the Expo patrons were able to get their fix. And we had so many people register for our races and enter our raffle. We gave out a bunch of magnets and shirts too.
It was so great to have so many runners stop by our booth just to say thank you. Many had qualified for Boston on our course this past year and will be running the Boston Marathon in 2015. Of course this means they probably won’t be registering for the New Jersey Marathon again for 2015 since it’s the week after. Some just told us that they love everything about the race. One man happened to mention to Joe (the race director) that his dad had run the race over 10 times at least.
Joe answering questions about the race. Otto (with the bright green cap), the pace team leader was answering questions about his pace groups.
Joe then pulled up his data conveniently on his laptop to confirm and then let him know that his dad was eligible for complimentary (FREE!) entry because of his consecutive completion status. YEAH! I’m already signed up for year 3. 7 more and I’ll get complimentary entry too. Joe really is such a wealth of knowledge not just about organizing a marathon but about the sport of running too. We discussed different training plans and always having a purpose for your runs. No junk miles! He took me to lunch at the Reading Market across from the convention center. Woah! Total food mecca! We went to Hershel’s Deli where I scarfed down the best turkey sandwich I’ve ever had (and didn’t even have time to take a picture of it before inhaling it!). We then split their famous apple cake.
Hershel’s East Side Apple Cake
By the end of the night my feet were killing me. So I used my co-worker’s bottle of aerosol deoderant as a foot massage. Weird? Yes. Efficient? Totally! I really needed to massage those arches.
A new way to massage your feet!
I keep thinking of all the folks that said Philly was going to be their first race! For some, their first 1/2 marathon. For others, their first full. I found myself excited for absolute strangers. That’s what I love about runners. We’re truly a community that feels more like a family. It just made me more energized for my next marathon training cycle beginning in January.
There were 2 specific negative response I received while working the New Jersey Marathon booth though. One man was disappointed in the finisher’s medal for this year. It wasn’t the size or quality but rather the message. He felt it was a bit juvenile.
Let Your Star Shine!
He suggested it be a more beachy theme since it is a race that is run at the Jersey shore and finishes on the boardwalk. We actually appreciated his feedback. And apparently I’m told the 2015 medal is already moving in that direction.
Another runner came to complain about the food at the end of the race. I must admit that while constructive criticism is always appreciated, she was a bit obnoxious. Luckily I didn’t take it personally. As a matter of fact I had just learned a few minutes earlier that the sponsor of the food actually dropped the ball. And this year that feedback has already been taken into consideration and a new plan is in the works. YAY!
After I wrapped up at the Expo on Saturday night I drove straight to my boyfriend’s house. He had been watching Duncan for me for the day.
Apparently duncan treats throw pillows like thrones. And Chester just needs lots of space =)
I walked into a house with the aroma of brownies in the oven. Oh yes, how lucky was I? The boyfriend had brownies in the oven and Ben and Jerry’s standing by. Perfect ending to a perfect night.
Sunday we went out for a bike ride through a state park nearby. We covered almost 10 miles. Very HILLY miles. It was a gorgeous day and we had the park practically to ourselves.
We both split up to take care of some stuff in the afternoon and then later in the eve he came to install my new storm door while the dogs supervised.
Hurry up so we can eat pork chops. Well you can eat pork chops and I can beg with my sad eyes
You almost done with the door install?
![photo 3[1]](http://www.sweatoutthesmallstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/photo-311.jpg)
tah dah!
![photo 5[1]](http://www.sweatoutthesmallstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/photo-511.jpg)
Welcome!
This is 34th street! They’ll be doing audio rehearsal and sound check tomorrow probably
Don’t forget to thank those who inspire you to run as part of NYRR’s #GiftOfRunning campaign. I made sure to thank Lisa.
#GiftOfRunning
Are you a Thanksgiving person? I like it but it always stresses me out that Christmas is 4 weeks away. Sometimes I wish we could just hit the pause button for a bit.
What’s the weather like where you are?
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