Whew!

After (mostly) resting my knee for 3 days (and icing it the first 24 hours) I bounced back! I can’t remember the last time I healed so fast. And I even went on that walk in the park with Mr. SOTSS and the pups on Saturday. Go figure.

two of my favorite boys

two of my favorite boys

I have had this sweatshirt for about 6 or 7 years and if it weren't for Facebook/Instagram and the blog I might not have realized how much I wear it!

I have had this sweatshirt for about 6 or 7 years and if it weren’t for Facebook/Instagram and the blog I might not have realized how much I wear it!

The magical state park a mile from Mr. SOTSS' house

The magical state park a mile from Mr. SOTSS’ house

Welcome to our "church"

Welcome to our “church”

We didn’t go for the walk until I got to watch Shalane Flanagan win the NYC Marathon.IMG_3799

Yesterday I got back to full activity level. I went for a 30 minute run earlier in the day AND hit up yoga at night.

This is the right place!

This is the right place!

another easy 30 minutes of healthy and happy running

another easy 30 minutes of healthy and happy running

Still loving these New Balance 1080s!

Still loving these New Balance 1080s!

And I found a new use for my old yoga mat. It’s now a great cushion for my feet when I stand at my standing desk a long time. Gotta keep those feet happy!

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This morning Duncan and I had a rough time getting going

Is it really time to get productive?

Is it really time to get productive?

So now you’re all caught up.

What’s new? What’s the weather like by you? 

Hi there. Happy Saturday!

Yesterday, the first Friday of November and OMG it was 75 degrees! Just beautiful!

I looked up and was rewarded with this view

I looked up and was rewarded with this view

I went to yoga on Monday and while not much new to report as far as progress goes I am definitely getting stronger with Crow Pose and that’s really exciting. I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since I started practicing yoga.

On Tuesday I finally had chance to run a few miles in those New Balance Fresh Foam sneakers and I loved them!

New Balance Fresh Foam maiden voyage

New Balance Fresh Foam maiden voyage

It was a quick 30 minutes so I’ll need to run in them a bit more to confirm but my toes felt comfortable and that’s really the most important thing for me right now.

And then on Wednesday I got a haircut and blowout.

Straight hair Sally (for a few hours anyway)

Straight hair Sally (for a few hours anyway)

But the straight hair didn’t last long. I went on a 5 mile hike that evening and the air was fairly damp.

hiking in the dark with flashlights/headlamps

hiking in the dark with flashlights/headlamps

But for a few hours my hair looked amazing! 🙂 I wore my new Altra Lone Peak hiking shoes that Mr. SOTSS got me for my birthday and they were awesome!

Altra Lone Peak hiking shoes

Altra Lone Peak hiking shoes

Oh, and my sister-in-law got me some Sketchers boots for my birthday that are really comfortable too.

happy feet

happy feet

So my fall footwear arsenal is starting to shape up 😉

Thursday I took a rest day and yesterday I planned to go for a run but I somehow twisted my knee in my sleep! I woke up yesterday and could barely walk. I think I know what I did. I tend to sleep on my side with the knee of my top leg sort of up and over the edge of the bed. I think I must have overextended it. The inside of the knee going down the leg hurts. I took some Ibuprofen yesterday and have been icing it and it feels a bit better today but I guess I’ll have to wait another couple of days before resuming running or yoga. I’ve slept in weird positions and woken up with stiff neck or sore arm before but never did anything to my knee before. Sigh! I’m truly injury prone. 2017 has been quite the year for sidelines.

all of her injuries are crimping my dog-walking lifestyle

all of her injuries are crimping my dog-walking lifestyle

I was happy to see this finisher photo of me from the Trenton 5k last weekend. I’m smiling! 🙂

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Gonna take a cue from the universe and just relax this morning. I’m hoping Mr. SOTSS and I can take the dogs for a walk in the park later. If the knee doesn’t cooperate I’ll be bummed.

Have a great weekend! Good luck to all those running the NYC Marathon tomorrow.

 

What does your Saturday look like?

Ever injure yourself in your sleep?

 

Ha!

So last year just before spectating the 2016 NYC Marathon I wrote a post sharing all my experiences with the NYC Marathon from 2011-2015.

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I just updated it today to include a link to my 2016 spectating experience and you can read it all here !!!

There are tips for running, tips for spectating and of course I share so much of my heart as I talk about the highs and lows of each year.

Enjoy!

And to all those running the 2017 NYC Marathon, have a great run, experience and day!

I ran the Trenton 5k this past weekend and can’t wait to tell you all about it but first I’ll just share a few highlights since my last post.

Well, I returned those Altra Torin 3.0’s that just didn’t seem to feel comfortable on my feet and ended up getting a pair of New Balance Fresh Foam (1080) sneakers.new-balance-frsh-foam

I sort of wanted to just exchange the Torin’s for a new pair of my beloved Escalante’s but they were out of my size so I tried on a ton of different kinds and these felt really comfortably. I’m hoping I don’t regret it but hey, I can return these too! Road Runner gives their VIP customers 90 days to return shoes from the originial shoe purchase. So I can keep going through the drill until January if I have too!

I haven’t actually worn the New Balance yet but I’ll most likely try a mile or 2 in them this week. After I left the store I went straight to the pizzeria where I got a few slices. Figured i’d celebrate my last night as a 43 year old with my favorite meal.

Yum!

Yum!

My birthday itself was rather lovely. I received beautiful flowers from Mr. SOTSS since I wouldn’t be seeing him until the next day. flowers-from-mr-sotssI went for a run and enjoyed the peak fall foliage right in my neighborhood.

Birthday Run

Birthday Run

local fall foliage

local fall foliage

Oh, and my sister in law sent me an Edible Arrangement.

Edible Arrangement with a side of cute dog

Edible Arrangement with a side of cute dog

And of course I walked with Duncan…

duncan-park-fallI also worked a ton. I’m being “blessed” right now with so much work. Freelance life is feast or famine and right now I’m feasting! But boy will I be busy the next few weeks.

Trenton Half Marathon 10k and 5k day

So on Saturday Mr. SOTSS and I drove down to Trenton, NJ so he could run the half marathon and I could run the 5k. My friend Jane was running the 10k (her first race since having her baby) and our friend Amy was also running the half. I’ve run the half in 3 previous years. You can read my recap for 2016 here, my 2014 recap here and my 2013 recap here.

It was so much easier this time around to watch Mr. SOTSS run a half because at least I was back in action and getting to run the 5k. If you don’t remember, he ran the New Jersey half back in May and I was too injured to run so I spectated and cried a whole lot.

trenton-half-5k-selfie

The half and 10k start together at 8am but we all knew from previous experience not to expect it to start on time. The 5k starts out 30 minutes after. So at 8:15 I wished Amy, Jane and Mr. SOTSS good luck and then I found a spot by the start to snap a few pics of the start of the race. trenton-half-startThey were off by 8:20 and then 10 minutes later so was I since the 5k stayed on schedule. I really planned to take it easy. My toe has been doing fine but my right foot has been giving me some frustration lately. Just feeling weak and achy. I guess it’s also getting used to running again. But within the first mile my body warmed up and I felt really good. I knew I wouldn’t get to see too much along the short course compared to the half but I got a nice view of the fall foliage along with its reflection right away. trenton-5k-sceneryMy happiness was palpable. I could feel joy with every step. And before I knew it I was halfway through. I noticed on my watch that I was keeping a pace just under a 10 min mile and was so surprised. I ended up finishing in 30:21 with a 9:47 pace. Woo hoo! That was quite a nice surprise.Trenton-5k-results

IMG_3678All of the races end at the same place in the stadium of the Trenton Thunder (minor league baseball team) and when you enter into the stadium, you run around the warning track along the outfield until you reach home plate. So as Jane entered from her 10k I ran alongside her and cheered her on.

Run Jane Run!

Run Jane Run!

I did the same an hour later for Mr. SOTSS as he finished and also for Amy just a few minutes behind him.

Entering the stadium

Entering the stadium

Amy bringing it home

Amy bringing it home

That was the BEST part of the day. Usually everyone is waiting on me. So I was excited to be there to greet them all.

Even when I’m back to running half marathons, I’d still consider running the Trenton 5 or 10ks. It’s nice to be at an event with options!

Yesterday we had a large get together with Mr. SOTSS’ side of the family and he had a cake for me so that I could officially blow out some birthday candles.

wish made!

wish made!

Duncan hasn’t been feeling well so we’re going to the vet tomorrow. It started a couple of weeks ago with his very predictable firm pooping consistency turning into soft serve. It’s been that way now for 2 weeks and then this weekend he started to do this weird sneezing/snorting thing. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. He’s eating, drinking and playing normally which comforts me 🙂

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Did anyone run this weekend?

Anyone celebrate anything this weekend?