I had to run out to do a quick freelance photography job and made a pitstop at Dunkin Donuts on my way home to grab a cup of coffee and my free donut thanks to National Donut Day.
At 3pm, the sun came out and I decided to head to the beach to run the 4 mile route I wanted to run this past Sunday (but couldn’t due to the thunder/lightening storm). From the first step I just knew it would be a great run. I felt bounce in my step for the first time in months. And the weather was perfect. 65 and sunny with a lovely cool ocean breeze.
Finally feeling the run more than the injuries
More fragrant honeysuckles!
Picture perfect view
Yep, this is my home.
My body felt strong. My overuse injuries didn’t bother me. I was just plain happy and that has given me some much needed hope that by mid-July I’ll be ready to tackle a full marathon training cycle starting at healthy too =)
In the evening I had dinner at my parents house and then while watching TV last night I had the craving for something a little sweet. That’s when I remembered I was given some goodies from Luna/Cliff Bar recently so I poked around and found this yummy dark chocolate almond and sea salt trail mix bar.
Cliff Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Trail Mix Bar
It was perfection. They’ve offering more and more gluten free products as more and more people have sensitivities to gluten.
Happy weekend! Hope it’s going to be a good one. What are your weekend plans?
Do you eat a gluten free diet?
Do you ever thank your body when it feels strong? You should!
Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I feel like the weeks are flying by. The year is almost half over.
I’ve been keeping all my runs nice and short and it’s been wonderful. I even ran 3 consecutive days (Thursday thru Saturday) and was all excited about running last night for a 4th consecutive day but then the rain, thunder and lightening came and didn’t stop 🙁 So I foam rolled and did some glute and hip strengthening instead.
But this morning I still had the bug to run only it was kinda late and I needed to get ready for work. It was cool and raining so I decided to give up the 20 min I would spend to do my hair which would only become frizz anyway and replaced it with a quick 2 miles. I knew the honeysuckles had just bloomed (I could smell them when I walked Duncan earlier) and I just had to grab one!
2 miles is better than none
totally random: I was reminded this morning why I named my pup Duncan. Because he’s the same color as my (Dunkin Donuts) coffee. I just changed the spelling. But I call him Dunkin Donuts all the time.
Even Duncan loves a good sweet honeysuckle
I got rained on but the visor kept it out of my eyes and it was so refreshing.
happiest honeysuckle admirer
Yup, I ran just for the honeysuckles!
This Wednesday is National Running Day and I’m going to head to our local park in the evening for the festivities. They’ll be giving out some freebies and having an evening run hosted by our local running club. And I’m SURE I’ll be surrounded by honeysuckles! I can’t wait! I can smell them already.
What’s your favorite smelling flower?
Do you ever just run a mile or 2 when you’re pinched for time?
I have so much to talk about and I thought i should break this post up into chunks. First Let’s talk about my unnecessary rollercoaster ride process to my decision on whether to run the Brooklyn Half tomorrow.
EVERYTHING BUT THE MEDAL
Wednesday afternoon, on my lunch hour I took the subway from my office in Manhattan to Pier 2 at Brooklyn Bridge Park where the Brooklyn Half “Pre-Party” (expo) was being held.
This is my stop!
But seriously…
I wanted to pick up my race bib and t-shirt regardless of what my final decision on running would be. For one, I paid a good amount of money for registration including the tech shirt….
Because i need another race shirt
plus, i love that it was being held at such a scenic spot in Brooklyn where the views of lower Manhattan are just breathtaking. For whatever reason this race has become a large event with runners from all over and they made sure to tailor the pre-party for the out-of-towners and also highlight some of Brooklyn’s unique eats and music. I love when my hometown (while I live in the neighboring borough of Staten Island, I was born in Brooklyn) can be shared with others.
Sally selfie
let the “pre-party” begin
A tree grows in Brooklyn
Yesterday morning, I drove to physical therapy for my shoulder and i was still wrestling with the whole Brooklyn Half situation. How could I possibly be in jeopardy of having to drop out of running this half marathon due to injury 2 years in a row???!!!! And for the same (overuse) injury! After 6 weeks of knee-hab here I was dealing with my ankle demons.
I shut down my mind and focused on the exercises they had me do for my shoulder. Unfortunately due to insurance reasons this was my last session. Crazy since I’m nowhere near healed. But I know the exercises i need to do and will continue to do them 2x a week at home. And maybe Mr. SOTSS can pinch hit for the shoulder massage part. =)
But as soon as I left PT, my mind was racing again….literally! I know I can physically run 13.1 miles on Saturday which is what’s been making it so hard to make that final decision. It’s what i’m risking in the long run. I’m pretty sure it would leave me with a longer road to recovery. My ankle tendonitis is mild at the moment. But this could be just too much for those tendons to handle and I know it took 4 months to heal last year when it was severe. I don’t want to lose 4 months again. Especially after I just experienced being sidelined for the knee.
And I am running a 5k on Sunday with Mr. SOTSS and his daughters and I definitely don’t want to jeopardize that in any way. So really It’s my pride that’s really has been standing in the way here. But I made the final decision just hours ago that I won’t be running. And you know what? It’s not the end of the world. And the silver lining is that I get to be a supporter/spectator this time. I had lots of practice being a spectator last year at the Spring Lake 5, Jersey Shore Half and NYC Marathon. I’ll be waiting at the finish line to cheer as my running peeps cross and then I’ll hang out with them after and help celebrate their finish. I miss them! Plus, my running peep Elvia is also needing to sit this race out so we’re going to meet to run/walk just a couple of miles while we wait for the rest of the crew. YAY!
With my pre-party experience, race spectating and post race celebration basically I’ll have everything but the medal. =)
This brings me to my next share…
Yes, I trained hard for that. I ran 65 miles in 5 days in the week of those races. I had never run as much as I did that fall….and then came the NYC Marathon that November followed by a cold and snowy winter that I battled to keep my training going for the NJ Marathon in April of 2014. I did lots of speedwork on a treadmill mainly because the snow forced me indoors and treadmills bore me. So the speed intervals kept me focused. This all proved out as i set a HUGE PR in the 1/2 marathon last March (in the pouring rain) in Philadelphia and then another HUGE PR at the NJ Marathon. I also set a 5k PR in that time as well.
Setting my marathon PR at the NJ Marathon
After setting a 13.1 PR in the pouring rain
Breaking 5 hours for a course PR at the NYC Marathon
So when I think about all my injuries….the ankle, the knee, the hip, the hamstring, and non-running related but definitely draining the shoulder it makes sense that i’m still suffering (also, i’ve been poor about the preventative stuff like strength training and stretching).
And so I have given myself permission for these set backs to take a while longer to recover from.
Permission that 2015 just isn’t going to be a stellar year for my physical running capabilities.
Permission to let it be the year I learn a whole lot about the importance of the 10 percent rule and strength training.
Permission to stick to (and rekindle the joys of) short 2 and 3 mile runs a whenever I feel up to it instead of double digit long runs and a religious schedule.
Permission that planks just can’t happen until my shoulder is feeling stronger.
Permission to take multiple trips to bring in the groceries while my arm isn’t 100 percent.
Permission to accept that this is temporary. And temporary doesn’t have to mean a week or a month. This could be an entire year of working toward getting back to where I was.
But the biggest permission slip here is still new for me. I’ve been in a relationship now with Mr. SOTSS for a year now (side note: We went out last night for dinner to celebrate one year since our first date and I even got flowers =)
a year together.
The last thing I want to do is whine about my injuries and not being able to run blah blah blah….but I’ve given myself permission to do it anyway (within reason!). He’s a great listener and as a runner himself he gets it. He understands that missing out on a run can impact so many things and like a catch 22 I don’t want to become irritable for not running and then take it out on him. Gosh I’m such an adult these days! I’m so grateful and lucky to have hjm as my biggest fan and to be supportive.
OTHER STUFF:
Yesterday I ran an easy 2-ish miles in my new Lululemon shorts that I bought last weekend when shopping with my niece. Let me just say that I LOVE them!
the waist sits just below the belly button and felt very comfortable on me
Love how the boring compression short turns into what looks like stockings. It’s a pretty feminine detail and let’s be honest….hot summer runs require breathability.
No creeping! No chafing! #WINWIN
The first time I’ve had a pair of shorts just fit without riding up or needing to be layered over compression shorts. I’m going to be blunt….I have a lot of thigh-age. I don’t hate my legs but I know that they rub and I chafe easily. I also know that most running shorts creep up and look pretty unflattering. So usually i’ll put a pair of compression shorts underneath. These came with an already attached pair of tight fitting shorts but they are so light.
I met my friend for a walk later on in the day and we came across this cute lil frog.
froggie
This morning I took Duncan to the vet for a checkup. He got a clean bill of health. We celebrated with a walk in the park.
Tranquility
The left side of my face felt like being camera shy.
I’m so excited to share with you my experience at the 2015 New Jersey Marathon. It’s all LOVE for this event. I apologize for the novel you are about to read (or scroll through).
The EXPO:
Mr. Sweat Out The Small Stuff and I went to the expo on Friday evening.
When it comes to expos, Mr. SOTSS is more of the “run in, get race number, run out” kind of guy. He doesn’t get too excited about them. His whole running lifestyle is simple, practical and uncomplicated. But he loves how excited I get for expos that I love running so much that I love all the details that go into the race. He thinks I love preparing for a race as much as I love running them. What can I say. 🙂 So the expo, the training, and all that happens from the moment I register for a race until the minute I cross the finish line (and even days after) is a big part of my life. It’s the reason I started blogging. OK sorry, I got off on a little tangent..
The expo is at the race track which is also where the race starts
I’m ready!
The expo was fairly simple. We didn’t stay for any of the seminars that were on tap, but we got a few samples and looked at some running gear and then grabbed our race bibs and shirts. I’ll say that the only part of this year’s NJ Marathon that I wasn’t in love with was the shirt. And guess what? I have so many running shirts at this point it’s really not a big deal. Especially since I signed up for the race a year beforehand at it’s lowest registration fee.
All in all the expo was easy to get to, easy to navigate and quite empty. I’m sure Saturday was probably busier.
Since we went to the expo on Friday we had Saturday to relax without anything on the schedule.
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