First let me just say I can’t believe the party that went down in San Diego this weekend at the Rock ‘N Roll San Diego Marathon & Half Marathon. Some of my favorite bloggers Pavement Runner and Run Eat Repeat along with new blogger on “da” block The Silent Assasin all ran today. And so did Meb! Again, I know i’ve said this before but running is only part of what makes race day so exciting.

Speaking of running….I went running biking again today #thelifeofaninjuredrunner!

photo 5

the bike and me are becoming besties =)

It was even more picture perfect than yesterday weather-wise. Yesterday was sunny and temperate but it was also super windy….I kept having to wipe off the sand that got blown into my lip-balm-slicked-lips. Gritty lips sink ships feel nasty. And my eyes kept tearing too. But today was calmer and just perfection.

becoming quite the biker beach bum

becoming quite the biker beach bum

Apparently there was a local 5k today and it finished on the boardwalk so I pulled over to watch for a bit. (After catching up on Instagram I learned that nycrunningmama ran it with her niece. It was her niece’s first race!)

one of the front runners

one of the front runners

Then I took the same route as yesterday and had a repeat performance photo shoot by the Verrazano Bridge.

OUTTAKE! I didn't give my timer camera app enough seconds for me to pose. LOL

OUTTAKE! I didn’t give my timer camera app enough seconds for me to pose. I guess that makes this awkward… LOL

photo 3-1

much better!

I biked 9 miles (in 58 minutes) and headed back to the car only to realized I LOCKED MY KEYS IN THE CAR!!!! They were still in the ignition! I calmly assessed……well, sunroof was open and i could see the keys…

took this pic thru the window

took this pic thru the window

But the sun had been beating down on the Jeep and i burned my hands when I tried to climb onto the hood to try and reach down through the sunroof. Ultimately, I knew i’d never reach down far enough anyway. My arms wouldn’t be long enough. So I sheepishly made the phone call to my friend Mike who happens to have keys to my home. He was out running errands but as soon as he could he went to my house and grabbed my spare car key and Duncan and brought them to me at the beach. All in all it was an hour that I had to kill until he got there. So of course what did I do? I kept riding the bike! Got 2 more miles in. Oh and I saw this woman riding with her dog in the basket. Unsafe…..but cute…..

photo 2-2

Once Duncan and my key were delivered to me (I owe ya Mike!) we went for a walk. A very short one because Duncan decided it was too warm out. (God help me come July and August if 74 degrees is too warm for him).

photo 3-2Once we got home I fixed myself a nice healthy lunch and Duncan pooped out on the sofa.

photo 3

Turkey, avocado, lettuce and tomato in a flour tortilla, some snap peas with hummus and pink lemonade in a wine glass just because

Turkey, avocado, lettuce and tomato in a flour tortilla, some snap peas with hummus and pink lemonade in a wine glass just because.

And now to get to why I titled this post the way i did:

1. I need to accessorize the bike (a.k.a. pimp my ride)

I need to find myself a water bottle holder and small bag of some sort that straps on (to hold my keys of course). And I think maybe when I start going farther I should have a tire repair kit. I can’t always rely on people to bail me out. Gosh I’m such a newbie!

2. I’m only human

As I start to get in the groove and feel more comfortable on the bike I am finding that I can get in the meditative zone as I pedal and just let all the crazy head movies play out. At the end of the day what gives me vitality and clarity is being outdoors and being active…breathing in fresh air, seeing nature and stepping away from my daily grind. I think the reason a human being can thrive well into their 80s and 90s is based on how active they stay. As long as I have been blessed with health and a body that can be active I will continue to do so in whatever way shape or form I can. Some of us aren’t as lucky. There are many people with illnesses and other challenges that are causing their bodies to slow down.

I can’t believe the weekend has come to a close already. And I can’t believe I got sunburned! I’m usually so diligent about sunscreen application. Today I flunked! Granted I didn’t expect to be outdoors that extra hour while waiting for the spare car key delivery but I’m still angry with myself.

10376174_10203900032762899_5680944688988737562_n

Well, I’ve got a pile of folded laundry that’s calling out to me to be put away so I leave you with this…

photo 5-2This what what I saw when I opened my eyes this morning….And yes that is a cardboard paper towel tube on the bed….Duncan took it to bed with him last night.

Please tell me about the time you locked your keys in the car or you locked yourself out of the house…I need to hear so I can feel better that these things happy to other people too. =)

 

So I closed on my mortgage refinance this morning and then, to celebrate finally completing that “task” that’s been on my to-do list since 2012, I took the pretty bike for another spin, this time around my hood.

ready to take a ride through the neighborhood

ready to take a ride through the neighborhood

I completed 8 miles in just about an hour.

streetrun

It was much hillier than my last ride at the beach. And there were lots of traffic lights that I had to stop at. But I really enjoyed feeling the muscles in my body working and I actually was giddy to feel myself huffing and puffing up hills. I know I’ve lost a good amount of fitness this past month and I am getting excited to gain some of it back. It’ll make things easier when I’m finally cleared to run again.

In the meantime, I’ve made some realizations when it comes to biking:

1. I cannot believe how weak my core is. 

2. I find that I carry tension in my neck and shoulders while riding. Not sure if I’m leaning forward too much or if it’s just that my body is not used to holding on to handlebars for so long.

3. I don’t need to wear a sports bra which means they’ll get worn less and ultimately last longer meaning I save money. Cha Ching!

4. Ditto for my running sneakers! Double Cha Ching!

5. I found a new “cheeky” place to apply anti chafe balm =)

6. My neighborhood isn’t the best place to ride lately. Street resurfacing is in full effect!

roughroad

7. I sweat a lot less

8. The breeze feels AWESOME

9. My eyes tear and that’s even with sunglasses

10. Hills that seemed SO steep and long when running are actually not bad when biking. I actually kind of look forward to the uphills!

After feeling the exercise endorphins kick in I decided to dust off my Wii Fit! I was curious how long it had been since I last used it.

wiimii

Hello! 1570 day? That’s like 4 1/2 YEARS! Oops, my bad! Apparently I weighed about 137 pounds and had a “normal” BMI in 2010. And actually I was right about that in March of this year but today I weighed in around 145 and it said i am “overweight” :(. I take that with a grain of salt but regardless I decided to set a goal to lose 9 pounds in 6 months. I did some strength and balance moves and even some yoga poses. Just 10 minutes! I’m going to commit to doing 10-20 minutes 3x a week.

The doodle went to the groomer for his summer cut.

summercut

And now I’m sitting on the sofa thinking I actually want to go for another bike ride! It’s the most perfect weather here today and I want to maximize my day off to the fullest. But reality is telling me I better head to the grocery store. Alright! Alright! =)

So what’s the weather like where you live? It was 60s and sunny all day here. AHHHH! My favorite.

I remember in my 20s and even early 30s when a holiday weekend would come I’d look forward to sleeping late and sitting on the couch. That doesn’t happen anymore.

After getting up before 5 a.m. on Saturday to see my friends run the Spring Lake 5 and then spending the afternoon walking in the rain with the doodle I thought about sleeping in yesterday. But then I remembered I had my new bike and the rest is history.

lifeisgood

I got up at 6:30 a.m. and after a quick breakfast and a walk with the dog I put the bike in the car and drove down to the beach to really test out my new wheels (and my bike riding confidence). More »

Not the running type of MILEstone but I wanted to share…

My Jeep Liberty just hit 100,000 miles!

jeep liberty milestone

A new distance PR! 

So, yesterday was the Brooklyn Half Marathon that I was supposed to be running. It was a gorgeous day and I was feeling a bit sad that I had to bail due to this foot injury…my first DNS. I knew I needed to get out of the house. I decided to attend a “safe disposal” event to get rid of some old cans of paint. I know, totally exciting. It dawned on me that the event was taking place by the beach/boardwalk near my house. I was bummed that I wouldn’t be crossing the finish line of the Brooklyn Half on the boardwalk in Coney Island, but I figured I could at least take a short walk on my local boardwalk after dropping off the paint….and then I realized I should take Duncan with me because he deserved a good outing. And that’s how my plan took shape.

atlantic ocean

so pretty

don't jump

Duncan may have saved someones life yesterday

fishing pier

just strolling down the fishing pier

my favorite bridge

That’s my favorite bridge in the background (as in “first mile of the NYC Marathon” bridge

We only walked (slowly) for a mile or so because of my foot but stopped to sit on a bench for a bit and struck up a conversation with a man named Paul who wasn’t having a good day. I ended up chatting with him for about a half hour and he spent the entire time petting Duncan. I hope I helped him a bit.

Later on in the day Duncan and I went to visit with my friend Nicole and her daughter and Duncan’s best friend Biggie.

biggie

BFFs

They were also dog sitting for a sweet big guy named Brody.

brody face!

brody face!

brody-frog

brody frog

Duncan thought bubble: "I want to steel her Xylaphone"

Duncan thought bubble: “I want to steel her Xylaphone”

Today started out in my favorite way (well, unless of course i was running a race or long run with my friends)

sunday morning

best sunday morning ever

After a second cup of coffee I went to Trader Joes and got all this for $56!

traderjoes-haul

Healthy Trader Joes Haul

And then took the dog to Petco and spent the same amount on Duncan!

petco purchases

Petco purchases

petco-trip

Duncan thought bubble: “stop taking pictures for your silly blog”

We also took a walk in the woods. This was a dicey choice for me with my foot but I have been babying it so much i just wanted to warm my muscles and let some blood flow.

it's getting greener by the day

it’s getting greener by the day

Meanwhile hard to believe I took this photo in the same spot just a few months ago…

pre-season-notgreen

 

uneven surfaces including lots of protruding tree roots. maybe not such a smart idea

uneven surfaces including lots of protruding tree roots. maybe not such a smart idea

Some random things I’ve noticed lately:

  • I’ve done less laundry in the past month since probably 2012 thanks to not having running clothes to wash. I don’t mind and will enjoy it while it lasts because we all know as soon as I can get into my gear and run i’ll be filling up the laundry basket faster than you can say stinky
  • I’ve posted more pics of my dog than running pics in the last 3 weeks. (this post alone has 11 make that 13 photos of him.
    purse pillow

    purse pillow

    just watching some tv

    just watching some tv

  • My Thera Wrap ice pack has been used for about 1,256,000 minutes in the month of May surpassing my frozen veggies for the win!
    thera-wrap

And I would be remiss not to end this post without sharing a very fast approaching milestone…Sweat Out the Small Stuff will be having a 1 year Blogaversary in less than a month!!! I can’t believe it =)

So how was your weekend? Dish!