Oh boy! So much has happened since my last post.

On Thursday evening after a great day at the office I was rear-ended on the Interstate when traffic started to slow down and the guy behind me….well he didn’t slow down. He crashed right into the back of my poor little Subaru.

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It really looked so minor at first. But after further inspection most of the imact was under my car. His car went under my bumper and pushed my spare tire from under the car up into the trunk and also knocked my muffler loose.

This is the other car. his car went underneath my car so my damage was mostly to the undercarriage. It pushed my spare tire up into my trunk. And my muffler got knocked loose

This is the other car. He had to be towed.

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Poor Forest!

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just waiting for the police to come. From this far away you can barely see any damage. When I first got hit it was so loud I really thought the damage would be worse

This car is not even 2 years old and this will be the second time it’s gotta go into the body shop. (It got hit while parked last October). Thankfully nobody was hurt and the man was apologetic. My hands were shaking immediately after the accident. It’s the same adrenaline response that I get when having to speak in front of a crowd. But I calmed down quickly, made a few calls to the boyfriend and my friend who is a retired police officer and then called the State Police to file a report and my insurance company to start the claim process. It’s the perfect example of why I named my blog Sweat Out the Small Stuff. Before running I would have been so much more stressed over the entire situation. And especially now, where I rely on the vehicle to get to and from work. But running has been the main source of release to let those stressful things just ease up and become less gripping over me.

So I’m dropping the car off on Monday to get repaired and I’ll rent a car so I can get to and from work. I’ll be out about $600 for my deductible and car rental but hopefully my insurance company can recover the costs. It’s not guaranteed.

And now some random doodle pics:

He loves to sleep with his feet in my face.

He loves to sleep with his feet in my face.

The look I got when i told him I liked my new job and I'll be continuing to work out of the house full time. Poor doodle!

The look I got when i told him I liked my new job and I’ll be continuing to work out of the house full time. Poor doodle!

Yesterday morning I packed a bag with my running gear. There’s a park just 2 miles from the office and I wanted to check it out. Mr. SOTSS came over Thursday evening so I hadn’t had a chance to run my post-accident anxiety away yet (although Mr. SOTSS was wonderful and keeping my spirits up when he arrived.) It rained most of the afternoon but at 5pm it had eased up to just a drizzle. So I changed out of my work clothes into my running clothes and drove over to the park for a nice 3 miles.

no running car magnets were harmed during the fender bender

no running car magnets were harmed during the fender bender

lush vistas everywhere

lush vistas everywhere

I had the park to myself.

I had the park to myself.

I have a feeling I'll be running here a lot of summer evenings

I have a feeling I’ll be running here a lot of summer evenings

Meanwhile apparently Fridays at the office are “dress down” days. Everyone was wearing jeans!  I can’t wait for next Friday now that i’ve got the memo 🙂

Today I’m just so ecstatic it’s the weekend. I woke up at 7am and took Duncan to the park. He hadn’t been for a ride in the car in a week! He was happy. And I wore jeans. I was happy too!

He's been waiting all week for a walk in the park!

He’s been waiting all week for a walk in the park!

I've been waiting all week to wear jeans!

I’ve been waiting all week to wear jeans!

I’m going to squeeze in a run either later today or tomorrow morning and then it’s all about relaxation.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Ever been in a car accident?

Are you calm in those type of situations?

Hi. Happy Thursday!

I’m getting into a bit of a routine now with the new job. Dressing business casual has been an adjustment to my normal jeans and hoodie sneaker ensemble but I’m more comfortable that I expected and I’m looking forward to the coming months when I can wear flowy tunic tops, capris and sandals.

Business casual wet hair.

Business casual wet hair.

Driving in has some pros and some cons. I started listening to podcasts while I drive and it’s so much better than listening to the radio play the same 2 songs over and over again. (Sorry Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift!) After being his guest on one of his recent podcasts I’ve been listening to some of the latest episodes from Denny at DizRuns including one with Jessica from rUnladylike. My commute has been anywhere from 40 minutes to about an hour and 15 minutes and the podcasts are usually about 55 minutes which is just perfect.

Last night was the longest drive home.

IMG_2821The distance from my office to my house is 23 miles. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Hmmm, Meb could probably have made it about 15 miles in that time.

I am still struggling to get my 10,000 steps in. I haven’t been taking much of a lunch because on Day 2 I was assigned a large project to work on. We just presented it last night and it was well received. Makes me feel good that I’m already feeling comfortable with the work load and learning curve.

I was able to go for a 3 mile run on Tuesday evening but other than that just some evening walks with the dog.

7:30PM Tuesday night 5k

7:30PM Tuesday night 5k

I’m definitely going to have to put in at least 30 minutes more of walking or a quick run each morning if I want to keep get anywhere near 10,000 steps on weekdays. And this is VERY important to me. So let’s see how next week goes.

I’ve been trying to eat healthy-ish so I packed my lunch today. A nice little turkey sandwich and some pretzel crisps. (and a 2 clementines that were camera shy)

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So excited tomorrow is Friday. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.

Do you pack your lunch or are you a big lunch purchaser?

Hello and Happy Tuesday.

The sun finally came out on Saturday and I quickly went for a run. IMG_2755After 7 days straight of rain, I was giddy!. On Sunday, Mr. SOTSS and I went over to my family’s house for some Mother’s Day and birthday party festivities. My niece turned 16 on Thursday but we had her cake on Sunday.IMG_2757

Later in the afternoon we took the dogs to the beach for a little fun in the sun at Dog Beach which is in Asbury Park (it’s also about mile 20 along the NJ Marathon course!)

the boys

the boys

Doodles

Doodles

Chester Mc. Chesterson

Chester Mc. Chesterson

I started my new job yesterday and so far so good although I’m a little unsure about the fact that I’ll be using a PC and not a Mac.

Rut....Row!

Rut….Row!

I’ve been using a Mac since 1994! I’m a Mac girl through and through. Between driving to work and sitting all day I only had 3,000 steps by 6pm when I got home so I took Duncan for a stroll around the ‘hood and still only ended up with 6,200 steps….well under the 10,000 that I strive for daily. I did however drink plenty of water from this nifty water bottle my sister-in-law gave me. It keeps cold liquid cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours and it doesn’t form condensation on the outside so I can shove it in my purse!IMG_2779

There’s a park 2 miles from the office so I’m going to leave sneakers in the car and go for a brisk walk at lunch when I can to help. And as soon as I get better with waking up to an alarm clock again I’ll try and run or walk longer with the dog a couple of mornings a week before work too.

I came home and indulged in some leftover pizza and wine and then Duncan assumed his position.IMG_2783 IMG_2786

I’m just about ready to walk out the door for day 2 and duncan is giving me his pitiful look. He kills me!

So pitiful

So pitiful

Hope you have a great week!

What did you have for dinner last night?
On a scale of 1-10 what do you rate pizza?

Hello.

What have you been up today? I ran this morning after taking off Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to recover from the New Jersey Half Marathon I was happy to get in 3 miles.

IMG_2703I wanted to run more but had a luncheon to attend and didn’t have enough time. I love, love, love when I run those first few miles after a race and feel good. Nothing hurts! Yippee! And believe it or not today is the first day that the rain stopped since Sunday!

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I wore my finisher’s shirt and while I was worried the size large would be too big it was actually fine. Roomy but comfortable.

I have some big news. I am starting a new job on Monday! It’s going to be a full time, out of the house gig which means Duncan and I won’t be able to hang on the sofa together while I work. IMG_2712I’ve been freelancing for a while, mostly at home, with some temporary, on-site consulting gigs here and there so this will be a huge transition for both of us. It will also be the first time I work in New Jersey. And I’ll be in a more senior role so I won’t be able to wear my usual uniform of hoodies and jeans. I bought some dress pants and a few new tops and pulled out some non-sneakers from the back of the closet that I haven’t worn in a while.

took this new outfit for a trial run at the luncheon today

took this new outfit for a trial run at the luncheon today

And if this sports bra chafing (from Sunday) on my chest doesn’t go away by Monday I’ll be wearing that too!

IMG_2706No more commuting to Manhattan. I’ll be driving to work. I’m worried that life will get a little sedentary for me so I’ve got to figure out a new plan for reaching my 10,000 steps a day and getting in some running. Luckily no distance races on my calendar until October so I’ll take it slow during this transition. We all know I am NOT a morning person.

It’s Cinco de Mayo but MORE importantly it’s Meb Kehflezghi’s birthday

photo: NYRR

photo: NYRR

and MOST importantly it’s my niece’s sweet 16th birthday!

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This pic is 2 years old now but it’s my favorite! Love her!

Do you track your steps daily? Who drives to work? What do you do in the car?