was hoping my new kicks would be an instant fix

20. November 2014 · Write a comment · Categories: labradoodle, running · Tags: , , , , ,

I got these lovely kicks as a birthday gift from my sister-in-law last month and had been planning on saving them until the new year but today I thought I’d try them out to see if they had any impact on my knee issue.

Asics Cumulus 16

Asics Cumulus 16s in bright blue. Apparently I’m supporting Prostate Cancer Awareness and had no idea. When I selected this color it was just because I liked it

Well, the verdict is they didn’t help. 🙁 As a matter of fact about 2 1/2 miles into this run I felt that strange sharp knee pain and had to stop and stretch for a bit. But after that I was totally fine again. This knee thing is so strange. It will be totally fine until I make a turn or get to a part of the road that is uneven and then I’ll get that tweak but then it’ll go back to being fine again. I’m curious to get it looked at but honestly the thought of primary care visits and referrals and $50 copays etc just makes me say forget it.

Well, I managed to get in another solid 3 miles.

photo 3

And then I took the doodle in the car to run errands with me…

photo 5He’s been so cute in the car lately. He likes to lean back on the seat and rest his head. Love this boy.

After the errands I took him to the park by the water for a little walk.

photo 4

And now I’m typing this post and Duncan is just staring at me. Not sure what he wants. Maybe just my attention.

photo 1Tomorrow I’m going to work at the Philadelphia Marathon Expo. I’ll be at the New Jersey Marathon booth. We’re raffling off a free race entry so come by if you’re planning on attending. =) I’m loving my part time job working for the New Jersey Marathon! I dropped off some postcards at Jackrabbit Sports’ community bulletin area yesterday =)

photoAfter the expo I’ve got to hightail it home because I’m going to the Blue Gala fundraiser event again this year. It’s to raise money for a fairly large animal rescue. I’ll be back at the expo ALL day on Saturday too. I’m exhausted just thinking about the next 2 days.

Have you ever been to Philadelphia? It’s a great city to visit. I seem to do a lot of running there but someday I’ll go just for the culture and good eats. 

What’s on your weekend agenda?

 

 

 

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My National Running Day

05. June 2014 · 4 comments · Categories: running, running gear, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , ,

Happy belated National Running Day! I hope you all were able to celebrate in some way. Whether it was running, signing up for a race, buying some new running gear, subscribing to a running mag or maybe donating to a fundraiser of a runner.

I was sad that my tendonitis injury wouldn’t allow me to run (technically based on dr’s orders) so I did a couple of other things.

First, after reading this, I went here. Go #TeamJaimie, Duncan and I are rooting for you. Then, on my lunch break I headed up to the ASICS store to see if they had the Cumulus 16s in.

asicsstore

I discuss my love of the Cumulus back in this post and how I ended up with Brooks Ghost when the Cumulus 13s couldn’t be purchased anymore. Well, I’m excited to say the 16s felt just like the 13s when I tried them on. Nice and cushy. And so I bought them.

asics cumulus 16

 

So after skipping over the 14s and 15s I’m really happy to be reunited. I still have plenty of mileage left on my Brooks Ghosts and I’ll be keeping them in rotation for sure. Of course I have to get past my fear that they caused my tendonitis.

Just to share about what I was looking for in a sneaker in case you are wondering I have a wide forefoot but a narrow heel. I also tend to get metatarsalgia (feels like you have a pebble in your shoe under the ball of your foot) on the bottom of my left foot so cushioning is really important. My gait is quite neutral so stability isn’t as important. Asics tend to be roomier in the toe box and forefoot area.

On my way back to the office I passed this port-a-potty in an abandoned storefront that had been gutted but then construction stopped (for probably a year now). Something tells me it’s in worse shape than one at the start of a marathon. LOL!

scary potty

your welcome

On my commute home as I was scrolling through news feeds galore I saw that on Staten Island (and all 5 boroughs of New York City) they were celebrating National Running Day until 8pm at one of my favorite parks. With new sneakers, and a huge craving to run I roped my friend Mike in to coming with me and Duncan for a “walk” there. I just wanted to check it out. =)

I run to Sweat Out the Small Stuff

I run to Sweat Out the Small Stuff

They were giving out free bandanas and had race bibs that you could fill out.

nrd-bib

Once I filled out my bib I knew I had to at least run a few strides. And so I ran about 100 yards.

This video shows my entire run! LOL! I think that was a perfect compromise to following Dr’s orders. Then Duncan and Mike and I walked for about an hour.

Thin Ice

June 4th, 80 degrees….I think it’s safe to take this sign down. LOL!

Just a duck

Just a duck

note to self: Hill repeats to prepare for San Francisco should happen right here

note to self: Hill repeats to prepare for San Francisco should happen right here

YAY! Honeysuckles are finally appearing!

YAY! Honeysuckles are finally appearing!

National Running Day with Duncan

Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island

scenic

scenic

After the walk Duncan got dropped home to eat his kibble and we went to the diner where I had a roast beef melt sandwich and sweet potato fries.

sandwichOn the way back we noticed that in the same shopping center as the diner that a Tasti DLite is coming. This shopping center is only 1/2 a mile from my house. This could become my new obsession. Especially since duncan’s groomer is also in that shopping center.

tasti-d-liteThen I came home to see the progress of my kitchen cabinets. My dad started this project back in 2010 and then lost the mood but after some gentle nagging from my mom he’s finally back to business and progress is being made. Basically he’s painting them with this special, made for kitchen cabinets paint/process by Rustoleum called Cabinet Transformations. They used to be a washed oak color:

oldfinishBut will now be chocolate brown:

cabinetdoor

door

cabinetframe

cabinet

Did you get to do anything for National Running Day? What are your favorite running sneakers?

Have you ever done a kitchen renovation? I’m so hungry for breakfast but can’t access anything because my dad is on his way to put the second coat of paint on and everything is all masked off. Sigh!

 

 

 

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It isn’t rocket science

02. April 2014 · 1 comment · Categories: cross training, labradoodle, running · Tags: , , , ,

First let me say I’m not the only one who is so happy the rain is gone and the sun has returned

photo 1-1

Do you want to know what made me happy after a very nasty day at the office? It isn’t rocket science…Well ordinarily I would say a run. I didn’t run today, but it was a running related field-trip that did the trick.

OK let me back up. My company is working on updating our website and with that comes new headshots of the team. We were all tasked with choosing a location somewhere in NYC that meant something to us. So me being the NYC Marathon nerd that I am, chose Engineer’s Gate, the entrance into Central Park where the Fred Lebow statue is. (For those who don’t know, Fred Lebow was the founder of the NYC Marathon and Engineer’s Gate is a very big milestone along the course. It’s at about Mile 23 and it’s where you re-enter the park for the final few miles where the spectatorship is out of this world! It’s also where I gave this mugshot to the camera this past November =).

i was falling apart and cramping up everywhere and just couldn't smile

i was falling apart and cramping up everywhere and just couldn’t smile.

The shots that will be used for our company website are still under wraps but i had a coworker snap this shot for me since I shlepped my medals into the office and wore my 2013 NYC Marathon finisher’s shirt, I figured I might as well!

1897895_10203457590382116_1693546469_n

just me and Fred.

Back in December I was having a bad day and ended up visiting Fred’s statue after picking up my bib # for a race I was running that weekend. And then this past January I ran the Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon. It’s a special spot.

After the shoot it was 5pm but I still had to go back to the office to tie up a few loose ends. Everyone planned on hopping in a cab, but I knew I needed to decompress. Had I been in running gear, I would have run the 3 miles back to the office. But since I was in jeans and carrying 2 heavy medals around my neck, I decided I’d walk.

3milewalk

I walked along the edge of Central Park…cpark and passed Radio City…radiocity

I walked 3 miles in 52 minutes and by the time I was back at the office I was feeling much better!

So I mentioned back in this post about buying my first pair of Brooks Ghost running sneakers after being an Asics Cumulus girl for so long. I loved the Asics Cumulus 13s, but hated the 14s and 15s….well…..I just saw that the Cumulus 16s have been released.

cumulus16

Not gonna lie…I’m tempted!! =)

Meanwhile, on Sunday, since I knew it was going to be pouring rain, I wore an older pair of Cumulus 13s that had a few hundred miles on them because I didn’t want to ruin the Ghosts that I’m planning on wearing come 4/27 for the NJ Marathon. Today, those sneakers were STILL WET!!!! That’s over 48 hours and they’re still not dry even with the newspaper stuffing trick!.

BkIzxw8IIAAPTvLIt’s April Fools and I totally fell for Monica’s Tattoo post. Bummer, I was really excited to see it.

Questions:

• Are you a prankster? Did you trick anyone today?

• Running a marathon this Spring?

• What sneakers do you run in?

• If you were having your pic taken in Manhattan what location would you pick?

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When one year closes….another opens

01. January 2014 · 2 comments · Categories: labradoodle, running, running gear · Tags: , , ,

I’m not a very sentimental New Year’s Eve person. Frankly I feel that EVERY MORNING is our chance to start fresh and set goals. I learned that from this guy:

C'mon ma! Wake up and let's go for a walk. I have a goal to chase more squirrels today than yesterday.

C’mon ma! Wake up and let’s go for a walk. I have a goal to chase more squirrels today than yesterday.

So last night I had what I hope to be the final casualty of 2013 (unless I drink too much tonight before the clock strikes midnight. =) I was tossing the ball for the dog and since I’m as clumsy as they come I threw the ball directly into the Christmas tree. Genius Sally! I heard the ornament shatter but was too afraid to look….thankfully it was just one of the cheap ball ornaments and not one of my expensive ones.

stop playing ball in the house

stop playing ball in the house

I had a final splurge purchase of 2013 too!

Brooks Ghost 6's

Brooks Ghost 6’s

Well, technically only 1/2 a splurge. I used a gift card that I got for my birthday a few months back to pay for half of these. My first pair of Brooks. I had mentioned my need to find a new style running sneaker back in this post because I could no longer buy my beloved Asics Cumulus 13s (they are now up to 15s). And after explaining my woes to the sales associate she had me try a few different options. First were the Brooks Glycerine. I immediately nixed them because just taking a few steps cause pain on the ball of my foot. But the second option were the Brooks Ghost and as soon as I put them on they felt like a great fit! I was concerned though that they didn’t feel as cushy as the Cumulus but figured I would try them.

So today I set out for my last 5 miles of 2013 and my first 5 miles in the Brooks.

turquoise, yo! #trendingcolorsin2014

turquoise, yo! #trendingcolorsin2014

And the verdict is…..

I’m really not sure yet. I felt they were lighter than my Asics. Almost invisible to me. (hmm, maybe that’s why they call them Ghost?) But….I felt there was no spring in my step and no cushion.  Usually wearing new sneakers I always have a zippy run. Today not so much.My shins felt tired and my knees hurt a bit.  But my lower back has been bothering me and I haven’t been eating very well lately so it might not be the shoes. Lol. I will continue to wear them a few more times before I decide how I like them. I’ve got time still to mess around since my marathon isn’t until April. And I still have enough miles left on my Asics for the beginning of training and my January races.

So now I’m off to hang with friends and ring drink in the new year.

I don’t know what’s in store for 2014. But I do know I’ve got a bunch of races to run and that always makes me happy. Bring on the small stuff!!!! I’m so ready to continue to sweat it all out and focus on the good stuff….the big stuff…the fun stuff!

 

Hope y’all have a stellar 2014.

 

Question: If you’re reading this post are you at least sipping champagne? 

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