cherry blossom 10-miler Archives

My religion is running

28. March 2016 · 6 comments · Categories: running, Uncategorized · Tags: cherry blossom 10-miler, easter, long run, running, running as religion, stubborn

Hey yo,

So it’s Easter Sunday and while I’m not Catholic (or religious at all) I did pull out my token bunny ears for the Instagram op. Duncan indulged me and let me put the bunny ears and a bunny tail on him too though he was none too pleased.

Who wore it better?

Not funny!

Both Mr. SOTSS and I ran 8 milers today and afterward while walking in the park with the dogs he said “we both went to church today….running is our church.” Yep, he pegged it! Running is my religion, it is where I go to sweat out the anxiety and crapola that builds up throughout the day. It’s where I clear my head, meditate, and feel fulfilled (even the crappy runs). It was a really great long run too.

8 miles

Negative Splits

I didn’t slog through this one which felt good after a couple of really difficult long runs.

I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how stubborn I can be. I hate to make multiple trips so I tried to carry all of my grocery bags out of the car and into the house in one shot. Well, I dropped a bag and lucky me….it had the eggs! There were some casualties but I saved 7 of the dozen.

Unfortunately there were 5 egg casualties. Lost a few berries too

Tomorrow I’m headed back to the city for the last 3 days of this latest freelance gig. The office is in the Time Life building which is right across the street from Radio City Music Hall. Being on the 31st floor sure does make those yellow taxi cabs looks like Matchbox cars.

among all the concrete and skyscrapers there are always sprinkles color. Sometimes tulips, sometimes just a pretty yellow taxi cab. Sometimes both!

among all the concrete and skyscrapers there are always sprinkles color. Sometimes pretty pink tulips, sometimes just a pretty yellow taxi cab. Sometimes both!

Just one or two more short runs and then I’m headed down to DC next weekend for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. So excited! The only part that stinks is that Mr. SOTSS is going on a family vacation tomorrow and when he gets back I’ll be in DC so we won’t get to see each other for at least a week! He’s cool with it….I’m a mess. LOL. Guys are just so darn practical.

Well, I’d better tuck myself in. Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Are you stubborn too?
How do you handle when you and your significant other are separated for a week or more? Do you make them check-in or just wait it out?

share this

Back in business

20. February 2016 · 2 comments · Categories: running · Tags: cherry blossom 10-miler, labradoodle, running

It’s 60 degrees! 30 degrees above average and that was all I needed to help push me out the door to finally get a run in since recovering from that nasty upper respiratory infection.

pretending to be in jail.

I’ve been feeling better since probably Wednesday and I’m sure I could have managed a few miles on Thursday or Friday but I was scared that running would cause me to relapse. Or maybe I was just being lazy? I ended up being rather busy with work on Thurs/Fri so I just took the extra 2 days to take it easy.

And today, with the warmish sun on my face, I set out for 3 miles which turned into 3.5.

I think my favorite color combination lately is this chartreuse green and turquoise combo on my shirt and sneakers. I even have the green stitching up the sides of the leggings and on the cuffs of my socks.And I love that my earbuds match too!

Of course I’m not loving the extra lbs I feel like I’ve gained over the last few months. I can see it in this picture for sure 🙁 Time to work on that. #storyofmylife

The highlights of my week involved spending time with Duncan, Mr. SOTSS, Chester, and various combinations of all 3.

Duncan squished in between me and Mr. SOTSS.

Chester using Duncan as a pillow and Duncan using me as a pillow

I’m going to shoot for another few miles tomorrow and then on Monday I’m dropping my Subaru at the dealership for service and I plan to run/walk the 6.5 miles from Subaru to Mr. SOTSS’s house. This should get me back on track for training for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

Speaking of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, have I mentioned how excited I am for it?!

Are you excited for any Spring races? What are you up to this weekend?

share this

Thursday Things

18. December 2015 · 3 comments · Categories: running, sweet treats, Uncategorized · Tags: cherry blossom 10-miler, running in the rain, snickerdoodle croissant donut

Hi!

How’s it going in your neck-o-the-woods? I’m doing ok. Some good stuff…some not so good stuff but I just tried this Snickerdoodle Croissant Donut from Dunkin Donuts which falls under the good stuff category.

Snickerdoodle Croissant Donut

Boy was it sweet! Good thing I’m a fan of sweet =)

Let’s backtrack for a minute. I woke up Monday morning and was so excited to see I was chosen in the lottery for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

Cherry Blossom 10-Miler here I come!

We registered as a team. The “we” is me, Jane and Jane’s friend Amy.

That’s Jane, Amy and me sandwiched between Jane’s hubby Alex and Mr. SOTSS to my right. (Like the smiley face didn’t give it away. LOL!)

I’m already excited about the trip down to DC for this. First of all I LOVE the Cherry Blossoms. I was so lucky to see them at the height of their peak this past April when Mr. SOTSS and I went for a weekend getaway.

Peaking Cherry Blossoms

And I’m thoroughly stoked to run my first offficial 10 miler! I just have a hunch it’s going to be my new favorite distance. Then of course what could make this better? Yup, a running road trip with friends of course!

I discovered a new photo editing app with this cool oil painting filter that works well with Duncan’s fur.

And while we’re talking about Duncan…

best foot warmer

Nothing better than a view of my dog and my Christmas tree to make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Add in a fresh cup of coffee and Mr. SOTSS into that view and I call that perfection!

I was off today. Well, off from one job but I did about 6 hours of freelance work until about 3pm when I set out for a run.

speedy (for me) miles

It’s just a windbreaker….doesn’t repel water in the least bit.

Unfortunately it was pouring! I didn’t want to waste the extra time to drive to the gym to use the treadmill and it was fairly mild (in the mid 50s) so I figured I’d just go get soaked. I really don’t mind running in the rain. I just hate the way my clothes get so heavy and stick to me. And I discovered I don’t own a single item of waterproof running gear. I should have just run naked. My skin is waterproof right? Oh wait, that would get me arrested I suppose….#STREAKING

I guess it’s too late to ask Santa for some rain gear for Christmas.

Do you run in the rain? What kind of rain gear do you use?
Do you like sweet things?

share this

5 things to keep me happy

07. December 2015 · 6 comments · Categories: holiday decorations, recreational fun, running, Uncategorized · Tags: apple crisp, big chill 5k, cherry blossom 10-miler, Christmas tree, decorations, happy, holiday spirit, ornaments, running, Zen

I’m just enjoying life as best as I can lately. I have a lot on my plate these days and my goal is just to try and keep my mindset in a Zen, happy place. Nobody wants a Scrooge around right? Here are 5 things to keep me happy lately:

Running: Of course! I ran on Friday around the neighborhood for an easy 3 miles. Saturday was a special run. It was the Big Chill 5k held on the campus of Rutgers University. Over 8,000 runners and walkers donate toys as their registration fee and then run. I got to see Jane and Mr. SOTSS ran as well.
Me and Jane

The entire back wall eventually is totally filled with donated toys

Me and Mr. SOTSS….It was super sunny and I was squinting just a tad.

While I didn’t pay the extra fee for a timing chip, my Garmin let me know that I ran a 9:26 pace and finished in 29 minutes! That’s pretty unbelievable considering A. I’ve been so slow lately and B. there were so many walkers to dodge and weave that I for sure wasn’t able to run freely leaving me to believe that my time would be much slower.In addition to running I also registered for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler lottery. It’s a very popular race held in Washington D.C. in April. After the Big Chill, Mr. SOTSS and I joined Jane and her posse for breakfast and we made the decision to enter the lottery. I’m looking forward to it if I get in. I want 2016 to be the year I run lots of shorter distances and 10 miles has always been a favorite distance of mine yet I’ve never run an actual 10 mile race.
Getting in the Holiday Spirit: Yup, I put up my tree and decorated a little outside while Duncan napped. That’s about right.
Woke up for the picture

Boy do I enjoy revealing all my ornaments each year that have been in hibernation for a year. And I had a new ornament to put up. The one I bought as a souvenir from my trip to Jamaica this past summer.Each ornament brings back warm fuzzy feelings. Totally made me happy.

Why yes! May ALL your miles be merry =)

Running chick!

marathon ornament

Doodle ornament

My cute lil snowman
Spending quality time with my honey: We spent lots of quality time this weekend which culminated in a lovely hike today with the dogs.
The boys in my life

Even though it’s December it is still officially Autumn. 50s and sunny.

And speaking of doggies….
Cute doggies!: I’ve had to do a large amount of freelance work today and seeing them cuddled so cute around me makes me happy.
Family dinner: This past Thursday my mom and dad had me over for dinner and homemade apple crisp. It felt really good to tell them all of the things in my life lately….the good, the bad and the ugly. They are so supportive and just want me to be happy….so….I’ll try as hard as I can to keep this mindset that way.