Hi there.

Another week has begun. Yesterday was the busiest Monday I’ve had in a while with two freelance deadlines. I also wasn’t feeling so hot. Not really sure what the deal was….just felt weak and fatigued with a queasy stomach too.

keeping me company while i rest up

keeping me company while i rest up

I didn’t get as much work done over the weekend as I had anticipated either. Mr. SOTSS and I (and the pooches) drove out to Long Island to spend some time with his family. I thought I’d work in the car but someone jumped in my lap and I didn’t have the heart to move him so no room for a laptop.

no room for the laptop on my lap because of my "LAP-radoodle"

no room for the laptop on my lap because of my “LAP-radoodle”

While I was out in Long Island I got my last long run in before next Sunday’s NJ Half Marathon. I ran 8 very flat miles with ease. It was just the kind of long run you hope for. I enjoyed the new scenery and the miles seemed to go fairly quickly.

8miles

And there was a little walk on the beach too.

Beach Boys!

Beach Boys!

So the reason I started this blog was because I’m ALWAYS talking about running and I needed a place to share it where it made sense. Not all my family and friends are runners or interested in my running life so Sweat Out The Small Stuff really came to fit the bill. Last week, Denny Kahe, a runner and coach who blogs over at DizRuns asked if I’d be interested in being on his podcast show to talk about running. It was a no-brainer…..I love talking about running….especially with fellow runners. The podcast and post are now live and you can read/hear them here.

diz-runs

Denny has lots of great resources on his site. Check out some of his other podcast episodes if you get a chance. In addition to interviews with other runners, there are some quick tip episodes too. Plus on his blog, there are some great debate style conversations like wearing sneakers or going barefoot.

I’m going to take another rest day today just to be sure I’m in the clear. The New Jersey Half is just 5 days away!

Do you love chatting about running (or any other passion)? YES!
Are you a podcast person?
I’m thinking of listening to podcasts more often especially while running

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend. I have looming deadlines for some freelance work that I must get to but I wanted to at least give you a little recap of my weekend, including my slowest training run ever!

I spent Saturday and Sunday on Long Island, NY with Mr. SOTSS visiting with some of his family. Saturday morning we walked with his mom and of course the pooches in a beautiful park by her home. After that Mr. SOTSS and I drove out to Shelter Island which is an island in between the north and south forks of Long Island to spend time with his dad and his dad’s wife on their sailboat.

Waiting for Mr. SOTSS' dad to come out to get us with the dingy and take us to the sailboat.

Waiting for Mr. SOTSS’ dad to come out to get us with the dingy and take us to the sailboat.

sand, water, boardwalks, blue skies, and my honey

sand, water, boardwalks, blue skies, and my honey

We left the pooches at Mr. SOTSS' mom's when we drove out to Shelter Island. This is how they spent the day

We left the pooches at Mr. SOTSS’ mom’s when we drove out to Shelter Island. This is how they spent the day

It was so peaceful to just sit out on the boat in the marina. We caught up a bit, walked all around the island and then had dinner at a restaurant nearby.

Enjoying the day

Enjoying the day

Of course a glorious sunset on the water.

Of course a glorious sunset on the water.

At night we drove back to Mr. SOTSS’ mom’s house. Sunday was spent with his mom and her husband. First Mr. SOTSS and I walked the dogs for an hour and then his mom and her husband joined the fun. We took a ride out to Robert Moses State Park where you can walk to the Fire Island Lighthouse and then continue to the National Park section which connects to a small town called Kismet.

I swear I didn't use any filters. The sky was that blue

I swear I didn’t use any filters. The sky was that blue

IMG_7960There are no cars in Kismet, only walking/bike paths to get around and they have 2 restaurants. The Kismet Inn and Surf’s Out. We chose Surf’s Out.

IMG_7975

The weather was phenominal both days. I enjoy being by the water/beach so much. I’ve always lived on the East Coast and it’s just part of my life. Mr. SOTSS not only has the same love of the water but he also was quite the sailor. He got his Captain’s license and piloted a ferry from the main part of Long Island out to Fire Island. We took a fun drive through his old neighborhood and he showed me his childhood home, schools and where the ferry that he worked on was. Pretty cool!

fire-isl-map

a little map for context…

We covered about 10 miles of walking each day. Good food, good company, great views. It was a superb weekend. Mr. SOTSS dropped me off about 11 pm last night and I took a shower and jumped right into bed.

This morning I was up and out the door at 7:20am and somehow covered 15 miles but it wasn’t pretty.

15 miles DONE!

15 miles DONE!

I walked a lot and just tried to keep it together. I had a side stitch that lasted the entire time. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I stopped at a playground for a few minutes hoping this rainbow might give me some positive vibes…

I think I was delerious!

I think I was delerious!

But 3 hours and 15 minutes on my feet is what I really need to take away from this run. It’s priming me for race day. And it’s ok to have a crappy long run. I’d rather have this happen now than on race day right? While I was in nostalgia mode I decided I’d run past my old elementary school. I also ran through my favorite park.

my favorite spot in my favorite park

my favorite spot in my favorite park

My elementary school

My elementary school

Oh and how sweet is this note? It was at the register at the Dunkin Donuts by my house.

IMG_7894OK better get cracking on those deadlines….I’ll pop in toward the end of the week. Have a great one!

Have you ever just just stalled out while running? Hit the wall? Felt like your legs just couldn’t go one more step?

Do anything fun this weekend?