Well Mother Nature just dropped a whole lot of precipitation on us. You name it we got it…snow turned to freezing rain which eventually turned to plain rain. I opted to venture in to the office only after seeing that the ice layer on my car was quite thin. It ended up being a zippy ride with no issue. The office was super quiet. Most people opted to work from home. After lunch my boss slipped me some cash and asked if I would run an errand for him. It was critical we get donuts for the brave coworkers who trekked in. And so I was off to Dunkin Donuts. All prepared for the slush puddles of NYC with my waterproof boots.

photo 2

My feet are totally submerged from the ankles down

photo 3

I could just eat all dozen in the elevator but i won’t….self control Sally!

photo 4

What’s better than a jelly donut? A heart shaped jelly donut!

photo 5Tomorrow I have a 6 miler to bang out. With the roads and sidewalks such a mess I might just opt for the treadmill at the gym (unless my local park is in good shape). I just don’t want to burn myself out dancing around puddles and ice patches. This particular run is just a straight one…no tempos, intervals, or hills….but that means nothing to break up 6 “dreadmill” miles. #runnerproblems

Well, last night’s Biggest Loser finale left me concerned….somehow seeing the winner drop down to “underweight” just seemed off-putting to me. Tonight it’s American Idol! I’ve already fallen for 2 contestants and Hollywood week just started. Majesty and Spencer.

OOOH, I’m hungry too…ok gotta split…time to make a snackie.

Question: Reality TV? What do you watch? Have you ever seen My Strange Addiction? Now that’s a wild one.

We sure got walloped with a lot of snow yesterday.

1781900_10203044339491102_789818897_n

I knew commuting through the blizzard would be unpredictable, unsafe and quite honestly just frustrating so I cleared it with my boss to work from home. The best part of this was that it saved me from having to deal with shoveling or leaving the house for most of the day. I did bundle up to take the dog out a couple of times.

1796490_10203044340531128_280511291_n

Life is always good!

1618436_10203047192642429_155017074_n

Snow nose!

1454938_10203047193802458_1789125888_n

I think my privates just froze

Good thing I had no running on the agenda. Work kept me busy. My meals were pretty last resort….packet of oatmeal for breakfast and a pb&j sandwich for lunch. Thankfully I remembered I had this one piece of “in case of emergency” chocolate saved for a day just like this.

photo 3

emergency chocolate!

So I tore open that wrapper and indulged along with a cup of coffee right after my 3:00 conference call. (Note to self: buy a replacement chocolate square ASAP!)

Eventually after the snow stopped falling I shoveled out, cleaned off the car and trekked out to the grocery store. I literally was the only customer.

1798054_10203047181002138_122915598_n

sole supermarket shopper

Today, I went to the gym at lunch for what should have been a 5 mile hill workout. Well I had to stop at 4 miles because I got lightheaded and almost passed out. I went to the locker room and just sat down on a bench for a few. Then put my coat on (over my sweaty running clothes) and hoofed it back to the office. I was afraid to get in the hot shower because of how woozy I felt. I finally started to feel better after being back at the office and eating a turkey sandwich. Luckily none of my coworkers noticed since I am always a pretty casual dresser. Lol.

photo 5The run was great while it lasted. I kept the speed steady at 6mph (10:00 mile pace). I put the incline to 1 for a half mile and then bump it up to 5 for the next half alternating this for all 4 miles. It really clearly showed how my effort level increases dramatically to maintain the same pace on the inclines. I know that these Tuesday workouts (intervals, tempos, hills) are definitely making me a better, stronger and hopefully slightly faster runner.

I’m now chillin’ on the sofa with the dog and we’re watching the Biggest Loser Finale! I always love to see the transformations but for heaven’s sake, why must they put these people in high heel shoes that are so high they can’t walk down the steps? These are real people…not runway models.

We’re getting another snow/ice storm starting late tonight and into tomorrow morning. I guess I’ll evaluate in the morning whether or not i’ll be heading to the office or working from home.

Hope everyone is having a lovely evening.

Anyone watching the Biggest Loser?

Hi again!

Hope you’re all enjoying Superbowl Sunday in some way shape or form….earlier today I told you all about my fun day running with friends yesterday and I was on the fence about getting in my long run. I mean, I did just have a surgical procedure on Friday….but I felt fine running yesterday. so I decided not make excuses and got “suited up”.

It's Springish in February

It’s Springish in February

It was REALLY warm here today. We’re talking high 40s (might have actually hit 50). I decided to just get in a 2 hour run which would probably be about 10ish miles. 12 just seemed like too much. (go figure?).

photo 2

random graffiti. cute!

While I left the extra outer layer, buff, gloves and winter hat home, I did pile on some other accessories:

photo 3

Garmin watch, SpiBelt with Amphipod iPhone pouch (there was a pack of sport beans in the SpiBelt too), iPod Shuffle, keychain bracelet and handheld Amphipod water bottle. (white cap and sunglasses too!)

It’s been a while since I wore my SpiBelt and I have to say it was REALLY annoying me. The water bottle irked me too (yet that backpack yesterday didn’t bother me at all. Perhaps my mood needed some adjustment today). But I shuffled along and managed to complete 10.25 miles. I have to admit there was no runner’s high today. I enjoyed the weather and maybe 2 or 3 miles but then I just put myself on autopilot to “getterdone”. It’s ok. I never regret a run. Sometimes it’s just not all unicorns and rainbows.

Speaking of unicorns and rainbows….(well not really but it makes for a nice segue) here are a couple more pics from yesterday courtesy of Roger:

1549308_10203278114777815_1527404229_n

Roger’s wife and 2 running peeps Gary and Cindy (who just didn’t run yesterday) joined us for breakfast. The more the merrier.

1619159_10203278087297128_1477153184_n

Roger photobombed his own pic.

I want to give a shout out to my friend and loyal reader Valerie who ran a half marathon in the POURING RAIN today. She was soaked before the race even began. And she still pulled off a sub 2 hour finish time. Go Valerie!

Alrighty. I’m off to relax now and try not to get the Sunday Dreads šŸ™ Why can’t weekends be longer?

Question? What’s your favorite day of the week? Mine is Thursday. I am off on Thursdays. It always feels like a bonus. Anyone else watching the Puppy Bowl?

What a lovely balmy morning it was yesterday! It was above freezing when I left the house at 7:15am and only got warmer….I think we hit low 40s by 10am! It felt great! Oh, and the running felt great too!

IMG_2602

took this backpack with warm dry clothes to change into post running. I wore it while running and it didn’t even bother me. #miracle. Duncan wanted me to put him in that backpack so bad. Sorry buddy…next time…

With all the Superbowl shenanigans going on in the city I opted to do a multi-transport approach…drove my car to the bus, took the bus into the city and met my peeps downtown right by the Freedom Tower.

1622134_10152198505387456_1437430803_n

Hi Roger. Welcome to NYC! photo: E. Negron Perez

IMG_2607

Roger (at left) came in from Boston just to run with us because he won a video contest and scored tickets to the Superbowl! Elizabeth joined and while she lives in the city we haven’t run together in a while. Nice to catch up with her too. And then two of my favorites. The Brooklyn duo: Lisa and Mike.

IMG_2606

And that’s Elvia on her phone to the right. Probably posting a FB status or a pic. =)

IMG_2605

still hard for me to accept that the Twin Towers are gone (along with so many innocent lives). This new Freedom Tower just makes me think of the biggest headstone ever. I can’t help but take a deep breath an a moment of silence each and every time I pass it.

In usual Sally fashion I realized I forgot something. It was my Garmin this time! Not really a big deal since we had a plotted map of the course we were running. The rest of the group had already run close to 6 miles before I joined them so while they ended up with 11.5 miles I was just shy of 6.

We headed north along the West Side up to 59th Street and then over to Columbus Circle where we had a yummy breakfast thanks to Whole Foods.

IMG_2608

we ran past the Intrepid…

IMG_2609

and saw lots of the Hudson “Friver” (frozen river)

IMG_2615

The 555-ers reunited.

It was great to have Roger in town for the run so that the 5 of us who ran the Center of the Nation Series (5 marathons/half marathons in 5 days in 5 states) could be reunited. If you are new to my blog you can read my recaps of all 5 marathons/half marathons here:

Center of the Nation Series Marathon/Half MarathonĀ Day 1 North Dakota

Center of the Nation Series Marathon/Half MarathonĀ Day 1 South Dakota

Center of the Nation Series Marathon/Half MarathonĀ Day 1 Wyoming

Center of the Nation Series Marathon/Half MarathonĀ Day 1 Montana

Center of the Nation Series Marathon/Half MarathonĀ Day 1 Nebraska

After parting ways, I took the subway downtown, caught my bus back to my car and drove home. The entire excursion was about 4 1/2 hours. Worth it!

IMG_2616

journey home begins in the subway station

IMG_2618

subway reflection selfie

IMG_2620

great morning! well worth the trip!

IMG_2624

do i stink or something?

Today I’m scheduled for 12 miles. I’m on the fence. I think I’ll head out late afternoon and just play it by ear. It’s a long slow distance run so maybe I’ll get in my zone. But I’m giving myself the option to bail early if I’m not feeling it.

I can’t believe how fast my calendar is filling up with races. I better go update my races page…

Happy Superbowl Sunday! Happy Groundhog’s Day.Ā