It’s been almost 10 days since I wrote my post about being mostly uninspired and ironically that inspired me to write a post about 10 awesome things that have happened since that post. (I re-read this sentence 10 times and swear it doesn’t sound like it’s grammatically correct but I think my point came across)
Number 1: I picked fresh veggies from my parents’ garden
Number 2: I’ve been swimming, biking, hiking and practicing yoga on the regular.
Seen on my hike this week
Today’s ride
20 laps a la doggie paddle and apparently KT Tape isn’t waterproof when cholorine is involved
Last Sunday’s ride
Number 3: I got 2 new projects that will secure my income goals for the next couple of months
werk-werk-werk
Number 4: I’ve been able to add “walk briskly” back to my life. This is awesome because it’s the next step in my running comeback.
A post shared by Sally Stilwell (@sweatoutthesmallstuff) on
Number 5: To go along with my happier feet I re-discovered this 40th birthday “gag” gift in my closet that is now my latest favorite thing. Why didn’t I take this thing seriously before? LOVE!
It’s a shiatsu foot massager with heat!
Number 6: I saw the eclipse sort of. I took a pic with my phone but at first saw nothing. Then I saw this adorable crescent shaped reflection/lens flare thingy on the photo
Number 7: I had the best chocolate chip ice cream of my life and of all places right here on Staten Island. Egger’s has been around since 1932.
Reese’s Pieces instead of sprinkles for the win
Number 8: I had my first beer of 2017…I know that sounds crazy but i have been drinking wine, hard ciders and frozen daiquiris and margaritas and only had my first beer of the year a week ago. It was at a local brewery here on staten island. I was at a fundraiser for some runners who are running the NYC Marathon this year. They’re fundraising for the Greenbelt Conservancy which is the non-profit that organizes the hikes i go on. They’re also my client! I designed their annual report and some invitations and posters too.
Number 9: Duncan’s eye is all healed and he’s off all the meds and with his fresh haircut is looking as cute as ever.
dreaming that I’ll finish working soon so we can go for a w-a-l-k!!!!
The best thing I learned in my college photography class was to shoot from different angles
Fozzie Bear!
Number 10: Facebook memories reminded me this week of the time Mr. SOTSS and I saw a shooting star when we were in Jamaica for his cousin’s wedding! It was a magical evening and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to share that experience with.
So there ya have it. From mostly uninspired to 10 awesome things!!!!
Tell me something awesome that happened to you this week.
Happy Thursday! I was asked to contribute a few tips for running motivation from the folks over at fittous.
You can read my tips and tips from 42 other bloggers over here. There are definitely some common themes! Hope you find it helpful. 🙂
In other news my latest yoga progress—after almost 3 months—I can now hold a wheel pose.
Duncan waiting for the mat so he can practice his downward dog
I’ve also become the master of matching my yoga mat and being more flexible…..in life
And in doggie paddle news i’m up to 24 laps!
34 minutes in the pool = soggy toes.
That’s 600 yards of low impact cardio for my entire body! And last night I went on a 4+ mile hike with very little issue from my toe. I’m slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (the second time around!) and hope that I’ll be back to running in the fall.
Honestly….How can this view not affect your mindset
Normally I don’t like to take Duncan on the hikes in the summer but the weather was much cooler and I knew he’d be able to do it
🙂
Ella who’s only 6 months old joined our hike too! She’s so adorable
I’m just going to enjoy challenging myself to adding doggie paddle laps and trying to conquer yoga poses that seem so hard for me. Half moon: you’re next!
I’ve been enjoying picking fresh veggies in my dad’s garden. He’s got string beans growing up the corn stalks.
corn getting close to being ready for harvest
string beans!
And here are a couple of additional Duncan photos just because:
This photo popped up on my Facebook memories page. Baby Duncan! 8 years ago. He was only about 7 months old.
I’ve been home from Block Island now for over a week and trying to stay active without running as the toe slowly heals. I’ve been doing a little of this and a little of that. I made it to yoga 3 times in the last week and am loving it still. I’m working hard to hold that crow for a full 3 breaths. And I really think we all need to spend a few minutes every day inverted. (no pictures 🙁 I tend to shut my phone before I enter the studio.)
I live in a development with a community pool that I hardly ever use. I bought my home 17 years ago this month (I really can’t believe it’s been that long) and for the first 14 years I think I literally went once and only dipped my feet in. Then, in 2014 when my friend Jane talked me into doing that triathalon, I went twice to see if I could swim.
swim skirts are the bomb.
Well, this past week I have already gone twice and am discovering that it doesn’t matter that I’m not really a swimmer, I can stay afloat doing a doggie paddle/breast stroke hybrid and got 10 laps covered my first swim and 16 laps covered yesterday.
I have a silly shorts tan 🙂
I definitely love to set goals and while I don’t love being out of my comfort zone, it feels great to get my heart rate up. If only the pool were deeper I’d try pool running. But it’s only 4ft 3in deep.
Dear toe: take your time healing. It’s ok.
I’m now 3 sessions into physical therapy and optimistic that this will help me heal faster.
I took my bike out once this week and it wasn’t until 10 minutes in that I realized I never reconnected the front brake after coming back from Block Island (the way the bike went into the bike rack meant removal of front wheel and that required the disconnection of the brake). OOpsie! Good thing I really use the back brake more than the front.
I also managed one “power walk” this week. My toe felt really good on Sunday so I walked briskly for 3 miles.
Rocking the “shorts creep”
And I went on a hike with my hiking group this past Wednesday.
we heard lots of frogs in this bog
Getting ready to hike
I keep fantasizing kayaking. I miss it. I wish I lived on a lake.
So a little yoga, a little swimming, a little walking, a little biking and a little hiking have helped me to Sweat Out the Small Stuff through the week.
Oh and I drove out to Pennsylvania to visit my dear friend Stef. We’ve known each other for 30+ years now! She has a labradoodle too—Bella. It was a great day of catching up.
And Duncan got a haircut!
I never grow weary of his before and after side-by-side photos
I’m gearing to be back to running in the fall but for now I’ll keep doing a little of this and a little of that 🙂
Holy bejeezus! I can’t even believe that Sunday really happened.
I completed the Jersey Girl Triathalon and managed to live to tell. Here’s how the day went.
3:40am Alarm clock goes off
I popped up and got myself together. I had packed all my gear the night before. I even put the bike in the car the night prior as well. My gear was all put into a backpack with 2 separate clear bags. 1 containing what I needed for my bike and 1 with my running gear plus a towel in each bag as well. Unfortunately I was too nervous to eat so I just put a few teaspoons of sugar in my coffee figuring at least I’d get some calories.
5:45am Arrive at race destination I sat in the car waiting for Jane watching the pouring rain and wondering what the heck I was getting myself into.
bikes on a bike rack before dawn in the pouring rain…yup, they must be headed to the triathalon too
5:55am Jane and her posse arrive
We start to unpack the cars and make our way to set up our transition area. I had planned on wearing flip flops to the transition area but I must have been half asleep and packed 2 right feet! (I have 2 of the same pair). Luckily this was the worst thing that happened all day. =)
two right feet
6:00am-6:40am pre-race stuff We first made a pit-stop to the ladies room and then took the time to set up our bikes and gear in the transition area and then went to get marked. I just assumed that they used wax crayons or something but they used sharpie markers! I still have some residual marker left on my skin 2 days later! Then it was time to grab a bunch of pictures since we all looked so sexy in our swim getup.
I feel like a prisoner…but it’s nice to be 29 for the day instead of 40 =)
6:40am-6:53am Heats line up We were the second heat and lined up waiting to go into the ocean. Not gonna lie, I was shitting a brick.
don’t let the smile fool ya.. I was freaking out!
The water was choppy I’m guessing due to the rainy weather we were having. The swim angels were all waiting to to buddy up with whoever needed assistance. As soon as they gave us the go I buddied up with Paul, my “angel”. He said to wait for the bulk of the girls to get in the water so we would have some clear space and then said we should wait for 3 big waves to come in before starting to swim past the break. I was so disoriented. The swim cap was squishing my head and the goggles had already become foggy and covered with rain drops and I think I just misjudged the waves and started into the water as a wave came crashing in. I panicked and of course opened my mouth and gasped in fear as I swallowed the wave (and this is not like eating hills for breakfast). After it passed over me I started hyperventilating (yep, keeping it real.) I almost made an about face until I heard Paul talking to me. He just kept easing my mind and instructing me on my breathing and told me to just point my arms toward the buoy. I told him I could only do the doggie paddle. Poor guy, probably had no idea what he was in for. I actually found myself enjoying the water somewhere around the 1/2 way point. Things were under control and I could see the second buoy was so close. Once I reached it I just had to make a turn and head toward the shore. Here’s where I really found myself chipping away at my fears. I now knew that the waves were out of my sight and I was freaking out that one would just come and knock me down. But I realized that you actually get a little warning as the water level drops a smidge just beforehand (oceanographist I am not. and no oceanographist isn’t a word but you get what I’m saying). Paul told me when I felt that to just let the wave push me forward. Before I knew it I could stand….almost done….but of course in the very last minute when I stood up and tried to walk gracefully out of the ocean a wave came and knocked me down to my knees. I laughed at this point. I was SOOOO freaking pumped that I made it through the scariest part of this triathalon and the rest would get easier. A volunteer grabbed my hand and helped me out of the water and I slowly trotted through the sand and up onto the boardwak where they hosed off my feet and I grabbed a cup of water. This was mostly to clear the salt water out of my throat. I wasn’t really thirst yet. =) The swim took me just over 10 minutes.
7:04am-7:08am T1 I spent 4 minutes here swapping swim cap for bike helmet, goggles for sunglasses, drying off my feet and shoving on socks and sneakers. I don’t have a road bike with clipped in style pedal/shoes so I just put my running sneakers on. One less thing to do in the next transition. I grabbed a couple of energy chews and a swig of water from my water bottle and then walked the bike out of the tranisiton and to the bike mount/start. The ins and outs of the transition was fairly foolproof and alleviated my fears of potentially being disqualified for missing a mat or mounting bike too soon etc.
7:08-8:09am Bike
The bike was fairly relaxing for me. It was along the same route as the NJ Marathon and I knew the ins and outs. Most of it was an out-and-back along Ocean Ave (parallel to the ocean). The roads were slick and it was still lightly raining but I tried to keep my mind off of that and just sang songs out loud (Sara Bareilles’ Brave and One Republic’s I Lived to be exact) as I heard the constant “on your left” coming from behind me. I averaged just under 11mph which was about 2 mph slower than I expected I’d ride. But honestly I’m still happy with my bike time. I wasn’t in competitive mode at all. I was euphoric about my swim completion and just processing the whole experience over and over.
Just cruisin’. Smiling and I didn’t even know I was being photographed so that’s a genuine smile
8:09-8:12am T2 This transition was much faster and easier for me (less than 3 minutes). I swapped the bike helmet for a baseball cap and pulled on a running skirt. Ate 2 more energy chews and grabbed another swig of water from my water bottle.
Photo courtesy of my surprise spectator Greg
8:12-8:42am Run Now the 3 mile home stretch was upon me. Just 1 1/2 miles out and then back. I was SO pumped for this. Just as I crossed the mat to officially start the run, I heard someone call out my name. I looked up and saw it was a surprise spectator…my friend Greg. I was so happy to see his friendly face. I felt like my legs were heavy but I finally had the chance to pass people. I was in my element and ironically the finish line for this is exactly the same as the NJ Marathon. And I FELT exactly like I was at mile 25 of the marathon. Exhausted, spent but exhilarated and so friggen happy!
closing in on the finish!
annnnd DONE!
Happy Runner Girl (who swam and biked first)
I was the last of Jane’s posse to finish and they were all enjoying massages and snacks at the post race festivities. Once everyone was refueled and relaxed we took some obligatory bling pics. Jane finished 3rd in her age group with a time of 1:11 (the overall winner finished in 1:02). And Jane’s mom finished in 1:27! Not too shabby for a 54 year old woman. She even had to stop to get one of her pedals repaired. I finished in 1:47 which is 13 minutes faster than I predicted. I know i can shave 15 minutes off my time easily if I just learn how to swim properly and get a little more confident on the bike (and maybe upgrade to a real road bike). But who knows what lies in my future as far as sprint TRIs go.
The entire event was just awesome. There were so many first time triathletes and so many supportive volunteers. It was the most inspiring and uplifting event I’ve done in a while. Girl power!!! I’d highly recommend this event for anyone who is curious about triathalons.
Do you know how to swim? Did you learn as a kid or an adult? Ever done a TRI? How about bikes? Do you own a road bike?
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