Ah man! With National Running Day, then National Donut Day, now I want to celebrate more!!! Let’s just celebrate that I made it in to work today 😉

It’s Monday and it’s raining and I got to bed really late (we’re talking 3am!) after going out with friends to a concert last night.

Sevendust @ the Starland Ballroom Photo @ C. Cerzosie

Sevendust @ the Starland Ballroom — Photo @ C. Cerzosie

But I had my coffee so I’ll live 🙂

TLC-mug

Ironically it’s the travel mug I got when I “graduated” from physical therapy last time I had ankle tendonitis. I need to go back! Hoping foot doc says I can when I see her on Wednesday. I remember this stage all too well. The foot is like 80 percent better but it needs some deep massage, ultrasound treatment and strengthening now more than ever. And I hope they still give these mugs as graduation gifts because it’s the only one that never leaks on me. I’d love to get a second. 

Duncan wasn’t thrilled with this rainy Monday either.

lazydoodle

Yesterday I got in another 8.5 miles on the bike. Apparently i was on a peaceful bike route 🙂

Bike path for peace!

Bike path for peace!

While I was riding I passed this parked car:

eyelashes on the headlights. LOL!

eyelashes on the headlights. LOL!

Yes, those are eyelashes on the headlights of this car. Hysterical!

It was a real summer day yesterday with temps in the 80s so after my bike ride I decided to wash the car. It was so dirty I was embarrassed to take it to a car wash.

carwash

Duncan was just chillin’ in the shade enjoying the mist from the hose as it floated his way.

carwash-rainbow

Ah! Life IS good!

Not to mention since I didn’t get all the dead bees off from that crazy experience a couple of weeks ago I had to pull out the big guns to remove them buggers from the headlights and grill.

bugandtarWell today makes 30 days without running. I go back to the foot doc on Wednesday. I’m hoping she lets me ease back into running. I’m in the bargaining stage. Just let me run 1X per week for the next 2 weeks so I can complete the two 10Ks I’ve registered for! =)

Did you have coffee yet today? Are you a coffee drinker?

Anyone else only get 4 hours of sleep last night?

Any National Holiday that we can celebrate today? 

 

 

photo 1photo 4photo 3

photo 2

i really wanted to try kayaking but by the time i finished riding the bike i missed it! Hopefully they’ll have it again this summer.

photo 5Duncan loves the paper towel roll cardboard tube.

Other than biking, I went to the grocery store, ate a few meals, took duncan for a walk at the park and now i’m watching St. Elmo’s Fire. =)

 

See ya later…

 

Happy Friday! And happy National Donut Day!! Not gonna lie this might even be better than National Running Day. It’s also Flashback Friday which made me think back to May of 2011, when my running peeps and I did Ragnar (Relay) New England from Connecticut to Boston mainly because of this pic.

Hello Massachussets

Hello Massachussets

I needed a donut after literally running across the state border from Connecticut to Massachussets. And you know there are only a few million Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts right?!

about to step into Massachussets

about to step into Massachussets

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Last night my running friend Elvia came to sleep over. She had a two-day seminar that’s right near my house so after the first day was complete she arrived at my house and her first order of business was to take a selfie with Duncan.

cheese!

Cheese! Thanks Elvia for the photo.

Then we went to the park and she ran 5 miles while I biked along side. I did an extra mile as I would go ahead and then back track here and there. I didn’t get much of a cardio workout in but I kept it in high gear and toughed it up the hills for a nice burn on those thighs. After, we hit up Panera Bread for some dinner and then after chit chatting a bit hit the sack. We got up at 5:15 this morning and went back to the same park. But I swapped the bike for Duncan so Duncan and I walked and ELVIA ran another 3.

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Duncan would get so excited to see Elvia every time she lapped us.

It’s always so much easier to get up early when you have a partner in crime. It was nice to have some mid-week fun with Elvia and she was grateful to have a place to crash so she wouldn’t have to sit in so much traffic traveling to and from her seminar.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you….yesterday I coaxed a pal into going to IHOP with me as I wanted to try their blueberry cannoli pancakes.

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They weren’t that good 🙁 The “cannoli cream” was just a dollop of ricotta cheese on top. Eh. I’ve had better. Next time I’ll try the Jelly Donut ones…

I’m excited for another super-chill weekend with a superb forecast for the next 2 days too. Although I can’t believe how this 40 year old is getting so many aches and pains lately. I’m assuming that biking is just awakening muscles that have been dormant for awhile. First it was the front of my quad up toward the groin, then today i started to feel a pinched nerve in the back of my neck/shoulder blade area. Right at this very moment I’m sort of stuck only able to look straight ahead. I think I lean forward too much on the handlebars of the bike….and I know I’m still tense so that’s probably where that came from. I’ve been trying to steer clear of any and all pain maskers (like advil or tylenol) just to be in tune with how the tendonitis is doing (which I have to say is really WAY better!!!!) but I’ll try and have a glass or two 3 of wine tonight and maybe use a heating pad or something. If I remain so creeky we’re going to have to change this blog to Decrepit Runner or Dilapidated Runner or maybe Ache Out the small stuff.

So what’s going on this weekend?

Anyone doing anything fun?

Who’s stressed?

Who’s got weird aches and pains? Tell me…

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!