Happy Monday!

Anniversaries:

November 6th marked 4 years to the day that I ran my first full marathon. I can’t ever forget the date mainly because it’s printed on the sleeve of the finisher’s jacket I bought at the expo =)

I still remember everything about that day. The good, the bad and the ugly =)

I still remember everything about that day. The good, the bad and the ugly =)

And November 7th marked 17 years to the day that I was married.

The words are part of the "Indian Prayer" that was given by the officiant.

The words are part of the “Indian Prayer” that was given by the officiant. Ironically his days on this earth were not long. But he’s always with me.

While we didn’t make it to anniversay #1 thanks to cancer taking him just 5 months after we got married I still treasure the date and have it etched in my heart forever. I am who I am today because of him and because of my experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

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Weekend Fun:

So this weekend was my weekend with Mr. SOTSS. I had tons of work to do so I stayed home Friday night and all day Saturday to get it done and he enjoyed the time to clean out his gutters and work on his bathroom renovation. I did get Duncan to the park for a bit and then he went to the groomer. 

foliage

My glorious local favorite park

park-pic-doodle

just before going to the groomer. I love his shag and would keep it long if it were easier to maintain.

I headed over to Mr. SOTSS’ house for dinner Saturday night and then we went to see the movie Burnt with Bradley Cooper. Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your money or your time. It wasn’t good 🙁 but the Reese’s Pieces, reclining seats and company were all perfect. 

Date night!

Date night!

Yesterday morning we met the dog hiking group for a nice 2 hour hike in a beautiful park in nj. After the organized hike ended we walked around for another 40 minutes to take in more of the beautiful leaves and fresh air. It was just about 50 degrees and sunny. 

hot-flashes

I was struggling on some rock scrambles and worked up a good sweat trying not to fall. Leaves can disguise a lot.

gandc

My guy and his boy

happy-doodle-hike

Seriously! The cutest doodle in the world…..that’s his pal Chester behind him

horsing-around

Just horsing around =)

Duncan and Boone

Duncan and Boone

#whennaturecalls

#whennaturecalls

I have been a little overwhelmed lately with all of my work commitments and getting away from my laptop and spending some quality time with my guy and the pups was just what I needed. We hit up the local apple farms cider mill for a fresh baked cider donut and then met some of the hiking group for lunch.

cider-donuts

they were so fresh that they were still warm!

After some more work on my end and house cleaning/football game watching for mr S we went grocery shopping together and then cooked meals for ourselves for the week.

This is how I work. And this is how the dogs relax after a good hike.

This is how I work. And this is how the dogs relax after a good hike.

And then it was late and I had to go home and I pouted and sulked knowing I had a busy week of work ahead of me and that I wouldn’t see him again until Sunday. It’s hard to leave the one you love even for just a few days. I guess if we lived together I might be saying the opposite though. Lol.

Thank god for the hike because I have been fairly lazy since the marathon a week ago. I need to get through some more busy weeks at work but will slowly figure out a new exercise regimen by thanksgiving. I’m not happy about being a sloth buy it is what it is and I need to just be gentle with myself until I feel more adjusted to all these work commitments.

Runkeeper reminding me i've done nothing since the marathon

Runkeeper reminding me i’ve done nothing since the marathon

Well at least I know I’ll be slowly running two 5ks right after thanksgiving. Both are charity fundraisers. And definitely more hikes. This guy says more hikes. 

more hikes!

more hikes!

Have a great week! 

What’s new with you?

Who is already planning for Thanksgiving? Christmas? 2016?

This will most definitely be long but hopefully I can make it compelling so you don’t zonk out before you finish reading. And you should know I’ve cued up my DVR to watch the elite race as I type this. 🙂 It’s such a different race for them as it is for the turtles like me! I’m going to put my race tips in bold woven throughout this so if you’re just here for that you can find the pertinent info easily. #yourwelcome But if you like to hear my dramatic diary of tales from the day read the unbold stuff too 🙂

VZ Bridge

Keri, Jane, Claire, Anne and me. My first time meeting Claire and Anne but I know it won’t be my last. Hope to see all these gals again for any of my Jersey and Philly races in 2016.

So first, I have to say that my morning started off a little different than my 2011, and 2013 NYC Marathons. I wasn’t driving to the start alone! My friend Jane and her Princeton, New Jersey crew came to my house to hang for a bit and then I drove us all to the start. The best thing about living ON Staten Island is having the luxury of literally driving just a few blocks from the start village and knowing about the “secret” start village back entrance. It’s not that secret in that it appears on the map but most people arrive via the ferry/shuttle buses which use the other entrance.

our secret entrance in the back.

our secret entrance in the back.

So we leisurely strolled through the security checkpoint and took some silly photos before I dropped my bag at gear check and then we went to hang out.

Strong women. Meanwhile in hindsight probably wasn't so smart that Anne screamed "Everyone: put up your guns!" right by the security checkpoint. LOL!

Strong women. Meanwhile in hindsight probably wasn’t so smart that Anne screamed “Everyone: put up your guns!” right by the security checkpoint. LOL!

More »

Hey there. Happy Monday. I wanted to just let you all know I finished the 2015 NYC Marathon and I’ll have a full recap up later this week. This one was challenging. But hey, marathons shouldn’t be easy right? So many fun things to tell you about too. I can’t wait to tell you more than you could possibly ever want or need to know about my experience. =)

the struggle was real

the struggle was real

I met Goal C which was to finish before my slowest marathon time of 5:28 and I did it barely by coming in at 5:23:55. And honestly that’s only because Lisa found me and we ran the last 3 miles together. Otherwise I’m fairly certain I would have walked those entire 3 miles.

Happy finishers

Happy finishers

But a finish is a finish and I’m taking my medal to bed with me every night this week. #kiddingnotkidding

I earned this one for not giving up when clearly my mind and my body were not on board with that notion

On my bedside table! I earned this one for not giving up when clearly my mind and my body were not on board with that notion

Thanks for all the well wishes. I’ll have that recap up later this week.

 

Hi,

Hope you’re enjoying the weekend and Happy Halloween!

Thursday, on my lunch break I went to REI to get the Garmin Forerunner 220 but ended up getting the 25 instead. It was $30 cheaper and had everything I needed so I opted to use the difference to purchase membership to REI. It is a one time cost of $20 and you get 10% off everything in the store and online forever. Seemed like a win-win. I used money that I got from my folks for my birthday.

still in birthday celebration mode

still in birthday celebration mode

Oh and while I was on my lunch break this bus passed me by…

Time to get my amazing on apparently

Time to get my amazing on apparently

Then after work I stopped at Dicks Sporting Goods in search of a light colored v-neck tech tee that I could put my name on for the marathon.

My view on my commute home Thursday night.

My view on my commute home Thursday night.

I know they say not to wear anything new on race day so I plan on wearing it over another shirt. I found this day glow yellow Nike shirt and it was on sale for $10! SCORE. Then I went to the craft store to buy some iron-on letters. They’re black with sparkles in them. I put my name on the front and some special tribute initials on the back.

Say my name!

Say my name!

Abbie Z: an angel running with me

Abbie Z: an angel running with me

The initials are of a beautiful young girl who’s life ended earlier this year as a result of a tragic accident. She was crossing the street with her friend when they were struck by a car. I went to high school with her dad and learned through Facebook about her passing. While I never met her I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m heartbroken for her family. I see photos of her with the biggest smile you could imagine. I can’t bring her physical life back and I can’t heal her family’s grief but I wanted to remember her in a special way. I always choose to make my marathon miles as meaningful as possible. Abbie Z: You’ll be my wings tomorrow. 

So many people to remember during this 26.2.

Aside from Abbie, I will be thinking of Meggan Janota who has been gone exactly 1 year (10/30/14). I met her during the Dicks Sporting Goods Every Runner Has a Reason photo shoot in South Carolina that I got to be a part of back in February of 2013. I also met Leah there too. And yesterday, I got to see her again at the NYC Marathon Expo!

me and leah and a cool and inspiring backdrop

me and leah and a cool and inspiring backdrop

Her guy is running on Sunday and she’s here to support him. She’s in the process of some major knee repair so if you can keep her in your thoughts and send her some well wishes I’m sure she’d be thrilled.

Then there’s my friend Susan’s mom, Elaine’s mom, Tara’s dad, Elvia’s mom, and a former coworker Louise.

There’s no better way to change my mindset in those later miles when I feel I’m hitting a wall than to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to run. It’s a privilege.

I didn’t really stay too long at the expo. Once I got my number and shirt and spent a few minutes talking with Leah and her guy I left and headed home.

The woman I asked to take this pic said i should pose like that. It's kinda weird but hey I listen to directions =)

The woman I asked to take this pic said i should pose like that. It’s kinda weird but hey I listen to directions =)

Today I took Duncan to the woods for a little walk and photo shoot. I was in the middle of snapping away when he saw a squirrel and started chasing it. There was a creek but so many leaves had fallen on the water that he must have not realized it was water and he fell in. Poor boy had to swim back out and was so embarrased. He’s not a fan of getting wet.

Before falling in the creek

Before falling in the creek

Ma!!!! I got wet.

and after….Ma!!!! I got wet.

DSC_6477

some of the gorgeous foliage in the woods today

After coming home and bathing the doodle I went for a short 2 miler just to test my new watch and phone pouch. All systems go!

Then it was off to Panera Bread to buy dinner for tonight and for tomorrow night when I finally get home from the marathon.

2 steak and cheese panini sandwiches, 1 chicken salad sandwich, some creamy tomato soup and lots of bread and chips. Plus my FREE birthday cookie! I'm all ready for the RUNger post race =)

2 steak and cheese panini sandwiches, 1 chicken salad sandwich, some creamy tomato soup and lots of bread and chips. Plus my FREE birthday cookie! I’m all ready for the RUNger post race =)

So I’ve laid out all my gear and now I’m just going to hydrate and watch the World Series until bed time. Let’s Go Mets!

the gear!

the gear!

See you on the other side of marathon #7!