I’m so sorry to have disappeared from blogging for the last 10 days. I was under the gun to get work done before going away on vacation and then was away with limited wifi for 5 days. If you ever want to see what I’m up to I’m ALWAYS posting on Instagram. For some reason that’s just the easiest social media channel for me. Pictures come easier than words for me. 🙂
I just got home from Block Island (an island off the coast of Rhode Island here on the East Coast) and have to unpack and dive back into some major work projects so this will just be a short post.
I took my bike on vacation and enjoyed cruisin’ around the island with iced coffee in tow. Didn’t keep track of mileage or speed. Just inhaled and exhaled 🙂
I haven’t even shared the news that I started physical therapy for my toe! After having the set back a month ago I kept thinking i’d bounce back quicker this time around but it became apparent that my body really needed a push. Due to insurance/referral/authorization stuff I’ve only had one appointment so far but hopefully I’ll start going twice a week starting next week. The PT said the pain is coming from my bone and not my ligament. He feels confident we can mitigate the pain and also work on exercises to get my balance back and my normal gait back so my compensation aches will go away. I trust him because he helped me with my ankle tendonitis twice!
Block Island was stunning! I was there 2 summers ago for Mr. SOTSS’ dad’s wedding and this time around was to celebrate his dad’s 70th birthday. Living in the Northeast I’m lucky to be able to spend time at so many beach towns but this island is special. It’s so beautiful. It didn’t hurt that the house we were staying in had access to this large pond and we were able to go kayaking right from the dock in the backyard. It also gave me the perfect vantage point for sunrise. And there were hydrangeas at every turn…
I’ll be back soon to tell you more about physical therapy and Block Island.
In the meantime can you fill me in on what’s been going on with you?
Something about yoga and paying attention to song lyrics. I guess this is my new thing. Yesterday it was a Coldplay song….the lyrics that shouted at me were “Nobody Said it Was Easy”.
Speaking of yoga, I saw this gorgeous rainbow after a class earlier in the week
It felt like some sort of validation or affirmation for me. Like I was being told it’s ok to struggle…nobody said it was easy….then I thought about all the things that “it” represents for me:
Work
Physical Healing
Emotional Healing
Life
I struggle daily to feel whole without running. I constantly want to put a disclaimer to every day that states “well today was hard because I can’t run”. When actually I should just accept today was hard because it was hard.
I’m working hard at building my freelance business. I’ve recently been certified as a New York City M/WBE (Minority/women owned business) and attended a networking/procurement event this past Wednesday in the city where I had the opportunity to talk to 70 NYC agencies who could potentially contract me to do work for them.
First let me say that it felt lovely to be reunited with my favorite commuting option….the Staten Island Ferry.
This required me to dig deep to give my “elevator pitch” to these agencies. I came home drained and while I wanted to feel optimistic about the potential opportunities, I felt overwhelmed from it all.
I felt so official with my badge
Got some swag for attending which was nice. I have already used the ear buds.
I totally managed to recharge over the weekend though and that’s left me ready to tackle today.
Friday I drove out to visit a friend who I haven’t seen in a while. Her daughter is almost 6 and as adorable as ever. She heard me talking about my worry about finances and hoping I can get my business to make more money by finding some additional clients and gave me $5,000 in Post-It note currency…We played with Legos and even baked a cake in her LaLa Loopsy oven (like the Easy Bake oven).
Apron fashion and micro fashion 🙂
Let’s just say the cake wasn’t such a success but we laughed and enjoyed the silliness of half uncooked-stuck to the pan cake crumbles sprinkled on top of some very weird tasting “frosting”. Sometimes it’s about the process and not the end result right? 🙂 More »
So the setback specifically is in regard to my toe (shocker!). I thought I was being smart with my return to running but apparently there was a delayed response in tendon overload. I ran fine at the Spring Lake 5 miler on May 27th. I didn’t run again until almost an entire week later for just 3.5 easy miles. Again, no issues. Two days later I ran another 5 miles and I think that was probably where the overload came in because the next day I felt a smidge more achy than usual and literally each day this past week it got progressively worse until I found myself limping by the end of the week. So sneaky that toe! Needless to say I’m back on running hiatus. But I learned something here and I’ll use this setback as a reminder that even if I feel good one day after a run or even two I need to wait it out a little longer.
The progress
While the toe has had a setback, I’m happy to report that I’ve been making progress in a few areas.
1. Yoga Poses: I am getting better at crow! And, last night I realized that about 15 minutes into class I could touch my fingers to the floor during forward fold which I don’t think I’ve been able to do before (hello tight hamstrings!). I had a really awful time this weekend when my toe hurt so bad I was struggling to walk and I was at the Jersey Shore with Mr. SOTSS and his daughter. I didn’t want his daughter to see me cry but I was in such pain. I really just wanted to curl up with Mr. SOTSS and cry my eyes out and have him comfort me but obviously it wasn’t appropriate at the time. And I didn’t want to ruin a fun night since she doesn’t get to see her dad that much.
A fake smile as I limped along the beach with Mr. SOTSS and his daughter and a full moon.
So the progress in yoga was a well-needed lift to my spirits. It’s empowering to try new things, stick with them and then see small improvements and progress. (I wish I could say the same for biking but we all know I never found my groove there). And now this brings me to #2 but first watch my shaky crow:
A post shared by Sally Stilwell (@sweatoutthesmallstuff) on
Enjoying the last of the sunset from the window of the yoga studio
2. Mental Strength: Ok so this one was a huge aha moment for me last night at yoga. I’m gonna get a little deep here so bare with me. We were laying in Shavasana at the end of yoga class tonight and listening to the song “Awake My Soul” by Mumford and Sons. I felt so calm, so happy, so clear. This really sounds silly but I truly felt like I found a new way to soothe myself. A small choice to give yoga a shot in the midst of my toe injury depression has turned into 6 weeks of attending 2x a week and leaving class each and every time feeling not just good but great! My toe feels much better in the few hours after class, my core is getting attention after being ignored for so long. But most importantly my heart and my mind are getting a workout during practice that have their own “afterburn” effect.
Yay me!
I know you’re thinking “Um what’s the big deal? People do this every day.” Before my husband died (like a few weeks before he died….probably in March of 1999) I remember crying to my close friend when I thought about the inevitable funeral. Who would comfort me that day, because frankly the only person I wanted to comfort me would be him, but if he were laying in a casket that wouldn’t be an option now would it?! (side note: I read the book Option B, by Sheryl Sandberg recently and loved it because I could totally relate to so many things she said). Well, I survived not only the funeral but 15 years of widowhood (dating on and off but pretty much on my own) before meeting Mr. SOTSS. I learned how to comfort myself and pick myself up after every setback. I didn’t have a choice. It became something I was so proud of. And of course meeting friends like Lisa and beginning my journey into the running world only helped my mental game. A coworker once nicknamed me “the rock” because he was so impressed with how I kept moving forward. But something happened when I met Mr. SOTSS. Not right away because I still had my protective shell….but over the years I’ve started to rely on him more and more to help me with my moments of depression or anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to have a significant other who loves me and wants to comfort me in times of sadness but the more I rely on him and not myself the more I’m losing what I worked so hard to gain. Not to mention it really puts too much pressure on him because emotional support is not necessarily his strong suit…..he’s a dude and dudes are from Mars not Venus right? 🙂 (Hi honey! Love you! ;)) Life is best lived in balance and I think 2017 is the year I’m learning this just a bit more. I’m learning to diversify! LOL! …adding yoga and hiking to my exercise passions. Adding a standing desk so I can balance the time I spend sitting while working. And now I can focus more on getting my own self through the tough times again like I used to.
However I don’t think I’ll ever be able to balance the amount of Duncan pictures I take. He’ll always be my muse and my biggest addiction 🙂
Question 1: When you are overwhelmed, depressed or anxious do you tend to reach out to others to help you keep moving forward or do you like to find your own path?
Question 2: Have you been dealing with a recent setback or discovering progress in something in your life?
Hi there. This week I’ve been celebrating so many things!
From Tongue Out Tuesday…
the progression of Tongue Out Tuesday
to Throwback Thursday…
Fall 2015….Chicago! A wonderful trip to celebrate my birthday.
and we can’t forget yesterday was Global Running Day!
I ran a few miles but to be honest my toe has been a smidge more achy since returning home from St. Louis (where I did a lot of walking) and I’m keeping the mileage low and probably thinking it’s best to keep to only one run a week for another week or two. I’ve come way too far to have a setback! (this weekend will be 12 weeks since the injury first happened).
Oh, and apparently today  is National Best Friends Day. I have lots of human friends but I think Duncan is truly my BEST friend.Â
This is how excited Duncan is to see me EVERY SINGLE TIME I return…
It also gave me the perfect vantage point for sunrise. 
And there were hydrangeas at every turn…
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