Is this realistic?

[Waiting2goback]

I know how that feels, and the runs feel this way more often now that the summer heat has kicked in. I ran 3.2 this morning with the dogs at about the same pace as your run, though that was more because dog #2 is a reluctant runner. He's more of a trotter, who grudgingly indulges my desire to run.

Yes, started the job on Monday. There are two people in the front office that take care of the big boss, and I'm one of the two - the other guy is there to show me the ropes and make sure I don't foul anything up too badly for the next two weeks. Then he and the boss move on and a new big boss moves in and I get to teach him. Life in the military is transient and the learning curve is steep. And I'm tired. The dogs are NOT adjusting well to my new hours. I've been getting home around 7 - 7:30 and so they do their business then and aren't interested when I take them back out at 9:30. Then at midnight they need to go, so out we go. Argh. My saint of a dog walker has offered a second quick walk in the early evening before I get home, and she took them out today. Here's to hoping I don't have yet another midnight walk in my future. 4:30 comes early.

It sounds like your progress is inspiring more than your co-workers. I hope you guys can work something out that lets you get your training in. What do your kids do during the summers? It does sound like she's not planning to stick to it though.

I don't even mean the heat. I got out for my "easy" run this morning. I did 4.38 miles. It still hurt. It was so humid, I was dripping sweat very quickly. That doesn't bother me. The pain in the legs is what is killing me. It has been ever since my race. It makes no sense as I was not in any pain during or after the race. I have 6 miles of hills scheduled tomorrow and I am torn. Do I run through the discomfort and pain, I know it's not an injury. Or do I get out and do some miles on the bike? I'll most likely decide in the morning. It may even rain which would have me doing a P90X workout instead.

When I asked about the transition I was actually thinking the previous position. What happened to that position? I'm sure the new hours are tough. I work late like that too. It does stink sometimes, but you will adjust and you will be fine. You'll probably end up loving the job.

I don't think I am inspiring my wife at all. She is putting on weight and never had that problem in her life. Age and 4 kids is catching up to her. She never feels good. I think she is trying it out of a last resort kind of thing. There is no form of exercise she likes. She won't use a treadmill or other type of machine. She is hoping to find some classes she likes. And, the chances of her keeping this up once school starts and she has to be done exercising by 7am to be able to get to work are slim.

I'll get my training in. I told her I will get up at 4am if needed. Nothing will stop me from putting in the training and giving my best shot at qualifying. I am still far from that goal but I have to try. Plus, I want to try and get into Corral C for Disney so I need to crush my POT 1/2 in September. Right now I have nothing else going on in my life besides my kids, work, and running/Disney. I might as well put in the effort now.

I have the kids on Monday and Tuesday during the summer and she has lots of flexibility with her job so she can bring them to work with her on days she goes in and they can play on the playground.

 

[dizzyr]

I keep meaning to come on and post but it's been so hot here lately that I come home and veg in front of the fan. We have been having a heat wave for the last month and no rain so we have forest fires all over the province - as of today we have 70 over 10 hectares. It's always bad this time of year but this is the worst I can remember - the air is smoky and you can smell the fires and that's never happened before. On the weekend they compared Vancouver's air quality to China's!

I have been going to the pool every morning though and this week I walked there on Monday and today instead of having my husband drop me off on his way to work. I also walked to the sky train after instead of taking the bus - on Monday I hit my 10,000 steps by 9:00! Today I was only at 7,400 by then so I didn't hit the 10,000 till close to the end of the day as I sat most of the day in meetings ugh.

 

[dizzyr]

It looks like I spoke too soon earlier about my own job not changing. The first time the move didn't work because I am too senior than they were looking for. Monday afternoon I was told that I was going to interview with the 3 Star to be the new Senior Executive Assistant, and yesterday it turned out to be less of an interview than a job offer. I'll be learning a lot, but my hours have gone from great (7:30am - 5pm, usually, with workout time) to Ugh (6am - 6 or 7pm and possibly later if it's a bad day). But it comes with a parking spot so that will help a little. Will have to see how this affects my workouts and training. There are four people in the front office, so I should be able to work out during the day but that's not helpful for running this time of year.

The general response from people is "Congratulations?" I know I will be learning a lot and seeing a much broader range of issues than I saw as a single subject matter expert. Stuff my new boss does goes to the President on a regular basis and it will all pass through me. So,kinda cool. The bummer is that his first meetings start at 7am, and we have to be in before that to be ready. I'm actually being brought in to help transition a new guy, but both the current one and the new one are supposed to be great people. I've talked to the current guy to register my desire to have a life, and that went over better than I had expected. It will take some adjustment, but I think it will end up being a good thing.

Yes, started the job on Monday. There are two people in the front office that take care of the big boss, and I'm one of the two - the other guy is there to show me the ropes and make sure I don't foul anything up too badly for the next two weeks. Then he and the boss move on and a new big boss moves in and I get to teach him. Life in the military is transient and the learning curve is steep. And I'm tired. The dogs are NOT adjusting well to my new hours. I've been getting home around 7 - 7:30 and so they do their business then and aren't interested when I take them back out at 9:30. Then at midnight they need to go, so out we go. Argh. My saint of a dog walker has offered a second quick walk in the early evening before I get home, and she took them out today. Here's to hoping I don't have yet another midnight walk in my future. 4:30 comes early.

Congrats on the new job!! It sounds like an exciting opportunity for you. Hopefully it won't take the dogs too long to get used to your new schedule. I know what you mean about 4:30 - I get up at 5:30 and last night my friend and I went to see a movie that ended at 9 and we were shocked at how many people were going in the theatre - who goes out past 9 on a weeknight LOL!

 

[Chiomaca]

I don't even mean the heat. I got out for my "easy" run this morning. I did 4.38 miles. It still hurt. It was so humid, I was dripping sweat very quickly. That doesn't bother me. The pain in the legs is what is killing me. It has been ever since my race. It makes no sense as I was not in any pain during or after the race. I have 6 miles of hills scheduled tomorrow and I am torn. Do I run through the discomfort and pain, I know it's not an injury. Or do I get out and do some miles on the bike? I'll most likely decide in the morning. It may even rain which would have me doing a P90X workout instead.

I'd go out an do the hills on the bike. Give your legs a break from the impact but you'll get just as much cardio and leg strengthening as you would running.

When I asked about the transition I was actually thinking the previous position. What happened to that position? I'm sure the new hours are tough. I work late like that too. It does stink sometimes, but you will adjust and you will be fine. You'll probably end up loving the job.

No transition from the old job and no replacement. Also pretty standard in my world. They pulled me from the old one for my expertise in the area, and I got pulled up from there to the new job because I accidentally said something intelligent in a brief. I now work directly for an Army General who was my bosses, bosses, boss as his Executive Assistant. I'm his auxilliary brain, basically. I love the job and knew I would, which is part of why I didn't want it. I know that standing outside the office I can say things like "I want to keep having a life" but that once int he hot seat, I'd get sucked in because it so freaking interesting.

I'll get my training in. I told her I will get up at 4am if needed. Nothing will stop me from putting in the training and giving my best shot at qualifying. I am still far from that goal but I have to try. Plus, I want to try and get into Corral C for Disney so I need to crush my POT 1/2 in September. Right now I have nothing else going on in my life besides my kids, work, and running/Disney. I might as well put in the effort now.

I get up a 4 (4:30 if I'm not running) to be in to the office at 6. It stinks, and will stink even more when sunrise starts getting later in the morning, but at least I don't have to keep looking for gaps in the schedule to go work out.

Congrats on the new job!! It sounds like an exciting opportunity for you. Hopefully it won't take the dogs too long to get used to your new schedule. I know what you mean about 4:30 - I get up at 5:30 and last night my friend and I went to see a movie that ended at 9 and we were shocked at how many people were going in the theatre - who goes out past 9 on a weeknight LOL!

The dog walker at 5 worked and I got nearly a full night's sleep last night, which was lovely. Now I have to keep working on resetting my night owl body clock. Can't wait to sleep in all the way to 6 on Saturday!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I have been going to the pool every morning though and this week I walked there on Monday and today instead of having my husband drop me off on his way to work. I also walked to the sky train after instead of taking the bus - on Monday I hit my 10,000 steps by 9:00! Today I was only at 7,400 by then so I didn't hit the 10,000 till close to the end of the day as I sat most of the day in meetings ugh.

Stay safe while you're outside with that air quality.

Excellent job on keeping active and getting in those steps. Are you more motivated now because of the trip???

I'd go out an do the hills on the bike. Give your legs a break from the impact but you'll get just as much cardio and leg strengthening as you would running.

No transition from the old job and no replacement. Also pretty standard in my world. They pulled me from the old one for my expertise in the area, and I got pulled up from there to the new job because I accidentally said something intelligent in a brief. I now work directly for an Army General who was my bosses, bosses, boss as his Executive Assistant. I'm his auxilliary brain, basically. I love the job and knew I would, which is part of why I didn't want it. I know that standing outside the office I can say things like "I want to keep having a life" but that once int he hot seat, I'd get sucked in because it so freaking interesting.

I get up a 4 (4:30 if I'm not running) to be in to the office at 6. It stinks, and will stink even more when sunrise starts getting later in the morning, but at least I don't have to keep looking for gaps in the schedule to go work out.

The dog walker at 5 worked and I got nearly a full night's sleep last night, which was lovely. Now I have to keep working on resetting my night owl body clock. Can't wait to sleep in all the way to 6 on Saturday!

Yeah, I did the bike and I took my normal route, which brings me up to that same neighborhood where I did my hill runs. I haven't ridden my bike in about 10 days or so because of the flat tire. I fixed it and got out there today and I could feel it.

I am glad you are loving the new job. I would probably love it too. I love that kind of stuff. And you will get used to the schedule eventually and then get back in the groove with the exercise. But you are right, it will stink once the days get shorter. But no need to worry about it now, enjoy the sun while its here.

If I sleep to 6am I feel lazy now. As much as I would love that extra sleep I just feel like a slug if I am not up working out.

Like I said, I did my bike ride this morning. I got out of bed and when everything hurt I knew it was a bike day. Tomorrow is a P90X day.

I am getting closer to picking a hotel. I have won a few contests at work and they come with a gift card of my choosing. I pick Disney, obviously. I just got another $100. I could win up to another $200 this month and I am currently in first place to win a GoPro (which I was thinking of buying anyway). So, I may spring for the nicer hotel now that Verizon may be paying for it.

 

[StayCool]

I took the dogs out for two miles this morning before I went in to work to try and work a little extra energy off. It was a 12 hour day today (longer for two of the guys in the office - we need to figure that out better) and super high stress. If you were to watch the news, one of the lead stories today was what we worked on from the time I arrived to about 1:45 this afternoon. That's the rough part. The cool part is that I have a boss who believes in collaboration and I feel like I made a real contribution in preparing him for a tough afternoon. For career advancement - yeah, this moves me right into the light. I don't necessarily need the limelight, but it can't hurt.

Those are long days. Working with a good boss makes it go by better though so I am really glad that you have one.

Yes, started the job on Monday. There are two people in the front office that take care of the big boss, and I'm one of the two - the other guy is there to show me the ropes and make sure I don't foul anything up too badly for the next two weeks. Then he and the boss move on and a new big boss moves in and I get to teach him. Life in the military is transient and the learning curve is steep. And I'm tired. The dogs are NOT adjusting well to my new hours. I've been getting home around 7 - 7:30 and so they do their business then and aren't interested when I take them back out at 9:30. Then at midnight they need to go, so out we go. Argh. My saint of a dog walker has offered a second quick walk in the early evening before I get home, and she took them out today. Here's to hoping I don't have yet another midnight walk in my future. 4:30 comes early.

That is really tough about the dogs. It's awesome that your dog walker is willing to fill in when you can't though.

I keep meaning to come on and post but it's been so hot here lately that I come home and veg in front of the fan. We have been having a heat wave for the last month and no rain so we have forest fires all over the province - as of today we have 70 over 10 hectares. It's always bad this time of year but this is the worst I can remember - the air is smoky and you can smell the fires and that's never happened before. On the weekend they compared Vancouver's air quality to China's!

I have been going to the pool every morning though and this week I walked there on Monday and today instead of having my husband drop me off on his way to work. I also walked to the sky train after instead of taking the bus - on Monday I hit my 10,000 steps by 9:00! Today I was only at 7,400 by then so I didn't hit the 10,000 till close to the end of the day as I sat most of the day in meetings ugh.

Yay for being consistent and getting more exercise in. They said our skies in NY are hazy because of the fires in Canada. That's crazy.

No transition from the old job and no replacement. Also pretty standard in my world. They pulled me from the old one for my expertise in the area, and I got pulled up from there to the new job because I accidentally said something intelligent in a brief. I now work directly for an Army General who was my bosses, bosses, boss as his Executive Assistant. I'm his auxilliary brain, basically. I love the job and knew I would, which is part of why I didn't want it. I know that standing outside the office I can say things like "I want to keep having a life" but that once int he hot seat, I'd get sucked in because it so freaking interesting.

Saying intelligent things leads to all sorts of troubles. lol But it is great when you truly enjoy your job. Hopefully you are able to put up some kind of boundaries although I imagine that the military doesn't allow that like the civilian world.

Yeah, I did the bike and I took my normal route, which brings me up to that same neighborhood where I did my hill runs. I haven't ridden my bike in about 10 days or so because of the flat tire. I fixed it and got out there today and I could feel it.

I am getting closer to picking a hotel. I have won a few contests at work and they come with a gift card of my choosing. I pick Disney, obviously. I just got another $100. I could win up to another $200 this month and I am currently in first place to win a GoPro (which I was thinking of buying anyway). So, I may spring for the nicer hotel now that Verizon may be paying for it.

Good job getting the hills in one way or another. And woohoo for getting Verizon to pay for the hotel. lol That is always awesome.

As far as the wife... well just let it play out. It will mess things up in the short term but in the long term your commitment to your training will win out.


As far as me, well things have been ridiculous as usual. My party went well on the 4th and my house is mostly back together. My kitchen is mostly done and we laid down some laminate flooring in the living room. I spent most of my week doing that kind of stuff in the house. No real workouts. However I have convinced my husband to go to Watkins Glen tomorrow. They have a couple of trails there that look amazing and take you past 14 waterfalls. There are also over 800 steps to get to the top so I will definitely get my workout in. I'm looking forward to just getting out and enjoying nature. The kids will enjoy it and my husband will enjoy the ice cream stand at the top. lol

I've been eating like crap all week and falling back into old habits. Mostly not eating until after lunch which screws up the rest of my day. So now I am getting myself back in line and starting over. I didn't weigh in this week due to avoidance. Here's to getting back on track!

 

[Waiting2goback]

StayCool- I am glad to see you back and I am happy to see the progress in your kitchen. Now you just need to start putting some better foods in it. Have a good time with the family this weekend. What ever happened with the job? Wasn't the boss going to get back to you after you had that meeting?

As for me, I had a P90X workout scheduled and I did it. Tomorrow is speed work at the track. This means up earlier than usual to drive to the track. Not liking that part but that's what's on the schedule so barring major weather problems I will be there.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I was scheduled for 5 miles of speed work at the track. I only got in 4. Turns out that running as fast as you can for that many miles is tiring. But, I did the best I could for 5:30 in the morning and I will just keep trying to improve. Tomorrow is a bike ride. Hope everyone had a good day.

 

[dizzyr]

We did some major house organizing today and then went to see the Minions and had way to much popcorn. We missed dinner though so I suppose it could have been worse! Now that the kids are home we'll have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow - no more living on ice cream and popcorn! Thank goodness it's cooled off a bit.

 

[StayCool]

StayCool- I am glad to see you back and I am happy to see the progress in your kitchen. Now you just need to start putting some better foods in it. Have a good time with the family this weekend. What ever happened with the job? Wasn't the boss going to get back to you after you had that meeting?

As for me, I had a P90X workout scheduled and I did it. Tomorrow is speed work at the track. This means up earlier than usual to drive to the track. Not liking that part but that's what's on the schedule so barring major weather problems I will be there.

She was supposed to get back to me by Friday but I know the feds were there for a routine inspection so I'm sure they will be busy. I'm not sweating it though. I just don't feel that they are ready for me. lol

Yesterday we went to Watkins Glen which was awesome. The Gorge Trail was tough. It was only 1.5 miles long but there are over 800 steps going up, up, up. The awesome waterfalls made it totally worth it though. I will try to post a couple of pictures. We got to the top and took about a 30 minute water break. Then we headed down a different trail which was mostly downhill and much easier to navigate. Not as pretty though. They also have HUGE pool so we went swimming for a couple of hours to cool off. All in all it was a great day.

I did finally get on the scale today and it was fine. Up a little but nothing crazy. Time to purge the frig.

 

[StayCool]

 

[Waiting2goback]

We did some major house organizing today and then went to see the Minions and had way to much popcorn. We missed dinner though so I suppose it could have been worse! Now that the kids are home we'll have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow - no more living on ice cream and popcorn! Thank goodness it's cooled off a bit.

How was the movie? My kids want to see it, was it worth going?

She was supposed to get back to me by Friday but I know the feds were there for a routine inspection so I'm sure they will be busy. I'm not sweating it though. I just don't feel that they are ready for me. lol

Yesterday we went to Watkins Glen which was awesome. The Gorge Trail was tough. It was only 1.5 miles long but there are over 800 steps going up, up, up. The awesome waterfalls made it totally worth it though. I will try to post a couple of pictures. We got to the top and took about a 30 minute water break. Then we headed down a different trail which was mostly downhill and much easier to navigate. Not as pretty though. They also have HUGE pool so we went swimming for a couple of hours to cool off. All in all it was a great day.

I did finally get on the scale today and it was fine. Up a little but nothing crazy. Time to purge the frig.

That sounds like a workout to me but the best kind. The kind where you are in awe of the surroundings so you don't realize you are exercising. That is a beautiful picture, thanks for sharing.


I was supposed to do the bike today. My legs were tired so I gave them a rest. I feel like a slacker but I know it's OK to take the day off. Tomorrow is my scheduled long run. 11 miles is on the calendar but my #2 child has been sick today. If she is up all night I will have to postpone it. If she sleeps, I will run.

 

[StayCool]

I love being outside in nature so anything like that is great for me. It is kind of funny but I never really liked that stuff when I was younger. This weekend we have a family reunion at another state park so maybe I will get another hike in.

I hope your child is doing ok today.

Well my DH and I have committed to tracking for a whole week. I made us salads for lunch for the whole week so they are ready to go. I'm not good at motivating myself but am using him as motivation instead. I kind of pushed him to get on the scale and he has continued to gain and I pretty much told him that it was time to get it together. He was receptive so hopefully it is going to benefit both of us to work together. I cancelled Weight Watchers this weekend because I was paying $20/month to not use it. So we are going with My Fitness Pal for the moment.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I love being outside in nature so anything like that is great for me. It is kind of funny but I never really liked that stuff when I was younger. This weekend we have a family reunion at another state park so maybe I will get another hike in.

I hope your child is doing ok today.

Well my DH and I have committed to tracking for a whole week. I made us salads for lunch for the whole week so they are ready to go. I'm not good at motivating myself but am using him as motivation instead. I kind of pushed him to get on the scale and he has continued to gain and I pretty much told him that it was time to get it together. He was receptive so hopefully it is going to benefit both of us to work together. I cancelled Weight Watchers this weekend because I was paying $20/month to not use it. So we are going with My Fitness Pal for the moment.

Yep, I love nature too. I hope you get in another hike, and I hope you love it just as much.

She is OK. She woke up today in a great mood. She is a unique child. (They all are but more so for this one). She is not good at expressing herself at all, whereas my oldest analyzes everything and has been able to tell us how she feels since she was 2. But, she is back to normal so that's all that matters.

I hope you and your husband can push/support/encourage each other to turn things around. Just take it day by day. Most importantly, STOP BUYING JUNK FOOD. If it isn't in the house you can't eat it!

I made my reservation for the hotel today. I will be at AS Sports. I wanted a nicer resort but I won't be in the room much so it doesn't make sense to spend the extra money. As long as I have a bed and a bathroom I will be good.

I had a failure today. I had 11 miles on the plan and only could do 4.6. I know exactly what the problem is but I can't snap out of it. Have just been bummed lately because of life in general. I don't feel as motivated to even get up and do the workouts so when something hurts I don't push through it. But, I have been getting up and doing something, even if it isn't as much as I should. I had the same exact problem at this time last year. The difference is I didn't do anything last year for about a month.

Nobody can really help me. I am just writing to acknowledge what's going on. I just feel lonely. The job is getting me down, etc... All I have is running and the kids. I never see the kids and I am starting to feel (again) as if the pressure I am putting on myself to qualify for Boston is taking the fun out of it. I have 3 months to be able to drop my pace by 1:20 and do keep that pace for a whole marathon. Am I crazy?

So that's my deal. Hopefully now that I figured out what's bothering me I can fight through it.

Tomorrow is a P90X day.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Not much to report today. I didn't get up and do my P90X workout. I don't feel all that bad about it. I do have to get up early tomorrow though. I have to change my schedule around and move hills to tomorrow.

 

[dizzyr]

I have been super lazy the last two days - well lazy in regards to working out but I've been super productive at home. I had four days off and the girls and I purged like crazy. It's back to work and the pool tomorrow and I'm happy about that. Four days off is too much - I don't want to get too lazy.

Staycool that looked like a beautiful place. There are sooooooo many gorgeous hikes around here and I used to be an avid hiker. I would really like to get back to that and make it a family thing - my girls would love it.

Waiting congrats on booking the hotel - what dates are you there? I think it's the week after me. Sorry to hear you are feeling lonely and that the job is getting to you. Hopefully something with come along when you least expect it. Once you are out of the marriage you will probably look at things differently. Right now you are probably stressing so much about Boston because it feels like it's all you have which is not the case - it's just hard to see that right now.

Chiomaca your new job sounds very exciting - I could very easily become a workaholic. I'm glad I have a job that gives me a great balance but sometimes I wonder how things would be different if I went down a different career path.

 

[dizzyr]

Oh yeah minions was good - not as good as dispicable me but still good overall. There were some really funny parts but some parts went on a bit long.

 

[Chiomaca]

Just ducking my head in to wave and see how people are doing.

I was scheduled for 5 miles of speed work at the track. I only got in 4. Turns out that running as fast as you can for that many miles is tiring. But, I did the best I could for 5:30 in the morning and I will just keep trying to improve. Tomorrow is a bike ride. Hope everyone had a good day.

Sounds like you're getting back into your head again with your workout descriptions this week. Remember that you've given yourself two chances to qualify for Boston this year and even if you don't, you have a job that matches contributions, which cuts your fundraising requirement in half. But I get the fade - it's hard to maintain your motivation when you're tired and lonely. Give yourself a break (mentally) and think about what it is that you have been enjoying about the running. What kind of intervals are you doing on the track?

Yesterday we went to Watkins Glen which was awesome. The Gorge Trail was tough. It was only 1.5 miles long but there are over 800 steps going up, up, up. The awesome waterfalls made it totally worth it though. I will try to post a couple of pictures. We got to the top and took about a 30 minute water break. Then we headed down a different trail which was mostly downhill and much easier to navigate. Not as pretty though. They also have HUGE pool so we went swimming for a couple of hours to cool off. All in all it was a great day.

Wow, what a beautiful place! You ought to do some trail running there!

Chiomaca your new job sounds very exciting - I could very easily become a workaholic. I'm glad I have a job that gives me a great balance but sometimes I wonder how things would be different if I went down a different career path.

When I'm engaged, I'm a complete workaholic, which is actually why I initially told my boss I didn't want the job. It wasn't that I didn't want to do the job, it was that I knew I'd love it and that it would consume my life. Which....yeah. I haven't been home before 7 this week and I get in around 6. I'm completely intellectually engaged, which hasn't happened since I left my ship in May 2012. I'm also completely exhausted and I only get to see my dogs for a few hours at a time when I'm awake. So...if I didn't have dogs, friends, and a life, I'd be in hog heaven. But I do, so while I'm happy, there's part of me that mourns all the other things I won't be doing for the next year. But as I tell other people, you can do anything for a year.

As far as training, the job has been pretty good for my running. The dogs have to get some solid exercise since they're alone 13 hours a day, so I've been running with them M-W-F mornings at 4:30 and walking them 2-3 miles on the other days. Long runs on Saturday, though the mileage is building slower than last year. The hound isn't an enthusiastic runner, so this morning I ran both dogs for about 2 miles, then dropped him back home and ran another 3.5 with the fast dog. We did hill repeats up Capitol Hill - 3x up, then around the Capitol and back home. My knees ache something fierce, so I may swim tomorrow. (If work allows.)

 

[Waiting2goback]

Waiting congrats on booking the hotel - what dates are you there? I think it's the week after me. Sorry to hear you are feeling lonely and that the job is getting to you. Hopefully something with come along when you least expect it. Once you are out of the marriage you will probably look at things differently. Right now you are probably stressing so much about Boston because it feels like it's all you have which is not the case - it's just hard to see that right now.

Hotel is booked, I just booked the flight. I have made some ADR's. It is getting exciting now. It is just so hard figuring out the eating thing before and after the race but there are worse problems to have. I will be there 1/8-1/11. Not as long as I want but I didn't think I would be going back anytime soon so I will take it.

I don't know why I am stressing about Boston so much. It might be a self-esteem thing. I guess I feel like people won't take me seriously as a runner until I qualify for Boston. I'm not sure that's it but I guess that's all I can come up with. Who knows.

Sounds like you're getting back into your head again with your workout descriptions this week. Remember that you've given yourself two chances to qualify for Boston this year and even if you don't, you have a job that matches contributions, which cuts your fundraising requirement in half. But I get the fade - it's hard to maintain your motivation when you're tired and lonely. Give yourself a break (mentally) and think about what it is that you have been enjoying about the running. What kind of intervals are you doing on the track?

When I'm engaged, I'm a complete workaholic, which is actually why I initially told my boss I didn't want the job. It wasn't that I didn't want to do the job, it was that I knew I'd love it and that it would consume my life. Which....yeah. I haven't been home before 7 this week and I get in around 6. I'm completely intellectually engaged, which hasn't happened since I left my ship in May 2012. I'm also completely exhausted and I only get to see my dogs for a few hours at a time when I'm awake. So...if I didn't have dogs, friends, and a life, I'd be in hog heaven. But I do, so while I'm happy, there's part of me that mourns all the other things I won't be doing for the next year. But as I tell other people, you can do anything for a year.

As far as training, the job has been pretty good for my running. The dogs have to get some solid exercise since they're alone 13 hours a day, so I've been running with them M-W-F mornings at 4:30 and walking them 2-3 miles on the other days. Long runs on Saturday, though the mileage is building slower than last year. The hound isn't an enthusiastic runner, so this morning I ran both dogs for about 2 miles, then dropped him back home and ran another 3.5 with the fast dog. We did hill repeats up Capitol Hill - 3x up, then around the Capitol and back home. My knees ache something fierce, so I may swim tomorrow. (If work allows.)

I know I have 2 chances to qualify but if I am being honest, I really want to run the Disney race for fun. If I am really close to qualifying I will run it hard if I have to but I just want it to be fun and enjoyable. I want to suck it all in. I loved the ToT race but I was trying so hard to get in the top 500 that I didn't soak in the surroundings.

I would love a job where I can throw myself into it and love what I do. That's great that you can do that. Also great that your training isn't suffering as a result. It will be a busy year for your but it just means you will enjoy your days off that much more, that's all.

I did 5.5 miles of hills today. It was tough. The humidity was so heavy it was like running in soup. The news said it was 97% humidity. I was drenched. But, I did it. It was supposed to be 6 but I don't have my routes all figured out yet for hills. Tomorrow is an 4 mile easy day.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Just a quick pop in. I got in my "easy" run this morning. 4.44 miles of pain and discomfort. I had a pain shooting from my hip down my leg. I ended up walking most of it. Tomorrow is a P90X workout.

I made some ADR's in the last couple of days as well:

Narcoosee's the night of the marathon as a treat for myself
1900 Park Fare the night before to fuel up
Boma for breakfast the day before the marathon
Via Napoli the night I get there

I have only eaten at 1900 Park Fare before. Anyone have feedback on the other 3 and if they are worth it or good choices? I may not keep them all, not sure. Just wanted to lock them in to have something.