We Now Return To Your Regularly Scheduled Life

It's Monday morning and I've got the radio tuned to my favorite station, a cup of decaf coffee in front of me, and cats winding about my ankles, threatening anarchy because it's been a least 7 minutes since I last paid them attention.

I'm back. No more working away from home. My schedule, my coffee, my laptop, my life. I'm VERY happy to sit down this AM and crank out some work. I LOVE working from home. I didn't realize quite how much until I spent last week filling in for a friend at his office. The people and work were great--I just missed my routine. The freedom to do what I want, when I want, in whatever time increments suit my mood. Spoiled? Yes, and oh-so-grateful for it.

And there is much to be done. Before I went to bed last night I wrote down a quick "reminder" list of what needs to take place today. I think I need to switch the decaf to the real stuff, pay for the cats to go to therapy and learn to cope, and hunker down with laser-like focus.

Sounds like a wonderful day to me. Hope your Monday is a great one!

Finally, A Good Run

After a week of crappy runs, I finally had a good one last night. I ran a little over 4 miles at or just under a 9 minute pace, and felt good doing it. Felt good, but sounded scary. About 2 miles into the run, all the flem started bouncing around at the bottom of my throat and felt like it was actually blocking part of my windpipe. So I start coughing and hacking in an attempt to loosen it.

Aaaaacccccckkkkkk. Rrrrrrrcccccchhhhaaacccccc. Aaaaaauuuck. COUGH-COUGH-COUGH. Rrrrggrrrrhhh...ACK!

Chris, the guy running in front of me, stopped at one point to turn around and make sure I was okay. I'm sure I sounded like I was either about to collapse or was being mugged. Either way, nice of him to check on me. =)

Sunday is 11 miles so I'm going to do an easy 3 on Saturday and then get some rest this weekend and see if I can't get the rest of this cough to go away. I think it might be allergies. I sound like I've got a pack a day smoker's cough, but other than that feel fine in every way.

Happy Friday.

Working is Good for the Waist

Here is an unforseen plus to my week of work... I'm eating next to nothing. At home, I'm a chronic snacker. Easy access to the fridge means noshing every 20-30 minutes. This week, however, I've eaten only my lunch on my lunch break. And haven't felt deprived in the least.

Which goes to show I'm eating at home out of habit, not need. Sure, there were a couple of times where I thought, "I could eat," but I drank some water and got back into the work and forgot about it. Drinking gobs of water, which is good. Helps with the runs on days like today when we'll be out in the hot sun.

I am, however, ready to spend an evening at home. I had a meeting Monday night and ran Tues-Thursday nights, not getting home until 8. Way too much time out and about for an introvert like me. The cats are freaked out, wondering where the h*** all the daily love and attention went. They've gone from pouting to pleading to slightly menacing at this point.

I've got LOADS of work to do this weekend. Pretty much plan to devote all day Saturday to work in the hopes of finding some free time to spend with Blair (and the cats) on Sunday. God willing, there is a thick newspaper, a snoozing cat, and a large pot of coffee to split with my husband in my future on Sunday.

Fartlek... A Humbling Experience

Yesterday evening was "fartlek" runs with the group. It's been 12 hours since we completed the run and I think I've almost got my breathing back to normal. Almost.

Our trainer had us do a structured fartlek run. We warmed up for 10 minutes then ran 30 seconds fast. Recovered for 90 seconds, then run another 30 fast. Recover for 75 seconds, 30 fast. 60 second recovery, 30 fast. 45 second recovery, 30 fast. 30 second recovery, 30 fast. 15 second recovery, 30 fast. Jog it in.

I made it to the 60 second recovery on schedule. Then I fell apart a bit. Although we're supposed to run fast, I think I took it out a little too fast in the opening sprints because my heart was doing things I'm not sure a heart is supposed to do. I ended up taking some longer recovery times and even walking in between some segments--bad!

I'm feeling frustrated. It seems like I'm "cheating" on more of the workouts lately and I can't figure out if it's because I'm physically tired or mentally not there. I think I'd prefer it be physical. I'm starting to worry I've lost a bit of "edge" and am choosing the easy way out versus pushing myself. Everyone was exhausted by fartlek but most did the exercise and made it back without walking. I need to buckle down mentally and start thinking about the marathon. Last year, the race was on my mind almost every day. Probably because I'd never run a marathon before and all the fear and anticipation was fresh. I need to find a way to bring that excitment about the race back to life. 

One way might be to focus on my time. I'm still determined to come in under 4 hours at the Richmond marathon. Which means I really do need to get my mental state under control.

I'm meeting a friend for a trail run tonight and this morning I was thinking about cancelling and just coming home and doing a treadmill workout. I've got work to do, I've still got this cough, I've been away from home all week... But no! I've packed my clothes and will do the 7.5 mile run as planned. No more wimp outs!