Miami 10-Miler

Today I was scheduled to run 10 miles as part of my Saturday Long Run. 10 miles...alone...in a city I don't know well. Now this was going to be interesting.

I mapped my route --- a straight-shot south from my hotel on 48th street and down to the inlet passed 1st street and back. Luckily I had a great path --- the Miami Boardwalk and the Promenade along Ocean Drive.

Here's a pix from the lovely boardwalk that runs from 46th Street to 21st Street.

Overall, it was a good run. The back-half felt especially good which was unexpected. The only trouble was my shoulder. It's still nagging me. Around mile 7.5 it really started to ache. No amount of stretching or wiggling seemed to help. I just had to gut it out for the next few miles.

I'm proud of myself. Running 10-miles is tough to do alone. Luckily I had this great view and some good tunes to motivate me along.

Everybody's working for the weekend

Against family member advice and The Husband who remarked, "Are you sure? You really don't look good"), after five days at home I thought it only fitting to try and get back to work --- with the expectation that I can always leave early if it becomes too overwhelming..

Knowing that it would take a lot longer to get ready I set my alarm two hrs earlier than normal. Imagine doing the following w/ only one fully operational arm --- with some assistance::

. Showering
. Cleaning and rewrapping my leg and arm wounds
.Make-up
. Drying/styling my hair (this was quite impressive)
. Finding a work appropriate outfit and finding a way to get into it

After succeeding in these tasks I was off to work. Now mind you, I was now very tired and a little loopy. Maybe this was not such a good idea.

All in all, it was an ok day. I managed my day and only once felt a bit sick and tired. I resolved that problem by canceling my conference call, locking my door and lying down for a little while. Nice!

I also decided that walking up/down stairs was not a good idea since my equilibrium was still a bit off. I had nightmares of falling down the stairs and breaking my other arm. Now that...would really suck.

After a full day at work, I'm pretty much whipped. To fully relax this weekend and ignore that Nations is happening The Husband decided a trip to the beach house is in order. Sounds good to me.

What I did on my summer vacation

(courtesy of the OC hotel rental website)

I have a distant recollection of being asked to recite my adventures each September as some sort of easy writing project.

This year there is no writing assignment, but there clearly will be a tale to tell since after 11 years of loyal service I have the privilege of being able to take advantage of my company’s sabbatical program --- aka 2 months of paid time-off bliss!

I started this glorious break on Monday, June 6th and will return to the world of work on Monday, August 9th. I am hopeful that I will be able to enjoy this time and am able to keep my work-world at bay.

So my grand plan is to move to the beach and become a beach-bum --- and focus on getting back into a regular/hardcore training program. After slacking off for 2-months and giving my screwed up hip time to heal I am ready to get back into the program. Also, I gotta start getting ready for MCM this Fall. That is NOT a race you just show up for after half-assing the training.

Anywho --- I’m officially a beach resident for the next two months and so far am loving in!

Best Laid Plans

I really hate when I do something really stupid ....but who doesn't?

Though this really has nothing to do with training, it does have to do with running, navigating an obstacle course and the agony of defeat.

Everyone knows I hate the stress of rushing around and being late. With that in mind I thought I had it all planned out --- changed my train ticket for an earlier departure out of Penn Station, took the subway and left with a lot of time.

As I was sitting in the Acela Lounge waiting for my 3 pm train and on a conference call I hear "final call for the 3 pm Acela to DC." Are you freaking kidding me???!! Crap!!!!!!!!!!

I jumped up, grabbed my stuff and bolted for the escalator --- clearly almost knocking people down along the way. Unfortunately as I reached the platform the train...pulled...away. Do you feel the heartbreak and hear the gasp of despair?

Luckily I practiced mental fortitude as I stood in an ever winding line to be rebooked on the next train --- which of course was cancelled, but I was able to grab a seat on the 5 pm Acela.

The good news is that I have a ticket. The bad news is that my chatty, single-focused approach to life once again burned me in the ass.
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