As it turns out, starting a new job can be a rather exhausting experience all by itself. It has also presented a new challenge for me with regard to my training, as I’ve had to make some adjustments to my schedule, my mileage, and how I balance everything out. It’s certainly a work in progress, but I’m looking forward to spending the summer tackling all sorts of personal and professional challenges!
Chasing42 Log: 20160601- 20160608
Run: I think I finally recovered from the sun poisoning and flu after about 10 days, which meant keeping my training in check and letting my body heal. I was still able to get out every day, and I managed to spend some time in some parks and other more secluded areas that I have neglected as of late. I also decided to revisit some of my hill training after feeling like that piece of things had fallen off a bit post-Georgia Death Race. I’m in the process of finalizing my training calendar for the summer, and looking at some races for the fall, so I’ll hopefully have some exciting news really soon!
Thought: Some of my standard routes have been getting a bit stale as of late. I think that may have more to do with the fact that I typically find myself running along some busier roads than anything else. The routes themselves are relatively clear, but the noise, exhaust fumes, and constant need to be on alert do tend to take away from the running experience. We all make sacrifices for convenience, but sometimes it’s worth the added travel to run in a new location or find a more runner-friendly area to log your miles in. When I was in Iowa, one of the things I loved most was being able to walk right outside my front door and start running. Numerous friends lived within a mile or two of me, and the streets were fairly clear so we could run just about anywhere. It was clean, quiet, and convenient. It made it easy to decide at the last minute to go for a run.
Now that I live in an urban area, and a fairly commercial area at that, I simply don’t have the same conveniences. My mistake, which I’m realizing after a year, is that I’ve been trying to force that same Iowa routine into a new location. It simply doesn’t work. However, I can hop in the car and drive less than 10 minutes away and be in some great parks with paved and single-track trails. Sure, it takes a bit more planning, and it adds time into the equation, but it’s worth it. I might not like spending so much more time in the car, but a few more minutes is a small price to pay for a much higher quality running experience. It’s time to look for new ways to go about #chasing42!