I'm getting closer to moving to being settled in Atlanta. I'm getting closer to Marathon #2. I'm getting closer to feeling a little less crazed and all over the place. In general, I just have this feeling of "I'm getting closer." Yet, it also feels like a million miles away that I will have my apartment decorated the way I want it, that I will be in more place for more than a week, and that life will feel normal. However, that's what I signed up for, right?
Since I last wrote, I traveled to Atlanta, had an overwhelming day of looking for apartments that involved missing half my appointments, a number of tears, lots of frustration, but ultimately, a new apartment to call home.
I traveled to North Carolina, where I ran some monsterous hills, then headed out to the land of the hills, and spent a bit over a week in the Bay Area of California. This was mostly for work -- but I extended the trip to include some fun time with my uncles and friends in San Francisco. The trips were really great professionally and personally, and I added some great running to my list of cities and locations that I have explored by foot.
I did my 19 mile long run in San Francisco, which was a run that although the pace wasn't anything special, was a run that I was so proud of. I spent the entire week leading up to the long run telling myself that it was okay if I didn't run the whole thing. And when I left to go out in the morning, I wasn't sure if I would finish the whole thing. But once I started running, I felt good and just kept going for it. I was so proud of myself.
And not just proud of myself for the run, but that my legs felt good for the rest of the day and I spent the day sightseeing and doing a mixture of tourist and local things with a pretty awesome group of my guy friends. We had such a good time!
I went back to Atlanta and officially moved into a new apartment that I lucked out finding. My place is a disaster with unpacked boxes everywhere, piles of pictures to hang on walls, and a growing list of things to do and spaces to organize. But I have a home and I love it.
To continue the craziness, I may have a home, but I am not there right now...
Two days after the trucks unloaded all of my items, I jumped back on a place to head to my old home of Albany for a quick trip that wraps up the last of my commitments I have in Upstate New York. The main reason for the trip is to run the final 2 races in the area I had committed to: the Saratoga Palio Half Marathon, which I did today. And the Adirondacks Ragnar Relay, which is next weekend. Because I knew I was coming back for these races, I planned to finish up some of my move this week and will pack up my old desk in my old office building and also have my car shipped down to Atlanta.
Today's half marathon went okay and it was my third "official" Half Marathon race (although I have now run over the 13.1 distance a number of times in training for the two marathons.) I finished in 2:14:14, which is in the middle of my previous two half marathon times and pretty good for the paces I have been running on my long runs lately.
I didn't feel too great while I was running as I was never able to get into that zone of just blanking out and feeling like a machine, where my mind goes somewhere else. I have my best runs when I am in that zone, and today I couldn't find it and spent the whole 13.1 miles acutely aware that I was running and that I was tired. I also didn't taper at all for the race, having done 19 miles last weekend and 18 throughout the week, including 5 the day before. The final statement of comparison I have for the race today is that the last time we ran this course -- which was in a completely opposite climate, was for Jess's Birthday Blizzard Half Marathon in January, and I ran the race today 20 minutes faster than when I ran the course that awful, frigid January day.
So, with that, I will sign off. Hope you are all doing well and enjoyed the last days of summer. Today is officially September 21st and fall begins tomorrow. Hope you are ready! Have a great week!
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