The remodel continues to move a few steps forward and then a few steps back. The major efforts this week involved all sorts of electrical work that we hadn't counted on doing. Creative do-it-yourselfers... you really do make the gift that keeps on giving to the future owners of your projects...
As a result of the electrical stuff, we've lost the majority of the outdoor kitchen, so we're really relying on the kindness of strangers for things like laundry and cooking. The good news is, once we pass the next permit inspection this week everything is supposed to move very quickly. The bad news is, I haven't quite gotten around to ordering the sinks, faucets, hardware for the cabinets, countertops, or tiles. So, I've got a big week ahead of me to try to get ahead of all of this supposed "quick-moving" construction (I'll believe it when I see it). Thankfully, they still have to sheetrock and install the cabinets, which I figure has to include at least one more unforseen delay if history is any guide.
On the running front, I did not hit all of my workouts this week. But I did manage 38.5 miles, including 4 X 1 mile intervals at sub 9:50 and today's 15.1 including 1150 feet of climbing and descent (was supposed to be 17, but I was shot after the hills and slow pace resulting in almost 4 hours on my feet). I also managed an additional 152 minutes of easy cardio (recumbant biking & elliptical) in the gym while reading on several days, which felt great and helped my confidence regarding my overall fitness.
Overall, I'm good, but tired. I've been giving away tomatoes almost every day due to lack of canning and drying facilities, which has been very rewarding. I've also started needing extra sleep, which is typical for me when I get closer to a marathon, but it requires more time, which is something I'm a bit short on.
What I'm not feeling (yet) is burnt out on running. Given that I'm burnt out on work, the overhead of the construction/home life, and travel, I'm considering it a win that I'm managing to train and avoid burn-out so far in the midst of all that stuff.
Yes, this comfort I have with dialing back my workouts may result in a much slower than historic marathon for me. I've made my peace with this and actually look forward to just enjoying Chicago to best of my ability. Bonus, today I found out that another friend of mine is also going to be in Chicago. So I'll have yet another person to bond with in Chicago, which should be awesome.
Also, Saturday, I attended the get-to-know you get-together for the Napa Ragnar team that was nice enough to include me. I'm excited to do it -- it's definitely going to be outside of my comfort zone to hang out with a bunch of folks while running/driving/eating/sleeping for 36 hours, but I think it's going to be a great experience over all. The party was a hit, our team captain is the bomb, and all the folks on my team seem like a fun group (plus my tomato salad was appreciated and I successfully gave away some tomatoes!).
I'm looking forward to my oh-so-not-standard last long run weekend before taper as a member of this relay team. I'll be doing somewhere between 23 and 25 miles in 3 legs in 36 hours, which is nobody's ideal last long run before taper, but this is me. And right now, when it comes to running, I'm all about *close enough*.
No comments:
Post a Comment