Vacation over...time to refocus

I took Wednesday through Friday off from work this week so Annie and I could spend some QT together and it was worth it. We got a lot accomplished and had an eventful, but also frustrating, day going to Philadelphia to pick out our wedding bands yesterday. Long story short, it took us 5.5 hours to get from Baltimore to Philadelphia due to 4 traffic jams on I-95 and a fiasco with SEPTA taking credit cards on their regional rail. Eventually we made it to the jeweler and got our rings picked out. They'll ship them to us in about 2 weeks.

So, today is Sunday and I haven't run since Thursday, but I am OK with that. I didn't really have the motivation to get up early on my vacation days anyway. I think I much better served sleeping in each morning instead to recharge for the coming months. We're going to a BBQ being held by my boss this afternoon and that will mark the end of my vacation until October when I am out for the wedding and honeymoon.

So, tomorrow will begin my intensive training for the Baltimore Half Marathon, which I found out on Friday that I would be able to run for free thanks to corporate sponsorship. Totally sweet and it saves me something around $60. I'm also going to run a 5K in Cincinnati next Sunday through the Cincinnati Zoo, which should be fun. In essence, the racing season is right around the corner and my goal is to be in reasonably good shape for Baltimore and then in very good shape for Richmond in November before going into the holiday racing season (turkey trots, Zoo Zoom and the Celtic Solstice in December). It'll be a challenge to do that with the wedding and honeymoon in late October, to be sure. And then there's the CFA in early December which will require daily attention until exam day.

So, tomorrow will start my program, such as it is. We're flying to Cincinnati on Thursday for a long weekend away, so Thursday will be an off day, followed by two training days and then the 5K. Next Monday I fly back (Annie is staying in Cincinnati a few days to get more done) so that will also be a rest day. That's the plan, at least.

In other news, the Olympics have concluded and my TV viewing schedule can now return to normal. I don't think I've watched much else besides the Olympics over the past two weeks, so I will miss the overdose of sports for the next 4 years (I'm not as huge a fan of the Winter Olympics), but London is quickly approaching...sort of.