In like a lion.....

Wow, I can't believe it's been about two weeks since the last time I posted something. My bad. It's been crazy. Time is flying by. I wrapped up February with a little over 130 miles total. I got a head cold for a few days that forced me to rest more than I would have liked, but overall it was a good month.

The last few weeks have been full of fun and excitement. I had the annual meeting of my condo association which can sometimes be stressful and heated, but this year it went surprisingly well. The crazy guy was calm and collected, half the older people didn't even show up and we adjourned a little early just chatting about random things. Only downside I'm treasurer and chairwoman - it's a lot of work, but no one else is capable or willing to do do it. Luckily we don't have many bills and most people pay their fees on time. There is one resident that hasn't paid in a few months, but she doesn't even know her own name and her kids take care of her so I cut her some slack.

I got my first performance review at my new job and seriously couldn't stop smiling for several days. I called my mom and my Massachusetts mom on my way home from work like a little kid with a good report card. It's so refreshing to have a job I really love and work with people that appreciate me and mentor me and help me grow into my new role. One of the comments from a senior leader was "I wish I had several Alicia's on my team" the only real constructive criticism was from another senior leader basically saying I shouldn't be afraid to harass them if they have a deliverable or action item to follow up on. Still feels like a dream. I got a merit increase and a bonus that for only a 4 month review period is still more than any bonus I got at my previous job. I seriously won the awesome life lottery.
Anyway, the last two weeks have been a little less exciting on the running front. I had a cold and then a serious lack of motivation and a lovely snow storm on March 1st that threw a wrench in the works. My long runs have been going great. I've done a few 14s and 12s and this weekend I will do 16. It's the shorter mid-week runs that have me struggling a little. I really need to join a gym so that I can cross train because I'm kind of getting bored with running. I need to mix it up.

I LOVE my Wednesday runs in Ayer with my friend Kim and I really look forward to them. It's the other days running alone along the Charles river that have gotten kind of boring. I switch up the routes and do different bridges and sometimes run into Boston, but it's flat and I hate stopping at traffic lights. Just when I get comfortable and settle into a nice pace I have to stop and wait for the light to change and some intersections don't even have walk symbols so I just have to make a run for it and with my track record that makes me a little nervous.

The warm weather lately has made it pretty nice to run outside in Boston though so I can't really complain. It could be A LOT worse, we could have had a winter like last year and I wouldn't be running at all. This week the temperatures might even hit 70 degrees! I can't wait for that.

Last weekend was actually closer to normal for this time of year. Saturday morning we got a wintery mix of half snow half rain I like to call it "slushing" - it's soggy and cold and all around miserable to run in. Kim and I still managed a decent 10 miles through Ayer and Devens and Harvard (I think, I really have no idea where we were). There were some killer hills and by the end of the run my hip flexors were definitely feeling it. I was sore. Didn't stop me from getting up Sunday morning and doing my 14 mile loop though. MORE HILLS. I actually felt pretty good and negative split the run. That's pretty impressive considering mile 7-11 is one big never-ending hill then I get a break for a mile before the last 2 miles climb back up to my house. Looks a little like this: It's a brutal run, but I LOVE it. I ran the last two miles the fastest. Not gonna lie, I think it might have something to do with seeing some super fast guy run past me in the opposite direction and not wanting to get passed when he turned around.

I decided to rest yesterday even though it was about 40 degrees and sunny out and I brought my running clothes with me to work. I figured 31 miles in 3 days called for rest. Today I will get back out there and maybe try to find a new route and some more exciting scenery. I think I might run the marathon course backwards into Brookline and then loop back towards Cambridge across the river somehow. Maybe I'll just run and see where my feet take me.

Coming up in the next few weeks I have a half marathon, a 20-miler, a 5K, and a LOT of long runs. I'm really looking forward to my 16s and 18s, they are my favorite runs. Only 75 days until marathon #10!!!! Oh and I decided to do a stair climb event the day before the marathon for American Lung Association just to add to the challenge and make it a little more memorable and meaningful. It IS my birthday weekend afterall, but I don't want gifts, I just want people to donate to ALA so I can make a difference and do something really epic for my birthday.
Here's the link:
http://action.lung.org/site/TR/Climb/ALANE_New_England?px=2374345&pg=personal&fr_id=5160