Most of the week was in Atlanta, working with a client.
I have been at this consultant thing for 18 months now. Actually, that is not really true because I was doing it in some regard before when I was working for a large company. I have been doing it for 18 months in my own company / with three other partners. There are parts of it that are exactly what I expected. There are definitely a lot of things I have learned and are different than I expected. I almost feel that I could do a consultant sort of blog, but I don’t have time for that (especially since such writing would require more time than saying how many miles I did that day. But this work is good. Challenging on some days, mind numbing other days, but it is good. I have “favorite parts” … one of those is the solution design part, where we are working with a client where we are defining what needs to be done. It is sort of like defining a running training plan. It is not always easy because my clients, like runners, are not always honest with themselves, or are more interested in discussing barriers that prevent versus looking for opportunities to enable. But when it comes together – it is very satisfying.
The run challenge on weeks like this is fitting it in. It always has been. Even with only a 2 hour shift in time to the east coast, I feel the 6AM start because it feels like 4. Slogging around in the dark, often on roads bounded by highways, few sidewalks, in unfamiliar territory … it makes the getting out in the AM hard. In the evenings post the office day – well that is its own challenge because there is the push to do the work session at night, connect with the client or colleagues at dinner … and so a run is often pinched in some window that almost feels like a race itself. The meals and alcohol never stop coming so that sets up for its own set of discipline challenges as well.
I got out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for 10 miles in the morning. On Thursday it was raining (and of course I did not have rain gear packed) and so I only could muster the motivation for 4 in the morning but I found a short 10-15% grade hill and banged out 30-40 second repeats on that. That afternoon, I was afforded a period of time post the office and got in 6.1 (that rolled much nicer with awake legs versus the AM wake and shakes).
Friday – I was zapped and skipped the run in the AM. I thought with getting back to Denver I’d be able to do it in the afternoon / evening on home turf, but I was cooked and talked myself out of it.
Saturday AM – what I was looking for all week – a XC meet!!
It has been a fun season for JZ. He wanted to run varsity this year, and coming into the season that looked to be a stretch goal. He has been banging away at the “trial of the miles” though and managed to secure a top seven spot … taking it over some kids that have been stronger / faster than him in the past but may not have put the same work in as him over the summer. Still, he recognizes his position is not a given and he wants to not only improve on that position but not lose his varsity squad status – but all in light of helping the team.
The boys recognize they are in a tough spot. The spread from 1-7 is large enough that they are in position to not necessarily make it out of the region and on to State. There is work to be done.
And I love all of this. The process. The anxiety. The kids coming together. The competition. The sweat. The work. Kids figuring it out. Kids not figuring it out. I. LOVE. IT.
Adding to the typical challenges JZ would face with XC, he is working through his clipped wing – or the cast on the broken wrist. He is so done with this cast. He described it as
“it is like I have worn this shirt for the last six weeks.” It comes off in a week but that may not happen … he might rip it off himself.
JZ ran small PR for 5k. A PR is always a victory unto itself but I give it a bit of a bigger nod given the course (this is not a fast one like Liberty Bell) and that many of his team mates who ran faster in the past were well off their bests. But JZ knew he had a tough spot in the head in the back loop of the course and he struggled a bit. He was not satisfied with the outcome and he slipped a spot in the “pecking order: of the team. It is sort of a good-bad-good thing … I love this process.
The girls at Broomfield continue to show that they are indeed an amazing set of athletes. The girls won the varsity race (33 points, top seven all in the top 20), and the JV girls won that race, also taking the top two spots and scoring 27 points.
It is an amazing privilege to get to work with these kids and this guy.
My Saturday afternoon then became a sub 8 minute slog in the humid hazy (for Colorado) heat of the day … 11.8 miles. I tagged on another 3.8 in the evening.
Sunday AM – a few miles with JZ, then some on my own, interrupted by a nice chat with TZ (she is in Inverness) and then a little more on my own. 8.7. JZ’s easy pace is now officially a “why are you going so slow?” when we run together.
Afternoon – simply in a stubborn attempt to assure I got at least 70 miles on the week, I got out in the middle of the afternoon when it was stupid hot (99). But my reward was a few skins. 6.1 miles.
The week was 70.4, 9.5 hours, and 4055 feet. So standard so of thing.
August did wrap up in the week. I posted 275.5 miles on the month, over 41 hours and 20 plus feet. On the year I am sitting at 2468 miles, 323 hours and 122k feet. I have had 9 days off with two of those in August. Through this week on the year (versus just August) I have had 34 business travel nights.and 8 camping nights.
