West Coast Running

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Uggggghhh. Insufficient sleep + sick + baby + about to travel to the west coast for a week of 7am-11pm nonstop stuff = ANXIETY. 

Monday

Did: 4.44mi walk

Traveled to California for a conference, and walked around Disneyland to orient myself with food options and potential 10KTuesday routes. I currently have no voice, which does not bode well for a conference (especially one at which I'm a presenter), but hopefully a lot of sleep will help... 

Tuesday

Did: 6.23mi @ 9:51/mi avg

Running solo wasn't too bad this morning. The routes I found recommended by other runners online were as advertised: "well-lit and comfortable, save a few homeless people at bus stops". I felt good for the first 5K, and then my body kind of shut down and I went from running mid-9s to mid-10s almost instantly. 

Wednesday

Did: 3.14mi @ 10:08/mi avg, 1hr dance party

Made a post in our Summit conference app about running, and got enough responses to organize a little structural engineering run club. Wooo!

We did a nice 5K loop, then I sat at conference sessions for 8+ hours... and then enjoyed a fun dance/karaoke party with my structural engineering colleagues.

I don't know if it's the running, dancing, or just all the sitting, but I had a lot of postpartum pubic bone soreness overnight. :( 

Thursday

Did: 3.67mi @ 9:31/mi avg, Big 5

The Run Club has doubled in size! :D Definitely feeling all this high heel-wearing, though. Oof, my calves were tight today. 

We're all Structural Engineers 

Friday

Did: 3.1mi @ 9:25/mi avg, Big 5

My last day in Anaheim had another successful turnout for the 6am Structural Engineering Run Club. If I hadn't had this group, I would not have gotten out of bed to run... but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed a few fun miles of talking with a guy who's running the Atlanta Marathon next year and another one who was training for the Paris Marathon with his wife, until she got pregnant with their first kid. No matter where I go, I love how running can bring me closer to new friends. 

Saturday

Did: 3.12mi with double stroller @ 9:32/mi avg

Considering I'm supposed to run a 5K with the double stroller tomorrow, I decided I could use some practice... today. lol. The first bit was super tough (despite being on flat riverside paths) and I saw my watch say "12:25/mi" for a good bit. Oof. Wound up with a solid pace, though, and enjoyed some precious time with both my little ones. 

Sunday

Did: Atlanta Lab Rescue 5K-- 3.12mi with double stroller @ 8:40/mi avg

see separate entry, forthcoming

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.38

Week-ending Thoughts:

I think I used the words "structural engineer" multiple times throughout this post. Do you know what a structural engineer is? We're responsible for making buildings stand-up. We use statistical models to determine expected forces on structures throughout their lifespan (everything from how many people and what type of "stuff" will go inside to hurricane and earthquake forces), and physics/math to design beams, columns, and floor systems that will support all of these loads. 

Every building, from your house to the MLB park down the street, has a skeleton supporting it from the inside out. An architect determines the size, layout, and look of the building, but it's the structural engineer who makes it stand up. 




Oh, and on the running side of things:

• I'm thrilled that my Achilles issue is finally GONE
• Proud to have run a 5K almost every day this week
• I love running with both my little ones in the double stroller, even if it is FREAKING HARD to push 100lbs of stuff up hills