This week's stats:
- 45 miles
- 10M with 2 x (3min-2min-1min) with 90s rest b/w reps, 2min between sets, 3 x 60s strides
- 4 days in CLT
- 3 days in Kentucky / Ohio
- 6K XC race in 20:54
Nothing like hitting up five states in one week! I kicked off Monday with a run and then a flight to Charlotte for a work trip. Two states? Check! Then Thursday, I flew to Kentucky for the Club XC Champs in Lexington. Three states? Check! Then Saturday, I drove to Cincinnati to see my nephew Eli. Four states? Check! And finally on Sunday, I drove back to Illinois with my parents so that I could have some time with them before the holidays. Phew. Five states! Check!
Writing it all out makes it seem more exhausting than it really was. Fortunately, I stayed in each place for 2 nights or more, which made it seem less chaotic. It was so interesting heading back to Charlotte, because no one runs in uptown anymore! Back when I used to live the queen city, it was an absolute guarantee there would be a group running from the YMCA every day. Now, more and more folks moved out to the burbs, so it kind of felt like a ghost town. Yet, I still was able to get some people out to run with me and was grateful for their company!
Then I headed to Kentucky, which is outlined in more detail here, and prepared for the USATF Club Cross Country Championships with the Strava Track Club. The race went great and I had an absolute blast. I miss cross country a lot and have now vowed to do a cross country season in the bay area so I can experience the awesome ruggedness of cross country again!
The highlight of this week was seeing my nephew for the first time in over a year! He's grown so much, loves getting raspberries on his belly and playing with dad (my brother!). Eli brings so much joy to our lives and I do need to see him more often than every year. We went to a fancy outdoor mall on Saturday night and they had all sorts of fun Christmas decorations, like a giant tree with a nativity in the middle of it and an outdoor train set that Eli circled about 27 times to watch it go "choo-choo".
After our sleepover with Eli, my family packed up and headed home, where I was spoiled with organic veggies, homemade lip balm and snuggles from my cat, Cicero. Life is good!!