What a great day for a run

Today was the first day since the Grand Rapids Marathon that I ran a "normal" training run (as opposed to an amazingly slow recovery slog). What a great feeling. The first mile was 8:35, last was 7:32. I hit some big hills and I hit them hard. It was windy and chilly. And it was awesome. This is what it is all about.

The last week or 2 has been pretty crazy for me (as you all know b/c you have been listening to me ramble endlessly). I was in a bit of a funk over "what is next." But thanks to many of you, I now have a racing schedule for the winter and spring. I took Adeel's advice and am planning for Athens and Bayshore (NJ). So that is cool. Thanks for all of the input!! During my last marathon training season, I followed Pfitzinger's 18/70 program, modified slightly down. I cut out several short recovery runs, so I was often 4-5 miles per week short, but I did hit 70 2x. I came out of it uninjured and I really hope to crank things up this winter. My last hurrah for big fat mileage so to speak. SO, this time I am planning to follow Pfitz's more than 70 miles/18 weeks. However, I did cut one recovery day each week so I am about 10 miles short. Hopefully my body will cooperate. If not, I will revert back to the 18/70. If it does respond well, I might just add some of the recovery runs back in. But for now, this is the plan. Check it out if you are so inclined. It is an Excel spreadsheet. I am more than happy to receive feedback/critiques on it as I am my own coach with Advanced Marathoning as my playbook.

In addition, my BIG news is that I sent out my resume this week. Yep, I bit the bullet and got 7 of them out. That seems like a small number, but Madison is a very small legal community. Plus I am eyeing the bigger firms for now and I want to see what happens before I go smaller. The market isn't the greatest right now, but I am hoping I can at least get an interview. This is such a nerve-racking time. Job seeking is just front loaded with rejection, so you have to toughen up and get ready. I am trying not to get too flipped out, but getting a job was cake in law school. It it is hard to get back into the game in a new state after being out of the picture for 6 years (I have been at home with my 2 little boys). The good news is that my husband is also a lawyer so he has some contacts for me. I am so ready to go back and so very excited. But, Yikes! It is nerve-racking, so keep your fingers crossed for me!!