September

Not working has had effect on how I manage my computer time. I don't have a great deal of extended time to spend on the computer, so often my time is spent doing "drive bys" - researching, checking in, returning emails, calling up recipes, helicopter-mothering my kids' grades with the on-line gradebook.

My blog has been the first to suffer, but I kinda figured no one cared anyway. There are a circle of us who I know read each other's blogs, but by and large it's my own gig, something I use as a bit of a journal, with a little twist, because others can read it and give feedback.

I'm looking at the back end of marathon training now, and getting ready to cycle into half-marathon maintenance, and perhaps setting my sights on a half PR or two. This is a fun time for FL runners, when we start to get our mojo back and comment enthusiastically about humidity drops and off-shore tropical storms making for just-that-much-better weather. It's still a contention, but there is the ever-present hope that this might just be the last week of stifling weather, or thunder-storm interruptions.

I've done a 20-miler on the aptly named Labor Day - although it was not laborious until the last mile and a half, so we'll put that in the win category. A 16-miler over the bridges again proved to be easier, reinforcing the hard work we've put in is starting to pay off.

Speedwork stayed frustratingly steady until this past Tuesday, when a "cold front" came in and as the humidity dipped, so did my repeat times, despite no extra effort on my part. This was reassurance that YES, all of that work in the summer heat will pay off in the fall. Yay!

This is a cut-back week, before one more 20-miler and then taper time! I need the cutback week as my plantar fasciitis is flaring pretty bad, and I am nursing a few other little nagging injuries. I guess those who write those training plans know exactly what they are doing!

Hopefully I'll be better about keeping up from here on out. I keep saying that this is my last marathon so I probably won't need the blog posts for reference anymore ;). Of course, I ALWAYS say that right about this time in the cycle, so who knows ...! FOR SURE, this will be my last fall marathon - training in the summer is just so brutal!

Before I sign off, I must mention that today I celebrate 15 years of marriage to not only the best running partner ever (even though he does not run!), but to my best friend, true love and soul mate. We did not know the path our life would take when we stood before God and our families to become our own family. We could not anticipate our four wonderful children, the ups and downs we've weathered, the fact that one day we'd base romantic vacations on race schedules and locations (LOL), or the amazing fact that we'd grow closer each and every day. I am so very blessed.