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Random Photo Entry 9: Earning that Medal

I dragged my lazy self out this morning for a run, the first long one of the new year and the longest I've done since last month. Really, when I cross finish lines at races, I feel like that medal that gets placed around my neck is not only a reward for finishing the race. I consider those the prize that I get for all the training I put myself through. You probably know what I'm talking about... waking up to run on the weekend in spite of feeling like you've been rolled over by a street cleaning truck... drinking questionable water at your training grounds... using even more questionable places to relieve yourselves... Yes, I've put myself through so much of that, and I have lots of medals to show for them!

I have updated some of my previous race reports to include pictures of the medals. I used to be really good with this, but somehow, I keep forgetting about that shiny paperweight once I hang it up in my room. So here are the links to the entries I updated:

OC Half-Marathon 2009
Santa Barbara Wine Country Half-Marathon Relay 2009
Long Beach Half-Marathon 2009 (updated with picture of jacket)
Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon 2009

These pictures of medals don't qualify as the "random photo entry" that I tagged, so here are some photos below depicting how my life might be for the next few months. I spend most days out of the office now, getting fed breakfast and lunch at a nice hotel while I get to set up and observe training and meet people in high places just like that. Once my computer stuff gets settled, I will obviously need to be working on that while doing my "observing," which is much-welcomed, since anyone who knows me understands that I multitask like it's second nature.

I know I just started, but I think I am going to like my new gig very much. Not just because I can stay at that hotel overnight whenever I want, but because I got to take on a high-visibility project so quickly. During the lunch breaks, I randomly sit with some of the supervisors being trained and ask for their honest opinions about the benefits they are getting and what can be changed. Practically everyone in my department is a psychologist, which makes me feel less weird.

The downside to all of this is that I have been working overtime, and the schedule forces me to still wake up very early so I can do part of my workout in the morning and the other in the evening when I've already been wiped out from the overtime. This is why I have had to reinstate running on the weekend, as I used to do my long runs in the late afternoon. Also, working out in the mornings is HARD, because no matter what I do the night before, my body feels weaker than even after work. I'm sure I'll figure all of this out soon, but one thing I will make sure is that I continue getting to my workouts.


Above: Meet my new boyfriend, my Canon SD780 IS. I put my glasses beside it for a size comparison. It is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, and so far, I am loving the results. Don't worry, you'll get to see some soon, but obviously it will take longer for me to upload pics.


Above: This was taken in a lovely bathroom at the training hotel.


Above: I get to sit at the "guest table" in the back of the room. Like my "entertainment"?

Finally, tomorrow is the Los Angeles 13.1 race. I am not running it, but Tea Time is... so good luck!! Maybe you'll want to post a race report?

Comments

  1. So we can expect to see some clearer photos from you? Tehee!

    ReplyDelete

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