The State of Elle
Still alive, but barely. I want to blog (especially about my Iceland trip), but I either don’t have the time or the brain cells to do it. Since I don’t want to go too long without blogging, this executive summary of my life so far will have to do.
Work
- There’s entirely too much of it. Spring has always been a busy time of year for me, but along with the additional training for the new role I’m transitioning into in June, my workload has exploded.
- Because of the upcoming new position, I don’t think my work/life balance is going to get any better. So far, everyone’s telling me how much worse my life will get. This is not engendering a lot of enthusiasm.
Running
- Surprisingly well given how busy I am. I’m hitting the speed and tempo paces that Leah prescribes for the workouts.
- We’ve had to do some workarounds with training given my work schedule. The latest change has been reducing my long run into two medium-length runs because I’m just too tired to do a true long run. The focus is on the quality of the runs, rather than absolute mileage because I’ve figured out how to get the miles in. I just need to make sure that the miles are good ones and not me just slogging away.
- I’m not racing as much as I used to. Sad because I love racing, but I just don’t have the time. That said, I do have a bunch of races coming up soon, which makes me happy.
- Last week I ran a huge inter-club group run to Coney Island. Several Brooklyn running clubs got together to run the last 10-ish miles of the Brooklyn Half. It was really fun because it was great to chat with runners from other clubs (newsflash: they’re just like us!). I hope we do more events like this in the future.
- I purchased a pair of the elusive Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%. Several of my friends from PPTC drank the Kool-Aid. I’m a conformist, so I wanted in too. I haven’t worn them yet. They are the second most expensive pair of shoes I own.
Health
- Still have the bronchitis from January. It’s mostly gone, but it still lingers. I was wheezing pretty badly during Tuesday’s run because of the dust in the air.
- Ben’s frozen shoulder is pretty much gone. No more pain. He’s recovered his mobility and a lot of his flexibility.
Travel
- Upcoming work trip to Toronto (and I’m working in a couple of races while I’m there)
- Poconos for my big spring goal race – Run for the Red Poconos Half.
- Nice, France in late May
- Newport, RI in June
- Boulder/Denver in June
- Alaska in July
- That’s it so far, but I’m sure there’ll be other trips.
A Fast Paced Life 
I wanted some Vaporflys but have too many shoes as it is. Let me know what you think! 🙂
I will. My friends who already own a pair and used them for racing love them, but all state that the shoes are delicate and wear out quickly. So I’m reserving the shoes for one key training run before a race and the race itself.
I’d like to hear what you think of the Vaporflys too. Too bad we’re just barely missing each other in Alaska (well, sort of. I’m going in August). Sorry to hear your work is so stressful!
Well, it would have been fun to be in Alaska at the same time! I’m looking forward to this trip, even though it’s with my parents, so I won’t be as outdoorsy and adventurous as I would like to be. My father tires out easily, so when we vacation we do a lot of tours where they bus us around everywhere. In any event, it gives me ideas for what to do the next time I return and am able to hike!
Aah! You’ll have to tell me about Toronto. I have a work trip coming up in early May and it’ll be my first time there. Your summer sounds like it’ll be fun. Packed, but fun!
When exactly will you be in TO? I’m there May 4th to 6th. I’ve lived there for 3 years so I know it pretty well even with all the new growth and gentrification. What do you want to know?
I’ll be there May 8th to 11th as part of a conference organizing team, so it’ll be pretty intense work – not sure how much time we’ll have to get out and see the city. We’ll be at/ around the Fairmont Royal York. Any food recommendations? Places to get out and run/ walk? Thanks!
Nice hotel!
Nice neighborhoods to walk around and absorb Toronto vibes: Kensington Market, (West) Queen St. West, Leslieville (my personal fave), Cabbagetown, the Beaches (it’s a bit far out, though), I know a lot of people will say the Danforth, but I personally don’t find it all that interesting.
Places to run: Don Valley is hands down my favorite place to run (especially by the Evergreen Brick Works), Toronto has an extensive ravine system which makes for lovely trails to run (https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/recreation/walking-hiking/trails/), the waterfront is popular, but it’s really crowded unless you go early in the morning.
The restaurant scene has really exploded since I left Toronto. Soooo many good places to eat now, unlike when I lived there. I actually don’t know the new restaurants now. Old standbys that still exist: Terroni on West Queen St. West (Italian, service is slow and sloppy at times, but the food is really good) and Swatow in downtown Chinatown (hole in the wall Chinese – cheap and delicious).
How are you managing to fit in the miles? I’m about to start my new position next week and I’m kinda anxious about balancing training with work.
Not having kids helps.
I’m lucky in that I have a fair bit of flexibility in terms of when I can show up and leave for work because I don’t have to punch in a clock. As long as I get the work done and show up when I need to show up, I can do whatever I want. I do most of my mid-week runs in the morning after 8 am and go to work later (and stay later as a result). I also have a treadmill at home, which is a HUGE time saver. It’s super easy to hop on and get a few miles before or after work as needed.
The other thing I do is that I frontload my work schedule because Monday is a rest day. I packed that day as much as I can so that I can have a lighter schedule on a different work day (usually Thursday). Since I don’t have as much going on, then I have time to go do a longer workout.
I know other people do things like running to work, running during lunch, or waking up super early, etc, but those other options are either not real options for me or not sustainable options.
Thanks for the insight! My schedule will be a a little flexible (meetings scheduled with rush hour in mind) but it will vary quite a bit. In the first couple of months, I won’t get to determine my schedule as much as I will later, since I have to shadow my colleagues to learn the ropes. My gym has a VIP level membership, so I’m thinking about upgrading so that I can take advantage of treadmills and other equipment- maybe wait out the evening rush hour that way. I need to come to terms with being more flexible about when I run and fit it in when I can (versus when I want to).
well, you’re giving your blog name its credibility!
I forgot what you do (you mentioned it at some point), but I wish you all the best in the transition to the new position! Hope you continue to feel better and find the time to run!
Thanks. I’m at the point where most of the time I forget that I still have bronchitis, but once in a while it flares and reminds me that I’m not fully functional (sigh).
I hate sounding like a broken record about work, but unfortunately, right now, there’s not much I can do to change it and I just need to bear with it for another month or two. Once I’m settled into the new role, I can figure out what I can do to make the work thing work for me.
That’s a good attitude! Stay strong!
Man I can’t believe you’ve had bronchitis for that long, but glad it’s getting better! I am not trying to promote any kind of lifestyle or diet, but I used to get bronchitis ALL the time, and then I stopped eating dairy and then I stopped getting it altogether. (That was 20 years ago – now I eat cheese every now and then and I’m okay.) Also, are you doing the Brooklyn Half on May 19th? I am! And that sounds like a lot of cool travel coming up. I’m jealous.
I’m skipping Brooklyln in favor of Run for the Red Poconos, which is the day after BK HM. b
This bout of bronchitis is not as bad as the one I had a few years ago. At least this one is almost over. A few years ago, it went on until mid-summer. My husband says that I’m the healthiest sickliest person he knows (chronically ill but not life-threatening). Ha!
I’ve gone through periods where I didn’t eat dairy (or other things) and nothing changes in the frequency or intensity of illnesses. Getting enough sleep and managing stress are the two biggest things that I can do for my health.