Packing

I guess the time has come to pack again. Actually, it's been exactly 3 months as I did it last time. Where did the time go? I was thinking of posting my "training" for that time as in "not enough", but what the hell, I am signed up and going. There is no reason to complain, neither to be overly optimistic. I was almost at the point "may be I shouldn't" last night, but today is AC100, and I am clicking on the webcast when I am in the house (what is 3rd time now), and it's insanely amazingly contasious to watch those runners go through the checkpoints. I wish I were there. Whatever state I would have been in, now I miss the opportunity to participate in AC100. Way to go, everybody! Jorge Pacheco is running strong, so is Jeff Riley, Mike Burke (yay, Bushwhacker!) and Stacey Bunton and Mike McCarthy (he is 8th, wow!). I should have just flown in and helped out, paced, crewed or something...if I were single and could justify my absense from home.

Because this weekend has a "to do" list that is a length of the wall. I sent Oleg to the Mt. Hood for a day (he needs a rest from grant writing - did I mention he got appointed Ass.Prof. as of January?) at 6 am, went for an hour run, painted first layer on the Stpehen's room's walls, took Stephen to the game - they won 2:1 (so much fun!!! and they have a kid on the team who is purely professional, just a pleasure to watch him, where are national coaches? and the whole team is playing great), then they had a team picture time. One of teammate's moms was very nice and took Stephen on a playdate after that, and I managed to put another final layer of paint in 40 min before my neighbor stopped by.

We went to Nike employeer store - discounted shoes, just in time for my birthday. I've been running roads and track (and cross-training at the gym, and going to work) in a single pair that is exactly one year old, from our last visit before my birthday. No wonder my shins hurt so much. I was trying to pick one pair (I am cheap), but then couldn't resist and got two, plus two pairs of shorts! I think I need those as well - besides one "race ready" style, all my stuff is since the second year after I started running. What is old.

Need to clean the painted room and move furniture back, go food shopping (absolutely empty fridge), cook, clean the house...and it's for today, and it's almost 4 pm. Writing a blog entry was on a list as well, so I am not wasting my time:)

Stupid i-Pod, I came to hate it. It broke on me 6 months ago after 6 months in use, I send it for repare. Got it - now it broke again! Sent it in (this time had to pay for shipping) - they send me a replacement that's not working! What do I do now, send it back and pay again? I tried to call and spent 30 min on hold while painting! And on top of it I really need it for next weekend! Argh! Tomorrow...I'll think about it tomorrow.

Alex sent us two letters this week, and we got to talk to him on Wed. It was sweet! His letters sound so loving. We are contemplating taking him out earlier (what is still not soon enough). What to do next? Do we move so the neighborhood is not a reminder for him? What school does he go to? Scary...
What reminds me I need to fill a bunch of homework this weekend from after-Discovery seminar and for Focus seminar - it's coming at the end of October. This time Oleg and I are going together. Alex has his Focus first week of October, I hope he passes!

It's cold here, fall has come. I don't mind 50-60F, just wish the rain would not be so often. It's very depressing.

Tomorrow is a 2 hr run on trails, then next week is 5-4-3 miles. This is my first time not to have a pace chart or any predicitions whatsoever. I won't lie, 24 hrs is a very desirable goal no matter how you look at it, and it's a relatively easy course (9,000 feet gain and same loss), it's a lot of technical trails (rocks, roots and small ups and downs). Heat could be in the picture. Honestly, 28 hrs sounds more realistic, it's just looks...slow. Anyhow, there is a chance I won't have either time, a.k.a. no time at all:) It's OK too. I am not sure what I want right now. I guess, I'll get to the start line and figure it out.

p.s. Thanks to Scott Dunlap, you have to go and read this article
This answers my own question. It also promted me to work on a pace chart and that is eactly what it takes to get me excited! Woo-hoo, I have a pace chart! OK, it's a wishful thinking, and of course if things go bad, I won't need nothing like that, but looking at numbers gets me pumped:) Now it's more like it!