Recent runs.........

My last couple of weeks of running have been fairly similar, think about it during the week, maybe make it out, run Saturday and Sunday. I have kind of adapted this routine as the work, life, health, motivation, running balance was in need of attention.

Work - we are doing a minor org change, good news - more authority, bad news - more responsibilities, all in all I think it will work itself out. The good news is that I have a job I enjoy and since I work in the med device industry, I think I may have it longer than some and the org things are almost resolved.

Life - a couple of things on this front, the first was we had a need to buy a car. I am selling my old car to my daughter as she needs a car for her upcoming internship. We decided to buy a used car that would basically be a commuter car for me and one that would be safe for my youngest daughter to practice with as she heads towards her license next fall. That had the normal stress of dealing with car dealers but thankfully the Internet made it pretty easy.

The second thing is my Father-in-law had a kidney transplant, it went very well and is working, (the kidney was donated by one of my wife's brothers, the surgery was on Friday down in Chicago) and we continue to pray for his return to good health as well as for her brother's quick recovery from his donation. It's one of those things that just keeps going through your head. Life is precious, appreciate your health and your loved ones.

Health - the foot is tender and I figured a few more off days than normal might be a good idea.

Motivation - for me this equals my next race, no committed race until Chippewa so I am working on this.

Running - health and motivation affect this as does the life and work issues, the bottom line is I did get a few runs in and they all helped my mental health. Some were slow, some were slower, some were short, some were longer, they were all enjoyable. Take today's run in Lebanon Hills, I was on the backside of Jensen lake and what did I see running across the ice but a coyote. I have seen an occasional one in Lebanon Hills but they are pretty shy and I usually only see them once or twice a year. One of the reasons I love running trails is the animals I see, it sure beats seeing cars, people and pavement.

So to sum up the last few weeks, the foot is no worse (nor better), a car got purchased, work is getting calmer and the motivation is getting pretty close to getting itself resolved. We are thankful for the successful surgery (and pray for it's continued success) and will look forward to catching up with family and friends over the holidays.

So it's time to work on the training plan for the winter and next year....................