Today is the day after Christmas. I knew it had been a while since I made a post, but I did not realize how long until I checked in today. In the last 28 days I have been too obsessive to sit down and write a post. That happens sometimes, I get fixated on a project, like the finish of a marathon, what the next race will be, the start of the 5 month indoor speed training season, and thinking I wanted a second dog.
Of all those obsessions the dog won out and I spent hundreds of hours looking at petfinders, talking with rescues, to ultimately buy a black lab from a Hunter’s Pride in PA. It is too long a story to recount, but I got the little guy on Sunday. I can already tell he is going to be a good running buddy. House training is not going so well. He can hold it for hours outdoors just to wait until he is inside where it is warm to pee on the floor. He has only been here for 4 nights and he will learn.
I ran two races since the NYC marathon. Both were after we started speed training on the indoor track and both races were the slowest I have run. My 4 miler was really depressing and being 25 degrees was not the excuse, but I will throw it in there anyway. It was just a bad running day and perhaps my body was acclimating from the previous workout which was Tuesday 5 x 1000, 400 meter recovery run and Thursday 12 x 200 with 2 minute static rest. I like that I can get faster in these winter training months, but running on the banked 200 meter indoor track is not always so fun, especially for a distance runner.
Last week I finished my semester teaching, 4 art / media clases plus an independent study. I also had my own final to take in Exercise Physiology, a two day strength and conditioning conference and the CSCS exam. The CSCS is defined as, ” The Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) is for professionals who design and implement strength training and conditioning programs for athletes in a team setting.” The certification is also common among Physical Therapists and Clinical Exercise Physiologists who work in cardiac rehabs centers. I am moving in to a multi career field, artist, Professor and Exercise Physiologist. All things that I love, okay teaching I don’t always love, but it does pay the bills and being tenured is pretty awesome.In the near future I would like to train masters female runner in particular but also anyone who is seriously interested in their fitness and sports. I don’t want to train people that simply want to look good, that is too easy and a bit boring. Training for competition is far better and ultimatly one get’s an even better body anyway.
I will not find out the results of my CSCS exam for 8 weeks but I am not holding my breath. I was not prepared well enough for it. Rumor has it that only 65% of the test takers pass it on the first round, I may not be in the that 65%, I just to wait and see. Humility is always good training to instill learning.
The next thing I want to think about are my goals for next year. First will be my racing goals, then my art career goals, followed by general lifestyle goals. But as I look around what is foremost on my mind is how much I want a weekly house cleaner! Especially now that I have two dogs. That would be a good lifestyle change – quality of life increase when I do something fun like running, biking, hiking with the dogs instead of sucking up hair from the couch.
The next post I plan on telling my goals and since it is public does that make me stick to them any better? We will have to see. Until then happy running, happy holidays, and I wish everyone a Healthy, Happy, and Fun Filled New Year.
Adventure Artist 