Run Life's Course: The Stress Build-Up

Monday, May 18, 2009

The Stress Build-Up

Flying to work onsite for a project 6 hours one-way no big deal. Having to connect is another story. As long as Dulles and Chicago cooperate I will make it through. So far so good even in the midst of the end of the winter.

But up here in no man's land during the week, where is the sun in May? No wonder this UBCF (undiagnosed bi-polar control freak) is going off pointing pens in people's faces, yelling at people on the project, acting like she is on a construction site (in fact, those men act better), banging on her desk to ask for an update, and telling me that I cost too much money. Note to Self: Don't let it stress you T, walk it off! It's a recession and you're in New England. You are working around the hidden reality.

Finally I made it through the day and drive to the hotel where the "manager" informs me that my discount has run out and they will be charging me an extra $59/night beginning next week. Okay really for a Springhill Suites. This is not the Ritz Carlton and I am not in any HOT location. So what I expense it, that is unfair and a complete rip-off. Note to Self: Say nothing. Smile and go to your room and look for a better deal.

Get to the room and my handyman calls to tell me that there is a $3700 emergency repair that has to take place on the house. What kind of emergency is that? How long can the emergency be an emergency - like a month or two? Isn't the purpose of a handyman to prevent $3700 emergencies from happening. I am two seconds from telling off this unhandyman and firing him. Note to Self: Be kind because he has the keys to the boiler room and the garage. Pretend like you are going to work with him until you can get home and see what is really going on.

All this stress and no sunshine has got to go. This hotel has this small compact "gym" with two treadmills and an elliptical. I HATE running on a treadmill. I HATE wanna-be gyms that are really half the size of the room with one mirror and three machines. No scenery and unfamiliar territory in an Obama presidency in New England - I DARE not run outside after work. Maybe I will get me a Billy Blanks Tae-Bo DVD.

Marathon Results and Snippets

Too Many More To Add
05.15.11 - Pasadena (5:30:27) - The ultimate challenge is to run another marathon the day after a PR. But in the rain? It rained the first 11 miles. (I thought it did not rain in Southern California.) I should have returned to the car and driven back to the hotel. Here we go again with the half marathoners and the marathoners running together until mile 10. I was running but my legs couldn't sustain it after mile 10. I walked for 2.5 miles and ran every 3 minutes for the race during the hills. No electrolyte drinks for almost 5 mile stretches. No pretzels, salt, or other "push you through" food. Shout out to the neighborhood family that gave us Vanilla Wafers and Jolly Ranchers in a Ziploc bag. Nothing like running with a Vanilla Wafers bag but this was my "electrolyte". I had to stop at a local store to get a Mountain Dew to finish the race. The nerve of one of the race coordinators to ask where I got my Mountain Dew when they had no Gatorade on the course. Paramedics were plentiful and not Kaiser Permanente. Thank goodness. Overall not well organized.
05.14.11 - Palos Verdes (4:33:31 PR) - Community marathon it is but for a great charitable cause. You can register the morning of the race. The views of the Pacific Ocean are the only high point outside of the HILLS HILLS HILLS and more HILLS. A little drizzle during the marathon was bearable. Mental toughness is required as you past the finish line three times before it is actually your finish. Running back through the original starting line is no fun. It felt more like a long run around some neighborhoods rather than a marathon. Water stops has minimal water and even less electrolyte drinks. They use the old school chips. Less than 1 foot after crossing the finish line, you are expected to stop suddenly so they can collect the chips. A practice long run at best.
03.26.11 - National (4:46:05) - The marathon that couldn't end soon enough! Cheap bootleg expo across from RFK Stadium. 29 degrees at the start and 33 at the finish. The host hotel offered one shuttle to the start every hour. Half marathoners started the same time as the marathoners and there was NO split. The first mile marker we saw was at mile 10. The streets could not hold the number of runners with the parked cars. Get this! Half marathoners were being encouraged that they only had 100 feet to go to the finish as we had to a) run past their finish line, b) run around RFK stadium as they are going to their parked cars, and c) run back through the original starting line. THE WORST!!! I am not into crowd support but if you are, don't run this marathon. They did have water and electrolyte stops at every mile after mile 15. Lo and behold, there were mile markers too after mile 15. I can't forget the loop around the bucket at mile 22. There was a long stretch to the finish that had no "glory" that you were anywhere near the finish line - no signage, no cheers, no "you're almost there", no NOTHING! After experiencing the longest marathon ever, I had no way of getting back to the hotel. The police said "take a subway". REALLY? NOT! S I waited 20 minutes to hail the only taxi to go to the hotel. I had the taxi stop to pick up three other marathoners to take them to their cars. Disgusted!
03.20.11 - Georgia (4:54:49) - A great challenge for a flat course runner with 18 miles of hills and 6 miles of near flat terrain. Half marathoners started at the same time but split at mile 6. Plenty of room in the streets to handle the crowds. If you're into crowd support, don't be! I must have been delusional to think Atlanta was flat in all my business travel. The last hill ended around mile 25. The finish was the best. Within 20 feet of the medal was the photo area and the post-race food and two blocks to the hotel. Perfectly organized non-major marathon with volunteers exemplifying the best Southern Hospitality.

Run Life's Course

Monday, May 18, 2009

The Stress Build-Up

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