Two weeks ago, I wrote about the boost of inspiration that I expected to get from my annual pilgrimage to the Creative Freelancer Conference. As it turns out, I didn’t get what I expected. Usually I leave this conference with a to-do list that’s close to a mile and a half long. But this year,…
Tag Archive: travel
Letting Go and Relaxing
About three years ago, I came to the realization that there was only one time of year when we could take family vacations: the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Sure, the flights are crowded and yes, both of our families are irritated that we don’t come home for the holidays, but to me, it’s…
Moment
Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). The boys had gone east to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I was alone in Pacific Grove, walking back from dinner in Monterey. I could hear the gravel crunching under my feet as I walked…
Three Days, Mile High
Thursday: Plan: non-run, cross-training workout. Modification: expected to take the day off. Completed: approximately 1.5 miles of hiking and close to 400 steps. I flew into Denver on Thursday, and by some divine stroke of luck I managed to score a single ticket to the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre,…
Double Workouts, or Maybe I Should Follow the Plan
Tuesday: Plan: An evening track workout with the coaches. Completed: The evening track workout plus an hour of kickboxing. Wednesday: Plan: 30 minutes of non-run workout. Completed: An hour of low-impact, low-speed walking. ~~~~~ I’ve probably already mentioned that the scheduled cross-training (a.k.a. non-running) days of the plan don’t coincide with my Tuesday and Thursday…
How Do You Handle a Crisis?
Last Thursday, I was on a cross-country flight from EWR-SFO. Less than a third of the way into the flight, somewhere over Indiana, the unthinkable happened: my sweet, charming boy had become the vomiting preschooler. In an instant, we went from being the subject of smiles and waves to being that nightmare in-flight story. By…
Still Training
As I look at the date of my last training post — May 8! — I wonder how 10 days have passed so quickly. I have been training plenty, although not in the last two days while I’ve been traveling solo with the boy. Some highlights from the past week: Three kickboxing classes, including the…
The 3rd 40: Day 33
A couple of weeks ago, I had a fairly successful (read: balanced) trip to Chicago. I ran every morning and stopped at Starbucks for oatmeal, a much healthier start to the day than a giant pastry from the continental breakfast. Because of the success of that plan, I decided to scope out the nearest Starbucks…
The 3rd 40: Days 29-32
It has been an unusual week. I don’t know when the professional karma pendulum swung my way, but I received more requests for proposals in the past week than I did in the six months prior. And these aren’t just returning clients; a full two-thirds of them are new clients referred by existing clients. I’m…
The 3rd 40: Day 27
It was a 100% work-free day (with the exception of the time I spent jotting down ideas into an email on my iPhone at the A’s game… yes, I have problems). Every Sunday I wake up with the intention of going to kickboxing at 9:00. The problem with that plan is that it interferes with…