Killer Weekend of MCM Preparation

Taking full advantage of the long-weekend afforded to me by our government, I made a concerted effort to get as much physical activity in as possible. I kicked off the weekend with a medium length tempo run that went a little longer than nine miles. Despite the oppressive heat and air quality checking in at a Beijing-level due to the humidity, I managed to maintain a vigorous pace throughout the run. Sunday was going to be an “off” day from running by attending a Pilates class at the gym. I figured Pilates would be a good supplement to running since a strong core is required during the latter stages of a long-distance run when the rest of the body begins to fall apart. Maintaining good form is also paramount to a strong finish. Despite possessing a level of flexibility akin to the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, I did pretty well and received a complement from the instructor as the class was exiting. The Tin Man was on my mind as I saw Wicked later that evening with dinner beforehand at Georgia Brown's. Note to my readers: avoid Georgia Brown’s. The food was subpar and the service was the pits. A Chicago dog would have been a better meal. Monday brought more running and I chose to run a hilly course. I am glad I did. Despite running up the Walter Reed hill twice, I kept my pace in the middle 8:00s, so I was pretty pleased with myself and the six total miles.


This upcoming week will be more active as I am a “bachelor” for most it. Sadly, I am unable to accompany my wife to the Twin Cities for the Perez family reunion, so I will get to re-live the years of my wayward youth. Instead of bar visits, bad meals, and multiple movie screenings, I plan to cram as much running and gym visits in without fear of neglecting my parental responsibilities. Thus, I have long runs planned before work most days and will drive out to Fountainhead Park for some trail running this weekend. I may even find some time to rent and watch the entire series of Shipmates.