Operation Sparkle: We run on...

Morning Junkies-

I know it's been a long time since I wrote. When I last updated you on this journey, Mom had decided to come along. That hasn't changed (and probably won't since she has plane tickets and we have hotel reservations and whatnot), but since then a lot and not much has happened. And that's why I've been MIA.

The week after I posted that, I was frantically trying to get out a paper to my committee (fun reminder: I'm in grad school) and then I had to work on my slides for the public defense of that paper. Then the defense got rescheduled unexpectedly.

So I went to a friends house and we went to Six Flags and I made the one ADR mom and I wanted for Princess weekend (Breakfast/Brunch after the 10K at Akershus). And then I came back to school and did my exam and AM OFFICIALLY A PHD CANDIDATE.

That was great: I made it through the first week of classes and that Saturday I ran my first ever 13 miles...and I did it in 3:15, which is 15 minutes less than Disney's time limit, which gave me a great confidence boost.

But I quickly deflated. After I got home and showered and ate my post-run Mac n Cheese, I got a phone call from my dad.

My grandmother had passed away Friday night.

My world went into a tailspin. This is the first close family member I've ever lost. I literally had no idea what to do. Do I stay here and keep going to school? Do I go home for the funeral, miss a week of school and a race I've been registered for since June?

In the end, I went home and I missed the race. And it was the right thing to do.

But I kept lacing up my shoes and hitting the trails. I've got a race to train for, and grandma would never forgive me if I gave up for her.

I've started the training program for the GSC, which is about 4-6 weeks before I should have, but I need the buffer time for sick weeks, injuries, and travel I have coming up. I also have another 10K this coming weekend. I'm hoping for a new PR and really need to kick this respiratory thing I've had since my trip home. I've also started running in compression socks. Saturday was my first go in them and it didn't go well, but I think it was a combination of a lot of elements...hopefully, I can give them another go this week and decide whether to integrate them into this race or keep training and put them on for a race I'm registered for in November.

I'll let you know how things go. Until then, keep running.