Rest of June in Review (Turkey!)

Week of June 15
7 days off
7 days of 100 degrees
10 hours on a plane to Turkey!

So what did I do this week? I focused on rolling, stretching and doing all the things my PT told me to do. I made lots of really good meals for Garrett and me. I completed my pre-reading in preparation for Term 5 in Istanbul.  I packed for our trip.  I finally had time to meet Amanda and catch up with her.  I ran into an ex at Whole Foods...I mean it really was an eventful week full of everything it should be.  It was a great break for me mentally.  By Saturday night, Garrett and I landed safely in Istanbul, where the sun was shining but the temps were cooler at 70 degrees!  We reunited with Nick at a hostel and explored the Old City in one day.

Ice baths to keep my legs healthy

Did some face masks with Cicero

Taksim Square

View from our hostel in Old City

Garrett and Nick sharing a moment in our hostel

Week of June 22
28 miles
0 workouts
3 Days in Cappadoccia, Turkey
7 miles longest run

Garrett and I enjoyed our first trip across the Atlantic together as a couple by heading to Cappadoccia, Turkey with Nick.  We stayed in a really awesome hotel built into a cave...a place that had been in a family for hundreds of years.  We hiked a lot, saw caves with early Christian art on the walls, ate delicious Turkish food (lentil soup is my jam) and just relaxed.  I got to ride in a hot air balloon over the valleys of Goreme.  While expensive, it was completely worth it. When we were finally in the air, I couldn't even tell because the lift off was so smooth.  I got to fly above the clouds with several of my classmates and see the shadow of our balloon in the clouds.  Even after we landed, we got to help deflate the balloon by running on it and pushing the air out.  I felt like a little kid all over again and was so elated!  By Thursday night, we were back in Istanbul.  On Friday, I did some more pre-reading while Garrett and Nick did a cruise on the Bosphorous. I was sad to say goodbye to Garrett on Saturday and to start classes, but I did enjoy a nice break leading up to the hectic schedule of Term 5 residency.  With class on Saturday and Sunday, Katie and I both got out of bed every morning to get our runs in so that we could be as alert as possible for our Managerial Accounting and Operations classes.

Week in Review

61 Miles
400m, 2M, 200m track workout
13M MLR

While this week looks pretty decent on paper, it was just brutal mentally.  It's been 100 degrees here in Durham...it feels like it's August and that I'm running in a swamp.  It's been really rough.  To further complicate matters, my hamstring is fairly tight right at the insertion point to my glute.  Even though I had a great workout at the track on Wednesday, I knew my hamstring wasn't right. With coach, we had both decided that it would be best to take time off the week after Beat the Heat 5k in late July.  However, after dealing with my hamstring issues, I decided it was best to just pull the plug and take my week off starting on Sunday of this week.  I typically like taking time off right after a big goal race because I feel like I earned it.  This time around, I feel a little anxiety because the time off felt somewhat forced upon me.  Hopefully I'll get over that real quick.

(Finals) Week in Review

66 miles
1 day off
1 double
2 workouts
14 mile long run
4 days in Boston
16 hours of finals for two classes

This was a big week, but definitely not from a mileage perspective.  Let's see...What did I do?

• I spent four days in Boston at the offices of an ad agency for some work related projects.  
• I got to see Coach Terry in person for the very first time since he's been coaching me (which has been for two years now).  He even timed me in a workout on the Charlestown track in the cold, wind and rain.  
• I went to a runner girls' dinner with Meagan before having a sleepover with one of my favorite training partners.  
• I reunited with Liz, my college teammate and roommate, since she was in Boston for an interview for a PA job at the hospital.
• I ran two workouts (down ladded on the track and mile repeats with less than 60s rest)
• I completed my Decision Models final (it took 12 hours) and I completed my Marketing final (it took four hours).
• I ran long with over seven people on Sunday and it went by so fast!
• And I was so tired during every single ounce of this week.  So happy to be done with Term 4 of my MBA!