conference

I'm off later today to Minneapolis for a professional conference, where I am interviewing job candidates, chairing a committee that has a lot of work to do, participating in two other committees, and receiving an award. It is going to be exhausting.

October training

swim 10 workouts, 10 1/2 hours
bike 9 workouts, 21 hours
run 14 workouts, 42 miles

That's a big record for me for running. Travel and my father's death got in the way of biking very much--I got some good long rides in but 9 workouts is pretty sad.

home again

So many people told us what a wonderful memorial service it was. We kept the service short, but the receiving line took well more than an hour, and after the reception at the church family and out-of-town friends came back to the house. I got involved in talking to lots of people, then crashed about 7 pm (the service had started at 2 pm). We were staying with friends so we could leave. Sunday we went back to the house for a long meeting with the lawyer--no problems, just very complicated. Then we hurried to catch our plane home. I'm not doing too well underneath.

cold weather

We had warm weather until Monday, and then suddenly it went from summer to winter: lows in the 40s and a cold cold wind. For several days I couldn't face going out on my bicycle in the cold, but finally today I got myself out for a little under two hours, wearing long sleeves and a wind vest and knickers and wool knee socks. It was lovely! I had forgotten how nice it is not to be hot.

going in opposite directions

I did some more work with childhood feelings from my first father's death, and ended up angry that I had felt I had to help my mother and my feelings weren't honored. As an adult I am now trying to help my mother; Friday we head to Massachusetts for the memorial service.

the race I'm missing

If I weren't going away this weekend I would have been tempted to sign up for the Orange Crush Duathlon. Though I have my doubts--I looked at the run course map and it includes several of the worst hills in town. My husband gets his heart rate up to his max by walking those hills fast.

I ran 3.6 miles this morning, beginning to increase one run a week beyond the 3 miles three times a week I have been doing for several weeks. I want to do olympic distance triathlons next year, with a 10 K run (6.2 miles). I wouldn't mind doing some running races at that distance this winter, but there isn't much locally at distances in between 5 K and a half marathon.

Saturday

It is a week until the memorial service. I went to Talbots last week to try on the cotton sweater I was interested in, and they didn't have it. Instead, I found a very lightweight fitted boiled wool jacket in black. I bought purple and dark red lightweight stretch cotton-rayon long sleeved tees at Target, so I am all set.

I've been working with the feelings from my first father's death. I was discouraged from expressing those feelings when I was a child, and so I came to believe that if I let them out they would tear me apart. I had a safe place last night to let some out, and when I was done I felt so strange, as if I was now a different person.