It’s certainly been a while since I’ve been plugged in! Between traveling last week and a staycation this week, I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and blog about what I’ve been up to. To be honest it’s been a nice break to step away from the computer, but now I’m ready to catch you all up.
I took off early last Wednesday morning for the West Coast to attend the American Psychological Association annual conference in San Diego. I spent the next 5 days working in the exhibit hall and spending quality time with my coworkers. This was the sixth APA I’ve attended for work and probably one of the best. I thoroughly enjoyed the weather there! The consistent 70-degree temperatures and cool breezes off the water were a welcome change to the heat and humidity back home.
I had 9 miles to run on Saturday morning, but I knew early on in the trip that that probably wasn’t going to work for me. I had an author dinner at 7:30 on Friday night and knew it would be a late one! Since I ended up having Thursday night free – and since you can run at any time of day in San Diego, not having to wake up at dawn to beat the heat – I spontaneously decided to take off for my 9 miles around 6 pm. This was after literally being on my feet from 9 to 5 all day! I think my coworkers thought I was a wee bit crazy to run like that after a long day, but it ended up working out.
How can you not enjoy running with views like this?
I was surprised at how well this run went considering the day I’d had. It felt great to be outside and moving around after being cooped up inside the convention center. I did a nice out-and-back route along the Embarcadero, up to the airport/Harbor Island, and back to my hotel. I loved being surrounded by other runners! I’m so used to running by myself around town where not many people run; it was a nice change to have the company of other runners around me. I ended up finishing the 9 miles slightly faster than I did two weeks ago – in 1:55.24.
The best part was that I actually enjoyed myself! I always feel good after I’ve completed a run, but I had a really good time on this one. I think the change in weather and scenery helped me out a lot. I also took pride in the fact that I was doing something pretty epic while on a business trip! Not gonna lie – it was pretty sweet to walk into our booth the following morning and tell my coworkers that I actually did run 9 miles the night before.
That Saturday night I got to meet up with two my best friends from back home who now live in California. Shaina and Dallas (sisters) grew up just around the corner from me (we’ve been friends since we were 3) – our backyards connected, and we used to run back and forth playing all day long! They both moved out to the L.A. area a few years ago. Now Dallas lives in San Diego, and Shaina’s in Bakersfield. Shaina hopped in her car for a road trip to SD for the weekend, so we could all go out for drinks. It was great to get together with childhood friends. I hadn’t seen Shaina in at least 6 months; I don’t think I’d seen Dallas since she moved 3 years ago!
I finally arrived home in NJ very late Sunday night/early Monday morning. And I’ve been on vacation all week. It’s great to have this time off after working such long hours the week before. I spent Monday/Tuesday recovering from my trip and the jet lag and spending quality time with Darcy – who has pretty pitiful separation anxiety and always misses me tons when I have to travel! The last couple of days have been spent at the Honda dealership getting my car serviced and doing some outlet shopping (picked up a couple new sports bras and some compression tights for the upcoming fall weather).
Tomorrow will be the highlight of my week off – I’m either taking a super-quick trip down the shore to Wildwood with my mom or taking this face to the dog beach I just discovered!
Oh yeah, and at some point in the next three days, I’ll be hitting a running milestone with my first double-digit run: 10 miles! I’m working on a new playlist and charging up my Garmin and iPod for the occasion. You can bet there will be a recap in the near future!
What have you been up to in the past week? Did you have an awesome run? Go on a cool weekend getaway…the Healthy Living Summit maybe? Do tell!
Twenty-something Jersey girl blogging about life, books, fitness, and whatever other random thing pops in her head. 
Don’t you love friendships where you can always pick up where you left off. I bet it felt great to see old friends. And I think taking blogging breaks is so helpful every now and again.