Really on deadline today. Racing to get a copyedited manuscript back to the publisher, painstakingly going over each and ever edit. It's going to be very tight. And yet I have learned that if I just plow through these things I am less than effective, so I just took an hour-and-a-half to ride with a buddy up to Holy Jim Canyon and back. I feel rested, sharpened, and a little bit less off-kilter than when I first started. So it's all good.
One topic of conversation during the ride was a speech I'm giving tomorrow night. It's a charity function, so people are actually paying to hear what I have to say. I'm not that interesting, truth be told, so the words flowing from my lips won't be pillars of wisdom. But I've got some funny stories and a couple interesting observations that might fill the space. I have to wear a suit for the occasion, which will definitely have me out of my sweatshirts-and-running shoes comfort zone. I don't like the idea of speaking, but always feel revitalized after I have given a speech. So like my mountain bike ride this morning, a few brief minutes away from the status quo will be good for the soul.
And sometimes it's just those few brief minutes that make a day pretty special. Onward!
Today's Workout
Yesterday was the only track workout of the week, a combination of pure speed and tempo. Today is just a simple recovery trot. Shake out the legs. Strides. Core. Stretch. Home. Getting to that point in the season when all the workouts are short and the miles are either super-intense or super-easy. These weeks are the focus of all we've worked for since January 4, and the first day of practice. Hope to make them great. This is one of the toughest times to be a coach, because you can't let a single detail slip past.