What I did on my 6-month vacation...

OK, so it wasn't really a 6-month vacation, it's just that it's been that long (or almost) since I've written. I've decided to get back in the saddle yet again...nothing big, but just getting restarted. It's been a long, but a good, 6 months. Some highlights (in no particular order):

• Set a 5K PR of 26:39 (8:34/mile pace) in the Nike+ Rock 'n Run--that put me in the top half of my age/sex division, and almost top half of all finishers (first time!)
• Set a 4-mile PR of 37:17 (9:19/mile pace) at the 3rd annual 4 on the 4th race
  
• Started training for the Chicago Marathon (again...), this time taking it much easier than last year.
• Took a 12-day cruise to 5 countries bordering the Baltic Sea (see sidebar for links to my pictures!).
• Traveled, traveled, and traveled some more for work.
• Adopted a beautiful 2-month old kitten named Bella.
• Read a lot, hung out a lot, cooked out on the grill a lot, hung out with friends a lot.
  

It doesn't sound like much but believe me, it's been a lot and it was all fun. Well, most of it anyway. But I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

So, now I'm in the last few weeks of my marathon training program...this past weekend was an 18-mile run. I crashed pretty hard at about 15 miles and had to walk almost all the rest, but this coming Sunday is another opportunity to do better. This week is 16 miles, and then the week after that (September 15th) is my longest run of the program--20 miles.

More (hopefully) to come between now and the 20 miler...