Summer

I've been hearing complaints from some of my readers that I haven't updated in a while (Hi, Mom!), so I guess it's time. I haven't been busy (in fact, quite the opposite), but I've been preoccupied. My grandmother is sick, and while I'm trying to help out as much as I can, it's wearing on my family. I wish I could fix everything. Instead, I'll just help out with dinner sometimes and stay far away other times.

School didn't end with a bang, it was more of a pphhhhhtt. Like, when the whoopie cushion isn't really filled enough, and you don't even get that satisfying fart noise. That was how school ended. I got many well wishes from colleagues, but no fireworks. What should I have expected?

Last week, I took a trip to Atlantic City. I had a great time doing sensible things, and we got our hotel room comped. It was a lovely trip, but we decided against staying a second night because, somehow, those comp rooms end up costing way more than you think. I spend the next day sitting by my boyfriend's family's pool, soaking up the shade (it was over 90 degrees F) and reading a book. I bought a new book, The Emperor of All Maladies, which is turning out to be pretty fantastic. It is a sort of narrative history of cancer, from the first recorded descriptions of tumor-like things. I'm already at the first developed chemotherapy, and really enjoying the read. It's a good book for anyone who enjoys science history (is that even a thing?).

I also sat down with my grandfather, after purchasing a really cool digital voice recorder, to begin my adventure of writing his Holocaust survival story. That was an awesome and humbling and overwhelming experience, and I've only just begun. I'll share more details in future posts.

The rest of my time has been split between fire department adventures and triathlon training. I've gotten to go to one more fire department parade and attended a few ambulance calls. I love EMS. I love feeling in control of EVERYTHING.

The triathlon training has been fun, but challenging. It's nice to have the time to really work hard, and I've been really exploring my parent's neighborhood. It's really a new way to look at the town, after living here for 20 years. Exploring on foot makes it a more fun place, and I'm really starting to appreciate every little hill and dip. And, believe it or not, I am enjoying all the hills. It adds an extra little challenge to every run and bike, making it a little more interesting.

In the last week, I have run 14.3 miles, biked 18.7 miles, and swum 1.2 miles. I know the bike number is a little shoddy, but I've been lazy about either riding rough hills or schlepping the bike somewhere flatter. Today I schlepped the bike, and got a lovely 13 mile ride. This month, I've run 37.8 miles (I guess Saturday's run will be 2.2 miles), which is the most I've done since my poorly-planned half marathon training of a year ago. Also, in the month of June, I've trained 3 hours each week.

The weight loss has kind of plateaued, which is not the worst thing in the world. If I end up stuck at not-quite-goal-but-lighter-than-I've-been-since-2006 weight, I'll be pretty happy.

Last Friday marked the 60-day point in my 90-day challenge. I haven't quite made the weight loss goal (134 lbs instead of 133 lbs), and haven't been consistent enough training (averaging 9 miles per week run instead of 10), but I haven't had any microwaved meals in the last month!

Third 30 days
Weight goal: 131 lbs (this has been my arbitrary goal since 2009)
Running goal: average of 15 miles per week
Diet goal: this is the summer, home-cooked meal at least 3x/week

I don't think I'll make the weight goal, but I'm up for trying 15 miles per week. And I've got to get cooking.