Interlude

So, was it totally obvious from my last two posts that the drama was me changing jobs? Or did it sound like I was getting divorced? Anyway yes, job change for me after 12, mostly wonderful, years at my (as of Friday) "old" job. And now I find myself in an interlude between jobs... an interlude of one freaking day because despite having 3 job offers while job hunting I did not manage to negotiate ANY time off between jobs (I am officially the world's WORST negotiator be it with 2 year olds, 4.5 year olds or future employers there is seriously no one as spineless as me). In fact this one day off I have is not through my negotiating "skills" but rather happenstance.

So yes, I find myself somewhat nostalgic. 12 years is a long time... I am leaving some really good friends, a great boss, an athlete I coach and two work husbands behind. Though the sadness has mostly past and now faded to excitement. I am excited to try something new, in a brand new industry, very different size of company, different location, different job description, different dress code (as in, there is one), different... well... just about everything. If I can pull this off then hopefully I will finally beat my lifelong, severe case of impostor syndrome (look it up, it's a thing!) into the ground and prove to myself, that I am actually competent (more likely I will just find new and creative ways to doubt myself but... whatever). And that is really all I can say about my new job.

On the running front - great news. Against all odds, I suddenly find myself in pretty good shape going into the spring road race season. Not due to any hard work I might add but simply due to some fortuitous weight loss. The secret to weight loss, I have found, lies in a combination of 8 weeks of interviewing, 4 weeks of decision making/stress/preparing for major life change and going to altitude (which always kills my appetite) alone (hence lots of time to run) for almost a week - cap it off with a severe case of stomach flu and voila: goal racing weight achieved. Though I have managed to run some good work-outs - heck I even broke 70 km two weeks in a row after 20 (TWENTY- seriously how did that happen?) weeks of not going above 60 km (and usually not even 50 km) so I find myself refreshed and lean (if not exactly physically fit) going into the spring road racing season and am excited to see what I can make happen out there on the roads and perhaps even on the track.

First up, a 5 km at the end of March - last year I managed 18.55. I'm going to throw it out there no holds barred - I am aiming for sub-18:30 right off the bat, right at the beginning of the season with my A goal for the 2014 season being to break 18:00 for the 5 km again. As mentioned previously, I turn 40 (FORTY - seriously how did that happen?) weeks, um, I mean years, old this year. Previously my plan had been to run the NYC marathon to celebrate but after some (as usual) indecision I have decided the ROI is not great where the investment constitutes miles and miles of training while getting used to a new job as well as the whopping entry fee. So now instead I am thinking a week-end alone somewhere, an short flight from Montreal to do a half marathon somewhere beautiful and warm in late autumn (any suggestions?) and the goal there will be sub-1:24.