Running and Vacation

The family at my cousin's wedding :)

So this past week, I headed up to Northern California for my cousin's wedding in Pleasanton. As excited as I was to see my cousin get married and to experience my first wedding, I had a feeling that it would be a tough week for me in terms of training. Vacations are a bittersweet thing; as grateful as I was to get away for a week and to let myself have fun with family and friends, I also knew that running was not a priority.

Before we embarked on the 7+ hour drive up to Pleasanton, my parents made it clear to me that they were not going to be worried about my training schedule. It simply wasn't on the list of important things to do on vacation. I knew that it was going to be up to me; I would have to find a way to get my training in without "sacrificing" vacation time. Any chance I got I was working out. I may not have been able to run consistently, but any free time I had was spent doing cardio at hotel gyms and at almost every 24 Hour Fitness in the Bay Area. (Well, more like 5 but you get the idea) I got in a few runs but with my lack of common sense and horrific sense of direction, running outside posed to be quite a challenge.

Although I got in almost 2 hours of cardio every day, it just wasn't the same as physically being outside and running to the point of exhaustion. While everyone else was enjoying the vacation and being together, I was miserable because I knew I was taking a huge step back with my training. I couldn't help but think about the upcoming season; specifically whether I would significantly suffer for my "vacation" at the time trial this coming Thursday.

I can't say that I didn't enjoy being with my family because I really did. I am really grateful for the time I was able to spend with my parents and sister before she heads back off to school in a week. However, I just wish they would understand how important this all is to me. I have worked my butt off this summer to have it pay off in the fall. I know I cannot force them to understand my dedication and determination towards what I do, but I wish that they could be a little more empathetic and try harder to see things from my perspective. All that I can do now is take advantage of this last week of solo summer training and get ready mentally for the time trial on Friday morning.

So much for a peaceful vacation.