90 Mile Week. . . In Progress + Job Update

41 miles down . . . . 49 left to run! πŸ™‚

Things have been going pretty well. I have been getting decent sleep, I have very little stress in my life, so my energy has been good but my legs are a little fatigued. The 10K race combined with a 14 mile long run on Saturday did me in and has left my legs sore and not too spingy.Β  I haven’t taken any days off, so of course my legs haven’t had a chance to heal. I know I should take a day off, but frankly I don’t want to and don’t think I’m at risk for injurying myself. I’ve been taking ice baths, foam rolling, and getting massage therapy, so I’m hoping that will be enough to pull me through. Next week I plan to back off on my mileage and give my legs a little break.

So far, here’s what my training has been looking like. . . . .

Monday

AM – 9 miles/1:14

I was still very sore from Saturday, so I took it nice and slow.

PM – 5 miles/40:34

This was a good run, but I still felt sore. (I took an ice bath after this run.)

Tuesday

13 miles/1:43

I ran in the glorious sunshine and “heat” at noon on Tuesday. It was 65*, sunny, and absolutely wonderful. I think I got a little color (tan)?? It may have been the first day I’ve gotten any sort of color this summer in Alaska. It is pretty sad. While most of the U.S. has been having a warmer than average summer, Alaska has been experiencing a cooler than average summer. . . . .go figure!

Wednesday

AM– 9 miles/1:13

I felt pretty decent. I did a nice hill workout and pushed the pace up the hills.

PM – 5 miles/39:51

Good run, but I thought my overall pace would be faster.

I submitted the above picture to Runner’s World magazine for their contest looking for runners to appear in an upcoming issue of Runner’s World. How awesome would that be to be in their magazine!! πŸ™‚ It would be a dream come true!!

~~~~~~~

Alright, now onto the job news. . . .

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I resigned from teaching this spring. Since April, I have been feverishly applying for jobs. Ninety percent of the jobs I have applied for have been out of state in either Minnesota or Oregon since I have no desire to live in Alaska—and haven’t for 4 years. I knew my chances of securing a job out of state were slim, but I had to try! I know I applied for 50+ jobs—maybe even close to 75. I asked family members and friends to keep their eyes out for something that I could do because fortunately/unfortunately it often comes down to who you know.

As the months went by—and no one was calling me to do an interview—I knew my chances of getting hired out of state were dwindling, so I felt obligated to apply for jobs here in Anchorage. Within less than a week of submitting my application for a particular job in Anchorage, I had a phone interview, an in-person interview, and a job offer. It felt too good to pass up, so I accepted and am officially on a new career path! I will be working at a bank in the credit/loan department. It is completely different from teaching but exactly what I needed. I am excited for where this job will take me because I feel like there is a lot of room for me to move up!

I’m still really bummed I wasn’t able to move out of Alaska because living here has been a HUGE stressor for me. A while back, my husband and I had talked about leaving this summer but like so many people up here, you find more reasons to stay. Sigh. I know it will be good financially for us and good for me because I will be able to get some decent job experience, but it is still really, REALLY hard living here. (And you can’t comprehend it until you’ve spent more than just a week or two of your summer vacation here!!) I miss my family and friend terribly, but I’m hoping that one day I can be closer to them.

And with all that, I know I’m going to have to give up my blog for the most part. I might be able to post once a week, but I know I’m not going to have time to keep up with regular posts or reading other blogs, so I apologize.

Hi, I'm Michelle

I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my two boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been blogging here since 2010 when I ran my first marathon. I finally secured my sub-3 hour marathon after trying for 8 years.

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21 Comments

  1. 8.8.12
    K said:

    Nice job on the miles. I’ve been doing the opposite of you this week. πŸ˜› Boo.

    *hug* While living in Alaska and being far from family, I know that it IS tough, but someday you will leave and find yourself missing it.

    You’ll read other people’s blogs and hear about their adventures. You’ll be jealous you didn’t do this or that while you lived there. You’ll return to visit twice in one year, one week to backpack the Crow Pass trail and one week in the winter to run a race you always said never EVER to: the Little Su.

    Please realize that it is such an incredible and unique place you live and to take advantage of that uniqueness while you’re still there. I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t always do that. (although I lived in Fairbanks, I’m much less enthusiastic about Anchorage)

    • 8.9.12
      Michelle said:

      I’d be very surprised if I missed Alaska after leaving. I lived in South Dakota for a year and did not enjoy living there either–I haven’t missed it at all.

      But I do know what you mean. . . . .

  2. 8.8.12
    Elle said:

    Congrats on the new job. I worked at a bank throughout college and loved the company so much I ended up working for them, in a completely different area, once I had graduated and left my home town.

    Best of luck with the rest of your miles this week! When you have a weekly milage goal, do you go from a set plan or just work out the runs yourself?

    • 8.9.12
      Michelle said:

      Thanks!

      For the marathon I ran in June, I found a plan online to follow. But now with this higher mileage, I wasn’t able to find a plan that went up that high. (I’m sure if I would have looked harder, I could have found something.) But I’ve studied training plans enough to know what is safe/unsafe and how to structure a training plan, so I made up my own for this marathon training session.

  3. 8.9.12
    Desiree said:

    Wow those are some big miles. Great job. My body would crumble (I only run 45ish a week) but then again, I think I’m 10 years older too. Congrats on the new job. Not sure what bank you will be at but my mom works for First National Bank of Alaska in their loan department. She is in Fairbanks though. She has been with them for 19 years and really enjoys it. I completely understand the whole living in Alaska thing. I moved there with my family when I was 18, made it one year and joined the Air Force. Left the state for 2 years, then got and assignment to Eielson AFB, and lived there for 3 more years. Fairbanks is another world!!! It’s tough living in that state. It’s also hard being away from family. Mine are all there!!! I currently live in Atlanta (husband has a very good job here, thankfully) and lately, I have had a very hard time with living here. I find myself focusing on all the negative about living in the south. But what I found is that it really brings me down and I need to be more positive and focus on the good things about where I live. But I know it’s hard. We’ve been looking into a transfer to DC or Seattle but right now we are meant to be here. Hang in there. Hopefully your new job will be just what you are looking for. Hope your training continues to go well too πŸ™‚

    • 8.9.12
      Michelle said:

      Fairbanks is another world from what I hear! (I actually haven’t been there yet.)

      So do you want to move back to Alaska?

      • 8.9.12
        Desiree said:

        Um No I don’t want to move back. But I do want to move out west again, maybe Washington State or Oregon. My husbands job has a regional office in Seattle.

  4. 8.9.12
    Krissie J said:

    Great job working through the 90 mile week! And congrats on the new job! It may not be out of Alaska yet, but there’s a chance this could open the door for you to move in the near future! I’ll keep my fingers crossed things go well. Congrats again! πŸ˜€

  5. 8.9.12
    Kathryn said:

    Congrats on the new job! I’ll miss your blog.

  6. 8.9.12
    Sarah said:

    congrats on the new job! i hope it’s a good change for you. and 90 miles this week…wow!

  7. 8.10.12
    Rosie said:

    Congrats on your training! And the new job! Do you keep in touch with Marv or Garrick? I bet they’d be really happy to hear about your mileage. I’m bummed you’ll be up in Alaska for a while longer, but the job sounds great for you and maybe it is something you could apply for here in MN another time. Keep up the good work running! πŸ™‚

    • 8.10.12
      Michelle said:

      I should let Marv and Garrick know. I am bummed too that I still have to be up here. πŸ™ I’m hoping it will lead to something else and make it easier to get a job in a different state since I will be interconnected with the bank.

  8. 8.13.12

    To answer Rosie, yes, i peer through the blog sometimes. good running, look fitter than ever. maybe the new job stimulation will help another year pass quickly.

    • 8.13.12
      Michelle said:

      Hey Garrick! Good to know you are following along! I sure hope the new job makes life a little “easier” and less stressful.