Light at the end of the tunnel. . .

Let me get these metaphors out of the way.

* I can see the end of this mountain of work that I've put off. Beyond getting my students back their work, I can smell the end of the semester (yeah!) and my job (ho shit!). But getting this work back will give me more room to play = run and gun!

* The diet will now be my friend. I know the recipe for health. This has been my achilles heal for a long time. I can say with out a doubt that eating has way more affect on one's weight management than does exercise. This is especially true as one gets older. I am eliminating processed foods from the diet. It is so doable. Partaking in this little detox was similar to working with a personal trainer at the gym. Just a little fundamental information is going to go a long way. The picture of these two glasses of "juice" symbolize the diet: liquids and vegetables. Obviously, this isn't for everyone, but based on my reaction to the diet, I feel very confident that this will pay huge dividends down the road. No stomach issues. Lighter. Cleaner. Tangibles and intangibles. I feel very good about the diet.

* With the diet and training coming along, I can see a much better runner coming into form. Same game plan as far as running/racing goes: trails. I want to become better and stronger on these kinds of tracks, being able to attack and feel comfortable climbing. Mountain running is absolutely the standard, the goal, the dream. I think I'm in a better position going into 2010 to make some genuine gains in progress, results. Either way, I think I'll be healthier, which gives me the best opportunity to have fun and maintain the consistency I need to improve.

Saturday, I attended a beer festival. It was fun. Picture essay: The festival, me in green (festival took place at the Green Flash brewery), people drinking and pouring beer, and later that day in Ocean Beach. I slept about 12 hours after all of this. Not a weekly event. Family, work, running/gunning, and a few cold IPAs. That's where I'm going.

Running-wise, I've been a little pressed for time, but have been sweating for at least an hour every day. Last week I took 2 days off because of work and I had a strange pain in my right ass cheek. The pain would stretch down my right leg like a weird ITB issue. I figured-out it was a little tweak from doing lunges with weights. I was holding dumbbells over my head during the lunge. A little too much weight. A strain. Dumbbell. Feeling better and look forward to more base/fun running over the hills and through the woods. . .