Last Memorial Day, I talked about 5 great Memorial Day weekend races, and said, “some creative time on your travel apps could get you on the starting line for one each day.” While I didn’t quite do that, I did fulfill my desire to do the Soldier Field 10 Mile again…and continue my Ridgewood Run tradition for one more year.
The Chicago event was on Saturday morning. I flew back to the east coast on Sunday afternoon and toed the starting line for the Ridgewood Run 10k by 8:15 Monday morning. All the marathon training, as well as the miles I put in while out in Illinois, paid off and I logged my best 10k time in almost 3 years. That felt good.
What also feels good is the realization that I am ready to move on. When the car from the airport pulled into the driveway, I remarked about how overgrown the garden had become in less than two weeks. “It’s not really your garden anymore,” the driver remarked, knowing the reason for my trip. He was right.
After spending a few days looking at apartments, scouring neighborhoods, finding a suitable place, and starting to make connections in my new city, I felt less of a connection to my home in New Jersey as I walked in the door. I am glad for that. Time is winding down. Although there is still a lot to do. Sorting. Packing. Letting go.
High school graduation is…holy crap…only a little over 3 weeks away. I am closing on the sale of my house the following week. With that I am fulfilling a vision I had when I purchased the house almost 11 years ago…having an “Under Contract” sign out front next to the “Congratulations Graduate” sign (high property taxes make it hard to justify living here without a child in the outstanding school system).
There is still much to accomplish in the next month. So…I signed up for a race every weekend! Three 5ks and one 10k. In addition to being part of my “farewell tour,” racing on the weekend and training during the week is my way of assuring that I take a break, blow off some stress, connect with friends, and try to maintain some normalcy in what will likely be a few chaotic weeks.
Stay with me. I haven’t missed a week since vacation time last August. Blog posts may be shorter for the summer as I get moved and settled in, but I will continue to check-in each week. Writing and connecting with you, my readers, helps me stay grounded and focused on my goals (and yes, accountable). Thank you for reading.
