What....Happened?

September. Between now and my last post, there's been a whole spring and summer. Let me recap:

1. Work. Got. Crazy. When I came back from India, I was on fire with the religion of transforming what I was working on from a side project that the company was losing interest in to a core part of it's data strategy. That was a long, long shot, but...it worked! Not because I'm so great, but because the technologies I'm working with have such obvious promise. And the team I'm working with is riddled with self starters and risk takers. As a result, I'm now managing said team, reporting to a new boss who completely gets it, and am now completely underwater trying to get our strategy in order. No time for coding, it's all planning and strategery. And Travel. Like once every 2 weeks. Sigh. 
2. Ankle. Stayed f*cked all summer long. I tried to run on it a couple of times, but after it started feeling like I was pounding live tissue into pulp, I stopped. Completely, for 3 months. Fortunately, I did not prop my feet up on the couch and get fat. I found weightlifting and tabata intervals, which have really helped me (a) keep weight off and (b) get stronger. Now I'm running again, really short mileage. The ankle and hamstring still feel a little....off. But they are coming along. Who knows, I might get up to decent mileage, with an actual base, and solid leg and core strength.
3. Commuting. Got back on the trusty singlespeed again, and I'm riding in on a regular basis. This has proven to be the stress reliever I need between work and home, as well as the best way to come into work, period. Since the 520 toll has been put into effect, I-90 traffic has spiked, and I can count on passing many cars in a state of bridge-lock on the way to and from work.
4. Triathlons. Nope. Travel and family took priority. We had a great summer, road tripping through Oregon, relatives visiting, getting down to the lake, camping...none of that included long sessions on the bike or in the pool. I haven't been near a pool in months. And I haven't been regular on my road bike at all. However,
5. I got a mountainbike! Oh man I've been waiting for years to pull the trigger, and I did, on a Giant Anthem. Dual suspension, 29er, one word: wheee! Bumping through singletrack, especially the bermed corners of Duthie Hill, makes me feel like a teenager. And the increased leg strength from lots o squats and kettlebell swings makes it easier to muscle up the out-of-the-gate grind on Tiger Mountain. The Dual Suspension has saved my life multiple times when I pogoed my front end off of a deep drop.  My skills have declined, but the ride more than compensates! I've been able to get out early in the AM and crank out 8-10 beautiful singletrack miles, then get back in before K wakes up. Time will tell now that the days are getting shorter, but I'm thinking mtb'ing is the way I'll stay sane through the late fall and early spring. 

So now it's fall, my ankle is coming back on line, and I'm reasonably fit. I'm hoping it stays on-line, because running is the only way I'm going to keep off the travel pounds (those extra calories that sneak in via business dinner + drinks) when I'm on the road. I do need to drop some weight, and my 'self discipline' (quotation marks included for full effect) really sucks when it comes to good food and a drink or two. 

I also think it's time to get back in the pool. Mostly to recover from running and lifting. But this time I want to do it with some purpose...

1. The goal: swim 1500 meters straight. 
2. Why: 
1. this happens to be close enough to olympic swim distance, and I think that to do it well I need to work out any form issues I have along the way. 
2. if I'm going to increase my run mileage, I really need to actively recover every other day. 
3. When: at least 2 days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Oh, and food.  More deep thoughts on that, hopefully sooner than 6 months from now :)