Vacations: breaking down the mindset

The glow. When I get back from a relaxing vacation I usually have a sense of calm detachment from the day-to-day. I have a bigger picture of things. I latch onto sensations and visual memories of things enjoyed while on vacation. I try to hold that as long as I can. I coach myself to go back to that state after the glow wears off. I try to anticipate the glow as I prepare for the next vacation - this Friday.

I have been mentally preparing and anticipating the next glow. Obstacles do, however, get in the way. Tidying up the house and yard so it's not a total mess or jungle when we return. Navigating the land mine of last minute tasks at work that have to be done before I return. At this time, I love that I have a talented staff.

I also find I get more done in these couple of weeks before vacation. I have a to-do list that has more meaning than it usually does. The goal is to cross off all the tasks before Friday.

Then there are the benefits of planning what to pack and getting it done sooner than four hours before the flight. And making sure there's enough dog food for the canines and human provisions for the house sitter. Best to make another list.

Running. I put in a higher mileage week by getting back on schedule and adding more easy runs between hard runs. I did some 1600 repeats Tuesday, a 10K pace tempo run Friday, two easy runs on Wednesday and Saturday; and then the long grueling slog through the desert sun long run yesterday. I was so whipped I fell asleep on the couch after I cleaned up. The to-do list woke me up because I had to make room in the house for the return of NOS so it was off to the public storage facility to hide our out-of-commission stuff.

When you pay extra for a storage unit, you start to take inventory of the things that really are not worth keeping. I will do more of that after I return from vacation.