Two Project Update
Two major projects for the year are finishing my Master's degree and pounding out the 2016 Gold Challenge by running 1,000 miles by New Year's Eve.
Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.
My Master's thesis is slowly coming together. Out of the five chapters required, I have finished and submitted two of them to my professor and advisor. The next chapter is due in about two weeks, then with the meat of the thesis finished, the next steps will be to write the introduction and conclusion chapters. It can be a bit overwhelming to know that I am as close to finishing the Communication & Leadership Studies program as I am. One thing to figure out is if I am going to fly to Spokane and participate in the graduation. On one hand, while I enjoy seeing different parts of the world, the actual "travel" part I'm not a big fan of. It is incredibly expensive, and the hassle of going from airport to airport isn't exactly a favorite hobby of mine. On the other hand, it would be great to see everybody again, and the moment of walking across the stage, having my name announced, and being awarded the degree in front of my peers would be a great thrill. I'm going to have to decide pretty soon.
The running is going well. Or at least as well as a 31-year-old with bad hips and a bad back could expect. I signed up two weeks into the year, so right from the start I was behind schedule and off-pace. But when I do run, I make sure to do more than just the bare minimum (2.74 miles per day). Normally, it's anywhere between four and six miles per run, and so far my highest was 6.75 miles. Once the half marathons come around, the mileage will be jumping. To date, I'm around 92 miles on the year, and I'm about 100 miles behind pace. This is what happens when you procrastinate. But, I'm not afraid of hard work, and I can definitely put in the work to reach 1,000 miles. One way or another, I will. I guess I could pencil whip the log, but that goes against the "Integrity First" core value that was pounded into me when I was in the Air Force. Plus, I ran a road race on Sunday morning, the Brian Boru's Irish Road Rover 5k. I had run it over the last two years, and each time, I swore to myself that I'd never do it again because it was so cold. The course is up through Portland on the East End, right along the waterfront. An ocean breeze on top of 30-degree weather isn't a fun time. This time around, my friend Tasha talked me into it, and I'm glad she did. The weather was warmer than usual, and the training I've put in resulted into a pretty good time when I crossed the finish line. It is especially good considering I was out all night watching the UFC show the evening before, drinking beer, eating junk, not hydrating, not carb loading, and only got five hours of sleep. I did everything wrong and still did well. I figure if I continue the training, prepare a bit better for future races, I'll be hitting some PRs this year. Or at the very least, have some more respectable times.
On a side note, for a guy that's about to earn a Master's in Communications, you'd figure that I'd be better at debating with people. But, no. Tasha talked me into it without even really trying.
So, I'm making some good progress, but I need to keep working harder.
Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.
My Master's thesis is slowly coming together. Out of the five chapters required, I have finished and submitted two of them to my professor and advisor. The next chapter is due in about two weeks, then with the meat of the thesis finished, the next steps will be to write the introduction and conclusion chapters. It can be a bit overwhelming to know that I am as close to finishing the Communication & Leadership Studies program as I am. One thing to figure out is if I am going to fly to Spokane and participate in the graduation. On one hand, while I enjoy seeing different parts of the world, the actual "travel" part I'm not a big fan of. It is incredibly expensive, and the hassle of going from airport to airport isn't exactly a favorite hobby of mine. On the other hand, it would be great to see everybody again, and the moment of walking across the stage, having my name announced, and being awarded the degree in front of my peers would be a great thrill. I'm going to have to decide pretty soon.
The running is going well. Or at least as well as a 31-year-old with bad hips and a bad back could expect. I signed up two weeks into the year, so right from the start I was behind schedule and off-pace. But when I do run, I make sure to do more than just the bare minimum (2.74 miles per day). Normally, it's anywhere between four and six miles per run, and so far my highest was 6.75 miles. Once the half marathons come around, the mileage will be jumping. To date, I'm around 92 miles on the year, and I'm about 100 miles behind pace. This is what happens when you procrastinate. But, I'm not afraid of hard work, and I can definitely put in the work to reach 1,000 miles. One way or another, I will. I guess I could pencil whip the log, but that goes against the "Integrity First" core value that was pounded into me when I was in the Air Force. Plus, I ran a road race on Sunday morning, the Brian Boru's Irish Road Rover 5k. I had run it over the last two years, and each time, I swore to myself that I'd never do it again because it was so cold. The course is up through Portland on the East End, right along the waterfront. An ocean breeze on top of 30-degree weather isn't a fun time. This time around, my friend Tasha talked me into it, and I'm glad she did. The weather was warmer than usual, and the training I've put in resulted into a pretty good time when I crossed the finish line. It is especially good considering I was out all night watching the UFC show the evening before, drinking beer, eating junk, not hydrating, not carb loading, and only got five hours of sleep. I did everything wrong and still did well. I figure if I continue the training, prepare a bit better for future races, I'll be hitting some PRs this year. Or at the very least, have some more respectable times.
On a side note, for a guy that's about to earn a Master's in Communications, you'd figure that I'd be better at debating with people. But, no. Tasha talked me into it without even really trying.
So, I'm making some good progress, but I need to keep working harder.