whew...

I survived the weekend!  I will have a weekend recap up soon, we did so much and I don't think I ever was able to just sit down for a few minutes.  My sister is safely off to Sweden, my brother back in Texas, and I am back in Iowa for 7 whole days! :)

So the next three - four months are going to be crazy as I think I have alluded to before.  Let's take a look at just how crazy they will be:

August:
31 days total
Away from home for 15 days total
Highlights: Cousin's wedding, sister's going away party, friend's bachelorette party, work training, birthday, cousin's wedding.

September:
30 days total
Away from home for 6 days total
Highlights: Cousin's wedding, friend's wedding, work retreat

October:
31 days total
Away fro home for 18 days total
Highlights: Cousin's wedding, friend's wedding, work training, friend's wedding, work training, work awards ceremony

November:
30 days total
Away from home for 7 days total
Highlights: Work summit, marathon


Now, don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to these next few months as I will get to see a lot of friends and family, further my career with ACS, and celebrate many work successes.  However, being away from home also means being away from my much loved routine.

Every Saturday and Sunday that I am gone, I will have to somehow manage to fit in runs ranging from 7 to 20 miles in length, sometimes without my trusty side-kick, Nic and many times in places that I am not familiar with.  Many of the super long runs are scheduled for a Sunday morning after a wedding, which means I will have to keep my drinking in check and be the party pooper who leaves early.  Unless of course I rearrange the schedule a bit, but still.

And as I noticed this weekend (as well as every other weekend when I am gone), when I am away from home, I do not always make the most healthy decision when it comes to food.  I mean, who can resist the chocolate chip cookies that are right out of the oven, Mom's Sunday morning scones and the hoards of salty snacks in the pantry? :)  I don't eat totally unhealthy, just not as healthy as I would like.  Top that off with my new I am not eating meat unless I know the source philosophy, things can get a bit difficult.  

So the key for the next few months will be making sure I have a good plan and sticking too it, but also having some wiggle room.  Packing food for road trips is going to be essential to keeping me fueled up so I can survive my long runs, as well as to keep me feeling full so I do not mindlessly snack on unhealthy options.

I am going to try to document my weekends really well to keep me accountable as well as to try to come up with some good tips that might be useful for others.

In the meantime, I am so looking forward to this week and weekend! I plan on sitting on my butt as much as possible...!