July Writing and Running Goals: Weeks 2 & 3 (and Siena Pictures)

While I was in Italy, I was able to accomplish two of my writing goals.  I kept a travel journal.  While I didn't write in it daily, I did record my thoughts, impressions, and memories six times -- so an average of every other day more or less.  It felt good to write like that again.  It had been months since I'd written anything just for myself.  I'm so used to writing for an academic audience or blog readers, and I enjoy both of those activities greatly, but it was very freeing to write something that nobody else will read.  I also sent four postcards.  Since I had sent three thank you notes before we left, I consider my card writing goal accomplished and then some for the month of July. 

 So for my writing goals that just leaves finishing the dissertation revisions.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get through the last round of revisions before we left.  It feels like this project will never be over, even though I defended successfuly over a month ago now.....  I will be working in hour long blocks -- revise an hour, pack an hour -- today and tomorrow.  Hopefully, that will give me a couple of hours to spend on Sunday reformatting and then I will drop it off on my advisor's desk on Monday so he can sign off when he returns from abroad week after next.

 I set the goal of running 65 miles in July.  Before I had left for Italy, I had run 20.4 miles.  I fully expected that I would run at least 12 miles while we were there.  I ran three.  Considering that we are moving next Wednesday and will spend two days on the road to get to our new little city, I'm pretty sure that 65 miles isn't going to happen.  Why didn't I run those 12 miles in Italy?  Well, it feels like it's about 50% honeymoon laziness and 50% self-sabotage.  It really wasn't convenient to run in Venice, and since I value my life I hadn't planned to run in the streets of Rome (we weren't staying anywhere near a park while there).  But I really could have done three or four miles in Siena.  I had planned to, but then as I went to bed I begin making excuses not to run: I would get lost, the streets were too narrow, it as too hilly, I didn't want to get up at 6am on my honeymoon, etc., etc.  So I didn't run.  The next morning, when I saw two women running at around 9am, I knew I had missed out.  Siena was so gorgeous, and I wish I had experienced it as a runner.

At least I got a work out climbing to the top of the Torre del Mangia.

Between the lack of running in Italy and the impending move, I'm pretty sure that takes a marathon off of the schedule for me this fall -- unless I can find a convenient marathon to run in November or December.  To be honest, though, I'm not sure if that makes me feel deflated or relieved.  Training for a marathon, in my experience, is physically and emotionally draining, but mainly just so time consuming that it makes keeping up with other aspects of life difficult.  Running a half in August and one in October doesn't seem so daunting.  It also doesn't seem as exciting....

How do you deal with setbacks in your goals and planning?  Do you find it easy to train while traveling?  What are your tips?