March!!!!

The year seems to be screaming by and I can’t believe it is already March!
This week I’ve scored two new running buddies (well two running buddies, as I don’t actually have any right now so they aren’t exactly new). One of the consultants on my project (who flies in from San Diego every Monday, leaves Thursday) is an Ironman/Tri-athlete. We are going to start running in Sunnyvale after work one or two nights a week. She assures me she isn’t fast and just needs someone to get out there with her, so starting next Tuesday we are going to run together. Another friend is relatively new to running having run her first half in February and now training for another one. She runs regularly in Golden Gate so I’m going to start to join her for some of her runs (assuming our schedules can actually be co-ordinated). Having regular running buddies will be new for me as I’m pretty much used to getting out there alone. This weekend I’m doing the charity run with another work colleague (that is the 5k). She’s really really new to running but wants to run a half in the future, it seems running is proving to be an easy access to meeting people (okay now I’m willing to actually run with someone else). Oh and speaking of obsessions….Gwenda is doing her Ironman this Saturday (NZT). It’s been awesome to hear about her build up and I am totally awed by the commitment it takes to become an Ironman. It takes 10 to 12+ hours to finish these events, and while I could imagine slogging it out for that long (shades of Army training) I can’t imagine doing it across three events. I keep encountering people doing amazing physical things (one guy at work does “mud busters”, which involves some crazed series of trail races including “obstacles” to negotiate along the way and another who does road cycling…….crazy mad distances, to name but two). The one thing we all have in common is we completely animate about it all and are one another’s greatest champions.
I’ve just had my mid-year performance review and things seem to be going okay. I need to shift my focus for myself though and figure a path to Senior Manager (or not if that’s the case). Talking to my career counselor about it and trying to do things that demonstrate “over and above” expectations. Meanwhile continuing to enjoy myself and feel challenged.
Also been planning adventures and thinking about next Xmas – I think I might come back to NZ over the Xmas/New Year. Irene has family in Aussie so may also jump the ditch and come visiting too (she’s never been to NZ, it would be great fun to show her around). The nice thing about coming at Xmas/NY is that it would actually be summer. Last two times I’ve been back it’s rained the whole time…….which has a certain charm but does get a little tedious and I miss out on some of summer here. Anyway, plans are bubbling away – it may seem along way off but it’s not……..measuring life in races May isn’t far away, then Sept and there Xmas is…….