Running with the dogs?

My schedule is beginning to firm up. The new quarter is always such a headache. I often feel like my life is split up into 10 week parts. Every quarter I have a new schedule I have to get used to. Though I don't mind the changes, it would be nice to have some kind of set schedule for longer than 10 weeks. So goes my life as a grad student...

Part of figuring my classes/teaching/office hours schedule out is also figuring out when I'm going to be able to run. I think I've got it worked out where I take the 709a Amtrak from Fremont and I leave Davis on the 350p train, which should get me back in around 610p-ish. This is assuming that the trains run on time of course. Having taken Amtrak for over two years now, I hate to say it but when the train is on time, it's awesome, but when the train is delayed, it totally sucks! I wish the public transportation system was better here in the Bay Area. Or maybe I'm the only one crazy enough to do the commute to Davis from Union City?

I figure if I get back in to town around 6, I can still make it to track trainings and buddy runs at the regular time. I can probably squeeze in my classes at 24 hour fitness as well. So all seems to be okay. Now I just have to manage studying and teaching.

So I've been thinking about ways to squeeze out more running time. I usually walk the dogs (we're dog-sitting for some friends at this moment) for about 45 minutes in the morning. I know that Mochi, the keashound we're dog-sitting (he's the furry one on the right), can barely take the 45 minutes of walk time in the morning. Obi, on the other hand, could probably do a quick 3 mile run with me. I think the little guy might be able to handle it. Maybe after Mochi goes back this weekend, I'll give it a try.

Nike is less than a month away. I'm so excited about it. Right now, it's all about being creative with my schedule to get in the running time.

Oh, on another note, I made it to track training last night at Burlingame High (even though I was 20 minutes late- sorry Coach Dan I forgot and went to CSM!). Let's just say that the track is really different from CSM. There are tons of other people running, another run team training together, various soccer groups are on the field and soccer balls flying. It's pretty crazy there and if you're not paying attention, you can seriously run into someone or something. I miss CSM.

At training, we did this fun thing called an Indian Run (I don't know how PC that is, but that's what Coach called it). We jogged at a medium pace in one line and the last person would run up to the front of the line as we progressed. We added in Favorites to the training in which Becky and Coach Dan thought of different categories and we had to share our answers as we were running to the front. I thought this was super fun. I got a glimpse of what my teammates were like and I wish we had done it earlier. I realize that there are folks who I train with that I still haven't talked to! Maybe next week we can do some more team building activities with training.