Pink slip = PR

Despite the California state budget crisis, I haven’t (yet) been handed a pink slip. But if I do, I’ll have one thing to look forward to: a faster marathon time. I don’t think that having more time to train would be worth the stress of finding a new job or reduced cash flow (newsflash: California is expensive). My husband definitely wouldn’t think so. But chances are, I’ll be passed by more than a few unemployed runners during the Nike Women’s Marathon in October. According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, there has been a 39% increase this year in the number of runners whose run times have made them eligible for the grand daddy of all races – The Boston Marathon. People are finding that training for a race while unemployed is a great way to add structure and discipline to an otherwise hectic time. Plus, training for a marathon is time consuming. And now that they aren’t stuck behind a desk for 40+ hours a week, they have the time to properly train.

For now, I’ll just have to stick with squeezing in workouts before and after work. And as always, I need to remember to run my own race. It’s my first marathon, so no matter how fast (or slow) I run, it will be a PR.