It's like a drug

Last week I got the pleasure of heading to Tempe, AZ for a Sales Rally at work.  The day we arrived, the weather was amazing and I was itching to get out.  Since we had time between the end of the business day and the dinner meeting, I hit a 2.5 mile round trip trail the hotel had that went around the golf course and through the dessert.

A rocky trail but simply beautiful.

I had the trail to myself for the most part and I took it fast!  Maybe too fast for a Monday recovery but I am still struggling to figure out what my recovery pace should be since I pace a 12 on Saturdays which is a bit slower than I can go now.

He's laughing at me!

The nice part about the trail is it winds back into the resort and you can get another mile & a half around a river that runs out towards the entrance of the hotel.  I was able to get my planned 4 miles in and it was great!  I liked it better when it was free flowing in the dessert but the riverwalk around the hotel was awesome.

The sign nearby said they are rebuilding this river.

Tuesday morning at 5:30 local time (yes, really 7:30 by my body clock), I headed out for a 6 miler around the 1.5 mile riverwalk loop.  The front desk had said that I couldn't circle it but I did many times making it up to 6 miles.  It was a chilly walk for Tempe but still beautiful and peaceful.

One of the not so fun parts of the trip was my company's requirement of a roommate.  I had to room with a woman I've never met before and let's just say that wasn't fun.  For the first time since I started my fitness/weight loss journey, I felt persecuted for my fitness and love of exercise.  Each night, she would imbibe at the bar, come back to the room and start asking me questions.  "What time are you getting up?"  "What do you eat?"  "Do you race walk like this?"  Picture crazy woman shuffling across the room almost boxing with her arms.

I'd answer the questions only to have her ask the same things again and again.  It was tiring to say the least.  Each night, I'd get back to the room to chill (I've been there, done that with the bar scene) and get woken up to her drunken slurring.  One night there was 11:30 PM room service.  Fabulous!  You can imagine my delight when she was not there Wednesday afternoon as she decided to head back early to beat the snowstorms in St. Louis.

Over the course of her questions, we discovered we were the same age but definitely didn't look the same age.  She isn't heavy by any means but it was clear she just doesn't get "it."  And what do I mean by "it?"  If you're reading my blog, most of you know what I mean.  

For those of you who don't, by "it" I mean the feeling that exercise gives you.  The adrenaline that courses through your veins during a workout.  That feeling that all of your problems are solved and the world is okay again.  That nagging headache that goes away once you get your heart pumping.  It's addicting.  Kind of like a drug and one I don't plan to give up any time soon.

Have you ever had to share a room on a business trip?

What would you have done given the situation?