"The damn vacation is over."

The title quote was the greeting that Clarence Thomas' grandfather issued to him upon arrival to live with his grandparents at age 7.

It was a wonderful trip: family, friends, and fun. I was able to get in a couple workouts a week, which meant it didn’t lose a lot of ground in my program, but I sure didn’t make any progress. With the Singapore 10K only 38 days away, I have little time to lose; indeed, the damn vacation is over.

I have hit the gym hard. I totaled over 8,000 calories last week. My goal for this week is 10,500 calories – roughly the caloric equivalent of 3 pounds of fat. I will do another 5K in Jakarta on Sunday. Though it is a real road race with cash prizes, I certainly won’t be racing for the bucks – but rather just using it as another training run.

While in Singapore last weekend, I picked up a book that struck me as interesting. Though I had never heard of the author or the book, I am thrilled I picked it up. Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes is incredibly motivating. Karnazes was named among Time’s Most Influential People last year, so I am surprised I had never heard of him before – but I really am glad I came across his book. Anyone looking to get inspired to get off their couch, ramp up to the next level, or stay inspired should check his book out. Great stuff.