Work Week, A 5K And More Hiking

I've been extremely busy this week with work, really ever since I returned from the Hazel Creek trip. If anyone is wondering, I don't live a life of TV and bon-bon eating, but I do have a flexible job. I am a deposition transcriptionist. When people decide to sue someone, everyone hires attorneys, who in turn start asking everyone questions. These Q&A sessions with the lawyers are called depositions. A court reporter, someone impartial and certified, records the deposition and then I transcribe the recordings. I am self-employed, an independent contractor, and I do transcripts for several court reporters. I got into this field many years ago (almost 20) as a part-time thing while looking for work and having been doing it ever since. It has been great for raising kids, volunteering, having fun, because I can choose to work at 2:00 AM in order to play later in the week. When we are busy, we are very very busy, and when we are not...we starve! So my Smokies hiking will be intertwined with when work is coming down the pipe, and hopefully I can stay afloat.

I try to run a few times a week because I like hiking, and I find that running is efficient training for getting/keeping legs and lungs in shape. Funny, but I don't much like walking around the neighborhood, with cars and houses and the same scenery, so running gives me the exercise I need in the quickest amount of time. I run between 3 and 6 miles about three times a week, although it is sometimes hard to get out there when it's really cold. This Saturday I am participating in my first 5K race at Carowinds in Charlotte. It is sponsored by the Girl Scouts (of course) and it's called the Thin Mint Sprint. My daughter Laura is doing the race also. I am looking forward to the experience of running with a crowd. If anyone has any tips, let me know. If you also like to run in order to hike, I'd like to hear about it. Then, after the 5K, I am headed to Crowders Mountain for one last short hike with the Hike For Discovery team because we leave for the Grand Canyon a week from today! Life is full even when I'm not in the Smokies!