Happy Monday from 39,000 feet above the Arctic Circle! I haven’t posted much recently due to travel commitments – I’ve been gone for a better part of the past month, and Taylor and I have been catching up on life, training, and 2014 Easter candy when I’m in San Francisco. Fortunately, there’s an end in sight, and I’m three work days away from a long and much needed stint in San Francisco.

It’s 2:00 am San Francisco time – 11:00 am in Copenhagen, and I’m halfway done with my trip halfway across the world. After I land in Copenhagen, my colleagues and I will be driving four hours due west to an historic Danish estate turned corporate sleep away camp for a week-long team building event far away from everyday distractions in the office. When all’s said and done, the door to door trip will be about 20 hours – roughly the amount of time I’ll spend training when I peak for Ironman Lake Tahoe.

Although my training’s been punctuated, I’ve done my best to keep up with my plan and have actually lost a few pounds. This week’s itinerary calls for 30 minutes of mandatory yoga every morning and we also have a couple hours blocked off for exercise each day – a first for an event like this. Despite the short term challenge of balancing a happy, active lifestyle with excessive travel, I do think that the acute pain and frustration translates to long term gains. Given the choice, I’d choose 11 hours of movement over 11 hours in coach any day. With a little bit of luck and a favorable travel schedule, maybe my Ironman finish time will start with an 11 too.