Marathon 8/40: Israel
Dead Sea Marathon Friday February 7, 2020 [6:15AM] Less than three weeks after returning from Hong Kong, Erik and I set out for what would be our last time leaving Japan for over 15 months. COVID-19 had been declared “A Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (WHO) but not yet a global pandemic. We were nervous though - news had just broken that the virus was spreading through a cruise ship off the coast of Japan and passengers were being quarantined onboard. We didn’t know if flying to the other side of the world was the safest thing to do but there really were no additional safety precautions required - or even suggested - yet. We found masks (which momentarily were tough to find at our local convenience store due to the cruise ship news) at the airport and, as our own precaution, took our first ever masked up flight. We made it to Israel feeling good, landing Wednesday night in Tel Aviv, where we spent one night before making the trek to the Dead Sea for the Friday marathon.
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Marathon 7/40: Hong Kong
China Coast Marathon Sunday 19, January 2020, 8AM By the first week of 2020, I had started to plan out my race and, ultimately, travel calendar for the year. I was planning to add another 12 marathons/countries to the list by the end of the calendar year and be nearly halfway to my goal of 40. It started a bit shaky from the start, before I had even heard the word “coronavirus”. I sat down to register and book travel for the Cebu marathon in the Philippines in early Jan, and the Standard Chartered marathon in Hong Kong in Feb. But Cebu registration deadline had already passed and the SC race was sold out. I had to make a quick pivot to find two new races for Jan/Feb that also worked logistically. I ended up booking a different race in Hong Kong, The China Coast Marathon, for mid-January and the Dead Sea marathon in Israel in early Feb. When the world went into lockdown last March 2020, I stopped writing anything in my blog. It would have probably been therapeutic to use this outlet but I honestly couldn't get up the motivation to do anything else 'online' with the rest of my everyday life unfolding on a screen at the time. As I was behind in recapping races when the pandemic started, I still have races on the road to 40 in 40 before 40 that need a replay. So I'm kicking it back to late 2019 to cover these off [Marathons 5 (Thailand) & 6 (India)] - and make space to recap upcoming races that seem to actually be sticking on the calendar again. (Fingers crossed!)
Marathon 4/40: Belgium
Brussels Airport Marathon Sunday Oct 6th, 2019 Spread out evenly, to run 40 marathons in 40 countries in 4 years would result in running a marathon every 5 weeks. It was, however, highly unlikely I would accomplish even spacing due to marathon schedules and general logistics. I also had a 5-month gap between the first and second meaning I would need to make up for this with some marathons much closer together. I embraced this in Europe and tacked on an extra marathon to our trip, 7 days after Berlin, in Belgium. Marathon 3/40: Germany
I got my lottery slot for Berlin (Sept 29, 2019) months before I made my 40 marathons in 40 countries in 4 years goal - so my goals shifted drastically by the time I started training (from running a PR on a flat, fast course; to simply running it feeling strong). But I would run it 8 weeks after Cambodia so I did have the time for a decent build and even taper before toeing the line. Marathon 2/40: Cambodia
After making the decision to run 40 marathons in 40 countries in 4 years, finishing the month of my 40th birthday, and sharing this goal publically, I started planning my race schedule for the rest of 2019. I also had some sleepless nights filled with anxiety, terrified about this big goal and thinking about everything that could go wrong to stop me from achieving it. That fear slowly faded when I started adding to my weekly running volume and getting back into shape. I didn't make any solid goals at the beginning of this calendar year. On New Years day, Erik and I sat on small boat in a harbor in Queenstown, New Zealand, drinking champagne and talking about our dreams in the next year. We spent 2 weeks traveling over the holidays, checking Fiji and NZ off the list, and my 50th country traveled. (I also ran 100 miles around the South Island in 10 days!) I've never been one for resolutions but I can typically throw out a couple goals for the year - making them SMART by the time my birthday roles around in February. But this year, I wasn't ready to jump in with a plan. I was just happy, I didn't want to rush the process.
I'm ready now. Somehow, I'm 35. Shouldn't be surprising. I celebrate my birthday for a whole month every year, it's not like this one just crept up on me. I've made a mantra out of embracing every day and living life to the fullest, being open to opportunities and running (and eating) all over the world. I've raised my hand to take on more and chased down promotions and PRs.
But every so often, I'm still amazed that this is where I am. That I can love my life this much. That I can be this happy. Two weeks ago we moved to Japan, indefinitely. A country neither Erik or I had ever visited. It seems crazy to most people but, as strange as it sounds, this fact didn't even phase our decision.
There were of course some things that we talked through, like the cultural differences in the work place that may be challenging, or the cost of living (rent likely doubling for less space) and that life would be a bit more restrictive for our puppy. Our biggest concern had actually nothing to do with Japan itself but with the distance between ourselves and our families and good friends. It feels really good to be in W1D5 of 2018 and have already checked off a step toward one goal. I changed the title of my blog/site (welcome!), launched a market place with my coaching offerings (let me know if you would like to work with me!) and kicked off a matching FB page to further share my love of running, eating really good food and traveling. All on January 1st! I gave myself a quick pat on the back but now it’s back to work. Continuous improvement of each of these will be necessary – and maintaining them is where the hard work really falls – so please keep me accountable and let me know what you think and where I can improve!
In 2009, back when <35 women only had to run a 3:40:59 to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I decided to go for it. I’d ran a few other marathons with my best being 4:08 previously. A 27 minute PR was doable right? I mean, I’d improved 30 minutes from my first to my second so this all seemed realistic. So I pieced together a solid plan, got a training partner (aka convinced a good friend she also needed to run for a BQ) and set out with big goals.
Shit. It's been 6 months since I've even looked at this blog. It's been on my mind... I should write about this, or that seems to be something I should work out over my keyboard on this platform. But I didn't. In all honesty, writing has just seemed exhausting. Sitting down with a purpose and actually focusing on what I wanted to say was too much.
"Eliza, I can't believe it's been 90 days already. I've set up some time for us to recap."
- my boss I can't believe it either. I was dreading the end of April. The end of the month I had planned for and wrapped my head around months before: my first 300+ mile month. Yes - 300 miles running. That was the goal. As the month came to a close yesterday, I knew I would start seeing the Insta posts with monthly mileage and that mine was going to be 0.
I made a goal at the beginning of the year to blog every week.
I've sucked at meeting this goal. So it's time to make up for it! I'm committing to, at the very least, write every day - and frequently post - throughout the month of May. A lot has happened in the last 6 weeks and I know how therapeutic it is to write it down, mull it over, and share it. Actually doing it is always the challenge as I don't always do what's best for me. Work in progress, always. Watch this space. XO This year, per usual, I celebrated my birthday all month. I moved to a new city. Started a new job. Traveled to London for work. Had a pretty epic trip to New Orleans. Ran 100 miles. Celebrated my 6 month wedding anniversary. And adopted a rescue puppy. (Also, by the time I'm posting this, I'm two weeks post birthday month which I suppose is to be expected with how busy life has suddenly become.)
Aside from the running - which I'm grateful has become part of my daily life - I had no clue that my 33rd year was going to be so transformative and fulfilling. My love of running was a love that developed over time. Very slowly over time. And actually started with a fight and a severe dislike.
Six months of marriage. Wow.
In some ways, it feels like six minutes. In other ways, six years. It all felt like many of the best seconds of our relationship. I did it. For the first time since I started drinking (early college) I took a month off from consuming any alcohol. I didn't love it. I'm glad that my other upcoming goals I'm looking to accomplish involve adding something to my life instead of taking away.
Here's the thing: I don't think drinking alcohol is bad. I actually think having a glass of red wine is kinda good for you. But I think over consumption - as with anything - is when issues start. Four years ago today, my step-dad took his final breaths in the living room of my family home, while being held by my mom. As a smoker for more than 40 years, he experienced many breathing problems over the years and - well after he finally kicked those stupid cigarettes to the curb - he eventually developed COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which took his life.
So we're moving to Seattle.
In two weeks time, we'll be moving into our new apartment (that is HALF the cost of our rent in San Francisco with, I'm pretty sure, more than double the space) and nearly eleven months after leaving our first apartment together, we'll be creating our first home as husband and wife. #allthefeels With a new year comes the desire for something - sometimes anything - new in your life. This is where resolutions come from. The desire to make a change and to feel something different than you've felt for the past few months.
"Trump is going to win."
We were having a technology free dinner with family when Erik returned from the kitchen and delivered this news. Probably the most chilling words someone has ever spoken to me that immediately inflicted a stabbing pain to my body from head to toe. A wave of nausea followed by stinging tears. I will never forget that moment. Running an overnight, 200-ish mile, 12 person relay is a great way to tap into your inner-child. You can experience that feeling of going to camp and competing on a team all in one. The experience is rounded out with the feeling of withdrawls when it's all over. Because you can't share that intense experience and walk away like nothing happended. Mostly because you may never have experienced sore legs like the aftermath experienced from running three different legs of varying distances with no sleep - but also because there is such an elevated level of bonding and trust that is developed in such a short time.
When you're young, and still believe in Santa, you can't wait for Christmas morning. You are up in the middle of the night with excitement, unable to hold yourself back from peeking under the tree. As you get older, first discovering the truth that it wasn't a fat man who wields reindeer dropping off gifts, the need to rush starts to subside. And when you are older still, you realize there is a lot more to the holiday season - that it's a marathon - and there are exciting parts and energy needed at different stages throughout.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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