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.
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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.
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. The purpose of adding Barcelona and subsequently Andorra to our honeymoon tour was simply an aspect of cost and convenience. We were flying into Italy and out of Iceland a month later. In between, we knew we wanted to spend some time in Greece. So we needed to figure out the most cost effective way to get from Greece to Iceland and it turns out 5 days flying into and back out of Barcelona was the way to do that. Andorra - a small mountain country that is located on the boarder of Spain and France - was an inexpensive three hour bus ride from Barcelona so we figured, why not? Just adding to that country count! (45 for me, in case you were wondering.)
The second* country on our Honeymoon Tour was Greece. We are using this time we have to travel to explore places we haven't been, or that have been on our "list" for quite a while; and that uniquely blue water viewed over a landscape dotted with little white buildings was calling. I also thought the land of hummus was calling, but now understand that I have been duped by Americanized Greek food because this is definitely not a staple. The eggplant salads made up for it though.
There are several prominent factors that attributed to my ability to not only qualify for Boston with a substantial 10 minute buffer (and a 33 minute PR), but to also run Boston eight months later with another seven minute PR, and a time of 3:18. While conditions were not favorable at Boston (the heat over the first half triggering the use of valuable stores of resources that I was unable to then leverage in the in back half), the preparation I had done was enough to push through that 3:20 barrier regardless. It comes down to one word to describe this year of my life - consumed by qualifying for and subsequently running Boston: discipline.
I'm not one to back down from a challenge. And I tend to create them for myself - even when they're not necessary. We were five days into our honeymoon adventure - five of thirteen we were spending in Italy - and realized we'd had pasta everyday. So why not keep that streak going... for eight more days? Once that idea was planted, there was no turning back. I'm happy to say we made it! I'm certain a few pounds heavier, but happy.
For as long as I can remember - I wanted to go to the Cinque Terre. Probably since I first saw a picture of those breathtaking little villages overlooking the sea. It looked like the most romantic place in the world. So it wasn't even a conversation that Erik and I needed to have when planning our Honeymoon: we would be staying in the Cinque Terre. I never thought, however, that I would run the connector trail between them.
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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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