Turbulence

Ha! This time vanishing thing has become quite the theme!…I thought today I should check to see what my last entry was and boy was I surprised to see it has been about 8 weeks ago already since I had last bothered to post…so much has happened since then.

For one, I ran my best half marathon in Maui on September the 19th – 13.1 miles in 2:06…I just know I have a sub 2 hour half marathon in me, but I just need to find it! Besides doing well in the race, it was just so nice to be in Hawaii again and hang out with my friends Heather and Steve. Hawaii is such a magical place and I always feel so relaxed when I am there.

I should mention that I ran two other half marathons as well but the times were a lot less impressive, but it is all part of training and keeping up the mileage for the December marathons…yes, I wrote marathons! That is plural…I decided that since I am no longer going to South Africa this December as I had previously planned, I am going to go visit Hawaii and again and while I am there I might as well run the Honolulu Marathon again. Thing is, it is a week after CIM which is the marathon I have been training for all along. Running two marathons in two weeks will allow me to be a Marathon Maniac.

In September, for my birthday, I visited Disneyland – the place where dreams really can come true! It was a whole heap of fun. I went with friends that were big Disney fans and we made good use of our time in the park.

On a less fun note, I have had a lot of business travel recently. In the past 4 weeks I have been in Atlanta, Charlotte, Oakbrook, Phoenix, Waterloo Canada and Paris, France – it almost killed me! In many ways my life felt pretty turned upside down recently but right now, I have no travel scheduled until the holidays; it is really good to be home and to know I will be at home for a while!

This season feels like a good time to reflect on the madness of the past few weeks (and the past 6 months I guess) and start planning what I want for myself in the New Year. There is not a lot of time left in 2010 and I am pleased with all the experiences I have had so far. There are a few things I am disappointed by, some things that did not work out the way I thought they might, but there are other things that have made this year so far one of the best in a while.

I have my health, my strength and wonderful friends – what more can one ask for these days?

Tick-tock, time ticking away...

Somehow August was completely gobbled up by the time monster! During the past few weeks since the marathon I have been quite busy with work and still maintaining my running program both which have the ability to eat time.

This morning as I was reviewing my emails, it occurred to me that I hadn’t yet mailed my rent check ... I knew that yesterday was the first of the month, after all, I did call my father to wish him a happy birthday but somehow, along with work and running, I’ve been pleasantly distracted by a ‘special friend’ and these day to day things (like getting mail out on time) have a knack of slipping by the wayside.

On the theme of time ticking away, these last few weeks have brought some very old memories back into my thoughts, it feels like these “blasts-from-the-past” often come in waves. I had recently had contact from a few people that I had not thought about for a long time (like more than 20 years). Facebook does this! I never really know how to feel about this ‘access’ to my past, but I think I like it. Often as we move forward in life, we turn our backs on what was before but all our past is what shapes us into who we are today and that can’t be a bad thing becasue we would not be who we are if we did not have certain experiences.

Looking forward into September, I am approaching yet another birthday at the end of this month. I usually look forward to birthdays because I like to celebrate life and a birthday is a perfect opportunity to do so! I am looking especially forward to this one, I have a trip to Disneyland with friends planned!

Before my birthday comes around though, I am taking a short break to visit Hawaii to visit my friend Heather Howells. Heather and I will be taking part in the Maui Marathon. She will be running the full (26.2 miles) and I will run the half (13.1 miles). I had run this race once before in 2007 around the time that I had my first eye surgery to repair a detached retina and although I still took part in the race, I was not allowed to actually run it. I feel that I have unfinished business with this race so I am looking forward to having a strong race this year as well as a relaxing time in one of the most gorgeous places in the world.

I hope for my year ahead that I can continue to run, work, love and live. Life, after all is said and done, is there to be lived and time, even though it may spin faster every now and then, it's passing in itself, gives us a multitude of gifts. It makes us wiser and stronger if we give into it and listen to the tick-tock tick-tock of it's natural rhythm.

After all, life as I know it, is just as it should be. Perfect for me.

Victory!

So this weekend was the ‘big’ marathon – It was the second time I took part in a full marathon (that’s 26.2 miles or 42 km) and I have to admit, I was a little anxious leading up to it which I kept telling myself was appropriate considering the distance and the stress it can have on your body. The anxiety was obviously good for me because it meant that I was very prepared for this race.

I started out at a pretty strong pace and it felt good until about mile 23 at which point I really ‘hit the wall”, but I applied a walk/run approach at that stage and since I was well ahead of my goal time (by about 7 minutes) I was confident that I would still be able to meet my goal. I learned a lot from this race and it felt so great to achieve my goal, I know I have more in me and I am already looking forward to the next one.

In other news, I am almost at the 5 year anniversary of living in San Francisco. What an amazing journey this has been. I am thankful every day that I live here in this great city by the bay.

San Francisco is my home.

Almost There...

I've had some amazing experiences this last month, the most notable one being the visit to Auburn to volunteer at mile 98 of the Western States 100 Endurance Run. Seeing people after they have run for almost 24 hours is nothing but humbling and awe-inspiring. I aspire to be able to run that far for that long one day but I have a lot more training to do before I can contemplate that. I love running trails and getting off the asphalt, there is a real sense of joy when running on a trail that is unlike anything I have experienced. I feel like a child running through fields and the beauty of my surroundings is mind-blowing.

Over the last month, I have been busy with a project at work that has taken an immense amount of mental energy. It has not been the most enjoyable experience but I always maintain that you have to see things for the learning opportunities that they provide. Doing tedious work or work that you don't love, can make you appreciate the good projects when they come your way.

What I can't resolve is my ability to put things off until the last minute. It causes stress where there shouldn't be any. Thank goodness this is not the case with my training for the marathon. It is now two and a half weeks away and I believe I am ready to go the distance.

Onward and forward.

Staying Open

I feel like I have been on a wonderful wild roller-coaster ride these past few months. I have allowed myself to remain open to new experiences with no preconceived expectations and I feel as though I have been suitably rewarded. I have been exposed to new sights; new music; new entertainment venues, (including new forms of entertainment) and I have met some wonderful and interesting people along the way.

Not surprisingly, I am faced with the prospect of half of this year having whizzed by…wow! How is it that time speeds up as we get older? The San Francisco Marathon is 7 weeks away (gulp!!) and now is the time to dig deep and focus on my training so that I can ensure a successful race. I have realized that in order to maintain a good training regimen one does need to ensure a good nights sleep and good diet regimen. Sadly that sometimes means missing out on some fun. But it all works out in the end.

Talking about running, while I was out running the other day, I was thinking about how many events have been occurring that are quite "Armageddon-like"...Volcanoes, earthquakes, severe weather, continued conflict in the Middle East and then there is that epic oil spill in the gulf coast...all that seems to be missing is a plague of locusts!! We've only just started a slow recovery from the big recession and now we have all these events taking place that are impacting people everywhere. (Remember to count your blessings)

As much as much as these external events can be troublesome I do have to believe that the world continues to unfold as it should. What this turmoil reminds me to do is to continue to be open and to allow myself the opportunity to explore new experiences and to live every day with all the might I can muster...

Carpe Diem!

Happyness!

I'm feeling deliciously upside down and giddy and I continue to be in love with life...there are days when the gray clouds try to break my mood but I fight them off with a workout and the sunny skies (at least the mood) is back again.

I remember years ago I had a boyfriend who "accused" me of being a happiness junkie – like it was a bad thing! – seriously?...what is that point in moping around all day when you can live life sunny side up.

I feel blessed that I do not suffer from depression and thankfully it is something I have not had to deal with. I feel it is important to recognize what you have, to look outside of yourself. It is so easy to be dissatisfied, after all, it is human nature to want more.

In the big scheme of things I lived a charmed life, I live in a great city, I experience relative stability, I have a great job that challenges me, I have great friends that love me, I am healthy and because of all of this I am happy.

I am a happiness junkie! And I am proud of it!

Love and Running

My love affair with running is not new to people that know me. In the three years that I have been on this journey, running has done nothing but improve my life in more ways than I could ever really express. I had set some ambitious goals for myself this year and so far I am on track. I am pleased with my race results and although some days I feel as though I still have a mountain to climb, I can notice the progress in my strength, speed and endurance. I am learning so much about myself and what I am capable of and the potential of what lies ahead is what keeps me going.

Often during long runs, I get into a mental space where I am able to process what is going on in my mind and sometimes something I see speaks a new thought. About a week ago as I was out on a run, a woman ran past me wearing a t-shirt that read “run like you’re in love” it got me thinking just how long it had been I had that giddy feeling of being in love with someone and also if that giddy feeling is even real?

This thought made me wonder if it possible to simply fall “out of love” and stay there ... I have seen so many partnerships fail in recent times and in some ways I am thankful that I am not exposed to that pain but I also see couples who have a wonderfully successful relationship and I admire the qualities I see in them. I see caring, trust and respect in couples that care for each other. For my mate I seek an equal, someone who lets me live my life at this present time I am so totally content with life, with MY life, with my work, with running, with my progress. I am so grateful for all of what this life brings and all the things that unfold every day.

Learning to love yourself could just be the most important love of all. Running has helped me find that. I have come such a long way in a relatively short time, I am excited to find out what else there is.

Nature's Bounty

For the last few weeks I have been channeling my inner hippy. During this last week especially, I began to notice the incredible amount of flowers in bloom everywhere. The energy that has been emanating from these flowers is quite overwhelming.

I have also been running quite a lot and since my last post, I have participated in two half marathons and a 12k. All the running and general fitness training at boot camp has left me feeling strong and most of all very happy. The endorphins that are released while exercising are like no other feeling in the world and then when I see all the flowers popping out from their buds I get so giddy...last week I was practically in tears of joy...it was quite overwhelming but also quite wonderful.

This life works in such mysterious ways, ten years ago, I did not anticipate that I would be living in San Francisco, running races as a hobby and getting high from the sights around me. I have faith in the continued process of growth around me, I am becoming stronger, I am becoming wiser and I accept this process as part of my journey.

I am very grateful for all of life’s wonder.

I am a lucky, lucky girl.

Time travel

Last weekend I was in Carmel for the weekend, it is at the edge of Big Sur which boasts one of the most beautiful coastlines in all the West. I went down here with my friend David and yesterday we went to explore some of the vineyards. We got as far as the Carmel valley tasting rooms, they are all concentrated in one area so all you need to do is park your car and you can visit about 10 or 12 winery tasting rooms without getting behind the wheel again. When done tasting there are restaurants to get your strength back again. The wine in Carmel valley is simply delicious. We drank the best wines the region has to offer. There were a lot of whites, chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and some merlot and pinot noir.



It is wonderful to unwind, I spent the morning reading a book and in the afternoon I went for a nice hill run. It proved to be great way to spend a weekend away from the chores, away from the city lights and the pressures of work.

Since the first week of February, I have become really busy at work, this is great, but I am traveling more. I’ve been to New York recently; there I encountered a severe snowstorm. Two inches of snow can be fun when you have a sled, but those two inches that fell in New York amused me since I don’t see snow very often. I was still really glad to be back in San Francisco.



I have been feeling too much pressure about running recently and I couldn’t find enough time to do the long runs and have enough time to recover from traveling. I am often tired after a long flight and after my recent trip to New York I simply couldn’t face the idea of running 18 miles the following day. That is when I made the decision to downgrade the Oakland marathon from a full (26.2miles) to a half (13.1 miles). I would rather run a good half than get injured trying to run a distance I have not had sufficient training for. My focus now will be on training for the full marathon in July.

I am excited about running the half marathon distance, I am well trained for it and I intend to enjoy it. I learned an important lesson about scaling back when it was appropriate and not to simply do something for the sake of it.

To good health and a wonderful spring!

The Year of the Tiger

So here were are at yet another milestone in the year – The Chinese New Year - we are entering the Year of the Tiger and according to the people that write the predictions it is going to be a year of big change. I do not specifically believe in these type of predictions but I think change is good – for everyone – change allows us to recycle ourselves.

Just like nature dies in the winter and rebirths anew in the spring, so we must change as time does. I see myself changing every week. I get stronger all the time (even though I am aware that I am growing older every day).

I found my energy again, the blue skies and a slight change in my diet (less sugar), makes all the difference.

Long may it last and Happy New Year of the Tiger – may the roar of the Tiger drive you to the change you seek, today and every day.



Spring has arrived in San Francisco!!

Where Does the Energy Go?

I’ve never been able to understand why some days feel so much harder than others. This can be in relation to workouts, to the interaction with people, almost everything. Some days it simply feels like you’re swimming upstream, against the tide. I’m going to keep on swimming...but let’s hope my mojo kick back in soon!!

I need my energy back because I have set myself some ambitious running goals this year. On Sunday I am taking part in the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon. Next up is the Oakland Running Festival, which is a full marathon (this will be my second ever!) and then in July I will be running the San Francisco Marathon. On top of this, there are some shorter runs in between that which I am signed up to take part in, the Bay to Breakers in May and I am part of a relay team for the Big Sur Marathon in April.

This is the schedule for the next 6 months!!! There may be another marathon in the late fall but I intend to get through to the end of July first before I make any firm plans. With all this running I will focus on optimizing my nutrient intake and I trust that my body will survive it all - I expect to emerge, stronger, leaner and somewhat meaner (in a good way)

One foot in front of the other is the way to go! The energy will come back, I know it!!!

Interesting times indeed!

I found it odd how a natural disaster in another part of the world can have such an impact worldwide, but I know I was not the only one that felt horrified and somewhat numb about the earthquake and subsequent devastation that occurred in Haiti yesterday.

Now, I’ve never been to Haiti, but it has always conjured up images of tropical beaches and sunshine so to see the images of death, destruction and outward suffering of the victims is quite disturbing to say the least.

More than this, I am feeling a certain sense of helplessness, my desire is to hop on a plane and help out…but it is not possible to do so for a variety of reasons – some practical some personal.

I do think though that the time has come for me to get some basic preparedness instruction, as a starting point I have decided to renew my first aid and cpr skills, I had been taught them through the British Red Cross over 5 years ago, so its high time I renewed them and then I am going to educate myself on emergency preparedness…as someone living in an earthquake zone it feels like the right thing to do.

I believe that as the world evolves we will be faced with more challenges; I intend to be able to cope as best I can and lend help to those that are not able. I think we all have a responsibility to contribute in some way.

I wish the people in Haiti, the survivors and the people that are helping, strength in the days ahead.

2010 is here!

I have found that at the beginning of a new year there is always a sense of optimism, it is as if there is a new sense of possibility. This collective energy is quite contagious and one can really feel it on the people you see on the streets.

I made no new years’ resolutions, these I think are usually bound to fail because most often they are unrealistic. I did however; spend a lot of time over the New Year period reflecting on the previous year and with this being the beginning of a new decade, I spent some time reflecting on the last ten years. In this time, I have lived in three countries and been through a lifetime of personal change.

Wow, what a long strange trip it has been.

I am grateful for each and every opportunity and each and every day.

The Journey is the Reward!