If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Already

Top of the Schönbrunn Castle in Vienna

This post was written last month, while in Europe.

We arrived into Zagreb, Croatia's capital city, late last night. We're staying in an apartment in the center of what seems like a fairly small, but bustling, city. When we were first looking for places to stay, I was quickly won over by this one's balcony, hanging seven floors above the city- I'm a sucker for a good balcony. I love the easy access to fresh air, but I also love the birds' eye view it gives us. In Prague, we visited the Prague Castle which, high up on a hill, is a step back from the city, and yesterday, when we made a quick visit to Schönbrunn on a stopover in Vienna, again we were able to see the whole city from afar. On this balcony though, I can look out and see far...but I also get to look down and see the details- professionals rushing to work, people biking through the streets, vendors setting up at the market. Like a fly on the wall, I get a peak into life in this new place from the perfect distance.

View from our balcony in Zagreb

While we were in Prague over the weekend, we walked over to the farmers' market near our friends' apartment. It was a beautiful day, without the humidity that makes spending time outside back home something to avoid. Strolling through the stalls, I thought how if I lived so close to this, I would spend much of my Saturday mornings there. But just as quickly as I thought it, I realize that across the world, I do live near a farmers' market. It's not foreign and sure, they don't serve beer, but I have access to it twice a week, a five minute walk from my apartment...and I rarely go. Away from home, it's easy to forget the mundane tasks that fill up much of my free time- laundry, paying bills, completing endless to-do lists. It's easy to get caught in a web of what if's. 

Just before we left Ann Arbor, I was running through the Arboretum near our apartment, and saw a poster on the notice board at the entrance that said "If you're too busy to run today, then you're too busy." For me, this is just another reminder

of something I have spent much time thinking about in the last few years. On vacation, it's easy to stand back from my every-day life and see all the potential that lives in a place. I get to watch people doing what they enjoy, outside of work and the mundane tasks they must complete within their homes. For me, of course, I get to enjoy that, with no restrictions on what I have to do, nothing being dictated. I get to imagine a life where time is a gift, rather than a restriction. But there has to be a middle ground, I place where I can continue to "live like I'm on vacation,"even after I have returned home. 

Maybe it's like wearing metaphorical bifocals. I'm not going to ever be in a financial position where I can just travel and peek into others' worlds, and I don't even want that. I like being connected and settled.  Instead, I seek the feeling of wonder, perspective, appreciation. I don't want to be so busy that I don't have time to discover the new things, or enjoy my favorite things. I know you can't make more time, but you can certainly find it, and I don't need to travel around the globe to find time to pause and just be. 

Like a Girl

Catching up on some articles I bookmarked before our trip, I read this goodie from Runner's World. The article is written about the video below, and is about the difference between how little girls and young women view the term "like a girl." It's exactly what I thought about on my run this morning, pushing myself. Worth the watch and read!

"There is no proven way to teach girls that running like a girl, hitting like a girl or thinking like a girl is a compliment – other than living it."

Run, Run, Run

A friend shared this with me MONTHS ago, and I just recently watched it for the first time. I like it for a lot of reasons, and thought it was worth sharing. 

Bump in the Training Road

We interrupt reflections of world traveling to bring you a hard dose of reality. (Cue the breaking news sound byte)

While away, I wrote a few posts that I'm in the process of finalizing, but honestly, they're fluffy in relation to my current training, which makes sense. I ran while I was away, but it was a bit fluffy, and that's completely fine. I wanted to run while I was away, but I didn't want it to in any way impede my trip. So the posts I'm working on are meaningful to me and true to my experiences, but in terms of running, it would be dishonest of me to skip over today's run. I honestly just need to process it.

I had a long run of 7 miles planned for this morning, and I did it. I can't feel worse about a run than I would feel if I hadn't run at all, but it's not easy. This has happened before- I've struggled through a long run, just to go on and have a super successful long run the next week. I know it's not necessarily indicative of how the next 6 weeks are going to go, unless I let it be. I do think it is important for me to reflect nevertheless, as I don't want to continue to feel this way, both physically and mentally.

When I trained for my first half, I was super disciplined, finding what worked for me and sticking to it. Since then, I've found myself rediscovering things I already know and that were once routine for me, and that's okay. I need to continue to view this as a process, a journey, because when I look at it like that, today is a piece of the puzzle. It's hard to differentiate between what really impacts my performance, and what is just a head game, what is just me psyching myself out. 

A friend recently made me think about the differences between reasons and excuses. Today's run is behind me and I have no one but myself to "answer" to, so there are no excuses to be made. Instead,  I seek to identify reasons that may have caused today be challenging, so I can adjust accordingly for upcoming long runs. Here are my take aways:

-Choose flat over variety. I like weaving my way through town and mixing up my routes, but I need to forgo creative runs and minimize any additional challenges when mapping out longer runs. I don't usually blanket avoid hills/route challenges, and I won't, but I need to create long runs that are as gentle as possible. The course in September is flat and if my goal is to hit a mileage marker on my long runs, that needs to be my top priority.

-Cross train. This is something I was planning to start sprinkling in this weekend anyway, but I'm reminded that it's a super important part of my plan. Runs need to be my top priority, but some other form of working out needs to be up there too. I want to protect my long runs, in that I never want to go into them sore for a day of cross training, but doing so between shorter runs will definitely do me some good. It's a good reminder that I can, and should, push beyond what is comfortable and easy. 

-Revamp the play list. I typically create and wear out the same playlist, so I've become a huge fan of Songza as a way to mix it up. I think for shorter runs, it works, but for longer runs, I need songs that I know will energize me. My music could definitely use a makeover, but I like knowing what's coming, knowing that every song will push me.

Dobrý den Praha!

With our amazing hosts!

And we're off! Last week, we left for our 2+ week European adventure/belated honeymoon. To start off our trip, we stayed with my dear friend from college, Amy, and her boyfriend, Pete, who both relocated to Prague for work back in January. It's been several years since I've been to Europe, and over 10 since traveling to a country that doesn't natively speak English. I don't think I realized until recently how different visiting Italy now would be from doing so when I was in high school. Living in the US, everything feels, and really is, much newer and modern, in terms of the landscape of a city. Ten years ago, I felt a disconnect to things that were so unfamiliar. Now, I'm finally at a point where I can appreciate it. 

Walking through Prague, it's impossible to not acknowledge, and admire, the drastic differences between what's before me and what I see in my everyday life - the cobblestone, the randomness of narrow and windy streets, the newness of something unfamiliar. Traveling is exciting, but, as a co-worker recently pointed out, for her, and me as well, it can push you to the point of almost uncomfortable at times. Even for the most organized person, exploring a new place brings about a level of uncertainty. Especially for those of us who like to be in control, it can be stressful, to the point where it's possible to even lose sight of the reason people visit new cities in the first place. 

The Dancing Man &
The Dancing House

Recently, both in traveling and in my everyday life, I have found that acknowledging that potential for mild chaos and confusion can be enough to restore my sense of comfort. As Jillian Michaels encourages in a yoga DVD of hers (and thus, perhaps in real life as well), "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." Life throws us curveballs, and oftentimes, we throw them at ourselves. Whether we see it coming or not, these things - traveling, changes, relationships - challenge and push us in different ways.

I feel fortunate to have been able to see where our friends in Prague are living, a window into this new life they've created for themselves. From the other side of the ocean, I can easily forget what a shift this has been, and continues to be, for them. Living alongside them for a few days, I can better appreciate, and admire, the courage it has taken to stray from the known to the unknown. I'm honestly not sure I could ever do what they've done, uprooting their lives and moving to an unfamiliar place, to the extent to which they have.

Glowing in front of the Vltava River

In an effort to maintain some kind of base for the half-marathon, we set out on Sunday morning to get in a few miles. Running, particularly on vacation, has become a priority beyond how it makes me feel. I've written about it before, but, even if only briefly, I enjoy seeing a new place that way. Running along the Vltava River, I couldn't help but feel a bit bothered that I wasn't able to bang out four quick miles with ease. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of a bigger picture- despite four jam-packed days of exploring the city, stuffing our faces, and catching up with Amy and Pete, we still fit it in, and that's something I have to be proud of.

And I guess that's what's most important. It's easy, and even natural, to size ourselves up against others, or even another version of our own self, overlooking what we are doing because our focus is on we think we should be doing. I have a lot of friends traveling this summer, and I often listen enviously as they rattle off the list of all the places they're going. Instinctively, I question if we should have planned to do more, packed more in to our time abroad. It's easy to get swept up in others' dreams and plans, but ultimately, I have to be true to myself and more than anything or anyone else, I need to know myself. We are doing a ton in our two weeks in Europe, but that's not even what matters. What's most important is that it's a trip that matches us, that fits us and what we want out of it. And it really is.

There will always be people who do more than me, and likewise, people who do less. I write a lot about reflecting on changes I've made and comparing me to myself, and I guess I started this post, nearly two weeks ago now, thinking that's what I was doing here yet again. I don't want to compare myself to others, but I'm realizing that when I notice these differences, whether it's with regard to traveling, running, or otherwise, they can push me towards feelings of appreciation, instead of inadequacy. What's "uncomfortable" for me is different than what it is for anyone else, but the commonality is that we're each striving, I hope, to be our best, happiest, fullest versions of ourselves. Our starting lines are not the same, so how can our finish lines be? 

Girl on the Run...for Girls on the Run!

When we first moved to Michigan nearly three years ago, I reached out to our local Girls on the Run council about volunteering in their office as something to do with my free time (since people who are unemployed have a bit of free time). Some of the ladies I ran Hope Express with had been involved with GOTR in their area, and it sounded like a worthwhile organization to get involved with. They have councils throughout the country - I encourage you to check them out in your area. 

I love the mission of GOTR - to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident through the use of a curriculum that integrates running - and I feel personally connected to it, because of the impact running has had on me. At the end of each program season, the girls participate in a 5k, a culmination and celebration of their hard work throughout the last 10 weeks. The girls participate in the 5k, along with their families and other community members. Volunteering at the event is awesome, and if I can attempt to find words to really capture the most recent 5k, I will (eventually!) post about it.  I seriously get excited just thinking about young girls having this opportunity at an early age, at an age where what they learn from their experience with GOTR can have an impact on the rest of their lives.

Over the past few years, I've gotten to know the incredible staff at our council (Southeastern Michigan, serving five counties in the area), and have been inspired by their commitment and embodiment of this program. This past spring, I worked on the 5k Planning Committee, and it really helped to fill a niche in my life, getting to plan, collaborate, and organize logistics, all for a cause I feel connected to. Still, it seemed to just increase my desire to get move involved. While I do hope to be a coach down the line, becoming a SoleMate became increasingly important to me. Being a SoleMate means committing to raising money for the GOTR scholarship fund, while training for a race...which means I'm running a race!


I am officially signed up for my fifth half-marathon, the Detroit Women's Half on Belle Isle in Detroit, taking place on September 21. It seems perfect to be running this race, a celebration of women, in support of GOTR. It's been almost two years since I've trained for a half, so I have some high expectations and hopes, both in terms of running and fundraising, but more than anything, I'm excited to have a purpose to run and a way to support this wonderful organization. 

To learn more and/or to donate, please visit my donation page and help me to reach my goal of donating $1,130.18 to the GOTR scholarship page. This fund helps ensure every girl has the opportunity to participate in GOTR. Be sure to check back for training updates, race info, and to learn more about GOTR!

Summer!

Happy Summer! 

I'm the definition of "creature of habit," so while I thoroughly enjoy being given the gift of time for myself over the summer, it's something I have to think a lot about and plan for (which for some, I know seems a little backwards). For me, it's a balance between enjoying more time than you're used to, and feeling like you're wasting it all. So with that in mind, weeks before school let out, I started really thinking about how I could make the most of this summer, without doing the most. I came up with a list of a few actually productive things I wanted to accomplish this summer that were more like tasks, and then thought a lot about what I wanted to do for enjoyment. It's easy to spend days on the couch, but I know many of those aren't enjoyable to me. They're easy, but not enjoyable. So I came up with a list of how I want to spend this summer....and blogging more is on there. Sometimes it can feel like a task, but I know it's something I enjoy doing once I make it a priority. And it is a priority for me. I appreciate having a running record of the past few years, because while the focus of most of these posts is something running-related, it has been a bit of a map of where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going.  

I certainly have plenty to write about - the end of the school year, the Silver Gallup Relay, committing to my fifth half marathon to raise money for Girls on the Run - and I'm looking forward to adding all of that and more here, so this can continue to be a road map of sorts of my life.