Traveling, reflecting and running

It's been a little bit over a week since we returned from Paris and I feel like I'm just now starting to settle back in to life in SF. The past week has been a bit 'blah' and uninspired though I suppose this is due in large part to the fact that it's that time of the month for me. Who. Knows.

In any case, my mind has been wandering a lot and I've been considering all of my different passions and desired life experiences. I thought about how traveling for work can sometimes take away from my passion for travel but at the same time, it can present a lot of perks for the family. In fact (when considering the "life list" that I've been formulating in my head but have yet to write down), I've always wanted to give Anna the experience of living in another country. It was something that brought a great depth to my perspective during my childhood (and now) and something she can greatly benefit from as well.

All things considered, and particularly on a macro perspective, I'm not much of a routine person at all. I lived in a number of places during my childhood and lived in even more places during my young adulthood. Combined, it seems those experiences have me unconsciously accustomed to constant change. Back then it felt like I was aimlessly and desperately chasing something elusive (a career, happiness, I don't think I really knew) and now I feel like I'm chasing 'the moment', the real-time enjoyment of my experiences and running away from exclusive focus on career, saving money, etc.

While it can come easy for me to rebel against the mainstream, I live right smack dab in the middle of it bringing upon inevitable hypocrisy! And ultimately, I'm ok with that. I'd just like live a simple life that affords me the opportunity pursue the experiences I'd like to have in life...How funny is that? Once I achieve yuppie-hood, I'm eager to leave it. More on that later, I guess :)

In the meantime, one of the (mainstream) experiences I've been chasing for a while now is running a marathon. Last year, I signed up for the SF Marathon AND the Nike Women's Marathon only to drop out of BOTH due to lack of training. It was a big bummer at the time and even bigger disappointment in hindsight as it represents something I try desperately to avoid: not finishing something I start.

That said, it has given me the opportunity to consider why I wanted to do it in the first place. Do I really want to do it for myself? Or is the marathon one of these very yuppy San Francisco things everyone does and I'm just letting myself get influenced by the pack? Well, I realize, it's both.

Since I started running back in mid-March after a much too long hiatus from any type of physical fitness, I have been quietly building a solid base of miles. At the time, my goal was to shed the undesired pounds I had gained and 'get back in shape' but in specifics, I kept my focus on each  run. I analyzed the physical sensations I felt and contemplated the motivational struggles I had to get out the door. In recent weeks, I've even contemplated those moments where I wanted to throw caution to the wind and eat whatever my impulse desired.

The surprising thing is that I'm really grateful for being so aware of each and every win and struggle to date. It's been a great exercise for me to stay present and more importantly, find my own unique and personal enjoyment of running.

And so, it's with this realization that I'm frightened only slightly nervous to say that I got into the Nike Women's Marathon 2012 lottery. Last week, I completed Week 2 of my 18 week training program and feel confident that I can manage the miles with a real investment in

• determination - to get those miles in when I'm tired or even bored but more importantly to finish something that I start!
• organization - planning is half the battle! Getting this training plan done means ensuring gear is always available, alarms are set and course routes are mapped out in advanced especially when I'm out of town.

So, here we go! Below is the Week 2 summary:

Monday (6/18)
Goal: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday (6/19)
Goal: 3 miles
Actual: 3 miles | 28:00 mins | 9'09"/ mile along the Embarcadero though as I write this, I can't quite remember much more about this run :)

Wednesday (6/20)
Goal: 5 miles
Actual: 5 miles | 48:04 mins | 9'36"/ mile along the Embarcadero again.

Thursday (6/21)
Goal: 3 miles | 32:22 mins | 10'47"/ mile along the Embarcadero with Sasa. This was a super irritating run with the pup, where nothing seemed to go right. He kept stopping and then going, we caught every light and then we were forced to detour along the Embarcadero. Anyway, I logged one for the books though I didn't quite feel the runner's high I was after.

Friday (6/22)
Goal: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday (6/23)
Goal: 9 miles
Actual: 8.5 miles | 1:22:00 mins | 9'38"/ mile to the Warming Hut on Crissy Field and back. I updated my Nike+ running app and unfortunately, it had a GPS bug. It really irritated me during the run and I really had to fight hard not to be annoyed and just enjoy the run! Anyway, I didn't quite hit the 9 miles as I didn't plan the run out in advanced but am fine with the 8.5. It was an incredible day in SF!

Almost to my half way point, I had to grab a classic crissy field shot of the bridge.

Anna at Kell's while we watched France vs. Spain - Euro Cup 2012 quarterfinals

Sunday (6/24)

Goal: 5 miles

Actual: 5 miles | 49:19 mins (including stoplights etc.) | 9'48"/mile Another great run. My legs were feeling a bit sore in the morning but I was still itching to get out there and run. And apparently, run fast. For some reason, my body doesn't want to into jog-mode so I'm just going with it!