A little something

Ummm...  It's a little sad when, on April 17th (almost 18th), I can open my blog homepage and see literally EVERY post I've written this year on the same page.  Possible culprit:  busy semester.  Other possible culprit:  only inspiration coming from anthropological literature and have decided not to numb your minds with theoretical blather.  You're welcome.

I'll be back soon, I promise.  In a short 3 weeks, my life promises to hold at least 7 days of absolutely no school work and a whole lot of R&R.  Now...  I just have to survive for three weeks...

Until then, I have a lot on my plate.  On May 1st, I'm running the Lincoln Half Marathon (expect a pre-race post).  I have several homework assignments, a final paper, final project, and final exam to do.  I also have some visitors coming this weekend.  I'll give you a hint:

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

I hope you're enjoying some lovely spring weather wherever you are!  Talk to you soon...

Running Solo

Greetings from my couch.  I am on Spring Break and have managed to avoid turning on my computer for the last 5 days and it has felt really good.  I had a nice relaxing few days at home and now am trying to avoid thinking about the fact that I accomplished very little today.  I'm trying even harder to avoid thinking about all the work that lies ahead of me in the next four days...

So, in the spirit of avoidance, I thought I'd write a little about running.  I'm training for my 4th half marathon, 3rd Lincoln Half Marathon.  Overall, I think training is going well, however, it is a very different experience this time than it has been in the past.

Things that are different:  scenery (I'm living in Missouri now, which is quite a bit different-looking from Nebraska), hills (I no longer have to drive to find hills - I walk out my front door), timing (in the past, most of my workouts were done in the mornings, except on Tuesday and Thursday nights, while this year most of them are done after noon), mileage (I'm running less mileage during the week, but it seems to be working out well).

The most important difference, though, is that most of my training this year has been done on my own.  For the last two years, I have participated in a running class designed to prepare people to run a marathon or a half.  The class is run by Ann Ringlein (aka the running guru of Lincoln, NE) and includes scheduled group runs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for 4 months.  The class is inspirational and motivational and, along with my fabulous running group, provides a girl with an enormous amount of support.  Knowing you have a knowledgeable group of people to learn from, and knowing that 5+ people are waiting for you at 6am on a frigid January morning offer a sense of security and assurance that have motivated me to keep coming back for more (hence, my 4th half).

I was seriously concerned about training on my own this time.  Would I be able to fit weekday runs into my already busy schedule?  Would I be motivated to do them without someone waiting at the trail to hold me accountable?  Was I even capable of completing a 10+ mile run on my own???  And would I be able to reach a new time goal in the half this year without the support of all of those fabulous people?

The answer to the first three questions is YES.  I have managed to schedule my time during the week in order to be sure to fit in at least 10 miles of running (usually on 3 days) and a day of cross-training, plus my Saturday long run.  I'm certainly not motivated to roll out of bed at an ungodly hour, but I make sure to get my runs in later in the day (although I still go early on Saturdays).  And I have done a lot of my long runs by myself, which will soon include a couple of solo 12 milers.

It is a lot harder and not quite as much fun to fly solo all the time, but I'm making it work.  In fact, I find myself running a faster pace most of the time because I'm usually in more of a hurry to finish the run, plus, I am not talking during the run, so I'm able to go a little faster naturally (breath not used talking = breath saved for running).  It should actually be noted that my running is done solo by choice.  Columbia has a great running community (so I've heard), but most of the time, I find my running time to be an excellent opportunity to get some thinking done and generally clear my mind.  Plus, they meet at 5:30.  A.M.!!!  No thank you.

As for whether or not I'll be able to meet the very challenging (to me) time goal I've set for this year's Lincoln Half Marathon, I'll just have to wait and see! I managed to finish last weekend's 10 mile race just under my goal time, but it was really hard and a slower pace than I'll need to run the half marathon in.  I'm hoping my training plan will prepare me to run as fast as I need to and hoping that within the next few weeks I'll have a very good idea as to whether or not I think my current goal is realistic.

Are you training for anything?  How's it going?  Have you been doing most of your running on your own or with friends?

My Happy Place

Although I am really enjoying my classes this semester, I am definitely starting to feel that middle-of-the-semester bogged down, can't see the light at the end of the tunnel feeling.  And it's happening a little early this time.  It probably has a lot to do with the fact that the amount of weekly homework is more than a little overwhelming, evidenced by the fact that I have spent countless Saturday nights this semester at home doing homework.  Go me.  That's ok.  I'm learning a lot.  And I'll appreciate a little break at the end of this semester like never before.
But...  Every now and then, I have to close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and go to my Happy Place.  I'm sure you could all easily guess what that is:

Let's just say it involves me, the beach, and a good book.

So, when I start to feel stressed or overwhelmed, or whatever, I have a cup of Lighthouse Cafe coffee in my Sanibel Bean coffee cup, and think about the sun and the breeze and the fine white sand.  And for a few minutes, all is right with the world...

What's your Happy Place?

p.s.  Mine has some serious competition:

                                                                                    

A Slippery Slope

So, lately, I've been having all of these ... well ... thoughts.  Or maybe I should call them fantasies?  Except that they're based on reality...  so let's stick to "thoughts."

They creep into my head while I'm running.  I'll be struggling during a tough part of the run then, all of a sudden, a great song with a heavy beat pops on and the thoughts begin.  One, followed by a RUSH of adrenaline.  Then another.  Then, before I know it, I have a full-blown story line going on in my head.  And I find myself nearly sprinting, running as fast as I can, feeling absolutely on top of the world.

I'm talking about volleyball, of course.  That's right.  I have been having volleyball fantasies while I'm running.  All of the great players I have been on the court with in the past are there with me in my thoughts and every great play is being replayed over and over again.  And I feel alive.

I miss volleyball.  Running and I have a good, solid relationship (minus the fact that I'm not all that good at it).  Running keeps me in shape.  It allows me to set goals and go after them like I used to do with volleyball.  Running has been there for me when volleyball hasn't.  But it just isn't the same.

Volleyball and I are soulmates.  And I miss my soulmate.

It's a slippery slope, my friends.  I've been mentally cheating on running with volleyball for the last couple of months now and it's only a matter of time before I cheat for real.  I don't want to break up with running.  I just want to have a little extra-curricular fun every now and then.  Is that SO wrong???  :)

What's New?

Hi all!

Since last I posted (a real post), a lot is new in my neck of the woods!  First and foremost, I started a new and very busy, semester in January and have been enjoying the crap out of it.  Seriously!  I'm not being sarcastic.  I am in three very demanding, very interesting classes and I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed school this much.  I may be singing a different tune come the end of the semester, when my responsibilities hit me in the face like a ton of bricks, but for now, I prefer to live in a naive state of anthropological bliss.


Aside from normal classwork and working 15 hours a week in my research assistant position, I have also been spending my free time (read: time not spent doing homework, sleeping, eating, or watching Glee) applying for a small travel grant funded by the National Science Foundation.  If I receive the grant, I will be able to use the money to travel to Bangladesh in the fall and do some preliminary research.  This would be particularly useful because it would give me some important experience, and I also happen to have a friend planning to go to the same field site at the same time I hope to go.  Sounds pretty ideal to me!  Oh, and I finally managed to submit the paper that came out of my thesis to one of the better-known journals in my discipline.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I have also signed up for the Lincoln Half Marathon, so I've been battling the elements, getting training runs in where and whenever I can.  In case you don't know, by "elements" I mean nearly 3 feet of snow.  Central MO fell victim to that massive winter storm that hit the Midwest a few weeks ago and have only begun to see the ground in the last week.  School was cancelled for three days (an actual first for the University of Missouri) and I spent some quality time in my driveway with the shovel.

Progress after 1st hour of shoveling.

I also managed to paint my bedroom, clean the house, and watch a lot of TV.  We have been enjoying spring-like temps this week, though, and I'm pretty excited to finally be able to use the trail in town again.

My hair got a little friendly with a freshly painted wall.

I'm happy to report that as tough as last semester was, with the move, trying to find my way in a new town and navigate a long distance relationship (which, admittedly, I have yet to master), this semester is shaping up to be positively awesome.  I have made a few great friends at school and am very happy to report that most of them will be around Columbia for at least another year.  I have started to become more involved on campus, attending lectures and starting a reading group with a couple of the aforementioned friends.  Now that I'm feeling a little more settled, I really like Columbia and am reassured often that I chose the right graduate program in the right town.  It doesn't hurt that I'm a short 5 hour drive from home, especially since this little guy is getting cuter by the minute:

Seriously.  Whenever I need a good pick-me-up, I just go to my sister's Facebook page and go through baby pictures.  They always put a smile on my face.

So...  That's a quick rundown of what has been going on in my life.  No amazing insights and it sounds a little like the purpose statement I wrote for the grant earlier today.  But, I figured that even a less-than-eloquent post was better than no post at all!

What's new with you?

I Wish...

I wish I were here right now...

... not surrounded by birds, of course.  But on the beach.

Side note:  For someone who is as afraid of birds as I am, I sure took a lot of pictures of them in Sanibel. Maybe Sanibel makes everything better?

...

Yes.  It most certainly does.

Present

In a yoga class I attended on December 30th, the instructor was discussing the transition out of 2010 and into 2011.  As she talked about leaving 2010 behind, she said something that struck me so deeply that it is still with me (no easy feat, considering the sheer volume of random thoughts that spin around in my head on a daily basis).  She called 2010 "A Year of Challenge and Growth."  Was it ever!  I had absolutely no idea what I was in for, but after 12 months of challenge after challenge, some big and some small, I realized that I was emerging from 2010 a somewhat different person than when I entered it.  No doubt, I still talk so much that sometimes I annoy even myself.  I also talk mostly about myself - a flaw of mine that makes me cringe.  I have trouble slowing those twirling, whirling thoughts and focusing on just one at a time.  And I often watch too much TV and spend too much time on Twitter and Facebook.  But in so many ways, 2010 was a year of wiping my slate clean.  I was afforded the opportunity to deal with some very deep past hurts and to work through them with my loving family.  I learned how to communicate better and become a better listener (something I continue to struggle with), and even how better to verbally support someone I love.  And so, inspired by this idea of a clean slate, one on which I can begin building new habits, new relationships, and a better understanding of myself, I decided to sign up for two separate events at my yoga studio: an afternoon of guided meditation and intention-setting for the new year on New Year's Eve and a far more active workshop on New Year's Day in which I was supposed to complete 108 Sun Salutations along with a roomful of people.

If I could adequately describe the peace, serenity, and inspiration that I felt during the New Year's Eve intention-setting workshop, I would.  But, I fear that trying to put it into words would take away its specialness, so I won't do it that injustice.

The 108 Sun Salutations on the other hand...  I'll spare you the gory details of a studio floor so drenched with sweat at the end that I could merely slide from my mat to the door and of aching muscles that started to refuse to hold me up around 93.  I went into that workshop looking for a way to ACTIVELY welcome in the new year.  To somehow sweat out 2010 (which I very well may have done) and make room for everything that was to come in 2011.  As Aaron might say, to judo chop 2010 into oblivion and become quick allies with 2011.  I expected to walk out of the studio feeling invincible, enlightened, and accomplished.  Aside from running 3 half marathons, this was physically one of the most challenging things I have done and I was sore for almost a week afterwards.  But I walked out feeling somewhat ... agitated.  And I couldn't figure out why!!!  Was I hungry?  Was I dehydrated?  (Yes.)  Was I tired?  I was happy that I'd done it.  I felt pretty darn good about myself, in fact.  And I figured the effects would kick in at one point or another, although I had no idea what they would be.

Luckily, I think I was right.  During this lovely, peaceful, relaxing vacation that I am currently on, I have noticed that I have been more patient, more appreciative of the world around me, and much more focused on the present moment.  Those probably don't seem like difficult things to be while on vacation.  But, trust me, they can be.  Think of it.  How easy it is to focus on hurrying to get to the beach and miss the beauty around you; to think only about annoying the talkative person next to you on the plane is and miss the opportunity to listen; to slip your headphones in and turn up the iPod instead of listening to the wind and the waves falling easily onto the sand; to go back to the hotel room, turn on the TV, half-listening to a re-run of an old Friends episode, all the while checking email, updating Facebook, and having a snack (maybe that last one's just me?).  While some of that is still going on for me, I have also noticed how quick I am to take a deep breath and smile, rather than let a slightly annoyed feeling creep over my entire body when traffic on the island (I know, poor me) is creeping along at a slower-than-glacial pace.  I have noticed the beauty of this place in a whole new way and have allowed myself to dream about the future (which, of course, includes one of those beautiful beach houses), but not lose sight of the present.  I am feeling quieter on the inside and suspended in this little bubble of contentedness, even while the world around me seems to spin increasingly out of control.

These are changes that I hope to bring home with me even more than the scads of beautiful seashells we have been collecting; changes that I hope will be the first new layer on my recently cleaned slate.  I hope that a truer sense of being present in the moment and the act of doing only one thing at a time will become a real part of who I am and shape who I will become.  Because I can tell you one thing for sure:  reading an email from a friend, eating an ice cream cone, watching a TV show, looking out the window, taking a walk are all infinitely more enjoyable when that's the only thing you're doing.

I know I'm a little late to the game, but Happy New Year, everyone!