Surfing

I went surfing. I've waited my whole life to be able to say that. It's quite a difficult pastime to get into. Opposed to say, running, the surfing crowd doesn't seem too eager to get more people to join them on the waves. It's expensive, mildly dangerous, and rather exotic. We walked onto the beach looking like batman and batwoman, covered head-to-toe in black neoprene suits. Our rental boards were brand new and we doubted anyone noticed the surf shop logo painted on the corner. So, yeah, we looked like we knew what we were doing. And passersby had no way of knowing that it was our first time, so we got lots of admiring stares from beachcombers. A few of them were brave enough to ask us how the surfing was. We responded shyly, aware that we had no idea what to say. Eager to march into the freezing waves, we stretched out a bit and entered the water. It was surprisingly warm and we were able to stay out for an hour without feeling too cold. 7 hours later, we emerged one last time from the Pacific Ocean. The tide was coming in and we were so sore we could barely hold our boards enough to make the 500m hike back to the parking lot. As we peeled the dripping wetsuits from our aching bodies, we smiled at each other with these endorphin-induced drunken grins. It was stellar. I can't wait to go again!

Rubbing elbows

I am now a wildflower enthusiast. There are all kinds of activities that running gets a person in shape for. Conversely, there is one type of running that a variety of activities motivate you to do. And that is just plain running. My jutting musculoskeletal system is sore because it spent around 24 hours attached to a rather uncomfortable (it was a rental) 20-or-so pound backpack this past weekend. How does that motivate me to run more? I don't know but I think I will. And if I run at a rate of 6mph, I will still be able to spot wildflowers along the way. In search of the perfect trail...

Running in a New Country

Since the last time I wrote, I've moved to a new country. This is a country where it's not weird if you run around town in jogging clothes. In fact, it's considered normal. I've discovered a better way to get my heart rate up, though. Every weekend, I take my skis, boots, and poles in the back of the car up to the top of this local mountain. It's actually the highest mountain in the state where I live. I go to a trailhead and then it's like entering a completely new and different world. Everything is covered in white and the weather could change at any second. When it snows, my mascara runs, but I love the thrill of the chill in the air and the silence of the ancient forest all around me. This new country is strange, but I love skiing in it.

Summer time

In the summer. Well, this summer. There is so much daylight and as long as the temperatures agree, I can go running every night towards the sunset. I've found that I prefer running with my boyfriend. It feels so great when we come home sweaty, and chop up vegetables for dinner and shower. But, the best thing this summer has been finding swimming pools and lakes and seas. So far we've swam in the public pool in Sarajevo, in the Adriatic, the Aegean, and about 5 lakes throughout this small little country. Not to mention every single day in my town pool. People gather around the pool and stare as I swim, but... I don't care. Soon, we're going down to an island in the Aegean for a week and renting windsurf equipment. I just want to give it a shot. Not promising anything. I'm most excited about returning to the U.S. this winter. ADIDAS (All day I dream about snow!) We signed up for a dog sledding course, and first thing I'm buying is new cross country skis. Last year there was hardly any snow here, so I really really missed it. My greatest hope is that I'll find my one special sport that I can really dedicate my free time to. I like trying new things, but I want to find my passion...

Indoor Fin

There's something magnificent about developing an addiction to the hormones the body produces when it exercises. And along with this addiction comes increased endurance, concentration ability, and strength. I can just hop out the door and be gone for nearly an hour. Thanks to a care package containing 40 high quality AAA batteries, I have the neurological stimulation from the Black Eyed Peas. I can't wait to see how far I can go on my long days, and I feel short-changed if I have to take a rest day for some reason. Running has become more and more what I had hoped it would become for me: easy yet challenging. I'm officially signed up for a half-marathon in a few weeks (and a Nike Dri-fit shirt!).

Chocolate and ice cream

Today, for some reason, I didn't want to go out of my apartment. I stayed in looking up GRE words and looking out the window at the nice weather. I should have gone for a walk or cross trained today according to my training plan for the half-marathon I plan to run in September. I ate some chocolate today. I LOVE chocolate. It is soo... palatable (GRE word). My day feels incomplete without exercising. I feel like my inner ball of energy is still wound up. Ahhh!

My quiet mind

Inside of my mind, when I start running, there's a beat going. Today it is our recent Eurovision song. It gets me on a great pace. Eventually, it fades away, and I'm left with my pulse, my breathing, my feet beating against the ground, my arms pumping. The children playing football in the background become pleasant strums of positive energy. My endorphins increase, the time I've been running adds up, I start running faster, and I forget to swerve around the huge puddle of water. As I near the end of my run, I can't wait to stop. I walk home, careless. But then my mind fills up again and I wish I were still running.