Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Nine Amazing Things...

Happy National Running Day!!!!

I've been eagerly anticipating this day because it (naturally) meant today was going to be a running day! And even though I only missed one run because of my ankles the reality is that I MISSED RUNNING! And that always makes me a little sad. But all that sadness ended today :)

There are 9 things that I am excited about today. Choosing to share 9 things probably seems out of character for me since nine is such an odd number. But (let me reassure you) there is logic behind the madness. Well "logic" as far as I'm concerned. So.... the number 9 is brought to you courtesy of the 6th month of the year and 3rd day of the month. I know you probably think it's corny, but I actually think it's cute (in a weird "I'm losing my grip on rational thought" kinda way).

~ Today being National Running Day is obviously one of the things that I am excited about. It's nice that we runners have a day to celebrate this amazing activity that we love so much. Someone commented on Facebook that we should celebrate running everyday. And although I tend to agree with that, the Law of Diminishing Returns highlights that a daily celebration would eventually lose its appeal. So we have to stick with the one day of national celebration and use it as an opportunity to bring the running community together (literally and figuratively). I loved scrolling through Instagram and Facebook and seeing posts from all the people who made the effort to run today. It was really awesome.


~ My second piece of exciting news is tangentially related to my social media activities. I shared a post on IG this morning about my run and some of the reasons why I run, and I received some of the nicest comments...
The running community is AWESOME!!!!!! It really has connected me with amazingly cool people. Even people that I've never met in person inspire and encourage me along my journey for probably no other reason than the fact that they also run, and they understand the challenges, and they know that sometimes all we fellow runners need is a word of encouragement or a simple "Great job! Keep it up!"

~ Another exciting thing about today happened on my run this morning. Although my pace was decent, I didn't break any records. But there were no neighborhood dogs chasing after me today so that was great (it's the little things you know). What was exciting though was this moment I experienced, when I felt like I was in my running "zone". The air felt cool despite the humidity...
...and my legs felt like they were floating. It's the closest I've probably gotten to a "Runner's High" and it was AMAZING!!!

~ I did a 5K run this morning and my ankles felt "ok". They were a bit sore but not painful. And like I said, the pace was pretty decent...

~ And I had negative splits today!!! That's not entirely unusual for me actually. I have negative splits or even splits for most of my runs (for the most part). But I always get excited when I am able to do it again...

~ Apart from running I had other things to prioritize today. Work was stressful frustrating very busy. Which is generally fine because it's a job and there are going to be those days. But today I felt like my "to-do" list was smothering me. I got through a small portion of what I wanted to accomplish today which left me in somewhat of a grumpy mood. But (thankfully) I found the perfect solution so it wasn't a total waste of a day...
Wine and/or chocolate are perfect ways to cheer me up when I'm in a bad mood (or feeling sad). And since I don't have any wine in the house right now...

~ I've identified the 13 full marathons that I want to finish for my Bucket List!!! I know some of these may change as time goes by because a lot of these destinations will depend on my fiscal health when registration time rolls around. But the current list is as follows...
#01: Chicago Marathon ~ (Oct 2015)
#02: Miami Marathon ~ (Jan 2016)
#03: Athens Marathon
#04: Great Wall Marathon

#05: Napa Valley Marathon
#06: Paris Marathon
#07: Vegas Marathon
#08: Big Sur Marathon
#09: London Marathon
#10: Honolulu Marathon
#11: Big Five Marathon
#12: New York Marathon
#13: Tokyo Marathon
I'm already registered for the first two. And I really really really want to run Athens next year (I've been saving since 2013 for that one). Because travel will be costly, my list is almost an even split between US based events and International events (which is a contrast to my current half marathon bucket list where most are US based).


~ I registered with Charity Miles today!!!
Charity Miles is an organization that helps raise money for different charities (through sponsorship from various organizations). Once you download the app you choose the charity you want to "fund raise" for and then select the activity you are going to do. If you walk or run you can raise $0.25 for each mile that you complete. The money you raise from your activity is then paid to the charity you selected by the corporate sponsor! Seriously!!! How cool is that?! I heard about it after my run this morning but I'm definitely going to use it for my upcoming runs!

~ Last, but not least, on my list of things to share is a beautiful quote that I saw on Instagram today...
This really resonated with me. Not necessarily as something "exciting" to share with you. But more because of how profound the message is. Today we took a moment to celebrate something that we love. But may we never take for granted each moment that we get to celebrate the people that we love. 

I hope your day was incredible!

What did you do to celebrate National Running Day?

What/Who motivated you to start running?

Complete this sentence: The best thing about running is _______________________.

8 comments:

  1. I have charity miles on my phone....and I forgot about it:/ I should start using it!! That is also a pretty awesome bucket list for marathons! I totally understand the fiscal health thing....that is a lot of the reason I have not traveled too far for running. I forget how expensive running can be sometimes!!

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    1. I'm going to try it on my next run. I really hope I remember to turn it on :(
      I have a separate savings account for all my race related expenses. That helps keep me from going overboard with all my travel plans ;)

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  2. I had a very stressful NRD :( But I ended it off with a ten km run around the neighbourhood and I felt much better!

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    1. I'm sorry you had a stressful day :( but glad it ended with a run :) Hope the rest of your week is better!!!!!!

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  3. That's an awesome list I have heard the Great Wall Marathon is tough but so worth it:-).

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    1. Thank you! I've heard it's tough too and I saw a video promo of it....pretty intense. But such a wonderful experience so I can't wait!!!

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  4. I'm glad your ankle is feeling better! Maybe I'll run into you at some of your bucket list runs! Happy Friday!

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    1. Thanks Meghan! Definitely let me know if any of our events coincide! That would be great :)

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