I think I should start a new club. It'll be called the No Marathon Club, and, you guessed it, only people who have never,nor will ever, do a marathon are allowed to join.
OK, so maybe someday I will do a marathon, but I don't see it in my near future at all. The distance and challenge just don't call to me. It seems that everyone else has already done a marathon. I can be one of the few runners whose has never done one. That'll be unique!
Actually, I don't care about uniqueness in this respect. Maybe that's why the marathon doesn't appeal to me. Yes, it is difficult. Extremely difficult. Yes, not many people actually run a marathon. So the lure of standing out amongst a crowd may be one of the reasons people run marathons. But that lure is non-existent for me.
I had pondered not too long ago about doing a 50k. 30 miles. And I have since determined that this is not for me either.
I love running. Absolutely love it, and I don't want to stop enjoying it. I fear that running and training for those long distances will make me HATE running. And I am not willing to risk it. I will stick with moderate distances like 13.1 or 25k. And even those distances are a little much. I am ready to start focusing on getting a great time in the 10k and the 5k. I think 2016 will be all about that.
Except for the 25k I plan on doing in February. But that's it.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Vacation Decided!
Back in November I wrote a post about my potential vacation plans for 2016. It has taken me more than two months to finally figure out what to do and where to go! It was a tough decision,and I bounced back and forth from Iceland to Moab to Alaska and then Spain. I considered the Rocky Mountain National Park, a Napa Valley Wine Marathon, even a trip above the Arctic circle in Nunavut, Canada.
I could not decide!
I threw my hands up in the air and started to really think hard about why this decision was so difficult. First, I seem to be known at the office and amongst my family members as a bit of an adventurer, going to odd places on my own and doing weird stuff (8 mile hike wearing mud boots along the rocky coast of Homer, Alaska, 6 mile mud/muck run in Nova Scotia, an attempt to scale Mt. Rainier in Washington state, kayaking off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, etc).
I almost feel like I have a reputation to live up to. What crazy thing will I do next? Run a costumed wine-related marathon in the Burgundy region of France? Maybe a 3-day stage race in Alberta, Canada. Or a simple half-marathon in Yellowstone National Park?
It was all too much for me. I determined this: I am tired of spending 24 to 48 hours of my vacations on airplanes, mulling around airports, going through customs, searching for my luggage. I am tired of spending 75% of my vacation driving around some foreign country or what seems like a foreign country (Alaska) . Yes, the best way to get to know a place is by driving through it, but it's also exhausting. I swear, I saw every square inch of the province of Nova Scotia, twice.
By the way, never rent a Chevy Spark in Nova Scotia. A car that weighs more than your luggage is really required for a hardy place like that.
So, I started going in the other direction. What is the opposite of adventure? Relaxation, meditation, maybe some art therapy or easy yoga. I then started looking for vacations that would still incorporate my running, but would also be super relaxing. I thought about attending a Chi Running class in conjunction with a one week yoga retreat. I looked at a Mindful Running retreat in Utah. I found a 3 day retreat outside Toronto, Ontario that was solely yoga for runners.
I got frustrated again. Long travel times and high expenses just made these vacations seem a little ridiculous.
I then realized that what I needed I could probably get right here at home. I want yoga, so why not sign up for a 30 day yoga pass near the house? I want meditation, so why not attend the Tibetan sanctuary also near my house on Saturday mornings for sitting meditation? I want a little adventure, so why not go to the indoor rock climbing gym? Still want something unusual? Attend a cooking class.
So, in one month, I will do all of these things. My staycation is being planned. And half the fun of a vacation is actually in the planning, at least for me.
Oh, and in July I am signed up for a one week runner's camp in the mountains of North Carolina. A quick morning flight will get me to North Carolina in time for a late lunch. I will be around other runners, doing yoga, camping, swimming in mountain streams, running on trails, hopefully making s'mores in the evenings. I am so excited about this.
I could not decide!
I threw my hands up in the air and started to really think hard about why this decision was so difficult. First, I seem to be known at the office and amongst my family members as a bit of an adventurer, going to odd places on my own and doing weird stuff (8 mile hike wearing mud boots along the rocky coast of Homer, Alaska, 6 mile mud/muck run in Nova Scotia, an attempt to scale Mt. Rainier in Washington state, kayaking off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, etc).
I almost feel like I have a reputation to live up to. What crazy thing will I do next? Run a costumed wine-related marathon in the Burgundy region of France? Maybe a 3-day stage race in Alberta, Canada. Or a simple half-marathon in Yellowstone National Park?
It was all too much for me. I determined this: I am tired of spending 24 to 48 hours of my vacations on airplanes, mulling around airports, going through customs, searching for my luggage. I am tired of spending 75% of my vacation driving around some foreign country or what seems like a foreign country (Alaska) . Yes, the best way to get to know a place is by driving through it, but it's also exhausting. I swear, I saw every square inch of the province of Nova Scotia, twice.
By the way, never rent a Chevy Spark in Nova Scotia. A car that weighs more than your luggage is really required for a hardy place like that.
So, I started going in the other direction. What is the opposite of adventure? Relaxation, meditation, maybe some art therapy or easy yoga. I then started looking for vacations that would still incorporate my running, but would also be super relaxing. I thought about attending a Chi Running class in conjunction with a one week yoga retreat. I looked at a Mindful Running retreat in Utah. I found a 3 day retreat outside Toronto, Ontario that was solely yoga for runners.
I got frustrated again. Long travel times and high expenses just made these vacations seem a little ridiculous.
I then realized that what I needed I could probably get right here at home. I want yoga, so why not sign up for a 30 day yoga pass near the house? I want meditation, so why not attend the Tibetan sanctuary also near my house on Saturday mornings for sitting meditation? I want a little adventure, so why not go to the indoor rock climbing gym? Still want something unusual? Attend a cooking class.
So, in one month, I will do all of these things. My staycation is being planned. And half the fun of a vacation is actually in the planning, at least for me.
Oh, and in July I am signed up for a one week runner's camp in the mountains of North Carolina. A quick morning flight will get me to North Carolina in time for a late lunch. I will be around other runners, doing yoga, camping, swimming in mountain streams, running on trails, hopefully making s'mores in the evenings. I am so excited about this.
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