12k on trails

so long ago, i used to hate running. no really, i really did. i'd lace up with the best intentions, and then once on the pavement, i'd huff and puff for a total of 10 minutes, then resort to a gasping walk. then stop, bend over, and turn around. it was sorta pitiful.

in college, the bridge loops in boston and cambridge would beckon, and on fall days, it was oh-so-tempting to run and jog along the glistening charles. but alas, problem sets and winter days prevented me from putting on those running shoes.

but once i got to dc, somehow, i started running. i think it had something to do with the fact that swimming pools and sports clubs were unbelievably and ridiculously expensive. and running, well, was cheap. all i needed was a solid pair of spiffy running shoes. done and done. and suddenly, a solid 1.5 years ago, i'm stuck in this running rut.

i almost ran a 25k race this past weekend!!

(that's 15.5 miles)

fortunately, i recovered from my temporary insanity and just ran a 12k (7-and-a-half-ish miles) instead. around angel island state park, right off the coast of san francisco. it was a trail run! and pretty awesome :) and the weekend before, i ran THIRTEEN freaking miles in monterey (through 2 more towns). willie ran it too, and timmie biked. ha. thirteen. i'm not doing that again.

but really, how can i ever be considered a runner if i hate waking up early? early morning runs are refreshing? PSSSHHHH, yeah right. give me an 11am race any day.

arrrrh!!

i bet it'd be amazing to be a pirate.

you could say/grunt/emit "ARRRRRRHHH!" at any time of day, and no one would think twice about it.

arrrrrrh.

the truth about new zealand

for the past week or so, my away message has been "i'm moving to new zealand."

typically, this sort of news is kinda ridiculous -- or at least, a few years ago, it'd have been utterly impossible. but nowadays, now that i'm an adult (mm yeah..), i guess i could technically up-and-move to new zealand if i wanted to. my mom would want a damn good reason, but in reality, new zealand is as possible as ... say, ohio.

in truth, no, i'm not moving to new zealand. it's the type of message that i put up (rarely) when i want to escape life for whatever reason -- good, bad, and ugly. last year, in the midst of spring and decision-making times, i would regularly think about moving to new zealand. it's gorgeous, it's a land unexplored and far far away, and it would support my need for fresh air and aimless wandering. specifically, i used to declare that i'd be moving to a cave in new zealand, and then, nelson and i would proceed to stake claims on supposedly-unoccupied caves where we could live in peace, as hermits, with hairy toes. haha :)

anyway, in response to my away message, i actually got an amazing number of replies. a few of friends asked if they could come along, some wanted postcards, and a few ventured a question -- "really? are you really going?" i guess it really is plausible. new zealand would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?

i realized the other day that i'm still rather unsettled. for the most part, unsettled isn't a bad thing; it's part of that natural process of life (oh, philosophical thoughts), but i'm curious as to what "settled" actually feels like. would i like it? do i like suburbia? not really.

do i like california? i definitely think so. it almost hit 75 today, and the daffodils, crocuses, and tulips, which usually peek out from the depths of boston's muddy ice and snow mounds in mid-april, have already bloomed. they remain swaying in the breeze in early march, completely unaware that they're kinda early. then again, i'm still acclimating to the west coast. hello, pacific ocean.

it's FRIDAY!

let me explain why this is important:
(i'm in a list mood)

1. fridays are wonderful. duh.
2. it's absolutely gorgeous outside. i could be hiking or picnic-ing or falling asleep in the middle of a gigantic field of grass, flowers, and bugs.
3. i'm done with work for today.. and i have no tutoring this afternoon or evening, thank god.
4. i'm done with ANTIOCH. no more, bee-yotch! i drove down the 4-to-242-to-680-to-580-to-238-to-880-to-92-to-101 for the last time last night, and it was amazing.
5. it's march. march is a nice month, methinks. it's also a great excuse for green beer.
6. life is going nuts-o, but sunny days allow me to believe that nuts-o will eventually pass.
7. i have to do laundry, apply for stuff, vacuum, eat, read, clean, organize, walk the dog, maybe go running, and figure out my car and a bajillion other things. but i have some time. if i don't fall asleep first.
8. did i mention that i'm done with antioch? i went through 9 weeks of hazing.
9. it's pretty outside.
10. i miss boston and dc. but california is pretty cool too.