Fail: #37 - Run 100 Miles

July 18, 2015

I just realized that I'm 32.5 miles into this goal, so I should probably at least start the post.  Most of the miles have been uneventful other than being all around the very beautiful areas of Golden Hill, South Park, North Park, and downtown San Diego.  I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful trails.  I feel unlucky having so many back problems this year.  I would definitely be running more if it weren't for my lower back acting up... and for all the hills.  Since I live in Golden Hill, I live ON a hill, which means that no matter which direction I run, I finish up a very large hill.  Sometimes that deters me and I just do another work out instead.  Plus I've been trying to play beach volleyball, surf, hike, and sail as much as possible lately, telling myself I can run in any city, but those are things I probably won't be able to do, at least not year round, once I move.  But, maybe just starting this post will keep me a little more on top of my running.

It's not that I'm not fitting in a lot of work outs, it's that when I run, I just feel better.  I work a lot of things out mentally and emotionally when I run, so encouraging myself to lace up my running shoes more often is something I should do for myself more often.  Plus, when I run fast regularly, I tend to get in pretty decent shape, which makes all of those other activities way more fun.

So far, I've mostly done solo runs.  The only exception was the Black Light Run 5k that I did with Vanessa Vadnal and Matthew Savage.  I don't do many 5k's because they've gotten so expensive, and if I run decently, I feel like I haven't even fit in a full workout for the day because I've only been active 30-45 minutes.  But, Vanessa was heads up and found a cheap entry.  I like running with her because, honestly, I haven't run an entire race, of any length, in years, but I do when I'm running with V.  

The race itself wasn't organized all that well, especially since we were just zig zagging through the Qualcomm parking lot, but it was fun to run at night, with lights and glowing things and that colored powder that seems to be so popular lately.  We stayed for quite awhile after the race dancing to the DJ and throwing powder in the air.  Thanks for keeping me in the loop for it, V!

Thursday, October 1

I wanted to mention this run because I felt fast.  It's been a stressful past week, and it was nice to get all of those emotions burned up through a quick run.

Thursday, December 31

I didn't quite make it this year.  I put in some miles on the treadmill while in Michigan staying with Mom & Dad, but I ended somewhere around 70 miles.  I'm not counting hiking miles and I estimated all of my runs, but it looks like I need to repeat this goal next year and keep up this running routine I finally picked up again.

#35 - Read 3 Books from the Top 100 of the 20th Century List

I've been an avid reader since I can remember, and I am particularly drawn towards anything that one might place in the "literature" catetory... as well as popular series such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.  I put this item on the list every year and have yet to complete it, but after I posted about the 30 books I read last year and the lack of "literature," I made a concerted effort to read some literary works this year.

I don't remember when I first saw the Modern Library's Top 100 Novels list, but I remember wanting to read all of it.  I have no regrets from the 18 books from the list I had read prior to this year: there are books I'd call favorites (Slaughterhouse-Five, A Cather in the Rye, Brave New World, Catch-22, Invisible Man, Lord of the Flies) and books I'd call overrated (The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, A Farewell to Arms).  A few of the favorites I've read multiple times.  The less appreciated novels, I've at least been able to contribute my knowledge in trivia or literary conversations, where I can't hold my tongue about my issues with the story or the characters or the writing or the ending.

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#63 - Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
6/23/15

This year, when I was having a rough period, I reread A Catcher in the Rye for probably the fourth or fifth time.  While rereading novels from the list was not what I had in mind when I wrote the item, rereading as opposed to first-time reading still fits the description, and I certainly have some thoughts and feelings about the book that might be good for me to put into writing.

I tend to read A Catcher in the Rye when I'm feeling lonely and out of touch with my authentic self.  I suppose it's a strange choice for that as Holden Caulfield spends so much of the story alone, craving connection, missing it, and lamenting about all of the "phonies" in the world.  The few days of Caulfield's life that Salinger chooses to describe are sad, lonely, and fraught with uncertainty.  Yet, Caulfield, as a character, knows exactly what he connects to and what he does not, and he finds connection again with his younger sister, even if that connection is not easy nor permanent.

Caulfield's journey reminds me of my love of wandering, of the city, of all of the curious people there are in the world.  It reminds me that there are moments of real connection and moments of missing that connection.  It reminds me to wear what I want to wear, be nostalgic, be curious, explore, wander, connect, and to move on.

#24 - Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
12/26/15

I didn't get this book.  I still read through it quickly.  I found it interesting enough.  But I also just read a Wikipedia entry on it, and clearly, I missed the point.  I certainly understood that I was reading through short stories on various characters in a small town in Ohio and that some of the characters appeared in each other's stories, but I had no idea that time passed and I was watching at least one of the characters grow up.  Oops.  That's not a spoiler.  That's apparently something very obvious and important to the narrative that I missed.

Aren't books funny that way?  I usually need to read a book at least twice to really get the nuances because I'm not a visual learner.  Yet, I love to read.  And some books, even when I miss some of the nuance, are so beautiful and haunting that they affect me deeply.  And then some, even when highly regarded, I completely misunderstand.  Like this one.  How did I miss that there was a passage of time?  I even read it over a couple weeks, so it wasn't like I had taken months and forgotten everything.  I suppose it's one of those 20th century novels about white, small town, American life that seem so depressing and isolated yet generic, where I want to scream at every character to be brave and see the world outside their sad town.  Stories where the characters seem stuck in a sad situation are the scariest stories.

#80 - Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
12/27/15

This story is slow, haunting, and lovely.  It comes full circle in an unexpected and beautiful way.  Finding oneself unrelentingly tied to a beautiful place filled with smart, complicated, familiar people who could be family... it's a feeling I understand.  As I neared the end, I was sad, nostalgic, and felt as if Waugh gives us all permission to move on even when we can't let go.  That's all I really have to say about it only 24 hours after finishing it.

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I look forward to next year and reading more books off this list.  Suggestions welcome!

Fall 2014: #87 - Run 200 Miles

As a follow up from the last post, I needed to tag at least one more person.