All of the aforementioned details of my personal state are important, they’re important to everyone and it’s really no surprise that this rut happens during this time of year either. The gloom and doom of the season is now, I think I speak for most people when I say let’s get this winter over with!

The challenge that I speak of is Operation Marathon! Yep, I’m running a marathon- THE Chicago Marathon or more specifically the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I’m actually running for a Non-Profit Organization, Opportunity Enterprises (OE), based out of Valparaiso, IN (my hometown, woot-woot!) I hate to ask for money, but it’s for a great cause and if you would like to donate and support the special people of the community please click here!

This marathon is also very special to me as it’s the first marathon in 3 years that my older sister, Jennifer, and I are running together! She’s my all-time favorite running buddy! I don’t think I could have been the runner I am today without her. Shhh…I don’t think she knows that! We’re both running for OE. Jennifer will begin training immediately after her second pregnancy—Henry (the first babay) was born January 2010 and the second one is due in May. Maybe I shouldn’t be complaining…

Meet Henry…Isn’t he CUTE! My heart pumps for him! He has this thing, we call it Muscle Man. If we prompt him to do it he puts his arms up in the air, gets a HUGE smile on his face and says, “YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” He gets so excited, so excited that he makes everyone else excited too!

I must move on otherwise I will get, well, teary eyed! I miss the little peanut, what can I say?!?

Ahem…I am leaving the country on another expedition, so I will be training for the marathon while abroad and come back to run the marathon. I have very recently sought some professional help. This is the first time ever that I have employed anyone, after some self reflection and outside recommendations I went to him. His name is Alex and he is an ultra-marathoner, he’s pretty great so far! I first heard about him from Hungryrunnergirl, she’s pretty amazing herself. I DARE you to check out her blog as she a self motivated, very encouraging, positive and aspiring runner. Plus, she has great food concoctions and running advice! DO IT!

Anyhow, I really wanted out of this rut AND I wanted someone that was flexible with MY schedule AND understands running qualms. He does all of the above! I’m learning to push myself mentally and physically, so my comfort zone is being stretched a little bit. It’s just what I needed! Plus, I really want to qualify for Boston and his plan is going to help me do that!

Just the other day I had to run what I thought was a feasible run. It turns out I wasn’t ready for the speed, it could have been that I wasn’t ready for the speed on the treadmill but that’s a whole other beast I DON’T want to talk about…at least not today. So, I began my run with every intention of completing 8 miles at a pace that is slightly faster than my average pace. Well, 20 minutes in I felt exhausted. Then, in my mind, everything started to tumble down. I had to slow down. This left me with feelings of angst and failure! This was awful for me, but I didn’t want to quit. I slowed down my pace, but I continued with the run and finished it. Despite all of this, I still had feelings of guilt. I couldn’t help it.

I got back from the gym and emailed my coach, he assured me that I wasn’t a failure and that I was doing great and making progress. My response to his email snapped me out of my self-destructive phase and my self actualization is JUST what I needed! I remembered everything that I have overcome in the past year especially with my running.

Before last year I:

* Didn’t like running with others (I never felt like I was good enough to run with “good” runners…what makes runners good anyway? running with others!)

* I cut MINUTES off of my 5K and 10K

* I ran several races that I never trained for OR never intended to run but did anyway

* I cut time off of my 2-mi PT test!

My problem was that I wasn’t measuring my successes but rather I was making up my own failures. These failures that I speak of were not failures AT ALL, I made them up…they were completely imaginary! In this sense, I was cheating myself.

No one wants to beat themselves up over things that are out of our control. Our bodies react in different ways on any given day. We cannot predict this, but we can help facilitate our bodies to perform the best ways possible by learning how it reacts to training, diet and sleep. Somewhere, somehow I forgot this useful piece of information. I should make that part of my mantra…any suggestions?!

How do you get out of a rut?

When you find yourself in a rut what do you do?

How do you celebrate when you meet your personal goals?

We went to a place called Verbier, Switzerland. It is absolutely gorgeous, the train ride is totally worth it!

I really didn’t feel like I was getting the hang of it, I had a non-English speaking Swiss person help me off a conveyor belt while little toddlers aged 3-5 were much better than I…a woman 5xs their age! It was entertaining to watch little youngin’s ski around with all the confidence in the world. Those of us that were adults and out there for the first time had longing facial expressions of fear and contempt. I imagine others were questioning how they found themselves there in the first place. There were young and old, skilled and unskilled, and families and single folk. It was great!

It wasn’t until after lunchtime that I really felt more comfortable for the skiis, boots and the snow. All of those combined make for an interesting experience. There were times when I wanted to give up and just hike around and enjoy the mountains, at least then I thought I could enjoy the surroundings better than being stuck at one bunny hill. I’m glad I stuck around, practice makes perfect right? I’m not the best, but I would definitely go again. It was a lot of fun!

For those of you who are scared to do things you wouldn’t normally do on your own, I recommend just going out there and doing it. Take a couple people- friends, acquaintences or heck, even strangers- and do it. I like being reminded that we need to step out of our comfort zones to learn about ourselves and what we are capable of. It’s an amazing life lesson!

What have you done that was completely outside of your comfort zone? Would you do that or anything else like that again?

I feel like I’ve been around the world and back, for those of you who have travelled in the past you might know what that’s like. For those of you who haven’t strayed away from your stomping grounds I recommend you do jump in the car, train or plane and go! In the past I have written about going to Afghanistan and a little bit about being in Afghanistan, I didn’t really have time to do anything but work (for that I am oh-so-grateful) so that is why the blog went to the wayside. Upon returning from Afghanistan I packed my bags again to travel Europe and then live temporarily in Switzerland. Let me just say that it has certainly been an incredible ride!

Upon returning from Afghanistan in December I went to Spain to visit my sister, Kristin. She is currently living in Spain and going to university there. She loves it and I got to experience that huge part of her life. That certainly meant a lot to me, but I know it made her happy to experience her life in Spain as well. She absolutely loves Spain, I can totally understand why too! It’s so beautiful there—the culture, food, people, dress and pretty much everything! There are some similarities, but I found more differences that I could appreciate and enjoy more than what our cultures have in common. During that same trip we went to Italy, Italy is such a magical place. Words cannot explain! We made it to Bari (ECK, kinda scary and smelly too!), Polignano a Maré and Rome. Rome was fantastic, and I would definitely go to Polignano a Maré again! What am I talking about? I would go anywhere in Italy 2, 3, 4 times over. I loved it. Anything you ever heard about the food is true, it’s absolutely fantastic! I was a gluttonous fool. I might have had to un-button my pants a few times!

Now I am living in Switzerland, I return in early April to embark on another journey. I am redeploying, but I am working in a different capacity. I am going without expectations and I’m hoping this will ease my stress levels. We’ll see how that or if that happens! Life has a funny way of working itself out. Since living in Switzerland I have traveled to Gruyere (home of Gruyere cheese), Bulle (home of Cailler and Nestle chocolate), Lyon, France, back to Madrid and then went to Sevilla,  and I recently booked a trip to Berlin.  Wow, I guess I have been to a few places huh?! I’ve done what I always wanted and that was to live in Europe. It has been amazing!

Please follow me as I find interesting things to talk about, write about my latest fitness/health craze and encourage readers to become involved in active discussion in the comments section.

I look forward to posting and getting feedback in return!

Ciao!

Some may argue that our environments create our personalities and our characters, I think, more though, that our childhood and our nurtured habits tend to be the sole proprietor in the person we eventually become. I am fortunate to have the parents I do, who have taught my sisters and I the values of compassion, hard work, tolerance and perseverance. I remind myself, even more so now than I have in the past, how important these qualities or traits are. I don’t like to give up, and I certainly don’t like having to rely on those that do.

Before I left home a complete stranger told me to stay true to myself. That is oh-SO true. I think I lost hope for reality, the realities of the world so far removed from the Western world are different, slighted and incredibly misunderstood. I can’t say that I understand it myself. I hoped to accomplish more than I have here both on personal and professional levels. I have the future to look forward to and that is all. It is grey, dark and hazy. I cannot see much else other than the finish line. Right now I can only hope for the best, and thank goodness I am alive and well.

I try to remember there’s a purpose, an end-state, and a round about date for when I will be home. The latter is the most important…obviously! That day cannot come soon enough. My future is open, it is away from this place. I will be free. Free from here, free from strangers, and free from the mountainous desert. I cannot be surrounded by careless people, there is no hope for them either. I am disappointed, I am over this. I have my conscience telling me to stay true to myself and a cheering committee waiting for my return.

A constant smile is not always as it seems, we live in fear for things gone wrong and wondering what possibly could be done to make things right. A plastered smile gets me through the days, and I like to think it helps others too. I piece of helpful cheer goes a long way, I love those moments when friends go out of their way to crack a smile. Thank heaven for them. I like to think I help them smile too from time to time, it is them who make the time pass by.

Stay true to yourself no matter how hard it is. Don’t forget the passion that got you started on your route in the first place. And ALWAYS believe in yourself…

Other than the dust and smog I can say that the living conditions and scenery aren’t too bad, it’s awfully congested here with over 30,000 people roaming around. However, I don’t mind living in a room of 6 rather than a room tent of over 100 women. Needless to say that was quite an experience, may I never have to relive an event like that any time soon! It was so packed full of people and gear that I couldn’t walk around without stumbling on gear, chords, or random things that took up space. That tent was dangerous in and of itself! I’m very fortunate to have the location I live in now, I understand that, not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars!

My comms for the past two months have been in and out, I’ve seen places that, I can honestly say, I hope never to see again (*cough *cough Louisiana) in my lifetime. It’s just been one more thing that I can say is over and I got through it despite all the negativity I had, and I can look back and remind myself how difficult it was to be without those who I needed most: my family.I know I am young, and I know I have a lot to learn. If I have an open mind about the world, in general, I am much more likely to gain something from all the experiences I have. I am always surprised by those who could care less, those who would rather have their conveniences, comforts, and connections to the world they are already so familiar with. I love stepping outside the box sometimes, I have found that the Western world is much less empathetic than any other people. It’s always been difficult for me to understand that, I don’t think I ever will. I cannot expect everyone to have the same open mind as the next, but I don’t like to see those that live their life with patches over their eyes.

Life is new here, every day I learn something new, I just hope it stays that way…

This was during the AF half-marathon. I PR'd @ 1:39. I was excited, I took off over 3 mins from my previous time and this was a tough race!

Whew, now that my tangent is over with let me get back to my pro/con checklist! I was actually thinking about my checklist during my run (when I do my BEST brainstorming), and I think it’s quite useful for me to have it put out there as a visual. This gal is a visual responder, I see things and I usually follow through with doing them! Here it goes:

Running allows me to feel:

Rejuvenated

Relieved

Energized

Fearless

Strong

Confident

Boundless

Rewarded

Running helps me to:

Think Clearly

Recognize my strengths and weaknesses

Appreciate my body for what it can do

Be part of a community

Be part of races

See the world in a different light

Learn new areas by way of running

Expand my comfort zone

Run with my sisters

Manage my time wisely

Eat better for my body and its performance

Maintain my weight and body composition (this somehow ended up on the bottom of my list, my mind is either playing tricks or it’s transforming into a more positive machine…yep, I like that idea!

I push my limits when:

It’s rainy

When I run a route foreign to me

I am beyond exhaustion and my inner voice challenges me to go further

I’m hungry and I go out for a run instead

It’s below 20 degrees and I go out for a run

It’s pitch black outside and all I have is myself and the darkness unknown

I run with strangers

I am overly confident in my running abilities to others despite my inner weaknesses

I lose my modesty

Wow,  I don’t know about your list but I know my list is pretty lengthy in terms of positives. Now let’s look at the negatives of running:

Negatifs de ne running (I think I like my slang/ebonics language!):

Possible bone loss (Note** running has been proven to increase one’s bone density, I’ll take my chances)

Time dedication

Costliness (I don’t really spend my money on anything else, it’s a healthy habit and it could be worse…

Ummm I couldn’t really think of anything else. It seems to me that I’ve talked myself down quite a bit…I know I am capable of running the distance. I truly believe it’s our minds getting into the way of things. If we all took a moment to talk ourselves through the temptation of quitting we wouldn’t get anywhere. We would all be a part of the Wall-E world. Who wants that? Hopefully no one! So…

Stomp the laziness and get-a-movin’! Take care friends, I’ll post when I can!

Here is the beautiful boy-Pardon me, I’m not wearing makeup…I was running short on time! I wish I had taken more, but I wasn’t really thinking too much about my camera as I was enjoying the moment. I can only imagine how big he will be once I get home…I can’t wait to have him over for the weekend…Shhhh don’t tell my sister!He’s a pretty cool little guy! I can already tell he’s going to cause so many problems, he’s going to be an energetic one. I only know this because my sister and brother law are always in 8 locations at any one time (exagerration? maybe, good guess…YES!)

I love that he fits perfectly in my arms, and he only cries when he’s getting his diaper changed. Such a good baby! We’ve already said he’s going to be so spoiled…I mean, really, he is the FIRST BOY in our immediate family! Woot-woot! This is kinda an exciting time for the fam!

That’s all I got for now! I hope to get a few more chances to write here soon!

I want to start first by thanking those of you who prepared me for what I am about to see and do, I haven’t left yet (I soon will) and I feel like all the advice I have been given provided me with a foundation for what to- and – not do. Luckily, I took the advice and reminded myself (when necessary) that it could be worse. It’s so true, maybe that’s a bad way to look at life but it’s always helpful for me. It always helps to have a different perspective, and it always helps to look through someone else’s eyes. So, thank you newfound friends, friends and otherwise strangers. I look forward to writing more, updating runninginger, and posting my workouts. I haven’t been fortunate enough to run like I’ve wanted, but I’ve made sure to get in some time…I do know that I’m happy to be a runner!

I’ve decided I’m not a fan of the state of Louisiana, I hope to never EVER go back. I don’t think I’ve missed home that much for a long time, and I knew I was in for a treat the moment I saw shrimp in an old rusty freezer/refrigerator type box that was filled with water and shrimp…GROSS! I wish I took a picture just as a souvenir, unfortunately I didn’t! I knew the three weeks that followed would be something I would never forget…so true!

I can appreciate living in crappy conditions, really! I mean, who gets excited about stepping into a clean porter pottie? Not too many, right? Or who gets REALLY excited when they can use a public restroom after using a porter for weeks on end…I know I DO! I love my friend’s faces when they see something that is gross, socially unacceptable or disgusting. In my mind all I can think revert to is the idea that it’s really NOT THAT BAD, but then again they don’t really know what bad is…or so I think. I feel like I’ve been able to toughin’ up, but maybe that’s just me!

Now, let me talk about the food/workout situation. Louisiana was probably every vegetarian and/or healthy eater’s worst nightmare! I have never seen food this awful, really! We had the same meal at least 4 nights out of the week and it was never good, I ended up eating whole fruits and bread…oh, I also ate oatmeal and lots and lots o’ PB! Holy-ish…Heinz makes PB, who would have thought? It’s tasty, but I love my Maranatha PB and I found a new-old PB (JIF Natural PB)…you should all check it out! For the price the Jif is amazing, it tastes like it’s super expensive. Yum num num

I have come to find that I like running with people, for the longest time I’ve been fearful of running with people because I never thought I was good enough. I enjoy the conversation, and I enjoy running at different speeds sometimes regardless if they run significantly slower than I am used to. I like helping people and encouraging people to run harder and faster, someone recently told me I inspired them…that made me feel really good. Thank you even if you’re not reading! Running is and has always has been on my mind. If I don’t do it I’m not the happiest girl on the block, but I’ve also learned that not doing it is okay too so long as I get back into the swing of things the next day or soon after.

I’ve come to learn a few things about myself, I truly believe that each day provides a new set of struggles. The struggles may not be big or really all that significant but each one begins a little differently and all of them require perseverance. Through perseverance comes strength and with strength comes determination. It’s good that I like a challenge from time to time, I’ve come to appreciate myself, my body, and strangers more than I ever thought possible within a month’s time. I have been dealt a lucky hand among the challenges I face today and in the coming days, I couldn’t ask for anything better.

I found myself alone shortly after I mobed. Not only did I find myself surrounded by a group of strangers, but I had selected my destiny for myself so complaining about it was of no use to me or anyone else. I grew a chip on my shoulder for a few days before I realized that I was of no help to anyone moping around like a girl who just heard bad news. I picked myself up and dusted myself off…that’s all it took. Now it sounds a lot easier written down than it really is or was but that’s what it comes down to. I had a friend from back in the day that told me I needed to let things go, he didn’t put it in as kind of words as those but he certainly got his point across. I should take a moment and let him no his advice has been useful-hmmm I’ll get on that! I keep telling myself to stay open minded and FLEXIBLE…ask me how I’m doing in a few months, things might change in terms of how much flexibility I can stand.

I will do my best to post what I can…stay tuned for updates and anything else I can muster! Take care, friends!

I love the idea of teamwork, it’s so important to make sure work environments, work-like projects, and time at work is well spent. Teamwork truly makes the workplace more exciting, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about what it would have been like to be at work on any given day back at home. I think of them often, and to tell all of you the truth I miss them. I know they’re reading

One of the first days I met my team, we did a little hub workshop that broke the ice. Not only did we talk about our personal goals, expectations, and ourselves but we also spoke about what the idea teamwork meant. Often times we take for granted what makes our lives complete. I think what I have learned in the past year or so is how much the people in my life affect me. It’s better to get along than to quarrel with those you have to see day in and day out.

I like change, I tend to embrace it better than most. Of course there’s this fear I have of breaking routine but I’ve found that I tend to get over that rather quickly. There are things in our lives that we cannot control; however, if you are unhappy in the lifestyle you live there’s always the one underlying factor people are afraid to consider: change. I think it was Muhatma Gandhi that said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Why can’t we all live like that? Why must we live in the shoes of someone else? Why wait?

I’ve made some personal choices in my life I wasn’t always sure of, we can’t expect to make all the right choices all the time. Sometimes we don’t consider those in our lives who become directly effected by our actions, but we must not wait around in the event a horrific accident occurs. We can’t predict the future. We make our futures, and I love that! Life is about living and learning, and loving what you’ve learned along the way.  Our experiences make us who we are, and often lead us to where we end up (eventually). Maybe I’ll try floating for a bit…how can I work that one?

I hope everyone has an empowering day, week, month or moment!

Is there anything you would like to change in the next year, five, or ten years for yourself?

Some people have said that I eat bird food, and nothing that I eat looks appetizing. So not true! I know it tastes good so there must be something in there that others like, right? Don’t get me wrong, I can get all the free veggies I want now, but it’s not the same. It’s SOOO not the same, anyone that has occupied a military post for long periods of time knows this. I think it is for this reason that military installations have BK’s, DQ’s, Subways, coffee shops, and whatever else is abroad. What better way to make a soldier feel at home than to bring “home” to them? In this case, “home” is the convenience of a fast food joint! So, even though I am somewhat jealous of the women who post their diet/meal plans/food concoctions all over the wonderful world wide web, I am going to frequent them as often, if not more often, than I have been to pretend that I am doing the same! I will have to make note of the recipes I want to try, I’m thinking this is going to be a VERY long list! Ladies, post away! I will be watching!

Let me get back to associating happiness with food and vice versa. People often create mind games for themselves, I like to call it trickery. Our minds play games with us to see how strong we really are, we deprive ourselves of foods we love and, in turn, our bodies become an unforgivable mold of what we thought we wanted. We give up to get. It then becomes a relentless cycle of self defeat, we obsess about getting what we want and straying away from any part of that goal would mean failure. At times we make these extravagant, unrealistic goals for ourselves. Sometimes making smaller goals allows us to reach the goal we wanted all along-the extravagant one. Having an all or nothing attitude prevents us from enjoying what it is that makes us happy. We become so obsessed that we make sacrifices in our lives: going out for a drink with friends, being spontaneous, or going on a trip. I know I’ve done it, I’ve given up on events that I regret now (and may possibly have then), but then I thought it was the best for my training, workout, or lifestyle (to include dietary needs)…aka obsession! I look back now and wonder how much different my life would have been if I wasn’t so obsessed with this pound or that, a missed long work out or a training run. Perhaps my life would have been different, but I may never know. I’m making slow strides on improving my philosophy on life, diet, and personal goals. I also understand that goals take time, and I can make slow progressions toward achieving those goals, but forcing myself to accomplish all of them right now is a very hard task for anyone…even if you’re Super Woman!

This is me making myself happy, I’ve made my own choices and I’m living through them. I cannot control everything that happens in my life, schedules are not absolute, and I go through life living with and loving those who surround me! Food, diet, and exercise are important but realism is a must. We cannot live happy if we’re bound to restrictions that keep us from living happily and fully, right? I cannot stop the world revolving, so why should you?

Live in the moment, friends! Don’t get stuck in the trap! Enjoy your family and friends while you can, you never know what fate has in store!

What would be the hardest thing for you to give up if you absolutely had to?