I am Running

I'm a little behind on blogging, but be assured, I am on a schedule. A half-marathon training schedule that is.

I was never a runner, per say. Sure, I ran during volleyball, soccer and basketball practice during high school, but cross-country was the one sport my high school offered that I did not participate in. Trust me, that was not an accident. I sporadically worked my way up to three or four miles on an off throughout the years mostly because my now-husband IS a runner. (He is that annoying person who sits on the couch for six months and then goes out one day and runs six miles.) We usually ran together and it really can't be beat for burning calories. Still, it was not my chosen form of exercise and I never made it a long-term habit.

I have always admired runners. Really I admire any athlete who is dedicated enough to push past mediocrity. I also have a couple of close friends who have ran marathons, half-marathons and triathlons. Wow! Last month all of my curiosity, admiration and desire ignited and I decided to train for a half-marathon.

The half-marathon race is at the end of September. My husband is training with me, but I will be racing alone. He's stubborn and has his own reasons and I'm ok with running on my own. I am following Hal Higdon's plan. We have stuck to the schedule exactly and the order/routine works for me. Yesterday we ran seven miles. I am a little amazed with myself since the longest I ever ran before this month was four miles. It wasn't easy and there were a few times towards the end where I wondered why I am doing this, but at the same time, I am loving it. I am loving what my body is capable of and I am loving those extra calories I get to eat! I am still in awe that I ran for over an hour straight.

I am also running an IronGirl 10k in early September with my best friend. She was even less of a runner than I was and she's training like crazy. I am so proud of her and can't wait to race together in a couple weeks.

I'm discovering that upcoming races are great motivation. I'm already planning what I will be tackling after the September races are over. What about you - are you running any races this fall?

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I'm back!

Well, it has been way too long, but I'm back. Greece was fabulous and eventful as always. My family truly lives up to the stereotype and kept me laughing most of the visit. Too bad they weren't trying to be funny.

The heat was unbearable at times and I promised my husband we will not go in June/July/August next time. We had many "I told you so" moments since he wanted to go in May and I insisted on June/July. We arrived in Athens on a Friday morning after travelling for 22 hours. My mom picked us up at the airport. We stopped for a quick hello to Yiayia and Papou in Athens (literally five minutes), drove four hours to the port town of Kilini, rode the ferry for two hours to the island of Cephalonia and then finally drove another hour to our village. This entire day took place in a car without air conditioning in 100+ temperatures. It was not a great way to acclimate.

Once we arrived on the island we spent the first week visiting with the many members of my extended family who now live in Australia and my little sister and her family. It was a great time relaxing, swimming at our secluded beach and visiting with all the family.

After Cephalonia, we headed back to Athens and spent the next few days with all the Athens relatives. Almost every night was a large dinner with 15+ family members each night. This was my husband's second visit to Greece and my brother in-law's first. They were beside themselves with glee over all the food. Throughout our trip we enjoyed countless ice creams, desserts and gyros. Greece's desserts are largely influenced from France, so just think fancy, decadent and heavenly and you get the picture. My absolute favorite are profiteroles! Yum!

My sister, brother-in law, husband and I headed to the island of Patmos for a few days just to check out another island that we hadn't been to before. We stayed with a friend of my mom's and relaxed on the island. Once again, we headed back to Athens for the rest of our stay. We checked out the Archaeological Museum in Athens, but that was the only "tourist" type attraction we did since we have seen most of those things before.

It was a great time to enjoy family and the simple things in life. My Yiayia and Papou are 86 and 93, respectively and just amaze me with their zest for life. They still live on their own, but I know the time for them to pass on will come soon. I feel very lucky to be able to continue to spend quality time with them.

Here at home, we are busy DINKs always motivated by the next goal, working on a house project, planning the future. Going to visit my family in Greece is really a "getaway" from it all.