Running is no longer a solitary chore

I tend to be a music at the highest decible possible/ suffer alone kind of runner.. at least until yesterday when I took my first jaunt with a small group of friends.   I've avoided running anywhere near people I know successfully for several years since I've picked up running (ok --- really walking with some jogging thrown in for good measure most of the time!).  In fact, more often than not I run in the very private space of my basement on my trusty friend/enemy the treadmill.    Don't get me wrong, I actually think I prefer running outdoors (especially somewhere with a view or sand between my toes) but when outside there's always the chance of running into a neighbor when I'm gasping for air, red faced, and feeling like I'm about to fall over... or worse yet the chance to trip, fall, or some other clumsy incident.   So the idea of running with people that I know, and am friends with, that I see on a really regular basis was sort of terrifying to me.  Suddenly though, I found myself without any other commitments and the weather was gorgeous, so I put on my best brave face and said I would go.  And it was fun.. well as fun as running can be.   I proclaimed early and often that I'm super slow, have pretty much no endurance and that I was likely to trip -- I'm long past the days of pretending to be better at something than I am and trying to keep up :-) And guess what - people who are you're friends will understand all that and mostly refrain from poking fun.  Now I'm not particularly great at conversastion when focusing on putting one foot in front of the other at a speed higher than snail but it was nice to have people to chat with during the walking breaks and to curse with when the running got hard.  Misery does love company after all!

Crunch Time

When I started this blog, 1001 days seemed like a huge amount of time to complete 101 things... bwahahahaha.  So how the heck did I find myself with about 7 months left to go and a TON of time consuming items left on my list.  Reading through it just now I think it's safe to say I probably won't get it all done.. but that's ok.  I'll keep working on it until the bitter end anyway.

If I could simply start blogging more regularly that would be an accomplishment in itself...plus it would release me from always blogging about how I'm not blogging enough :)  

It's been an eventful 6 months or so since my last post... some good, some bad.  I'm not going to rehash details because those of you reading this probably know me well enough to know all of the ups and downs... I'll simply say that I'm hoping 2012 (yes - I know we are 4 months in already) will hold happiness and maybe a little less stress.  I prefer to be an optimist so I'm looking forward to whatever fate brings me between now and the end of this little project.  

Let's get down to some accomplishments and goals :)

I did manage to read several great books in the past few months... I won't give full reviews because that would take forever but here is a quick rundown:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  -- seriously, if you haven't read John Green - do it!  Yes - I'm a little obsessed with him... sure, he would be in my guilt free three, but aside from that - he's an amazing author that will have you laughing through the tears while reading his books.  His first book Looking for Alaska is easily my favorite book I've ever read... but with each new title I'm reminded of why I love his work.  Ok - enough gushing.

2. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander -- this is the first in the Chronicles of Prydain series.  A good friend of mine who dutifully read all of John Green's books on my recommendation suggested I try this series which is his favorite.  I loved it!  I'm not generally a fantasy reader but the quirky and lovable characters made this a great read for me.  I think I'll pick up book number two very soon!  I've been meaning to read it for ages just like I've been meaning to update this blog....

3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon -- several friends recommended this series and I wasn't disappointed... I think I need a month off of work so I can work my way through the rest of them :-)  

4.Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich - I know a lot of people have gotten tired of this series.. after all there are EIGHTEEN of them so far... but I still love Stephanie Plum and watching her struggle humorously through life and with her feelings for two sizzling men.  (I'm team Ranger by the way if anyone cares).

Other Stuff --- 

To be honest I haven't accomplished much else that was on any sort of list of goals (not that those titles were on my list but reading in general always is) but life was busy with other tasks... cleaning out my dads house, packing this one for our move, buying my new truck (the pretty blue love of my life) and just getting through the day to day.  I have gotten a bit of running done but not enough :/

Time to set some goals--

1. Read a book.  Those listed above were all finished a few months ago... its time to finish another already.

2. Run 3 times a week

3. Blog at least once a week

4. Stop and smell the roses - have fun :-)

Yeah - I know none of those are specific items on my list... but I'm working with baby steps here... plus half my house is packed up right now and being in limbo is not the easiest time to accomplish big huge tasks.

Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, Happy St Patricks Day, Happy Spring, Happy Easter.... yeah I missed a lot of stuff :-)

Ta Ta For Now!