Oh hello. It’s finally time to write about my goals I set out to tackle with my Believe I Am journal. (Read more on why I did it, how journaling helped me take flight, my first and second update, and how it helped me feel free, fast, and have fun!)

Overall, I loved using the journal. I’ve never actually tracked anything in my life before — food, workouts, etc — and it was both rewarding and helpful to look back at my training, especially when I needed a little mental push or wanted to figure out why I was so freakin exhausted. I definitely plan on continuing to use it, especially since come Monday, marathon training starts (and my life disappears…).

Sooo, here were those goals I set back in October…and where I am now.

Gain back my speed.

Yes, but not in the way I had originally planned. At first, I wanted my sprint-speed back. My sub-30 second-200m-repeats no-problem-speed. But after really thinking about it, I realized my goals were stretched too thin. I could either get fast on the track, or get ready to run a strong marathon. I decided I wanted to build endurance — faster, yes — but that meant focusing more on speeding up on the roads, not the repeats. So with that, I think I’ve succeeded. After not running for nearly a month, I came back to December maintaining sub 8’s on the roads, which has felt nice and comfortable. Good things on the horizon for marathon training, I hope!

Move outside my comfort zone.

More or less. I was challenged in a few different ways this fall: dealing with injury while trying to get faster at the same time. It’s pretty impossible to balance the two; I knew I needed rest, but I was also restless. I wanted to see what boundaries I could push, but was simultaneously scared of hurting myself, burning out too quickly, of just feeling the freakin pain. But I think — and journaling helped me a lot when my stupid head wouldn’t shut up — that I was able to get better at knowing when to take it easy and when to dive into mile repeats.

Stop being so hard on myself.

Kind of. I think I’ve come to accept that my stubborn nature does more help than harm. However, here are some success stories: For the second half of December, I had a haaard time getting myself to run in the mornings (6am alarm clocks and freezing temps is never something to jump out bed for). So…I just let myself sleep. I have all winter when I train for Eugene to wake up early and potentially freeze to death, so there was no need to get ahead of myself. Example two? I saw SO many people on Twitter run 10,342 miles on new year’s day, or go to seven different fitness classes, or run races right as the clock struck midnight. And while that’s insanely awesome, I was equally, totally, 100 percent satisfied with drinking copious amounts of whiskey and champagne on new year’s eve and spending the whole next day in my bed. So…there’s that (:

All of my love to Lauren, Ro, Morgan, and all the #sistersinsport who have made this happen/have been along for the ride. Tis only the beginning of a beautiful thing! 

Because there’s time to kill before I sip (?) champagne with great people.

source

Personal favorite: The little dipper

Most honest: The hardest yoga pose

Mom’s choice!  Power of a name

Most meaningful: We will meet again

“Best” advice: Frugality 

Highlight of summer: Maine 4, reflections

Tear jerker: One year anniversary

Most fun to write: 108 things

Hardest to write: (ironic that it’s on fear)

Most popular: Wineglass marathon race report

Most exciting: On traveling alone

WTF post: John Carlos 

Have a wonderful, wonderful New Year’s Eve. See you later 2012.

Love, me and Nena ❤

Sometimes I wish I was in full-out blog mode when I lived in Ghana. Instead, my memories are thanks to a poorly utilized journal, emails sent out to friends and family, and well…my brain. So while I’m not turning this into a travel-blog-from-stuff that-happened-to-me-four-years-ago (nice ring to it though, right?) a mix of things have made me want to recount some good ol’ memories as of late.

So here are some things that stick out most from my African adventure — crazy experiences, special moments, and tiny details that have made the most impact on my life.

The main mode of transportation in Ghana is a tro tro. They’re essentially mini buses with the seats ripped out and benches in their place to squeeze in more people. There’s the driver (if you’re lucky he actually knows how to drive) and a mate, who stands outside the bus yelling the direction of the car. They can be incredibly convenient, incredibly entertaining, and incredibly terrifying. Drivers also honk to say “hello,” which means there is constant honking. If the same honking fees occurred in Ghana like they “do” in NYC, people would be a lot worse off than they already are.

(source)

I taught English at an orphanage for boys. My class ranged from 5 year olds to 18 year olds, and every student broke and lit up my heart. We had a lot of spelling bees, creative writing assignments, and basketball tournaments. One time I borrowed a laptop and showed them Lord of the Rings. On my final day we had a dance party and I bought them a radio and they went crazy. To this day they melt my little heart.

While it may never happen to me IRL, I think I was proposed to about 30 times. This happens to many white women in many African countries. And while it’s totally reasonable to be kind of bothered, I had fun with it. First of all, I kept a fake wedding ring on my hand, so I would tell Ghanaians I had a husband waiting for me at home. (He was about 6’2, dark, handsome, and a billionaire.) I did travel often with a male friend (we were kinda “seeing” each other….one of those situations) and people would ask “wife or sister”? “Friend” was never an option, so we often played husband and wife. Oy. Sometimes if I was really curious, I would ask my suitor, “hey man, you barely even know me and you want to marry me?” where he usually replied “but I love you!” And then I’d accuse him of simply wanting a free pass to America. 

Temp husband. And that gun was loaded.

One of the most memorable experiences was going to Elmina Castle — a main stop on the Atlantic slave trade route. Back in the 1700’s, slaves were captured and sold to the Portuguese in exchange for textile and horses, and then locked up at Elmina before exiting the castle’s infamous “door of no return.” I found an email where I wrote about the castle, which goes into the details: “The prison cells were ridiculous; the air still smelled of waste and death and sickness from centuries ago.  What was also strange was that the castle was architecturally beautiful, right on the water amidst palm trees and colorful fishing boats.  It was hard to be in such an amazing building that was in reality a place of destruction and cruelty.” It’s a place and an experience I won’t ever let go of.

One of my absolute favorite parts about Ghana was the markets. Full of life, colors, and culture, it was so fun to meander through the crowds and bargain for yams, toothbrushes, and artwork. I absolutely improved my Twi by talking to people in the markets. I also was absolutely ripped off every time I went there for the first few months. One thing I quickly learned was the asking price can be up to three times the amount of what something is actually worth. To make it harder, vendors rarely have change, so even if you have what’s equivalent of a five dollar bill, if you want to buy something for 50 cents, you probably won’t get any money back.

Everyone is late. I actually ended up writing my thesis on how the concept of time varies around the world (read Edward Hall’s The Dance of Life) but to sum it up, many cultures function on polychronic time. This means human interaction is valued over time and materials, leading to a lesser concern for getting things done on time. (It does get done, but it just takes awhile.) For instance, I’d get to class on time, and then my ten classmates would come twenty minutes later. And then the teacher would show up about 20 minutes before class was slotted to end. Moreover, buses don’t leave at a certain time — they leave when they’re filled. Conversations are over when they’re over, not when people need to get home for dinner. It’s a fascinating way to live, and a pretty hard (but cool) thing to adjust to.

Entrance to the university

Nightlife is awesome. I’m not a huge go-out-to-bars person, because quite frankly…I find it boring. But in Ghana, going out revolves around the people, the music, and the dancing — not the booze. Still, I did get adequately inebriated often, but doing so on the beach dancing with your friends while highlife is being performed steps away beats any silly hipster bar in Brooklyn. Plus…beers are $1 and shots (in little sachets that resemble clear ketchup packets) are 30 cents. Can’t beat that!

I made incredible friends. From Americans to Ghanaians to Nigerians, I made connections with people I will never forget. I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of them, but now everyone is scattered all around the world. It’s sad, but it’s also beautiful to know I have friends all over who I will hopefully run into as I keep making my way around the globe.

When and however that may happen.

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I’m back to work so I feel like the season is “over,” but I’m totally okay with it. It’s weird – as I get older the hype of the holidays becomes less exciting. I do love giving gifts and spending relaxing time with family, but then I also love getting back into my routine. Plus, Thanksgiving is just so much better!

Regardless, I had a lovely Christmas on Long Island. I went home a few days prior to enjoy some other festivities: my parents had a bunch of people over one night for food + booze, I saw Life of Pi (2.75 stars in MHO), I tried doing every crossword puzzle I could find, and I went to Meals on Wheels with my Mom on Christmas Eve (she’s been volunteering for over 15 years now!). We also decided to do some Christmas caroling in the car while driving around town…this song created some controversy:

On Christmas morning my dad made my mom and I pancakes and bacon (it’s like I live in a BnB!) and I went back to crossword puzzle mania until Jim and Kate came over. And then gifts were opened. As I tradition I get a weird animal calendar every year (there were owls, cats doing yoga..) and this year it was Goats in Trees. I don’t know HOW my mom finds these things. I literally opened it up and started crying because it was so funny. Seriously…streams of tears. For minutes. Don’t say “goats in trees” in front of me or else I may tear up again. 

I was able to get on the roads every day while I was home, too, and for whatever reason each run always ended up being six miles. They were all very, very happy runs. Plus, here is my cat.

Let the countdown to 2013 begin! 

Every now and then I come across those lists of “X-ways to make 2013 the best year everrrrr,” and well, I click. Hoping to find some stranger tell me how to make a whole year the best it has ever been, I’m usually disappointed.

So maybe this list is a top-secret-personal-pseudo new year’s resolution list, or another crack at trying to figure out the things that actually improve someones year. Or maybe….it’s Thursday morning and I’m waiting for the sun to rise a little more because the light in our bathroom doesn’t work and I don’t want to shower in the dark.

Anyways, here are 13 things that I know will make my 2013 better, and maybe it will impact yours in some way too. 

1. Find a cause you care about and devote time to it.  Don’t just send a one-time check, but try to feel part of the organization. How that exactly works, I’m not so sure. But charities are responsive! Talk with them on Twitter, share it with your friends, write a blog post about it, sell something on Etsy and raise some money…get fun with it. Some of my favorites? Vitamin Angels, Kiva, Charity Water, Polaris Project, and Pencils of Promise.

2. Forget a small thing. I’ve become aware of some small things that stress me out on a daily basis. For one, my subway station is outside, meaning I have to walk up the stupid stairs. And when I see a train coming from down the street, I book it, sprinting with my three bags down three blocks and up three flights of stairs….. and then I still usually miss the train. And my legs are tired. And I stress. And then another one comes four minutes later.

3. Call people. Sometimes I am very bad at this. I think about my family and friends a lot, but in my brain that never translates to pick-up-phone-and-talk-to-them. Luckily my mom got me a mug for Christmas that says “text your mother.” It’s a good reminder. Call your family and friends more often. 

4. Budget friendly. Take care of your finances if you gotta. Create a budget and actually see what you’re spending your money on. Open up smart bank accounts that give you actual interest. Make sure you have good credit, or open up a 401K (wait shit do I have to do this?). Just…figure it out. I recommend LearnVest, Mint, or….asking your dad. (Thanks dad!)

5. Give up  a bad habit. Not all of them…just one or two. Do you snooze eight times in the morning? Eat dinner way too late? Are sometimes super passive aggressive? Pick something and throw it out the window. (But not literally if it’s your dinner…deliver that to me!) This piece on Zen Habits has some good advice on getting rid of them bad habits.

6. Go somewhere. If you don’t like to travel, you are lying. Book a plane ticket and just go somewhere. Please, just do it. If you can afford to go out drinking every weekend and eat out a few times a week, you can cut back on those things and take a trip. Use Kayak to find cheap tickets, and use the Lonely Planet to research places of interest. 

7. Save up for something you just… really want. Maybe that’s a tattoo. Or a kitten. Or a computer that actually works. Find something and start saving. Any of the budgeting tools above can help with saving up and putting aside the moneys. 

8. Say no. Stop doing things you don’t want to do. It’s not selfish to say no to someone if your heart’s not in it. Be honest with your friends, because they’ll love you no matter what. Learn how to say no here.

9. But don’t hide. Maybe it’s hypocritical, but some of my best nights have been the unexpected ones, or when I’ve been dragged out of my apartment. So don’t say no to everything. Try new things. Go to more museums or find a best friend and go to da club. Bite your tongue and go on a date. Or better yet, get on a first name basis with a local bartender and watch those free drinks fly.  

10. Read. Read 13 books. I dare you. It’s easy. Here: a good list of top books from 2012! Or maybe treat yourself to The NYTimes weekender. Or download one of those apps (Instapaper, Pocket, Readability) that lets you save online articles and read them on your phone when you’re commuting.

11. And cook! Save money, be healthy, have dinner parties….it’s endless. Get Bittman’s How to Cook Everything if you’re lost, or read The Kitchn for some fun tips. Or check out 246 healthy recipes that are on Greatist!

12. Exercise happy. Find what kind of movement makes you happy. This past year I experimented a lot to figure out what I love. Running? Of course. Classes? Not so much. Lifting? Sometimes! Cross-training? Absolutely not. I’ve found a workout regime that works for me and now I do it without thinking because I love it.

13. Love a little more. Show and tell people you love them. Love is this scary four letter word that people stay away from. (Read this great post by Lauren about it). But “love” doesn’t always mean “I am in love with you,” nor does it have to be saved for the most **special** of people. I love so many people. And you do too. So tell them.

And then go and have the best 2013 ever. I Love you. 

this is #trending and I’m hoping on:

best race. to avoid choosing between hood to coast and my marathon, I’ll say that HTC wasn’t a real “race” since it was more or less just for fun. So yeah. Hands down Wineglass. Never in 23,525,943 years (I’m old) did I think I could run one, and I was pretty damn proud of my time. Not to mention that I loved every step of it (especially at the finish line…) and signed up for another a few days later.

best run. my 20-mile run with Jocelyn. This was double the amount of miles I had ever run in one time, and was a wake-up call that hey, I could maybe run a marathon! (See above.)

best new piece of gear. my garmin. Data is both a curse and a blessing, but it reallllly helped me pace myself at wineglass.

best piece of running advice. “Hey you, run faster.” — random man at McCarren track while running 400 repeats. I sped up.

most inspirational runners. Dude, all of them. But for kicks, Jocelyn for going sub 4 and then some,  Laura for running more miles than humanly possible, Corey for killing her 70.3 and then every race after that, Molly for coming backsuper strong and positive after an injury, Meggie for running a marathon with a smile on her face, and Lauren for braving the VT cold (in shorts….) and continually running FAST.

sum up your year of running in a few words: eye-opening, humbling, challenging, a fucking blast.

When I write on here, my stress and fears are usually in the context of a shitty long run or a perpetual Sunday morning hangover. And even though I’ve never been that keen on resolutions, I have been thinking about being more honest and open. I am pretty outgoing, but I am a total introvert. I’m private. I’m stubborn and independent to the point that it sometimes doesn’t work in my favor. 

I’ve been thinking for a while about being constantly described as super easy-going, gowiththeflow, and chill. Whenever I hear these adjectives that describe me, I can’t help but be a bit confused. Quite honestly, I often feel the exact opposite. I stress out a lot. I worry. I pull apart sentences and over-analyze. I try incredibly hard to be positive and optimistic, but I’m not sure if I’m naturally an optimistic person. Instead, I make a conscious effort to try to see things differently, to slow down, to breathe. It isn’t always easy.

And even though I may seem super easy-going, a ton of things scare me. Being in new social situations, taking on new projects at work, booking vacations by myself, being the single person in a crowd of happy, loving couples, training for a marathon, writing personal blog posts (oh heeey)…. these things scare me.

And yet, what I’ve also learned is that fear drives me. In some weird way, I’m not scared of it. I’ve rarely done something that has been totally out of my comfort zone and have been hurt by it. In fact, every scary situation I put myself in has only led to more personal growth, and usually an incredible experience.

And that’s why I keep fighting fear. Someone heard about my solo trip to Costa Rica next month and told me I was “very brave.” And I really wanted to respond saying, “Actually, no. I’m scared shitless.” And I am.  I’m really scared to travel alone. What if I get lost? What if I can’t find any cheap places to stay and sleep on the side of the road? What if…I don’t have fun? And yet, there is another (wiser) part of me that knows this won’t the case, and that I’ll figure it out. That I’ll be fine. And that it’ll be an amazing trip.

To be a bit cliché, I’ve simply realized that hey, I too am afraid. And get stressed. And have many days when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. But that doesn’t mean these negative emotions have to lead to more negativity. I’ll take it and be aware of it, and then fight it. Have it drive me further.

Because what scares me more than my own fear…. is not doing anything about it.

Staged. Not scared at all.

 

On Wednesday morning, I woke up with the plan to go running. I wasn’t sure exactly I wanted to do: tempo run, speed work, comfortable and long? (See, this is why I need to follow some sort of plan…) While I mulled it over, I turned to my Believe I am Journal to flip the page to record the prior day’s rest, when I read this at the top:

 …It reminds us that we run our best when we are running FREE (of pressure, results, stress). When we run free, we run FAST. When we run fast, we have FUN.

Free, fast, and fun? Sign me up. I decided I’d just go for a run. No pressure, no constant peek at the garmin, no mileage or pace goal. Just go with the flow.

I ended up going on one of my favorite routes that takes me over the Williamsburg and back, along the river and ferry stations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, over to McCarren track, and back home. It’s 5-7 miles depending if and how I extend it. Throughout, I felt super smooth and light, as if I was gliding. This feeling does not happen often, but I LOVE when it does. (I mean, who wouldn’t?) When I found myself back on my street, I stopped my watch, and paused. Should I even look at the numbers? They didn’t matter.

But of course I did.  6.1 miles, 7:34 pace. Guess the free, fast, fun thing works.

Now… I’m not trying to go number crazy. But! I understand its value when it comes to seeing what I’m capable of and setting tough, but realistic goals. I have felt totally rejuvenated this month, and ready to do some poundage in 2013. 

In other news, I legit lifted for the first time in AWHILE today, and…. darnnit. I am so freakin sore. In other OTHER news, the world is apparently ending very soon, so we’re drinking mimosas at work tomorrow morning. Better to go out a little tipsy I guess.

Proof that rest days pay off. Feeling fast thanks to @believeiam 🙂 #sistersinsport twitter.com/lschwech/statu…

— Laura Schwecherl (@lschwech) December 19, 2012

Earlier this week we had our secret santa gift exchange at work. Since we’re all pretty close to begin with, I was especially excited to see what gifts people got for each other. Just as I imagined, the gifts matched the, well, unique personalities here at Greatist HQ, ranging from a garlic press and ice-cream tattoo to a Nat Geo subscription and a dinosaur pop-up book.

(thanks for the photo Jordan Shakeshaft Shuffle!)

Yet what we even cooler than the immediate “wow that’s a perfect present for that person!” was the thoughtfulness that went into each exchange. It’s hard to come up with a fun gift that’s under $15; it’s even harder to make that gift meaningful. 

What I received nearly brought me to tears (I waited till later) and is literally one of the most thoughtful things I’ve ever received….ever. The sneaky, beautiful, and best-person-ever Laura Culhane made me two prints — one of Africa with my tattoo: yebehyia bio and the other of New York with its translation: we will meet again.

I’ve written a few times about my tattoo (when I got it and what it truly means) so it’s no surprise that this whole things means a ton to me. (I mean, it is permanently etched on my skin.) And my experiences in Ghana are always on my mind — extremely faint on some days, and right-in-front-of-my-face on others. But as we ring in another New Year, I keep thinking how 2008 was so long ago, and I feel more disconnected from those experiences each day. I no longer “recently went to Africa.” I went there four years ago. 

But these pictures make me feel closer. Like it really wasn’t that long ago. And that I will go back.

And…. before I jet back to the Motherland (if only), this secret santa is equally a great reminder that I work with the best, most thoughtful people ever. Seeeeeriously. And thank you again LC….allofthelove and more. ❤ 

Hello hello! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is feeling all festive and what not.

I’m pretty sure everyone I talked to said they had 57 holiday parties to go to this weekend. I only had four, and only made it to one thanks to champagne, whiskey, and coffee tequila (that’s a thing?!) all consumed for far too long and far too fast. But it was wonderful.

Jim and Kate had their annual (can I say annual? ok great) Christmas Open House this weekend. It was a wonderful mix of family and friends, food and booze, christmas music and movies, and … whiskey. All day. The apartment looked beautiful and the company was even better. In between listening to clutch Christmas songs was spanish sing-a-longs (navidad navidad hoy es havidad) and a live performance of “Deck the Halls” on violin (thanks Laura!). We ate peter pan donuts and fancy chex mix and HAM and sweet potatoes and curry dip. We watched Elf and Muppet  Christmas Carol and Love Actually and a Charlie Brown Christmas. We danced to gangam style (unclear). I think I’m still hungover. I love Christmas and Family and Friends!

On a different note, I’m baaaack in the running world, and so far so freaking good. In the past week or so I’ve never felt so great running — both mentally and physically. I’ve been mainly sticking to 5-6 mile runs,  keeping the pace right around or under 8 min/mile. I went for a 10K “tempo” run at 7:40ish pace and felt smooth. I’m still yoga’ing and lifting (a little) too, really trying to dedicate time to stretches and strength exercises that will keep me injury-free. I am also really enjoying running in the cold weather — except for pacing up and down my block at 7am waiting for my Garmin to get signal.

So yeah…all smiles on the running front. Which is especially good, since marathon training starts soon. And then it’s goodbye real life and hello Saturday morning long runs and doing laundry all the time. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stoked.