Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Airplane Friends and Rural Running

Hi guys!

I had a total "I love the running community" moment yesterday. I mentioned running during Sourabh and my customary post-boarding pre-takeoff "love you, have a safe flight" call (let's be honest, it's one of those "worst case scenario let's make sure we talked" kind of things... at least for me, because I'm morbid and weird). One of my seatmates asked me if I was a runner and it turned out that he'd run multiple ultra marathons in his home country of South Africa!

We had a nice chat, I lent him my issue of Runner's World, and we both gave tips on running on our respective home turf. (Me: anything along the water or with mountain views. Him: the Comrades Marathon). It's so wonderful how you can meet someone from the opposite side of the planet and instantly have a conversation based on this shared interest that crosses all boundaries.

Speaking of flying...


So, this isn't NYC. I'm back in my home state of Washington, staying with my parents for eight days as I study for the bar exam hardcore. It's definitely crunch time!

I plan on taking full advantage of the cooler weather. I'm running a 5K this weekend and doing my long run this morning, so that I'll be semi-fresh for Saturday's race (can you ever be truly fresh during marathon training?). I'm running 9 of them with my dad! It should be fun :)

I'm also going to be studying outdoors with mountain views for the next week. I know, it's a tough life. I will be sharing lots of pictures so that you can truly understand the depth of my mountain obsession.

My view on my 4 mile run this evening. 
By the way, you know you're in a rural area when you hear gun shots on your run and don't freak out. It's so weird, but I don't associate gunshots with crime since I grew up in an area with a lot of hunters and recreational shooters. When I hear a shot, I just figure someone's shooting cans in their backyard.

Another funny feature of rural running is that the roads don't have sidewalks and about a foot of shoulder, so I run on the white lines. I'm extra careful, stopping and getting out of the way if a car doesn't move, but almost every single car on my run moved over and gave me a ton of space. Of course, I smiled and waved -- it's the country way! -- and typically received a smile and wave in return.


Anyway, I'm so excited to get to run here for a few days! I never ran growing up -- seriously, I could barely huff and puff through a mile -- so every time I've been home in the past two years since I started running, I've gotten the chance to explore my hometown and its surrounding area in a totally new way. It's pretty cool!


Blogiversary Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my Blogiversary Giveaway!! Congratulations to the winner:

You get a free class at Uplift Studios and a free Sparkly Soul headband! Please email me at jensbestlife (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get you all set up!!


Do you run when you visit your family? Is it better or worse running than where you live? What's the coolest marathon you've heard of?

16 comments:

  1. That's so fun that you met someone on the plane! Enjoy the cool weather! I've been staying up late and therefore haven't been able to appreciate the cool weather yet here but I will this weekend for my long run!

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    1. Cooler weather feels incredible after intense humidity!!

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  2. Gorgeous pictures, friend! Why didn't you take me in your suitcase? ;) I love bumping into fellow fitness addicts while traveling and swapping stories; it makes you realize just how widespread, yet small if that makes sense, the community is. Buckle down with that studying and enjoy your humid-less runs!

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    1. Thanks!! The size of my suitcase to fit all my books and run gear would have fit you, actually ;)

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  3. I love how you managed to bring up running in your "let's make sure we talked" call. Haha!

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    1. I know -- poor guy, he is NOT a runner, and yet he has to deal with my run obsession!!

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  4. I loveddd running in WA when I was there for work. I'm jealous you get some cooler temps! I hope you have a nice visit!

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    1. It's a great running state! I really wish I'd grown up running!!

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  5. Yay! I'm so excited I won. I never win anything! I just sent you an email. Good luck with studying!

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  6. good luck with the bar studying! definitely not looking forward to doing it next summer.

    also so jealous of the cooler weather and MOUNTAINS! i've never been to washington, but i would lovelovelove to!

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    1. Thanks! It's like 1L year compressed into two months with the addition of it being closed books. "1L on crack," as one friend said!

      You should definitely travel to the Pacific Northwest. It's so different from other parts of the country!

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  7. Your running in WA is probably such a fun change of scenery! I love running in my hometown, because it is so different from where I am now!

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    1. It's an awesome change of scenery! The temperature change is a huge part of that, but I'm also just happy to get out of NYC for a bit. While I love the city SO much, as mileage ramps up it's neat to get away from my normal run paths.

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  8. People are just friendlier in the country, they wave when they don't even know you. I grew up in a farming community and live in (near) the city now. It's just a little different down home. I never ran either growing up, but your right there are no side walks, its on the road or in the grass. Gotta be careful.

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    1. I think part of it is that if I were to smile and wave at every runner in Central Park, I would never stop waving! What I've found is that when I'm out really early, say 6 AM, people are friendlier because there are fewer out there. I think it might all depend on how many people are around?

      And yes, being careful is extremely important! I didn't put in headphones until the second half of the out and back so I made sure I was adjusting to a different place to run.

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