My first 5K

Pre Run at Minnehaha Falls!

So exciting news….I ran my VERY FIRST 5K two weeks ago! It was pretty random and a coworker and I decided to sign up a week and a half before the event. It all started when I ran around the lake by my house (3 miles) without stopping. At that point, I decided I was ready for a 5K. So I asked my coworker if she wanted to join and we signed up. We decided to do the MN AIDS Run for the Ribbon event. They are a nonprofit agency dedicated to stopping HIV through prevention, advocacy, awareness and services. Awesome cause!

It was the COOLEST experience ever! I ended up running by myself for it as my coworker and I ran at different speeds. In the beginning, the fog horn blows and everyone starts running. There’s also a full audience of people cheering you on with signs and encouragement! During the race, I only stopped twice towards the end (after the 3 mile mark) because I was getting a side ache. As I was reaching the finish line, everyone was cheering me on and putting their hands out for high-fives. I was running solo so EVERYONE, like 150 people at least, were looking at ME! The energy was amazing!

Right when I stopped running I felt like I was going to throw up – I think it was because I was so used to the gravity of running since I barely stopped and kept pushing myself to run. The feeling only lasted for a few minutes and I felt better once I drank some water and cooled off. They had tons of vendors giving out tons of free stuff (juice, snacks, first aid kits, little knick knacks, etc.).

And because I loved it SO much, I am doing another 5K next month! Eventually, I would love to do a marathon but I’ll be taking baby steps for now.

On a final note, I have had some exciting opportunities and things that have come up that I am super excited about it. I truly believe now more than ever that if you are good person and do good things, good thing will happen to you. I am feeling hopeful about a lot of things lately and in the next few weeks, I hope to share what’s been going on. I don’t want to jinx anything!

Happy (almost) Friday!

Eat. Pray. Love.

So I had a really awesome weekend. Friday night I reconnected with an old friend from college (I hadn’t seen her since December) and we had dinner together and it was so nice to catch up with her!

Saturday I reconnected with another old friend who I hadn’t seen for a few months as well and we had dinner with one of my girl friends. So, that’s FOUR friends that I have reconnected with this year so far!

After that, my friend and I watched half of the movie, Eat, Pray, Love (we then met up with some other friends and went bowling, saw a burlesque show and listened to rock and swing music – which was super sweet).

On Sunday I finished watching Eat, Pray, Love and I must say that movie is seriously amazing. There is so much inspiration and wonderful quotes in that movie. I REALLY wish I could get the courage to leave my life behind for a few months (I don’t think I could do a whole year) and just travel and experience something completely new. I mean I really love to travel but Elizabeth’s journey (played by Julia Roberts) as a newly divorced woman really makes me examine my own life and the things that are important to me.

She talks about the “The Physics of the Quest” in which the whole movie is based off of. She says that it is: “A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.”

I need to experience this quest.

I’ve thought about the three elements that relate to this movie and how I already am/would incorporate them into my life. Here they are:

{Eat}

Obviously I love to cook. I mean really love. But I should experience with more ethnic foods (made healthy for now, of course) and I love trying out new restaurants, especially when the weather is nice. There are so many lovely mom and pop restaurants around my area I need to visit! Anybody want to be my date?

{Pray}

I was asked to go to church on Sunday morning actually (not sure how likely it was really going to happen) but I decided to go to my Body Works + Abs class and do the Stairmaster instead. I do not go to church regularly which makes me feel kind of uneasy because there is a universalist church one block from my house which I have only gone to twice since I’ve lived at my current place for two years. I once went there for Buddhist meditation – it was kind of neat and definitely makes me want to experiment with different religions, but not necessarily pick one to become (perhaps that will come later in life). I was born and raised Catholic – went to weekly religion classes, received communion and confirmation, the whole works. But the only time I revert back to my Catholicism is on Christmas and Easter with my family. My goal is to experience different religions and go to some sort of service at least once a month. I know I could use some spiritual guidance in my life.

{Love}

This one is so complicated and jumbled for me. Elizabeth says so many great things about Love, and not just romantic love but loving those around you, even strangers less fortunate than you. I need to get back into volunteering and I will be doing some volunteer work soon. While in India, Elizabeth writes an email back home that says if she were home she’d be planning a stupid, expensive birthday party and “you’d all be buying me gifts and bottles of wine” but why not help a little girl named Tutti and her family in India because “we must take care of our families wherever we find them. When you set out in the world to help yourself, sometimes you end up helping Tutti.”

(BTW, I am so guilty of planning my birthday this weekend but perhaps next year I will think differently.)

I feel so blessed to have the friends and family I do in my life (although I do which I could be closer to my extended my family – summer goal!) I have the most amazing friends I could ask for so it’s important for me to keep those friendships strong and reconnect with the ones I don’t see as often. I have been single for three years and as am vastly approaching year 26 (this weekend, eek) I think I should have experienced more love in my past. My last relationship lasted a year and a half, which is the longest one I’ve ever had, and looking back on that experience, I don’t think I ever truly was in love and it definitely was not a beautiful loving relationship like it should have been. So, it makes me feel sort of weird that I’m (almost) 26 and never have been in love. I mean I have dated a lot and I have learned so much about myself through dating and I am thankful for that. I know love will come at the right time, for all of us.

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.”

P.S.: Sorry this is so long but I felt compelled and inspired to write.