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8.08.2014

Looking Back & Looking Forward

Goodbye July! Hello August!

Looking back, July was a mixture of study and work with a bit of running thrown in! Here's how it shaped up by the numbers.

Miles: 141. This was one of my lower running months. I scaled it down to about 2 - 3 times a week in order to study and I really am feeling the difference. The only reason it was even over a hundred is because I threw  a 50 mile race in there, otherwise I wouldn't even have broken the 100 mile mark for the month. I am really looking forward to getting back into the running groove, as my pants are not quite fitting as well as they used to and I miss that great post run feeling!

Books: 2. I read The End of Your Life Book Club, which was okay. I think that my expectations were too high, as many of my friends had said that they loved it and I expected to love it too. It was a book about books, which is usually good, but I just found it did not catch my attention as much as I had hoped it would. I also read The Cactus Eaters, which is a book about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I found the main character a bit annoying, which was similar to another PCT book I read (Wild). I find this strange because all of the PCT hikers I met while growing up seemed perfectly normal. Maybe just the ones who write books are a bit self centered.

Travel Miles: 400 (by car). I went to South Lake Tahoe for the weekend of the 50 mile race. It was a lot of fun and it is one of my favorite trails and it is always inspiring to see the 100 mile runners and their bravery and grit. Also it was about 90 degrees and then it hailed on us as we were running, so it was quite an adventure overall.

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And now....Looking Forward!

Today I am looking forward to getting off work! As soon as I get off I am meeting up with my brother and his girlfriend and we are heading north for a weekend of camping among the redwoods. I am going to swim and hike and eat grilled meat and read and take pictures and just enjoy being outside on a beautiful summer weekend in the woods!

In the next  week I am looking forward to planning a vacation! In my last post I mentioned some of the things I wanted to do once I was done with my exam, and camping and planning a vacation were two of them. So, let's get cracking! I want to do an active (hiking) vacation so am leaning towards somewhere in the Alps! Does anyone have any Alps hiking tips?

In the next  month I am looking forward to going to NYC to see my parents! My dad is currently in Manhattan and I haven't seen him in forever, so I am taking the opportunity to visit one of my favorite cities and see two of my favorite people all at the same time. I can't wait to wander the streets with them, take a run along the Hudson and eat lots of yummy food!

In the next year I am looking forward to a September running weekend with the girls, hiking Mt. Whitney, girls night at my house, catching up on my reading, Thanksgiving & Christmas with family, a vacation, and many other little things! I am also looking forward to seeing what life has up it's sleeve for me. The past year has been a busy one and one where I have learned a lot of new things, and I am sure the next one will be equally as informative and full of new things!

How was your July? When does "summer end" in your opinion? What are you looking forward to?

5 comments:

  1. So many good thing to look forward to. I love having stuff on the horizon like that. Right now, I think I'm most looking forward to getting my resume together and looking for a new job in the fall. I'm still banking on the flexibility of my current job for the summer while my kids are on summer break. That's a weird thing to look forward to, but I am.

    Happy August.

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  2. Always like to catch up on your news and see what you are up to! We just got back from a very HOT and dry week in Portland, OR and now getting ready to head to CO in another week. Really looking forward to getting shown around by some friends there. Hope you have a fun vacation. I have been to the Alps, but it was to sk, not hike, but I know you will love it.

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  3. I am so glad those exams are behind you so you can spend more time doing the things you love! I hope you had a great time camping with your brother and his GF! And your Alps vacation sounds AMAZING! I'm a bit envious that you are going to New York as that is one of my favorite cities to visit! That is cool that you get to see a cool city and your dad!

    July was kind of a blur for me. The weekends felt really busy, I ran quite a bit, and I felt kind of mentally exhausted from the process of adjusting to work. For me, summer has always felt like it ends on Labor Day Weekend but I am trying to adjust that perspective. Something I'm looking forward to is celebrating Phil's birthday next weekend, although I think I am more excited about his birthday than he is.

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  4. I'm glad you had a good July. Mine went by in a flash of European travel. I loved every minute.

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  5. I'm looking forward to seeing you in September! I'm also amazed at all the running miles you fit in despite all the studying you had to do!

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