existential dilemmas

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. – Kierkegaard

semi-wordless wednesday – new york style

Posted on February 6, 2008 by chloe elizabeth

Maybe I should just call it “Not-a-Novel Wednesday”?

Early morning in Times Square. This was my first daylight scene in New York.

Max Brenner…my heaven here on earth.

Breakfast Saturday morning.

And Max Brenner is my new favorite restaurant.

A Saturday morning market. Oh how I can’t wait to live in a city again…someday.

Grand Central Subway. I love all of the amazing tile work throughout the subways. So many of the stations are like this, with mosaics lining the walls.

Our super short (literally) wait to get to the top of the Empire State Building.

Downtown, as seen from the Empire State Building.

take it and run thursday – motivation

Posted on January 31, 2008 by chloe elizabeth

Motivation is this weeks topic over on the Runners’ Lounge blog. So, what motivates me to run?

Of course there are the things that I think motivate most people, the desire to be in shape, the need to exercise, the camaraderie of running. But for me it is really all about the show. What do I mean by “the show”? I mean that I like being able to tell people that I have run a marathon. I like that, at one point in time, I ran five miles a day. I like that my calves get uber toned and look great in skirts. My motivation for doing many things is the desire to be a person who would do those things. I don’t know that I am especially adventurous by nature, but I want to be an adventurous person, so I do things that make me that way. I’m definitely not a natural runner, but I want to be a runner, so I run. Now, when I say this, it’s not that I go around talking about running all the time. I don’t. I just like knowing that I could talk about it, should the opportunity present itself.

That is the Big Motivation. And now the daily motivations:

Running off whatever treat I couldn’t seem to resist.
The amazing sense of accomplishment that comes at the end of a good run.
It’s my outlet. In fact, my favorite runs (besides my 10 mile+ runs) are angry runs. I love running off my emotions. Best fuel ever! Unfortunately, I’m not really an angry person, so these don’t happen often.
Getting to see the little improvements that seem to manifest themselves daily. A faster mile split, lower heart rate, longer endurance, etc.
The muscle definition in my quads. This one is just for me since I’m not in the habit of wearing clothing that shows off my quads, but I love it!
My running music. I know this might sound weird, but for some reason there are certain songs that I can only listen to while running. Maybe I feel too old to listen to them otherwise. I don’t really know.
Watching the miles on my sidebar add up.
The prospect of my next race…which is why I always have one scheduled.
Other runners.
Running blogs – I love reading about others’ running experiences.

What kills my motivation?

Anything that sounds more enjoyable than running, which most days could be watching the wind blow, but is more often sleeping (the big run killer) or other time commitments. But, to get through that, I just plan. Like tonight, my day won’t end until 10:30 pm, but I’ll be heading to the gym to get a good run in since I won’t be running at all this weekend.

Wow, I sure am inspirational. You all know my secret, now. I don’t actually like running. But I like knowing that I run, so even though every mile (with the rare exception) is a bit painful, there are moments when I do enjoy it because I think, “I am a runner.”

So, for those of you who think you could never be a runner because you hate running, think again. You can totally do it. I think a few of my running friends would agree with me. (See, that was motivational, right?)

ETA: I forgot one of my biggest motivators. Setting an example for my darling nieces and nephews. I want to be the cool aunt who runs marathons (since the “rich aunt” position has already been filled). And on that note, here’s the newest member of my family: Hope Elizabeth.

You can read the details here.
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five freaking miles

Posted on January 30, 2008 by chloe elizabeth

Finally.

You would think after running 26.2, five would be no big deal. Well, I assure you, it was. I am so behind on my training schedule for the Canyonlands Half Marathon, but last night I finally got in a solid five mile run. It felt really good (especially the part when I stopped after every mile to restart the treadmill, thereby fooling onlookers into thinking I had only been on it for 10 minutes, rather than 45…the joys of an overcrowded gym and their “rules”).

It felt so good to run. I took it pretty slow, but I didn’t walk. That was my goal. Then I came home and did my Turbo Sculpt video (half of it…I’m trying to not get obsessive) and then a little Street Fusion – Street Jazz and Hip Hop just for fun.

What is Street Fusion, you ask? It’s my latest DVD purchase. I have been wanting to take a hip hop class for a while, but my schedule just doesn’t allow it, so I decided to buy a video. Tonight was the first go (videos are always risky) and I LOVED it! It wasn’t too remedial and it is all about choreography, which is totally my way of dancing. It took me back to my days of cheerleading in high school. Yes, it’s true. I know I’ve posted pictures before, but I’m going to do it again (notice the remnants of toilet paper in the tree behind me…the joys of high school). ETA: I have no idea what happened to the picture…I’ll add it again later.

And now, because it’s me, I need to leave you with my “deep” gym thoughts:

I have to admit that there is something enjoyable about checking guys out at the gym. I know most of us women love to complain about how the gym can be such a meat-market, but hey, if they’re going to put it out there, I’m going to look. Too honest? Perhaps, but I’m not attached to anyone so I feel free to look. I’m not lusting or anything, just enjoying the scenery.

While I enjoy checking out guys (and trust me, there are lots of different things to admire) I realized that I often create stories in my head about them, and generally, the better looking they are (in the classic, Hollywood sense) the bigger jerks they are in the stories I create. Hmm, maybe I need therapy to deal with my issues?

I also check out the girls (you know, in a “why the hell are you at the freaking gym when you are so freaking skinny?” kind of way) and what I realized tonight is that I just have to let go. Some people are genetically blessed. Some people don’t have food addictions or a general aversion to exercise (every day is a battle, I swear). And when those thoughts failed to convince me that I should not hate these women, I just started thinking about how most of them probably have OCD, and that made me feel better.

long time gone

Posted on January 23, 2008 by chloe elizabeth

I met Megan and Steven while living in Europe. At the time, they were not “Megan and Steven” but just Megan, and just Steven. Megan and I hit it off. I don’t remember my very first impression of Steven, but I do remember that (for some reason unbeknown to me…and quite out of character) I loved trying to get his goat. Weird.
Anyway, eight years later, Megan and Steven have been “Megan and Steven” for quite some time and they have the sweetest little girls in the world. These are the people I stayed with in Nashville, and regardless of how things had gone at V (thankfully, they went well), the trip would have been worth it just to see them. It had been about four years since I last saw them. They were still living in Utah, with their babies (the girls are twins), figuring out what to do with their lives. Funny how things change, but don’t.
I hope you are all lucky enough to have such wonderful friends. I was the slightest bit apprehensive about inviting myself to stay with them (but not enough to not do it), but Megan was so gracious that I knew I’d be welcome…and welcome I was. From my late arrival Friday night, to my need to attend Weight Watchers Saturday morning, braving the freezing cold so I could see Nashville, homemade pasta, a super-late-night conversation Saturday night (poor Megan couldn’t stay awake), Aebelskiver on Sunday (they make good on their blog promises), the ride to my school visit and back to the airport, I could not have asked for nicer hosts. Add to that the fact that I absolutely love these people, and I was in heaven. I could talk to either of them for hours (and I did)…and I adore their little girls. They are such great parents, because truly no child is on good behavior for three days straight.
And even after a number of years of semi-sporadic contact, our relationship picked up right where it had left off (only maybe a bit better since Megan and I joined the world of blogging). In any case, this weekend was exactly what I needed. It gave me some much needed and appreciated perspective on life. And it gave me time to fall in love with Nashville…even if it was freezing.