is this what it means to be a runner?

short post, but needed something short to get me back on here.
last weekend i decided i was a runner....these are my findings.

R est-lots of it. 9:30pm has become "late" for me. i spend most friday's home by 7 or 8pm, in bed by 9pm. getting up early is pretty much my new favorite thing, 430am is a common weekend wakeup time. most running days i end up snoozing at my desk at some point. it's so hot here, running has to at least start before sunrise

I ce- YUP, lots of it too! tonight i sit with my leg propped up: frozen veggies on the foot, frozen hot dogs on the knee, and newly added ice pack to the place where the masseuse rubbed a little to hard!

Carbs-man, i eat them a lot. fuel fuel fuel

Excellant. How I feel after each and everyone, especially now that early runs are over in 3 weeks!

Madison Half in 25 days. Woop Woop!

*disclaimer-all i talk about is running these days, sorry!

lost

living abroad can feel like a different hemisphere sometimes. the highs and lows that we all feel seem like they are magnified sometimes, and the bubble that is our social scene sometimes feels to big to handle and at the same time to small to contain us all.....strangeola. if mom is reading this she's probably say "you're just tired, go to bed." which is probably true, but i haven't eaten dinner yet and just wait til you hear the options: chili (amy's not hormel) or toast. oh joy.

the past month has been another adventure i spent the first 2-3 day weekends ever at HOME, and just welcomed the relaxation and good company. things are getting tricky now with the running load on my plate. not sure how i can get in 5 and 6 miles run in some interesting indian destination. i'll have to find out soon though as the trip to tanzania is right around the corner!

if you're not on facebook you haven't seen the holi pictures floating around on my homepage, it was another incredibly fun year of holi. actually, the best year yet. i went to an awesome progressive brunch, played with the locals, and definitely did not get touched inappropriately! i did, perhaps, overindulge a bit, but that's what holidays are for, right? AND i didn't miss my 4 mile run the following day!

i have officially finished my last after school activity of the year, so i am looking forward to some more afternoon free time, but not for a few weeks. i enrolled in a SUNY grad class about the brain to get my brain going again. i don't think i'll pursue another masters, but the class is really affordable and seemed like something to get me back into academia. it's feeling good to get into the new research about the brain, it's a hot topic in my circle.

what else? it's getting hot here, and i fear that i am spending the best two weekends inside at class! it's perfectly pleasant during the day, which is really about 90. the calm before the storm indeed! i'm looking forward to spring break, and then it's really only a short time until summer.

would love to hear from you all! xoxo

becky's a runner-ish

it's official. i've signed up for the madison half marathon on may 30. i decided that it is my time, and i am up for the challenge. training officially begins tomorrow, and my mouth dropped when i looked at the impending mileage.

today i ran the first ever cansupportRUN here in delhi for cancer. there was a good crew of us, and 4 of us ran the 4 K. my friend melissa and i ran together the whole time....along with an indian man. picture this: jeans, wool sweater, backpack, cell phone, and tennies holding pace next to us. for some reason he found it necessary to run directly next to one of us at all times, and when i mean next to, i mean all i had to do was make a chicken wing with my arm to hit him. at one point i was convinced he was going to ask for my number...he must've had some important business to be carrying the cell phone...and what was in that backpack?

either way, as i plugged though those 2.4 miles i envied his ability to run in clothing that was clearly better suited for 40 degrees and not 75, nonetheless more appropriate for casual fridays.

i'll stick to my dry-fit until i start having perma b-o in them:)
xoxo

my wish list

Things I look forward to doing in 2010.

1. being more mindful, staying more in the present
2. sitting on beaches, watching sunsets and eating shrimp
3. my job. it totally rocks
4. making plans for life post-delhi
5. cooking better meals for myself
6. not worrying as much (see #1)
7. staying better connected with friends in the usa
8. appreciating and being appreciated
9. cambodia and vietnam
10. the unknown




[editor's note: both editor's note and the idea of this blog was copied from thinh, thanks bud]

serendipity

last night I was reminded of the fabulous-ness of delhi

last night i took laura out for her birthday dinner. the night started with some sweet tea vodka and transitioned smoothly into sangria and steaks for dinner. we decided to try out the lounge on the ground floor of the restaurant. we huddled up to the bar, and ordered some beers. naturally, people are drawn to two cute girls like ourselves....add that to being some of the only foreigners! we talked to one interesting gentleman who seemed to be shocked when i compared his experience of 'meat and potatos' in texas and my 'rice and dal' in india. he hung around 10 minutes too long or so, and then eventually went his own way. by this point, midnight or so, the lounge was PACKED, and the thought of using the bathroom seemed overwhelming, but we each ventured out. while laura was pushing through the crowds, i befriended the guy next to me and tried to use my mad skills to get him the beer he was waiting for. epic fail. nonetheless he stood there for a while, and we were making pleasantries. laura came back, and we all started chatting and exchanging names....only to find out that laura actually knows this guy from the eat pray love shoot and he has her number in his phone.....and in a city of 14 million!!!! turns out we had just met 2 dudes who know more about the club/party scene than anyone i've ever met. nonetheless, their evening out was not going to end at smokehouse, their night was just beginning! so, we headed out on an adventure to another bar @ 1:30am....and ended up heading to capital, a club closer to school. the night just gets better from here....we go into the club and hit up the buffet. there were not chicken fingers and french fries, much to my dismay, but of course there was some dal makhani that i slopped up. heck, it was already 5 hours since dinner by that point! laura refused, assuredly convinced that we would regret that decision tomorrow. not me, free food? im all over it. we danced the night away for about 3 more hours and headed home @ 4:30am. Seriously, i haven't been up that late if not for a flight in FOR-EVER! it was totally one of those super awesome nights that you could have never planned. and now we're sure to know where all the great parties are!

the fun continued today (after the initial ibuprofen was consumed). thinh and i went out to lunch and, randomly, and again in a city of 14 million, we run into tricia and maureen. we spent the lunch hour laughing hysterically.

all in all, a fabulous weekend in delhi:)
xoxo
b

life in the month of october

oh blog. you totally overwhelm me. i think about you all the time, and how funny this or that would be to post, but somehow it never seems quite so easy.
this month was one of the most overwhelmingly satisfying and tiring months ever! since i came back to india thinking it was my last year, i quickly filled up each three day weekend with a trip. here is that experience, in a nutshell...
trip 1: dharamshala, home of HHK the Dalai Lama, travel companions Thinh and Laura.
there are so many funny parts of this trip. starting with the fact that both laura and i had packed our bags and brought them with us on friday. i had a middle school dance to run, she had a concert to attend, then we rendezvoused and headed to the train station. funny part #2. laura booked a little later than us, so she had a 2nd class bunk while thinh and i had first class. all our worrying was without when we discovered that the conductor didn't even care that the cute blond was on our bunk without a ticket. so laura and i had our first shared bunk experience after a very healthy dinner provided by thinh of doritos, pigs in a blanket and nuts.
our trip in dharamshala was incredible. we laughed a lot, we caught up with each other, we reminisced about the 'early india days,' and just enjoyed each other's company. laura and thinh also made me climb a mountain, thanks guys.
the 'flawless' trip ended quickly at the airport when we found out our flight was cancelled and we had to take the train back. the 3 hours of waiting at the train station were EQUALLY as fun as the entire trip....ahhhh. love it!

trip 2: dubai to visit maureen's friends
meeting maureen's life in dubai was fabulous. it was so nice to put faces to names, and spa experiences to spa experiences:) we spent a VERY indulgent 3 days with her friend erika and her two children. we ate well, drank well, shopped well, and laughed well. a mighty fine trip indeed! this trip ended with a lovely experience at indira gandhi international when i was pulled aside for swine flu screening. a week of quarantine flashed in front of my eyes as they busted out the MERCURY thermometer. really india? stick that in my armpit. thank goodness i was not febrile.

trip 3: goa. oh goa. you rained on us the entire time. dang you. better luck next year.

retrospectively i wouldn't plan three in a row again. it was too crazy. but really? when else in my life will i have three weekends in a row to travel in and around india?!?!?! maybe next year. yup, that's right. i'm staying for year 4. i fear that leaving next year will be so sad. my friends here are just phenomenal, and they're really more like family. i'd be crazy to leave now......

well, it's time for dinner here @ parent/teacher conference world. so i'll go for now. i feel like there is so much more i could write.

MUCH LOVE to all of you who are still logging on!!!!!!!!! besos y abrazos.

the month in review (ish)

the last month of delhi has truly been a blast. year three is so comfortable both with friends and with school. the things that used to seem like such a struggle are still a little troublesome....but they don't ruin days like they used to. the bizarreness of this place also continues to amaze me as well....today we saw water buffalo running along the "highway."

it's the little things that make delhi special. it's waking up with a broken cell phone and getting it fixed for $5 when you planned on having to replace it. it's the delivery of ice for a party, in addition to the delivery of delicious food and beverage.

what i've realized about things this year is that i've got something really good going on. last night about 50 people came over to celebrate my friend doug and my birthdays. i cannot explain the pure joy of being sang to by my family and friends here....and in beautiful harmony! it was one of the BEST parties i've ever thrown, totally one of those nights that you never want to end.

despite having rained all week, i'm feeling lots of sunshine in my life now!