Paddle Boarding

I am finally on vacation and have finally checked off another thing off my list! It’s been a nutty summer (year) so far and am enjoying some time off at the beach. The first few days were a bit iffy weather-wise (rain in August?!), but yesterday the sun came out on Nantucket and provided a picturesque beach day. Something much needed.

Of course, I’m trying to relax a bit, catch up on some sleep, and check off a couple more books off my classic list. But I also wanted to check something else off my list, and figured I’d either try surfing or paddle boarding on this vacation. I’ve been to the beach plenty of times over the last 29 years, but never attempted surfing. Boogie boarding, yes. Water skiing, yes. Kayaking, yes. But not surfing. I thought I’d put it on the list to attempt this year. But I also decided to make it a choice between that or paddle boarding. I wanted some type of new water sport since I love the water so much. I feel like paddle boarding is a relatively new thing. It isn’t. It’s just become popular in past years. I remember some dude stand-up paddle boarding in San Diego Bay last fall. It looked relatively easy, and I figured I’d have it as an option.

Luckily I’m visiting family on Nantucket who are in possession of every single piece of water sport equipment you could possibly need at the beach. Paddle boards (and surf boards) included. I decided to give paddle boarding a go yesterday after a day of reading Lolita. My Aunt Sally was giving me tips on what to do. She said that you needed good balance. I of course stated that I do have good balance. Ha.

Well good balance on the ground is different from good balance on the water. We got into the water, and paddled away from the crowds at Cisco beach, where I attempted to paddle board for the first time. Well stand-up paddle boarding to be specific. I’m really not sure if there’s a difference. I fell into the water many times. I did have a leash on, so no worries on losing the board. I just need to hold onto the paddle. I spent about an hour with my aunt out on the water going back and forth between Cisco and Miacomet Pond. At various points, I was just trying to get the hang of the water by kneeling on the board. Once I’d feel comfortable and didn’t see many big waves coming, I’d stand up and stay up for as long as possible paddling around. There was one point (unintentionally) that I was actually paddle-surfing. I soon fell off. I did start to get the hang of the balancing. I had to tell myself to not worry when any big waves came along. It was pretty fun and I’d like to go out again this week, but boy was I feeling it today in my arms.

I also enquired about a surfing lesson, so I may see about that over the next few days.

Brave New World

I’m halfway done with my classic list! Yay! Luckily this latest one was a bit shorter and actually made me want to keep reading more so than the others. I just finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Again, with all the other books, I had no idea what this was about. This takes place way in the future with a society that’s has been developed from reproductive technology and has been sleep-conditioned. No crime, no sickness, no getting old, no families, no science, no art, no free-thinking. Everyone just does what they are conditioned to do, respective to their caste.

I think this would be a good discussion for a book club. I was interested in the genetic engineering aspect of the novel, along with nature vs nurture argument. Especially when John, “the savage”, was introduced. You see how he tries to unsuccessfully influence society. Some of his actions did seem a bit more extreme than necessary once he leaves London, but then again this is all he knows from his enclosed environment. He becomes more of a spectacle with disastrous results.

Overall, I would recommend this book to read, at least for the discussions it would stimulate.

To give a quick recap, so far I’ve crossed off:

1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Next up is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

Crime and Punishment

Fourth classic off the list! Yes, I will continue exclaiming each one as I finish it. I have 6 to go. Man, I gotta find some shorter classics. In the time since I read the last classic, I had actually decided to re-read the Harry Potter series in preparation for the last movie. It took me about the same length of time to read all 7 HP books and this particular classic. Once I completed the HP series (and yes, I went through withdrawal again), I started Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Now I’ve never read this before (obviously that’s why it’s on the list) and had no idea what it was about. I downloaded it onto my Kindle and decided to give it a go. 15% into it (yes, the Kindle is very accurate), I was in for a shock. Note: spoiler alert. The main character goes and murders a woman (with her sister as collateral damage) with an axe. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that at all.

The remainder of the book takes you through the character’s Napoleonic beliefs and his torment over the murders. There are a few more surprises later on and an ending that was somewhat expected. All I know is those Russian authors like to have extra long names for their characters. And they go by their full names. This is why these books are so damn long.

Overall it was good. I probably glossed over portions of the book again like with the other classics, I had to make sure I had the characters straight. They have 3 names apiece and they go by a different in each part of the book. Not confusing at all.

Time to choose my next book…

Boston Qualify

I have run 4 marathons so far. My first in Alaska 4 years ago where I vowed I'd never do another, the following year was Marine Corps where I accepted my medal from a cute Marine, and for the last 2 years I ran through the 5 boroughs of my home city–NYC. For the last couple of them, I had decided that to qualify for Boston could be achievable, but it has eluded me. I do blame the awesome spectators in Brooklyn that got me to run slightly faster than I should have because I was so excited, and that damn beloved Queensboro Bridge. So for my 30th, I'm going to attempt yet again. But make it slightly (hopefully) easier to accomplish than crossing over 5 bridges.

Which marathon do I run?? Decisions, decisions, decisions. I, of course, looked for a flat marathon. Especially now that the BAA has taken the liberty to make this a bit more difficult for me. Instead of trying to break 3:40:59, I now have to break 3:35:00. Thanks Boston.

I considered Chicago, Berlin, Amsterdam, Philly and a number of other flatter, slightly easier courses to attempt, including the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, not far from where I grew up. Since I will be living in London for a good portion of my training, I figured an international race is the way to go. I've already been to Berlin a couple of times, so I decided on Amsterdam! It’s cheaper (only 55 euros!), I’ve never visited the city, and I’m sure I could find some ways to celebrate when I finish.

I signed up about 1 ½ months ago and it’s official. I will be running the Amsterdam Marathon on October 16^th to attempt to cross off #3!

Now let’s take a look at the time that I need to qualify quickly. I like numbers, so I’m going to ramble on about paces, times, ect. Due to the new qualifying standards for Boston, as a 29-year old, I need a get 3:35:00 to qualify for Boston. This means that I have to run an average of an 8:12 minute mile for 26.2 miles! They have also gotten rid of the 59 second leeway they have given in the past. So essentially I need to break 3:35:00. I don’t trust myself to get exactly 3:35.00, so I need to aim for a slightly faster time. So maybe 8:11 per mile?

I went onto the Runner’s World training calculator to see what my chances are based on previous race times. First, I plugged in my fastest (and only recently timed) mile from last September, which was 6:20. I’m sure this won’t be my fastest ever mile time, but it would work for this exercise. And we are in luck! My predicted marathon time would be 3:21:51. Totally BQ'ing.

EXCEPT, is this really a realistic approach? When I put this mile time in, it says my best ½ marathon time should be 1:36:49. Which I have gotten nowhere near. And I have run a lot more ½ marathons than any other race. My best ½ marathon time is 1:43:20. So I put this time into the calculator and it predicts a 3:35:27 marathon. 27 seconds too slow! Argh.

I feel somewhat (only a bit) confident I can at least realistically attempt to qualify, but it will be hard work. I have to get my butt in gear and train properly over the next few months. I will appreciate any words of encouragement that comes my way. I will need it. That and a personal trainer.

Day Trip

My friend Stephanie moved to England right before I did earlier this year and started up UK Wild Adventures, a company organizing fun activities to the countryside from London. I've been meaning to go on a trip but it’s been a bit hectic. However it finally worked out this past weekend!

I made my way to Euston and met up with Stephanie, Paul and the rest of the group. We got on the train and about 40 mins later, we were in Tring, a small town northwest of London. This is where we started our 9 mile Ashridge hike.

It started out beautiful. The sun was coming through the clouds, I had my DSLR around my neck, and was about to trek through the English countryside. We made our way through forests and fields. We took our lunch break on a massive fallen tree. I was definitely enjoying myself outside of the city. About 6.5 miles later, we came upon one of our stops along the hike—Frithsden Vineyard.

 

Here we tried some delicious English wine; 2 whites (Solaris and Phoenix) and a Rosé. The Rosé was a bit darker than your typical Rosé and was defnitely good. It’s made from the Rando grape. After our tastes, the owner gave us a guided tour of the vineyard and winery. All the while enjoying some more Phoenix. Unfortunately we saw some damage to some of the Phoenix vines from a frost in early May. This of course drove me to purchase a bottle of the Phoenix since they wouldn’t have much next year. During the tour we also got a preview of their soon to be sparkling wine—Frithsden Fizz.

After the tour was complete (and a little drizzle), we continued on our hike to our final destination—The Rising Sun pub in Berkhamsted. After a few more miles hiking, a cider and ploughman's really hit the spot. The cozy armchair also didn’t hurt.

A very successful Sunday if I don’t say so myself.

Casting Call

Six months until I turn 30. Yikes! This year is flying by. And I’ve checked off 13 3/10 things off my list. Pretty good progress if I don’t say so myself. There are a quite a few big ones left, but I should be able to accomplish them all. 

Now there is one in particular that is NOT going well at all. This whole dating thing. Ugh. Well my life has been an upheaval in the last few months. You know the whole moving to a new country thing. I had a few prospects back in January and February. Then I disappeared for a month and worked my butt off in London. I had no time for boys, let alone time to get a pint at a proper pub.

April rolled around and I was back in NYC. Work didn’t let up of course. I was also hanging out with my friends and family as much as possible before I left the country for good. And now it’s May. Almost June. For some reason work keeps interfering with my dating life (or lack thereof). 

So here it goes, a casting call for cute boys. Gotta be similar in age to me—not 40 and not 21. Smart. Funny. Likes to travel. Shaggy hair. Bigger calf muscles than my runner calves.

Most importantly lives in the vicinity of London.

Well you get the picture. Anyone you know? I just need to go on 11 dates. That’s all. Shouldn't be too hard...

A Tale of Two Cities

Third classic off the list! And this definitely went by quicker than the last two. I just finished A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Quite fitting that I was reading it while I moved to London.

My plan is to read 10 classics before my 30^th, which would roughly average about 1/month. Well it’s May—almost June—and I’m a bit behind. After I read Anna Karenina, I started A Tale of Two Cities immediately. The plan is to read a classic, and then some easy book (beach read, crime, ect). But I powered through and immediately went to my 3^rd classic since I’m bit behind.

The book was pretty good. I had been meaning to read it for quite some time now. Somehow I never read it in high school or college. I couldn’t put it down towards the end, and it definitely made me want to read more about the French Revolution. I like historical novels that want me to refresh my history knowledge that’s been fading for the last decade.

I’m not sure what my next classic will be (maybe another “short” one). But I will be re-reading all the Harry Potter books before the big day in July!