Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Day 4–30 Day Challenge May 12, 2011

Filed under: 30 Day Challenge — Kelocity @ 9:39 pm
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Day 4 = My Views on Religion

I try to keep things light around here, and religion is a personal topic.  But looking down that list above at the future topics to come, maybe this won’t be the most personal. Or maybe it is.

I don’t want to talk about religion because I don’t think that’s what my blog is here for. So instead of talking about RELIGION, I’ll discuss my FAITH.

I have to admit, I’m not 100% sure exactly what or if I believe in anything really. I never really thought to define my beliefs, but if I had to choose, the closest thing would probably be agnostic? I may not have a religion, but I do have faith. Lots of it. And in my opinion, that’s all that matters. You can have faith in god, a higher being, karma or yourself. Just have faith in something. You need something to motivate you through life, instill compassion and provide moral and ethical boundaries. Our world needs faith, otherwise we’d all be pessimistic narcissists. Wow, where did THAT come from?

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I really do believe in Karma. That whole “Treat people as you want to be treated” isn’t called the Golden Rule for nothing. If you do good things, good things will happen to you.  Life usually deals some good even with the bad, and it’s up to us to seek out those gifts.

When I was 16, I got cancer. For a brief moment, I did question why God would do that to me. But then I realized, it wasn’t about what God maybe did or didn’t do. I had a teacher tell me that ‘everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t know what that reason is yet’. I will never know why I got cancer, but I’m thankful for having had it. It taught me to dream big and to have the courage to follow those dreams. I had faith that things would work out the way they were meant to.

I do think I sometimes confuse faith with optimism. But really, aren’t they two of the same? Maybe that’s it. There you go. I believe in optimism. The world could probably stand to have a little more of that, don’t you think? More compassion, more patience, more positive energy?

And at the end of the day, at the core of it, isn’t optimism the foundation of any religion anyways?

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Previous 30-day Challenge Entries:
Day 1 – My Relationship
Day 2 – My 10-Year Plan
Day 3 – Views on Alcohol

 

Day 3–30 Day Challenge

Filed under: 30 Day Challenge — Kelocity @ 7:00 am
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May I present Day 3 of the 30 day blogging challenge!

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This is kind of a strange topic for a blog post, but here it is! My views on drugs and alcohol.

Drugs are bad, kids. Just don’t do it.
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And while we’re at it, let me just say publicly that I can not STAND cigarettes. The smell is repulsive. Gross. There is nothing worse than going out for a run and coming across a thick cloud of cancer-stick smoke.

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Regarding alcohol, though I’m not a very big drinker, once in a while, I do enjoy a good beer, sweet cocktail or a glass or two of wine.
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Blue Lagoon Cocktails in Iceland on our Honeymoon!

I definitely don’t need alcohol to have a good time (I never have). I have a pretty low tolerance, so I prefer to stay cohesive and not risk getting sick the next day. (Oh man, those days are DEFINITELY over). We are notorious for opening a bottle of wine and leaving it half empty in the fridge for weeks. But it is fun to have a great beer on tap, or a crisp glass of Riesling, so when the situation is right, I’ll indulge. (And have no qualms about doing so).

I really don’t have a moral stance on alcohol one way or another. I just know what my own limits are and choose to stay within them.

Plus, let’s face it, root beer beats regular beer in a taste test any day!

Would you rather have a beer or a rootbeer on tap?
I’d choose Root Beer for sure. Especially over icecream. Mmmm!

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Previous 30-day Challenge Entries:
Day 1 – My Relationship
Day 2 – My 10-Year Plan

 

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo… May 11, 2011

Filed under: Travel — Kelocity @ 3:18 pm

So many cities, where should we go?

This fall, we’re heading back to Europe for a two week trip around Eastern Europe. We couldn’t be more excited. My heart flutters when I think of cobblestone streets, fresh baked croissants, old castles and gelato (Poland has Gelato, right?)

I haven’t been to Poland or Berlin yet (the main reason for this trip), but I’m excited to trek back through Prague, Vienna and Budapest for a second time. I went in 2003 with about $20 in my pocket, so I’m excited to revisit them and explore the sights again with Irving.
He woke me up at 6am yesterday to tell me that the flights have dropped. Still sleepy-eyed, I dragged myself to my computer to scour all the major airline search engines for some deals. We ended up on Delta ($1100 per person — not sure if this is a good deal or not, but it was the cheapest we’ve seen in months).

It made the most sense to go LAX to Berlin roundtrip. But here’s the kicker… the tour ends in Berlin and we don’t fly out for three more days after that. I basically view Europe as my playground, so my mind starts racing…. Three wide open days in Europe! We could go to Amsterdam, Denmark, Munich, Paris, The Alps…!!

Europe really isn’t that big, you can get halfway across it on just about one tank of gas. If we rented a car, we could go ANYWHERE! This is a lot of pressure.

Any suggestions for amazing European hot spots?

If we did jump in a car and cruise across Germany, there’s only one thing I’m afraid of…

Driving anxiety aside, this is a big decision! We’re definitely leaning towards Salzburg and Munich. I’ve been to both before, but I think Irving would LOVE the Sound of Music tour. Plus driving through the Alps alone in a small european car sounds so romantic.

 

I Hoard Dri-Fit Shirts… May 10, 2011

Filed under: Random,Workout — Kelocity @ 7:54 pm
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Today was free coffee day at Coffee Bean. And I was very excited about an afternoon pick-me-up.
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I tried the Mocha Mint Chip. It tasted ok, but for all the sugar in it, it wasn’t very sweet. And it had an artificial flavor to it. I drank it in 10 minutes flat, but it left a lot to be desired. Needless to say, after drinking it, I felt sluggish and unmotivated.

Good thing I have healthy friends who inspire me.

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I grabbed my weights and tried to find a workout on demand…. but Time Warner pretty much stinks.
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So I made up my own weight routine while I caught up on some Secret Life.
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I haven’t lifted in a really long time, so I was fatigued earlier than normal. But I’ll just have to build it all back up again and hope for the best.

-Bicep Curls 20 reps x 2
-Tricep Dips 20 reps x2
-Lateral Raises 20 reps x2
-Crunches x 50
-Pushups (on knees) 10×2
-Tricep Pull Backs 20 reps x2
-Squats x10
-Lunges x10 (each leg)

(all of these were done with 5lb weights).

We’re heading out for a walk now too. I love fresh summer air.

In other news, I have 31 dri-fit tshirts in my closet. 31!!! That’s crazy.
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I feel guilty getting rid of race shirts (some of them are really nice!)
What’s your favorite race shirt?
I LOVE the ragnar one! And the one from my first Marathon. =)

 

30 Day Challenge–My 10 Year Plan

Filed under: 30 Day Challenge — Kelocity @ 3:00 pm
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This is Day 2 of my 30 day blogging challenge.

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Today’s topic is where I’d like to be in 10 years. In ten years, I’ll be 38. I’m not very happy about being 28, so the thought of being 38 is a little daunting to me. When I was little, I always wanted to be 26 years old. And now that I’m almost two years beyond that makes me sad. I am really loving my 20s though. Irving and I are having a blast doing what we love and I’m hoping it just gets better and better.
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Photo taken in Iceland on our Honeymoon!

In ten years, I hope to:

  • Be living in a house in Los Angeles (with a backyard, three bedrooms and a garage)
  • Be a mother of hopefully two (obviously beautiful) kids =)
  • Be celebrating my 12 year anniversary with my husband, Irving (we would have been together 20 years by then!)
  • Be heading off on my next international adventure. China? Australia? Denmark? Back to Italy?
  • Be signed up and training for my next race.
  • Be enjoying my hobbies and discovering new ones. (Scrapbooking? Sewing? Running? Photography?)
  • Have an established blog with focused and consistent content that people like to read
  • Be surrounded by good friends (both new and old)

 

Where do YOU want to be in 10 years?

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Previous 30-day Challenge Entries:
Day 1 – My Relationship