Run Like the Wind

Hey everyone! So I’m going to make good on a long-standing promise to myself to train for and complete a half marathon this year. I’ve always been a runner, but haven’t finished anything for than a 10K and I really don’t race that much. I’m reasonably fast but I just have never made the time to log all the miles necessary to finish something as long as a half marathon. 13.1 miles! Hopefully without stopping.

Here’s my half marathon training checklist:

I’m going to start out slow and follow a 12-week training program. I haven’t decided which race to run, but since I’m aiming for May or June, there should be plenty to choose from.

 

Sochi Olympics

Having lots of fun watching the early days of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Checked out some great performances on the women’s slopestyle. Jamie Anderson had an incredible second run to capture her first Olympic gold. It was incredible! Everyone expected her to win, and she really stepped up when she needed to with an intense performance.

Jamie Anderson

Enni Rukajarvi of Finland finished second, and Britain’s Jenny Jones took the bronze medal for third place.

Getting Inspired

I love inspirational quotes and stories. Sometimes we all need a little pick-up on a rough day and a great quote can really get you in the right frame of mind. One of my favorite sources of quotes is Sir Winston Churchill, who was a master at crafting speeches to rally the citizens of Great Britain during World War II. One of his best quotes is below. It’s something I found on Inspiratopia.

Success is not final

Success is not final

This quote reminds us all that no matter how successful we are, we’re never done. And failure is not just an option, but it’s a great learning experience. Finally, the process of staying the course is where courage truly comes from. Very inspirational, Sir Winston!

Finding the Day of the Week

OK, this is entirely random but I thought it was amazingly cool, so I thought I’d re-post something I found on the Web.

Here’s the story. As you might know, Earth Day is coming up soon. This Sunday as a matter-of-fact. It happens every year on April 22 and this year that falls on a Sunday, which is kind of convenient since Sunday happens to be an excellent day to celebrate something like Earth Day. It’s on the weekend, people have lots of time, you get the idea.

The first Earth Day was in 1970 and that got me to wondering whether that happened on a Sunday as well. So I went to Google to look it up and stumbled across this really cool page that has a method for easily determining the day of the week for any date in history: Finding the Day of the Week.

It involves a bit of math but not enough to scare you off. Once you get the algorithm down, you’ll be able to calculate any day of the week in your head…or at least quickly with a pencil and paper. And Earth Day, 1970? Turns out it was on a Wednesday. I did some more research and it turns out they planned it to be mid-week to get people to leave their offices and participate. Guess I was wrong about it being well-suited for a weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, besides my plans to celebrate Earth Day, I’ll also be playing a lot of Pottermore, which finally opened up to the public. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so, you’re probably familiar with Harry Potter and Pottermore is author J.K. Rowling’s answer to her fans who want more Harry. It’s sort of an online game where you get to follow along with the story and interact with the world of wizards. It’s pretty straightforward, although I had to rely on some cheats to figure out some of the tougher parts. There’s a ton of extra material that gives Potter geeks plenty to read and think about.

Oh, and after the Sorting Hat ceremony was complete, I was put into Ravenclaw. I knew it!

New Apartment

I spent most of the past weekend hunting around for a new apartment in the city. I’ve been living with two roommates for the past few years and even though I love them to pieces, I think it’s time to have my own place for a while. I don’t have many possessions, just some clothes, a few bookshelves, and a simple inexpensive mattress and bed. So I don’t need a very big space. I’m mostly looking for studio apartments or maybe a very inexpensive one bedroom place if I can find it.

This weekend’s search didn’t turn up much. A lot of the places were a little run-down and old and if I’m going to spring for my own place I want it to be a place I feel comfortable in. Would also like some space for my kid brother to hang out and play Poptropica. It doesn’t need to be incredibly fancy, but at least clean and up-to-date. I’ll keep looking around.

Not My Apartment

This is so not my apartment, but I wish it was.

Hello

Hi there. I’m Caitlin, a twenty-something living in the city with roommates and friends. I have a crummy job, but at least I like the people I work with. They’re pretty cool. This is my blog.

Winter Wonderland