Because I want to.

This is the first time in a few weeks that I've actually felt calm and un-stressed out enough to get on here and write something, so here I am!  News flash: I am indeed still alive and still running and still loving it.

I have been running A LOT lately.... closer to five times a week rather than the three I normally do.  I've just felt so stressed out and overwhelmed by schoolwork, and running is the only thing that seems to take the edge off.  I feel absolutely nothing when I run... so stress, so anxiety, no pain, nothing.  I just feel so calm and peaceful and unbothered and untouchable.

Also, for the first time ever, I'm not actually training for anything.  I'm just running to run.  No specific speeds or mileages or times.... just running because I want to and not because I "have to."  Quite a few people have been asking me questions about it lately, most of them because they want to start running as well, which I must admit is totally thrilling to me because I have NEVER before been considered the go-to girl in any type of physical activity.  They mostly want to know about how much I run, how far I run, how I got started, and how I stay motivated (someone said to me, "Running sounds so nice, but every time I try, I remember how much I hate it.").  The motivation question has been a really interesting one for me lately, because two weeks ago, I would have said "Sign up for a race!  Even if it's only 5K, it'll give you a goal and something to work towards."  Races have always been my motivation, but lately I've realized that the races are not what keeps me going.  I run because I love it.  My desire to run has become totally insatiable.... I ran five and a half miles this morning, and it wasn't enough.  If the treadmill didn't shut off at an hour, I would have just kept going and going and going.  So now when people ask me the motivation question, I end up showing them the little tiny white words that are printed next to the zipper on my Lululemon windbreaker: "Run with your heart, not with your legs."

In the midst of talking about how races are no longer my prime motivation to run, I realized I never posted my pictures from the She Runs LA 10K two weekends ago... I had a blast!  I ran pretty poorly (over three minutes slower than the 10K I ran in Hollywood), but you can't PR every time, right?  Plus, racing two weekends in a row isn't particularly conducive to great finishing times, but whatever!  I ran it, I had fun, I finished, and I did it all while rocking some sweet '80s neon!

Hanging out pre-race on the Paramount Studios backlot... a whole lotta color going on back there!

Waiting for the race to start through the Paramount Studio arches onto the iconic and ever-so-much-fun Melrose Avenue.

A post-race shot with the Hollywood sign... I always forget how small it really is.

Had to get one of the outfit in all its plastic-jewleryed, side-ponytailed, blue-eyeshadowed glory....

My race bib and my finisher's bracelet (Nike races don't really do medals so much as custom-designed jewelry).

These are obviously just a few of the pictures I took, but the rest of them are more pictures of the backlot and such rather than pictures of me.... not nearly as interesting.

On a less cheery note, I skipped the race I had scheduled for this past weekend, The Color Run in Irvine.  I just ended up having too much work and too little time, and driving an hour each way all alone just didn't seem worth it.  Instead, I just went for a nice, long run here and then met up with some friends for brunch.... must less stressful, more social, and it ended up taking less time than the race would have.

I have a few races on my radar right now (a potential half-marathon relay in June, if I can convince my friend to do it with me), but for now, I'm just running to run.