Milestones

This weekend I accomplished two milestones in my running life.  I ran a 5k at an 11'11 pace and then the next day, ran a mile at a pace of 10'32 (not to mention in general it was the fastest 2 mile I think I've run).  I never would have thought in a million years that I would move so fast or that I would become a runner for that matter.  And while I understand it really isn't that fast, for someone who has been averageing a 12'30 - 13 minute mile, it is a triumph.  I've learned in this (short lifetime) that you have to celebrate your successes along with failures.  I feel that as adults we often focus on the bad things that happen to us and undermine the good that comes with.  The fact that everything is a learning experience, or as many do discover, the milestones that put us to the challenge.  A milestone is something that is daunting, difficult to acheive.  Milestones forces one to push themselves to the limit, to keep moving forward even with the going gets tough as they say, and most importantly a milestone has the most rewarding end results.  Milestones don't just come in running; they come in all forms and walks of life. 

I feel that my 2010 year has been full of realizations and transitions into real adulthood, not just the post-grad adulthood that often lingers until your mid-20s.  I've always had a very real sense of who I am and the person that I want to be - while everyday is progress in achieving that, I do often find myself re-evaluating who that person is.  Coming back to graduate school - at times feeling inadequate at what it is that I am doing has a way of making a person more humble, something I am typically not.  Wondering if moving from DC to Boston was a good choice or not, trying to find my temporary place here, not having certain people in my life on a day-to-day basis has been a hard pill to swallow these last few months.  I find myself missing my wine country weekends to just missing the lifestyle I had there, the amazing people that I know!  Having my parents come visit me and realizing how precious time is with them.  Being apart from family, especially Lorelai and Antoni as they are getting older, its made me homesick.  Stress factors in from work, friendships, money, you name it.   

It's crazy all these things that float through my mind at one time or another, and suprisingly, running continues to remain a constant in my life.  No matter how many times I might stray from the path and take a week or two off, it is the one thing I know I can count on to always come back to.  I don't have to be perfect at it - I don't have to like it 100% of the time - I don't even have to run at 100% - but it's there, its forgiving, and its something I have truly grown to love.  This in itself, is probably the biggest milestone that I have acheived.