Transcontinental Run

This is what I saw when I finished my run this morning about 5 miles away from Glendale, Virginia (in Henrico County)...

You are probably thinking, "WHAT?!?.  Isn't she supposed to be in Bangkok?".  

Every New Year, I make an exercise (well, really just a running) goal. Last year it was to run 1,250 miles (I ran just over 1,500). This year was to run 1,200 miles (I should end up right at 1,250) and to strength train (seriously this time - which I have done). For 2012, I am having a very hard time trying to come up with a goal that will not only challenge me (and is doable with sufficient effort) but will keep me interested & enthusiastic for the year. Quite honestly, just meeting mileage quotas every month is not all that exciting. Also, I have been told that it is horribly hot and humid here in March and April so I don't know if I will even be able to continue to run my current mileage once it gets into those months.   

So, for a PORTION of my 2012 fitness goal (more to come on the rest later), I am going to participate in a Transcontinental Run across the United States. I found an organization that designed a transcontinental virtual trip across the United States. Each time I run and enter my mileage online, it is added to my total and I can see (literally) exactly what I would see if I had been traveling from Yorktown, Virginia to Florence, Oregon. There are also maps that track my progress across the U.S.  It is a very cool program and (hopefully) will keep me motivated to get out and run. It is also really neat to see photos of the actual place where I am at each point in the run. My plan is to sit down at the beginning of each month and pick an end point for that month and then run enough to meet that goal. Hopefully, that will give me some flexibility with running (or not) during the hotter months here and when we are traveling. This will be the first time in a LONG time that I have not had a specific quota to run each month and it will be interesting to see how I cope. I sort of cheated and began the run on December 1st so I am already 50+ miles into my journey.  

I found an editorial in the Bangkok Post archives debating whether or not "Farangs" (Westerners) could ever really understand "Thainess". In the comments section, someone posted a list of "Ways of Knowing if you have Thai-ness or not.".  A few of them were so true that I had to post... 

You look four ways before crossing a one way street.

You wake up in the morning and realize that you have nowhere to go and all day to get there.

When driving a car you'll start using every free inch of the road.

You flash your 4 indicator lights when driving straight on at an intersection.

Have a great day!