It’s pretty easy to sum up my interests. Traveling, running, practicing Veterinary medicine, tasting beer, and going to Starbucks. A select handful of pursuits, yet they are all incredibly important to me, making me overly passionate, and at times terribly irrational, about them all.
For a while, I’ve been hoping to incorporate running posts into the blog. Itchyfeets isn’t just a term to describe my wanderlust; it’s also a moniker to represent my inability to sit still, and my need for constant movement.
I love running. It’s how I channel my energy and anxiety. I love the sweat and the pain and the challenge and the high. In the end it comes down to that last bit. No other form of exercise gives me the high that running delivers.
One of my major life goals is to run a marathon on every continent. This is a feat I never even thought to be a remote possibility until recently. After my first marathon in 2010, I swore it was “One and Done”. But, four years later, I found myself running a marathon in Dubai, in the heat, jet lagged, on antibiotics, and unable to pass anything solid (disgusting, I know, but welcome to the world of running).
After completing that race I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I could run marathons on more continents. I ran Stockholm in 2015, and Adelaide in 2016, marking my 3rd and 4th continents respectively. This past July, I completed number 5 – Africa.
The funny thing, is that I don’t consider myself a runner.
In my mind, runners are stick thin, ultra competitive men and women who get up at 5am daily to crush out 10 miles before work. I can barely drag myself out of bed 20 minutes before my shifts start, let alone two hours early to exercise in the dark. I’m pretty content if I get two or three short runs in each week. Ideally, I would like to run more often and for longer distances, but, I get injured easily, and I don’t have the discipline to do morning workouts.
So, while I have completed a fair number of races, I don’t think of myself as a runner. Runners are an exclusive club. And, they’ll often let you know that.
I have avoided telling serious runners that I also run, because I have had people scoff at my results in the past. Yes, I know, I should be proud of my accomplishments, but it’s hard not to feel disheartened when someone tells you they ran the same race in half the time.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am not your stereotypical runner. I only run a few times a week, I drink a lot of beer, and I do not own a running GPS. Yet, running is a huge part of my life.
When I really think about it, I realize that I actually might be more representative of average runners than the crazy fast marathoners. And I have a lot of experience running all over the world.
I have seen running blogs that suggest when on vacation, you find a local running club, and run with them. That would scare the hell out of me. Like I said, runners can be intimidating. Plus, I quite enjoy the alone time that I get when running solo. I know there are a lot of other non stereotypical runners out there who love to run for the physical and mental benefits, but may be reluctant to run while traveling.
Therefore, I am planning to incorporate more running information in the blog. It can be hard to run while traveling, especially in foreign countries, where you are unfamiliar with the streets, don’t know what is proper attire (think of a female running in the midday heat in a strict Muslim country), or are unsure if it is safe. Having visited over 60 countries, and run in most of them, I feel I have gained a good amount of information that I can share regarding the best places to jog, what to wear, and the biggest safety risks (like falling coconuts on tropical islands).
My Itchy Feets have taken me across the globe, running from one adventure to the next, and I aim to share that information.