I wanted to do 13 today but got a late start. Still, I got out and did 8.36 miles, and so glad I did. You never, ever regret a run. Ever. Truer words have never been spoken.
I have been in a bit of a runner's purgatory lately, sort of a hazy middle ground, stuck in between plodding along at 9 minute miles and busting through my plateau and getting faster. Today's 8:38 overall pace is an improvement over my more recent runs, and I'll take it. As the saying goes, you get out of running what you put into it. Just like life.
I did, however, have a minor epiphany during the run - my 'Make it Happen' list. I refuse to call it a 'bucket list' because of the negative connotations associated with that term. No, it's my "Make it Happen' list.
Life is not a spectator sport. It is not a museum, where you quietly peer through the glass at someone else's work. Life is meant to be lived. Experienced. Felt. Savored. Imbibed. Sure, life can be tough. It can knock you flat on your back. And trust me, I've taken my share of punches. But you can either lie there and make a million excuses why you can't get back up. Or you can choose to get back up.
I have chosen to get back up. Sometimes you need to hit back. But for all of its difficulties, it is a beautiful, wondrous opportunity, and just as I have made the commitment to myself to live a heathier, stronger, more purposeful life, I also want to experience as much of it as possible. On my terms.
Here is a list, in no particular order, of things I want to do in my lifetime. Part achievement-oriented, part goal, part dream, but all can be accomplished. I can make them happen. Some of them won't be easy, and will be very well-earned upon completion. Others are pure indulgences. But all of them are the things that I think about, that bring me happiness. Though other people may share in some of them, these are my hopes, my desires, what I would like to achieve en route to experiencing a fulfilling, well-lived life.
1) Run 12 marathons in 12 months
2) Attain my black belt in Taekwondo
3) Incorporate running with international travel. Run the Rome Marathon, London Marathon, Paris Marathon, Dublin Marathon, Hong Kong Marathon, Dubai Marathon, Tokyo Marathon, Marathon des Sables (Morocco), Egypt Marathon - with my family greeting me at the finish line - or even better, someday running alongside them
4) Fly fish Patagonia for monster sea run brown trout with my Dad
5) FINISH my novel
6) PUBLISH my novel
7) SIGN my novel for someone at a bookstore
8) Have a suit custom made in Italy
9) Have a Bellini at Harry's Bar in Venice - since I'm already there may as well stay for lunch
10) Visit the Ferrari factory in Maranello
11) Drive a Ferrari
12) After the kids are out of college, own a European sportscar that ends in a vowel
13) Take a bicycle tour of Bordeaux and the Cote d'Or
14) Attend the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha - as a Class 'A' shareholder
15) Go skiing in the Alps
16) Finish a 70.3 Ironman
17) Finish the Kona Ironman
18) Play a round of golf at St. Andrews - or at the very least, have a scotch on the terrace overlooking the links. That goes for Pebble Beach, too.
19) Go to an opera at La Scala in Milan
20) Go to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza
21) Achieve fluency in Italian
22) Finish a 100-mile ultramarathon in 24hrs
23) See the Aurora Borealis
24) Make a large, anonymous donation to a great cause
Like I said... it's my list.