Muscle conditioning

Contrary to a culture that seems to favor extroverts, I feel that my introversion is honestly my biggest strength. My appreciation for it may have started within this past year, but it's really come into fruition now as a 24 year old.

Reading is definitely a hobby I inherited from my pops. My childhood is filled with memories of my dad coming home from work, sitting at the house's threshold to take off his boots, with a new library book at his side. As well as memories of my dad reading a book right before going to sleep, as my mom would watch tv (this vignette, admittedly an image of my ideal relationship: two people doing their own things, together).

I've kept a journal ever since high school, and up until now, nothing pacifies me quite like sitting down and pouring out the mental clutter onto paper. And I'd like to think that I can attribute my better-than-average emotional intelligence to this. The practice of being fearless in confronting the things that worry me and rationalizing through the mental congestion is really therapeutic and cleansing and wholly facilitated by me.

And then there's running. For a while, I'd tell people that the only reason I chose to run was simply because... I wanted to like running. Which is not really a legitimate answer because it begs the deeper question of why I felt the need to run at all. I'm finally beginning to see its huge character-building benefits and I don't think I could ever revert back to hating the sport.
Long distance running, at its core, is simply an individual forgoing themselves. Enduring instant discomfort and immediate pain, for ultimately the greater hope and greater reward that lays just ahead.
Seriously, how beautiful is that? Running shows me, continually, the resilience of the human spirit. And now it's nearly impossible for me to not transfer that kind mentality from the running path and into my actual life.

Quiet fortitude is still fortitude. Meek strength is only a power restrained, ready to burst when the time is fit. And introverted traits like patience, resilience, empathy, endurance, and the tapping into the reserves of one's individual strength are hugely character molding. And, ironically enough, I gain such a strong sense of self-actualization and confidence that I tend to grab the attention of others without being overt.

So I want to commit myself to really fueling and fostering my introversion. I like who I am and what I become when I invest myself into these types of practices.

- Read at least 1 book a month, but preferably 2 books
- Watching 1 documentary a week
- Solitary hiking once a week
- Running 10 miles a week
- At least 3 half marathons by the end of the year

• Mermaid Half Marathon (2/7/15)
• La Jolla Half Marathon (4/26/15) 
• America's Finest City Half Marathon (8/16/15) yet to be registered for