Disney Princess Training: Week 1

SO. this post is a couple days late but oh well. I decided last weekend that I am going to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon next February! Most people following this blog probably remembers all of my posts about training for this race in 2011 but I ended up with health issues for about 3 months before the race and I finished in a little less than 3.5 hours.  Since then, I've run 2 more half marathons and countless smaller races.  I guess a lot has happened in the past year and half and there is so much uncertainty (seriously, I have no idea where I will be this time next year let alone 6 mos from now) so I figure that having this race on my calendar and having that goal for February 23, 2013 I can at least focus my life on something other than stressing about the terrible legal market in NC..!

This time around, I am going to do this race the healthy way!!! I registered this past week and started my 19-wk training plan last week.  I technically started the training plan a week late but based on my runs last week it all worked out!  I am using Jeff Galloway's 2013 Training Plan for Experienced Runners to simply finish. I am hoping to work on my speed for this race.  I've PR'ed every half marathon before this one by at least cutting 5-15 mins from my previous time so I am hoping that this race I can finally get as close to 2.5hrs as possible! I actually PRed my 5K time this past weekend which was great because I stopped running probs mid june-mid september so it's super motivating to run at this pace again.  I am by no means 'fast' but I am just proud of myself for getting active and healthy again! I'm probs around an 11:30-12 min mile so that's not too bad.  If I can keep up this pace for 13.1 miles, then I will finish in a little less than 2.5 hrs.  Right now, Ive been doing Jeff Galloway's interval timing so I do 3 mins running and 1 min walking.  Im hoping to keep this up as I increase my mileage.  My running pace is about 10-10:30 min mile and my walking is pretty slow so my pace averages out to about 12ish min mile.  I guess the one thing that keeps me occupied during my runs is all that math hahaha, counting every 3 mins, then 1 min and then adding the number of 4min segments hahaha.

ANYWAYS. I will be posting at least once a week for the next 18 wks now with updates about my training so it not only gives me some accountability to myself but also keep all my wonderful friends/readers updated!!

So, my first run last week was just a test of how much i could run non-stop on the treadmill w/o stopping at all. I did about 3.3 miles in 30 mins so that was pretty exciting.  My second run last week was in my parents' neighborhood with about a 11:45 min pace/5K distance in 36 mins.  My long run on the weekend was the Danville 5K.  My time was about 36:17 (I used my nike+ chip for timing and distance) but the "official" time was only based on when i crossed the finish not when i crossed the starting line so my official time is about 30-60 seconds more than my actual time.  I'm pretty proud of myself with my pacing but I know I have a long way to go from 3.1 miles to 13.1!!! I know I can do it and I will but I just want to do better than my last race! It's going to be a great 3.5 months training for this race! I am going to start running at Country Park in greensboro! It's a nice 2ish mile circle around 2 large fishing ponds so not only will it be nice to run outside but also gives me more practice outside and off the treadmill! I'm excited for this challenge!

It's official!

Single-ness

Soooo life now. I've gone through 4yrs undergrad, got 2 bachelors. I went to law school and got my JD. Took the bar and finally passed.  I received my license to practice law, was sworn in as an Attorney in North Carolina all within the past few weeks..Andddd the main question asked by the majority of my family is "So when are you getting married???" My only thought= REALLY????  It's not just even family- friends, former coworkers/bosses, etc all are like 'soo when are you going to settle down and meet someone serious?" (not that Im all getting around but the fact I've been single for so long).

I feel like with my cultural background (one of 3 members of my family/extended fam that was born and raised in the US, everyone else came from India abt 20yrs ago), it's a touchy subject.  Typically, with old school Indian people (at least with my parents/extended family), a person really hasn't succeeded in life until they are married with a family.  I can't even make this up-- a few years ago, a couple of my cousins got married (not to each other but to 2 other people) and my mom was crying at their pre-wedding events here in the US before we all went to india for the actual weddings and I asked her why she was so upset b/c its a happy time/wedding/etc and she was like 'im just really sad (see: jealous) that none of my kids are married." SERIOUSLY.  And that was about 3 years ago...I just dont understand, how many mothers can say that all THREE of her children have multiple degrees/doctorates and careers/paths other than some medial job that any high school graduate can do??? It's like in Indian families, nothing you can do is enough or 'successful' in the older/traditional people's eyes unless you are married.  I am 26 and have 3 degrees (one of which is a doctorate degree) and it's still not enough for my family because I am single..It's even gotten to the point where the day after I became licensed to practice law, my mom pushed me to make my biodata (to put it bluntly, a marriage resume) and she started to send it to extended family in case they knew of any eligible men in my age range.  To appease my mom, I made the dreaded shaadi.com account and for good measure, I reactivated my match.com account I made a few years back (ughh more on that later).  It's so crazy because it was never talked about (dating/etc) but now my mom is all like 'so have you met anyone yet?" I cannot even describe some of the crazies that have emailed me from both that I'm on the verge of losing my parents' money (you better believe I made them pay for those accounts) and deactivating it all!

I used to be ashamed of the fact that I've been single for so long and always show up to events without utilizing my "plus 1" or whatever.  Now, I love it! Not that there is anything wrong with being married/having a family because so many of my friends and sorority sisters are married/have families because I love celebrating all of life's important events with them (umm hellooo, who doesnt love a wedding where you can get away w having a good cry in public or buying baby shower gifts or gawking over someone's dress or even their wedding website!!!)! I love doing all of those things and I love all of my friends so much I wouldn't think of not celebrating such events with them! I find myself so lucky that I have people in my life that WANT me around for the big days in their life! I know I will have them by my side too for the important milestones in my life (for example, my best friend her husband and her not even yr old baby girl drove the 6+hrs for my law school graduation!!!)!

I guess, I've come to the point where I am truly happy with the place I'm in right now with life.  Even though I don't quite have a job yet or know what Im doing with the rest of my life, I at least know that there is some direction and that is forward.  The past year and half even that was uncertain and so my confidence level plummeted and I hardly recognized myself from 2010 manisha to present day manisha. I guess I just need to keep reminding myself that it's not the end of the world (no matter how much my mom/family presses the issue) that I am single/unmarried no matter what other people say.  I honestly love it.  I am far too selfish at this point in my life to even think of someone else first for even 50% of time haha. Seriously.  I have no business being in a relationship right now and I wish my family would realize that (um fat chance with my big/loud/sometimes obnoxious extended indian family).  I have enough to worry about with  my baby Rusty (new pictures belowww).

ANYways, my point is, there is a lot of pressure to get married and settle down now that I am pretty much done with all educational avenues and am licensed, etc.  I am in a good place and working on liking myself again (if youve read this blog since July 2011, you probs know I haven't been very nice to  myself at all) and working on being a confidant professional woman.  If I happen to meet someone, then great but if not, I am totally ok with that!!! Not gunna lie though, I did find this tumblr a few wks ago (http://beautifulindianbrides.tumblr.com) and I became pretty much obsessed with those wedding videos.  After spending like 4 hrs watching them one day few wks ago, I decided that IF (and that is a BIG IF) I ever get married, I am totally eloping.  I will call my mom from the airport on my way to wherever I am going (hopefully hawaii hahahahah) and then having a big party after the fact with all of my family and friends. end of story. hahaha (that's a lot of planning for someone not looking to get married in the foreseeable future, I know).


OK SO MORAL OF THE STORY: BEING SINGLE IS AWESOME NOT SUCKY AND BEING MARRIED IS GREAT TOO IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT!!!


ALSO, THIS TUMBLR IS THE STORY OF MY LIFE AND I LOVE IT: http://myfriendsaremarried.tumblr.com

So Friends, what is/are your thoughts on the single life and if you are one of my many amazing married friends, thoughts on the transition from single life to married life/familial pressures?!?!!

xoxoManisha

YAY!

Okkkk some fun pictures of life, post-passing the bar exam!

Rusty and I before I left for the VT/gt game on labor day!

WE WON IN OVERTIME! GO HOKIES!!!

My mom and I went to Hawaii because I passed the bar exam!!!!

beautiful night in paradise!

We hiked Diamond Head Crater again!

And we went to Hanauma Bay!!!!! 

AND I WENT SNORKELING FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!

Best mom EVER.  She singlehandedly got me through the last year and half and never let me quit no matter what terrible things I said/thought about myself!!! I would be no where without her!!!!

On our last morning!

at the VT/bowling green game! GO HOKIES!!!! HI KORIN!!!!! 

Rusty was NOT happy but he graduated from Intermediate II classes!!!!!!!! 

My former boss introducing me to the court at my swearing in ceremony! 

taking the oath of attorney at law in North Carolina! 

Officially sworn in!!! Officially can practice law in North Carolina!!!!!

OK. that's all. I'm currently in my hotel room in Raleigh for a 2day CLE (continuing legal education) program for the next two days so I guess I should get some sleep!