I've been running at the gym for some time now, off and on. And truthfully, over the past year, it's been more off than on. That said, I've actually been pretty good at going for the last month or so - probably at least two to three times a week - with an occasional four times a week thrown in there. I've been doing it to get back in shape - and also with a more grandiose goal of one day participating in a marathon - not for any other reason but to say that I actually did.

I don't know if I'll ever get myself really ready for that marathon experience, but for the first time since adulthood, I took a real jog outside. I've been hanging out with my parents at their Port Jefferson home this week, and yesterday just happened to be a beautiful mid-November day in NY. After putting on a sweatshirt, Thien and I followed my dad outside. He proceeded to lead us on an almost 3 mile jog, which we completed in under 30 minutes.

I felt the cool wind on my cheeks as a I moved one foot after the other, stepping on rustling leaves that were strewn all over the windy road. We ran up hills, down hills, through a golf course and past some incredible houses. In the end, I enjoyed this run and I'm hoping that Thien will be able to motivate me for some more of these back in Santa Monica.