The Final Week

As I get closer and closer to my departure date, I get less and less nervous and more and more excited for my impending departure. I'm finally starting to feel ready for the craziness ahead; it's getting to be so real, finally.

And as the final boxes get checked, I begin building up my base for the marathon in June. I've got jackets, tights, and shoes (plus enough reflective gear to keep my mother's mind at rest and, with any luck, me alive). And so I begin training full of enthusiasm and energy, starting with about 55 miles per week with the hopes of hitting 90 by the end of May. The road ahead is long and filled with new places to explore. But more than that, I'll be meeting new people from all over the world and I'm excited for that opportunity to make new connections.

I finally feel ready so it's time to get on with it! Sweden spring 2013 begins on Saturday with two plane flights, stopping for 3 hours in Amsterdam, then a 3 hour train ride to Örebro. Until next time.

Acceptance!

Hello world! I'm Max and this is my blog!

That picture up top is someone else's, taken of a castle in Örebro. I assume it has a name and that it's a big deal because it's pretty much the only thing that comes up in Google images upon searching "Örebro". For now, I remain an ignorant American. *shrug*

Since my freshman year of college, I've been waiting for the day when I would be going abroad. And now the time is here! I just got my email of acceptance to study at Örebro University for the spring semester of the 2012-13 school year a couple weeks back. I've been working diligently to get all my paperwork together for my visa application, and this is stressing me out a bit while I wait to get my health insurance coverage up to par (who knew the Swedes would require dental insurance?) but I know that eventually all this stress will lead to a semester of fun in Scandinavia. And that makes it all worth it!

Since my acceptance, I've started making some plans....for a marathon! My hope is to see all the places I visit in a pair of running shoes and short shorts (but really tights and a jacket until it warms up!). After the cross country season I've had, I know I have an opportunity to train really hard but really enjoy running in a very new environment. I have my coach to thank for putting the idea in my head (Inception style!), with me totally just taking it and running (haha) with it. I've already started looking at a couple different ones I could do and I have it narrowed down to either Stockholm or Copenhagen, in early June or late May. No matter what I do, I'm extremely excited. I didn't think I would be training for a marathon this early in my life, but there is no better time than now, when I would normally be training for faster track races. I'm looking to do a half before I jump up to a full, possibly in Denmark or Norway.

So while I'm getting excited about running, crazy as that makes me sound, I'm starting to get sort of nervous about the idea of being so far from home for so long. My time abroad is going to be at least January 18th to June 11th so this is going to be a big concern for me. I'll be leaving behind my friends from home [The Gang :)], those from school [The Troublesome Triangle and the rest of the team, AXEhouse, 305, Tee and Bree, and the rest] and of course my Mom back in Portland and my sisters in South Portland and the Bronx.

One of the things I hope to focus on in this blog is the different places that I run and getting some pictures on this blog of all the different places I get to see on these adventures. My biggest plan is to literally try to get myself lost in the woods, if at all possible. I have a GPS watch and will run with nutrients and water in case I'm gone for hours (no need to worry, Mom). But I really do hope to find some really great spots by accident. There's nothing better than a little spontaneous discovery in a foreign country right? Worst case scenario, I end up in a cult. But I've heard nice things about cults, so maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Of course, I'm just joking. But I really hope this blog keeps people entertained and coming back for more pictures and recounting of good times. I also hope that some of you readers are active in asking me to post about things I see or do. I know I can't stay self-inspired to write for a full 5 months and maybe more, or these are going to become real bread-and-butter crap. I would hate to put y'all through that. So PLEASE send me your questions and ideas!

-Max