Keeping a New Year's resolution??

Over New Year's in Japan, I may have made the declaration to some of my friends that my New Year's resolution for 2010 is to run a 5K. At the time I was (and still am!) inspired by my friend who was training for the Tokyo Marathon. And she accomplished her goal this spring...go Nancy!! So, I am trying to hold true to that resolution...however, I doubt that they have organized 5Ks here in Montenegro but I figure that will not stop me from still trying to get into better shape. My motto used to be, "I only run if something is chasing me...like a bear." Being from Wisco that is not too big of a stretch! Plus, this motto may have come in handy later on as you will see so I will not abandon it completely.

In my internet perusing I came across this...

I think that this has my name written all over it! And if I blog about it here, I am hoping that it will keep me inspired/disciplined. We'll see how this theory goes...

At least I have my cool gear to keep me pumped!

I usually pride myself in my mad map-reading skills and sense of direction. The area around our apartment has thrown me a little though.

I plan my route and am jogging on a very nice sidewalk or crossing a bridge spanning the beautiful Moraca River when all of a sudden my lovely trail disappears and I am heading into crazy Montenegrin traffic. Or I look at the map and see a road, but once I get there in person, it does not exist. Hmm.

And then on another outing I ran into one of these amongst the modern apartment construction going on nearby...

Ok, so it wasn't this exact creature as I did not have my camera with me, but I sure felt that this is the way it reacted when it saw me and started heading in my direction! Thankfully, I realized that it was chained in place so I could just mosey on along. I have learned from some of our international friends who have lived here longer than us that these are the moments where you can just laugh and sigh, "Ah, Montenegro....!!"