It's TAPER TIME

SOOOOOO, Saturday morning I ran the second 20 mile run of my training and it was great! Here's a clip from it:

Unfortunately, as you can see, the wind was blowing from the southwest. And...the last 6 miles of my run were also, southwest.

YES, HEAD WIND.

I had noticed before I left that it was going to be very windy, but I had already planned out where I was going to run and decided to just face the WIND. I knew that the course on marathon day won't be changing so this could be good preparation! (Though I really hope it won't be quite so windy!) The wind was at a pretty steady 12-15mph by the end of my run, which made it pretty rough! Actually, while I was on the bridge the wind was so strong I could feel it blowing me to the side and it was difficult to run in a straight line. Psh, well straight lines are overrated! It was fun!..... (in that little bit masochist sense that pain is gratifying!)
(and I forgot to mention that the miles with the tailwind were great! :)
3 weeks from TODAY- ING MARATHON SUNDAY! I'm so excited! I hope that my body won't feel too sluggy as I start tapering down to race day.

Please continue to submit your daily votes for me in the ING Featured Runner contest!
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Thanks!
Love,
Violamad

Why we train

On Saturday morning I ran twelve miles. Since I had run 20 miles on the previous Saturday morning, in my head, this 12 miles seemed like nothing. I didn't wake up early, I hadn't hydrated well the day before and I ate part of a bagel just 15 minutes before I left to go run. And then I ran, pretty fast. Too fast. I ran the first 6 miles in 43min, and suddenly I realized I was only half-way done.

Needless to say, by the time I got to 8 miles, I was in a lot of pain. I just simply had not properly prepared myself for this run, mentally and nutritionally.

Later that day I was having coffee with a friend and we started talking about my training and he asked about my run. So honestly, I had to say, it was a bad 12 miles. He asked me if I had learned anything. Well, yes, I shouldn't have started out so fast, I need to better monitor my pace, I should have prepared more mentally, slept more during the week...etc. But he didn't leave it at that. He didn't just mean if I had learned about my running training, but if I had learned something about myself. These mistakes that I made with training- were they the same kind of mistakes that I make in the rest of my day to day life?

Woah.

I had really yet to consider this. I've been training for months, for this thing called a marathon. But have I not also been training for life?

Well, now that I think about it, yeah, I often start out too quickly in a lot of things. Sometimes I decide to take on more things that I can handle. Sometimes I start practicing viola, just playing notes, before I'm mentally prepared. My mind isn't ready to really think about the music and what I'm trying to express through it. Sometimes I forget to drink enough water, and forget take care of myself before helping others. 

Every kind of training we do is an opportunity to learn. Every opportunity is a choice. Every choice is your future.

What did you learn today?

Love, Violamad

How did I get here?! ING NYC Marathon 2011

Since I got into running in high school, I've always wanted to run a marathon. It was a goal to accomplish, some time in my life.
I remember distincting during my freshman year of Juilliard, after living in NY for only a few months, I was walking down Columbus Ave near 85th Street, and suddenly I realized it was the day of the marathon. Hundreds of runners were crowding the street, trying to catch cabs, eating at cafes, walking (some barely) around with these finisher blankets, hugging family and friends. It was so incredibly inspiring, I started to cry! There in front of me were people, ordinary people, who had just accomplished something really great.
This is when I first considered running the ING NYC Marathon. But of course, I had never run more than 6 miles! So I decided to run a half marathon first. In the fall of 2010, I signed up for Grete's Great Gallop as part of the Norwegian Festival. I downloaded some training guide off the internet, and I was off! I've never really had a training partner, not even an iPod, and yet I've been fortunate to be crazy enough to train even in the summer heat! I really surprised myself when I crossed the finish line of 13.1 miles in 95min. It's quite a mind game, these long races. Additionally, I was suprised to imagine running another 13.1 miles, were I to be doing a full marathon. It seemed IMPOSSIBLE.
So I went back to my regular, every day running schedule of about 4 miles, 6 days a week. Then, in the spring of 2011, I got an email.
It was from the NYRR saying that I was a time qualifier and was eligible for guaranteed entry to the 2011 ING NYC marathon. :-O And, well, I thought, this must be it. Though I knew it would heavily impact my schedule with school, I figured there may not be any other chance for such a lifetime experience! So I did it. I signed up and was never more proud when I saw that "confirmation" message pop up on my screen. I'm IN!

I began my 18-week training schedule this summer and things have been going pretty smoothly. I'm very thankful, and incredibly excited to be living my dream. And there is absolutely NO other marathon that I would rather be running! (but I'll explain more of that later ;)

I've also been selected as an ING Runners Nation Featured Runner. To help me to win the grand prize, please vote for me (you can once a day, until November 3rd)by this link: https://www.facebook.com/INGRunnersNation?sk=app_262425550462242 (Click on view featured runners and then the "thumbs up" by my profile to vote)
Thank you for your support!
Love,
Violamad

Not about Italy

Ciao! Hallo!

My two week vacation in Europe has finally come to a close. I write this as I am on the plane to New York. My tv is not working :( I had become very excited  upon seeing that they had Don Giovanni available for viewing as well as a documentary about marathons!

However, I have been listening for the past hour to some wonderful music on a variety of 4 classical stations. It provides me with quite an amazing experience, for it is almost without distraction that I can listen, and my love for music has never throbbed stronger in my heart. I find myself so privileged to be capable of such a joy. My neighbors may think I am crazy because I sit here staring at the wall, smiling, tearing and bouncing my foot....

Such moments as these give me hope for the future. Such moments remind me that my future is more than a successful audition, more than a paycheck and more than a seat in an orchestra. I know not which direction my future may take, but as such a passion stirs my soul, I have no doubt where comfort may be found. I do not boast that this is where all consolation resides. Yet, I am appeased by the recognition of this part of me and earnestly pray that it may never be neglected.

I seem to have gone far off the topic which I first intended to discuss, but it may be better to save it for another day and continue listening on....

Love,
Violamad

-Marie Daniels

Germany!

How beautiful it is to be in a small village in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Every kind of weather holds its own beauty: morning rain showers, sunny afternoon s or a gray evenings with low clouds hugging the mountain tops.

How pleasant it is to hear the gentle tinkling sounds of bells through the hills as the cows graze and the goats mingle through the grass.

Ok, enough poetry, let's get to the point- this place is really cool! All that I've seen actually has been really nice. Today, August 7th, has been quite rainy so there's little to do besides cook and read a book. I started reading Pride and Prejudice on the plane. It was free in the iTunes bookstore and I figured it was about time I read what almost every girl my age has already read. It's quite entertaining, predictable but yet so well written the eloquent use of language makes it quite pleasant.

My first day in Germany was spent relaxing with Isabel's family and touring Basel. Her home is only about 10min from the border. Basel is a very cute town, looks just like the pictures you see of old European towns. :)

Now, we are so blessed to be able to stay in this nice condo in the small village of Obermaiselstein. Our first day we decided to do what all the tourists in the area do- visit a very famous castle "Schloss Neuschwanstein", which literally translates to mean "New swan-stone". It is relatively "new" for a castle, built for Kind Ludwig II in 1866, and was never completed after Ludwig unexpectedly died in 1879 (no guarantee on that date). The castle is high in the mountains (you have to walk a mile uphill from the closest parking) and looks like such a fairy tale castle. Unfortunately we had to wait 4 hours for the next tour, which then only lasted about 20min, but the breathtaking views made up for it.

Yesterday the morning was sunny and beautiful so I took it upon me to do some exploring on a long run. I ran up the nearest path up a mountain and somehow ended up at this cave. The gate was open so I went in, but not for very far because the passage was so small and it was so dark and scary! But the smell was so fresh and wonderful :) I then ran on a sidewalk on the street but it was so flat (I felt lazy!) so the next path I found was a bike path up to some lookout. This is where I found a beautiful waterfall, though not without consequence, for in doing so I also "found" some stinging weeds that made my leg burn for the next hour. After 10min of running up this 20 degree incline I finally went back down and though I was tired I felt so refreshed. After breakfast I was delighted to hear we were going to take a lift up a nearby mountain and hike to a peak. That was quite fun, with beautiful views. We hiked the closet peak, Weiherkopf, which was at 1665m. Being the adventurous person I am, instead of taking the lift back down with Isabel and Christoph, I decided that, despite my attire, my running shoes were calling for me to run back down the mountain. It was so much fun, especially the looks I got from people. Needless to say, however, I am quite sore...it's kinda funny, because I've never been so sore in EVERY muscle of my legs, front, back and butt. Woohoo!

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain as we drive through Austria and Switzerland to Milano, ITALIA! Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll still have some nice views as we drive :)

I don't have my computer, so I can't upload any pictures except those from my phone, but I promise, there will be plenty later on Facebook!

Love,
Violamad

The Middle

Sometimes it seems like the middle is a very good place to be. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck.

Sometimes, in an argument or disagreement, the middle means a compromise. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, an argument you didn’t want to even be involved in.

Sometimes, when you are playing fast triplets with lots of string crossings, the middle of the bow is a very good place to be. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you’re not really sure what kind of articulation you are supposed to be doing.

Sometimes, the middle is the goal, the bullseye of a target. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you didn’t lose the race, yet you didn’t win.

Sometimes, the middle means maximizing space and opportunity. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you don’t know which opportunity to take.

Sometimes, the middle means lots of friends and fun. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, where you have to conform to fit in and don’t know who you can trust.

Sometimes the middle means balance, a very good state to be in. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck—in mediocrity.

How can the middle be sometimes so right, yet other times so wrong?

Maybe the middle is not an answer of where to be but rather a question of how to live.

How to know when the middle is the place to be?

How do you use the middle?

One time at music camp...

As we are now approaching the half-way point at the Round Top Orchestra festival, I found it was time to give an update on what has been going on here. (Also, it happens that my internet is actually working right now *cross fingers*)

Round Top....Oh Round Top. This area never ceases to surprise me with its peculiarities. The campus is full of strange things: sculptures of faces, seashell covered ceilings, elfish pictures, botanical gardens, ornate fixtures and locked doors that lead to who knows where....

The food is quite good, so that makes meal time ever more exciting (and I’m always so hungry!) However, this cafeteria would have no place in New York. Fried fried fried things are coupled with butter soaked everything, and the vegetarian options consist of either tofu or a veggie burger. Pork quesadillas for dinner? Let's just plop a veggie burger on a tortilla and say it's like the same. There is a lovely bumper sticker posted in the kitchen which says "Save a cow, eat a vegetarian"....Last I checked, there were plenty of cows in Round Top.

Coffee...well, let's not talk about it. I usually just tell myself "It could be worse..." The nearest Starbucks is 30min away...Are you coming to a concert? Please deliver!

The orchestra is getting better, especially as we get to know each other better. In the first week I had a lot of fun playing the name game: "Oh you go to Eastman/Rice/UT/etc? Do you know ____?" And as usual between musicians, it only takes one degree of separation to have a mutual friend.

We come from a wide range of places and it's very interesting working with a new conductor each week. Needless to say, it seems that the cafeteria conversations almost always inevitably touch on imitating the conductor/praising him/complaining about him. It seems like every musician has something to say about that person on the podium. I really hope that conductors also get together sometimes and get to rant about "those musicians..."

Tonight is "Ladies' night" at the only bar in town. I've gone the past two weeks as a designated driver. It's usually a lot of fun, loud talking and dancing around the jukebox. This night I decided to stay in. I'm pretty tired from these days of 4 hours of Mahler 9 rehearsals and I am enjoying the peace and quiet of my room. I'm also looking forward to going home this weekend with a couple of friends--a chance to get away from the bugs, from the dirt, from the drama of new festival-relationships and the craziness of musicians after a Saturday concert.

If you’re nearby and not too busy, please come to a concert! The next two weekends have 3pm orchestra concerts, with chamber concerts at 7:30pm. I’m playing in two quartets on the July 9^th concert at 7:30pm. The closing concert is on July 16^th at 7:30pm, and there’s a big reception afterwards (free food/wine, anyone?)! The schedule with program information can be found here: http://festivalhill.org/schedule-of-events/2011-summer-festival/

So that's about how things "roll" here in Round Top, just like that one time at music camp...

Love,

Violamad

NYC-The Woodlands-Round Top

So when I heard Round Top was a small town, I thought, ok, there's a few little shops in the center. Wrong, there is no center, there is not much of a town at all. I don't really know what else to call Round Top except for "land". However, the Round Top Festival is on a special piece of land, decorated by a wide variety of buildings, each of which is elaborately furnished with antiques and consists of many ornate, hand-carved wooden structures. Nevertheless, I'm still in the middle of nowhere.

Rewind a bit.

In the past month, I have experienced a wide variety of company and scenery. The first two weeks of May were crazy- juries, final exams (meanwhile the weather in New York was gorgeous!) Then the third week, which I had kinda free, it rained almost every day. But there were plenty of highlights to end the year. This semester particularly I have had the blessing of being surrounded by this loving and supportive group of friends and I enjoyed spending time with them as we all prepared our goodbyes--running with Avigail, walking with Santi, biking with Fernando, shopping with Isabel, dutying with Adarsh, hugging Justyna in her Snuggie and wandering with dinosaurs with Lena. (and of course any other time we spent together!)

I was sad to leave New York on May 21st. I was in denial for a few days when I came home, missing my friends and the city which has taught me so much. Nevertheless, it only took one obnoxious text from my friend Trey to remind me what I should be doing instead of moping at home for two weeks- planning a friend get-together!

Morning runs with Tara were re-initiated by the end of the first week I managed to bribe my friends to come over! It was a fun night of crazy fajita cooking (a wonderful group effort I might add...) and ended with cookies. I got to see a few more friends over the weekend, my former teacher, Joan, and her family as well as Daniel, who I see on too rare of an occasion. Unfortunately me + Daniel + fish for dinner did not go so well and Memorial Day was celebrated with me and the toilet. (Oh, and Trey came over to veg with me on the couch while I watched more TV in one day that I ever have in my life). And actually, that day started a new addiction for Trey and I- it's called Firefly. Fortunately, it only had one season, otherwise we could've been watching those episodes nightly for two months!

I got most things done on my to-do list for my two weeks at home. Got a bow rehair, bought new running shoes, planned out (most) of my trip to Italy in August and found a good 18-week marathon training schedule. Oh, and PRACTICING. That kinda took up my day hours. Which is good :)

So, now I'm back to where I started. Round Top. I've only been here a couple hours now, so I'm sure I will have much more to say later, but here are my first observations:

-It's hot, there's a lot of dirt and not enough trees

-There are lots of bugs. Ew.

-Air conditioning is abundant. Good.

-Food...seems good.

-Roommates...pretty chill :)

-Practice rooms too resonant

-Night-life. HA!

-Nearest Starbucks- 30min.

-Coffee in dining hall...ehhhhh

-People: too many Americans ;)

If only the Blue Bell factory in Brenham was open on Sunday...

Orchestra auditions tomorrow morning and rehearsal on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra tomorrow night! Wooo!

Love,

Violamad

Words for Thought

Needless to say I've been extremely busy this spring semester. So many things have been going on that I don't even know where to start. So I won't. For now.

I do, however, want to share something that I've been reading recently, an excerpt from the book "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Please enjoy :)

"The river flowed toward the goal; Siddhartha saw it hastening--the river consisting of him and his near and dear and all the people he had ever seen; all the waves and the waters hastened, suffering, toward goals, many goals; the waterfall, the lake, the rapids, the sea, and all goals were attained; and each goal was followed by another, and the water became vapor and rose to the sky, became rain and plunged down from the sky, became a source, became a brook, became a river, strove anew, flowed anew. But the ardent voice had changed. It still resounded, sorrowful, seeking, but other voices joined in, voices of joy and sorrow, good and evil voices, laughing and grieving, a hundred voices, a thousand voices."

"Siddhartha listened. He was now all ears, utterly engrossed in listening, utterly empty, utterly absorbing. He felt he had now learned all there was to know about listening. He had often heard all these things, these many voices in the river, but today it all sounded new. He could no longer distinguish the many voices, the cheerful from the weeping, the children's from the men's; they all belonged together. The lament of the knower's yearning and laughing, the screaming of the angry, the moaning of the dying--everything was one, everything was entwined and entwisted, was interwoven a thousandfold. And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil--the world was everything together. Everything together was the river of events, the music of life."

Teachers

While procrastinating a reading I must complete for my liberal arts class, I thought I could take a moment to sit and write a blog that I've been meaning to write for some time...

Recently, I noticed quite a few students who were talking about their plans for the break mentioned how they were excited to see their former teacher when they returned home. I realized that when I'm home, I too am always trying to set up lessons with my former teacher, Joan or visit some of my school orchestra teachers.

And it's not just because I REALLY need/want a lesson.

I want to see my teachers because they were, and are, and will continue to be a major influence in my life!

Joan not only taught me *how* to play viola. She taught me how to be a good musician, she inspired me to always want it better and she was/is the perfect role model of a great orchestral musician and mother. She showed it was possible and gave me the confidence to pursue a career in music!

Other teachers who I like to visit are Ms. Ellis and Dr. Kempter. Ms. Ellis was my orchestra teacher in the 6th grade. Of course when she was teaching me, I had NO idea then that I wanted to study music to be my career, but if she had not inspired me and made me LIKE orchestra, I may not have continued through the next few years. Dr. Kempter was my high school orchestra director. In addition to being an excellent musician and person, honestly, if he had not cut me so much slack about skipping rehearsal to go practice, I may not have made it through my senior year auditions!

Basically, what I'm trying to say is this: we ALL have teachers. Maybe there is one, maybe there are a few that have greatly influenced or changed your life!

So why not take the time to tell them these two special words that can mean a lot if you say it like you mean it:

THANK YOU!

I would not be anywhere without them :)

Love,

Violamad