Over and over again the travelers argue that one of the best things about traveling is living the dream that was impossible in their daily life dominated by a routine. Every now and then the routine is blamed for the general unhappiness, dullness or even depression. Selling your house and car and starting a journey is considered not only the best antidote for this sickness but, most of the time, as an act of courage. But if you think for a while this proves to be far from healthy logic and, for sure, from the human knowledge on behavior and learning. It made me think, why travelers hate routine so much and here are few thoughts on this issue out of my own experience as a long term traveler. A Routine In most cases, the routine involves boring regular job from 9:00 to 17:00, followed by a conclusion that people who perform their duties on an everyday basis are tired, burnt out and unhappy. A routine emphasizes doing the same things every day with no pleasure out of it. And writers are very quick in judging how unhappy these people are and how terribly they are wasting their time. Quite skillfully writers and bloggers follow this logic to a smooth discovery: you should change it! I wholeheartedly agree with the need for a change but with what I’m having difficulties to agree on is that travels make it for you. Before I’ll go further in the discussing the illusion of this belief, let me stop for a while and show you how the routine is good for you. Every possible guide on healthy lifestyle argues about healthy sleep habits, proper diet, physical activities and healthy relationships. If you feel that you are missing something in your life, if you feel down, if you realized that your current status is not something you dreamed about, you can change it. Anytime, really. And there is no need to sell everything and travel. On the contrary: travel will make all of the above more difficult to introduce a change into your life. Mission impossible To make a real difference in your life, like building any healthy habit, you need time, patience and recurrence. Out of the three, the last one is a decisive factor if the process of improvement is successful. Philosophy of zen argues that you need as many as 21 days of repeated action to turn it into a habit.  Three weeks is a long time. And if you change your hotel or even country twice during that time you effort of changing things looks like mission impossible. Thus, people prefer to believe that instead of a regular effort and recurrence of their actions there is an alternative solution. A travel comes handy. Preferably one year long and round the world. It definitely brakes the routine, but it is much less successful in helping you keeping good habits, personal growth, and a meaningful life. An Illusion What happens if you travel continuously for months or years? First thing is that you cut the ties that connected you with the place you lived in and people you lived with. Sure, you keep telling stories about the city you come from to all people you meet along the way and you are trying to keep your family and friends informed about travels but let’s face it: it is different. And you might feel quite happy about it until you realize you belong neither here nor there. Some people need years to realize that a lifestyle focused on continuous travel makes you very distant from ‘normal’ people and their ‘boring’ lives. And it is true for both: people you left at home and also exotic and new people you meet when you travel. And some day you simply realize that even those who are left at home have changed and that there is nothing to talk about with them. Perhaps you experience it when you go home for couple of weeks and after only a few days, when the emotions cool down, apart of telling fantastic stories there is not much left out of the things you had in common. The best is the enemy of the good You may say that everything has a price to pay and particular difficulties referred to long term traveling is no different. True. But have you really thought about it before you decided that full time traveling is what solves all your problems? A routine gives you a sense of stability, security, and continuity. All conditions that you need for your personal development. I’m not saying that travels make personal development impossible, but I’m arguing it makes it harder. “I like challenges” – you may say. Perhaps you do. If so, why don’t you try to work on yourself first, in your every day and “boring” life and travel when all your serious problems were sorted out. Personal development, becoming a better person and having a positive attitude towards the world and the people is important. Start before you go.  

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Ladies and gentlemen! From now on I am officially a marathon runner! I made it. I completed the full distance of 42 km 195 meters. Running (sort of). And here is how I did it. Good Start As you well remember I completed a half – marathon last June. I continued the training throughout the summer and was pretty well prepared before the main run. On Sunday, October 12, I was at the starting line of the 15th Poznań Marathon. The excitement just before the start was all over the place. Over 7,000 runners were squeezed in one of the main streets of the city. Every participant had a number on his T-shirt and smile on his face. Some runners were already running well before the official beginning, warming up, laying down, drinking water, covering their body with a plastic bag (I was told it was a good way to warm up), listening to the music, discussing strategy with a stranger: it looked like a huge and very busy crowd. Finally, the race began. It took me almost 5 minutes to even cross a start line! Slowly, the street was less and less crowded and each of runners could find a space and rhythm. At 6th kilometer there was a very attractive thing to do: we all run across the football stadium! First 10 km were just fine. Until a well known to all runners guest came: Mr Crisis. Crisis It is still not clear to me what mistake I made. I suddenly realized how hard I was breathing, I couldn’t find my favorite pace and before 14th kilometer started I felt completely exhausted. The music on my mp3 didn’t do any good and I felt confused and angry. It was so bad I thought about quitting.  For next 10 kilometers! A real struggle. Eventually, I switched the music off and using my recent experience from camino I focused on the nearest kilometer. 6 minutes and 40 seconds, 1000 meters – this was a distance I was able to focus on. And it finally helped me to find my pace. Until another well known element of each long distance run occurred: pain. I’m Turning Into Pain… la, la, la. After crossing the important point of 21km, which is half of the marathon distance and before reaching another important milestone of 30 km my joints and muscles were hurting quite badly. I stopped once to get help from medic he was kind enough to spray my knees and kill the pain. For a while, at least. What a relief! Slowly, however, every inch of my body hurt. And it was even worse when I stopped! So the only way to deal with this pain was to continue the run!  By the time of half distance all runners were helping each other: positives messages were flying around. “You can do it! It’s not that far! The finish line is just around the corner.” And my favorite banner carried by the fans was saying: “And you could have chosen chess!“. Well, I could have but I didn’t. And so I was running. I had two amazing men with me: my husband and my dad. At some point their encouragement was the only thing I could stick to. We run this marathon together and this was a real team work. Nicely done, boys! Finish Line After over 5 hours I finally crossed a finish line. I was crying like a baby out of joy I finally made it! The mixture of exhaustion, proud, joy, excitement, surprise and satisfaction was fantastic! There is nothing in this world to be compared with the emotion of crossing a finish line of your first marathon run! The very same day I could hardly walk. The day after was similar. But after 48h I was feeling great again. So what am I going to do now is to run a marathon in 2015! You didn’t have any doubts, did you? Marathon. The Real One! A conclusion of my marathon story was epic: 10 days after I completed my first ever marathon I went to Greece. To a small village called Marathon, to be precise. It is situated about 40 km from Athens and it is a mythical place of a great battle between Greeks and Persians. I went to Marathon with an Association of  Licensed Tourist Guides kindly arranged by the Tbex team. This was a guided tour that took us first to the Marathon battle fields, then to the Marathon Museum and eventually to the beach and very tasty lunch. The weather was excellent and we had a lovely time. The Battle of Marathon was a historical event but it became later a theme for various myths and legends. Apart of its military importance and crucial role in defending Athens Marathon is especially known for a legend of Pheidippides. He is said to have run from Marathon to Athens in full military outfit to share the news about the Athenian victory. Just as all marathon runners I was aware of this exhausting run ended with death of the runner but it was new to me to know that he run in with full equipment which, at that time, was heavy and very uncomfortable. He run with his shield which was extremely heavy not to be seen from a distance and not to be considered a coward. In order to fulfill his duty he run in extreme heat with full armament. Although there are two legends mixed here and nothing is certain thinking about it is uplifting. Human bravery, dedication and determination is something that touches me deeply. And as a marathon runner I know more about than I used to. Jenny who was with me and who recently completed 4 marathons described the story in profound so if you are interested in hearing more about Battle for Marathon click here.  

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Here is another inspiring woman! Meet Jenny and her dog Holly. To rise the money for a local charity Jenny walked amazing distance of 100 miles! I think she made her point and I find her determination inspiring. Right after I completed a full marathon I got known that Jenny walked 4 marathons in only 4 consecutive days. So let me congratulate to Jenny and please read her story below. Trekking the South Downs Way in four days  I’ve just finished a challenge to trek the South Downs Way across southern England in four days.  To say that I am as stiff as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz is no exaggeration!  The South Downs Way runs from the cathedral city of Winchester in Hampshire all the way to Eastbourne in East Sussex.  It’s 100 miles long over rolling countryside, escarpments and finally beautiful white chalk cliffs. Why would anyone walk four marathons in four days? To complete the South Downs Way in four days meant walking almost a marathon distance (26 miles) each day – but adding in ascents and descents which makes it feel a lot longer!  I did it because I was raising money for my local charity, The Iris Trust.   What did I see along the way on the first day? Well, the South Downs Way changes all the time!  Setting out from Winchester where there is a statue to King Alfred (who allegedly burnt the cakes), it’s a gentle, undulating rise through the rolling hills of Hampshire.  Passing up and around Beacon Hill, and on to Old Winchester Hill where there is an amazing old hill fort and many bronze age burial sites.  You can still see the ground structure quite clearly.  The third hill in this first section is Butser Hill where the views stretch right out across the Isle of Wight to the South and down to the pretty village of East Meon to the North.   A Mixure of Roman Ruins and Shin Splints! Day Two started out from the Queen Elizabeth Country Park – where many people come for a day’s walking and mountain biking.  There are lots of special jumps and trails made throughout this beautifully wooded landscape.  This was a day of quintessential English countryside; harvested fields, hawks, hills and gentle moors.  The views were amazing all the way.  As I passed Bignor Hill there were more ancient remains, this time Roman, and a fun stone step – Toby’s Stone – which commemorates one of the 19th Century’s leading huntsman of the area.  By this time my joints were starting to feel the effects of the flints and chalk stones underfoot.  Although I have great boots – Meindl – your feet and legs are rocking around all the time when you’re sliding on flints.  I had forgotten how hard that is on the shin splints – and I wasn’t even half way through! Rain, Rain, Go Away ON the third day I left lovely Holly behind (Holly is Jenny’s dog).  I knew I was in for a fair amount of rain on one of the most exposed stretches of the South Downs Way.  That’s the interesting thing; the further along you go East, the more exposed you are.  I started out of the quaint village of Amberley very early to avoid as much as I could, and made it past Chanctonbury Ring (known for witchcraft and all sorts of shenanigans) but I could see the black clouds catching me up.  Before I got to the Devil’s Dyke – a beautiful bowl with fabulous views to the coast – it came down in a thunderous shower.  Sadly I saw very little of the Devil’s Dyke because the rain was so hard my head was down battling along.  Have to confess that at this point I wasn’t sure at all that I would make it!!  But finally the sun came out, and the day finished with a bright blue – but cooler – sky.  Ditchling Beacon hove into view and I was very, very glad to see my taxi waiting for me! Holly is Very Tired The final leg from Ditchling to Eastbourne is probably the hardest.  Not just because you are tired, but because it is constantly up and down, and quite steeply in places such as the Seven Sisters. But you can’t complain on an October day when its warm enough for you to still be in shorts and a t-shirt and the sun is beating down.  This was really the first day I saw any people and by the time I reached the Seven Sisters around midday it was positively heaving with folks out to walk one of the most famous stretches of the Way.  But poor Holly had had enough by the time we reached the cliffs.  The combination of the strangeness of the height, the humidity in the dips beneath the cliffs all got too much for her and I had to carry her for a couple of miles to the Birling Gap where she stayed for the rest of the day while I finished. Around 5pm, tired, sore, really very very tired, I finally arrived at Beachy Head from where it is only a mile into Eastbourne.  Beachy Head is sadly very famous as a place where people come to commit suicide and there are rows of little crosses commemorating them.  But it is also one of the most beautiful views and spots in the South, and I was very glad to see that little lighthouse! I’m not sure I would do it again in the same way.  I now understand why there is  a raging debate between Thru-Hikers and Hikers in the US.  It’s true – the pressure of distance and time takes away a lot of the benefits you get from being surrounded by nature.  There were times I was simply too challenged and tired to stop to take a picture – just aware of one more step, running out of...

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