Gearing up for 13.1 miles!

In just 5 days, I'll be running my 2nd half marathon from Napa to Sonoma! According to Runners World, this event was voted Best Finish in 2007 since all runners are treated to a huge Wine and Music Festival at the end where we have all-access wine-tasting privileges. As much as I love the idea, I will probably forgo drinking wine at the finish b/c chances are, I will be super dehydrated and will have no desire to further intensify this physical state of exhaustion. I'm hoping, however, that the vendors will give us sample bottles to just take home or something..that would be Sa-WEET! Either way, I still plan on visiting some lovely vineyards in the Healdsburg/Sonoma area to do some wine-tasting of my own. If you have never been, I would recommend Sonoma over Napa any day because the latter, in my opinion, has became way too commercialized and snooty. Sonoma, however, retains its country charm and many of its vineyards are still family owned and operated....plus, they are very friendly. If you like white wines, two of my favorites are Passalacqua and Mauritson Vineyards. And suprisingly, the Kendall Jackson vineyard estate not only features great reds and whites, but the grounds itself is so picturesque.

Thus, with less than a week away, this past weekend I attended CCFA's final group training in SF where we trekked 6 miles across the Golden Gate Bridge! Note to self: Do not eat CornNuts for breakfast on race day! I went against my better judgment and inhaled a handful of the tasty morsels before becoming uncomfortably bloated halfway through my run. I couldn't help but laugh b/c I knew I should have never done such a stupid thing! Where do my cravings come from? What a nut!

I've also realized that I'll be missing my 5th MGMAT session because the race expo will be in Sonoma on Saturday and I have to show up in person to get my bib number and timing chip. But thank you MGMAT for make-up sessions. I think it's for the better since I get to attend the Sunday class in August and the instructor is way cool! My GMAT studies have been progressing steadily. So far, so good. I have been keeping track of my mistake patterns and it pretty much boils down to 2 things: 1) careless arithmetic mistakes and 2) incorrect rephrasing of problems. Otherwise, all I need more of is practice. I will be completing my 2nd CAT test this week, so I'm a bit anxious to see my progress to date. Wish me luck!

And thanks to Clear Admit for their post, I've also signed up to attend the Wharton info session on August 5th. Coincidently, it is also the day I'll be flying down south for business, but I anticipate getting back in time to make the commute into the city for the session. If this goes well, I will opt out of the August 14 session I had originally signed up to attend. Oh, the opportunities that abound.

On my way to B-school info sessions!

I received a lovely email from my friend who just began her summer study abroad experience in Amsterdam and as much as I wish that were me right about now, I have to admit that I'm pretty happy to not have to shell out a Euro for every 15 minutes on the net. Can you imagine? By the time I finished writing this blog, I would have paid for my B-school app fee already?!

It's funny that while others are enjoying or looking forward to long-awaited vacations in paradise with visions of sipping mai tais and pina coladas, I'm here in the middle of a heat wave diligently planning the course of my highly-anticipated and hoped-for future. But you know what? I don't feel the least bit disappointed. I feel that it's my hopes and dreams that continue to fuel my desire to always better myself in ways I've never thought possible. Every summer, I find myself undertaking a new goal and in the process of it all, I learn more and more about the real me and about what truly brings me happiness and a sense of fulfillment on a day-to-day basis. True, financial freedom would definitely bring me close to my goals. But above all else, it's my passion for life and all its trials and tribulations. I just couldn't imagine living a life of knowing that I really have no purpose but to settle for whatever I can get. So, to put me one step closer to narrowing down my B-school list, I just signed up for some info sessions in SF. And this time, I'm confirmed!

To be honest, I haven't even gotten to finalizing my hit list. I hope to keep it at 5, okay, 6 max (I promise). I have, however, made the conscious decision to apply for R2 b/c I really want to visit some of my top choices before submitting myself to the grueling application process. I've got one free roundtrip from Southwest just waiting to be used up, so I'm very fortunate for that. Additionally, come November, I will be in NYC to support my very significant other for the ING Marathon so I will definitely visit Columbia and NYU to make the most of my time. I've visited both schools before, but that's when an MBA wasn't looming over my head and I had intended to pursue an advanced degree in education. My how 4 years changes everything!

Well, here are the sessions I'll be attending:

HBS Session: July 17
Chicago GSB: July 29
Penn Club MBA Info w/Wharton, HBS, Stanford, Sloan & Kellogg: August 14

This will be my very first opportunity to rub elbows with current students and adcom members, so this should serve as a good indicator of what each school has to offer me, esp. in the realm of social enterprise!

On another great note: I'm having lunch with my other two recommenders this month and they are each very excited to hear about my plans for B-school. In fact, one of them just received her MBA in June and she's already got a job lined up! So far, things are looking up!