28

Happy Monday! I hope you had a GREAT weekend! I'll have a full race recap and breakdown of the weekend coming up this week, but I finished my 6th marathon on Saturday and got a new PR of 3:52. I felt absolutely fantastic the entire race and was still smiling (and passing A LOT of runners) at mile 25! I didn't quite negative split, but this was by-far my best feeling marathon ever. I finished 9th in my age group and 31st female overall. This was a pretty hilly course and I felt great the day after. Barely sore and actually fit in a slow recovery run of 5 miles (~11 min pace) and 5 mile walk too! 

Today is my birthday! I can hardly believe that I'm 28. I honestly wished to be in my 'late twenties' ever since I hit 21 and it's gone by so quickly. It's funny how for so long you always think that a certain age is considered 'old' and then as you age, that number just keeps increasing as you do ;) I'm such a type-A planner and it's crazy to think how my younger self depicted my life would be like when I was 28. I envisioned a completely different life (married, in a great career that I loved, living in a house that I own, potentially thinking about starting a family, living somewhere in New England, etc.) for myself and now, I honestly wouldn't change a thing. 

Sure, I've grown up a bunch, but it's amazing to me how I continue to grow and continue to not 'sweat the small stuff'. I still struggle at times, but comparing where I am to where others my age are is much less important to me now. I remember when my first friend got engaged, married, amazing career opportunity, bought a house, etc. and how jealous and put-down I felt (no one was putting me down, expect I was doing that to myself). I'm not sure if its because these big life moments just seem ordinary or I'm in a different place now (maybe a bit of both), but I'm getting better with just 'brushing them off' and focusing on me.

So, enough rambling. Here's 28 things I've learned thus far in my life:

1. I really love cooking. I love to bake/ create new recipes/ meal-plan and have a delicious meal that I made from scratch. 
2. My perfect Saturday night is staying home, cudding with Alex, Stella, and our kittens, with a meal that we cooked together and watching a movie (or catching up on House of Cards... we're on Season 4!!) I could care less about going out to dinner/ going to a bar/ eating take out. Not for me. 
3. I really love Pilates and Barre. I love how strong I feel after a hard class and the positive environment that they are!
4. I love spending time outdoors. Whether it's having a window open when it's only 50* out, walking the dog, or just sitting outside on the deck I just can never get enough fresh air. 
5. I have little patience for fake personalities. I'm such a positive polly and LOVE to be happy and positive all the time, but this is just something I have zero patience for. Authenticity all the way!
6. I am uber patient. Not sure what career is great for super patient people, but I'd probably be really great at it. Give me a skating class of whiny 3 year olds and I can rock it. 
7. I'm getting better at voicing my opinion. If I disagree, I'm more apt to be more vocal about it. Thanks to Alex for helping me find my inner voice (that's definitely something I've always admired about him- he stands up for what he believes in)
8. I LOVE our kittens to death. I haven't had a kitten in a long time and forgot how much pure JOY they bring you. I feel like my heart is going to explode every time they're snuggled up against me. 
9. I love to run and set goals and train really hard for something. My favorite thing about training hard and keeping a running log is looking back over all those hard workouts and difficult runs that you accomplished (one reason why I started blogging in the first place)!
10. Gilmore Girls is life. Always has been, always will be. It's my go-to when I'm ready to nap/ wanting to zone out/ cleaning/ running on the treadmill. It NEVER gets old.
11. I relate most to Monica from Friends mixed with Pam from the Office. I'm not exactly super OCD about everything (Monica..), but I am as nerdy as Pam is. 
12. I really love visiting our National Parks. Whether it's driving there/ hiking at the park/ camping. I love the history and the pure beauty that they bring. 
13. I no longer want to shove my feet into uncomfortable (but cute) shoes. Zero space in my life for things like that! Why can't they just make comfortably cute shoes?!?
14. I don't put on make-up everyday and I'm cool with it. Gone is the day where I need to look 100% put together. Life is too short. I still like getting dressed up and doing my make-up/ hair, but it rarely happens (at least all together)...
15. I've become much more adventurous. If you would've asked me to go sky-diving or hike up a 14,000' mountain ten years ago, I would've said hell no. But now- I'm up for so many things and truly want to experience it all. Life is much too short. 
16. If I want ice cream or some skittles, I'm going to. Gone are the days where I say no to sweets or never get dessert. I absolutely still watch what I eat and keep everything in moderation, but it's kinda crazy to go to Italy and not get a cannoli. Live it up!
17. Pizza and pasta are life. Not sure if this will ever change as I get older?
18. Kayaking is no longer evil and is actually pretty fun. Who would've thought that what I once feared-for-my-life is actually not scary at all? 
19. Mixed drinks just aren't for me. I had my fair-share in college and I think I'm good. I'll still enjoy a nice glass of wine or beer once in a while (i.e. ~3-4 times A YEAR), but it's not really something I'm "into"
20. Transferring your car lease to a loan is really time-intensive, but you feel super adult about it afterwards. 
21. Student loans suck. They are what they are. Maybe someday I'll know what it feels like to not have them anymore? 
22. Goods friends are really hard to find. If you find them, hang on to them for dear life.
23. OK or flaky friends are just not worth my time or energy. 
24. Less jewelry= better. Gone are the days where I would completely accessorize an outfit. Just a few solid, nice pieces are all I really need. 
25. Nice furniture is expensive, but worth it. That Casper mattress is worth every penny. 
26. Sunscreen is SO important. Not sure why I thought it was *cool* to bathe in the sun without it when I was 14, but I was very very wrong. 
27. Milestones are worth celebrating. Cat birthdays, Stella's half-birthday, the first time we moved in together, the day where I drove across the country to live in CO- all are important and remind us how far we've come. 
28. My people are my world. Supportive family/friends/animals are worth a lot and their advice/encouragement/ words of wisdom really are worth taking. 

Dessert last night...so good..no regrets!

Loving life.

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Favorite birthday? --> I had a Wild Thornberries party at the ice rink one year and that was amazing. My love of adventures & the ice blended...

I'll be celebrating the day with a cupcake/ yoga on the porch/ watching gilmore girls/ planting some marigolds! Alex is out of town and today's a rest day from running so doing the little things that I enjoy!