29

Last year in my 20’s?!? The past 9 years have seemed to both fly by and go ridiculously slow. I remember being 22, fresh out of college, and wishing so terribly to be in my ‘late 20s’. I thought that I would finally be considered an ‘adult’ to others and respected more-so than I was in my early/mid 20’s. Well, spoiler alert: I honestly don’t think much has changed in terms of what others perceive of my ‘you’re so young age’, BUT my perception of what they think has. I don’t really care anymore. I embrace who I am, my capabilities, my strengths, weaknesses, and honestly- a ‘I don’t give a F*** what you think because I know ME’. Maybe that’s conceded, maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s seen as a ‘bitch’ to some - I’m no longer fretting over what others think. So, there’s that. I am me and I will embrace myself and continue to grow/learn/challenge myself/ and love myself.

So, in honor of turning 29. Here are 29 things that I’ve learned/ done in the past year : )

1. It’s ok if not everyone likes you. What’s most important is that you like yourself.

2.Find your passion and don’t let anyone dull your fire. It will be hard at times and really f*ing tough and you’ll question yourself a lot, but don’t give up.

3.Love yourself. At the end of the day, it’s you so it’s imperative that you love yourself before you look to anyone else.

4.Give yourself a priority list. What are your priorities for the day, month, year, your life? I’m still learning what mine are, but knowing whether or not something is ‘hard priority’ or not has helped me let things go and move on. Focus your intention fully on what is important to you.

5.If something doesn’t bring you joy or isn’t a necessity, then why are you doing it? Somethings you have to do that aren’t necessarily ‘enjoyable’ like cleaning the bathroom or laundry, but other things like wearing clothes that don’t make you feel great or uncomfortable shoes. I’m just over that.

6.I love to cook and create in the kitchen. Cooking something from scratch is super satisfying to me and like running, it almost always brings me joy.

7.I love to sign-up and conquer really scary-to-me things. Maybe I’m considered a ‘thrill-seaker’. I like to think of it as pushing my boundaries. There is no better feeling that conquering something that you once imagined impossible. Last year, that was my MS Run The US 175 mile segment. This year, my 50 miler.

8.I’m learning to not sweat the small stuff. If I don’t feel like running, I no longer feel compelled to run. If I don’t feel like cooking dinner, well then I’m not going to cook dinner. Cold pizza sounds great. I used to hold myself to super high standards, but I’m learning to let those things go (and also- wow does it feel empowering to do so!)

9. Upcycling clothes is my jam. I used to LOVE to buy all the clothes, but upcycling is so much better for the environment and cheaper. I will definitely never purchase used gym/work-out clothes, running shoes, or everyday shoes —> the necessities ; )

——————————————————-Now for things I DID this past year!

10.I think my biggest thing that I did this year was go to therapy. It was really REALLY REALLY hard to make that step, but wow did it help me to finally break out of my anxiety/depression/ PTSD shell that I’ve been in for many years. I blogged about this more here if you’re interested.

11.Got engaged to my main squeeze! I blogged about this more here if you’re interested in that sort of thing : )

12.Ran my first ultra on a very queezy stomach and wanting to DNF halfway through. More of that here.

13.Fundraised over $10,000 for MS Run The US.

14.Ran 175 miles over 7 days for MS Run The US and crossed that finish line with my two favorite people. One of the best days of my life.

15.Put together and hosted my first 5k! Wow was that hard. Ha.

16.Started to do strength consistently three times a week AND switch up my strength training routines every 6-8 weeks. <— One of the biggest reasons why I think I’ve gotten stronger at running AND stayed injury-free.

17. Started to do things that I want to do, regardless if anyone else wants to join me. I would constantly feel the need to stay at home if that’s what Alex wanted to do, but I’ve learned that ‘doing me’ is also important. So, I did more solo hiking, cross country skiing, and longer runs and feeling less-guilty about it (although sometimes I do feel guilty).

18.PR’d the half marathon and broke 1:45. I never would have thought it was possible and I ended doing so without even setting my sights specifically on it!

19.PR’d the marathon. I was actually pretty injured (knee), so I scaled back my goals of breaking 3:45 and just decided to mainly enjoy the race. I ended up walking away with a 3-minute PR.

20.Started journaling and meditating. These two things have been HUGE for me to see growth and get me out of my depression-hole I’ve been in for years. I’ve loved finding the simple things in life really enjoyable and going on more runs without headphones. I’m more present and able to enjoy something simple as noticing the leaves falling, sipping coffee in the mornings, or the quietness of reading a book.

21.Weekly yoga. Even if it is just ten minutes, I LOVE this time. It’s helped me regain some of my flexibility that I lost and improved my strength overall.

22.Received my first Age Group placement at a half marathon!

23.Visited a new National Park, Capitol Reef!

24. Went backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park

25. Paced Kristen (past MS Run The US alum) through the night miles 52-71 during the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler. She ended up finishing!

26. Played hooky at work and went to some pretty iconic Denver city spots, like Union Station.

27. Saw Celine Dion and cried because she was so beautiful.

28. Took part in the Honey Stinger photo shoot. Still one of my favorite memories, even if I could barely run since it was only 5 days out from MS Run The US relay. Ha.

29.Joined the Bib Rave community and found incredible, supportive people there. Finally a running community to be a part of!

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These are honestly my favorites posts, so if you’re interested here is a look back at 28.

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-Favorite way to celebrate YOUR birthday?

-I LOVE birthdays. Always have super high expectations and have normally been disappointed because I’ve relied on OTHERS to provide the excitement. This year, I’m doing ME. If their plans don’t fit ‘into my day’, then it doesn’t matter. I will celebrate MY way.

-Favorite cake/ ice cream / cupcake/ or candy to eat? Either black raspberry ice cream or cookies n cream. Love either TIramisu or coconut cream pie (not really a huge cake person otherwise). LOVE cupcakes. Preferably something with strawberry frosting. Sour Patch Strawberries, Swedish Fish, or Sour Green Apple Belts.