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:
- I really love cooking. I love to bake/ create new recipes/ meal-plan and have a delicious meal that I made from scratch.
- 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.
- I really love Pilates and Barre. I love how strong I feel after a hard class and the positive environment that they are!
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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)!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?!?
- 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)...
- 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.
- 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!
- Pizza and pasta are life. Not sure if this will ever change as I get older?
- 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?
- 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"
- Transferring your car lease to a loan is really time-intensive, but you feel super adult about it afterwards.
- Student loans suck. They are what they are. Maybe someday I'll know what it feels like to not have them anymore?
- Goods friends are really hard to find. If you find them, hang on to them for dear life.
- OK or flaky friends are just not worth my time or energy.
- 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.
- Nice furniture is expensive, but worth it. That Casper mattress is worth every penny.
- 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.
- 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.
- My people are my world. Supportive family/friends/animals are worth a lot and their advice/encouragement/ words of wisdom really are worth taking.
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!