MOVED.

About a month ago I tried to log in and blogger couldn't "verify my email." After about a week of going totally nuts, I decided to start posting at a new url. After all, things have changed a lot for me since I started posting here. I spent awhile brainstorming any combinations of words to go together that hadn't been taken and landed on this:

milehighmaven.blogspot.com


Please join me.

a whole lot of healthy

Lately a lot of people have been asking me a lot of questions about Paleo. It's connection with Crossfit has made it pretty popular, and it seems to be spreading all over the place. A couple of girls from the salon started reading The Paleo Solution and trying to cut out some processed food. I challenged them to a Whole30, which is a whole 30 days of eating strict Paleo, no cheats, no excuses. They excitedly excepted, then the buzz got going and I think there's 8 of us total that started today. Tuesday is a little random but it is what worked for us. Between eating mostly paleo for the last 5 1/2 months and the race on Sunday I decided it was fair to give myself a couple of days to reset. I was surprised that I didn't feel like going totally crazy but yesterday morning Victoria and I hit up my favorite breakfast place- Snooze, which is known for it's over the top pancakes.

I ordered the pancake flight, which is 3 different flavored pancakes. Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside Down, and Cinnfull(filled with white chocolate chunks and a bacon caramel. Yes, I said bacon caramel.)



My recovery from Sunday is going pretty alright. I promised Ashley that I wouldn't run until I feel recovered. Luckily I am on a month of unlimited Core Power Yoga. I've been taking classes for 2 weeks now and I really like it, but I am wondering if I will ever get more flexible. I spend a lot of time stretching before and after work outs, but never seem to get any more flexible. It's frustrating and kind of embarrassing. One thing I learned from Sunday was that my tight hamstrings and hip flexors are really hindering my stride. This yoga business is not cheap and I'm starting to think I'm going to have to spend my entire savings before I can even reach my toes.

Marathoner!

Before I even go into all of the craziness of today I have to announce that I officially made my charity goal. I raised OVER $500 for Denver Metro Partners! Thanks to all of those who so generously donated. I was especially moved by my uncle, Bryan, who made an extra generous donation this weekend and put me at the $500 mark.

I woke up this morning at 4:30 and headed straight to the kitchen to make my regular breakfast. Seriously, who eats eggs and bacon instead of bagels before a marathon? This girl, that's who. I wanted to give myself time to stretch and wake up, plus I had dreams all night that I was late and missed the race. When I signed up for this race I saw that it had a 6:00 am start time and was excited that it would be before the sun came out. Colorado is seriously ALWAYS so sunny. Except for this week. Monday it snowed a little but they were predicting 77 degree weather for today. It's been raining non stop for 4 days now and when I left this morning it was only 38 with a light drizzle. I decided to stick with my original outfit but put on an old zip hoodie and a cheap pair of gloves. Amazingly, the race started at City Park which is my go to run spot. It was so close to my apartment that I was able to walk to the race!

When I got there I downed half a banana and met up with my client Meredith. She's ran several marathons in the past but today she was doing a half. She has been such a great (down to earth, no sugarcoating) inspiration to me!


The course started out together but split at mile 2. We ran past my favorite bar, my favorite cupcake shoppe, and even past my apartment- then we split and I was glad to see the sea of people lighten up. Right around mile 3 a guy I had been running near came up on me and verified that I was running the marathon and not the relay. He told me, "You're going to be my pacer." What a great compliment. Unfortunately this was probably a mistake because I went faster than I probably should have. On the plus side it was nice to have someone to chat with.

Ashley jumped in with me at mile 9. She was impressed with my time so far and at first we thought I might get my sub 4. I realized by 14 that wasn't going to happen today, and was fine with that. It was cold and wet and my tight hip flexors HURT. She coached me the whole way, "Get it Girl", "good job!", "You're doing great." She also asked bystanders "Doesn't she look awesome?!" And informed people that it was my first race so they would keep me pumped up. She got my water, ripped open my Gu, and handed out high fives. As we ran past a shiny store window she told me, "Look in this window when we get up to it. Look at yourself, YOU ARE RUNNING A MARATHON." I'll admit it, I got choked up. She was right. This is something I never have had on my bucket list because I never thought it was an attainable goal. It is only because of her constant coaching that I jumped in with both feet and signed up.

She left me around 21ish and I realized there was no way I was going to make it without a porta potty stop. Because it was cold I wasn't sweating as much and had to pee back at like mile 11. I saw one that was vacant and ran as fast as I could to it. I figured I didn't want to have to get to the end and have to pee before even smiling for a picture. I felt SO much better after, and was able to pick up my pace a little. In no better timing because then I ran into some friends.

First was at the top of a BIG hill, Adam, Rachel, Megan, and Chelsie from church. They all had posters, which was way fun. Here is Adam's which is super hilarious if you know me very well.



Then came Michelle from the salon with her dog Riley. Just as I was thinking, "Michelle lives around here," there she was. At 24 was Julianne. She had to go to work so she promised she would be on the course. Screw race photos, I have my own personal photog.


Those last 5 sucked. My hips hurt. My butt hurt. I wanted to quit. At one point my Garmin freaked out and told me I was running 6 minute miles which was obvi a lie so it kind of screwed with my distance. I thought I had less than a mile when I realized I had more like a mile and a half. That sucked. But I kept running.. I just kept thinking about how great it would feel to cross the finish. Then I saw Meredith, who ran with me for a few minutes. We ran past a big group of SF girls, it was so amazing to see them cheering me on.


Just past the finish line I saw my mom and Victoria. Throughout all of my training I have waited for that moment to finish and see my mom. I am so grateful she was able to be there for me today!



Today when I entered City Park, I was full of nervousness, doubt, insecurity. But I left that all on Colfax and became a marathoner.


4:10:56

hairy legs

Sometimes I forget how diverse Colorado is. Have you ever been to Denver? You'd be surprised how many times I've been asked if I moved to Colorado "for the mountains." Before I moved here I thought of Colorado as a place to ski, because we had lots of friends in Texas who headed to Breckenridge every winter. When I stepped off the plane into Denver back in December 2006 to check out the salon, I was surprised to see that the mountains were way off in the distance and the dry brown ground looked a lot like Nebraska or Kansas. I now know that the airport is in the middle of nowhere (might as well be Nebraska or Kansas), and have come to really love the urban feel Denver has.

Since I work in suburbia, but live downtown, I interact with a lot of different types of people. In attempts to taper I have been going to Corepower Yoga to sweat out some toxins and get in some stretching. Yesterday I woke up extra early and headed up the street to the downtown location. This was my first time at this particular studio and as I rushed into class at the last minute (darn downtown parking!), I looked around the room for a few feet where I could put my mat and join in on the "ohms." Somewhere between a thousand downward dogs we were in warrior 2 and I caught the first full preview of the girl next to me. Is that?.. What the?.. Really?.. What makes it okay to color your hair, gage your ears, get tattoos, but you can't freakin shave your legs or armpits? We're not talking a few days overdue, we're talking never. At least wear pants and a shirt that isn't sleeveless. Gross. Thanks for the reminder that Colorado is for hippies.

And while I'm complaining... I had 9 haircuts today. In. A. Row. I got to work at noon and didn't have time to eat or even sit down until 7pm while my last clients highlights processed. My legs sure didn't get a break today so I glad that tomorrow involves a lot more colors that include processing times. I can't believe that the race is so close and am going a little crazy inside. People keep asking me if I am excited which for some reason just makes me cry. I apologize for anyone that has to deal with me between now and Sunday.

Don't applaud, just throw money

Throughout my marathon training I have had so many people tell me that they are proud of me, or have a lot of respect for me, or just want me to know how much they support me. Recently a rep from a local charity that I think is super awesome asked me if I would run for them for the Colfax Marathon. It's called Denver Metro Partners, and is like a Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization where mentors are paired up with youth in the Denver area. As of right now I am one of three runners for the organization and have raised $155 but my goal is $500. I was able to set my own goal and felt like $500 was attainable because I feel like I have had so many supporters throughout working towards this goal. The minimum donation is $10 and every single penny goes straight to DMP. I feel like this is a great way for people to show their support for me and hope that I can convince a few more people to donate for me!

Check out my website at givingfirst.org/karat for more details.

Respect the Distance

I took a 20 mile tour of Littleton today. On foot.

Earlier this week I got an email from my client Meredith asking me if I wanted to meet up for my long run. She's doing the Colfax half so she only had 12, but said she could map out my other 8 so I could keep going. In her prime, she ran marathons including the NYC several times. Now that she's got kids and a crazy packed life she runs halves and has a pretty good steady 9:30-10:00ish pace. Because of the kids she asked if I would mind coming over near the salon to meet her. Truth be told, I am very intimidated by running outside for long distances. The treadmill is good to me because it has tvs, water fountains, bathrooms, a place to hold my refuel, and lots of meat heads to distract me. I bit the bullet, drove the 35 minutes through rush hour traffic to suburbia, packed a water belt and some Gu, and made a quick pit stop before she and I took off.

The Garmin Forerunner 305 is by far the best running investment I've ever made, today would have literally been impossible without it. Her husband suggested a loop that he thought was about 11 miles. I'm terrible with direction so I really have no clue where we were most of the time but we can over to Bear Creek Park which is where I did a photoshoot for Edelweiss By Sarah last year, and it is beautiful in the spring. There were some pretty crazy hills and the first one was at mile three and a half. Luckily, at the top there was a bathroom and a cool water stop (with cups!) so we took a quick minute stop before heading through the rest of the park. Poor Meredith is probably only 5'2" so I have a good 9 inches on her and it wasn't really fair to try and tackle the hill side by side. This was the only hill her husband had warned her about, it was by far the worst, but there ended up being several others that were a good challenge. It was kind of cool to see some new parts of Littleton and other than the wind, the weather was perfect. It turned out that the route was a little shorter than we had thought so we looped through her neighborhood til we hit mile 12, then stopped inside so I could refill my water belt.

Meredith had told me if I ran from her house to C470(the highway), it would be exactly 4 miles. Literally right where the sidewalk ended I hit mile 16. It was pretty hilly to run up Belleview and I might have considered stopping to walk but I knew that when I switchbacked I would get to run down all of those hills. It was nice to have the last 4 miles pretty easy. After hitting 20 I felt good and definitely could have kept going. It made me feel a lot more prepared for the race, and feel less bad about missing the 18 from two weeks ago. I can also say that I REALLY enjoyed being outside and will be doing more long runs outside in the beautiful Colorado sunshine. I never in a million years thought I would be able to say that I got up early on my day off to drive 30 minutes to run 20 miles with someone who is old enough to be my mom.

And as a random side note, lots of love to Columbine this week. Yes, we did have a crazy old man at the mall with a bomb that has yet to be identified.. but we're all A-OK. Remembering those lost that day 12 years ago, and all of those who were directly affected throughout our community. <3

Ashley!

This morning I woke up excited that it was the Boston Marathon. For the first time I understood what it meant to qualify for Boston, knew the names of people expected to win, and had friends who had been working their tails off in preparation for the race. I read about a bazillion running blogs and loved the buzz about the girls that were running today. It's amazing how the running culture is shared through blogging, and I was super excited for these girls that I've never even met. Personally, I had 3 friends running today. My friend Peter who lives in DC not only ran the race, but raised $2,342 for the Boston Living Center. Brady, a friend from Colorado who lives in Utah now. And Ashley. I know I have mentioned her before, so let's introduce you a little more.





This picture is the one and only time Ashley and I have ever been together in normal clothes.

This is how I normally see her:





I met Ashley at the gym in September. She was chatting with my trainer, Joe, and somehow we got introduced. I quickly learned that she was training for the Rock N Roll marathon, I was training for the half. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and had absolutely no idea that she knew EXACTLY what she was doing. She started running next to me and we started chatting, getting to know each other, and becoming friends. She rocked the Rock N Roll in 3:27 and qualified for Boston.

Monday runs have always been pretty miserable for me, but having Ashley there has made it fun. She might run a heck of a lot faster than me, but she is always incredibly encouraging. It's because of her inspiration/encouragement that I decided to sign up for the Colfax Marathon. She has been there to calm my nerves, pump me up, keep me going, and to tell me "get it girl!" I jokingly call her my "Running Coach," but I don't think she realizes that her coaching has been the one thing to keep my from backing out from this race.

The girl never gives up, never compares herself to her crazy amazing running friends (her boyfriend ran the Platte Half in 1:13:05), and always gives it all she's got. She completed the Boston today in 3:22:18 and I couldn't be more proud of her. Next month she will be running miles 13 to 23 with me and the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. Her incredible determination is exactly what I am going to need that day!

high mileage week

This morning when I woke up my legs felt refreshed and ready to run. I spent Monday on the elliptical and took Tuesday off from working out since I had a class before work. It was only half an hour before my normal start time but I am learning the importance of recovery and am glad that I listened to my body and let my muscles repair. I really wasn't all that sore from Sundays race since it was only 13.1 miles but I did run it at a faster pace than I train at, speed walked 5 more later that day, and my shins took a beating from the concrete trail. My 5 miles on Wednesday were relatively easy but it was nice to wake up today feeling ready to tackle my long run. After already pounding out 23 miles already this week, 10 seemed like a breeze. To think a month or so ago I was stressed to tears before a run that long.


Along with learning to become a better runner, I am also learning how to be the best girlfriend ever. My new relationship seems to be going really well, so I thought I would share with you some of my great gf secrets.

*Spread your time equally between the gym and your boyfriend. I have Fridays off, he goes to work at 3:30. I only spend half of my morning at the gym so that I can spend the other half with him before he goes to work. But maybe decided to do an extra few miles on his birthday and missed going to the Zoo and/or movie in celebration.

*Always be (un)fashionably late.
Text from me at 11:30 today: I should be over by 12:15
Reece:Great! See you soon!
arrival time: 12:35

*Be super low maintenance. Guys don't like when girls spend too much time getting ready, right? Natural product (no hair washing since Wednesday and running 10 mile on it is a great natural texturizer!) and greasy beach waves are hot! I made sure to let him know that I didn't have time to blowdry my hair, but might have forgotten to mention that the wet hair was made by sweat and not freshly washed hair.

*Let your boyfriend rub your tired achy legs for you, but don't shave your legs very often.

*Talk to him all about running, racing, upcoming races, all things running, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah (<---- I am sure this is what he hears).

*Offer to make him dinner but never ask him what he wants. I just assume he likes all of my healthy Paleo food, the way I prepare it, and has no preference when it comes to which healthy Paleo foods we eat together. Especially on his birthday. And on race day when it's time for a cheat, always suggest the food he's allergic too (frozen yogurt).

*Shower him with gifts.
"Sorry I'm late, but I brought you a cookie."
"Sorry I'm not ready yet, but I made you banana bread."
"Sorry I procrastinated my run and now you have to leave for work in an hour, but I brought you some hair gel!."


These my friends, are CLEARLY ways to keep your relationship thriving.

Platte River Half Marathon

When I came back from Christmas I was excited to hear that my coworker and friend, Stephanie, was signed up for a half marathon as a surprise from her personal trainer. She was less thrilled since she is not a cardio kind of girl, so I told her I would sign up too. I don't like running alongside my friends, but it's fun to have someone to chat with about training, the expo, and be there on race day. Not only was the race only $45, you got 30% off of a pair of Brooks shoes- double score. Since I had already committed to running the Colfax Marathon in May I thought it would be fun to have a race as one of my long runs. It turned out not to be the very best weekend as far as my training schedule was set up, but since I have already completed at least the half distance a good 5 times now, I was feeling confident and excited.

I prepped by eating a little more fruit over the last few days, and added in a little bit of potato and rice yesterday. Dinner at Garbanzo? Yum! I was a little worried about the rain that was forecasted to happen and anxiously awoke to hail in the middle of the night. Thankfully when 6:45 rolled around it was sunny, and today ended up being perfect race weather with the exception of some crazy wind. Going into this race I had two goals. The first, was to finish in under 2 hours.The second, to have fun and enjoy the run. My last half I finished in 2:01. That was in October, I was definitely less trained and conditioned, 10ish pounds heavier, but since I'm marathon training I have been focusing more on endurance than speed. During the drive over I was reading through my Pinterest board trying to get inspired and "in the zone." I like to write quotes, reminders, mantras, etc on my arm to help remind me of why I am doing it. I also like to pick one person for each mile of the race to run for. I was trying to go over my 13 people and I suddenly realized we were on Santa Fe near the Belleview exit. For those of you who don't know, I lost a dear friend in a TERRIBLE car accident right at that spot a few years ago. Goosebumps covered my arm and I knew exactly who I'd be running for(and with) today.I think Reece thought I was a little crazy this morning. He was such a trooper. He worked til 3:00 this morning, picked up my race packet yesterday, took me to the race, took pictures, cheered me on at the finish line, and ate Yogurtland with me even though he's lactose intolerant.

I was able to get a pretty good spot right at the front of the 9:00minute mile pace line. That was my goal, just stay under 9:00/mile. I bumped into my client Mike, and his wife Jackie, who I apparently talked into signing up for the race. Her goal was the same as mine and he was determined to beat me (which he did, by 4 minutes). I splurged and bought a Garmin Forerunner last week and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I set it to beep at my if I got under that pace and was happy it really only beeped during narrow entryways, and when I was grabbing water. I started out strong and stayed strong for the first half. So strong that I was able to slow down a lit bit for the second half. At mile 10 I realized that even if I ran 10 minute miles I would finish within my goal. What a great feeling. I soared through the next 2 miles and in the last mile was faced with one very steep hill. Wow, what a climb. Not a whole lot can make my calves hurt, but they burned as I trudged up this ridiculous hill. I was planning to run my last mile fastest of all, but this killed me and slowed me down during and after.

My official race time was 1:54- an 8 minute PR! I know I've only ran one half marathon but it was a PR nonetheless, and was a full 2 minutes faster than I've ever hit the 13.1 distance in my training. I can honestly say that I had tons of fun at the race and am so glad I decided to do it. Stephanie ended up finishing in 2:30 and Sarah (also from work) finished in 2:10. It was both of their first half marathons and I was so impressed with both of them. Kelsey, Lindsay, and Kim from the salon came to cheer us on and it was great to see them at the end. To my surprise, Ashley also ended up at the race because her boyfriend, Matt, decided last minute to run it. He finished in 1:13, and took second place. Typical Matt. I am so grateful to have so many people in my life supporting me and cheering me on through this crazy journey I have been on for the last couple of years. I can't believe that I went from getting winded walking a mile, to running a 5k in 42 minutes to running 13 8:45/miles! Colfax is in 5 weeks and I am feeling refreshed and ready to tackle that crazy distance!

Pinterested

A few weeks ago at church, my friend Valerie mentioned a website she likes called Pinterest. The next day I happened to come across it and have been glued to it ever since. It's more or less a virtual dream board, where you can hoard images under any particular topic. You could make a board of stuff that you want, hairstyles you like, wedding ideas, ANYTHING. You can follow your friends, or choose to follow people whose boards you like. You can create your own pins or re-pin other peoples. It's seriously addicting. So far I have only created one board, a collaboration of quotes and images that inspire me to run, work out, push harder. I keep a running journal and already have a bazillion quotes scribbled into the front of it, but this is definitely more fun. I love finding something that inspires me. When I am running I have am repeating a lot of these to myself over and over. Check out my board at pinterest.com/misskarat

Who else has a board?

Tape-ring

Everyone's been blogging about tapering, with less than 2 weeks til Boston. I figured I should taper too:





Oh wait, tapering doesn't include actual tape? Oops. My bad. I earned myself a mighty big blister last weekend from my street shoes, and a bandaid plus packing tape were the closest thing I had to moleskin or blisterguard. Luckily since I'm a mid striker, it doesn't really affect my running but my work shoe choices have been limited. It is *kind of* a taper week for me with the half on Sunday but really I'm just having a taper day on Friday. Since my marathon is more important to me than this half, I'm trying not to compromise my training too much.

Today was my last real run for the week and I loved every minute of it. I am actually getting really excited for Sunday! Maria was in today so we had nerdy Paleo carb loading talk and I am feeling really prepared. She also gave me permission to eat frozen yogurt after the race. Yogurtland, here I come!

Have I Done Any Good?

Not to steal a line from one of my favorite hymns.. but I am pretty sure the message of SERVICE was loud and clear in today's General Conference. This morning as I set out on my very windy run, I tried to clear my head to soak in the good word and messages I'd be hearing today. My mind wandered off onto a blog post I read over at Rust Belt Runner. Her local radio station has started a movement called The Drive Through Difference. The idea more or less is to do selfless acts of service in little ways like paying for the person behind you in the drive through, and encouraging that person to pass on the good deeds. As I fought the wind this morning I tried to think of little ways I could create opportunities to do this. After watching conference today I will definitely be looking for extra ways I can serve others.

With only one week til the Platte River Half Marathon , I am crossing my fingers for good weather. It was 82 degrees here in Denver yesterday, and 68 at 7:30 this morning when I laced up my shoes and headed out for a run. By 1:00 today it was cold and rainy, and by 2:00 it was snowing. I'm not really sure what tricks Mother Nature has up her sleeve, but this is really not funny.

I have been a little bit stressed out about the race, but am trying to be excited. I have set myself a time goal and have been training hard to be able to attain it. I know that my body is conditioned to complete it even faster than my goal, but sometimes the negativity takes control and I get nervous that I won't be able to push myself hard enough. After having terrible 16 last week I was unsure of how to go about my schedule and include tapering at the same time. Fridays run was scheduled to be 10 miles, and next Friday is supposed to be 18. Since I'm doing 13.1 on Sunday it is clear that 18 on Friday is not an option. I am still unsure of if I will be able to make up the 18 (considering running 5 more after the race), but I decided to do 13.1 on Friday within my goal time to remove all doubt of if I am capable of my goal. I put my playlist together, fueled up, brought appropriate refuel (honey stix, coconut juice, and a Lara Bar cut up), and ran with purpose. I'm feeling pretty confident, but now just have to work out the logistics- where to park, how to get my packet, what to wear, etc.


One thing I am really excited about is having people there. When I ran the Rock N Roll in October, I went it alone. My friend Nic dropped me off but didn't make to back to the park before I finished. As excited as it was just to finish, it was a little anti climatic to cross the line and then hang out waiting for my ride. For this race, Sarah and Steph from work are also running the race. Hopefully we will have a few of the salon girls there to cheer us on, and Reece promised to come watch me finish as well. Regardless of the outcome I need to remember that I am doing it for fun and to ENJOY all 13.1 miles.

workout this week:
ran 5 miles/abs
ran 6 miles/arms/chest/back
stair climber for 60 minutes
ran 5 miles/shoulders/abs
30 min elliptical/1 hour zen strength class (btw, I found out this is a lot of Vinyasa Yoga)
ran 13.1 miles/abs
rest

Does anyone have any specific examples of little acts of service they have performed? Or have been done to them? What songs would you suggest I add to my 13.1 playlist? What mantras work for you when you're giving yourself a pep talk?

I will.

I've said all along that if I follow my marathon training plan, the marathon will be work but it won't kill me. I am starting to think that I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Friday I ran 16 miles. By mile eleven I was ready to quit. I stopped for about 30 seconds after every mile for those last five. It was torture. I felt sick. I was hungry. My legs hurt. My toes were numb. But I pushed through and pounded it out. It took be 2:26, which is slower than I wanted, but nonetheless I got the job done. Mentally it is frustrating because I know how hard I struggled, and the marathon in 10.2 miles longer than that. I have my work cut out for me, but I am up for the challenge.

One of the things that has helped me the most is having mantras, songs, quotes, etc to repeat to myself when it gets hard. Luckily Friday morning Under Armour posted this video and I repeated to myself over and over "I will."



The good thing about having a bad run is that I get to learn from it. I am learning a lot about food and how to fuel my body for what I put it through. One thing that I know is that I haven't been eating enough fruit. I've been trying to shy away from it since I still want to take off a little weight, but now I know that my body needs the glucose so that I have glycogen stored in my muscles for endurance runs. I also know that I need to eat A LOT during, and after a run. Part of what set me back was that I only refueled with some coconut water and one packet of Gu. I also know now that I need to stay away from Gu. My next run will be with honey sticks and raisins or Lara Bars, which is much better for my body.

Because I spend a lot of time at the gym there are a lot people that I "know." Some I chat with, some I compliment when I can see that their hard work is paying off, some I like to stair at, and some I avoid (like that stupid wench who tells me my headphones are too loud). Recently I have noticed a growing trend that is ridiculous. Apparently, people think it's okay to COLOR THEIR HAIR IN THE LOCKER ROOM. Seriously? Just because someone doesn't want to make a mess in their own home does not mean they should have the opportunity to make a mess at the gym. It's almost as gross as the lady who uses a foot file on the bench by the lockers. Do people not have manners?

Scout, trends, and tunes

Fortunately while I was in Utah, Erica and her kids were there too. Since Erica is a stay at home mom she has a little more flexibility and was able make it out there a whole week before me and stay a day later. Harper (who I like to call Scout) asked several times a day "want to play? go play?" She takes turns asking every member of the family and does not discriminate towards anyone. One of her favorite playmates is my parents dog, Rocko. He generally tolerates with her hugging on him, pulling at him, and sneaking in his room to play with him. Unfortunately it was too much to handle last Tuesday and he bit the poor thing in the face. She had to have stitches in her nose and her lip and spent 5 hours at Primary Childrens before heading back to LA. Erica said she was super brave at the hospital. Please remember the cute little munchkin in your prayers as she heals.



I was thinking about it today, and I AM a hair and make-up artist, so maybe I should blog a little more about that? My clients come to me for beauty advice so I must be doing something right some of the time. You can also check out the salons website (salonfoushee.com) for the beauty tips section from all of the lovely SF ladies.

Here are some trends I am loving right now:

Feather Extensions




These started as kind of Boulder/hippie trend but have been spreading like wildfire. I spied a few people in Utah with them, but I do believe that Colorado is doing them better. A single bundle of multiple feathers like JLH has is what's hot. Not big clumpy ones, or 6 different single strands throughout the hair. The bundle I have in my bright red hair has a couple of striped ones, but several solid bright colors as well. It's a fun way to temporarily spice up your look without color commitment. What's also great about them is that they can be washed, blowdryed, smoothed, curled, etc. I even did a Brazilian Blowout with mine in.


Nail Polish



This particular look is on the darker side, but it's so popular that it's nearly impossible to find. It's part of the Katy Parry collection and it's so fun. You paint the Black Shatter over whichever color of nail polish you want and it crackles. Very unique and fun. Also for spring and summer we're seeing lots of BRIGHT colors.

Make-Up
If you had asked me any time in the last 6 months what's in trend of make-up, I would say "a flawless face." It's true, and it's still true. However, we're also seeing some super bright colors. To sum it up for spring I would say metallic eyes, bold bright liner, and thick brows. A lot of people overlook their eyebrows but they frame the face, accentuate the eye, and should not be forgotten. I personally use a soft shadow (MAC Texture on myself) with a thicker angled brush. It can be done more dramatic when my make-up is darker, or lightly for days that I'm not wearing much. They also make brow gels, pencils, waxes, or Benefit makes a wax/powder combo that is incredible. For blondes and lighter brunettes I love Omega from MAC.

Clothes
This is not my expertise. When I do laundry everything is gym clothes, socks/underwear/, or black. Today I had 1 colored shirt in my laundry. I apparently need to go shopping because guess what's in style for spring for clothes? Color. Of course. It's popping up everywhere. Citrus hues are big again this year. But really, big chunky bright bangles, bright mismatched patterns, bright this, bright that, I guess it's time for me to branch out. We're also seeing one piece swimsuits, scarves, stripes, long skirts, tassles, bell bottoms (retro everything), biker gear, crocheted clothing, and sheer fabrics. I might redirect you to lookbook.nu or tandsdaybook.blogspot.com for more some people with a little more fashion sense than me.



After a week of working out with crappy headphones and an old ipod shuffle, I broke down and rebought what I had before. What can I say, I am a creature of habit. I love my Nike Vapor headphones because the sound is clear, they're extremely comfortable, and they stay in my ears. Some models have a cord that splits in the middle in case you're working out with an arm band. Brilliant. The ones I love are a little sturdier and can handle all of my sweat, so they are worth the extra money. I also decided to stick to the 5th generation nano because I like the click wheel and the video. I can't use my sweaty finger on a touch screen! I don't know what they were thinking. Lucky for me, the Apple refurbished site had an 8gb for $99. Now I am back to square one on my playlist. I like to keep one long running "running" playlist that I can put on shuffle. Does anyone have any suggestions of some great tunes? Great music is imperative for a good run.


this week:
walked 3ish miles with Kelly
ran 3.5
ran 5
ran 6
elliptical for 30 minutes/1 hour Zen Strength
ran 8 miles/abs
rest

Today's 8 seemed pretty easy after last weeks 14. My original plan today was wake up, get my emissions done, run 8 miles, home and shower and be ready by 11:30 to meet Reece for the Zoo or a movie to celebrate his birthday. I got to the emissions place a little late, waiting for 45 minutes, and then they informed me that there was some piece of paper that was covering my VIN number and that I had to leave. Ugh. I spent 10 minutes in my car trying to shove papers/cd jackets/anything to move it out of the way. And then, I discovered a fork. Fantastic. I got it moved, then rewaited in line and got it taken care of. I didn't even finish my run until after noon and he had to work at 4:00 so the zoo/movie plan didn't happen. Instead we walked over to City Park (my favorite!!) and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and Colorado 65 degree weather. After he left I still had to go to the DMV but it was less painful and my registration is taken care of until next March. Phew.

Utah

This last weekend I headed to Salt Lake to see Chase along with the rest of the fam. The best thing about the flight to SLC is that it's usually only about 45 minutes. If you're smart like I am, you'll book a flight at the crack of dawn and sleep through the entire time. I was excited that Chase volunteered to pick me up from the airport. After I got in I headed to the eye doc for a new pack of contacts and new pair of glasses. I got the privilege of having my eyes dilated which led to some confusing text messages and a super fun drive in paper sunglasses. Friday night we all went out to The Pizza Factory for some grub and I enjoyed a delicious salad bar. I should have just had pizza and breadsticks because my eating was shortly derailed completely leading to ridiculous amounts of cookie and brownie consumption instead of the asparagus and broccoli my mom bought for me. Oops. Moving forward.

Hailey and I at dinner



Greg and Gavin:


Saturday I decided to pay the $10 fee to work out at Gold's Gym for my long run. I wasn't familiar enough with the area to map out my own. More than anything I was nervous about running this far of a distance in such a hilly area. So I hit the treadmill and busted out 14 miles. I'm pretty sure the guy next to me during the second half of it (machines shut off at 60 minutes) thought I was a little off, seeing as at mile 2 (which was really mile 9) I was dripping in sweat and downing a packet of Gu. My final time was 2:06, which is good enough for me. I'm hoping to shave off a little bit more per mile before my half, but I'm not too concerned. I must have been a little disoriented afterward because I left my ipod and favorite headphones on the treadmill and didn't realize it until Monday morning. When I called they didn't have it. Darn. I also got to have lunch with my bff Dave, trial run Sam's hair and make-up for her June wedding, and attend an engagement party for my cousin Allia. She is a traditional Muslim (my family is so diverse), and is following the customs for her engagement. It was fun to spend time with her and her sisters, I am really excited for her.

My heart is full of love and gratitude today for my little (not so little) brother Chase. Today he returned home from serving a two year mission for our church in San Antonio, Texas. I am impressed with his dedication and service, and am thankful for the blessings our family has received in the two years that he has been gone. Next weekend I am heading to Salt Lake to spend the weekend with my family. I can't wait to see my nieces nephews/brothers/sisters/parents/friends/ and see Chase again. Here is a couple of pictures of us together before his mission. The first one was I think in 2006, and the second was taken the day of his farewell talk at church.

Going into this week I knew my schedule was going to be different than normal. I headed up to Boulder on Monday evening to see one of my favorite artists, Joshua Radin. I just saw him in November and the set was almost the same as last time, but it was still an amazing time. Laura Jansen and Cary Brothers opened for him and they were both fantastic. Here's a picture of Julianne and I at the show.

Because of the concert and having a meeting on Wednesday I knew my running schedule was going to have to get rearranged. Since I ran 12 on Friday I didn't know how my Sunday morning run would go. I was scheduled 4 on Sunday, 6 on Tuesday, and 5 on Wednesday. Sunday morning I started out hoping to complete 6 but was worried that my legs would be too fatigued from Friday. Luckily they felt great and I knocked out my 6. Tuesday I did my 5, and Wednesday I did 4. It's been a while since I've ran three days in a row, and I could feel it. Fortunately I rested Wednesday and cross trained Thursday. Today the goal was 7 and not only was it easy, it felt great. I am starting to really love running. My next race (Platte Half) is in 5 weeks and I am getting really excited. My goal is sub 2hrs, and I am on track to reach that goal.

ran 6 miles/arms/abs

ran 5 miles

ran 4 miles/abs/chest/back

rest

elliptical 30 minutes/1 hr zen strength class

ran 7 miles

I also started a running journal via recommendation of some of my running mentors. It gives me the chance to record my work outs, and how I felt emotionally and physically about each run. Hopefully I will be able to learn from challenges, learn more about my body and mind, and make sure I am fueling before and after correctly. So far all I have in it is a bunch of quotes that I find motivating, just in case I need a little pep talk or a reminder of why I'm doing what I do.

No Excuses

Next time you start making excuses, remember this:

Last year I got to work with some very talented ladies on a photoshoot for Edelweiss by Sarah. Because NYC was extra frigid when Sarah needed to shoot her collection, she came to Colorado, which was much more fitting for the look of that collection. When I had gone to New York to visit Julianne I met Sarah, who lives and works in Brooklyn. When she decided to bring her collection here, she asked me to work hair and make-up for this shoot. If you haven't seen the pictures you can check out her website for all of the photos here: http://edelweissbysarah.com/fall10.htm

I was also lucky enough to get the gig for a line she did for Shabby Apple. Now, she is giving away one of her incredible dresses on The Daybook. Check out http://tandsdaybook.blogspot.com/ to enter!

fill in the blank

I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun.


1. I am currently obsessed with macadamia nuts and bananas. Sometimes eaten together. I think the nuts might be coated in crack.

2. Today I am annoyed because my toes took a beating during my run. Poor things are blistered and I keep knocking them on things.

3. The age I am is 24 and the age I feel is 20, the same age I was when I moved to Colorado. Sometimes I forget that I'm still aging. And then again, sometimes I feel like an old person with aches and pains + turning down plans to sleep.

4. My favorite place is Costco. There's nothing that you can't find there. I go 1-2 times a week and stock up on spinach, broccoli, rotisserie chicken, turkey breast, organic meat, baked apple chips, almond butter, or whatever my little heart desires.

5. Something I have been procrastinating is refolding the clothes on the shelf in my closet. I'm going to tackle that one today. After I catch up on my blog reading.

6. The last thing I purchased was some workout shirts from TJ Maxx. That place is dangerous.


7. The thing I love most about my home is that it's the perfect size of a city. Denver is big enough to have awesome concerts, cool restaurants/stores, but small enough to have it's own charm. I can drive across the city in like 10 minutes, yet still get lost if I try a different route. I love the people, the culture, and the scenery.



Part of why I posted this is because I had a pretty boring week. Got to the gym late on Monday, was thrilled that Ashley spent Presidents Day skiing and decided to come to get her run on a little later in the evening too. It's nice to have a friend to encourage me, and to help pass the time. Wednesday I did a "speed workout" which was more of a "I don't want to do this so I'll bust it out as quick as possible so I can be done" workout. That made for sore legs on Thursday. I've been doing this Zen Strength class on Thursdays that I have decided I like. It's kind of zumba/pilates/kickboxing/a bunch of old ladies dancing around. After I changed my running schedule I decided it was worth checking out. It's done with 3 pound weights, and your arms are up for long periods of time. It makes my shoulders burn! But more than anything I feel like it helps me stretch my hip flexors and gets me moving in a different way than I would on my own. Best of all, my legs still feel good on Friday.

Speaking of, I ended up getting out of bed a little later today and didn't have a whole lot of time to procrastinate my run. I fixed breakfast, stretched, prepared my Lara Bar/coconut juice, and headed to the gym. I had considered running at Highline today, but it was like 22 degrees at 11:30 when I finally made it out the door. Thankfully, I didn't have too much time to stew about it beforehand but still had major butterflies. I put some new songs into my running playlist this morning and was pretty excited to take on the challenge of 12 miles. I ended up adding another 1.1 at the end walking uphill, just so I could reach a half marathon distance. Even with adding that I finished in under 2 hours which is my goal for the Platte. It feels good to know I'm on track!

ran 4.5 miles, arms, chest, back
ran 6 miles, arms, 10 on elliptical
stair climber @ level 10 for 30 minutes, elliptical for 30
ran 4.5 miles, arms, abs
30 minutes elliptical, abs, Zen Strength
ran 12 miles, arms, chest, back, abs, elliptical for 15 minutes

Super excited for this coming week! Joshua Radin on Monday, Chase comes home on Friday!!!!!!!!!!

4 years ago...

This weekend marks my four year anniversary in Denver. I quit my job(s), packed up my Honda, best friend riding shotgun, and drove to Denver in search of an adventure. It's been an adventure to say the least. At the time, I was looking for a fresh start, and a place to call home. Since I have been here I have fallen in love with this beautiful city, met incredible people, and most importantly- evolved into a person that I am proud to be. I am truly blessed to be working in a career that I am passionate about, surrounded by incredible inspiring people, in a city that has so much to offer. Moving to Denver at 20 years old probably was not the most well thought out decision I've ever made, but it is by far one of the best decisions I've ever made.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

I had kind of a tough time in the gym this week. Well, more like a tough week in my head. It's all in the head, right? I have noticed on a lot of the running blogs that I follow that I am definitely not the only one getting the work out blues. I guess we all have those days, especially in the middle of winter. I had one of my worst runs on Monday and it plagued me all week. My Wednesday run went well, but I was dreading my long run yesterday. Up on the docket was 10 miles. That's a lot for me. I've only ran that distance probably...3 times? Daunting. I think what gets me down is that I'm worried if I can't tackle one of my longer runs, I won't be able to tackle my marathon which is still 3 months away. Ridiculous thinking, but that's how crazy my thoughts are. My drive over to the gym I had a lot on my mind. Something had happened earlier in the morning that kind of had me upset. I was trying to talk myself through it when I bumped into my friend Hannah (a trainer) in the locker room. She had barely said hi to me and I already had tears rolling down my face. It took a few minutes of pep talking, and I think I got all of my nerves out. I decided to slow down my pace a little, so that I didn't wear out too quickly. It turned out being a great run, I ran out my jitters, my frustrations, and still feel good today.

Also, I have decided to eat as Paleo as possible through my training. Usually I need Gu/shot blocks/some sort of fuel around mile 7 or 8. Yesterday I brought Coconut Juice and cut up an Apple Pie Lara Bar into bite size chunks. This older guy jumped on the treadmill next to me and saw me getting my treats into place. He turned to me and said, "Did you bring lunch?"

this weeks workout:
4.5 miles ran/abs/shoulders
6 miles ran/arms/chest/back
45 minute walk through my neighborhood
4.5 miles ran/arms
30 minutes elliptical/zen strength class
10 miles ran/arms/chest/back/some legs/30 minutes elliptical
rest (much needed!)

Paleo Valentine

Valentine's Day came early for me when I got this little treat at work on Wednesday. I was oh so excited to see my client, Maria, and update her on my paleo success. She's a 10 weeker, so I hadn't seen here since I read The Paleo Solution, and she didn't know that I had committed to the lifestyle. Nonetheless, she showed up with this bag of goodies for me, and I couldn't have been more giddy. Inside was a batch of a home baked nut mix and sugar free "dessert" gum. I am so lucky to have such great clients! Especially ones that care about my health.


There is nothing I love more than finishing a workout and having my shirt look like this"



There's something about dripping in sweat that makes me feel accomplished. I don't end up sweaty like this from the elliptical, that's for sure. Here was my schedule for the week:

4.5 miles ran, abs

6 miles ran, 15 minutes on the stair climber, 30 minutes on the elliptical, upper body strength training (this was workout night with Ashley)

elliptical for 45, legs, lots of extra stretching

4.5 miles ran, upper body, abs

60 minutes on elliptical (2 different ones)

6 miles ran, 15 minutes on elliptical, upper body, abs

Monday I was feeling really discouraged. Last Friday was an 8 and I was still feeling it after my rest day. When I got to the gym Monday night I was achy and tired. 20 minutes into my run Ashley showed up and changed my whole attitude. She and I chatted while I finished up my last 3 1/2 miles and it was a breeze. We finished catching up while we did the stair climber (brutal!), and some strength training. It was the exact pick me up I needed. I realized by Wednesday afternoon that I had been sick since the weekend. I wasn't necessarily achy from the gym, just from being sick. I am feeling much better now and today's run was a piece of cake. I also got a new pair of my favorite shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) and found out they come in wide! I am going to start rotating them in and hopefully will end up with a few less blisters. Excited that week 4 is out of the way!


As a side note, I saw No Strings Attached tonight. A few weeks ago a guy friend recommended I see it and he said, "it has a really great message." I kind of laughed and asked him what the message was. He responded with, "that love isn't convenient." He was right. The movie was good, and the message was loud and clear. Although I definitely don't practice in "no strings attached" sex, I felt very connected to the main character. I'm not going to go into the details of the movie, or the details of my dating life.. but I think it was a good reminder that sometimes you have to take a risk, even if that risk involves getting hurt.

Has anyone else seen any good movies lately? Anything exciting planned for Valentine's day?

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

My mom gave me a "Quoteables" journal a few years back, and I have loved their stuff ever since. They sell magnets and cards at Whole Foods and Papyrus in the mall, and I always stop to browse. This quote, is one that recently caught my eye so I snagged a card and hung it in my room. Every day, I try and get out of my comfort zone. For those of you who know me well and know about my rituals and routines (OCD much?), know that this isn't always easy for me to do. I live a pretty redundant life. I like that I wake up naturally at 7:13 every day. I like that I always run on treadmill #20. I like sitting in the back pew at church on the left hand side. I try not to let my OCD get in the way of my every day life. I have recently realized that I would rather be in control than be controlled, and I don't really think that's a completely healthy way of thinking. This is why I push myself into the uncontrollable unknown from time to time. Sometimes it's small, sometimes it's big. Sometimes it's scary, and sometimes it's exciting.

For me, running is scary. I get nervous, I doubt myself, I make the whole thing a big mental roadblock. When I started running I could run for 30 seconds at a time, then I would have to walk. It was frustrating and intimidating. I worked up to 5 minutes at a time, then 15, then 30.. Somewhere between run/walking a 5k Thanksgiving 2009 and now, I have challenged my mind and body to push past comfort and go a little further. I notched down my mileage after my half marathon, and 6 miles has became my comfortable cap. Thanks to my marathon training program I have no exceeded that mileage twice. I spent my morning eating the worlds slowest breakfast, stretching, procrastinating, and dreading my run. But I got there, didn't think of quitting or not doing it as an option, and ran my 8 miles.

Week 3: complete

Paleo update

I have been thinking about what I would write for this post all month now. I wasn't rehearsing what I might say, but was excited to know what information I would have to report. I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to eat Paleo for 90 days. I first heard of Paleo from my first Colorado trainer, Matt. Matt was awesome at kicking my butt, but eventually he left to start his own Crossfit gym. It is a little out of the way for me to go to, so I stick to Bally's but I did make it over for a few grueling Crossfit workouts. During one of our sessions Matt told me about a book called The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. I blew him off, I had my own plan. He persisted for a little while, but I was headstrong on my own ways.

Fast forward to fall of 2010. I was down 40 pounds for the year but struggling to get weight off around my midsection. 40 pounds was only one pant size. I was frustrated, tried changing up my diet, even trained for and ran a half marathon and the tummy wouldn't budge. Meanwhile one of my favorite clients, Laurie, started dating a guy named Steve who is a competitive Crossfitter. He runs a blog, stevepaleo.blogspot.com, so I set to check out her now hottie boyfriend. You should check him out too, he's nearly 50 and FIT. But oh, that darn Paleo again! She started eating this way and raved about the delicious food. Then there was my client Maria. The first time I did her hair, she had just come from a Crossfit workout. We chatted about Crossfit and then she asked me if I ate "Paleo." I got a little curious and asked her a few questions. It's a higher fat diet, it eliminates grains and dairy, and really anything that's processed. During one visit I asked her what her doctor had to say and she informed me that she is a doctor herself! 3 against 1, I toyed with the idea until Maria told me straight about a patient that was prediabetic, held weight around her middle, and the prescription Maria gave her was to read and live The Paleo Solution. Her next visit she was no longer in the diabetes danger zone, and while she hadn't really lost weight, she was down 4 dress sizes! I was sold, and bought the book that day.

I read the book, took in way too much information, but figured out what I needed to do to adapt the lifestyle. Robb informs you that it is good to know why you're doing it, but to give it at least 30 days and see how you feel. I was up for the challenge and decided that I would shoot for 3 full months. I was nervous about my ravenous sugar cravings, my love for cottage cheese, and my obsession with baking. So I baked myself silly, ate 38445 pieces of fudge at Christmas, and got rid of anything in my cupboards that might tempt me. So here we are, the very end of January. I did everything Robb told me to do. I even delved into reading Paleo for Athletes so I could learn how to boost my athletic performance.

Things I hate about diets: I am hungry, grumpy, moody, frustrated, CRAVE sugar (mostly cake for some weird reason), tired, upset, feel overwhelmed, and am looking for any excuse to call it a fail and get out of it.

Things I LOVE about the Paleo lifestyle: I am never hungry, everything is delicious, I have TONS of energy, I run faster, I recover faster, my skin is glowing, my eyes are whiter, I sleep better, and most of all- I dropped an entire size. My clothes are literally falling off of me.


Eating Paleo is THE EASIEST thing I have ever done. I never knew that I could feel so free from food. Although the diet is pretty restrictive (Fruits, vegetables, protein, nuts), I love that I can go to the produce section and pick out anything I want. I am learning new ways to cook, trying new vegetables, and learning that everything tastes better when you don't dull your taste buds with processed garbage. It takes a little more planning and preparation and even costs a little bit more money, but it is worth every minute and every penny. I am so excited to continue to eat Paleo, and know that it will help me DOMINATE my marathon in May!

Leaps and Bounds

I have dedicated 2011 to be a better version on myself. Something I've realized is that even though I can make the decision to be better, I also have to make some changes. Last weekend I made some pretty deep realizations about myself. Sometimes getting into that deep dark stuff that lies beneath is not very fun. I hate feeling vulnerable, and exposing all that crud (even to myself), was exactly what I made myself do. So I reached down deep and figured out where I needed to make some changes. Big change/accomplishment number one, I took my nose ring out. For good. Because I am choosing to be as obedient as I darn well possibly can.

Big change number two, I am no longer eating my feelings. Happy/sad/bored/excited/deserving/lonely/afraid/empowered.. just a few of the reasons I normally eat. I will update on how the Paleo is going after I've completed my first month. But I for once feel in control of food, instead of feeling like it controls me. Last week I dug out a pair of dusty skinny jeans in a size 10 that I over ambitiously purchased over the summer. They zip, they button, and I can still breathe.

And last but not least, I got a promotion at work. I have moved up to Element 3! This means that I am busy enough that I get to raise my prices. For existing clients, each service goes up $5. For new clients, each service goes up $10. This should help me have a busier schedule, and make more money. I've been working towards this for awhile now, so I couldn't be more excited!

I'll expound more on this with my Paleo post, but I have to tell you that this week I finally felt like a runner. Yes, after 4 races, countless miles (I'm counting them this year), 8 pairs of $100+ shoes, and 8 million ipod playlists, I feel like I can call myself a runner. I finished week 2/17 on my marathon training today by wrapping up my week with a 7 mile run. 7 miles in just under 65 minutes, and I didn't even try to make any excuses in my head of why I should stop. Woo!

Enjoying Wednesdays

“For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” Souza


I think most people look forward to weekends. Relaxing, time with family or friends, sleeping in, movies, concerts, etc. For me, I love Saturdays. Although it's a day packed full of work, it usually leads to getting dressed up, letting loose with friends, and no curfew. Sundays I get to recover, go to church, be pretty lazy, and get to bed early to face a grueling new week. Until now.

Monday I started my marathon training. 17 weeks of running 3 weekdays and a long run on Saturdays after work. There's plenty of other cardio, strength training, and yoga in there too. No more staying out late with friends, after work trips to Hacienda, or skimping on sleep. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, realizing that I am sacrificing my social life to work towards a goal. I realize that I will be missing out on birthday celebrations, dating, and eating out. And I think I'm okay with that. In the past when I have "gone on a diet," I couldn't wait for it to end. I'd count down the days til the weekend, til the end of the month, or whenever my release from food hell would be. But in this last year I have adapted healthy habits and enjoy eating a clean diet. I also really enjoy running most of the time. The rush of accomplishing something that I would have once thought impossible is worth the achy joints and nights staying in. While some days seem to drag, or be stressful, they are all part of my life. I can wish for the weekend, or May 15th, or summer... but all while I am wishing I am going to skip over enjoying the little accomplishments.

karat2.011

I am fortunate to work in a career that I am passionate about with an amazing group of women. While I am able to pick what I do, and where I choose to work, I don't always to get to choose who I work on. There's the clients who are always late, the ones who cancel two minutes after their appointment was supposed to start, have gobs of unruly hair, still style their hair like they're in the 80's no matter what I do to it, the ones that make unreasonable requests (while I can make your hair look like Jessica Biel's, the body and face are not included), or the ones that downright just aren't people I would normally choose to spend time with. Luckily, the good ones far outweigh the bad. I have found an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement from many of my clients. My experiences with these clients remind me why I do what I do.

Last week, one specific client came in with a brilliant idea. I'm not talking a picture of Scarlet Jo's new bob, or a fiery new color, but an idea that I have been thinking about since she was in. As we were talking about the new year and our new years resolution, she explained that she was going to become a new and improved, or 2.0, version of herself. Not different, not so far out of her element, but give 110% and get the most out of everything she does. I loved the concept and have been thinking of ways to create kara t 2.011 in 2011.

I love New Years Resolutions. Don't you? I am the master of goal setting/goal accomplishing. It could be my stubborn nature, or my ridiculous strong will, but while I don't consider myself competitive- I love a good challenge if it is against myself. I try to put myself out of my element every day, always progressing, evolving, improving, and learning. I love that the quote that says, "Life isn't about finding yourself, but creating yourself."

In 2011, I hope to create a better Kara T. I refuse to declare anything as "the best ever," but always as "the best yet." 2010 for me was a revolutionary year. Because of the hard work I put in, I was able to accomplish goals that even five years ago seemed completely out of reach. As I have entered this year I know that I am a stronger, more confident person and ready to tackle a lot of different areas of my life.

In 2011, I want to do things I have never done before. So far I have gone to my first Avalanche game and tried hot yoga (loved it). Not bad for two weeks in. I am also hoping to go to Europe, or at least travel somewhere I have never been. Of course my my biggest challenge is to run the marathon in May. If you could do something new this year, what would it be?

While I tend to be extremely OCD in some areas of my life, I am pretty messy. I like a clean kitchen. I don't really leave a whole lot out around the apartment, but during the week I tend to collect piles of clothes and "stuff" around my room leaving me a weekend of cleaning. I have realized that the biggest problem is that I have too much stuff. I house sat for one of my clients a few months ago, and was impressed with how immaculate her house was. I observed it was because they had no clutter, because there was nothing to be clutter. Not only do I was to get organized, I want to simplify my life. I feel like if I can let go of a lot of my "stuff," I can learn that to live with fewer "things." Until I have a house of my own, I don't really have use for a lot of the things that tend to collect in my closet.

In addition: I want to improve some relationships I have with friends, be a better listener, eat cleaner (so far, so good), grow spiritually, update my blog more often, broaden my social activities, be more on time for social activities, keep up on the yoga and stretching, read(books) more often, attend more sporting events, see more of Colorado, and learn not to let little things get to me. It is fun to think of where I will be at this time next year.

Did anyone else make resolutions?