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!)