Life Lately

*ahem* Hello? Is this thing on? Holy moly, y’all… I swear that I’m alive, that things are fine. But at some point, blogging just wasn’t a priority. I’ve still done my races, had a blast, taken photos galore, but at some point, I’m just like Meh. That race recap isn’t important.

So here we are, it’s freaking December and I haven't really blogged about anything since what, June? Where have the last six months gone? Let me tell you.

1. Wedding Planning

We had all these grand intentions to knock out a whole bunch of important wedding things over the summer during the three weeks that we share as "down time" (and I use that term super loosely). We didn't get as much done as we could have, nor probably should have and now that we're like 106 days out, it's time to get cranking on things we haven't done yet (officiant, dessert, other relatively minor things) but it's time to be putting it all together! Holy cow! 

We did our engagement photos the weekend before Thanksgiving (you know, 9 months after we got engaged) and I'm just in LOVE. A drizzly, gray day at Disneyland but it made the colors and lighting and story just all that much better. We super lucked out with finding Brady and I can't wait to see what he does for our wedding! 

2. Still Running

I mean, you don't expect that to ever change, right? Since June, I've hopped around, running San Diego and Seattle half marathons, paced Ventura in September, ran the Long Beach Marathon in October, added a birthday race, went to a conference in Indiana and conveniently was there the same time as the Indianapolis Monumental race weekend so duh new state to cross off! Vegas was right after that with some of the best girlfriends ever to top it all off. Tomorrow, I'm headed up to Sacramento to run the California International Marathon (my original goal race for the year) and pending its result, maybe you'll actually hear all about it! 

This is how we roll. Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas 2016. 

3. Enjoying Family Time

My sister moved back to California from five years in New York in the middle of July and I am sooo happy to have her home! Not only is it great having her home for wedding planning, but it's pretty fantastic having my whole immediate family in one place. There are only four of us in my immediate family, so we are small, and it's awesome knowing that we can kinda see each other whenever. Lots of family time and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

4. #WorkLife

This summer was insane. I mean, summer always is and my running mileage takes a total nosedive, but that's expected. But we made it through another summer of orientation programming, insane schedules, ups and downs and a summer with these amazing 45 student leaders I get to call my team. They are ridiculous, spirited, genuine beautiful human beings and I am so grateful that I get to call it my job to work with them and watch them in action.

Scheedules this summer were just crazy, and that's an understatement to say the least, but nothing we couldn't handle! Next summer is already shaping up to be a little cray cray too, but that's the way it rolls in the world of higher education - you just about never know what you're going to get!

5. Health

Nothing major, to start. But a major struggle this year has been some health and wellness challenges that some days, just knock me on my butt. About 6 years ago, I did a sleep study that revealed nothing. Just last week (right before Thanksgiving), I did another and while results are pending, I am hopeful that it starts guiding my doctors to some answers. 

Can you sleep attached to that for a night?

My challenge is that I can sleep for hours - 5, 7, 10 - and I never feel rested. I never get to a point where I feel entirely alert. Any given day, I can take a nap on my office floor for an hour and be out (that's twice now), or I'm asleep in the car on the way home from Disneyland in 5 minutes flat. I am out cold - dead to the world - but still wake up feeling totally and completely exhausted. I've worn my Garmin to bed for the last three months to get an idea of my sleep habits and essentially, I never hit REM sleep, which is when your body ultimately settles down, recharges and rests. I never get there, which would explain why I can sleep 10 hours and feel just as tired as if I slept 5. My doctor mentioned a few ideas that he thinks may be the diagnosis, but I'll hold off until I actually find out what's up, hopefully in the next week or so. 

I like to think that this hasn't affected me day-to-day but in hindsight, it's totally dictated how some of my days, weeks, go and I hate it. Hate. It. 

So there you have it. It feels like a lot and then not a lot at all, but it all adds up, right? I'm hoping I can start getting on the blogging bandwagon again soon because I miss y'all! More soon. 

xoxo

285 Days

I haven't talked about my lay-off a whole lot on here, aside from hinting at a job search. While it's certainly taken a toll on my life the last 9 months, and it certainly gave me a little more time and motivation to kick my running up a (significant) notch, it's also been a source of worry, stress, anxiety and sometimes just downright depression over the same course of time. This blog has really gotten me through the running capacity of what the last almost-year has given me: a sense of relief, an escape, and a means for having a purpose to get up and go still.

I very much find my identity in my work, in my career. In fact, I don't think I even talk that much about work on here, really. So I want to do that a little, as it's a pretty important part of who I am and what drives me each day.

My undergraduate degree is in journalism - I wanted to be a high school journalism and English teacher. About halfway through my bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, I realized that was not my jam and instead found something else: student affairs. Working at a college or university, running any variety of college-oriented programs for our students. My master's degree is in Education, with a specialization or emphasis in higher education leadership... quite simply put, university administration.

After graduating from San Diego State, I moved to Texas where I worked in residence life, overseeing one of two residence halls with 400+ freshmen living under my roof and watch every single day. After three years there, I headed further east to Georgia and worked at the University of Georgia for two years, specifically working with 700+ student organizations on campus. After some time there, I made a conscious effort to focus on finding a job back on the west coast and getting settled into life with Doug and furthering my career in my home state. Marymount came calling, and I moved back to LA in July of 2013.

Road trippin'. July 2013, back to California!

11 months to the day of my first day at Marymount... was my last. I was laid off unexpectedly, and devastated to say the least. Summertime isn't a great time to start a job search, let alone have to do one, so I was stuck, lost, bewildered at where to go and what to do from there. You'd think that surely, there are plenty enough colleges and universities in the LA area that it wouldn't be hard to find a job, right? Wrong. It's hard. Even with six+ years of experience, it's hard.

Job searching is for the birds. However, I am STOKED, EXCITED, THRILLED, ELATED and RELIEVED, above all else, to say that after 52 applications; 20-something interviews betwen the phone and Skype and campus visits; countless numbers of tears and tension headaches; and 285 days of unemployment...  I am employed! My first day is today and I'm pretty freaking excited to be a part of a team again, to give back and get to work and do what I do best. 

I am so excited to be in a brand-new role (not just to me, but a brand new position altogether!), to get the change to create some new, signature initiatives and make my mark somewhere new too. I'll have more to share soon, but for now, just send me good vibes during this week and bear with me on some delayed updating of this dear little blog for a bit as I get settled. 

To all of you that have been part of this journey, thank you for your love, support, compassion and shoulders to lean on over the last almost-year. I am beyond grateful for your words and comfort when I needed it most, as 2014 wasn't all that kind.

285 days... it's over! 

New adventures. New job. Let's go 2015 - you're mine now!

On Being Behind

Hi strangers!

I am so far behind on all things blogging related - I mean, I ran 4 races in December and haven't told you about a single one of them! Blogger fail. But let's be real. I had a kick ass December. I'm really planning on getting a race cap or two done here (at least for Sunday's half), but in the meanwhile, I'll tell you what I've been up to (or you can always follow me on Instagram, because then you'll be more likely to know!). ;) But as you'll see in my mostly-photos-recap of the last four weeks, it's been craaaaaazy... and real fun.

December started with the Reindeer Romp, a local 5K that we ran last year and plan on running for the next few years, if only to collect their awesome ornaments. Not a PR, but a solid showing (26:10) and good for 3rd in my age group. 

The named reindeer changes every year so you can eventually collect them all!

 And then Doug's high school football team won their CIF championship game that night!

I got my championship fill that weekend, too, as Dad and I ventured to the 2014 MLS Cup to watch our LA Galaxy be the #FirsttoFive MLS Cups. My first Cup game and our team won, to boot! 

The following weekend was December Epic Adventure Weekend #1, the only (mostly) planned one of the month, and we figured a great way to end the year. On Saturday, Dad and I ran the Lexus Lace Up 5K (thanks, GroupOn!) - a super tough course but a 25:31 finish, good for a 1st age group win, which hasn't happend in a loooong time. I was also 11th female overall!

Later that day, Doug and I headed to KROQ's annual Almost Acoustic Christmas show - it's now a 2-day show, and we snagged tickets to an amazing night one: New Politics, Royal Blood, Walk the Moon, Bush, Fall Out Boy, System of a Down, Linkin Park, Incubus and Rise Against. A-MAZ-ING.

The next morning, I got up and raced again! This time, the Santa Hustle Half Marathon. Santa Hustle is new to the west coast and I was lucky enough to earn a free entry through its ambassador program. Doug ran the 5K while I chatted with Natalie for 2:17:39. A totally and completely flat course, which I'm finding is more challenging than rolling hills. After the race, we spent all day playing at Knotts Berry Farm (the half marathon registration comes with park tickets!).

The following weekend (are you tired yet, because I am) we headed to Vegas for Doug's big 30th birthday! He wanted to go all out, so 7 of us headed out for the weekend, complete with club tour, gourmet steakhouses and all the fun. Happy 30th, babe!

Christmas, of course, came and went. We spent Christmas Eve and the next morning at my aunt's house in Big Bear (so a semi-white Christmas!) and then I finished Christmas Day at Doug's. I love having so many places to go, but man! It's tiring, too.

And then this past weekend was an impromptu December Epic Adventure Weekend #2: having one last lunch with my sister and sending her off to the airport back to New York, the Holiday Bowl on Saturday night, running a half marathon on Sunday morning that I signed up for on the way to the Holiday Bowl, and then killing the rest of the day at Sea World to end the year of our annual passes.

Epic month. I'm tired. Race recaps coming soon, I promise, as I get ready to kick off a new year with this blog! More on that coming soon!

Was your December as craaaaazy as mine?

Worst Blogger Ever Award

...goes to ME!

I win. Or lose, depending how you look at it. To say that life has certainly been overwhelming - in the best way possible - would be an understatement, but at least I am enjoying every bit of this crazy ride. It's absurd to think that I've been back in California for two months now (as of tomorrow!), and that I've been at the new job for about seven weeks (also as of tomorrow).

Orientation for new students at Marymount!

This past weekend, I was in Texas for a sorority board meeeting. I love these women and am so excited when I get to spend 40 glorious hours with them. I packed running shoes, and clothes, and set the alarm... and never made it to the hotel gym either morning. The first morning I was a little irritated and the second morning I didn't really care. And that's okay. I need to find my place again and maybe right now, I just need to settle into it. I'll find that place again! 

 Being back in the same city/area/time zone as the boyfriend is pretty also freaking fantastic. My Friday evenings are at high school football games, where he coaches, and reliving spending high school days cheering him on as he played! It's fun times - and quite the trip as well. Part of getting into this groove with running lately is also figuring out how to balance work, a commute, and a social life. It's trickier than I thought and makes me realize how much running in Georgia was my social life. And that was okay, and it worked -- but here I have more of a balancing act to do! I'll figure it out in time!

Friday night lights.

Running has certainly taken a backseat in this life - mostly to the fact that I'm spending three (yes, three) hours in the car each day on the commute to and from my job. While it's not ideal, and far from that, I'm doing some major financial recovery and that, my friends, is a definite perk. I'm saving lots, paying off the debt, and making some progress towards some financial goals (namely, having a savings account again). So, it's a pain, but there are benefits to come, for sure.


Training for RnRLV is technically under way, but the last two weeks have been a struggle to find that training regimen groove again. As of this week, I start what will be my normal work hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm. So I have mornings to still peel myself out of bed and go run, but have some recovery and down time afterwards. I don't have to peel myself out of bed at 5:30, but even 7 works! This makes me super excited - not to mention that I'll never drive during rush hour again. Woo!

Training update and plan to come on Wednesday. Because I'm back. And plan on actually blogging again - just you wait and see!

When you changed lifestyles (work, social life, etc.), how did you adjust your running? Tips?

January Recap

January itself was not an exciting month, really - it's when my training kicked into high gear, I took my longest runs in stride (and achieved more than I thought I would!), and got back in the groove of work after a great week at home for the holidays. So, without much else to say about a fairly lackluster month.... the recap!

• Total run mileage: 78.16 miles (highest ever!)
• Highest weekly run mileage: 24.51 miles
•  # runs: 14
•  # rest days: 14
• Favorite run: I feel like I'm cheating because my favorite run and hardest run are the same - the half marathon this past weekend! Favorite run because it will totally stick out in my mind as the moment that I said, "Ok, I can do this!" And that's probably one of the greatest feelings ever; I'd like to live that forever. Yes please. Race report is linked below. :)
• Hardest run: See above! It definitely tested my mental abilities - I didn't ever really think "I can't do this," but it definitely pushed me and made me work for it. 
•  Current reads: Born to Run – started this a few weeks ago, and jumped right in. Have slacked lately, but what a read! I recommend checking it out!
• Current obsession: Essie Shine of the Times polish! I bought this at home after Christmas, and somehow in my venture back to Georgia, it disappeared and I was rather devastated. I wanted to replace it all last month, but I just got it again (thank you pay day!). It’s beautiful – I’m currently wearing it over a dark, chocolate brown as the base and used the glitter as a purposefully-messy French mani. LOVE.
• Current drink: Water. Always water – I’ve slacked this week with my water consumption, but trying to get back in the strong habit of my 3+ liters a day! Workin’ on it!
• Current song: Still my inspiration song, "My Body" by Young the Giant. Beat and music is perfect, but the words are even perfect. Check out the song and lyrics if you haven't already.
• Current need: A little extra sleep here and there would always be nice!
• Current triumph: Finishing my first half marathon this past Sunday! A great way to start the year and a great way to end January, just enough to encourage me for the rest of the year! Check out my race report if you haven't already.
• Current goal: I get to register for my next half, and will probably do that tomorrow – I’m looking at the Zooma Women’s Half Marathon on April 22. It’s only about an hour from me (aka. perfect) and I’m excited about the opportunity to do an all-women’s race.
• Current indulgence: I had ice cream for the first time in what felt like forever tonight - actually, it was ice cream for dinner. Moose Tracks. A fabulous choice and I'm super duper happy with it!
• Current excitement: Signing up for half #2, February's excitement (conference my students are hosting, a 10K here in Athens, bestie's bachelorette party in Phoenix!).
• Upcoming races: the Taste of Athens 10K on February 18, and kicking off aforementioned bachelorette weekend with a 5K in Arizona (new run state #1 for the year!). Stoked for both! And looking forward to registering for more! Yep, I'm hooked.

February is bound to be busy, but great. In just a week and a half, the conference that my students put on will be here - I can hardly believe it. I feel like we were just starting the planning for it last week. I'm excited to see their work come to life, and to welcome 200+ students and advisors from all around Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina to UGA for the day. Yay! The weekend after is the Taste 10K, and I'm considering checking out the actual Taste of Athens event that Sunday. And the weekend after, the last weekend, is the Phoenix bachelorette party! Happy times ahead!

Happy February - can you believe it's here?!

New Year Goals for 2012

I always set up goals for myself, tend to forget what I've said I want to do, or just kind of... let them fall by the wayside, let's say. I am hoping by blogging them, for one, and for two, regularly checking back to see how I'm doing, I can actually hold myself accountable for the things I'd like to achieve. You can help, too! *hint*

I have a few things I'd like to start working on, a few that are essentially in progress, and some that are life-bucket list things that are things I've always wanted to work on. So, with that... here you have it.

Personal Finances - this is going to be vague to you for obvious reasons, but you'll get my gist!

• Increase my savings - always a works in progress, but especially because so much of it was used to move this fall, that for personal safety and sanity, I'd like to buff it up again.
• Talk with my bank to lower my credit card interest rate - I'm actually really excited about this and am going to talk to my bank this week! I worked hard, especially thanks to not paying rent for 3 years while an RD, and dramatically worked to improve my credit score and reduce my debt. Hoping the conversation this week with them works in my favor!
• Lower my debt - enough said. School loans are well under way, but a few years' worth of credit card use has me continuing on working on this one. I'd like to have at least half paid off by the end of the year.

Health & Fitness

• Complete 3 half marathons - My first is in 27 days, eep! But I am so excited and actually feel like I am thoroughly training and preparing for this. If this January one goes well, I am hoping to run one in March also. And then, of course, some lofty goals to run a few in the fall!
• 800 miles - Yep. I said it.  I did 200 this year, and 3/4 of that was October-December, so I think I can make this work. Especially if I make Health Goal #1 (3 half-marathons). Keep rootin' for me! I'm nervous, but I think I can do this one!
• Meatless Mondays - I tried this for awhile, but tended to remember at random. I would like to make this a conscious effort each week. With this, I'd also like to lower my red meat consumption to once a week (not super difficult, given that I currently don't each much red meat, but would again like to make an effort).
• Complete one race a month - this is already definitely under way! And I'm excited about it. I'd like to amp it up and do a few more than 5Ks, especially given that I'll be doing the half at the end of this month, but am open to random exciting 5Ks (like The Color Run). You can check out my Running page for more info... pretty pumped!

Life

• Get my Athens library membership - I've said I was going to do this since I moved here, and have yet to do so. Because... with that, I'd like to read 30 books this year. I need to read more, learn more, and get my mind a little more regularly active!
• Volunteer - It's easy to say I'm going to volunteer, but I'd like to commit 8-10 hours a month to doing something in my community. While my first humane society experience wasn't stellar, there are other animal opportunities in the area that I'd like to do! This can be around my community, randomness in Atlanta, and even taking on opportunities with my sorority some more.
• Travel - I'd like to get to three new states this year. I'm lucky that I haven't been to the majority of the eastern seaboard, and two new states (Tennessee and South Carolina) are both about a two hour drive. So this should be easy, but I'd like to take trips to these places with a purpose, not just to cross them off.

And there you have it! What are your resolutions? How can I help you stay on track? Need a running buddy? Holler! :)

Thanksgiving Musings

Thanksgiving Day, two days from now, marks three months at my new position at a new school (and today is three months in Athens!). So many Facebook statuses and Twitter posts have been the Daily Thankful For posts and while I haven't participated each day, it's made me think and consider what I am truly thankful for this year.

• My family: without whom I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. Especially this year, with a very tumultuous job search, my parents welcomed me back (maybe not with open arms, but comforting arms nonetheless), helped me move across the country, and have continued to be my biggest fans. I can only hope that in all I do, I've returned the favor and shown them how much I appreciate them all. And to my little sister, who I hope has embraced her New York adventure, and known that moving far away from home can be all that it's cracked up to be!
• My health: I feel so fortunate to be able to run like I do (when I get motivated!). After two knee surgeries, I probably shouldn't be doing the road damage that I do, but knowing that I can do it, I can handle it, and for the  most part, my body accepts the challenge. There are others who are not as fortunate to physically be able to accomplish the same things, and I feel so grateful that I do... and I try. Additionally, after a very trying year with some other health issues (sleeping-related, semi-apparently thyroid related) I feel pretty good -- definitely not where I used to be, but definitely not where I was in the middle of that year of exams, medication, and endless appointments. I am glad to be able to get up after 6 hours of sleep some nights and be able to function normally again!
• A job!: after a very difficult decision in leaving the last one that I loved, I knew it was time to move on. And after a very up-and-down, stressful and exhausting search, I was blessed enough to find one... all in good time, right? Right. I'm learning and still taking it all in, but so far, so good, and more adventures to come! 

More to come... I have lots to be thankful for. :)