Colfax Half Marathon - Complete!

I used to have a mental block when it came to running. I convinced myself I could only run around Wash Park once (2.6 miles). I have many friends who are runners who would encourage me to do races with them, which I'd always laugh off thinking "I can't run more than 3 miles!" But for some reason one day about a year ago, I decided to see what would happen if I tried to run Wash Park twice (5.6 miles)... and after I did it, I realized a) it wasn't that bad and b) I could probably run further if I just trained. So I began training for a half marathon taking place last October. I decided to train in my barefoot shoes (Vibrams) aka "monkey shoes" and loved it! As the race got closer though, I felt a shooting pain in my foot. I tried to ignore it but one week before the race I finally admitted to myself that I must have a stress fracture and opted out of running the race.

Once I saw that the Colfax Half Marathon took place the week before I leave to Italy, I knew I had to do it. I began training in February/March with the help of my "coach" Bri who has a few FULL marathons under her belt. She's been amazing with giving me suggestions and encouraging me along the way. This one was very different from the last. I trained with new shoes (although I'm still a fan of the Vibrams), planned my runs out more realistically and made sure not to overdo it. I started to really enjoy running – it became therapeutic for me. There’s nothing that can compare to the views of the pink sky over the lake or the crystal clear views of the mountains on my early morning runs.

Sunrise over Smith Lake, Washington Park

When race day got here I felt great. Whitney drove me to City Park at 5 a.m. and while it poured rain the day before, the morning of was beautiful! Having never run a race I had no idea where to go or what to do or even where to pin my bib. When the race finally started I felt completely energized. I loved running along historic Colfax and soaking up Denver before I leave. The entire race felt awesome and I'm sure the adrenaline helped me from getting tired. I kept waiting for it to come, but I enjoyed every minute of it.  I had some of my best times in the final 3 miles and wanted to finish strong.  I ended up finishing with a time far better than I had hoped for! It was such a rush and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment - I can see how people get addicted to these.

City Park on race morning

 

It was such a special feeling to have my family and friend's encouragement throughout and my cheer team there at the end. I now think back to that 2.6 miles that I thought I couldn't top. For me, this experience reinforced the fact that if you can define your goal, put your mind to it, and work hard to achieve it, you can make it happen! I can't wait to see what amazing views and beautiful paths I discover on my morning runs in Italy...

Pressing On

What an unpredictable journey life can be. I never thought I would be 32, about to leave on an amazing adventure on my own... and find myself unemployed. I don't think I've not had a job since before Video Visions back in high school.

It's been such an emotional rollercoaster since I was given the news that my "position was being eliminated." I've gone through so many emotions since then - anger, betrayal, fear, relief, empathy, excitement... Part of me is so angry with how it all went down, but another part of me feels like it could not have worked out more perfectly. Not only do I now have time to breathe and prepare for my trip, but now I can fully pour myself into my experience while I'm there. I haven't been passionate about my career for years now so this is the push I need to take some time in Italy to do some soul searching and to really quiet my mind and listen to what my heart tells me is my next step. It's almost as if this had to happen in order for me to truly embrace this experience.

I’ve always loved and have reflected back on numerous quotes and I’m sure I’ll be posting many more on this blog.  I have quotes written here and there at my home and former office and always seem to stumble upon them at the perfect time.  This new challenge has reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite books, The Alchemist.

“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we have learnt as we’ve moved towards that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, we are just about to see the horizon.”