Sunday, August 19, 2012

30!?!?!

I am behind on blogs. I'm sorry. LOL. I have one for 19 miles (that should have been 17, but my training partner is crazy) one on 20 miles (which was tough, but had LOTS of lessons involved) and a 22 miler which was AWESOME and left me feeling like a Rock star. (Trust me. It was a MUCH NEEDED change of pace!) and the I have one for yesterday's Half Marathon in Madison, WI. It was so much fun and so relaxing. I needed some down time. I feel like I have been wound up so tight. Between Mom's health, work, training and trying to be there for Hayden... I have been spread so thin I was ready to snap. A day sitting by the lake at the University of Wisconsin on the most gorgeous day you could ask for (especially after this summer who's heat had you holed up inside like a prisoner) gave me time to reflect on some things. Mostly, what I have planned for the next couple years. I recently turned 30.
The idea used to bother. I can't be 30. 30 means you are getting older. It seems surreal. I suppose I feel this way every time I (or one of my siblings) hits a "milestone birthday."  As I was watching this couple learn to windsurf... I got to thinking about a lot of things that are happening in my life. The sun was shining. The breeze was just enough to keep things comfortable. I was in a state of Bliss.

And I got to thinking that 30 isn't going to be all that bad. I mean, really, it IS just a number. In comparison to my 20s, there really isn't any comparison. I am going to do things as a 30-something that my 20-something counterpart would have NEVER DREAMED of doing. (I know because that was me! HA!) Like running a marathon. Voluntarily. And enjoying it. How about learning how to eat properly to fuel my running. How about making it through a Half without being miserable in the last 5K? How about actually ENJOYING work and feeling like I am making a place for myself there. I am going to become a YounggLife Leader and be more involved in the community that way. I have an AMAZING little boy who lights up my days with his laugh and vast knowledge, curiosity and love of running. I have a WONDERFUL husband who bends over backwards to make sure my dreams and goals come true. Who supports me and loves me, even when I don't think I deserve it. Yeah, my 20s were good. I had adventure and love in the Last Frontier. I made a home in the town I grew up in. I made great strives in improving my health and took control of my weight. I put in countless hours or blood sweat and tears to shed the pounds that I had spent my life hiding behind. Trying to protect me from disappointment and failure that were simply self-fulfilling prophecies.l If you believe you will fail, then you will fail. But guess what, now that the work is behind me, I get to ENJOY the fruits of my labor. Am I done? Not by a long shot, but I know that, and there is power there. Power to take the things I have done and build them, improve them, make them more than they were before.

Age doesn't matter and my 30s are going to be awesome. I am already seeing improvements since I signed up with Kyra, The Get in Shape Girl. I am almost to the Big Day when I run my first Full Marathon. I will then jump right into training for Goofy Challenge for my big blowout weekend before we start trying for Baby #2. Life isn't about how many years have passed. It is about how much life you have put into your years. I have LIVED more in the last 3 years than I did in my entire last decade and it is just the beginning. Now is the time to enjoy being a grown up. I have found my place. I have found myself. No more hiding from life. I am tired of hiding. I have learned how to LIVE. No more sidelines. This is the decade of going after the things I want and making them happen. Its time to take life by the horns and be in control. No, I am not 29. I don't want to be. I am 30 dammit. And I am proud of it. Yep, I have wrinkles (they show where years of smiles have been). Yep, I have gray hairs (who doesn't? LOL Its what dye is for). But I also have strength, laughter, family, love, faith, health and a handful of years to enjoy them. So I will.

Until Next Time....
Run On and Be Happy



2 comments:

  1. If you think 30 is good just wait for 50! It will blow your mind!!! Life is what you make it and YOU are making it awesome!

    Ma

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  2. I turn 30 in a few weeks and I'm trying to look at it more positively (thanks to the help of a few Spark friends). But it is hard for me because I am single and don't have any kids. That's the part that makes me really fell like time is moving too fast.

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