I'm NOT a Runner...Yet!

This used to be my motto for running.

When I first started my path as the Urban Hiker Girl, one of my goals was to be able to run. I wasn't exactly sure how far or when I wanted to run, only that I wanted to be able to do it. Comfortably. I wanted to be able to run and play with my niece and nephew and my students without going out of breath quickly, without hurting my joints, and without looking awkward.

I can run now! I can chase my niece and nephew and my students and not be out of breath and not look awkward. Granted, sometimes those kids are still faster than me, but I can do it.

I've started to add jogging on the treadmill into my workouts. For a while I was mixing it in with walking by varying my pace on the treadmill every time a song on my workout playlist changed (song change = pace change).

A few months ago I downloaded the Couch to 5k app (click here to get yours!), but I didn't start using it right away. I let it sit on my phone for a while. I even contemplated deleting it because I wasn't sure I was going to use it; I kept it because I paid for it and didn't want to throw away money.

Last week I started using it. I pushed through week one. It was mostly a mental battle because of the stress I've been under; the variety in the workout was similar to how I'd been varying my treadmill workouts so the physical part wasn't too hard. But now I can say: I'm becoming a runner! Week two, day one done and more to come!

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years.There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." ~John Bingham

I Think I'm in Love

our walk last weekend

I think I'm in love- with Utah. How could you not love it here surrounded by all this natural beauty? Granted, the food/restaurant choices leave something to be desired and make me miss Seattle, but oh the beauty of this place!
And I'm in love with the new me. I'm so proud of how hard I've worked and happy about how I feel and

the view from school in the morning

look. How I feel now is an amazing, drastic difference to how I felt a year ago. I love being me and am absolutely comfortable in my own skin. (Except the day after I eat almost an entire pizza with my roommates help, then I'm not so comfy, but pizza aside, I'm happy being me.)
My roommate and I go hiking every weekend, sometimes twice in a weekend. Last weekend's "hike" didn't quite turn out as hoped, but our walk around the park allowed us some good time to chat with and get to know another coworker of ours.
I love being more active and having more energy. I've been able to jog even. THAT I don't love, and I may never love it, but I do LOVE that I'm able to do it. It's wonderful how my body can move.

First Day of First Grade 2014

Second Day of School 2014