Holly Two Point Zero

2016 has been a great year thus far.

Jonathan and I have confirmed two more trips this year:

Havasupai in July Half Dome in September

Time to step my training regimen up so I can conquer these hike-ins! 

I saved this image from a professor’s PowerPoint presentation years ago. I loved it then (even as a smoker), and I love it now. The message is simple and effective: smoking cigarettes harms yourself and others. It’s a choice made every single time you light up. 

Back in college, I wrote an opinion piece for the student newspaper about this bad habit. (No need to revisit it.) I acknowledged my inability to quit smoking despite my frequent desires to do so. At the time, I was not ready and I accepted it.

Sidenote to my 20-year-old self: You finally did it, kid. Sticking it to the tobacco industry for 15 months now! 

January 11, 2016

Let this be the last time (for the next three months) that I complete Week 1 of Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide. Last year I completed the four weeks of pre-training and pushed through the first six weeks of training. I was getting strong! And then life happened.

My father passed away, and suddenly I was planning a funeral. I couldn’t eat well. I stopped training. I stress-smoked two packs of cigarettes. I drank more beer than usual in the month following his death. 

I’m still processing how I feel, seven months later. But this much I know: When things go wrong, I don’t want to be the person who turns to cigarettes and alcohol for relief. That was my father’s move. It used to be my first instinct. He drank himself to the grave, and I won’t accept that lifestyle for myself.

While I can’t undo the damage I’ve inflicted on my body in earlier years, I’m just happy I fought to change. I’m still here. I’m alive and well. 

Health, then, for me, is not something I chase for vanity’s sake. I want to be strong enough to run long distances, to hike and backpack across the tallest mountains, and to complete even more crazy obstacle races. I want more life, more experiences, in my years. 

Spotted on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. 

I ran 362 miles in 2015. Incredibly proud of myself as it's the first time I embraced running and cross-training for an entire calendar year. I've quit cigarettes for good, and I love this healthier lifestyle. 

For 2016, I don't have a mileage goal, but I plan to run consistently. There were weeks last year I fell off, and it's difficult to get back on track after a break. Also, I must focus on proper running form to prevent injuries. I couldn't run for weeks in September because of pain I identified as the early stages of shin splints.