This Friday I am headed down to where I used to live in Alabama for my first visit in almost 2 years! 

This place is very special to me for many reasons, but especially so since it’s where I started running. It’s where I lost 45 lbs. It’s where I was finally able to take control of my life in more ways than just fitness. 

I moved away in 2012, in fact, I pushed my started date at my new job in DC back a few weeks because I had the LA Marathon on the books. When I left my full-time Alabama residency I was arguably in the best shape of my life since my last day of work was the week following the marathon. 

Between wedding planning and now home remodeling I’m getting sucked into a vortex of things I’ve actively tried to not care about ever.

Today we met with a design/renovation husband and wife team that came recommended by neighbors. I was basically like I have no vision, I just want it function, to flow, and to not be an eyesore like our current outdated kitchen and bath. When asked about our style I was like ummmm we’re going for a beachy vibe, despite not being near a beach or major body of water…

I’ve never been a “girly-girl” and I never spent time dreaming about weddings or homes. So of this upcoming planning is going to test my will for sure!

But at the end of the day I’ll be married to my guy and have a beautiful new kitchen and master bath so it’s worth. Oh and I’ll be broke haha.

Woooosaaaaa

Here 36 things about me to celebrate my 36th Birthday today!

My first CD was Hootie and the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View which was released 25 years ago

I owned a beeper in 8th grade its number was KEG-CAKE

There is no video footage of me before age 5

Pluto was still a planet when I was a kid

I wouldn’t have been able to navigate my college town without print outs of Mapquest maps

My first concert was Debbie Gibson in 2nd grade

I miss Dunkaroos

I was a Kraft Cheese and Macaroni kid, Easy Mac didn’t come out until I started college and it’s far inferior

Muppet Babies on Saturday mornings was the best

I remember when all of Long Island had a 516 area code

I spent too much time freshman year of college playing Snood

I took a keyboarding class, in high school

I remember the thrill of upgrading my boom box to a three cd changer

I saw Home Alone in the movie theaters

Aladdin was the first movie I saw in theaters twice

Between my cds and iTunes my music collection is one of the most expensive things I own

I remember being so happy when Discmans came with an anti-skip feature so my cd wouldn’t skip when hitting a pothole while riding the bus to school

I played Snake in my Nokia phone with interchange faceplates

My first ringtone song was Ice Ice Baby on that Nokia

I remember when remote controls weren’t remote then were attached by a cord to the tv, a clicker would be a more accurate name for it

The MTV VMAs used to be such an event

My afternoons in high school centered around watching Total Request Live (TRL) and I was on it twice!

The first song I drove to alone in the car was Jumpin’ Jumpin’ by Destiny’s Child

I started blogging in 2004 for a class and then been writing various blogs ever since

I joined Facebook my senior year of college in November 2004

AIM away messages were an art form I used to obsess over

I have been putting highlights and color in my hair since at least 1995

I have kept written journals since January 1, 1997

I was 3 weeks into my first year of college when 9/11 happened

I was 24 when my Dad died, so at this point, he was only alive for 2/3 of my life thus far

I remember the moment I took the cord from my tape to cd converter from my Discman and put it in my first iPod back in 2004. It was magic and listening to music in my car had forever been changed

My first car had a 5 cd-changer, in the trunk. So you had to choose wisely on those road trips!

I had cd holder visors on both the driver and passenger side in addition to huge albums all sorted methodically

I saw Rent on Broadway 13 times, including twice in 1 day

I have always hated people singing Happy Birthday to me and used to run screaming as a child

If you have a Hulu subscription and 98 minutes, I can’t recommend watching “Free Solo,” enough. It’s the Oscar-winning documentary about free solo (rocking climbing without ropes) climber Alex Honnold. I was vaguely familiar with this story, but watching his meticulous planning and approach to climbing El Cap was so inspiring. He was systematic, focused, had a support network/tribe, and wasn’t afraid. A key message throughout the doc was “do it until it’s not scary anymore.” I also loved the comparison a fellow climber made about the discipline, training, focus, and skills to free solo El Cap - imagine a gold medal worthy Olympic performance and how Alex’s option was to win the gold or die.

I came across a great Forbes article from earlier this month titled, “The Seven Lessons From “Free Solo” on Working Without a Rope”, the 7 lessons were:

The accomplishment is more preparation than performance

Know the terrain

Control the risks you can: anticipate the risks you can’t

Turn around when it’s not right

Seek mastery, not luck

Practice creates confidence

There are no “hacks”

I learned lesson 1 through marathon training. I ran a near perfect (to me) marathon in 5:04, after a serious training cycle. My second marathon I under-prepared and I willed myself to the finish dragging my sister along in 5: 28, but my third marathon I trained hard. However I knew it was going to be a tough race due to injury and 15 extra pounds of weight I was carrying since my last marathons, I finished in 5:45. As much as you focus on 26.2 miles it’s important to remember and celebrate the hundreds of miles you ran getting you to that start line. This notion holds true is all types of situations.

Know the terrain is an interesting one. Over the last year since I initially began to seriously toy with a career change/life transition, I knew I needed to really explore as much as I could before making any decisions. I started writing more, worked with a life coach, get certified in BODYPUMP, work as a fitness instructor, teach an Urban Hiking class, study my weight watchers leaders/meetings, absorb as much inspirational and aspirational health/wellness/fitness content in all forms as possible. If I am going to leap I want to know where I’m headed as well as I can.

I love lesson 3, I say it all the time - especially at my day job. I am a broken record of saying “control the control-ables” and “do your future self a favor.” I’ve come to realize how my strategic thinking skills are kinda like a superpower. I thought everyone had them, but I can just see the domino effect or the decision trees so clearly with most things. What can I avoid and what can I anticipate. Part of my anticipation skills at work has been to log and collect data that I know will be useful in the future or create documents are well labeled and put in folders where I can find them later so I can retool and send out when they are needed in a moment’s notice. I also write meeting agendas and send them 24 hours before the meeting because who knows what the next day will look like and I’d rather get it done. Any spare time I have each day at work I use 50% of it to chill for a moment and 50% of it to start tackling future projects or items that will likely be useful in the future.

Turn around when it’s not right, this is a lesson that has bitten me in the ass multiple times. Too often my ego or stubborn nature get in the way of my bailing on something or someone. I’m working on this daily. I think part of this life/career shift is to turn around from this life of a 9-5 in the same field for my whole career. My creativity is stifled and the more I head toward the light of change the more freedom I feel.

I can fully relate to practice create confidences to lesson 1 also, but faking it until you make it can only take you so far. Confidence comes from preparedness, learning, being mentored/supported, and building on smaller successes. I relied on bravado for a long time, but it’s nowhere near as powerful as confidence. When you KNOW something with every fiber of your being it’s a force to be reckoned with.