I'm a lucky woman, look at that smacker I get to kiss! So, what does one do on her 29th birthday? Work of course! Why oh why didn’t I take today off? I thought about calling in this morning, but remembered I have an important 10:00 call, so here I sit. Also, I was gung ho to try out that master’s swim class this morning, but we shoveled 2.5 yards of mulch last night so when 5:15 rolled around this morning, I hit snooze for about 2 more hours!!! Maybe I’ll give it a shot on Friday. Yesterday I ran 4 miles and lifted weights. Since I slept in this morning, this will have to be my rest day b/c tonight we are going to an Indian’s game with our neighbors tonight.

So what do I want to accomplish in my 29th year? In this next year I will work on being a better friend and wife, we can always improve in those areas. Definitely another marathon (or 2!). I’d say my first HIM, but that might not happen until the big 3-0 due to timing. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I really believe I will be better off training hard for sprints and an Olympic in the fall and then doing a HIM next season. I am just much more comfortable with that right now. And with us selling our house we have so many projects we have to get done in the next 2 months, which will really cut into my biking time. But I started training for the towpath marathon this week. I have some friends doing Indy in Nov though, so I might do that one instead or maybe Philly, anyone want to go to Philly and see Josh!

This is my last year of my 20s, which is just crazy to me, a little unsettling. Unless you have known me for 4+ years, which no one here does besides G, since I moved here 5 years ago, you would not even understand what a different person I am. And I owe the change to one thing and one thing alone, I started running. I’ll never know why I started running. I have always detested it and thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. I was the girl in gym class completely unable to run half a mile, I played soccer and made it through one year and decided I had exercise induced asthma (but really I just never learned to run and breathed like a hyena). Yet after living here for 1 year and being completely miserable b/c I knew no one and was far from home, I heard someone talking in my spinning class about wanting to learn to run. I approached her after class and told her I’d like to learn as well. So in Dec 2005 we started running on the track at the JCC on Tues/Thurs. We’d run a few laps and then walk a few. By spring we moved it outside and I did my first 5K. From there I was hooked and have been on some sort of plan ever since. All my wonderful friends are people I run with. Those running friends have translated over and we have book clubs and movie dates and dinner parties. Runners are the best! Then I moved to tris and have met even more great people. I used to drink and smoke and go out alllll the time. Now I rarely drink, never smoke and go out maybe once a month. But I love it this way and look forward to running into my 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond! Nothing makes me happier than printing out a fresh plan. I don’t always stick to them!!! But I like having them up on the fridge and putting a little check mark next to another workout. Now with Ironman in my head (many more years out than I originally thought) I love the idea of training in the bank. I know that one day I will be an Ironwoman, but look forward to taking a few years to become a better triathlete, become more disciplined (maybe just maybe a little faster!). I like working towards a purpose. I love this life. Thank you for all the birthday wishes and emails Bloggy Friends. You are a great group and I am thankful to count you as my friends!