So it's been a minute...

Life has been nothing less but hectic, and absolutely wonderful for the past few months which resulted in a lack of posting. Between running my first Marathon in January, to some mini vacations, job hunting, moving to New York City, starting a new job, writing has been the last thing on my agenda unfortunately. However, I promise to post weekly about my exciting new adventures, struggles, and of course running which is picking back up quite wonderfully.

So... I did a thing and ran a Marathon in January. I ran the Town of Celebration Marathon and met my time goal and had a truly fantastic time with it. I struggled, triumphed, learned how strong I am physically and mentally, and crossed the finish line with tears on my face and barely able to breathe because of how proud I was of myself. Here are a couple pictures my sweet father took after he cheered me on:

Moving to New York City has been a dream of mine since I was 19 years old. Although I have a mountain spirit, I decided for my career and current state of 24-ness that I would pick up and move to the big apple. I have been here now for going on 4 months, and when they say "the city that never sleeps" they really mean it. New Yorkers function in a constant state of being tired. I love the non-stop action, opportunities at my finger tips, and how quickly I am excelling and moving forward in my career. No where else in the world does your career boom as quickly as it does here, with lots of moving parts, quick negotiations, and people willing to give you chances.

Mom's visit in July

I love how active the city and its people are, being forced and loving walking everywhere in such a pedestrian friendly city. You can literally walk the entire city, and I regularly strap on a backpack and can even run home from work! (I will do a backpack and NYC necessary gear review soon!) There are also copious amounts of running clubs and races regularly going on around the city. I have joined the Nike Running Club for many runs and will soon run with the Brooklyn Trail Runners to experience some of the more scenic trails around the city. I am very excited with how easily accessible it is to reach the trails around the area, even including the Appalachian Trail.

Running here is hands down the best way to explore, to de-stress, to remember who I am, my goals and ambitions, and to not allow myself to get caught up in doing things that are not uniquely me. When I run I feel in the purest form of myself, I have the thoughts that get jumbled up in regular day to day activities. I am kinder, more patient, understanding, and loving. Running will do this to you, if only the whole world ran.

 NYRR Women's Mini 10k (not sure why "mini")

 Nike Pride Run

Running the Queensboro bridge to Manhattan