What Now? Finishing Out 2023
I feel like it’s been a moment since I sat down and truly wrote about where my life is.
The last few months have been absolutely wild for me and my family. Gabriel and I got engaged and married in the most perfect ceremony hidden away in the mountains. I toed many start lines and received my first DNF. We moved into our tiny home and had a surprise on the way…
This entire year has felt so chaotic but in such a good way. So many big things have happened and although it felt like major whiplash at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
After getting engaged at the Leadville Marathon, we then moved into our tiny house and have honestly been trying to adapt since then. Although we’re good at living in small spaces, we’re still learning how to organize and best utilize every inch of space. Thankfully, Gabriel and my mom were able to get it winterized so we’re ready for the Colorado winter!
I spent the first half of the year training for the Leadville 100 and a week before I stepped on the start line, I found out I was pregnant.
I honestly can’t even begin to express how excited and happy I am. This has been a long journey and to have a baby on the way feels like an impossible blessing.
But immediately, I decided that I would drop from the race if anything felt weird. I pretty much knew I wouldn’t make it up Hope Pass but I wanted to see how far I could go.
25 miles and almost 5 hours in and I wasn’t able to keep water down and hadn’t eaten anything. So I sat my exhausted, dehydrated self in the med tent and withdrew from the race. Our baby was 6 weeks old and had already run (almost) a marathon.
Maybe I’ll talk about it more, but I haven’t felt any regret or guilt for dropping out of the race I’ve spent years fighting to get to.
With the excitement and busyness of the summer finally tucked away, I feel like I can breathe and get life in some form of order. For the rest of the year, we’ll be getting our home ready for the baby, building a solid running base, planning next summer’s adventures, and I’ll be creating more content. As the chaos dies down, I’m finding my way back to writing and creating. It’s easy to get burned out creating art when life is running a thousand miles a minute but I’m savoring this slow season to start making and sharing again.
I’m excited for this slower season to begin. Lots of slow miles to run, cozy mornings in our home baking and listening to music, and finding a new rhythm not only for myself but as a family.
With a few months left in the year, I’m excited to finish up a few goals I’ve been working on and even more excited to see where the next year takes us!
