10-Year Rewind // Before the Blog

You know how everyone always asks what’s in your 5-year or 10-year plans? Do you ever know how to answer that question? I definitely felt like I was super goal-oriented and ambitious 10 years ago. I’d daydream about what direction my career would take, where my personal life would meander, and when kids might enter the equation. I thought it’d be fun instead of projecting what my next 10 years might look like . . . to take a step back and examine myself 10 years ago. When I was 24.

Stephen and I were married a couple months after I turned 24 (he was 23! We were BABIES!).

We lived together in a 2-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Ithaca, NY, at the time. Scully (R.I.P.) lived with us, and I took a lot of photos of her back then. It was in this apartment that I really started cooking and baking up a storm. I started my first blog (Method) here, and I’m pretty sure this photo is from some pumpkin muffins I posted.


I used to love how the sunlight would stream into our kitchen from the sliding doors leading out to the tiny balcony. I think we MAY have been able to see a sliver of Cayuga lake from this spot. Oh, by this point, I had lived in a whopping 10 different houses/apartments in my life.

Scully had already lived in five, so that shows you exactly how much I had moved in the three years since college graduation (I adopted Scully a few weeks after graduating in 2005).



Stephen and I were big into running shorter distance races back then. I think we mostly did 10Ks, but we’d do long runs like up to 8 miles. Our apartment was in a hilly area with mostly country highways, so I didn’t like going much farther than that. It was a good area for biking, though, which is why you see those bikes on our balcony. We’d go for hours-long rides and look at the lake.

We especially liked trekking to a nearby park that had a lighthouse.


We also did a lot of kayaking. I don’t remember what it’s like to have so much free time!


So, when I was 24, I was working at a software company in the marketing department. I absolutely loved the people I worked with. In fact, I’m still very close friends with a few of them.

LOL. Sorry, guys. I love this photo.



Professionally, though, I was sort of a mess. I was in over my head trying to go from a communications person to a marketing manager. I had no idea what I was doing half the time. I was traveling often for work (which really stressed me out).

Here’s a photo from a campus visit where I helped film our products in action.


Anyway, it got to be too much. Around 10 years ago I did make the decision to leave that job and pursue a different path. I first left and started working as a professional writing tutor at a community college. I won’t go into my career progression (I covered it in a video, if you’re interested). But that was a big transition for me in 2007/8.

What else? I was getting really into photography. I bought my first DSLR and would take long walks just to find photo opportunities. I learned a lot through trial and error.


I was also in community orchestra.


We had moved to downtown Ithaca at some point during that year because we were unhappy in the country. But that ended up not working out either because Stephen was commuting to his first teaching job, and it was killer for him. So, one of the biggest changes that year was the big move from Ithaca about an hour away. It was still close, but we knew nobody, so intimidating and somewhat a mixed bag of emotions.

Also: Moving multiple times in a year SUCKS.


We bought our first house, so you can see that this meant I had moved from house/apartment 10 earlier to 11 and then 12. Phew. But it was cool to dig in and do some DIY home stuff.

Like ripping up #allthecarpet


Wow does style change. This was a mood board I had made for the living room plan at the new house.

Holy orange and blue!


I was super into mid-century style.


And this was our bedroom. I was so proud of it back then!


And then some short while after we moved in, we adopted Rivey.


And then at some point, I started working at the university library. This was my usual style there. I always wore scarves, too. For some reason, I have this photo titled “zero-dollar outfit” -- so I was into frugal fashion even 10 years ago!


I also started (never)homemaker around the same time in my small, carpeted kitchen. A few of you have been following me since then. Wow. Thank you. Can you believe this is 10 years ago?!?!?!


What a blast from the past. Thanks for reading if you got this far. I am hoping to put up my gift ideas for kids post soon!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

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10 Years of Running: Changes

Shoes.

I started running in a pair of Adidas trail sneaks I found at a discount store at the mall. I kept running in them for two years -- until the model changed enough and I got a black toenail because they didn't fit the same way anymore. I graduated to Mizunos for several years, Wave Runner, I think, at one of my friend's suggestions. Those got old after a while, so I tried the Asics Gel Nimbus and even Kayanos. Runner's World seemed to say they were all the rage, but they were so expensive and just not for my feet.

Then I tried barefooting for a while. I ran 17 miles once in my Vibrams. But my relationship with the Five Fingers lasted about as long as most Hollywood marriages do. (Stephen, on the other hand, is committed to Vibrams -- and me -- for life, it seems.) Now you all know I run in Nike Frees. I've been in them the last two years and, at least at this point, don't see going back.


Routes.

This one's obvious. If you move towns/cities, your routes change. I did an entire post a while back that covered my first running routes. Ah, the memories. I guess more than the physical routes have changed, the way I treat these paths in my head is different.

I used to favor loops and doing several repeats of the same thing (for whatever reason, I don't know). Repeating the same stuff a couple times a week. Then I liked out-and-back runs. I HATE them now. Then there were the long, ambling loops when I was deep into marathon training.

At this point, I'm into random twists and turns. Not running the same ones several times a week. Keeps me guessing.


Club Involvement.

When I was in college, I shied away from running partners and getting too involved with the local club. To be entirely honest, those serious runners intimidated me. I'd overhear them at races making plans to meet up for an "easy 12-miler" on the weekend. AT that point, my longest runs were around 6 miles. 12 sounded grueling and anything but easy.

Now I understand that type of talk. And I'm guilty of it myself -- when you run a marathon or other longer/faster/crazier race, your perception changes. But even better: Our local runners club is totally into including EVERYONE, no matter the ability. I'm all in.


Gear and Fuel.

I started out sans watch. Then I got a basic Timex. I used to HAVE to run with a hat on. Hydration packs. Shot blocks. Gu. Homemade energy chunks. These days, I slap on my shoes and head out to clear my head. If I run long, I drop by the house and have a glass of water with a handful or cereal or the occasional Honey Stinger.

My running is much simpler. And all that performance enhancing stuff has never done much to help with my race times anyway.


Obsession.

It's true. When you're bitten with the running bug, you get the fever. Did I just mix two things there? Whatever. When I first started running, it was all I ever talked about, thought about, and dreamed about. College classes were in there, too -- but if I wasn't studying, I was running, signing up for races, or reading about, well, running.

Now my life is more balanced. Of course, having a blog focused on fitness means I get a little carried away sometimes with how much I think about best ways to do speed work, etc. But I'm much better at switching off the running and enjoying other facets of my life. Balance is good.


Fitness.

I don't think I'm the model of how to train smart. I am overly conservative. I am only now starting to engage in formal speedwork. I skip runs if I feel the slightest bit sick or injured. Still, my fitness level over the years from sticking with running has improved. So have my race times.

What I've done to supplement my running has always changed. Yoga. Strength training. Biking. Swimming. Running has always been in the mix, though. As a result, I have become a stronger runner over time simply by keeping up my routine.


Goals.

Of course I always am interested in participating in different races or chasing specific times. But I guess what I mean in that my goals have changed is this: I don't race all races like I used to. I don't NEED to PR to feel good about a run like I used to. In fact, I don't need to race at all to have running in my life and stay with it.

This weekend, for example, I'm running a 20K. Slowly. And I'm cool with that. I have kept up with 10-milers, but nothing above that since the half marathon. My goal is to finish and not look at a watch once. I think some people think if you're going to do a race, you should definitely race to do your best. I disagree because "best" on any given day is influenced by so many factors. And there's nothing wrong with that.


Motivation.

I started running with a motivation to get fit, but more to lose the freshman 15. Then I got really into improving my times and distances. Things continually change, but as I have mentioned recently, my main motivation for running these days is to be a role model for Ada.

I also want to be a runner for life. That's pretty motivating, too.

What's changed in your running (or other exercises) routine over the years?

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