Hello my sweet friends!

Starting again, here in this space. ON THE BLOG is back…each time a new, growing and evolving version. As I ebb and flow so does this brand. I am figuring it out-wanting it to feel me. To feel authentically me. I have gotten close but the flow felt clunky and rigid…I want to write colorfully, boldly and brightly without boxes to fill. Crazy enough, I am the one that created those boxes thinking writing within them was what I wanted. Not so much.

When things don’t feel right, pause, get quiet and let it simmer. The next right thing will show up when you need it to. That is what I did…time brought me back to here. I am ready for the next journey here with you. Let’s go.

I have been in such a running low…this past summer/fall training season was hard. Like a hard I have never felt before. Emotionally I felt anxious a lot, physically my body was fighting tendonitis -so side knee pain and hip pain. All new to me. It has been a lingering issue for the last year. My mind shifts to the injury quickly when moving and it is hard to shake. That free feeling when running erased this summer.

I experience anxiety in my daily life. A sweet little happy pill called Lexapro helps take the edge off. Grateful for it. This pre run/pre race anxiety was new to me. It wasn’t crippling, but it definitely sucked the joy out of my experience. I became ultra sensitive in my self talk and more self critical than I have ever been. I would guess that not many noticed. I show up for myself. I also show up for the runners I coach and surround myself with. Not hiding what I was feeling but putting it on pause for the miles I committed to. My heart was not giving up on running it just felt lost…and I needed to find it.

Not racing this fall was healing. Spectating, being on the other side sparked me. Sitting on the sidelines cheering others onto their accomplishments was inspiring. Sometimes it is just the change in perspective, the pull to look outside yourself that brings you back. Observing grit, resilience, joy and determination brought back that feeling, that feeling that I have missed.

There are hills and valleys in everything. Recognizing a valley, honoring it, feeling it fully and finding your way back up the hill is courageous. It is brave. I am brave. Not walking away from what I love because of the valley…I am fighting to get back to the top of the hill.

FIND ALL MY FAVS HERE:

NEW BALANCE 860: FLEET FEET COLUMBUS

PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST LATTE: COFFEE CONNECTIONS HILLIARD

SERVED WITH ANDY RODDICK: FIND PODCAST HERE

BELOW DECK MED: BRAVO TV

THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL: TAYLOR SWIFT

MOM LIFE WITH BIG KIDS

I am loving this moment in time with Marin and Tucker. They are both growing into amazing young adults and I am soaking it all in. Mom-ing looks very different than what it did when they were wee-ones…they are not dependent on me for much. Which I guess means that Marc and I have done our jobs as their parents.

I should be missing those dependent days, the squishy faces, the snuggles etc…but to be honest I don’t so much. I loved that moment in time but it was hard…it was a down in the arena, in the dirt daily time. It was moments of feeling depleted, of not having the coping blocks to function properly…it was Mom-ing with everything I had.

This “big kid” Mom life is free and fresh. I am a different Mom as now I have time for me…I have built myself back up and have even more to give. Connecting and loving them on a new level…it is fun. We are now experiencing life together side by side. Cheering them on from the sidelines as always but also jumping in a particpating along with them. Creating a unique bond that didn’t exist before.

A new journey that I am thrilled and fulfilled by. One I am excited to share more about here.

A change in seasons brings about change in our home, what we cook and how we move within our days. Fall is here and a warm and cozy feel has covered our house. I am such a summer girl but this season flip has me loving the warm browns, yellows and oranges. I have been craving comfort meals. While planning our dinners, I am caught by the pics that look like fall on a plate to try.

I have cleverly placed little touches of fall throughout the house, just enough to mark the season. Love filling containers with fake gourds/pumpkins and real buckeyes. My Mom collected a ton of buckeyes from the many park adventures she and the kiddos used to go on. Using them as decor makes me smile, makes me think of her and those sweet memories she gave the kids.

This season always makes me want to cuddle in…lots of blankets, movie watching, early bedtimes and extra warm showers. Prepping for the winter months ahead. I have found myself really leaning into this fall and the changes it is bringing. Letting go of the summer and its gifts, letting it rest within my heart.

INTO THE WEEK AHEAD

Meet my badass friend Morgan. She just ran the NYC 26.2, her third world major. Oh and did I tell you she ran NYC 6 months post brain surgery?! Yep, that is right. She is a warrior and a human I am inspired by and admire greatly. She is the prime example of what a true fighter is. One that fully understands and exemplifies what rising up means-not only plotting her come back but acting on it.

In those moments this week when you are in the suck, rise. Find the warrior within and know the moment of suck is just a moment. Look to the light and find the joy…as there is joy in everyday. Some days you have to look a little harder for it.

To learn more about Morgan and her story follow her on IG: @mainstmorgan