Pushing my limits

When I finished my very first marathon in 2006, I remember the first words out of my mouth.. "I'm never doing that again." I could barely walk after running the 26.2 miles through Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Before training for this race, I never considered myself a long distance runner. I was always a sprinter. But when college rugby was over and I had nothing to train for, I got the brilliant idea to run a marathon. So for the next 18 weeks, I ran 5 days a week with 2 long runs on the weekend. Saturday would be something like 8 miles and Sunday would be something around 13 or 15 miles but up to 20. I followed the training schedule to a T. And it proved to be a success as I reached my goal of finishing my first marathon.

Following my first "I'll never do that again", in the coming years I would complete a 1/2 ironman, a 1/2 marathon, another full marathon in 2008, another 1/2 in 2009 and 2010, and finally, my third marathon which I just completed on February 14th 2010.

I love challenges, especially a combination of physically and mentally demanding challenges. So when I signed up last minute (giving myself about 8 weeks to train for this full marathon), I knew I was in for a challenge. I also knew I've done 2 before so I knew I could do it again. During "training", I ran a 13, 15, and 17.5 mile long run. Going from training 5 days a week for marathon number 1 to running 3 long runs for marathon 3 ended up proving gained self-confidence.

Race day came up fast. I felt more nervous than usual.. at least from what I remember. And this race was so different from the other 2 PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon I had done. PF Changs was huge and every few miles you had fans cheering you on or bands playing songs to help pick up your spirit and continue on to the next set of fans and bands. The Arizona Marathon was the smallest race I've ever done including any 5k's. The start was just someone saying, "ready.. go!" and by the time you hit mile 1, the racers were already far enough spread out that I felt I was just out for a Sunday morning run and happened to see a few others out.

I saw Casey at mile 15. He was taking tons and tons of pictures and held up a home-made poster that said, "GO BATTERS!" I loved it. He was the only fan I had seen other than the few people at the 'marathon relay' transitions. He ended up driving side by side with me taking pictures and cheering me on. Now if I could have only had that for the rest of the 11 miles..

After that, it got rough. I could see a few runners hundreds of yards in front of me and I could see a few hundreds of yards behind me. It was me and only me that could get me through the run. It didn't help when there were about 3 or 4 out and back parts when you could see runners probably about 2 miles ahead of me coming back from these out and back parts and all I wanted to do was cut across and be where they were. No, I never did. I don't know any marathon runners that would.

Then when I got on Camelback running east, I was stoked to see the stadium (where we finished).. but then realized I still had 9 miles to go and every step I took did not appear to make me any closer. I was debating whether or not to call Casey to come pick me up. No. I had to keep pushing through this. Yes my legs were barely coming off the ground and yes my water pack (which I never take on races but did on this one just in case) was hurting my back, but I just wanted to finish. I knew I didn't have the training under my belt but if I didn't finish, I would just be so hard on myself.

On one of the out and back parts, I grabbed an orange from one of the stands. Hands down thee best orange I have ever eaten. It's amazing to view food as a form of fuel for your body. That was about mile 22 and after that point, I knew I could get through it.

Casey ended up driving by me shortly after this and I'm sure I looked awful. My head was down, my legs just scooting and shuffling along. But his cheer and honking of the horn picked my head right up and put a smile across my face. I could do this.

On the last .5 mile, we had to run up this bridge that went over the I10 freeway and down into westgate, the old man in front of me was completely taking it all in and enjoying his accomplishment.. he started dancing! I've always thought it was more interesting to see the last runners finish than the first because those finishing last are generally overcoming an obstacle far greater than those first few runners completing one of their many hundred marathons.

Crossing the finish line, of any race, is the best feeling in the world. It's over and I did it. My biggest cheerleader and greatest companion was there to celebrate with me. I don't get very emotional about a lot of things, but something about this race..

The next challenge you ask?! Oh.. who knows. I can only sit still for so long.

2010: The year to love and be loved

Grubb and I agreed via text just after midnight on new years eve that 2010 would be the year to love and be loved. Between her, my sister, and myself, we've had quite a year in 2009. Of course all of our experiences were different, we still learned a lot about ourselves and we grew up.. a lot.

My promotion earlier this year gave me a huge feeling of success. I had been with the company for just over two years and I was on my third promotion. And not to mention that receiving a promotion while in the middle of a recession was like winning the lottery. It hasn't been an easy road by any means since the announcement at work. I've experienced my boss and biggest support system at work being laid off 1 month into my new role; I've had to deal with employee's with absolutely no respect for their co-workers; and above all, I've had to learn to manage 25 people in 25 different ways. So now that I know what success feels like, I am determined to feel what it's like to be significant in the workplace.

The holiday's always bring back great memories of being a kid. I love watching old family movies of my sister and I goofing around on Christmas Eve, vacuuming our designated rooms so we had a clean house for Santa. All the times I would play piano at our church's 11pm service. All the Christmas mornings I would wake Cole up so freakin early and my parents would tell us to go back to bed and there was no way we could so we just sat in her room and talked. The mess the boxes and wrapping paper would make and the countless hours of playing 'Girl Talk' or 'Mall Madness'.

I hate the fact that I haven't been home for an actual Thanksgiving weekend since before I left for college over 9 years ago. It's hard to believe I haven't spent December 24th or 25th with my family in Colorado in 3 years. I can't believe 2010 is 10 years after my sister graduated from high school which can only mean my ten year reunion is next year. It doesn't make sense to me that I actually know people who are married, have kids, and divorced. It's amazing what can happen in 10 years and how fast it can all go.

I wish every day that my parents wouldn't get any older. The more I get older, the more scared I get knowing that I am getting closer and closer to the days when my parents won't be here any more. I want them to be around for my kids 16th birthdays, their weddings, their babies. It scares me to think that my grandma passed away in her early 70's and to think that could be my parents in just over ten years. And if the next ten years go as fast as the last...

I know it's a terrible way to think but you can't help it when you reflect on where you currently are in life and the amazing memories of the past and only wanting that to continue on and never end.

Because I can't stop time, I am fully committed to this being the year that unconditional love will reign.

Everything happens for a reason

My life motto and a saying I always use when something doesn't go my way. So when I started crossing my fingers really really hard back in September, as hard as I crossed them I knew deep down that it was out of my control. Something that doesn't sit so well with a control freak. And when we found it wasn't in our favor (even to begin with), I still got really down on our current situation.

Casey and I have always talked about moving to Colorado to settle in on life. It's not just the fact that my family lives there, but also the fact that Colorado is adventurous, seasonal, cozy, amazingly beautiful, and just a great place to live and grow up. I know. I lived there for 18 years and I'd describe my childhood as "brady bunch"-ish. So when an opportunity came up for us in the Colorado Springs/Castle Rock area, we were all over it. We've actually been looking at options for over a year now and we're stoked to find something so close to our dream town of Castle Rock.

We waited day after day, week after week, and month after month for any information. At one point we were told the application passed round 1 and we were moving on to round 2. When I checked back just this past week, turns out they've put a halt on their hiring process until 2011 with no further information. The economy (I hate that word these days) is to blame. Sure we would of had the added stress of selling our house or renting it out, paying a moving company to haul all of our junk, and figure out where to live before we get there, whether rental or buy new home. I've signed up on all these real estate websites and get updated weekly and sometimes daily on new houses for sale. I know what I want.

I may not understand why we've been destined to live here for at least a little while longer, but one day it will all make sense. Perhaps we still have unfinished business here. Maybe I haven't had enough of Arizona just yet. I love it here, I really do. I love where we live, I love my job (despite the fact I drive 40 miles one way), Casey's been lucky enough to have a pretty damn good schedule considering he's only been on for almost 4 years, and I love the fact that we can take a short drive north for cooler temperatures whether to get away from the unbearable summer heat or to play with the dogs in the winter snow; we can head west to the California beaches and visit some friends; south to mexico; take a quick weekend getaway trip to Vegas for cheap; or even find some pretty good deals to fly to Denver for a long weekend like we did last weekend for my sisters graduation.

So we'll start the research and process again with hopes for a better outcome this time around. But in the meantime, I've come to embrace the fact that things happen in God's time and not mine.

Thanksgiving Greatness

We have yet to establish a Thanksgiving Holiday tradition. One year I was in Minnesota visiting Grubb. We spent time at the bars.. she got ruffied.. we don't remember much about that night. A couple years we were down in Tucson for the Gers' Thanksgiving tradition. They always play games during these big family and friend get-togethers and I was a little nervous to be joining in. After all, I was "Casey's girlfriend" at the time and who really knew how long I'd stick around (ha! little did we know!). One year, Casey and I made our own quick-fix Thanksgiving complete with a pre-made rotisserie chicken from Fry's, mashed potatoes and stuffing from a box, and a Fry's homemade pumpkin pie. That same year our roommate ate a burrito for dinner.

This year was no exception. Casey worked until about 6am the morning of. I was just waking up and gearing up for my 10-mile race in Peoria. In my slippers and robe, I had my usual toast with peanut butter while my dogs stood and watched me until my last two bites. They get those. I recently started drinking black coffee in the morning before a race so I made myself a cup, but only drank about a quarter of it. I'm not a big fan of caffeine but I hear black coffee is occasionally good for you. And a few weeks ago when I started this, I ran the best long distance race to date! So my superstitions tell me to keep doing it.

The race was packed with people. Everyone was in incredibly great moods which just made the atmosphere that much better. Even I was talking it up strangers.. yes, me! The weather was perfect for a good run and despite my competitive tendencies, I told myself to just enjoy today's run and not attempt a PR. At the 5 mile turnaround, I was feeling pretty strong. For the second half of the race, I picked it up and ended up passing those girls I had been trailing for the first few miles, the three Peoria Police officers that took off full speed at the start, and finally, that girl in the booty shorts. I can't let someone in shorts smaller than my underwear beat me! One minute shy of a PR.

I spent the late morning sitting in the backyard enjoying my favorite meal of all time, cereal, while soaking up the sun. I even enjoyed a mountain dew. I noticed during some of my longer distant races, if I get a sense of a certain smell, I crave it. Like the time during my half ironman, I smelled green beans and so that's all I wanted. But instead, I picked up a single twizzler I saw on the ground and ate it. So, when they had mountain dew at the finish line, I couldn't resist. I also treated the boys to some Thanksgiving bones and all was well in the Sticht Household.

Our good friends invited us to join them and their visiting family from Virginia and California for a big feast in the late afternoon. The food was phenomenal, the conversation was easy, and there's no better way to start a meal than with a blessing from the visiting mom who thoroughly enjoyed her 3, 4, or maybe 5 glasses of wine during preparation. "We thank you God for alcohol." The weather continued to be beautiful as we sat out on the back patio enjoying pumpkin and apple pies around the fire as we grunted about how full we all were but couldn't stop eating.

So for now, our Thanksgiving tradition is to not have one. And I love it!

Two becomes three.. or more

Ask any newlywed what the most common question is asked of them immediately following the "I do's" and 99.9 percent of the them will say, "so, when are you guys gonna have kids?!". I was expecting that question no doubt, but didn't realize the impact it would have on my thoughts and feelings of, "man, I need to have kids soon." Not to mention my sister in law and brother in law announced the coming of their first baby about one month after our nuptials and a year after theirs. Cadence Hailey was born in July of 2009.






The next year, the first of our marriage, took us to Denver, St. Louis, Dallas, Los Angeles, and then a last minute trip to Madrid, Seville, and two months later to New Zealand for our dream vacation. Seriously the trip of a lifetime inclusive of business class internationally, glacier hiking, skydiving, bungy jumping, and helicopter ride to the top of the Remarkables. Just to name a few. I fell even more in love with Casey on that trip.

So this made me realize. My ultimate passion is to be a great mom for my kids and an amazing wife for my husband while we live our lives in a small, growing community near family and friends. I want the neighborhood block parties, the family holiday gatherings with all the kids running around, and all the PTA meetings to come. And of course, Grubb and I want to be sugar-sharing neighbors. However, there are things to be done, places to be seen, and adventures to be had without the added responsibility of something I know one day I will cherish.

Here it is. My adventures laid out before me. More to come and I can't wait!