Chapter three, career wise, began today. To be honest, it seemed quite similar to my NYC agency life...which should make the transition quite easy. But like any day of doing new things, I was pretty exhausted when returning home. I think I have to dig real deep to find that sweet, innocent, acceptable "Corre" when meeting 150+ new people. I have never loved that side.

So when I got home, I was determined to get outside & get into a new routine. But today wasn't my day. Missing speed workouts, missing friends, missing my old routine life just overwhelmed me & brought me to a walking pace while trying to take on a few hills.

I wouldn't say I am sad, just struggling a bit I guess.

Distance: maybe 3 miles
State of Mind: I know things will change, I know.

Try & try again, at least that is what has worked for me. So with my body still feeling pretty awful & the memory of yesterday fresh in my mind, I decided to give it another go & head out for the Holly Hills loop. Surprisingly, I felt a 100 times better today, so strange how your body can literally heal itself overnight.

Distance: 4.5 miles
State of Mind: Goodbye freedom, hello corporate world.

Man, that half took a lot out of me. Although my time was nothing to be proud of, my effort was sure there. At least from what I can tell from my energy level today.

With my "vacation time" extremely limited, I decided that I needed to get the most out of my remaining freedom & get outside to enjoy the sun.

I have to say that today was one of the hardest runs I have done in a long time. My body had nothing to give & no matter how much I pushed...I just kept feeling worse & worse.

Distance: 6.3 miles
State of Mind: Not what I was expecting...

Ran the Mountains to Sound relay race today, it was so much fun. But more importantly, it was a great test to see where my endurance is. My team consisted of 4 project management-type construction guys from the Seattle area, all very nice & kind hearted. The race started in Snoqualmie Pass & ended in downtown Seattle near Golden Gardens Park. I was the fourth of five legs, with my entire run being on the Burke-Gilman Trail which offers amazing views of Lake Washington & all the cute neighborhoods that surround it.

As far as my leg went, I felt in control for about the first 7 miles. After mile 7, my body broke down a bit & I felt my lack of training since leaving NYC. Using my experience from Phoenix, when I took down any fluids or gu, I took it easy running for a few hundred meters to let everything settle in...which really helped my stomach keep the fuel down. At about mile 11 though, I threw up a bit in my mouth. Nothing unusual for me, but surprised me as I was actually feeling relatively good.

Since my team was so fast, we started my leg in 5th place. I was passed three times (gulp) during my leg, all by super fit men in their early 30's. My that was hard, knowing I was letting my team down. Thankfully, the last leg was ran by a super fast guy that made up 2 spots...leaving us in 6th overall at the end of the race. Not bad, if I say so myself.

Now to take it easy until after the 4th of July when I will start training hard for the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon. So very excited to run in my old college town. It should be a good time to reflect the last decade on the last decade of my life.

Distance: 13.1 miles in about 1:41 or 1:42 (bad results)
State of Mind: My body needs a lot of work.

As a blunt new way to make running-type friends in the Seattle area, I volunteered myself to participate in the running leg of a major Washington relay this weekend called Mountains to Sound. As a very nice surprise, a group of guys from a local major construction company (think Experience Music Project, Seattle Library) asked me to join their team, to run the half marathon leg this Sunday.

Only issue is they want me to go fast. I mean real fast. Faster than I have ever gone in that distance, as they are hoping to get top 10 & possibly place in the top 3.

So, instead of running hard toward the end of this week, I am recovering. Resting. Feeding myself a lot of food. So today, I did a simple track run. Just loop after loop, treating myself to a slow pace.

Distance: 4 miles
State of Mind: What ever have I gotten myself into.

Feeling pretty recovered from the trail run yesterday, I opted to keep my NYC routine & get in some healing yoga. Although I am not practicing with a teacher, I found myself focusing all my attention on my form & thought...trying to keep the balance that I have been working on for oh so long. Plus, I practiced outdoors, with gardens & sun surrounding me.

Distance: n/a
State of Mind: Variety feels so good, but I need some hard miles.

To celebrate N's birthday, we decided to head out of town for the afternoon & hit up the North Cascades. The beauty in Washington is pretty incredible, something I forgot about & something I am trying to absorb each day. It is all very similar, tons of old-growth forest & more than enough room to get lost in your head.

We decided to do a trail near Arlington called Boulder River. We followed a trail alongside the river, passing multiple waterfalls, beautiful river sightings & a ton of tiny wildlife. I purposely chose a trail that didn't have a tough elevation climb as I wanted us to be able to trail run most of the route...which is exactly what we did.

Distance: 8 miles
State of Mind: Running trails is going to take time to get good at.

Summer is here! At least for today. Met up with my bff J to do an easy run from Northgate to Greenlake, checking out the haunts of my future neighborhood. It was part nonstop talking & part slow running, both of which felt beautifully welcoming. I need to get in some more miles this week, my body already feels it...but I will take what I can get running with friends anytime of the week.

Distance: 3.5 miles
State of Mind: Sun, I love you.

Enjoyed a quiet, hilly run in Woodinville. Nothing very memorable, but that is completely okay as everyday can't be special. Afterward, I did the Runners World strength training routine...which felt great.

Distance: 3 miles
State of Mind: Need more running partners, I think.

After a long night of partying it up in the Claw celebrating an old friend's birthday, I found myself up early & ready to take on the Washington rain. Thankfully I convinced T to join me on his bike as I did a run I have never done before...running from my father's house to my mother's house. It wasn't an ideal route, as there is no better way to make it out to the backwoods...but it was nice to get out in the open road & work my legs a bit.

Distance: 6 miles (it felt more like 12 for some reason)
State of Mind: I will not let weather impact my running...

Opted out of the Saturday morning run today to do a little cross training. With any type of change, I try my hardest to break routines & try something new. So, today, instead of running, I dusted off my road bike & headed out with N to beat up my legs a bit.

We decided to do about 17 miles, which was just perfect for my first ride in what feels like forever. Plus, it was good to explore the Sammamish River Trail a bit more, to understand where my runs could lead me. Halfway through the ride, it started raining pretty hard but I just held strong & about 10 miles in I got into a wicked rymthm that N seemed quite proud of.

Distance: about 17 miles
State of Mind: Change feels good.

Although Friday's are my usual day off, I felt a ton of repressed energy & decided that the best way to get out of the funk I was in was to get outside. Instead of running my legs to the ground, I did a little strength training routine following what I had just read in Runners World.

After the first set, I did a casual 3 miler & headed back for another set. All in all, it definitely helped me express some of the things that were on my mind as I make the big decision towards the next chapter of my career.

Distance: strength training x2, 3 miles slow
State of Mind: How running saves me...

It is so strange how much my life has changed over this last month. There is a huge part of me that has been able to completely renew, regenerated & readjust myself after my amazing chapter in NYC...but another part of me that feels completely at a loss. Almost unable to look myself in the mirror & acknowledge that I am making correct decisions. Hopefully that too will come.

After a long, exhausting day in downtown Seattle, I hurried home to put on my running shoes for my first track workout with ESR. We met up at Lake Washington High School, about a 10 minute drive from my temp home. The inlaws decided to join me, as they thought it would be fun to watch me kill myself in front of a bunch of strangers-slash-future friends.

It was great to see how well organized the track workout was. About 40 people showed up, mainly fast men, but a good showing of women. How it worked was that we checked out a pace sheet & grouped ourselves into one of about 10 groups depending on our expected pace. The workout is lead my different people, this time a girl that looked about my age but with obviously faster legs on her.

We ended up doing 5x800's, one fast & one slow (difference being only 4 seconds). In between, we jogged a 600. It was a great workout as I felt in control the whole time, mainly because no one went faster than what the pace sheet asked for, creating a consistent & hard workout. The two girls I mainly ran with both used me as the pacer after the first one, making me feel right at home setting my pace & leading our pack.

Distance: .5 mile warmup, 5x800 with 600 recovery, .5 mile warmdown
State of Mind: So happy to fall back on running

Worked out twice today, it felt oh so good. It's strange how much I love "getting it done" when it comes to working out, I just really enjoy having the time to do it right.

Woke up this morning & went to a new yoga studio in Mill Creek, called Laughing Buddha. It was the owner teaching the practice & it was supposed to be a level 2 (intermediate) class, but it was far from it. Surrounding me were rich, chubby moms...but none that were very cute. As opposed to LL in Chelsea, there were only 8 people in the whole class. It was a mixture of pilates, hatha yoga & vinyasa. And I was happy that even though I felt out of place, I was able to go into my own practice. Not sure if I will go back anytime soon, but it was a nice wake up.

In the late afternoon, I decided to go for a solo run. I chose only Grizzly Bear to be my listening companion, such a good choice. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the run, but it turned out great. I saw a girl ahead of me once I entered the trail & spent the remaining time catching up to her, passing her & putting a distance between us. The nice thing about the trail that I run is that I have an option of gravel, dirt or cement trails...all leading to the same place. Really helps in keeping my body bouncing back. On the way home, the hill that I usually have nightmares of wasn't nearly as bad. At first, I was dragging...but a third of the way of the hill my legs adjusted. Shocking.

Distance: yoga practice + 6.1 miles
State of Mind: timing is everything

Did a misty run with N today! Ran on the Sammamish Trail but took a different route, under a few freeways & through the UW Bothell campus. The grass was as tall as I was, there were birds & snakes everywhere...it was amazing. During the last few slow miles, we went up this gigantic dirt hill that seriously scared me. These hills may kill me.

Distance: 4.8 miles (would like to have gone twice that, but no luck)
State of Mind: Going slow might be good for burning calories, but it does nothing for the mind

Climbed Mt. Peak in Enumclaw with the fam today. What a climb! It is about 1.3 miles up & 1.5 miles down the backside...but with two 14 year olds that seemed to "know it all"...we ended up getting lost about 50 times. Not so fun for someone who likes to know where they are going.

Distance: 3, maybe 3.5, miles of very technical hiking
State of Mind: Nice to push myself, upwards & downwards.

Felt a bit like a cheater today as I went running with a new club, East Side Runners. Although I am not sure this is the club that I will call home, they are one of the more well known clubs in the area I am staying in right now. They have runs almost every single day & thoughtfully plan weekend runs to explore the Seattle area, which is quite nice.

As I have to drive to the meeting location (which I sincerely hate), I got lost trying to find the park where we were meeting. Thankfully I left enough time for error to figure out what I had done wrong & make my way to the meeting spot. With very little knowledge of the Seattle area, all I knew about where we met was that this neighborhood is one of the richest in this city. Which was pretty obvious, definitely no Brooklyn.

There were several different distances, I opted for the longest & immediately started running with an older man & an asian woman (which pretty much made up the type of people in the group). I felt an immediate connection with the man, B, who seemed like my type of runner. We ended up speeding up around mile 2 & spending the rest of the run alone. He was extremely nice & very helpful, telling me just about everything I needed to know about the group. I accindently elbowed him a few times, S would be proud that I have brought my running "issue" all the way back to the West Coast.

The day was gorgeous, with not a cloud in sight. The run was very hilly (ouch), we didn't stop once (oucher) & he let me push the pace the whole time. We ran through a few parks, on trails off the street & alongside some beautiful homes. I can't complain, it was a great run.

Distance: 9.5 miles (from B's garmin)
State of Mind: Feeling a bit like a cheater, which isn't new for me.

As Thursday was my usual day to hit LL, I knew I needed to find a way to get my weekly yoga practice in. To get myself warmed up, I did a run that I actually rather enjoyed...going through all the new developments in my temporary neighborhood. See, where I grew up I was the rich kid in a poor community--but where my husband grew up, he was the poor kid in a rich community. So, to go around his neighborhood & watch all these amazingly boring developments get built was actually quite interesting. Who would ever imagine that people would want to live in house #53, exactly the same house as #1-#52, with maybe the only difference being the color of the house or exact layout of the lot. It made me remember that all I have ever wanted was to live somewhere were I felt welcomed, somewhere with a history & somewhere where I could walk hand-in-hand to a local farmers market on a Saturday. These new developments offer none of that.

After the short run, I did a yoga podcast with S. One to always try new things, she had no problem that it was an advanced class that even I struggle with. We made it through about half the practice, breathing & sweating our way to balance. Not as much as I was looking for, but I will take what I can get.

Distance: 2.5 miles, 35 minutes yoga
State of Mind: let the games begin

Went on a lonely hot run this afternoon, wasn't nearly as hard as I thought is was going to be until I hit the hill coming back. Running alone actually has it's benefits as it forces you to deal with what is on your mind, something that I rarely do. Either way, it felt good to push myself & break up my calm day.

Distance: 4.5 miles
State of Mind: Adjusting

Trying to develop a schedule that I can stick to, I headed to the neighborhood high school track to see what solo speed training is all about. Being the people person that I am, I knew that it was going to be rough...but I had faith that my will would push me through as I am determined to get myself into fighting shape to show these West Coasters that I am not another softy.

Thankfully N joined me today, which is always nice. He is not the prettiest runner, in any stretch of the imagination, to be honest I would much rather see him dressed up to go to dinner or laying in bed next to me...but I will take what I can get.

Trying to be as aggressive as possible, I decided to do some 400's to test my speed. My plan was to do 10x400's, with a 400 recovery between each one. Which was a bit of a dream as I wanted to stop after the first one. But I powered through 5 of them, much in thanks to the high school football team who was practicing in the inner field. There is nothing like 16 year olds watching you kill yourself to make you want to push it just that much harder.

I probably put in 1/3 of the mileage that I usually do on speed workouts, but I definitely pushed myself to exhaustion. Which is exactly what I was looking to do.

Distance: 1.25 mile warmup, 5x400's w/ 400 recovery, .5 mile warmdown + abs/core
State of Mind: I see my arms taking shape a bit...

Now that we are settled in our temporary situation, or what the hubs calls "staying with relatives", I was finally able to get out & get a good run in. N decided to join me as we headed down to the Sammamish Trail, about a mile from his house. Picture two paths, one cement & one dirt, that basically go on forever...as far I can tell at least. It was a beautiful evening, very few people on the trail & the only sound I could hear was that of a few birds singing in the trees near the creek.

I immediately got into a pace that felt normal & it was great to put in a some good, light miles. On the way back, we had to tackle a huge hill, 3x the length of the GAP hill with about the same grade. My goodness, I will get better at hills living here.

Now just need to come up with a schedule to keep me in shape, something that involves a race...

Distance: 6.5 miles
State of Mind: Miss my running friends.

The time difference is still getting the better of me, so it was easy to fit in a little workout before the wedding festivities began today. Even though I was planning on hitting the streets of Seattle, I opted for the sure thing & went to the gym instead. While listening to Patrick Watson, I put in a few easy miles on the treadmill...all while staring at this.

Distance: 3 miles + abs
State of Mind: At peace, at least for today

Busy with wedding preparation & extremely taken aback from a night of drinking, I did a short workout in the gym...mainly to try to sweat out the gallons of champagne & wine I consumed last night. Honestly, I tried to dance it off before I went to bed...but apparently two hours of dancing with randoms did very little to metabolize the alcohol.

My workout consisted of treadmill time & some core/upper body. It was actually nice to mix it up a bit, especially in a private gym with no one but myself to stare at.

Distance: 2.5 miles + core/upper
State of Mind: Routine will come, feels so strange without it.

Up early, couldn't sleep, so I went on a short run around my dad's neighborhood. It was fun, cutting through people's lawns, watching my ever expanding hometown change.

Distance: 3 miles + 5x200's at the end
State of Mind: Still a bit vacant.

After nearly losing it last night saying farewell to my sibs, I had a fairly un-emotional day flying from one coast to the other. I knew I wanted to get out & start getting my body/lungs/mind used to the PNW so after settling a bit in the Claw, I went out for a simple, short loop. It was obvious that it had been raining nonstop in my hometown, which is nothing short of unusual as June becomes October.

The run was fairly calming, as I didn't see one person & didn't have to do anything but look down to know where I was heading. About 2 miles in it started down pouring hard, it felt a bit like a baptism, rinsing off all my sadness & anxiety in return for my shirt sticking to my body in a quite unflattering way. I guess that's the catholic in me.

I listened to my ipod the whole time, which was super helpful as I hate running alone. It always comes through when I need it, playing the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros & Radiohead to make me realize that all things will pass in time.

I felt that a few snaps to show my new haunting grounds would be helpful as I embark on this new chapter. They might be a bit sad as I will most likely be alone in most of them, but not to worry, I am a fighter.

Distance: 4.5 miles
State of Mind: It does feel like home, in a few boring & uneventful way