This post (and 2023) is brought to you by the letter C.  Change, Challenges, Celebrations, College Decision, Cancer, and CONQUER.

Well, here I am. Re-starting this blog again. New Year, New Me. All that jazz. I found out that 2022 was in fact NOT the year that I would stick to my fitness and nutrition goals. But hanging that new calendar each year always gives me fresh hope. I feel like this year is going to be a tough one. A really tough one. Which is exactly WHY I need to re-focus on physical fitness, especially running. Running and working out have always been a huge stress-reliever for me. I figure, this year I have 2 choices…become an alcoholic (I joke, I joke) OR I take out all of my emotions on the pavement.

This blog has always been more of a personal diary for me (ignore typos and grammatical errors; I do not take the time to edit). A place I can hold myself accountable. I only have about 1.2 subscribers (HI MOM), but I figure if I take the time to write out my thoughts, I’ll potentially follow through. This will likely be a long update so buckle up (mom).

Let’s get into all the C’s that will rule my world this year:

Change / Challenges – This will be a year of change; some pretty big ones. Gabby will be graduating High School and going off to college, leaving Steven and I as empty-nesters. With Gabby’s school, swim, and work schedule, it already ‘kinda-sorta’ feels that way some days. But it’s still going to be a HUGE adjustment when she leaves home this Fall. Steven and I have started a house project that is going to take up a lot of our time, but I also hope that focusing on fitness will give me another healthy habit to fill any sad, lonely times. This is why I need to run.

Another big change is that my bestie, who happened to live across the street from me for the past 16 years (16, right?) and is also by best-running-friend, has moved to another state. This actually happened in 2022, but I’m still adjusting and it makes me sad to not have her right there. From quick walks around the neighborhood when we were short on time to training for marathons together, she has been my ‘other-half’ when it comes to running (and life-ing) for a long time. Thank goodness she is just a phone call (who am I kidding, we are Millennials/Cuspers) text message away. This is why I need to run.

We’ve got another newly developing major health challenge regarding a very special person who I love dearly. It’s been an emotional couple of days and I already considered giving up on my running when my emotions got the best of me yesterday. But I decided that she is why I need to run.

Celebrations / College Decision – 2023 is a big year for Gabby. She will be graduating High School and heading off to college! I am so proud of Gabby for all of her hard work and accomplishments over the years. She will be announcing her college decision soon and I’m so excited for her! The whole decision process started last year and has been stressful for her. I feel like this will be a huge weight off of her shoulders and she is looking forward to starting a new chapter in her life. Good thing running isn’t just a good pick-me-up for when you are feeling down/heavy, it’s also a great way to burn off some excitement/energy. This is why I need to run.

Cancer – There it is. That big ugly word that I still struggle to say out loud (fish with chips, mom?). My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer just before the holidays. She just finished some additional testing and will have a solid plan of action soon. The holidays were a good distraction, but now I’m ready to have a plan and move forward. Waiting around is horrible. The good news is that I truly believe she will be okay. The bad news is that it is going to be a year of suck, while she goes through treatment. I got my mom interested in running several years ago until her knee surgery side-lined her. So, it is important now more than ever that I run for my mom when she can’t. This is why I need to run.

Conquer – We are only 11 days into the New Year, so Lord only knows what other Curve balls and Challenges will be presented this year, but all I can say for sure is that I plan to Conquer them all. And perhaps conquering will mean different things on different days and in different situations. Some days, I may only have 10% to give and I will be okay with that! A friend sent a quote this morning that said “In Norway, ‘up and not crying’ is a not uncommon response to ‘how’s it going’ type of questions, and I feel like that’s a very reasonable standard to hold oneself to especially nowadays”. That quote was spot on and I suspect that I may need to use that answer throughout the year. But with that being said, I hope to have many days where I kick ass and crush my goals. This is why I will run.

So there you have it…those are kind of my “whys” for the year. I’ve already started some really good habits that I will expand upon on my next update and I’ll start sharing my mileage and workouts as well. I also plan to do some blog maintenance by the end of January to freshen it up and make sure everything is up to date.

If you have made I this far, I’d love to hear your reasons for wanting to get healthy (or healthier) in 2023.

Wishing you all (mom) a healthy and happy 2023!