Getting physical

My first order of business as I  began to look for that cliché “balance” in my life, was to get healthy.  I had returned from far too many business trips sleep deprived, bloated from too much “winding down” with wine, and feeling guilty about something foul I ate from room service.  Running would become my catalyst. 

I need a goal to consider anything worth doing.  My type A head needs a gold star or I’m just not happy.  And so I began training for the Vancouver Half-Marathon with a fantastic group of ladies through Running Evolution. 

Running is no easy thing to begin.  Three miles in 35 minutes was my humble starting goal.  However, I soon found there is a type of meditation in putting one foot in front of the other and just breathing.  And then there are my hips… 

Oooh, my hips. I’ve spent countless hours plotting their demise.  Now, I’m watching them shrink and growing to love them.  I said it-love them.  Not because they’re smaller, but because they’re strong enough to carry me through eight (soon 10!) miles. I have become grateful for them and actually begun to devote some brain power to keeping them as healthy as possible.

Running is funny like that.  Some will say it’s not good to push your body this way.  But, pushing my body has forced me to eat better, sleep more, drink less, and appreciate the amazing machine that we are.

Next up…adventures in learning to snowboard and trapeze flying.

A small escape.

Just outside of Austin, TX a woman named Sibby created a little escape that could not be more relaxing.  Sibby started a wildly successful bakery in Dallas known as Dallas Affaires.  They make decadent cakes that quickly became a birthday tradition among my friends.  

Now, she’s added cabins to her expansive property at Juniper Hills Farm and offers cooking classes using locally sourced ingredients when possible.

I took a long weekend with a group of ladies and managed to refrain from checking my Blackberry (well, mostly).  On the agenda: lots of wine, a little yoga, sitting by the pool, and cooking an amazing meal under Sibby’s direction.

We stayed in comfortable cabins stocked with house-made granola, milk, and fresh-squeezed juice. Each morning, the cutest little lunch box appeared stuffed with still-warm scones (aaahh).

During our cooking lesson, I took the time to question Sibby on how she manages to run an insanely busy bakery in Dallas while running this Hill Country escape hours away.  How could she leave with so much going on there? Her secret-find someone you trust to run the place while you’re away. Brilliant.