Tag: Running

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 8, 2025

  1. As per usual I fell off the face of the blog for a month. Not because I didn’t have things I wanted to share, but I just couldn’t muster the motivation. I have two more summer hikes I want to share (because this is my online diary and I like to refer back to my posts after time has passed), but I cannot be bothered with those right now.

  Instead all the things in between.

  2. I’ll start with my most funny tidbit…for Halloween this year I decided I would go to my coworkers party. And by “I decided” I mean Duncan wanted to go. This is out of character for us both, but I happily agreed to go. I knew I wanted to do a couples costume, but after I couldn’t figure anything out Duncan suggested something I couldn’t say no to.

  The party was meh, I wouldn’t do it again, and I likely won’t dress up again for a while, but this costume will go down in history as my favorite.

  

  I also dressed up at work this year because I was able to recycle the costume I bought last year for a Halloween themed 10K run. Can you find me?

  

  3. I am stoked to report I have a new vet for Little. If you’ve been here for a while you will know my most recent vet left the clinic we went to, and I was planning to ride the wave for a while without a vet. Duncan ended up helping my coworker/friend with some plumbing a few months ago, and my friends wife happens to be a vet.

  We were able to hang out for a full afternoon and she later offered to do a home visit for him in order to legally prescribe him drugs. Little is an absolute tyrant at the vet, so this was such a blessing. She did want us to come in for some blood work (we did that this past Wednesday and she was so good with him), but she is willing to do simple stuff in the comfort of his own home.

  This is a huge weight off my shoulders as I was worried what would happen next after he ran out of his meds.

  4. Speaking of the black fur ball, I bought a window bird feeder over the summer specifically for him to watch the birds. He barely noticed it until just recently, and watching him watch the birds brings me so much joy. My friend Caitlin is a big bird fan, so I have been able to ask her to identify birds for me along the way, and I can now identify a handful on my own. This is adulting.

  

  5. I recently discovered the “the five year stranger theory” which says something along the lines of: “in five years, most of the people you see every day will be strangers again.” I can’t stop thinking about this, and I often find myself thinking about people who have come and gone in my life. While this is a normal part of existence, sometimes I find it sad.

  I’ve also been thinking a lot about friends I had when I was young, and how I no longer talk to any of them (I often miss my high school best friend, but I wonder if we would have anything in common these days.) I can’t remember the last time I talked to some of them, and of course in the moment we never realize it will be the last time. I look at some of my coworkers right now who I greatly enjoy being around, and I know in five years the reality of us still speaking is low.

  Unless of course I am still working where I am working…

  6. Which leads to me to this…I have been working at REI for five years. What in the world happened. When I moved back to America from Germany in 2020 I wanted a job that I would work for maybe 6 months while I figured my shit out. Five years later I am still there, and still figuring it out. LOL. In all reality I don’t want to move my cat, my job is flexible, and I get the workdays/hours I want. So it just works.

  It was a bit of a running joke with two other girls who were hired with me that we were all going to hang on until we got our five year pin. We got our pins…and we are all very much still staying for a bit. LOL

  

  7. Over the summer Duncan and I went to see my favorite artist Gregory Alan Isakov play beautiful music. During this concert we discovered a new to us artist named Dean Johnson, who happened to be Gregory’s opener for the night. We enjoyed him, he is local to Seattle, and my friend Caitlin adores him. Dean was playing a concert in Seattle recently so Duncan, Caitlin, and I went because tickets were cheap.

  The concert was great, but he had way too many openers (three of them.) This caused the concert to run into the late hours of night, and we didn’t get home until after 1 a.m. I think it took me a full 24 hours to recover from being awake that long. This is also adulting.

  8. I don’t frequent Goodwill, but after a recent visit I found two items I could not pass up. It was as if they were placed there just for me to find. Ironically I had to debate if I really needed them, because I don’t like having too much stuff, but in the end I am so glad I bought these.

  

  9. If you are a Trader Joe’s fan I suggest you run, not walk, to buy yourself a bag of their Maple Brown Sugar flavored almonds. These are some of the most delicious almonds I have ever had. The experience of eating them reminds me of the scene from Willy Wonka where Violet chews a piece of gum that tastes like a full course meal.

  The almonds taste like I’m eating a waffle. At first chew I taste the butter, and then the flavor morphs into pure maple syrup. Thankfully I don’t turn into a stick of butter like Violet turning into a blueberry…

  10. Duncan and I ran a Turkey Trot this year. Last year I ran it solo, but this year I wranged him into doing it with me. He’s not a runner, but he did great! He insisted we take our photo after we ran, and the rain mixed with sweat had us looking like swamp creatures.

  

  After we ran we of course ate a feast for dinner courtesy of Duncan’s mom. This was the first year in as long as I can remember where I didn’t cook 50% of the meal myself. It was a treat having someone else cook, and Duncan’s mom could give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money. All right, ta ta for now.

  Q: What’s your confession? I think I need to start asking: “what’s your tidbit?” Doesn’t need to be a confession, most of my “confessions” are just random blobs of thought.

  

  | 28 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Halloween, REI, Running, Turkey Trot

• Wenatchee Half Marathon

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on May 27, 2025

  Last year I ran my 7th half marathon after a decade long hiatus from longer distances. I shared that experience here, as well as why I stopped running all together, and how I came back into it. Since that race I have been enjoying running races again, and I have run a few throughout the past year.

  Running had been going well for me, so back in November I decided to sign up for half marathon number 8. I’ve had this idea in my head that I want to try and run at least one half marathon per year, but this year things didn’t go according to plan. In fact, things went pretty rough the final seven weeks of training all the way into race day.

  But before I get into that, let’s talk about the day before the race.

  

  

  One of my favorite things about running half marathons is choosing a new destination to visit. I had been to Wenatchee before, but I had never been to the area where the race was. Wenatchee is about 3.5 – 4 hours from where I live, in a much sunnier area of Washington. I was excited to get out of town for the first time since I went to Banff last September, even if just for one night.

  Duncan and I left our area early enough to have some time to walk around Wenatchee, check into the hotel, get my race bib, and relax. Going into the race I took two days off work to rest my legs, but I ended up walking over 12,000 steps the day before the run because we were exploring. Oops.

  While walking the historical downtown we passed by a pet store, and just as I was planning to walk by I noticed something inside.

  

  Carlos the shop cat drew me in, and he was so precious I had to pet him. The store was adorable, and in the back they had a closed off room with a cat available for adoption. I had to say hello to her too. She was so sweet and I wish I could have taken her home. Put me in a shop with two cats and I am a happy gal.

  

  This was clearly the highlight of the day before the run. We grabbed some food from Safeway, visited a natural food shop that was right across from the hotel, and walked part of the course before retiring for the evening. The following morning I woke up early enough to ensure I had a BM, coffee, and a banana before heading down to the race.

  I had two pals running this race as well, one was my coworker, and one was a girl I went to high school with. Neither of them trained much for this, but both decided to YOLO and go for it. Having pals there to relish in the running spirit makes things more fun.

  

  

  As I mentioned before, going into this race my training started to drag. I couldn’t get my long runs in without having to walk, I struggled to finish mid week runs due to fatigue, and my mindset was hogwash. I was not having a good time, my body was flaring up, and I was getting frustrated by how difficult it felt to run a very slow paced run.

  By the time race day came around I had zero goals, and zero expectations. My only goal was to finish, and there was a moment during this race I didn’t think that was going to happen. I am usually in a good place mentally with my body and my autoimmune issues, but once in a while I get really angry at the lack of control I have over how I am going to feel.

  This came to a head during the run, and it took me a week to accept that this was still a successful run even if it didnt go how I wanted it to.

  

  

  I wish I could tell you what exactly happened, but that’s just it – there is never one specific reason why things go awry. I knew when this run felt hard at half a mile in that it was going to be a very long 13 miles. I definitely started the race too fast, but no faster than I have started every other race I have done the last year. By the time I got to mile 6 I was seriously contemplating a DNF.

  The reality is that running is supposed to be fun. I am supposed to enjoy the challenge it brings, and for eight weeks I was dreading everything about it. I was struggling far more than I should have after three months of training, and I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I texted Duncan that I was having a rough time, and like the gem that he is he offered to come get me anywhere I needed.

  I decided instead of quitting, I was going to allow myself to walk instead. I spent the entire second half of the race running and walking, running and walking.

  

  I think had I not had two friends running this as well I just might have quit. I may never know, but having them there pushed me to keep going. The upside of walking is having the ability to take photos of the beautiful course. This really was an amazing area to run, and I would like to have a redo someday when my mindset is better.

  My ego really hated the run/walk method, but there is no way I would have finished without it.

  By the time I saw mile 13 I was beyond excited. I have never wanted something to be over so badly in my life, and I was so close to being done I could have cried. Duncan was there to welcome me across the finish line, and although this was a race I didn’t feel proud of initially, I think this should be the one I am the most proud of.

  

  When I got back into running I was simply thankful I could run without having constant flare ups. I was thankful to be moving my body in a way that allowed me to quiet my anxiety, and to give a middle finger of sorts to my autoimmune disease. I never want to give up the things I enjoy, but I have to remember this means I need to keep my boundaries in place.

  I let my boundaries slip while training for this race. My stress levels were through the roof, my heart wasn’t in it, I was fueling poorly, and I wasn’t listening to my body when it told me I needed to slow down. My biggest takeaway from this is that I need to remember why I run. I don’t run to PR in races, or to be fast (that will never happen), I run for longevity both physically and mentally.

  After the race I met up with my pal from high school for brunch at Pybus Market. This was like a mini Pike Place and the food was great. Duncan and I spent the rest of the day driving around, and found our way to Leavenworth for a couple hours before heading home.

  

  

  After this race I told myself running needed to take a back seat for a while, but of course that was short lived. I feel the need for a redo on this years half marathon, but not because I want a better time. I want a redo so I can actually enjoy the race even if I am walking. Who cares if I am the last one to cross the finish line, the point is to enjoy myself!

  I wasn’t disappointed because I was slow, I was disappointed because I allowed myself to get so worked up mentally. There are going to be more runs/races in the future where things don’t go well, but that’s life and it’s ok. I can’t predict how I am going to feel everyday, but a finish is a finish. Being able to run or jog is a gift, and I don’t want to forget that.

  I now have another shiny medal to add to my collection, and a happy memory of a furry friend named Carlos.

  

  

  Q: Who else has had a pity party like this for themselves? Anyone…anyone…just me?

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Running, Wenatchee

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 4:50 PM by Brittany, on March 24, 2025

  1. Back in January I posted about a hike I went on called Mount Si. I received a comment from an artist asking if she could paint one of the views in the photos I shared, and OBVIOUSLY I said please do. She created such a beautiful piece of art, I especially love the tree like frame she used.

  You can see more of Lorna’s art on her blog. This is the link to her post with the below photo.

  

  2. Some of my favorite pieces of art I own are those that were created for me by friends, including people I’ve met virtually. OR pieces that were purchased for me by others because the art made them think of me. This is such a special feeling. A lot of my art is centered around cats and nature.

  Big surprise.

  3. My job sometimes brings in brand reps to share information on products, and with these presentations often comes free swag. We haven’t had many reps come lately, but we did have a box of sample mix-matched Smartwool socks put out for us to dig through. I found two pairs of similar socks, the only difference was the pattern.

  I am a sucker for anything free, even if I don’t match. Smartwool has been my go to sock brand for many years, and this was like Christmas morning for me.

  

  4. A couple months ago I shared how I was able to change my own cabin air filter in my car to save me $80. This months car project was to replace my rear brake lights. Duncan showed me how the lights pull out into the trunk, and I bought a new set online for $6. I don’t even want to know what Toyota would have charged me for that job.

  5. Nostalgia hit hard when I went to a friends house a couple weeks ago for a Nintendo 64 game night. I would consider myself a minimalist, and I am constantly purging things I do not use or need, but I will never give away my N64. I used to have sleepovers with my friends and we would stay up all hours of the night playing Mario Party, and that’s exactly what I played with my grown up friends.

  I only had two controllers, and I was able to find two more online for $32…for both! They aren’t OG Nintendo controllers, but they worked great! I look forward to more N64 game nights as a sorta grown up.

  

  6. I ordered a pressure washer for my mom this month, and Duncan and I tag teamed washing her backyard concrete patio. At first I was disappointed, I had no idea pressure washing was as time consuming as it was. I thought I could spray it like a hose and voilà! That was not the case, but it was worth the time it took to clean.

  7. It’s no secret I will stop wherever I am to pick up loose change I find on the ground. I will stop a run, get off my bike, go to a self checkout station that I did not use – if there is a coin, I will grab it. Overtime this habit will pay off, and I can take a handful of rolls to the bank. My recent bank haul brought me $26. Some of that was from returned change after using cash, but a bulk of it was free found money!

  

  8. I recently bought Little a party hat for the birthday celebration we will be having in two weeks. When browsing the selection at MudBay, the cashier told me for his birthday I could have a free salmon treat. I have been buying food at MudBay ever since I stopped feeding him prescription food a few years ago, and this company has been nothing short of wonderful.

  Superb customer service for stressed out pet parents trying to find a good food option.

  9. I ran a 12k St. Patrick’s Day themed run two weekends ago, and I took this opportunity to buy myself another themed cat shirt. I managed to find the exact same theme as the shirt I bought for my Valentine run, but when I saw there was rain in the forecast I regretted buying a cotton t-shirt for a 7.4 mile run. I ended up wearing a base layer under the shirt and it worked great.

  What did not work great was the weather. It was raining, which isn’t a huge deal, but it was also cold and the wind was OUT OF CONTROL. Nearly two miles of this run was across a bridge, and something about a bridge with wind is like a magnet. The majority of this run was brutal, I was on the struggle bus, and when my watch hit 7.45 miles and I saw I wasn’t done yet I wanted to riot.

  The course ended up being 7.86 miles on my watch (and on a handful of other peoples watches who sync’d with my Strava account), which isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of running, but I was ready to be done at mile 3 so this extra mileage sucked big fat doo doo. I finished with a 10:14 pace, and I had to fight for it.

  

  

  10. On the topic of running, I am in week 9/12 of half marathon training and I am so over it. Don’t get me wrong, when I cross that finish line in April I will be proud of myself, but the last month of training has been a slog. I have had more fatigue than I would like after my runs, and I am starting to dread the mid week runs.

  After the 12k I ran I can’t seem to get my body moving further than 1-2 miles which is obviously concerning.

  I am cutting back on my weekday run distances and will try slowing things down on all my runs. Hopefully this will help, but I am ready to get back to running here and there when it feels right. I am discovering that I prefer the 10k distance for my longest run’s and I don’t think I need to do much more than that. I struggle with fueling once I up my milage, and I can’t eat bagels and peanut butter like all the other runners. I end up eating things that don’t sit well just for the calories, which then adds to the fatigue. Alas, it’s never ending trial and error.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 22 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, N64, Running

• Birthentines Day 2025

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on March 4, 2025

  Another year has passed which means another Valentine’s Day/birthday combo for Brittany has come and gone. My birthday is February 15 (the day after Valentine’s Day), and while I don’t need much on either day, I DO like to keep them separate. I told this to Duncan when we first started dating, and he jokingly referred to the two days as one calling them “Birthentines Day”, and it has stuck ever since.

  While Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to gobble a brownie, and make a special meal, I tend to put most of my focus on my birthday. This year when Duncan asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I told him I wanted to run a 5K…together…with him…he would be running too…as someone who doesn’t run. I thought for sure he would push back, but much to my surprise he agreed.

  We cooked a delicious meal on Valentine’s Day, ate a giant brownie, and we were up and ready to go the following morning.

  

  The beauty of my birthday falling on a Saturday this year is that I knew we would be able to find a 5k somewhere nearby. Because my birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, I also knew we would be able to find a Valentine’s Day themed 5k. How perfect for Birthentines Day. I found a race about 45 minutes away from us, got really excited, but then discovered it was SOLD OUT!

  Back to the drawing board.

  I don’t love driving into Seattle these days, but I knew that might be my only option. I found a race with a 5k, and a 10k option on a looped track which felt too good to be true. I prefer running 10k if given the chance with organized races, so I was able to run the first 5k loop with Duncan and the second 5k loop solo. The run was called “Better Together”, and the website alluded to this being Valentine’s Day themed, so naturally I had to get us matching shirts.

  

  Once we arrived at the park where the race was taking place I knew I might have been very, very wrong about this event. There were no other runners in sight. It turns out this park has “races” every two months or so, and because of this they use the same race bib’s for each run (meaning no themed bibs), some events are smaller than others, and there isn’t really much participation in the theme.

  At least there wasn’t on this day.

  Duncan and I were THE ONLY ONES WHO WORE ANYTHING THEMED. I was momentarily mortified, but honestly I got over it pretty quickly. We got our bib’s, walked around for a bit, and then lined up with the other 90 or so people (SMALL SMALL SMALL EVENT AHHH) to run. The only way to tell this was at all Valentine’s Day themed was the blow up photo op.

  

  

  

  The run itself was nice, the park was a good change of scenery, and Duncan pushed himself more than I would have expected. I kept trying to get him to slow down because I didn’t want him to burn out, but he just kept flying. He was at the early stage of a multi day sickness, which makes his fight all the more impressive! I loved watching him push himself, and we finished his 5k with a 10:45 pace.

  After I left him for my second lap I only had one goal: catch up to and beat the girl in front of me. I managed to pass her AND one other person. I finished my 10k 1st in my age group…because I was the only one in my age group. LOL, I love the little wins. We both paid an extra $6 to get a medal, and honestly the medals were very pretty.

  

  

  Overall we had a good time, Duncan is willing to do another one (no promises on anytime soon) and we both have awesome new shirts to wear at any given moment. We may have been the only ones in Valentine’s themed clothes, but that just meant we got the most compliments.

  We managed to get a compliment from the race photographer as we ran by him, and he took this whimsical shot of us. HAHA.

  

  After the run we made our way to the best bakery in all the land. I had a free birthday reward, and I’m a sucker for all things free. This bakery is insanely busy every time we go, but I did not anticipate we would be fighting for scraps by getting there around 1300. They close at 1600, but when I say they had BARELY anything left I mean it.

  My reward was good for a muffin or a cookie, and obviously I wanted the more expensive of the two. I ended up getting a muffin I would have never chosen if I’d had options, but they had literally ONE muffin left in the entire shop by the time it was my turn. This muffin turned out to be one of the most heavenly items I have ever consumed.

  

  I’m not a peach gal, and despite the peach slices being huge in this muffin the overall flavor was superb. Well done Wren’s Nest. We were able to each get a savory item as well, and after properly entering into a food coma we made the drive back to my house so I could snuggle with my bestie the rest of the night.

  

  This is the first birthday in a while I haven’t gone for a hike, but this was a fun change of pace. I’m officially on the downward slope to 40, which is the most mind boggling thought I have had in a long time. Somedays when I sit deep in my thoughts I truly feel like I just graduated high school. I am still 18 saying goodbye to all my friends I will never see again.

  I am still 24 getting a job at Starbucks and discovering who I am slowly but surely. I am still 22 starting THIS BLOG having no idea I would still be scraping by with it 14 years later. I am still 28 and just letting go of the societal pressures of what it means to be successful, quitting a corporate job and moving to Yellowstone for 5 months. Life is weird. Memories are weird. But muffins are forever.

  Q: We are all just overgrown children fumbling through life, right?

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Birthday, Brownie, Duncan, Little, Muffins, Running

• Days of December

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 3, 2025

  Believe it or not, there was a time in my blogging life where I blogged regularly. Every two to four days I had something to say on this space, but these days I am lucky to squeeze out one or two posts a month. I used to share my daily life happenings, but I have morphed into more of a “just hit some of the highlights” blogger.

  Not to be confused with “just hit the positives,” sometimes highlights are the struggles too.

  November and December move into a slower time of year for adventures and I don’t have many epic new hikes or travel escapades to share. My daily excitement comes from things like the size and frequency of my cats bowel movements, what ancient artifact I have pulled out of my moms attic to dispose of, and surviving the monotony of working in corporate retail.

  I still like to throw in the reality of life amongst photos of mountains and new to me places, but the inspiration to write doesn’t strike as much as it does when I have something worthwhile to share.

  

  While I haven’t traveled anywhere far in a long time because of my sweet fury child, I did have a surprisingly busy December. Each weekend of the month I had something scheduled starting with Duncan’s company Christmas party. Duncan has worked for the same company for nearly four years, but this was the first Christmas he decided to attend the Christmas party.

  When he described the event to me I was stoked. I was hoping to see a plethora of plumbers letting loose with an open bar (call me crazy, but I love people watching those who have less of a filter from afar), but as it turned out the after party is where the real chaos ensues. Duncan and I are both in bed early folks, so we left before anyone got too rowdy.

  The very next day, we went to my pal Caitlin’s house for a cookie decorating party.

  

  When I say party, I mean it was Caitlin, her sister, and her nephew, plus me and Duncan. A small party. I couldn’t eat any of the cookies, but that didn’t stop me from decorating the above photographed handful. I think I’ve found my calling. Please note the cat cookie on the far left in the middle. I was trying to give this cat a realistic…orifice, but instead it looks like he needs a trip to the ER.

  To round out this first weekend of the month, after cookies we took Little for his first of two Christmas themed car rides. I would say it was a success.

  

  

  The second weekend of December was dedicated to exercise and gluttony. In an attempt to keep the holiday spirit alive I signed up for a Christmas themed 10k. I ran a Halloween themed 10k in October and loved the idea of running another holiday race. I didn’t dare show up to the start line without the proper attire, and I found the most perfect sweater to wear.

  

  

  A moment of silence for the most beautiful sweater to exist.

  I think I was more excited about this sweater than I was for the run itself. The run was beautiful, but COLD. (Go figure, it was cold in December.) I am loving getting back into running races because the community of runners is so fun and uplifting. Running is such a personal sport, but people come together to support the personal growth and accomplishments of each other as if we are a team.

  I’m not a fast runner, but seeing small progress is always fun. I no longer run to chase faster times, but I do enjoy challenging myself. I ran this race in 1:01:13 with a 9:51 pace. I was quite chuffed.

  

  

  Duncan was my number one support, and braved the cold to be there with me. After I was finished we made our way to my favorite GF bakery that was just around the corner (the runs in this town might be somewhat planned around the bakery too.) We each got a sweet and a savory, and this was the perfect end to the fun morning.

  

  Weekend number THREE of the month was reserved for cultural refinement. I love classical music, I love listening to the combination of instruments, and I love Antonio Vivaldi. When I saw there was a local concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons I knew I wanted to go. The concert was also one of the candlelight concerts I have seen floating around the internet for years, but I always thought they were fake/a scam.

  They are not fake, they are not a scam, and they are very enjoyable!

  

  

  

  Annnddd for the last weekend of December I went for a lovely winter hike with Caitlin and Duncan. We brought a stove/fuel so that we could make a cuppa and enjoy the warmth of the dark beans outside. We hiked the Duckabush River Trail just to the viewpoint for a round trip total of around 7 miles. (It was very cold, but still a worthy outdoor adventure.)

  

  

  Some other honorable mentions for December are: I read five books putting my yearly total at 70 books. My goal for this year is 60 books, but I anticipate I will surpass that. – I wore my cat sweater to work on Christmas Eve and it was the best day ever. After work I took Little for his second Christmas lights drive. – Christmas was calm, cool, and collected.

  NYE was also calm, cool, and collected. Duncan and I went for a hike New Years Day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to ring in the new year!

  

  

  

  On that note, I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. I always enjoy mine, and I always enjoy when mine is over! Maybe this year I will blog more. (Probably not.)

  Q: How was your holiday season? Are you ready when the holidays are over, or do you wish they lasted longer?

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Christmas, Hiking, Little, New Year, Running

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 4, 2024

  1. It’s no secret fall is my favorite time of year, however the past month has felt more like WINTER. Too dark, too dreary, too much rain, daylight savings kicked my butt, and my motivation for nearly everything has gone down the drain.

  However, one thing that gets me jazzed every year is a holiday cup from Starbucks. It’s an instant nostalgic mood boost.

  

  2. I know once the holiday festivities are over, and the days get even shorter I will want to permanently keep my head attached to my pillow. In an attempt to mitigate such behavior I have signed up for another spring half marathon. Training for one this past year during Jan/Feb/March was a helpful way to stay active. I also love having a goal to look forward to.

  Having a focus and training regime for the upcoming winter will keep me from turning into Jabba the Hutt. I think this will be a new annual routine for me.

  3. Since we’re on the topic of running, I went for a trail run recently. While it’s not normally my thing, I didn’t hate it. I enjoy running solo, but I won’t trail run solo, so I don’t trail run. (That and I don’t love giant hills.) My friend who will also be running the spring half marathon (his first one!) likes trail running, so I accompanied him on a 5 miler.

  The run felt good, but the sight I came home to afterwards felt even better.

  

  4. After a routine trip to Sprouts recently I noticed one of my back tires was low. I drove to Costco to fill it with some air, where I discovered the tire had a screw in it. Ooofff. I thankfully managed to drive to Discount Tire where I was jazzed to discover I had a warranty on my tires. I got a new tire for free, but I was bamboozled by the guy helping me.

  He asked me when the last time I changed my wipers was. I told him it had been a looonnngg time, and that I knew how to do it, but I was being lazy. He told me he could make me a great deal, so I told him if he could replace them for under $20 I was in. He said he could, and I was shocked. He manipulated his computer to get the $50 pair for just $19, but they are AWFUL.

  Note to self: not all wipers are created equal. At least I got a free $118 tire…

  5. Speaking of saving money, I officially had to buy a new pair of Merrell’s. I bought a pair of Move Glove shoes in 2021 and beat the ever living life out of them. I refused to buy a new pair until the pair I had were shot, and I think having a hole in the heel I can fit multiple fingers through counts as getting my moneys worth.

  

  6. Duncan and I are going to a candlelight Vivaldi concert in two weeks, and I am beyond excited. I had seen the candlelight concert ads for years, and always thought they were a scam. Then I had a friend who went to one, and she confirmed it was no only NOT a scam, but a wonderful experience.

  The candles are most certainly not real, but the ambiance will still be lovely. I haven’t been to a classical concert since I lived in Europe.

  7. Little free library boxes bring me so much joy. I recently commandeered THREE books (two of which I already wanted to read) from three different ones. I don’t know who first started this trend, but I am so thankful for the pockets of joy. Once I finish these three I will return them to another box, and the cycle will continue.

  

  8. Speaking of books, I set a goal to read 25 books this year. Then that goal was bumped to 30, then 45, and then to 60. I have decided to leave the goal at 60, even though I have surpassed the goal (currently at 65 books.) This may not be many books for devout readers, but as someone who only recently got back into reading for hobby I am quite chuffed by this. My favorite books of the year thus far are:

  • I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid (Psychological)
  • It Happened One Summer – Tessa Bailey (Romance)
  • The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah (Emotional)
  • Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal – Mary Roach (Science)
  • The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris (Historical)
  • Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach (Science)
  • Educated – Tara Westover (Memoir)
  • And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie (Mystery)
  • The Women – Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)

  9. I’m not one to collect many souvenirs, but one thing I try to get from every national park I visit is a pin. I’ve kept all my pins in a small box, and when I told my friend Caitlin this she offered to make me something to display them on. She hand sewed some felt pieces together, and it turned out so adorable.

  The best part is that she gave it to me with a pin already in it. I didn’t get a pin in YOHO National Park back in September when she and I went, so she found me one online and bought it for me. What a pal, I am so thankful for her.

  

  10. I ran a Turkey Trot this year against my better judgement. It was a 5k, and while 3.1 miles is a respectable distance to run, for me it’s my baseline. Because of this I don’t like paying to run a 5K. Paying for a 10K or higher pushes me to train longer miles, and therefor is justifiable to pay.

  I digress.

  This trot was only $20, so I decided to sign up after a friend told me he would be running it. I arrived early the day of the race to pick up my running bib, and the poor volunteers were deep in the storm of chaos. I registered the day prior, so I gave them grace when they couldn’t find the bib attached to my name. I assumed I didn’t have one because I signed up too close to the day of the race.

  The woman helping me then handed me a random running bib, and with no further direction said “ok, here you go” (after expressing she could not find mine.) Thankfully I overheard another volunteer tell someone else the random bib’s were not attached to anyone, and we would just have to look up the numbers for results under anonymous runner.

  OK, no big deal.

  I run the race, and I end up quite proud of my time (29:56), and while I know my name won’t be on the results page I still want to see my number for my official chipped time. Lo and behold, the number I ran with was attached to a Mr. Mark Kimball. I decided to type my name in just to see, and SURE ENOUGH, there was a bib attached to my name and SOMEONE ELSE RAN WITH IT.

  I am aware this is the epitome of what’s considered a “first world problem” (this is a confession posts after all), but I was admittedly bummed because I like collecting the running certificates with my name and my times. Duncan convinced me to reach out to the people who ran the event, and they were able to attach my name to the number I ran with and all was well in the world. It’s ok if you judge me for this confession.

  Q: What’s your confession? Favorite books this year?

  

  | 31 Comments Tagged Brownies, Coffee, Early Morning Confessions, Reading, Running

• So Long Spoooooooky Season

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 4, 2024

  As we say goodbye to October, my favorite month, I want to share a few highlights. October is my favorite for many reasons. The transition to autumn warms my soul, the weather changes to cooler days, and spooky season sets the tone for month after month after month of celebrations. For the last four October seasons, Duncan and I have made a habit (along with many others) of visiting a pumpkin patch/corn maze. To me this signifies the official change from September to October.

  We have two main rules when it comes to this pumpkin patch tradition: the patch must ALSO have a corn maze (no maze, no go), and we must go to a new patch/maze each year. No repeats.

  This year, my first October highlight (and our new to us pumpkin patch/corn maze) brought us about an hours drive away to Carpinito Brothers Farm. At first glance I wasn’t sure I would like this one because it was right off the freeway. Thankfully we were able to feel like we were tucked into the farm without hearing the cars driving by.

  

  

  We chose to start with the corn maze, and thankfully Duncan is directionally savvy, because I am not. I tried to read the map at the same pace he did and I have no idea how he walked so fast knowing which way to go. I am someone who likes to have control over most of my situations, but this is one I’ll happily pass the baton with. Let me be the wandering corn troll over the fearless leader.

  After Duncan finished finding each location within the maze, I needed a snack.

  

  Plain roasted corn without anything on it allowed me to scour the pumpkin patch for this years chosen gourd. It didn’t take long, partially because I was boiling due to my mistake of wearing a sweater on the last 72 degree day of the year, and partially because the corn wasn’t sitting well. We both found our choices and completed another successful early October adventure.

  

  

  This adventure gets me into the spirit of my favorite month, but it didn’t quite feel like enough. I haven’t participated in anything Halloween related for a while, and I felt like this year I needed a physical goal after a long season of hiking. For October highlight number two I decided to sign up for a Halloween 10k. I spent a month getting myself from hiking shape back into running shape.

  I had no expectations for this race, I just wanted to show up and have a good time. I wanted to dress up, but also wanted to be able to comfortably run, so I settled on an easy classic.

  

  This race was so much fun, and there were hundreds of other costumed runners. Surprisingly I only saw two other Waldo’s (I expected to see a lot), but I saw a TON of Forrest Gump varieties. I hadn’t been running much at all since my half marathon back in May, and I was hoping that 27 days would be enough time to get me into shape for a 10K.

  Each of my training runs I dragged, and I was certain I would have to walk at some point (or at least run verrryyy slow), but not only did I manage a 10:02 pace for this run, I placed third in my age group! This will never happen again, and I credit this to the fact I was running a themed race amongst many who might not run much, but I will take the win where I can get it.

  

  I didn’t notice the award winner section until after I was home, many hours after the race. I discovered I was supposed to pick up a 3rd place ribbon and I was bummed that I missed this, so I sent an email to the company. The race director wrote me back saying he would mail it to me, and when I say this made my week I am not exaggerating.

  This is a small victory for average runners alike. LOL.

  The race just so happened to be about 2 minutes by car from my current favorite GF bakery (this was soooo not planned), and Duncan and I promptly went after I was done running. We had a feast of treats, and I can’t think of a better way to finish running 6.2 miles.

  

  

  

  I’m still in a coma from those beautiful baked goods. Pumpkin is the theme for October, cliche or not I go all in. To round out all the October highlights, Duncan and I carved our pumpkins from the patch just before Halloween. We decided to carve surprises and not tell each other what we were doing. Imagine how hard I laughed when we revealed our masterpieces.

  

  Duncan said mine (the big one) looked somewhat like a red panda, and he thought his (the small one) had a neck that looked like it spent too much time in the gym. Because of this he wanted to put a ribbon on the neck, and I think it looks great. I was happy with how they both turned out, and they looked even better illuminated on Halloween.

  If you’re having a hard time telling what mine is let me help you.

  

  

  

  

  While I was sad to say goodbye to October, I look forward to settling into the slower pace of life that November and December will bring. November brings a special birthday for Duncan, and the restlessness that I will inevitably feel will encourage me to do something impetuous. Like sign up for a spring half marathon to give me a winter training focus. Who knows…

  Q: What’s your favorite fall activity? I have yet to go apple picking, and I think that would be so lovely.

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged 10K, Halloween, October, Pumpkin, Running

• Jewel of the Valley Half Marathon

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on May 24, 2024

  So, I ran another half marathon. These are words I never thought I would write again after my last half marathon in October of 2014. It has been just shy of ten years since my last half, so how and why did I find myself running another one after all this time, and why didn’t I run one sooner? Well, let me tell you.

  My journey with running went from all in to all out over a few years, but ultimately what caused me to stop all together was the onset of an autoimmune disease diagnosis. I’ll spare you the drama of those details, but now that I am older and wiser I can confidently say this was a classic case of “too much.”

  Too much running, too much caffeine, too many 3am wake ups, too much stress, too much sugar, so on and so on. My body was in a full blown storm and each run caused flare ups that I didn’t know how to manage at the time.

  

  

  I took running off the table sometime in 2016 when I couldn’t find a good balance, and when I was starting to dread the idea of running. It took me a handful of years to realize a simple shift in my efforts would allow me to not only run again, but to run further distances. I started running again somewhat regularly in 2021, but instead of trying to be “faster” I exclusively tried to keep my heart rate below a certain number.

  Higher heart rate for me = too big of a cortisol spike = a small flare up = anxiety = not fun.

  I continued on this low HR, low milage running journey for a few years because I continued to tell myself there was no way I could possibly run another 13.1 without causing problems. Then 2024 hit, I was about to turn 35, I was stale, unable (or rather unwilling) to travel far because I have a geriatric cat whom I adore, so I did what any sane person would do when they need a change.

  I signed up for a half marathon.

  

  I was done telling myself “you can’t.” Running sometimes sucks, and it’s uncomfortable, and even a bit painful at times, but those side effects always pass (unless you have an injury which is another story.) What sticks around is the knowledge that we pushed ourselves to do something we didn’t think we could. A half marathon in the world of running isn’t the biggest feat, but for me it was something I didn’t think was going to be possible.

  If I can take one thing away from this experience it would be that my brain is forever my worst enemy. I let my fears and anxieties often dictate what I do, but usually when I push myself outside of my comfort zone I come out on the other side mentally stronger for it. I didn’t run fast, but I ran, and I am proud of destroying the mental barrier of “I can’t.”

  OK. Gushy stuff aside, let’s talk about the race!

  

  

  I chose a half in the city of Yakima, about three hours from where I live. The stars aligned with this run because what gave me the final push to register was finding a hotel within a two minute walk of the starting line. Call me crazy, but half the stress of showing up to an organized run is trying to figure out where to park. With that obstacle out of the way all I had to do was put in the work for training.

  I did a 12 week training program, the same program I used to run my very first half marathon, and aside from a few skipped cross training days I followed it to a tee. My training had its ups and downs, with a few moved around long runs, one epic meltdown with so many tears I could have flooded an ant village, and a lot of random foods consumed.

  Fueling was the hardest part for me with this training, and for the race I brought one of my favorite foods to eat along the way.

  

  I stuffed a bag of mashed potatoes into my running vest because I won’t eat those garbage filled running gels. However, I am terrible at fueling while running and I didn’t suck any down until mile 11. This also happened to be the hottest weekend we’ve had all year, and with terrible fueling and overheating I had a hard time focusing on the beauty of the trail around me after the first few miles.

  Hooray for me and my heat sensitivity!

  Miles 1-3 were a breeze, I was vibing to Taylor Swift and loving the views of the river. It was still early and the heat hadn’t crept up yet. Miles 4-6 I started to feel the heat and my pace slowed a bit, I definitely started the race too fast and was going to pay for it later, but I was still going strong. Mile 7 I caved and drank some Gatorade which helped for about 5 minutes. Miles 8-10 I was playing leap frog with a woman and telling myself to make it to the next rest stop for another Gatorade.

  Miles 11-12.5 I was deep in the pain cave. My hips hurt, my back hurt, the heat was strong, and I was gassed.

  

  

  Duncan came with me, and I texted him at mile 11 to let him know I was within 20 minutes of finishing. The final push from 12.5-the end was all mental. I felt like my legs were moving through molasses, and thank goodness for this song. I played it over and over and over and over just to keep my feet moving to the beat. Seriously though, what a BOP.

  I told myself I never have to do this again, just keep going and the sooner you get to the end the sooner it’s over. I saw Duncan waiting for me about .3 miles from the end, and this gave me the final push I needed. I finished 13.2 miles (course was a bit off) in 2:23 with a pace of 10:52. I went into this run with ZERO goals, zero expectations, but in the depths of my mind I knew I wanted to maintain a pace under 11min miles.

  

  

  I immediately took my shoes off, sat in the grass, and watched other runners finish their run for about ten minutes before walking the two minutes back to my hotel for a shower. My original plan was to walk around the area a bit before driving home, but the heat was so oppressive we decided to head home early. Sitting in a car for 3.5 hours after running a half marathon was arguably more difficult than the run.

  Would not recommend.

  It’s been a week and a half since this run, and it only took me 24 hours before I started looking for my next one. It’s amazing how quickly we forget the pain or discomforts of running and want to go through the mental push all over again. I know I want to do another half marathon, I just don’t know when. My summer is reserved for hiking as much as I can, and I don’t want any training to interfere with that.

  

  The training for this was more difficult at this stage of my life than when I was in my 20’s. My diet is drastically different, my energy reserves are fewer, and I have to be mindful of every daily decision to ensure I can train successfully. By the final month of training I was more than ready to be done. It was just as much mentally draining as physically, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  My goals with running now are to focus on better form to help minimize hip/back pain (I have a lingering disc issue I am constantly nurturing), maintain running 3-5 miles with ease, and to keep experimenting with foods to find a good balance. If only I could just eat a bagel like every other runner. I’m stoked I pushed through this barrier, and I’m even more stoked that my 35 yr old brain could care less about being a slower runner.

  

  Shoutout to Duncan for being the lone sheep on the hill waving to me at mile 1, and welcoming me in at mile 12.8. I’m thankful he was with me, and even more thankful he forced me to wear my hydration vest. I’d have been dead without the consistent water. Perished on the side of the valley.

  Thanks for reading my journey. Take this as your sign to do whatever it is that you’ve been telling yourself you cannot do. I’m willing to bet your brain is just as much of a liar as mine is at times. This was my seventh half marathon, and it was likely more meaningful to me than my first. For so long I let Sjögren’s tell me what I could and could not do. Alas, Sjögren’s can suck it because it turns out I can still run 13.1 after all.

  Q: What is something you’ve done recently that you’re proud of? Let’s celebrate together!

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, PNW, Running

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 29, 2024

  1. Well, well, well. It’s been a while. Between house projects and needing to update my MacBook I disappeared for quite some time. I don’t have anything exciting to report, but because I feel like checking in we are going to travel back in time to last month.

  2. I managed to find the most decadent, delicious, astounding gluten free pie that disappeared just as quickly as I found it. Seriously, what’s with me and finding treats I enjoy (and that don’t make me feel like a bag of bricks) suddenly disappearing? Perhaps next holiday season it will return…

  

  3. My Christmas gift to myself was $3,000 worth of car repairs. I’ve had the same car since 2008, and I hadn’t needed any major work until now. I suppose it was long overdue, I am amazed at the longevity of my beloved. $700 of that bill was for new tires, which I suppose doesn’t count, but the timing of the remaining work racked up the bill. I needed a new alternator and a new radiator.

  The only reason I knew there was an issue was because of a funny noise. She now purrs like the day she was manufactured. I hope for many more years with my granny mobile.

  4. My car has taken Little and I on many wonderful drives together, including my current favorite core memory. I wrangled my mom, my sister, Duncan, and my child into the car and we went to look at Christmas lights. Little was more enthralled by the car headlights than the actual Christmas lights, but it was a magical hour nonetheless. The gang was all there.

  

  

  5. When I moved back to the states at the end of 2020 I moved back into my childhood bedroom. My plan was to resettle into the area and then try to find a place to live. Turns out renting an apartment is something I couldn’t justify with the $1400 price tag, so I stayed with my mom and sister. Helping them and being close to family just continued to feel right. My older sister has autism and helping provide care for her is easier when living under the same roof.

  At this rate I’m not sure I’ll ever leave. Just kidding. I think.

  6. With that said, my childhood bedroom needed some help. I wasn’t planning to stay long, but suddenly three years went by and I was still occupying the space. On December 6th I was laying down looking at the walls and decided I wanted to rip the wallpaper off.

  Much to my surprise it came off with ease, and I decided to go get paint.

  Three days later my small space had a fresh coat of paint. What a difference this has made, and I am so happy I decided to impetuously give my room a facelift. There is one small area of the wall my lovely mother wanted to keep, a mural she painted fully equipped with drawings from when I was too young to know drawing on the wall was wrong. It’s an atrocious eye sore, but I’ve come to accept it.

  I have since painted another room in my moms house, so basically you can now call me Bob Vila.

  

  

  7. I started a run streak in the middle of November with the goal of running everyday until the new year. I completed my goal and ended the streak on Jan 2nd. I ran 56 days in a row, and truth be told I wish I would have kept going. There were only a few days I didn’t feel like running during the streak, but I was always able to manage one mile on those days.

  I ended the streak with the idea that I might want to train for a half marathon, but I find myself fearful of the training process. My body handles running shorter distances everyday better than running longer distances every few days. This is something I have come to accept about my Sjögren’s, but I hope to eventually push through the fear of flare ups and just go for it.

  I’m now running a few times a week, while I figure out my next goal.

  8. While cleaning out my closet recently I found a costume I made when I first started my current job. I was there for a week when I discovered they dressed up for Halloween (something I have come to detest.) I was new and wanted to attempt the tradition and I made myself a snail costume.

  It only makes sense that I dress as my biggest fear…ironically I adore Halloween, I just don’t love dressing up at work. The DIY snail found its way into the recycle bin, but not before I snapped one final photo.

  

  9. I think my dream job would be to help willing people declutter their lives/homes. I say willing because if someone isn’t ready to let go of things, the process becomes more difficult. One of the current house projects I am working on is helping my mom declutter her space. 30+ years of belongings need to be sorted through and organized, and nothing brings me more satisfaction that organizing.

  This was our plan when I moved back, but it took some time for my mom to be willing to jump on board. Patience has never been my virtue.

  10. One of the perks of going through old boxes is finding absolute gems of photographs. I think I found my favorite class photo of me as a child – from the silk blouse, and the red overalls, to the scowl on my face with my hands in my pockets. This feels like an accurate depiction of who I am as a person.

  Can we also take a moment to appreciate my Lord Farquadd haircut? My mom gave me this same snip for years.

  

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Little, Running

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 15, 2023

  1. I have one last hike I want to share from the beginning of October, but it’s been so long since I’ve popped on here that I think an Early Morning Confessions post is in order. Somehow it’s already mid November, and almost time to scarf down pounds of turkey. It’s also almost time to be thankful Duncan is nearly one year older. Confession: I’m older than my sweet, young, boyfriend.

  Any guesses on how much of a gap we have?

  2. Speaking of the almost birthday boy, we managed our annual trip to a pumpkin patch just before Halloween. The pumpkin pickings were slim at this patch, and it looked as if a tornado had ripped through the farm leaving rotted gourds in its wake. We managed to find two small rejects that we turned into starry eyed puke faces.

  

  

  3. One of my coworkers is constantly recommending off the cuff movies to me. I have watched most of the ones he has suggested, some I have ruminated on after watching, but none more than the one I watched most recently. I wanted to watch Midsommar since first hearing about it, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into with that movie.

  It was one of the most disturbing movies I have seen in years, and yet I obsessed over it for a week.

  I don’t watch scary movies. They are absolutely not for me. I will envision scenes for far too long causing extensive fear of the dark as a full grown adult. This was a horror movie of sorts and although I cannot handle true horror, the psychological thriller aspect of this movie captivated me. However, I was thankful my coworker warned me of a specifically gory scene, I don’t like gore either.

  Has anyone else seen this movie?

  4. My cat is doing much better these days. I think I have dialed in what he needs in his geriatric stage of life. He is playful and eats well, seems to feel ok, and loves to snuggle. Now that the colder months have arrived he is a sucker for the space heater. He sticks his paws right under the vent that blows hot air, and the image kills me every time. I also bought him a heating pad because he is spoiled and he is my child.

  

  

  5. My dad came to visit at the end of September and spent a few days falling in love with my cat. He loves my cat so much he almost stuffed him in his duffle bag to take back home with him. He also went into full dad mode analyzing my car to ensure it was in top shape (I have driven the same car since 2008, and I absolutely love it.) One of these statements is true, and the other is not.

  Any guesses?

  6. My friend Sam and I took a day trip to Oregon the weekend before Halloween. Our goal was to visit Halloweentown, aka the town of St. Helens. For my fellow millennials who grew up in the 90’s you might remember this Disney channel movie. We rewatched the movie before going to Oregon and it was just as terribly great as I remembered.

  It was fun to see the filming location right in the center of town, and movie aside this was an adorable place.

  

  

  

  7. On this trip to Oregon we also stopped in Portland for Sam to visit Powell’s Books. I knew Portland would have some gluten free goodies, and I found a bakery around the corner from the bookstore. I was flabbergasted by the prices of the goods, and although I do better with gluten free than gluten full, I was not about to pay copious amounts of cash to feel like crap. I settled on a $6 scone that thankfully blew my socks off.

  It was worth every single repercussion.

  8. My friend Caitlin and I have been staying active despite the rainy weather. I am thankful to have a pal like her who is always up for an outdoor adventure. She has the sweetest adventure pup, and that means a lot coming from a cat lady.

  

  9. Staying active in the fall and winter months is imperative for my mental well being. I have started running more regularly again in an attempt to mitigate any seasonal sadness that is inevitably coming my way (I run year round, but only 1-2 times a week when it’s hiking season). Last year I did a run streak starting on Thanksgiving where I ran everyday for 39 days.

  A handful of those days I only ran one mile, but it was enough to keep my spirits high. I have decided to start the streak early this year, and this year my goal is to run at least two miles most days. I won’t be upset if there are days I only manage one mile (hello PMS week, I’m looking at you), but I’ll shoot for two.

  I’m on day 8, wish me luck.

  10. This year I got back into reading and it has been an enjoyable way to avoid too much time on social media. Social media does little to no good for bettering my life, and while it can be fun to scroll mindlessly once in a while, I do my best to not be on it too much.

  I tend to obsess over stories that haunt me, and the book that destroyed me most this year was: A Little Life. There are so many trigger warnings for this book, and I found it to be a sad story along the way, but it wasn’t until the end that it broke me. I sobbed for probably 10 minutes straight, and I was sad for a week. I don’t recommend this book because it’s filled with trauma, but I have never read a book where the main character stuck with me long after reading.

  I am glad I read this one. Books and movies that make me feel things are usually worth it for me. Real life is messy, I need messy stories. Sometimes.

  

  Q’s:

  • What’s your confession?
  • Have you read any books lately that you recommend?

  

  | 36 Comments Tagged Cats, Early Morning Confessions, Halloween, Little, Running

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