Happy Monday! And happy official summer! I can't believe we've made it past the summer solstice, it's always kind of depressing to know the days are getting shorter and shorter again, isn't it? But let's not even worry about that because there is so much life to soak up this season!
To be honest, I'm losing track of the days because Ben is on summer break and we've been so busy traveling. Being able to work from anywhere and have complete control over my schedule is freaking awesome and I'm so grateful I decided to take the leap and work for myself. Tonight we're actually headed to the airport and flying to Amsterdam to spend a long week in Holland visiting family, but I wanted to share a quick life update here on the blog before we leave!
I always love leaving the hustle and bustle of the city for the peace and quiet of "downstate" Illinois. This weekend we picked up my friend and teammate Katie and drove down to my hometown (Chillicothe/Peoria) for a big running event that my dad helps direct, the Steamboat Classic. There's a 4 mile and 15k race, a 2 mile walk, and tons of parties and events along with it for the volunteers, race committee, and family. I've grown up with this event but never really participated until the last few years as I've slowly gotten more and more into running and fitness!
This year my dad let Katie and me set up a table at the race expo, so on Friday we hung out at the downtown fitness center's gym for nine hours passing out Shakeology samples and talking to people about what we do as Beachbody coaches! It was a great experience and a huge comfort zone buster for both of us. I also was able to officially decide that vegan chocolate Shakeology is my favorite flavor, and that yes there is such thing as drinking too much Shakeo in one day...
On Saturday we were up bright and early to head back downtown for the race itself! Both of my sisters, Katie, Ben, my dad, and I all ran the 4 mile. This was a big race for me personally because I've worked through such enormous mental blocks over the past year and have actually been able to become a faster runner by learning how to push my limits and become resilient to the little voices in my head that hold me back. I have Shaun T to thank ;)
I haven't really been running much lately and didn't officially train for the race so I had no idea what to expect, but decided to show up and give it my best shot. I completely surprised myself by finishing with an official time of 31:02, over a 5 minute PR on my 4 mile time and an average pace of around 7:45/mile!!!
This is the same girl who used to walk the mile in PE, finished last in track and cross country meets in college, and never felt like I'd ever measure up to my own expectations or be able to feel like a "legit" runner.
Major. Victory.
Side note: my little sister Nicole is getting so big! She's going into high school this year and I'm so proud of her!
Katie fits right into the family, haha.
On Saturday night we headed out on the Illinois River on this gorgeous old paddle boat for a dinner cruise with the rest of the race committee, volunteers, top athletes, and family. There has been so much rain and flooding lately that no other boats are allowed out right now so we felt really special and VIP!
This boat reminds me of the Disney movie The Rescuers...I think it's something about the smokestacks. Did you ever watch that movie?
It was a great weekend, full of the perfect blend of work, play, friends, and family.
I'm feeling extra grateful and blessed for this life I'm creating and all the people in it!
See you from Holland :)
xo Anna