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I am 50 years old now! What does that mean? NOTHING! 50 is just a number. Working in a hospital and helping people with their health for the last 20 years has taught me that age means NOTHING! Yea, recovery may take a little longer, joints may ache a little more and there may be a few more (ok a lot more) wrinkles on the face but honestly, every day is a blessing that is not wasted!
I decided 6 weeks ago to take on a 50k trail run as my new goal. I have done many races including a Tough Mudder that happened to be ON my birthday 6 years ago. I have to say, this one is the toughest for me. I had not been running at all and although I am super happy to be back on the trails, my 12.5 mile trail run in the heat on my 50th birthday almost did me in! My feet and legs were dead after that BUT I did it! The cool pool felt GREAT afterwards!
We DID it! As a team, we stuck together and conquered the TOUGH MUDDER in 4 hours! 10 miles, 2,815′ of climbing, 25 obstacles and a little shock therapy!
One of the things that kept me going was the fact that my friend lost her house in the Alpine fire and while running, I decided to donate $10. per mile that I ran. I also thought about the firemen out there risking their lives and suffering though the heat to save people’s homes. If they can do that for hours on end, I can suffer for 2 hours on the trails! Those things pushed me to get 12.5 miles in! Whatever works! (want to donate to help a family that lost everything? )
While running, I had a chance to reflect back on the last 50 years of my life and think about the good times and bad and what made me what and who I am today. I shared them on my FB page and thought I would share a few with you so maybe you can be grateful for the events in your past that shaped YOU to become the person that you are today and not dwell on how “OLD” you are….
In my 20’s: I left my family & friends & moved to Maryland only knowing one person who I met on the beach while on vacation 
I Started working out & loved it! 🏋️♀️ I was blessed to get into the X-ray program at the local community college while I worked weekends at the local hospital as a tech aide. Upon finishing school, my first job I got was in Washington DC with some amazing people. 🤗 2 years later, I took a voluntary layoff and I traveled for 2 months around the country & moved to California without a job, place to live or knowing anyone! 😳 The whole time I drank myself into blackouts 🍻 but I sure did have a good time! 🤪 When I got to California I started Mountain Biking 🚵♀️ and I quit smoking. 👍
In my 30’s: I got a tattoo for my 30th & got wasted. 🍺 I was dating a psycho & had to get a restraining order & leave the state for a few months. Crazy times! 🙄 BUT, I stopped drinking when I was 32 after my 8th accident & a DUI! 👍 I started dating Jim❤️ & bought a condo. I did a few 24 hour Mtn Bike Races 🚵♀️ with a fun team. To celebrate the New Year, I went sky diving & continued my adventures with hang gliding and bungee jumping! I became a Personal Trainer & studied Nutrition with an amazing mentor. 🥗 I landed a part time job at UCSD. I traveled solo internationally to: New Zealand, Costa Rica & Thailand ✈️ and met some pretty cool people! I lost my dad to lung cancer 😢 & that totally sucked but the best part was that I got Jack & named him after my dad! 🐶
In my 40’s: I rented a Sailboat for my 40th with my friends & family. ⛵️ I started my Leash Your Fitness business while I was still at SDSU finishing up my 13 year Bachelors Degree! 😂 I met my new workout partner in college 💪 and together we trained for a Tough Mudder on a ski resort near Big Bear. I also did a Spartan Race & a few Ragnar 24 hour trail run races with our Trail Dogs team 
I had back surgery & I lost my mom 😢 very suddenly & my life was turned upside down! 😞 Life is too short so I bought a RV & Jack & I traveled the country for 10 weeks teaching dog fitness classes. 🚍 We also traveled to the Pacific Northwest & Canada. Jack has been in 34 states & 2 countries! 🇨🇦 I also got to speak at a convention & I wrote a book! 📖 Then Jack got a brain tumor and that sucked, so dealt with that & learned a lot about dog cancer. I started an Essential Oil business by accident because they were helping so many people! 😉
50 is just a number and a chance to reflect! 😀 What will happen in this next decade? Who knows! 🤷♀️ None of the above was planned or put on my “Goal” sheet, life just happened and that is just the way I like it! 👍 Living life by the day, enjoying what I do and who I surround myself with and having Gratitude for every single day! 🙏
Thanks so much to everyone who came to my 50th Fiesta on Fiesta Island. It was so much fun to see so many friends from so many of my different “friend circles”. It was definitely a day to remember and a great kick off to the next decade! I can only dream of what the future holds in store….
