Wow. Where to begin? I really just want to tell you about my awesome 20km run yesterday, but I think I should start my first blog post of 2014 with a quick 2013 recap and maybe some personal goals for 2014.
2013 was such an amazing year for me. I rang in the new year with two girl friends who I think the world of so I was already off to a fantastic start. I fell in love with yoga and running. I ran my first marathon ever. I ran my second marathon ever. I did a solo trip to Costa Rica which was life-changing. I graduated university. I learned how to do a headstand.
I learned that to love others you have to love yourself first. I went on my first blind date ever (and it wasn’t a complete disaster!). I got a job as a pastry assistant at a french patisserie and moved to Vancouver (wait, what?!). I realized how lucky I am to have things that make saying goodbye so hard.
Uh, yeah. So back to the part about moving to the other side of the country..a lot has happened since my last post and I feel like I am only just getting a chance to sit down, breathe, and share this new part of my life with you. About a month ago I packed up my things and headed out west to Vancouver where I was lucky enough to get a job as a pastry assistant at a french patisserie. I’ve only been working there for just under a month now, but I love it so so so much. Getting paid to bake and do what I love, seriously?! And as if things couldn’t get better, my boss who is the owner/head baker is so nice and ridiculously talented and creative. I am so inspired by the beautiful cakes, macarons, pastries, etc that she creates and feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to help create beautiful things. I also am loving being out west so far, I can’t get enough of the mountains!
I’ve never been into new years resolutions after being forced to come up with a list of ten every year in elementary school (mine were always the same: be nice to my sister, clean my room, stop global warming, etc.) Instead, I like to set goals, so here are a few of mine for 2014:
- eat less chocolate (too late, I’ve already binged on an embarrassing amount and we’re only 6 days in the new year..)
- learn how to do a forearm stand and hand stand (and hold it)
- run a 4:30 marathon and a 4:20 marathon
- blog more!!!!!
These stunning and scenic images were all taken on my cell phone during my 20km run yesterday with a friend. We were planning on doing maybe 8-10km, whatever the distance was around Stanley Park on the gorgeous and famous seawall. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear skies, and we both felt pretty good so we decided to run to Granville Island to get lunch there. We ended up having to loop around the coast to get to Granville Island, so by the time we got there my Garmin read 19.6km.
I should probably tell you that I don’t normally run 20km just for fun, but I am training to run the Around the Bay 30km race in Hamilton this spring so it worked out with my training schedule
Naturally once we got to Granville Island we were starving, and we may or may not have inhaled 2 donuts each in record time…oops. I managed to snap a picture of my second donut, it was SO GOOD, the best chocolate donut I have ever had! Although to be fair, I think any donut after 20km would be the best donut ever.
Then we couldn’t help but split a poutine…oops again. I think I run just so I can eat things like chocolate donuts and poutine. Although now that I think about it, I should probably make “eating healthier” a new years goal for 2014.
If you’ve been reading The Little Spork since 2013 (or before!), thank you for staying with me through my sporadic blog posting schedule. I hope to share a ton of great recipes with you this year, along with my adventures in running and life. I have a recipe I’m excited to share with you tomorrow, so until then!
xo,
Lianna