Three Things Thursday.

... three things thursday. once again. not about running. just about life. maybe i should change the name of my blog from "barbie rus" to "barbie lives" ...

1. This past Monday I put in my 2 weeks notice at the company I have worked at for pushing 3 years.  It was bittersweet, there are SO many things that I have loved about that company. But, in December I was contacted by a company to "talk" about them, me, and what I wanted.  We never connected for who knows what reason, but about 2 weeks ago I was courted again and started talking to them. They offered me a position I just could not turn down.  Though I loved working with my coworkers and many people in the company and though i loved SO many aspects of the company as a whole, I just felt thought it was time to gain new experiences.  I hate to say that I felt that I had hit my glass ceiling at the company I had been with for years, but I was having the feeling that I was "stuck" where I was since I was stable and good at my job.  My old company was without a doubt my "family" here in Atlanta... they're all I have really known since moving here and I am so so thankful for that and for them and for all the memories. I would lie if I said that it was not scary to jump and make a HUGE change since I had a world of job security at my old company, but you don't gain anything without trying and without taking risks no matter how huge they may be.  So what's next?  I am working as a Talent Manager and I will be responsible for building a team of recruiters, managing them, training and coaching and developing them, and still recruiting & working with clients.  Needless to say - I am ready for the challenge and am excited to be starting something new on Monday.  The question is: will it be better or worse for my running life.  They talked about a work life balance... so *fingers crossed* better.
2. After putting in my notice, I was pretty much told I was done - which is understandable since I was going to competition and had access to a database full of candidate and client info.  SO, I have had 4 days to watch Gilmore Girls, shop for the new house, read the book I have to read prior to Monday, lunched with girlfriends, run errands, drink wine, walk the dog, nap with the dog, play with the dog, and take bubble baths!  Tomorrow after lunch with a friend, I am planning on getting my Stone Mountain pass and suffereing through a run.  It has been the 1st 4 days where I had NOTHING to do since moving to Atlanta and I could totally do this for a living.  Why can't I just be rich with zero responsibilities.
3.  Kyle and I picked our 1st dance song last night and we danced to it in the living room.  And no... I don't want to share what our song is because I want it to be a surprise to those who will be attending our wedding.  I love the song so much that I am listening to it now.  Ok, one lyric and if you want to look it up, you can do so.... "you're a mystery, you're from outerspace, you're every minute of my everyday" ....  But I love having our house and all the space so we can dance to my iTunes.  Tomorrow is Kyle's birthday and I am even more excited about that!! =)

With that... I will now give my lifetime movie full attention! =)

Soothes my Soul.

The other day when I was walking my dog my neighbor Mike mentioned that he has not seen me out running lately. I basically thanked him for calling me out and told him that work was running my life and it the cold was scaring me away. He laughed and asked me why I did run so much this past summer. I told him that I was training for my first half marathon last summer and that I continued to run because running was one of the many things that soothed my soul. He nodded and we parted ways.

It was true though. Running really is something that soothes my soul and it is a cheap form of therapy. It just seems like whenever I have a lot on my mind, need some time to myself, or just want to think and clear my mind running helps more than just talking to someone about it. It is my time to think about what is going on and think about the next step. Sometimes I just have to run because my dog and boyfriend are driving me bonkers. For me running really is just my personal time and sometimes that personal time is needed more than other times. Today, I really needed that time to myself (and I invited Lady Gaga to join). I know I didn't run too far today, a little under 4 miles, but it was just what I needed today. There has been a lot going on in my life the past month or so and I have never really had the time to sort it all out. I learned a lot more last night and I just really needed a good long run. I do not want to get into the details, but cliff notes version: someone who I thought was a good friend really isn't and she has stabbed me in the back. The worst part is that she does not know that I know everything and I cannot confront her about it.

....But today's 30 minutes therapy session made me realize how I am going to handle the situation and what the next steps are going to be. ...Needless to say, there will be some BIG changes in my life later this year and as much as they scare me and make me apprehensive, I am excited for them and will welcome them with open arms.

New Attitude. Fresh Start. Take 72.

I feel like I mention a lot that I am going to start taking this half marathon thing seriously. ....And every time I say I will, I try to. I really do. But I fail. Epically. Epic Fail on the past what 508375 attempts to take this running thing seriously. But seriously, as I sit here and blog when I should be running I am vowing to myself that I will run and run with a mission so I do not die in San Fran. I am not going to set out on a mission because I have made up routines for myself in the past and have not stuck to them, but the one thing I will try to do (and notice I said "try") is to just up my mileage every week.

So. I ran 12 miles this week. What is that 1.71 miles per day - lame. Next week I have to run at the minimum of 13 miles. I can run more than 13. But if by Sunday I have run only 10 miles, I have to go out for 3 mile or so run. And I am going off dailymile. They tend to round up. And if I run 13 miles next week... I have to run at least 14 the next. See the trend? That is my goal.

And. I wouldn't say I am going to push myself too hard. Because that leads to injury. But I at least want to be able to run more than 5 miles without the thought of suicide crossing my mind. I am supposed to have a 10 mile long run on Saturday, but we all know that is not going to happen. But I want to try for a 6.5 miler.

Wish me luck. For once I want to actually stick to what I say. Wish me luck! =)