Happy Friday!

Happy sunny Friday to all my fellow Washingtonians! I'm spending some time today reflecting on the last month, and WHAT a month it has been. Easily one of the top 3 craziest months of my life. I'll get into some of the highlights below, but I just want to start this out by saying that I'm a big believer that life is all about balance. So although I'm happy with how September turned out and proud of my accomplishments, I am very much enjoying things slowing down a bit in October. What my body, mind, and soul needs right now is REST, and I am soaking up all the rest I can get.

Ironman

I've had completing an Ironman on my bucket list for at least 10 years. I started taking my health and fitness seriously when I was 17-years-old, and I remember dreaming of one day doing an Ironman. For anyone who doesn't know, an Ironman is a long-distance triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile-swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.

Last year, I checked 2 other big things off my bucket list - Climbing Mount Rainier and running a Marathon. So 2023 was the year of the Ironman. For this first one, I decided to sign up a half Ironman, which is half of all the distances above. I officially signed up on April 28th, a little under 5 months before race day. Those 5 months were incredibly challenging - in large part because of the HUGE amount of time required to train. I spent 10-15 hours/week swimming, biking, and running.

The big day came last month on September 17th. It was very very hard. I moved my body 70.3 miles in and around Lake Wilderness in beautiful Maple Valley. My # 1 goal was simply to finish it, but I was also shooting for under 7 hours. I crossed the finish line in 6 hours, 57 minutes, 57 seconds. Just in the nick of time!

It was an incredibly taxing and challenging day, both physically and mentally. I spent hundreds of hours training for this day, and it felt amazing to be done. I couldn’t have asked for a better pit crew for the big day. Knowing that these smiling faces were waiting for my at the finish line gave me the extra push I needed to get there.

I've had quite a few people ask me - What's next? Will I do a full Ironman? My answer - Maybe. I'm saving that decision for a later date.

Jamie and I made a podcast episode recapping the Ironman and days leading up to it. Check it out HERE!

Half Marathon PR

I ran my first half marathon in August of 2013. Over the last 10 years, I’ve ran 13+ miles quite a few times, but I’ve never been able to beat my original half marathon time. Last weekend, I finally set a new PR and beat my previous record by 2 minutes, 17 seconds!

Also let me just brag on my friends for a second. Brandon literally WON the race and qualified for the New York Marathon, and Teddy & Alec both successfully completed their first half marathon!

Tough Mudder 10K

Those who get muddy together stay together. Theory Team Tough Mudder 2023!

Proud of this group for waking up early on a Sunday morning, getting uncomfortable, and doing hard things - including submerging our bodies in THE coldest water any of us have ever experienced. Better every day!

Cityscape Games Updates!

Excited and proud to announce that our little escape room business Cityscape Games just won The Seattle Times' best escape room in the northwest!

Our 1st game Rockstar takes you backstage at the Tacoma Dome, and our 2nd game Zookeeper (officially opening next week) is set at the Point Defiance Zoo. I had a chance to play Zookeeper for the first time yesterday, and I was absolutely blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of our Escape Room Manager Daniel.

Whether you’ve never done an escape room before OR you’re an escape room aficionado, I guarantee you will have an amazing time at Cityscape Games. Perfect for a date night, family outing, or team-building activity with your podcast cohost

Starting any new business does not come without its fair share of challenges, but milestones like this provide that extra push to keep going and keep growing!