Ch- ch- ch- ch- changes.

This weekend, I spent most of my time not running. Instead, I spent my time cleaning, packing and searching for usable boxes. I also spent a fair amount of time painting and driving and carrying heavy boxes. Now, if it sounds like I'm moving, that's because I am moving. And that's not all...

SoxFan and I... are... moving in together.

I know, I'm a little freaked out by it, too. For a while now, we've been... dating. If you can really call it dating because the only things that have changed are now we smooch and hold hands and he does all the really nice boyfriend things (like killing spiders and letting me pick the movie and worrying about me when I'm sick). It's a little weird because we have been friends for a long time, and now we're more than friends.

So, I'm packing up my sweet apartment in Lakewood for a 3 bedroom house in Conifer (up in the mountains). The new house has lots of trees and a nice big yard and window boxes and hummingbirds. It's quiet and peaceful up there, and I'm looking forward to already being in the mountains when I wake up on the weekends, rather than being in town when I wake up and having to drive to the mountains.

But I'm a little nervous, obviously. I learned to run in Lakewood. I have running routes that are like home to me. I know the potholes and the smells and the hills. I know where all the dogs live, and I know which ones are friendly and which ones aren't. I know the mile-markers. I know that once I make it over "that hill", I'm home free and the rest of the run will be a breeze.

And my current apartment is where I learned that I can be healthy.

It's where I learned a lot of things about myself.

I'm worried that by leaving, I'll forget how to run and I'll forget how to be healthy. I'm worried that this change to my environment will cause me to backslide into my old (unhealthy) habits.

But, one thing I've learned (while living in Lakewood) is that if your attitude is right, then nothing can stop you. So, rather than being fearful of this change, I'm going to try to view it as an opportunity. I'll have the opportunity to learn how to become a trail runner, in addition to being a road runner. I'll have the opportunity to train at an even higher elevation, making races in Denver seem easier. I'll have the opportunity to prove to myself that I am in control, even when my environment changes.

I've had such a great attitude lately. I've felt unstoppable! But, it's easy to feel unstoppable when everything is going great, right? Now I get to test myself: Can I maintain a great attitude when things are making me anxious?