Giving up sugar got REAL yesterday. I need to have cards that say “I’m sorry for what I said to you when I was coming off sugar.” Yikes!

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To know how I’m doing in the moment, I have been sugar-crash venting on Twitter and Instagram.

I used to hate running. I ran when someone on my team missed a layup. I ran when the pool was broken and we were doing “dryland” for the day. I ran when the PE coach was giving out grades. I ran when I forgot my homework in my locker.

I never ran for fun.

It still baffles me two years later that I voluntarily put on running shoes and do more than a lap around a track or a basketball court. What has been even more shocking for me is that I actually enjoy it (shh, don’t tell coach).

Double my miles

I set out last January to run more than ever before. I wanted to double the 153 miles I ran in 2012, and with 333 miles, I destroyed my goal. I kept running consistently (except for a few minor injuries that sidelined me here and there) and I was grateful for (almost) every step.

Finish 13.1 in 2013

Running more miles than I could count on one hand was previously something I believed only insane people would even try. I had never gone so far on foot before I stepped up to the starting line. Finishing the Nike Women’s Half Marathon is one of the things I am the most proud of from this year (you know, behind graduating from college and working for Sunset magazine). Every time I wear my finisher’s necklace I am reminded that I can do the impossible.

In 2014 I will

1. Run at least 400 miles
2. Finish two half marathons
3. Run my first race away from home (and hopefully cross leaving the country off my bucket list)
4. Not let injuries worry me
5. Try a local running group like the November Project or a club

After an early Thanksgiving with my family I took a road trip with my friend to Los Angeles to reunite with our college roommate. I’ve never driven from San Francisco to L.A. before, so I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. As a child my family would often visit my grandparents in Reno and we drove to Oregon a few times, so I wasn’t too worried about being in the car for hours on end. I brought plenty of things to entertain me, and my friend made us a great playlist that made the six and a half hours go by quickly.

At one point all the time in the car was starting to get to me, so to stop my fidgeting, I decided to release some tightness in my calves on the dash board… totally normal…

Even though we left for L.A. a little before 11 a.m., by the time we were on the outskirts of the county, the sun was already almost down. Despite spending the majority of the day sitting in the car, we were exhausted and ready to stretch out for a bit. So we did what we always used to when we needed to lie down for a bit, jump on our roommate’s bed and be as obnoxious as possible. Despite being incredibly annoying, she still took us out to a delicious dinner and helped us to relax after a long day in the car by taking us to her apartment complex’s hot tub.

Before I had decided to go to L.A. I had my heart set on running a turkey trot. To make up for it, I did my own Thanksgiving morning. The only problem was that I was in a completely new area (the first time I had seen it was in the dark, so I was really unsure of where I was) and I tend to get lost… a lot. But instead of letting that stop me, I laced up and decided to wing it. Although it was a blast to get out and get to explore the neighborhood, it wasn’t as relaxing as my usual runs where I don’t have to pay attention to where I’m going or to street names to make sure that I make it back.

But after successfully navigating my way back, I was treated to a delicious breakfast at a local coffee shop/cafe that I desperately wanted to steal and bring with me back home. I had a vegetarian, crustless quiche that made me feel spoiled and yet like I was eating well. I also bought a hand pie that was later eaten before Thanksgiving dinner (in my defense we had healthy (and tasty) baked fruit for dessert so it was my only pie of the day).

Over the rest of the weekend I saw Black Friday first hand (it was simultaneously horrifying and depressing), went kayaking and paddleboarding (and did not fall in), and spent a lot of time with my not-actually-related family.

Before we said our said goodbyes on Sunday and headed back to real-life, we made another stop at the cafe for breakfast, and I couldn’t resist a chai tea and another hand pie for the road.

What we didn’t realize was that everyone else who had decided to take a road trip down to Southern California would be driving back north with us. I kept telling myself that there was an accident in front of us, and once we pass that we would be free and clear. Lets just say that never happened. It took nine hours to get back to San Francisco, and despite some interesting bird flocks that did their best to entertain me, it was a long trip back home.

I know I’m not the only one who hates changing the clocks, but it’s especially irritating for after-work runners such as myself. Now by the time I get home and change, it looks like it’s midnight outside. And while I feel safe running by myself in broad daylight, being out all alone at night seems like a terrible idea. Instead of trying to beg someone to run with me (so far miserably unsuccessful) or try to cram in a run at lunch, I decided to take advantage of the extra morning light (the light I would rather have in the evenings, for the record) and go for a run.

When my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning I was kicking myself. I was losing an hour of sleep to run in the cold? What a terrible idea. But my attitude quickly changed when I got on the road and it was nearly empty. All week my commute to and from work had been especially terrible (I’m convinced my iPhone has been sending an alert to everyone in a five mile radius of me telling them I’m about to leave and so should they. Siri can be quite conniving). Instead of taking me an hour and a half, I was at work in 45 minutes. That alone made me like getting up early that much better. By the time I got to work, it was bright enough for a comfortable run.

Usually I shake my head in disdain at the poor souls who get up in the morning and go for a run. But this morning I realized why they do it. Everything is quiet. Streets aren’t busy. The traffic that blows by me any other time would stop and let me go. And being with the other runners felt like we all knew something everyone else didn’t.

This whole holiday season is already a blur for me. Working in magazine publishing means that the entire month of October was all about Christmas thanks to finalizing the December issue and sending it to the printer. It put my whole mind into a weird twilight zone where the weather had yet to fully cool and I was prepping for Christmas trees, cookies, and resolutions. By the time it was Halloween we were well into January and I felt like the holidays were over and it was time to prep for spring.

To make things even more confusing to my already muddled mind, my family celebrated Thanksgiving two days after Halloween. Because many of my family members were invited to multiple holiday dinners, we decided to do this years feast a bit early. It turned out that the only day in November that we could all make it was Saturday, so we had a very early celebration.

We kicked off the weekend with a beautiful dinner overlooking the ocean before diving into our traditional meal on Saturday. My brother and I did our own Turkey Trot in the morning to substitute for our previous plans to run a real race. The weather was great (another bonus of having three less weeks on fall’s side) and we had a blast making jokes about what everyone else was doing on “Thanksgiving.” We withheld from running in full out costumes (or any themed attire), but I think if we should repeat the experience next year we should go all out.

For dinner we had our usual spread: salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing, and vegetables. I am not a big fan of Thanksgiving foods (mashed potatoes don’t interest me, I avoid gravy and turkey like the plague, and while I love stuffing, it makes me feel horrible). I was mostly interested in one of my favorite salads and the classic pumpkin pie, but the meat eaters were pleased that yes, you can get a turkey outside of the last week of November.

Despite being three weeks early, it was a lot of fun. There were no lines at the grocery store, no intense holiday traffic, and no painfully scripted Thanksgiving television in days preceding. It was by far the most relaxed holiday we have had.

I’ve been dying for a vacation. I started work in the middle of finals week, and it’s been go go go ever since. This weekend my family and I took a day trip to Lake Berryessa, exactly what I had been waiting for. I know it’s no trip to Hawaii and it doesn’t stack up against my peers who have been traveling across Europe in the wake of graduation, but it was just what I needed.

We usually go up to the lake at least once a summer, but every time it’s like learning how to water ski all over again because it’s been so long. But it turns out all of the CrossFit I had been doing had me well prepared. Normally after a few runs I’m too tired to drag myself up out of the water and my grip is hopeless against the tug of the boat. This time I was able to ski as much as I wanted and I didn’t have to let go of the rope once because my muscles just couldn’t take it anymore. I was also able to cut in and out of the wakes easier (90 percent bravery, 5 percent strength, and 5 percent skill), which I was excited about.

I know what you are thinking “Wait, you did what? Who skis anymore?” My dad grew up water skiing and spent most of his summers on this lake. It’s family tradition and none of us own anything fancy like a wake board. Or maybe I’m just trying to start a new old school is cool hipster trend.

Which isn’t to say that I never fell down. I fell a lot, but got up laughing each time. Sometimes it’s just too ridiculous to not laugh at yourself.

But one of my favorite parts, besides spending time with family and getting away from the to-do list for a while, is always the delicious food we bring. This time we had oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies, a zesty and hearty quinoa salad, homemade roasted vegetable sandwiches with a vinaigrette dressing, and a mayonnaise free potato salad. For only being a day it was a blast and a great little vacation.

Never before have I worked so hard or so long on a single project. I sent at least 500 emails, pulled nearly 100 lookbooks, unpacked and resent more than 100 boxes, dug through hundreds of samples, got up at at 5 a.m. to make it to the shoots on time, ran around like a crazy person, and had weeks of stress dreams about it, but it turned out so well I would do it all over again (multiple times!).

We put an insane amount of work into this and I’m so happy with how it turned out. You should check it out, it’s out on the newstands now ; )

When I signed up for my half marathon in April, I imagined lacing my shoes and starting slow and steady in May. That has not been my half marathon training reality. After more than two months of not running at all, the October race date is breathing down my neck and I am trying to figure out how to play catch-up.

Instead of running over the past few weeks as planned, I have been “fuelling up” (read excuse for eating a dessert). I dipped into the homemade donuts from the Sunset test kitchen and tried out a new ice cream sandwich place that actually sells soy ice cream.

With only 12 weeks to go I want to hide like the family cat.

But instead I’m hitting the road three days a week and slowly but surely adding miles each and every week. If only a half marathon was only 3.1 miles, then I would be set.