I turn 40 years old on Saturday. There, I said it. I know, right! The Big 4-Oh as most of my family & friends like to call it. I’m dreading it. It suddenly feels as if my youth will be gone and I’m stuck in that middle place between being young and old. When people say, “Agh, it’s not that bad! Life begins at 40!” I’ve been unsure what they mean? But as the big day draws closer, when I take a step back, I realize I’m already pretty much deciding on what that so-called ‘life’ needs to look like.

It’s almost a week since I ran my 5^th Two Oceans Half Marathon. The new route is slightly tougher than the old one, that’s for sure, but when I look back on my times, I am really pleased with the progress I’m making with my running Coach. I’ve come a long way since that DNF (Did not finish) in 2010 and I’m not afraid of that 3 hour cutoff anymore. And yes, as Coach Dave told me a while back, “You’re turning 40. Stop comparing yourself to runners half your age!” *ahem*

Surprisingly, I am happy with my body. I’ll never be skinny but after two years of living on a LCHF lifestyle, I’m in control of my weight and love the way I look. In fact, down in Cape Town I was brave enough to sun tan on the beach in a bikini sans a wrap tucked around my waist! The grey hairs, well let’s not go there… I digress.

Trust me when I say that it’s also the biggest relief to know that at the overly-ripe age of 40 that I am still happy with my decision not to have kids. It would’ve been scarier to be in a situation where I wasn’t sure and that clock was ticking.

I have a close bunch of absolutely amazing friends – You guys rock! I have a wonderful wonderful wonderful family – I love you’z so* much! And I’m blessed to have a job which challenges me to grow & learn every single day. My house is beautiful. My dogs love me to bits…

The best part is that it’s the night before I leave on a fabulous adventure with KK. I wanted to be somewhere totally different & exotic for my birthday and decided Tokyo was the place to be! Cherry blossom season. Mount Fuji. Sushi, sushi, sushi. Celebrating it all with the man I love.

Happy 40th Big 4-Oh Birthday me! X