Photo: Gemma, a Black woman with an afro poof and wearing all black long-sleeved shirt and pants, relaxes with one arm resting on knee. She sits in front of a large window wall in a Piaule log cabin.

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This is 30.

I turned 30 in February. I was asked a few times leading up to this birthday how I felt about it. In the back of my mind, I felt a bit of worry and dread. There was that nagging feeling of "being behind" or somehow not where I should be (whatever that means). But most of all, the negativity was lost in the blanket of burnout. I was slogging through.

In the past few years, I've heard people wax poetic about their 30s. If their 20s were full of struggle and uncertainty, their 30s were full of self-assurance and security.

I spent my 20s always chasing something, literally and figuratively. I wanted to start this new decade on a different note, one that was less about chasing and more about stopping and smelling the roses. I want to slow down, pause, and breathe. Figure out who I am now and who I want to be. And hopefully, document it as much as my bandwidth allows me to.

 
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VLOG | February Happenings

I've been meaning to get back to vlogging for months now. I've always found excuses as to why I haven't kicked my butt into gear to actually get more vlogs out there, but I'm happy to say I finally threw something together for the end of February. 

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Racing, Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong Racing, Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong

The Trouble In Racing After Time

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this on the blog before, but I'm not a fan of the indoor track season. Never have been and probably never will be. I'm not sure if it's the endless frustration that always seems to occur or that it's so short that you never really feel as prepared as you should be.

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Racing, Lifestyle Gemma Acheampong Racing, Lifestyle Gemma Acheampong

Weekly Review | Excited And Fatigued

This past week seems to have simultaneously dragged on forever and zoomed by. Since BU didn't start school until Thursday, I was still on the cusp of getting into my full routine of training, coaching, and working. Not only that, I planned on having my season opener at the BU Multi-Team Meet on Thursday. Every day until then definitely seemed like it dragged on forever. 

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Lifestyle Gemma Acheampong Lifestyle Gemma Acheampong

Podcast On Repeat: Do Go On

Anyone that have ever been my roommate at any point in the last few years can tell you a few constants about me. I'm a loud eater. I can fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly. I'm always listening to something

I don't know why, but I've grown to dislike the quiet. I like to have a constant ringing in my ears to fit whatever mood I'm in, whether I'm in the mood to destroy a hard workout or to unwind with a good laugh at the end of a long day.

Lately, I've been listening to a new podcast and couldn't put off telling everyone about it any longer.  

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Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong

2017 | Hang In There

2016 has been a weird year. My first inclination was to describe the year as a wash. I feel like I haven't progressed as much I wanted to in all the ways I wanted to. There are still so many things I need to work on, and as every year passes it's getting a little harder to say "It's OK. I've got time. I'm still young."

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Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong Mindful Living Gemma Acheampong

Motivation Monday 21 | The Off Days

Expect 20% of your training sessions to be “duds”. Off days. Days where your strength just “isn’t right”. Don’t let it rattle you when it happens because it’s normal. Go home, eat, rest and sleep well, and come back the next time with a determined attitude.
— Dan John
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