Tag Archives: goals

Being Epic!

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beam of sunlight

I have recently been inspired to reassess my bucket list and goals.  As I reviewed some of my previous posts, I realized that, WOW, I actually achieved some of those things!!
And although it would be silly to say that I didn’t “intentionally” achieve them, I will admit that many of them were achieved in a more “organic” and less conscious manner than I had anticipated.  Why is that?… the psychotherapist in me understands “why” but still gets excited by how the mind works to create what the heart desires.

The simple act of writing out your goals makes them more tangible.  You’ve declared it. You’ve engaged in the physical act of writing it down and now you have a visual reminder of what it is that you want to achieve.  Its no longer just in the corner of your mind.  Its right there in front of you! Now, what you do with what is right in front of you is up to you.  You could dismiss it as a silly fantasy or you could actually commit to the belief that these things are a possibility for you.  I chose to believe that they are a possibility… in fact, I chose to believe that nothing that I truly want is IMPOSSIBLE.

On that sentiment, here is a list of things I am sending out into the universe, with full belief in their possibility.  Some I’ve already achieved, some I still need to check off the list.  I hope to build this list up to 100 soon 😉  Those which have been crossed out have already been checked off my list.  (Disclaimer, I have not written these in any type of order of importance.  They are simply in the order in which they occurred to me as I sat at my desk a few days ago… distracting myself from doing what I should have been doing which was grading essays, lol.)

  1. Visit Japan while cherry trees are in full bloom
  2. Run the Paris Marathon
  3. Write and publish a novel
  4. Go on an air balloon ride
  5. Have children
  6. Live in a home with a view of the ocean (awesome retirement!)
  7. Do the Ragnar Relay from Miami to Key West
  8. Complete a 1/2 Iron Man
  9. Run a full marathon
  10. Get my Scuba License
  11. Go on a photo safari in Africa
  12. Visit the Pyramids of Egypt
  13. Napa Valley 1/2 marathon
  14. Sell my travel photos
  15. Find a loving partner who reciprocates my devotion
  16. Raise over 1.5K for paralysis research (Help by donating here!)
  17. Show up at the airport and just take the next flight to WHEREVER!
  18. Spend an entire summer vacation in a home in either Spain or Italy
  19. Crochet a garment, not just an afghan or accessory (thats hard!)
  20. Learn to speak French FLUENTLY (not so choppy)
  21. Teach English abroad
  22. Go whale watching in Alaska
  23. See a baby sea turtle hatch/ go into the ocean
  24. Go to a Michelin star restaurant and eat the chef’s 10+ course “tasting menu”
  25. Swim in the bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico
  26. Be able to do a yoga headstand (without breaking my neck immediately thereafter)
  27. Attend a mass at the vatican
  28. Stay home with my kids until they start pre-k
  29. Do a “century” on my bike
  30. See Paul McCartney in concert
  31. Visit the Great Wall of China
  32. Visit Chichen Itza in Mexico
  33. Visit Machu Picchu in Peru
  34. See the Colosseum
  35. Visit Taj Mahal in India
  36. Visit Christ the Redeemer in Brazil
  37. Get my graduate degree
  38. Hike the entire length of the Inca Trail
  39. Go hiking and camping somewhere in the western US
  40. Go to a U2 concert
  41. See Pavarotti in concert
  42. See Toni Bennet in concert
  43. Break a two hour half marathon
  44. hmmmmm…….

🙂

 

 

P.R.ing (Yes, its a verb)

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I can proudly boast that I have been able to consistently PR (beat my personal record) at every race I’ve participated in for an entire year! Well, the only exception to this was the Miami Marathon… but I blame the fact I was in coral “J” and had to run sideways around people more frequently than I ran forward towards the finish, lol (I believe there were 28K participants!)

Here’s what I feel has helped me achieve my goals little by little:

1. Train hard during your off season:  Florida’s off season is the summer.  Scorching heat and oppressive humidity make smarter people stay indoors or run on treadmills. Us crazy people, however, just wake up earlier and run outside anyway.  And you know what?  I think it gives us crazies an edge.  If you can run 9 miles in 85 degree heat, then doing 13.1 in 50 degrees and a cool breeze will feel like a vacation, not a half marathon.  Trust me.  That’s exactly what was going through my head a few weeks ago.

2. Rest:  So, you think that the more mileage you get in during the week, the better off you’ll be?  WRONG.  Give your body the chance to rest between runs.  Running is harsh on your joints and can become a chore really quickly if you don’t start allowing yourself to “forget” how much it kinda sucks sometimes by giving yourself a day’s break in between.

3.  Cross Train:  Now, just ’cause you’re “resting” from running, doesn’t mean you are resting from cardio completely.  Take up another sport like cycling or swimming to keep you busy in between runs.  Weight training and fun classes at the gym also count!

4.  Injury Prevention:  My greatest fear is not being able to run.  But even I skip these and later really REALLY regret it.  Injury prevention/ strengthening exercises are imperative if you want to keep running long-term.  There are some common ones you can find on the web but, honestly, each person’s injury prevention routine should be tailored to his or her frequent aches and pains.  I usually have pulling in my piriformis and inner knees so I’ve learned to do things to strengthen the surrounding areas to prevent things from getting worse.  DO THEM!!!

5.  Eat Well:  Believing that eating lots of carbs will give you more energy or that eating a very low-fat diet will make you a leaner, better runner is just a naive and misinformed way to go about feeding yourself.  I’ve found that I need to be very attentive to my protein, carb and fiber balance for a good two weeks before a race… and good fats are your friend not your foe. You DO NOT want to have a “fiber attack” while running and you DEFINITELY do not want to suffer a day’s worth of serious G.I. issues after your race because your body has basically consumed itself due to being poorly nourished.  Balance is key.  Eat what you like, eat what you NEED and eat CLEAN and BALANCED.

1:56:41

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I still can’t believe I did it!  Not only did I meet my goal of doing a 1/2 marathon in under two hours, I improved my personal best by over 6 minutes!!  My official time was 1:56:41 and I placed 8th in my age group.  Not bad for a girl who used to run a half marathon in 2:30:00!

When I first started the race, my Gamin decided it was going to choose that specific moment to not work appropriately.  Rather than panic, I kept running at what I thought was a decent pace and turned it off then back on about 3 times.  Finally, just as I approached the first mile marker, it started giving me a reading that looked like it could be accurate, 9:30 pace, so I left it alone and hoped for the best.

The weather could not have been better.  It was in the 50’s in South Florida which was a rare treat.  I attribute a lot of my success to how cool it was and how little fatigue I felt as I ran.  Another bonus was that the majority of the race went through areas that I frequent when I’m training.  Being familiar with the route gave me the edge to really push when I knew I was close to the finish.

All in all it was a great morning and I couldn’t be prouder.  What’s next?!  What should my new goal be?!  I’m shooting to break 1:50:00 by the end of this season.  Lets see if I can do it!

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Wings for Life Foundation

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Dear friends & followers,

Like all runners, I have had a love/hate relationship with this sport since I began 7 years ago. There have been many runs during which I have deeply questioned my sanity and ultimately conceded to a level of masochism not shared by most. Despite these feelings, however, I have always, ALWAYS given thanks to God for giving me a sound body that is capable of such a primal and liberating act. How beautiful it is to exercise my privilege to run!

Wings for Life Foundation’s aim is to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Promoting advancement in spinal cord research is important to me. This year, I have decided to not only run for my own sense of happiness and freedom, but to dedicate myself to a greater cause. I want to run for those who can’t and would greatly appreciate your help in achieving my fundraising goal of $1500.

Just click on the picture below to be redirected to my fundraising page!

wingsforlife

100% of your donation goes directly to spinal cord research since the foundation’s administrative costs are completely covered by Red Bull!

Please join me in supporting this great organization by making a donation today.

Thanks,

Cristy

Wings for Life

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wingsforlife

Dear friends & followers,

Like all runners, I have had a love/hate relationship with this sport since I began 7 years ago. There have been many runs during which I have deeply questioned my sanity and ultimately conceded to a level of masochism not shared by most. Despite these feelings, however, I have always, ALWAYS given thanks to God for giving me a sound body that is capable of such a primal and liberating act. How beautiful it is to exercise my privilege to run!

Wings for Life Foundation’s aim is to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Promoting advancement in spinal cord research is important to me. This year, I have decided to not only run for my own sense of happiness and freedom, but to dedicate myself to a greater cause. I want to run for those who can’t and would greatly appreciate your help in achieving my fundraising goal of $1500.

I will be logging my weekly mileage and posting it on my blog this season. You can either pledge to donate a certain amount of money based on my mileage logged during race season from October 1, 2014 to March 1, 2015 (i.e. 10 cents per mile logged during this time @ 250 miles = $25) or simply make a general, and hopefully generous, donation now.

100% of your donation goes directly to spinal cord research since the foundation’s administrative costs are completely covered by Red Bull!

Please join me in supporting this great organization by making a donation today.

Thanks,

Cristy

Just click on the link below!  Also, check out the Wings for Life page on this blog!!!

www.wingsforlife.com/walkruninspired

 

Do… Epic… Shit

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doepicshitI consider October 1st to be the official start of running season here in South Florida and I’m so excited I can barely contain myself… This is evident to all of my friends and co-workers who are just about at their wits end listening to me squeal with excitement each time I register for another race or realize how few days are left until my first 1/2!!!!

I have been training HARD this summer and its payed off because I’ve gotten FAST. Well, faster than I have ever been personally at least.  I’m both scared and excited to begin the season and often wonder… Will I achieve my goal?  Last year, my goal was simply to improve my time by a minimum of 2 minutes each race and I achieved this. Actually, I not only achieved it, I surpassed my goal by decreasing my time by 3+ minutes a race, ending my season with a 2:03 half marathon at the Orlando “Best Damn Race” 2014.  This, ironically, WAS the best damn race I had ever done.

What this year, then?

This year, I’ve decided that I want to achieve what one of the strongest and most knowledgable lady athletes I have ever met, Nicole, taught be about this summer as I took a class with her at a triathlon training center.  Its a little something she calls “Epic Shit.”  Yeah, that’s right… I want to achieve some Epic Shit this season, people, and I have decided that I will be doing this by breaking a 2 hour half marathon.  I want to run with the big girls and I only have to shave 3 minutes off my best time to do it.  But what a long, tedious and frightening 3 minutes it is!    

Just as I fear injury, I fear failure.  But, my excitement and belief in myself are stronger than any fear that I may have.  Let the season begin!!!!

P.S. I have also decided not to just run for myself this year.  I’ve put together a page with a great organization that I’ll tell you all more about on October 1st!!

 

 

A Sign of Peace

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Sorry I have left you for so long,  my friends.  I have had so many amazing changes occur in my life and I’m excited to fill you in! I have a new career,  new amazing friends to share my life with and new goals to achieve.

I’ve continued to run and feel that I’ve gotten stronger.  This summer,  I have kept my schedule pretty regular.  I have treated myself to several recovery walks along the ocean afterwards and these pictures are from my greatest of discoveries while on one of these walks… a baby sea turtle making its way back to the ocean.

It’s brothers and sisters had left it much earlier in the day and it was stumbling around trying to figure out which way to go.  So precious and tiny!

When I posted this on Facebook,  a friend of mine informed me that turtles traditionally represent peace in one’s life.  How fitting that I should see this now.  I am happy and at peace… there are so many adventures to look forward to in the upcoming months.  I can’t wait to find my way to the ocean and experience the successes of all my efforts!

 

 

 

Focussed

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robert brault

No more need for tears.  I’ve found my focus.

Sometimes we humans create and work towards goals just to keep our minds engaged and to keep ourselves focussed on things we feel we do have a level of control over. Focussing and working towards achieving things we feel that we can actually attain gives our minds a rest from the hurt and seeming hopelessness of those things we have no power to change… We figure, “At least I can move forward in some way.”  And the truth is it helps, because we ultimately do move towards something… Anything.

But here’s why I hadn’t truly yet shed the tear and found the focus: I was proud of my races but had no one waiting or cheering for me at the finish.  I made food for myself but had no one to share my meals with.  I had ideas for all sorts of creative activities but had no one to see enjoy them when I was done.  I could think of a ton of fun things I wanted to do and try but had friends too far away to enjoy them with.

But I finally understood the very simple missing piece: I needed to reach out to the people I already had in my life and create connections to even more.  And that doesn’t mean that I’m needy.  It just means that I’m full of love.  Love for my family, love for my friends, love for happiness and love for life.  I like to share my life and I like to live it in many different directions at once because it makes me feel, hectic, happy and fulfilled.  I need to have adventures to look forward to, even if the adventure is one that I’ve had a million times before.

The reality is, I already had tons of people to share my life with, and I’m meeting more and creating friendships with others to share it with further… and, hopefully, I’ll find that one specific person I’m looking for soon. 🙂 ❤

 

Finished Just in Time…

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9 miles

Well, I only set the clock back 15 minutes ONCE this morning but, I managed to get up and get my mileage in as planned.

It wasn’t my happiest run… I usually feel better and better as the miles pass but, today I got a stitch on the left side of my rib cage at mile 7.  I tried to exhale through it and keep going but I wasn’t a happy camper and it slowed me down about 30 sec per mile.

Another thing I wasn’t too crazy about during this run was that the bridge I run over had to be raised to let a boat go by on my way back. Although this gave me a well needed break, I question whether or not my average pace really counts, considering I had rest time that I wouldn’t truly have during a race.

Either way, I’m happy.  The minute I finished it began to thunder pretty loudly… As I drove home, the heavens opened up to one of our lovely Florida torrential downpours, lol.  I like running in the rain but, that thunder and lightning would have really been awful to run through.

One long run completed for the week… Next one will probably be this weekend 🙂

9 miles… or sleep in ’till 9am…?

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dreams

So, I had all the intentions in the world to run 9 miles this morning to celebrate my official first day of complete freedom.  No more shortened summer work schedule, no more assignments due in school, just FREEDOM… But when my alarm went off at 6am, I set it back 15min.. then another 15… then another 15.  At 6:45 I decided “Who am I kidding? I need to sleep!”  So, instead of running 9 miles, I slept in until 9am. (Which I haven’t done in a long, long time.  Not even on the weekends!)

But tomorrow I’m hitting the pavement and I’m hitting it hard.  Because my dreams of running a sub-two-hour half marathon aren’t going to become a reality unless I work at it this summer.  I’m so close I can taste it.  Gonna make those 9 miles MINE!