Setting Goals

Setting a goal is an important component to doing your best in running, and in life in general. Having a goal allows you to focus your attention on what you are striving to accomplish. It can be as grand as wanting to run a marathon on every continent, or as simple as making it to the gym this afternoon. Regardless of the challenge, there is no greater feeling than checking something off of your to do list. You did it! Often, I find that many people fail to challenge themselves, or live up to their full potential. We all are filled with incredible talent, no matter what it may be in, but it gets swept beneath our fast paced, technology driven lives. Ask yourself, in the time it takes you to text your friends, watch youtube videos, comment on your friend's wall, pin countless pictures of clothing you cannot afford, a wedding that will only occur in your mind, and recipes you may never cook, and making sure not to miss the latest episode of any of the Real Housewives on Bravo, could I be doing something more productive with my time? Okay, I know what you are thinking, and I would be lying if I said I was not guilty of doing any of these things. It causes me to wonder, am I making the best of my time? Am I reaching my potential? Currently, the answer is no to both. I find myself tangled in other people's lives through social networking, crumbling my self-esteem by looking at sculpted bodies on pintrest, and feel inferior by comparing my life to the glamorous women of reality television. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we constantly compete with, and compare ourselves to others? Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are. In the time it takes to fill your mind with negative thoughts and doubt, you could have your plan mapped out for your next great accomplishment. It is time to deactivate, logoff, and tune into ourselves.

One of my favorite questions I get asked by others when they hear that I am a runner is how I run so many miles, for so many hours, and how they could never do it. Ding ding ding, red light, there is the problem right there. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot achieve anything. It does not matter who you are today, it matters who you will become in the future. If we do not change the path we are heading on, we cannot expect to travel on a different road. Each time I lace up my sneaks, pin on my bib, and head to the starting line of another race I think of where I started my running career. It was on the soccer fields of my middle school, during gym class, when we were expected to run the dreaded one mile run. As an overweight, grease food filled sixth grader, this was the worst day to come to school. I remember the awful feeling finishing the fourth lap, last in my class, with a time of 14:38. Although it could have been far worse, it felt like an eternity to the other students who had finished more than five minutes ahead of me. That is a time I will never forget. As I dragged my weighted feet along the finish line, I carried defeat, shame, and embarrassment. I was tired of being tormented over my weight, appearance, and not being athletic. Without setting a goal, I am almost positive I would not be training for my third marathon.

Now, I fully understand that it is not as simple as saying I am going to do this, do it, and check it off of your list. In fact, achievement is rarely ever a straight line. For me, it took years of running middle and high school track to gain the speed, endurance, and confidence to power me through my first half marathon. It is important to set a realistic goal, and not one that is effortless, because there certainly is no satisfaction in that. Remember, "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible!" Currently, my goal is to follow this training guide, and finish my next marathon in a much quicker time than the last. I also plan to eat much cleaner. What is your goal?

Marathon Training Schedule: Intermediate 1

	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	Sun
1	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	8
2	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m run	9
3	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	6
4	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	11
5	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m run	12
6	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	9
7	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m pace	14
8	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m run	15
9	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon
10	Cross	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	8 m pace	17
11	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	18
12	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m pace	13
13	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
14	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	12
15	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
16	Cross	5 m run	6 m run	5 m run	Rest	4 m pace	12
17	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	3 m run	8
18	Cross	3 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	2 m run	Marathon

Runner Girl Swim Time

Today's workout started bright and early (even though its raining out) at 6:00 am at the pool. Pool workouts are great because they torch calories without putting so much pressure and strain on your joints, even though that will never stop me from lacing up! Sometimes its good just to do something different for yourself. If you always tend to do the same type of workout, switch it up! Row instead of bike, jumprope instead of running, take a kickboxing class instead of elliptical. Ultimately, you have options! Something I am excited to try is a cross fit gym nearby. Although it is something much pricier than the monthly fee at your average gym, they do offer a free introductory class. Most gyms offer similar deals, or discounts on a certain amount of sessions. It is essential to change up our workouts because after a while, our muscles will stop getting stronger after we repeat the same movements day in and day out. The great thing about exercising is that it can never get boring because there is always something new to try. Its also a good way to give our bodies a break. If we continue to do the same things over and over, we are more prone to hurting ourselves. Later on I plan to go to the gym for additional cardio.
After I finished up my pool workout, I headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week on all of my favorite healthy foods. Often, I tend to eat the same foods (especially fruit!) instead of having a balanced diet. Similar to exercise, it is important to try new foods and eat different things on a daily basis. There is not a single food that has every nutritional value our bodies need. Since it was relatively early, I had the opportunity to leisurely stroll around the grocery store and look at new things that I generally do not have time for, say, on a Sunday afternoon when hundreds of people are hustling, bustling, and fighting over the last box of cereal. Isn't it crazy to think of how impatient people are? I often feel like asking, where is it that you are in such a hurry to? Regardless, I urge you to try this one day too. I came across a few new foods that I would not have bought on a typical busy day (bad for my wallet, but great for my health!). First is Laughing Cow cream cheese spread. With only 45 calories per wedge and a 1/3 of the fat of regular cream cheese, its hard to feel guilty indulging in the delicious cinnamon spread. I put it on top of a 100 calorie Thomas english muffin, and this was a great post-workout snack/late breakfast. Although I mainly drink water, my sister introduced me to mango peach Crystal Light iced tea. It is a great change up from water for only five calories per serving. I also tried a healthier version of chicken salad, which I found to be even more delicious than the typical high calorie, mayonnaise coated  version. It is going to be great throughout the week wrapped up in lettuce! Later, I am also going to try to make roasted chickpeas as a healthy snack. It is days like today when I am excited to train and be a runner. Feeling happy, healthy, and eager to train is a beautiful thing.

Recipe for Healthy Chicken Salad:

1 1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup grapes (cut in half)
1/2 cup apple (chopped), I used Red Delicious
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, I used walnuts
I also added a spoonful of spicy brown mustard, but that can be optional
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken, rotisserie all white meat worked great

Mix yogurt, grapes, apples, and nuts. Combine chicken and yogurt mixture and place on top of salad on whole-wheat bread.

Total Servings: 4

First Post!

This is my very first blog post! I am excited that I finally got around to doing this because I think it will be a fun way to remember everything that is going on during my busy college years. I wanted to make this to share information about my three favorite activities, which are running, cooking, and traveling (oh and a little crafting from time to time!). I am extremely passionate about running, health, and exercise, and I want to share my journey to my third marathon this November. In the past year and a half, I have ran two full marathons, four half marathons, and countless 5K races. I enjoy cooking healthy recipes that will help fuel me during my endless months of training. Finally, I want to share my world travels that I have been on, and my upcoming trip to Spain at the end of June. I hope you enjoy my workout schedules, recipes, and pictures!