Do You Want To Be A Better Runner?

Sometimes I take for granted my ability to run.  I just assume that everyone will enjoy it and have the freedom to do what I do.  Running is a gift and I am incredibly humbled and aware that it's not something I should take lightly. 

When I started running, it was a huge accomplishment to run for 30 continuous minutes.  It was a gradual process of adding minutes daily and having the mental wherewithal to realize my ability was far greater than I had given myself credit.

Today, I can happily pronounce that I've logged many, many miles over the past 10 years, but what I'm most proud about is that my journey never ends with a race.  I'm always planning the next, before I finish the last.  I envision my future races to be better, faster and more memorable.

Crossing the finish line is an awesome accomplishment and it's often THE goal when I talk to other runners.  "I just want to finish." It doesn't matter if it's pretty or fast.  What matters is what happens in the end.  Two arms raised at the finish line.

But what about those of us that have that burning drive to be better?  Those of us who don't just want to finish but rather want to finish strong and fast and dare I say....competitively.  I would have never considered myself a fast runner.  Average at best.  But something inside of me kept whispering that I was better.  I was fast.  I was a Boston Qualifier. 

Are you that person?  Do you long to qualify for Boston, but you just haven't been able to get faster?  Do you just want to be in the higher and faster echelon of runners?  Do you secretly want to not just finish a race, but actually race it.  I'm not talking elite here.  I'm talking top 20 - 25 percent.

My life and running career changed when I was introduced to high intensity cross-training and optimal nutrition.  I went from average to speedy (for me) in a matter of months.  I dropped unnecessary weight, leaned out my body fat ratio and accomplished some pretty cool race feats, including qualifying for Boston, which I never thought possible.

That's me over the course of 60 and 120 days.  I've been a runner and I will continue to be a runner.  It just took stepping up my game and focusing on nutrition that I became a better runner. 

I'm looking for five people who have that same desire as I did to join a 60-day Insanity / Shakeology challenge with me.  If you believe it, you can achieve it.  Let me help you go get it.  You'll get my daily support, motivation and advice!

Who is ready to be better, stronger, faster?  I can show you how.

The day I accomplished what I had only dreamed about in the past.  Getting ready to cross the finish line in qualifying fashion.  I believed in me and I worked really hard.  I believe in you and you CAN do this too.  Ask me how!

I Did It!

Back in August, I set a goal.  Today I accomplished it!  I learned that qualifying for the Boston Marathon is so much greater than just running.  In fact, accomplishing this isn't even about me.  It's about purpose.  I know that I have a greater purpose in my life and with today's successful 3:42 marathon finish, I am certain that I will lead so many people to not only dream, but to make those dreams a reality!

I am living proof that if you really want something bad enough, you dedicate yourself and you do the work, all things are possible.  Today I am a Boston Qualifier because I committed to a plan.  I believed in myself and most importantly, I never once doubted I could do it. 

Thanks for allowing me to take some time from my normal writing to make a video diary of my week.  It's been fun, interesting and most of all, incredibly fulfilling and rewarding!

My last vlog...for now!

Chapter 1 – Training for White Rock

There are so many events in recent history that I would have loved to witness. Being part of the masses brings a different kind of energy that you can only experience in real time, in real life and not through the filters of a television screen or an audio replay. Unlike the interoffice friction that a political discussion can stir, sporting events have this surefire ability to bring people together clearing any lines of division between race, culture and values.

I could only dream to have been one of the thousands in the stands at the 1984 Olympics to watch a young Mary Lou Retton win the all-around Gold Medal in women’s gymnastics or to have been a witness to Michael Phelps’ record-setting eight golds in Beijing in 2008. I wish I could have watched the Saints win their first ever Super Bowl last year and see through my own eyes the joy in the hearts of the people of New Orleans or to say I was there the day Michael Jordan won his sixth NBA championship.

Marathons are an atypical event in the sense that the elite athletes are placed among the amateurs and thousands of cheering spectators line the street to cheer everyone on despite ability. It’s the one event where losers are sometimes the biggest winners and a 70-year grandmother can beat a 25-year young man.

On December 5th, I will be making my 4th attempt to qualify to run the Boston Marathon in April. Running “Boston” is a claim not just anyone can acknowledge. It is a prestigious event and in order to run, your bib number must be earned.

Based on my age and gender, I have to run the White Rock marathon in Dallas in under 3 hours and 45 minutes. It takes training, discipline, grit and a lot of heart and determination to accomplish this feat. I have run three marathons previously and the energy is always unquenchable. It can take your breath away to stand in a crowd at the starting line to know what your body will experience during the course of the next four hours. So I cannot imagine what it will be like to be among 20,000+ in Boston who have traveled from all over the world and earned the right to take part in such an electric and historic experience.

I made it my goal this year to qualify and not a single day passes by that I don’t think “3:45”! I wake up to the thought and remind myself before my training runs of the pace I need to sustain. I place daily reminders in my personal surroundings to keep me focused on my goal and to eliminate any doubt or negativity.

So what happens if I don’t qualify? Will I be so disappointed and lose all my enthusiasm to run? Absolutely not! It is supposed to be hard to qualify. It is supposed to require a nearly perfect race. But who is to say I can’t do the things that I’m not supposed to do?

Check back here on December 6th to hear about Chapter 2 – Training for Boston.

This post is inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

If you could witness (or take part in) any event in history, what would it be? Why?

Turning Dreams Into Goals

I’m a firm believer in setting goals. I’ve done some research lately on how much more effective you become in achieving your goals if you physically write them down. Until you write them down, your goals are just a dream.

So let me take this opportunity to write down a very personal goal to me. It has been a dream of mine for as long as I've been running, although I felt it has always been somewhat unachievable. That is why today I am putting my my dream to paper and am setting my mind up to achieve this goal.



Qualifying to run the Boston Marathon is one of those bucket list items that most distance runners have.  Not just anyone can sign up to run Boston. That is the prestige and history behind the event. You must qualify by running under a certain time in another marathon. Your qualifying time is based on sex and age. The best part is that the older you get, the slower your qualifying time. Yet, another perk of getting older!

I turned 35 this past year, so I was granted an additional five minutes. Thank you marathons gods and goddesses! In other words, I have to run it in 3:45 or less. Or to all you running junkies, that’s an average 8:34 pace spread out over 26.2 miles. Writing it down is the easy part, implementing it is the challenge!

In the past, I guess you could say I had the goal to finish my marathons. Qualifying was not on the top on my list of goals. Even though I had that magical qualifying time looming in my head, I NEVER wrote it down and though I was successful in finishing all three times, I didn’t come close to qualifying.

I’ve given this some long, hard thought and I have envisioned every possible scenario of crossing the finish line in December.  Each vision has me finishing, arms in the air, with the magical time in bright lights blinking above my head. 

This is my year! If I’m good at one thing, it is working really hard on a physical level. I know my limits and love to go beyond them. I love to see what I can achieve when I set my mind to something.  The gratification of checking another item off ‘my list” is a moment I always cherish.

I just took a brief look at my closet and the very obvious fact remains that I run. And I’ve run a lot.

This is just the shoes I currently wear and those with sentimental value I simply cannot let go. 
It doesn't factor in the numerous pairs that have made their way to Goodwill.

I was going through some old running things and came across this checklist that I probably got at some race expo along the way. I didn't even know I had it.

 

But I would say I'm pretty good at following the rules.

Why would I invest so much time and money into something that I love so much and not ever give myself the opportunity to do the one thing that most runners dream to do?  I'm going to make my dream a reality.

What are your goals? Do you write them down?