My First 15k

My battle buddy and I with our finisher’s medals.

I have been a part of the Camp Gladiator community for over 2 and 1/2 years. I never thought I would be one to get up at 5 am to get ready to work out or one to do a bunch of fitness challenges but here I am. I love being part of the community, there is always someone cheering you on, but sometimes it can also lead to questionable decisions. Back in November I was talked into running the Hot Chocolate 15k in Dallas. It started out with a group of us singing up for the 5k and then somehow morphed into all of us running the 15k.

Now, let me give you a little background about me…I am NOT a runner. I can run short distances and I have done a handful of 5k races, but running is not my thing.

As the holidays drew closer, I seriously questioned what I had gotten myself into. I had found a great balance in my training with running, camp, biking and yoga. In January my schedule started falling apart for a number of reasons. I ended up running on the treadmill a few days a week and actually did a series of running marathons with iFIT. I did get to a point where I was able to run a good distance without stopping. And I know what you are going to say, running on a treadmill is way different than running on the streets. You are correct, but the current temperatures outside were brutal and I was not going to be pushing myself in the dark in cold temps, (I can be a weather weenie sometimes and I am not ashamed to say it).

The week of the race, the weather was ideal. We had a few days in the 60’s and 70’s which was a nice break, since we had just had a freeze. I knew that it was going to be fairly cold, so I took advantage of the last day of the ice and ran outside. It was slow going in some areas, but I was able to get in a few miles and felt good with my run. The day before the race, I was at packet pickup with my mom and it was actually hot out. As I ate dinner with my parents and got ready for bed, I felt like I was in the right mindset and ready to go for the race.

Saturday Morning, I woke up and was getting ready. I had laid everything out the night before so my mind was in neutral and I was not thinking about what I was about to do. The main reason for this was the cold. Overnight another cold front had rolled and the temps had dropped. It was so cold at the race that I was afraid that I had not worn enough clothing.

I met up with my group and headed to the start line. It was so cold, but at this point I was excited and had blocked the cold from my mind. The race started and the first mile and a 1/2 was easy. It was at this point that the race course turned the corner. OMG! It was a wind tunnel and the wind chill was in the low 10’s. It felt like I was hitting a cold wall and I could barely run forward. The wind eventually died down, but man, it was not fun. I did warm up as the race went on, but that turn got me.

It was about mile 5 that we noticed that it was starting to SNOW! My race buddy and I were questioning our sanity at this point, but he stuck with me the entire way, even though I was pretty slow. We saw some characters running and some who were on the sidelines cheering us on. Shout out to the woman who said- “Everyone is jealous of you at this moment!” This hit home because I have always wished that I would have the ability and the courage to run a longer distance race.

I finished the race under my goal time, which was a plus. Had it been warmer outside, I probably could have shaved more time off. I am proud of myself for accomplishing this goal and having a great group of people supporting me. I don’t know if I am going to run this particular race again but if you get the chance to do it, the chocolate at the end is worth it alone.

2022 Intentions

Personal Life

In 2021, I decided that I was not going to set New Year’s Resolutions, but rather, yearly Intentions. While the idea is the same, I felt that I could be more successful at sticking to something if it was an intention. The main goal was to be more intentional with my time and to use it all wisely.

This year I am doing the same. I have my list of intentions, which are a reflection of what I want to accomplish this year and who I want to be and become. I got a new planner, Commit30, which has made this goal setting very easy.

2022 Intentions

-Read 52 books this year

-Maintain weight

-Do iFIT challenges every month

-Hit 425 CG workouts

-Meditate daily

-Keep the house cleaner

-Blog 2-3 times weekly, (on average) and grow my community

-Save more money and set aside enough for a vacation

-Travel

With my new planner I have not only set out my yearly goals, but I have been able to break them down into smaller, monthly goals. I will also be able to look back monthly to see if I have reached my goals and if not, what I can do better for the next month.

Here’s to starting of a new year strong and to crushing my goals!

Not Resolutions, Intentions

Personal Life

As we start 2021 I have looked back on 2020 and took a good look at what I did, what I didn’t do and what is in my control that I can change. When doing this I realized that I need to plan out my time better to get accomplished what I want instead of aimlessly scrolling through social media. It was during these reflections that I decided I was going to have “Intentions” this year rather than “Resolutions”. I want to be more intent in what I do and set attainable goals for myself.

My 2021 Intentions:

-Find me time everyday to meditate and focus on my intentions – I want to learn to close off my mind to the white noise in the world and block out the negative thoughts.

-Hit 400 CG check-ins– Each time you go to camp you check-in and add to your total number of workouts. Each workout is 1 hour long. I want to complete about 180 workouts this year to reach a grand total of 400.

-Read 52 books this year– I love to read and it is one way that I can relax. I am a member of GoodReads and have set my goal for the year. I can keep track of the book I read here and it has a shelf of all the books that I have read as long as I log it in on the site.

-Finish all projects in a timely manner– I have an ongoing list of projects that I have started and not finished. I want to finish all of these projects along with any that I start and do it in a timely manner.

-Get ready everyday– This one may sound like I spend my time in my pajamas all day but what I want to get in the habit of is doing my hair and a little makeup on a regular basis. Most days I am wearing workout clothes and have my hair thrown up in a pony tail. I don’t need to have a full face of makeup on everyday but doing my eyebrows and throwing on a little mascara can make a world of difference.

-Be more organized and keep the house clean – This comes down to being more intentional with my time and making sure that I have enough time to finish something when I start it and to schedule out my time better. I also need to set rules for myself as far as getting things done around the house so that it doesn’t get too cluttered. Having a list of daily chores and making sure they done before I do the more fun things.

-Read the bible– This is a goal that I have set for myself a number of times and have never accomplished it. I have a Daily Walk Bible that breaks down the reading into short daily portions that are easily doable.

-Work and grow my business– This goal is going to be tricky to accomplish because it is going to force me to push my comfort zone and balance my time. I need to be more active on Social Media and tying into another intention mentioned above, getting ready and show casing it more often.

-Journal each day – This one is going to be the hardest by far. I want to journal each day to record how I felt each day and how I handled it and what led to me feeling that way. I am really going to have to manage my time at night to make sure that I sit down and do this.

Now that I have put these Intentions out in the universe I have others to hold me accountable. I am going to do a checkin on how it is all going in June and see what all I have kept up with. What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions or Intentions?