SeaWheeze Half Marathon: Round Two!

A few days ago I received this in my email inbox:

After crushing last year’s goal of running my first half marathon, I was hesitant to run again because I hate running in the heat. But, if you know anything about me – I love a physical challenge! Last year it was hot, really hot, towards the end (and that was only a little after 9am!) so this year I’ve learned a few lessons that I know will help me this year.

2013 SeaWheeze tips:

Tip #1: Be prepared for heat. Wear very little clothing – trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Tip #2: Carry water on you. I didn’t train with water last year and I regretted it immensely when I hit the 15km mark. This year I’m buying a water belt!

Tip #3: Don’t change ANYTHING on race day. Make sure that you are 100% comfortable with all clothing, footwear and assescories you have on you. The only thing I wish I would have done differently here was fine tuning my play list a little better. I have a tendency to let my mind wander if I’m not feeling the music.

Tip #4: HILL TRAIN! If you take anything from this post, make sure you run the Burrard Street bridge and up West 4th to the lululemon store and back over the bridge. This was tough last year in the sun, I’m definitely going to do some practice runs over the race course – especially this league.

Tip #5: Have fun! I have many more friends running the race this year so I’m looking forward to doing some training runs with them. Go to the pre-race expo, get there early and do the group warm up, enjoy the after race brunch and go back to the yoga and concert to end the day!

It’s true that this is technically a race – but when it comes down to it, training for any kind of competition, test, presentation, performance – it’s all about enjoying the path to the race.

Don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t cheat yourself either. Train hard, race hard!

2013 SeaWheeze goals:

1. Finish in under 2 hours. Last year (my first ever half marathon!) I was aiming for 1:50-2:00… and I crossed the finish line at 2:08.

2. Don’t stop. I let myself get overwhelmed towards the end of the last race and ran/walked the last 3 km – that will not be the case this time!

  There’s no backing down now!

Are you running the 2013 SeaWheeze? What are your goals for the race?

What do I desire?

This past month has been, undoubtedly, the fastest month of my life. I’ve been in my new job for just over a month and as things are getting less stressful (really how can a person truly learn the ins and outs of 10 different industries within a week?!.. clearly I was being overly ambitious at first) – they definitely aren’t slowing down. For those of you who don’t personally know me, I have a little problem with “relaxing” or “slowing down.” I think I spent so many years of my life when I was younger not really having goals to work toward – I’m over compensating now.

I’m very much a “yes” person. When someone asks for my help or to do something (as long as I know them, this girl can’t make time for just anyone) I normally always say yes. In the past year I’ve started to realize that although I love always saying yes because it opens new doors and allows for new experiences… it can cause you to over-commit, which is never good. After the crazy amount of pressure I’ve placed on myself to be a thousand places at once this past week – I’ve realized that I have been sabotaging my personal goals by spreading myself too thin. I think it’s about time to be nicer to myself and re-evaluate my priorities.

Sometimes you just have to put everything on hold and take some time for yourself. Today was a great day for me to reflect and set my priorities straight for the upcoming few months. You constantly review and update your resume – your goals and priorities should be no different. It’s healthy to review and update what’s most important in your life – and as you respect your friends’ ever changing priorities, they should respect yours. So when they ask you to come out to an event and you would rather get your workout in and get organized for something you have coming up, they will understand.

I read this quote once and although I agree, it is hard to do in the consumer-driven society we live in.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

“Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

How many of you are sacrificing your health for work or commitments?

I’m very passionate about health and fitness.we were made to move our bodies – not sit at a computer for 8 hours a day…It’s for this reason I make sure to incorporate fitness into my lifestyle and choose to eat a healthy diet. I don’t even want my health to hold me back from living my life.

I wanted to share this video. It left me with goosebumps and made me think about how to simplify my life.

I can’t agree more that “it’s absolutely stupid to spend your life doing something you don’t like doing.” I find myself in that situation all too often, so I’ve decided to write down my main priorities and pro-actively start saying “no, thank-you” to those opportunities which will hinder my potential for reaching my goals. If you want to spend your life doing what you love – it’s time to figure out what is hindering you from doing that “thing” you love.

Let’s give it a go!

1. Take a few minutes to write down those goals/aspirations/dreams that you are passionate about. It doesn’t matter how many you have, or what level of priority they are, just write them down.

2. Keep looking at, and refining, them. Especially when you get yourself in a conflicting situation and really ask if doing something you really don’t want to do will get you closer to those goals or not?

3. Start saying no. Will that piece of cake help you lose those 5 pounds or hinder that goal? Will drinking all night feel just as good the next day or is it really worth it? Don’t set yourself up for guilt.

4. Be easy on yourself. The great wall of China wasn’t built up in one day – neither will your goals.

5. Live in the moment. I keep forgetting this and get too far ahead of myself. Look around you and stop always looking ahead.

I know I’m not an expert or the best example of this concept, but I know if I keep at it, I will get it one day. For that reason alone, I refuse to give up on myself.

Don’t get caught up doing things you don’t like doing. It doesn’t matter what it is – keep working and become a master at it.