One of my favorite things about being an educator at lululemon is the opportunity to constantly reflect on my goals. The first time I wrote them was in November. It's hard to believe that was four months ago. While four months isn't a crazy long time, a lot has happened since then. So I'm re-writing them tonight, and it is so exciting and liberating! It's wild to reflect on all the different directions I've been pulled, and the decisions I'm making now. When the New Year began, I knew 2012 was going to be a big year. And it is.
One of my first goals, and one I'm most excited about, is running my next marathon. My first came at an odd time of the year. Usually marathons are in the fall, but I ran my first marathon last March in Atlanta. So I wasn't ready seven months later to do another one. I watched the NYC and Chicago Marathon online, and it made me itch so badly for another race! The ideas of Chicago and Vancouver (Seawheeze) popped in my head, but aren't right for me now, mainly from a financial standpoint. I'm also in the lottery for ING NYC, but chances are I won't get lucky this year. (Fortunately I will be lucky enough next year. 4th time's a charm!!!) So I decided on the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC! One of my best friends ran it as her first marathon a couple years ago, and I know it's recommended as a great race. I knew registration was today, but I had no idea how quickly it would sell out. Thankfully I was encouraged by a friend to sign up right at 3PM (and thankfully that's during my planning period so no kiddies asking questions). The website was overloaded and I wasn't able to register until about 3:15PM. It turns out the race sold out in 2 hours and 41 minutes. That's unbelievable to me! The fastest marathon sell-out in the USA. I am so happy and so lucky to be a part of this! Now, if only I can get off the (yoga) mat and onto the road :-)
Image care of: http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/welcome-to-goal-week/
It's been over a month. Oops. I've been reading a lot of blogs lately to get my blogging back. I've noticed what's almost like a chain letter going on with the "11 Things" so I decided to do 11 unknown things about myself. Check out two other bloggers' "11 Things"- Jen and Meghann
1) I have really open hips. No, seriously though. If you've seen this:
you know what I'm talking about, and again I'm not kidding. My hamstrings are super tight, it's really hard to straighten my legs, but anything that involves my hips is a breeze. This past Monday I did yoga with one of my friends at work and one of her fellow teachers in training. When I got in pigeon they pushed on me and pulled on me and were astonished at my chest being on the floor, leg up towards top of the mat, and other leg coming straight out. So yes, they're very open.
2) I used to hate running. A whole lot. I was forced to run the Peachtree Road Race as a child. Well not really, I ran the AJC Peachtree Junior from age 8-12. I probably walked most of them. The best part of this was getting this stuffed animal in '92 or '93 when they announced the Olympics would be in Atlanta.
Ok well that's the life-size version, but still. I swear his name was originally "WhatzIt" though Google is telling me it's "Izzy." Anyways, I was excited to get him. I also had my picture in the AJC for running the Peachtree Junior all 5 years of eligibility. Then came running Cross Country. For some unknown reason I ran on the JV team my 8th grade year in middle school. I would get there with three of my best friends after practice started because our school got out later than the high school. The team would have already taken off so we would "catch up." Really we would just cheat the course. This is really sad now that I think about it. I only lasted through my freshman year. Our coach was Crazy Eddie and he was probably the best CC coach ever, but he didn't like me. I walked too much. If only he could see me now.
3) I loved my "cuddles" as a kid. No, not like snuggles. Cuddles are what I used to call the shorts I wore. I was meaning to say "cut-offs" but my best friend always insisted I was calling them "cuddles." In reality these were my brothers' khaki shorts that I would cut to be a bit shorter. I would also wear them with my brothers' t-shirts. So yes, I wore boy clothes, a lot. They were both in private school for a few years so we had an abundance of khaki shorts. Also, random fact number 5.5- my wrist and lower arm are the perfect size to hold a coat hanger. I would go to the uniform store with my brothers and hold my arms out in a T. They would hang all sorts of clothes on me. So sweet.
4) I minored in Spanish in college. This was one of the best decisions ever. I love the Spanish language. I now wish I had been an international business major, because I ended up taking tons of Spanish classes. I studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain for six weeks. That I wish I had done for a whole semester. Now, my Spanish is very helpful when teaching. This year I have a student who speaks very little English. He's supposed to be learning the language, so he tries to speak English, and it usually ends up in him speaking broken English to me, and me responding in broken Spanish. Good thing I've got my numbers down so well.
At San Fermin, the running of the bulls. AMAZING time. Spanish Mardi Gras as I like to think of it. Our white clothes ended up covered in red sangria. My senora incredibly got out every last stain.
5) I love Friends. The show. I have all 10 seasons and have seen every episode a bigillion (yes it's not really a number, and yes I am a math teacher) times. I could probably recite the last episode. I cry every time I watch it, even the times I watch it with commentary, which I do. One of my favorite lines ever is in the season 1 when the three girls are having a spend the night party. Phoebe is in her onesy pajamas and Monica says, "Pheebs do you have a plan?" Phoebe responds, "I don't even have a pla." I feel that way often.
6) My lifelong dream is to say "GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES!" at a NASCAR race.
My first job out of college was working for a sports marketing firm. I had some pretty incredible experiences there. Here I am signing the start finish line in Daytona.
7) I played golf in high school. This is what I always use for the two truths and a lie icebreaker game. My brothers both played it, so I did too. If you can't tell they had/have significant influence on me regarding pretty much everything. I actually really enjoyed golf. I am much more competitive now than I was in high school. Golf was a very low-key sport. We practiced once or not at all a week, and had a match every Friday afternoon. This involved us getting out of school an hour early, which was fabulous. We also went to the beach every year for four days for the state golf tournament. The boys team was pretty good, but never good enough to place. The girls team- not so much at all. I was the only one on the team freshmen year, but grew the team to six people our senior year! I never shot anywhere near par, or even 30 strokes from it, but it was a lot of fun and I feel like it's an important sport to know how to play.
8) I love Barbies. As a child I was given them for my birthday and Christmas, and my dad gave me a Barbie for Christmas every year until I was 26. Yes, only two Christmases ago did I stop getting them. It was a sad day. I still have them all, in the bedroom in Atlanta. I remember all of their names, the basic ones to the collector's dolls.
Picture care of http://happyorhungry.com/2011/12/22/my-favourite-childhood-christmas-presents/
This is Hollywood Barbie, or Kelly from Kelly and the Killers as she was to me. My best friend and I created this band of Barbies. They rocked. We even wrote a few songs, "I Walked into The Door" and "Dandelion." Oddly, I remember the lyrics to both songs.
9) I always wanted to be on a Reese's commercial for their "There's No Wrong Way to Eat a Reese's" campaign. There is a very specific way I eat Reese's. It has been my favorite candy for as long as I can remember. I don't know how or why I eat Reese's this way but... I eat the chocolate around the edges first. Then the chocolate on the top and the bottom, saving all of the peabut butter for last. I eat it tiny bites at a time. I used to eat Reese's so often, then one time I thought there was chocolate stuck in between my two fingers, but after licking it really hard, I realized it was just a freckle.
10) This brings me to my next point. I LOVE peanut butter. It is the best food ever. I will put it on or in or with anything. Jelly and peanut butter, apple and peanut butter, banana and peanut butter, PB on a cookie, PB on a brownie, PB with oatmeal, PB in a spinach smoothie (my students are so curious about the green concoction I eat many mornings) just a plain old delicious satisfying spoonful of peanut butter. Peter Pan is my jam, smooth not crunchy, but Kroger and Trader Joes have good store brands too.
Lately I've been mixing PB with plain fat free yogurt and granola. Mmm.
11) I have been laid off, twice. First from my marketing job and second from my teacher assistant job. The later I bounced back from pretty quickly. Getting laid off from my marketing job was tough. It was my first real job. I was definitely ready to go. I had already decided to go back to school so I could teach, but it was still scary. It happened at a great time of year in which I was able to get a job as a lifeguard and enjoy the spring and summer. But it certainly took a shot to my confidence. That being said it was the tipping point for me changing careers. It changed my life. I now do something I believe in, and that I know has such a positive impact on others. I have been on an ever-changing journey since then, and my dreams are slowly coming true.
My friend Lauren taught at FGM. It was fabulous! 2:30 minutes after 2:30 minutes of intense core and full body workout. I had never done circuit training until I went to FGM. I was very intimidated by it, but I really like it because you set your own goals so it really doesn't matter what everyone else is doing.
Wednesday: SLEPT in the morning and went to a new instructor at Y2 that evening. It was hot vinyasa slow, not fast like I usually do. This was really nice, but just as hard. Holding poses is tough.
Thursday: Hilliard Studio Method in the morning. I tweet about this place a lot. It's a pilates/barre studio and is the closest I'll ever get to "doing weights." 15 minutes upper body with handweights, 15 minutes pushups and planks, 15 minutes lower body using pilates ball and ballet barre. It makes me feel like I'm a ballerina. Amazing for muscles and posture. Yoga One in the evening. This is the studio where I first did yoga. It is hot and the music consists only of you and your neighbor's breath. Still love it there.
Friday: Back to Fight Gone Mad. The class this morning was crazy intense. No weights or machines were involved. It was a "mystery class" so we had no idea what workout we would switch to until it was time. It was three 5 minute sessions, with a different workout each minute, followed by one last 4 minute tabata series. The mystery workouts ranged from pushups to star jumps. The tabata was of burpees. I am not terribly great at these, but I pushed myself hard. If you're not familiar with tabata, it's a concept of very high intense workout for short periods of time, 20-10. 20 seconds on 10 seconds off for four minutes. I was dying at the end, and I'm going to be very sore tomorrow (when I finally head back out for a run.)
And then I went and posed by the FGM girl. Not quite there...
This post is a product of three hours of yoga today. One deep stretch class at and one hot vinyasa. I had a cleared mind but at the same time a lot on my mind. I also have an exuberant feeling right now as result of the classes.
First this. When I started yoga four years ago (I can't believe it's been that long, nor that I've been in Charlotte that long) we had a special guest join us in class one day. This was Michael Franti. I'm not sure if I knew who he was at the time, but I went home and downloaded some of his songs. I love this one. I hadn't heard it in a while, but it randomly popped in my head last night and hasn't left. It's called "Have a Little Faith."
My second yoga class today was extra great because I had stretched so much in the first class. My hips are super open and I love poses like pigeon, and even frog. I did both of these today, twice. And then I came home and drank a kombucha.
Photo from : http://yourdailythread.com/2010/06/24/are-you-getting-drunk-off-kombucha/ (Interesting read.)
Embarrassingly, this sounds just like this:
I still laugh hard every time I watch this :-)
When I get in the shower after yoga I'm still into busting moves.
It's obvious I am an emphatic college football fan. That being said this post will be very slowly written as the Bama/LSU game just started...In the past two years I have grown to have more appreciation for the NFL. I used to pretty much strongly dislike it, but my mind has changed. I will go ahead an explain why so no assumptions are made. Two years ago I watched "Hard Knocks" on HBO and it featured the New York Jets. I absolutely adored Rex Ryan. Yes, I said it, not Sanchez. All he was to me was the quarterback from USC. Rex just has that passion and fire that I love to see in a coach. Sure people think he's ridiculous to always say they'll been in the Superbowl, and sure he has one of the dirtiest mouths ever. My problem with Coach Richt has always been he wasn't passionate enough in the locker room. At least I don't feel like he is. I feel like he's encouraging in a gentle way. Rex insists that they must get better. That they will get better. He yells and screams but he gets the point across. Anyways, I could go on about that forever, but that's my explanation for the initial attraction to the Jets. The whole Revis deal was pretty entertaining too.( A disclaimer here. The Jets didn't make the playoffs, Rex has had a lot of criticism lately, and people are suggesting he does need to reevaluate his coaching style. And I get that. But I think his personality is what's so passionate, so hopefully that won't ever change.)
So I headed up to Philadelphia to see a friend and go to my first NFL game- Jets vs. Eagles. I had never been to Philly either but was excited to be somewhere up north during the Christmas season. (The last couple years I've been in NYC.) I had seen some videos on youtube about this tree and an organ at the Macy's in downtown Philly, but this was so great to see in person, so festive. Notice all of the small children. There was a 45 minute wait to see Santa who was off in some other part of the department store. It was wild. Here's the video:
After the visit to Macy's I was lucky enough to grab some drinks with one of my best friends from home who recently moved up there. And she asked me to be in her wedding next spring :-) Later we had dinner and I met everyone I was going to the game with the next day. Super fun group of people. Then I got a taste of the late night scene in Philly. It was really fun, but with tailgating ahead I knew it shouldn't stay out too late...
Sunday was an early rise. The whole Sunday tailgating this is still kind of foreign to me. It's killer on weekends with college and pro football. I bundled up and headed to the game. And I do mean bundled up. I had on two pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves, a hat, two shirts, two jackets, my jersey on top, and two pairs of pants. I have to go back to the "jersey" statement. Never in my life did I imagine putting on a football jersey, like never. If you know anything about college football in the South, girls do not wear jerseys. Sun dresses all the way, no matter the weather. I know some people think this is outrageous, but whatever. So I rocked my #24 Revis jersey despite being told I may get harrassed like wild at the stadium. Tailgating was a blast. A good portion of it was spent in a car with heat, but it really wasn't too unbearable. Thankfully the wind wasn't bad. I was very impressed by the fact that all three stadiums/arenas are in the same spot.
Lincoln Field on the left, basketball arena. Citizens Park is just to the left of this.
We headed into the stadium and I didn't even get yelled at too much. Thankfully another one of the guys with me was in a Jets jersey too.
In the stadium. Can you tell we're trying to stay warm?
The view!
The Jets lost, no they got killed. But it was still a perfect first NFL game experience. It was an absolute blast. We went out that night and had a ridiculously fun time. The Eagles fans were happy, so everybody was happy.
The next day I had a few hours before heading back to Charlotte. Besides visiting Macy's I wanted to see the Rocky steps and Liberty Bell, and I had enough time to see both!
Me running up Rocky steps.
The view from the top of the steps was gorgeous. The whole city and parks and everything. I would have loved the opportunity to run in the city. I've heard the marathon there is great!
I started this post about two weeks ago, I'm finally finishing it...
Re-Gifting: I can honestly say I have never done it. Not yet at least, though I’m not saying I never
will. I was told recently about a hilarious re-gifting story. Someone I know received a gift that
was a bit outdated. It wasn’t awful, but they laughed thinking it was definitely a re-gift. The best
part came at the bottom of the giftbag. It was a note that was written to the original owner of
the giftbag. It went something like this:
Thanks for all of you guidance throughout what proved to be a rough year. I hope that you have
joy and peace in the upcoming 2007.
This was hysterical! Not only was it potentially a re-gift, but it had been since Christmas of 2006!
5 years! My thoughts are it was perhaps a leftover gift bag, though I have never kept a bag for
five years without using it. Anyways, this got me thinking about where I was during Christmas
2006, and where I am now.
Here’s a short list of what has happened in my life:
Attended the Memorial Day NASCAR race in Charlotte where I met with my future boss for a pre-interview interview
Completed my final semester of college and graduated from UGA with a Marketing degree
Moved to Charlotte and began working in Event and Retail marketing, with Wrangler as my #1 client
Met Dale Jr., multiple times. This was my dream come true at that point in my life
Met four wonderful people from England who I gladly entertained for 7 days, taking them to everything NASCAR you could ever imagine. (Unfortunately this was before the Hall of Fame was built)
Had my first visit to Lake Norman with the wonderful group of new friends I instantly made when I moved here
Encouraged by a co-worker to attend my first yoga class. Hot Vinyasa at Yoga One here in Charlotte. I fell in love.
Financially supported myself for the first time ever, well almost
Cheered on my Georgia Bulldawgs during a phenomenal season with Stafford as quarterback. Auburn blackout and Florida field stomp were by far the best games I’ve ever seen in person.
(And that’s all just 2007)
Traveled to Daytona, Florida for 10 days. Besides meeting Dale Jr., this was really my dream come true. It was actually what I wanted as my graduation present from Georgia. I’m still amazed at how fast it happened. The company I worked for managed a race experience like no other. We attended every single race at the track that week, spent time on pit road and in the garage, had a brunch the morning of the 500 that was in attendance by several popular drivers, and watched the races from a suite at the Start/Finish line. Oh, and I got to do this again in 2009.
Cut 13 inches off my hair and donated it to Locks of Love
Went to the Masters in Augusta.
Ran my first half marathon, Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta. Finished in about 2 hours and 15 minutes
Not quite as exciting as 2007, but 2009 brought a lot
Again attended the Daytona 500
Laid-off from my marketing job. Though it was a great first job, an incredible learning experience, and just what I wanted, getting out of this job was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't be where I was today if it didn't happen.
Soon after I took a trip to New York City. Thus began my love affair with NYC.
Ran my first Rock n Roll half marathon in Nashville. Improved my time by about a minute. It was unseasonably warm.
Thoroughly enjoyed my summer without a real job. Returned to lifeguarding after a 6 year hiatus.
Applied and was accepted to UNC Charlotte for the Masters of Art in Teaching degree. Finally pursuing what I always really wanted to do.
Began part-time graduate program and got my first taste of teaching as a teacher assistant to 2nd and 4th grade classrooms.
Ran my third half marathon. Thanksgiving Day half was becoming as annual for the family as the Peachtree Road Race
Twenty-Ten
Kept up the running and completed my fourth half marathon in Phoenix with my high school friends. Fantastic trip overall marked by another PR. 2:03:13. Improved my time by 12 minutes in 14 months.
Addicted to half marathons- completed my fifth in Atlanta with a near PR. I was very pleased with this as Atlanta much hillier than the deserts of Arizona.
Decided to start P90X with my roommate. This led to me dislocating my shoulder. Long story. Most excruciating pain ever.
Lost another job in result of school-system issues.
Took my second math class at UNCC and was encouraged by my professor to try and teach math in middle school.
Continued my career of lifeguarding. It was at the pool I received a phone call and offer to teach 6th grade math.
First year of teaching. Worse group of kids ever. I'm starting to think this is expected for the first year. I was told if I could deal with them, I could deal with anyone. And yes, now I love when they visit my classroom.
Decided to run a full marathon. I was very discouraged when Atlanta's Thanksgiving Day decided this would also be the year they would drop the full. So I decided to do the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte. Then my IT-band flared up, and my doctor told me, "Some people aren't made to run marathon." Uh oh, now he really had be fired up and determined.
I ran my 6th half marathon in Atlanta, injured. A lot of walking, but I was still very happy to be doing it.
Ran my 7th half a month later in Charlotte. That was originally when I was supposed to be running a full marathon. This hurt too. So much for resting the injury...
Two Thousand and Eleven
Beginning of the year was met with my brother's 30th birthday, first of my best friend's bachelorette party, and my Marathon.
Running a marathon. I don't really have the words to describe it. Breath-taking obviously. It was the most accomplished I have ever felt in my life. I was blessed to have my entire family and many friends cheering for me. My brother and his now fiance road there bikes nearly the whole way offering constant encouragement. My time wasn't what I had wished, but finishing was my main goal. I was on a runner's high for weeks.
Traveled to Big Sur, California with my family for the Big Sur Marathon Relay. Highway 1 had collapsed just North of Big Sur, so the route was changed to an out and back. Each of us ran a 4-7 mile leg along the cliffs and blue water of the Pacific. This was the most gorgeous run I think I will ever do. I hope to one day return and run the marathon.
Finally finished my first year of teaching. It was challenging and draining in every way possible, but exactly what I wanted. I knew I was in the right place. I was excited to begin year two. Thankfully I am blessed with an incredibly sweet group of students and the same wonderful and supportive coworkers.
Completed my 8th half marathon in Atlanta with a PR! 2 hours and 15 seconds. Now if I can just get under two hours!
Began my part time job at lululemon athletica. This has been more of a treat than I ever thought it would be. I have met some incredible people who share my love of fitness and an overall healthy lifestyle.
Attended my first ever NFL football game. Philadelphia Eagles vs. NY Jets. I have become a huge Jets fan. It was different from the college scene. A very fun, and cold, experience. More to come on this...
2012. Well it certainly has not been a year of running. I know it's only the 6th, but I still can't make myself run. I've gone to yoga every day of the year though!
Looking back on all of this now I realize how incredibly blessed I have been. It's been an unbelievable five years. I'm even more excited about what the future holds.
