New Month ... New Blank Page

June 1... 

There is a quote that states:

"No one can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending"

June 1 is a new chapter in my book. So far I haven't liked how the plot of 2022 has been going. The story has been all over the place and didn't have a clear path. So today begins the day I write a new ending to this book called 2022. I have 7 months to change it, to face it, to take it on!

I may struggle but I am not going to quit...

Stay tuned for what the next 7 months will bring. 

What will 2022 bring...

Happy New Year! So much time has passed since my last blog post. In fact it has been so long I don't even know what I was talking about in my last blog entry. Today is January 1st and it is the start of a new year, 2022, a new journey and a new set of goals. Or are they refurbished goals? 

I won't bore you with all my goals for the 365 days. I set my goals up so I won't give up on them sometime in February, I must keep it up. They are dreams and visions that I must commit to and continue. I have a dream/vision that I have written down and will work towards. Every small goal is a step that will roll up into the three overall goals I wrote down. When I accomplish a smaller goal it helps me work towards the bigger goals. 

The three goals I have are:

1. Finish my doctorate degree (my goal and the goal of my advisor is May 2022)

2. Lose 25lbs (My goal is by September 17)

3. Cross the finish line of Ironman MD (September 17)

I have thought about my "why" for these three overarching goals. 1. I need to finish what I started and I have wanted this doctoral degree for the last 30 years. 2. I never want to see the image I saw looking back at me from the mirror recently (more about that in a moment). And 3. I want to feel strong again. I want to improve my time and I am not a one and done kind of person!

I think two of the whys are obvious. The first "why" is tied to finishing my degree and the last "why" is tied to finishing the Ironman. The second why is about me and letting my self slack off and I let myself give up a bit. Since March 2019, I have gained 25 pounds. My workouts the last few months have been slacking and I am not happy with what I see in the mirror. 

On December 24, Christmas Eve, I was getting ready to head to my dad's to celebrate the holiday with family. I changed my outfit three times and I hated the image looking back at me in the mirror. I can't  go back to what I was. This added weight has wrecked havoc on my workouts and how I feel about myself. I know the number on the scale shouldn't control how I feel ... the sad part is, it isn't just the scale, it is the mirror. I feel sluggish and weak. Working out and putting my toe on the start lines of races is something I love to do, but lately I haven't been excited about it. The added weight has effected my results. It's time for a change.

One by one I will work on these goals throughout the year. It will not happen overnight and I will take WORK...LOTS OF WORK! In some ways I will go back to basics in regards to my food and my running. It will also take a daily reminder in order to get it all done. A WORD...

I decided on my word for 2022 ... A word that will help me keep focused and achieving my goals. The word is "Discipline". I know for a fact I will not always have motivation to get things done so I will need discipline. And it will take a lot of it, if I want to get it all done. I can't waste time, I have to remember my "why" and I need to get it done! Or in the words of a friend of mine #LFG

Happy New Year!!

 

Day 4 out of 70

Today was a recovery bike workout, which I completed this morning. I got up and got out the door without any problems this morning. Tomorrow is a run and my plan is to get it done in the AM. 

I submitting section of my dissertation this week so waiting to hear back from my advisor. I keep checking but so far nothing has come back yet. As soon as I get some edits back I will get working on that.

It is currently 9 pm and I need to get my breakfast and lunch together for tomorrow.

It was a long day at work, where I got very little done, but had a lot of frustration. I feel like I will never get all of it done and I need to! The pressure is on...

I also received all my loan paperwork and I need to work my way through all the information.

This weekend I need to figure out when to move money around and how much.

Got get some shit done!!

Day 3 of 70

 Today is day 3 of 70 which will guide me to through four more races. I worked on my school work in the morning and got my workout done this evening. Tomorrow I will workout in the AM and get some school work done. Work is getting a bit stressful and I need to remind myself that I have to save some time for myself. I have been tired lately but no time to sleep in, I have too much to do.

My to do list at work and at home is very long. I often feel there isn't enough time in the day.

Just taking it one day at a time.

I now need to go put my breakfast and lunch together!

Have a great night!

Less than 70 days = 4 more races

 

Day 1 and 2

Last week a woman told me about this challenge she was doing for 75 days starting August 1. The challenge included drinking 100 ounces of water, working out twice a day for 45 minutes each time, reading 10 pages, following a nutritional diet, and taking a progress photo of you every day. The point of this challenge is to practice self discipline.

Although this is not the challenge for me but it had me thinking. Instead of 75 days I have 70 days to complete four more races. I have a 2.5 K open water swim, a Ironman 70.3, a sprint triathlon and a full marathon on day 70; October 9. Over the last 7 months I have not been consistent with my training. I have been training but I have not been in the right head space. As a result I may have completed the workouts but without any passion or focus. Of course I am always working on my diet and nutrition. I have also been sporadic with my school work, I am so close I just need to get it done. And finally I have not been journaling a consistent basis. 

In the past I was very disciplined to get workouts, work, and school work done, I was a machine and made sure it all got done! I need this back in the next 70 days with passion and focus!

So my plan everyday for 70 days...

1. workouts in the AM

2. work

3. at least 1 hour of school in the AM

4. Journal every day for me...I will use my blog to journal but does not mean I will post on social media.

Due to a triathlon yesterday I was very tired so combining day 1 & 2 together...I will continue.

Bring on day 3...

Surprise Yourself!

#Believe

The Summer of Mo - Finish What You Started

Yesterday was Memorial Day. The day we honor those individuals that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It was also the unofficial beginning of Summer. Today was June 1^st and I am officially declaring this the "Summer of Mo!" For those of you who don’t know, I am Mo. It is a nickname I have had for almost 50 years. And this is the summer I finish what I started or at least get closer to my finish line. Since I moved back to Massachusetts over 10 months ago, I still don’t feel completely settled and I have been using this as an excuse or a crutch. It’s time to pull up my big girl pants and get things done.

So what do I need to get done or finish what I started so much and I am taking you on my journey during the Summer of Mo. Number one: take care of some debt and get pre-approved for a mortgage so I can try to buy something, in the midst of this real estate craziness. Number two: continue to work hard or maybe a bit harder to get as much done as possible this summer and head towards graduation. Number three: Focus on my workouts because I am just shy of 13 weeks until Ironman 70.3 in Maine and I want to do nothing less than my best! And number four: work on lowing my weight which will help me with number three and my overall physical and mental health. I need to get rid of some extra pounds and be better! In the Summer of Mo I need to finish what I started. 

I was recently listening to Mike Reilly's podcast, Find Your Finish Line. Within his introduction he states that your finish line doesn't have to be at the end of a race but it could be at the end of a day, a week, a month or a year; we all need to finish what you started. As I was listening that line, "finish what you started" rang true for me. I need to finish what I told myself I wanted to do. I need to complete these projects.

I will admit that these four finish lines may not be complete within the next 13 weeks, it is my goal to do as much work as possible that I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel or the finish line tape! The Summer of Mo may seem selfish but in the end it could be beneficial to everyone. Working towards these goals and finishing what I started; I will be more focused; stronger and happier. I will keep working! I will keep moving!

Stay Positive, Test Negative

 It's been a year, a very long year. As individuals, as a society, we have tried our best to make the best of this year. There have been highs and very low lows throughout the last 365 days. 

For me, and many other athletes, it has been over 365 days since my last endurance race. I completed a half marathon in February, never thinking I wouldn't complete the other races on my calendar. I had goals for 2020 but they were put on hold and out of my control.

Day by day I would continue to train with the hopes that I would be able to stand on a start line again very soon. But that hasn't happened yet and instead of finishing more races I have become a whiner...which I HATE! (I also think my friends and family hate it too).

Recently two more races, in which I registered, were cancelled or postponed. The first was a 70.3 triathlon scheduled for June and the second was a half marathon scheduled for April. I know that cancelling or postponing the race dates is not what the race directors want to do. It is as much out of their hands as it is out of mine but it still makes me feel so deflated. I even found myself silently crying at my desk at work when I read the announcement about the race scheduled for June. Slowly I have lost a bit of my passion...and I need to get it back.

When not training or going to school I work full time as an Assistant Athletic Director for a DII (DI Hockey) athletic program. This past year has been tough on the staff, coaches and more importantly our student-athletes. Every time a competition/game has been cancelled I feel their pain. I understand what they are going through. However, they have continued to train and face this year with strength and style (I have a lot to learn).

As part of my job, I work at our covid testing center. Many of our student-athletes and staff are being tested for covid three times a week. As I hand each individual their test tube for their nasal swab, I send them off with my positive message of "stay positive, test negative". I need to start taking my own advice! 

It's time to pull up my big girl pants, stop whining, and find my passion (or a new passion) again. I need to stay positive and more importantly, test negative! It's time to refocus and find my passion to train for life again! I know I will race again, I just need to train like it!!