It's all about the challenge....

Hey there! I've been quite busy and now that I'm off the road a bit and my training is in the taper phase - I'm realizing that balancing being successful on and off the trails is all about time management, rest, and completing your to-do list. I find that running when I'm tired does me no good. But, when I am rested and get out first thing...I find that I am way more productive the rest of the day. If I don't get out in the am than I am less likely to run or get in my work out the rest of the day. I absolutely love running when I am out there - but I think coming to the end of a full business year and the end of this particular training cycle, I am tired. So, my next challenges will be a few shorter races to keep me excited and motivated. Next week is my second 50K and I am a firm believer that it needs to stay fun to keep me goal oriented and keep that desire to continue to push me to that next level.

I will never be a sub 7:00 runner, so my long runs are almost double the time than faster runners. I have to work on speed work through the end of the year to get me running 4 hr marathons and 5 hour 50k's before moving to the 100k - 100m level. That's my first challenge to elevating me to the next phase.

My business continues to thrive and I love where my professional side is going. Teaching seminars at trade shows across the country, managing my reps and working with the coolest products in the gift and outdoor industry is both rewarding and challenging. Keeping these companies at the forefront of my reps and retailers minds takes persistence.

Challenging myself continues to be a daily dose of fun week after week. I hope you are working towards your next goal whether professionally or personally. There is nothing more wonderful than crossing the finish line or closing a sale! They both rock!

Thanks so much for reading.

Bring On The Challenges....

So, I did the Wildwood trail on Saturday - which is the same trail that I'm running the 50k on in May. I had only done a few hikes and a short run in the past few weeks up there. I decided to take my longer run to the trails. Miles 1 - 8 were awesome. I mean sure the up hills were tough, but not quite what I expected coming back down. I think the 16 miles in a trail environment (felt like a paved Marathon), especially muddy, unstable and it being really cold was tougher on my body then expected. My left foot is sore on the outside area and I think the repeated pounding of the slippery downhills was rough on my knees. Sunday was fine, just a bit sore (but a good sore) and my foot seems to be feeling better. The trail was gorgeous and I'm looking forwarded to conquering it, in the meantime Advil is my friend. What it showed me, was that I have to now do all my runs up there with one flat run during the week for endurance. If my foot continues to hurt, I may need to buy a new pair of trail runners that have more cushioning - as I've never run on terrain as unsteady as that before. Smooth fire roads in Arizona or desert trails are completely different. Also, I have no ego when it comes to taking a step back, adding in some additional P90X yoga / core synergistics (like today) and taking on Wildwood Trail 6 miles at a time while building up to the 22 miler in the coming weeks. I guess that is why pushing myself this week was a positive experience. I wouldn't have know otherwise. I know then, that adding on 2 miles will be fine a week - while increasing the weekly mileage total until day of race. I have definitely gotten better at listening to my body. After reading in the new issue of Running Magazine, an article about Zen Running - I tried to apply a few of the principles. Listening to one's breath, the sound of foot steps, focusing in on the trail and not external thoughts. In fact, I ran this 16-miler without any music! Huge for me! Since it was a complete 360' from what I'm used too. I absolutely loved listening to the sounds of birds and the wind whip by. I felt as if I was running through a jungle. It was pretty cool.

I definitely don't have as much weight coming off for all that I am doing. So, I'm back on my daily plate (Livestrong.com) to start calculating everything again. I would love to strip away 10-12 lbs in coming month and I know I can do that with a few extra gym workouts - core - running - and watching my intake for sure.

Now all I can say is I'm eating lean to be lean, lifting light to feel light, and running up hills to get stronger. Bring on the challenges that lie a head - I will conquer them one mile at a time! Thanks for reading!