A little bit about me- I have a nursing background, but work away from the bedside in administration (my true love). I work a full time job, but also recently started working with a local school of nursing as an adjunct faculty member. I work two jobs because I love them both, so when the opportunity arose to do them, I jumped on it. I also have a smoking hot husband and 4 fur children. Working two jobs, spending time with my family, having a social life, and being a runner can be overwhelming at times. It is so easy to make excuses and allow your goals to fall by the wayside because life gets in the way.
I sometimes dream that one day I will have the opportunity to leave the world of nursing and live a life of leisure. And by life of leisure, I mean have unlimited money to travel, run, and eat all the time. Until that happens, my current state is a busy one where I try to juggle it all while giving 100% to what I do. It is a struggle, but one with many rewards.
Since I started running years ago, I have always said I wanted to run a full marathon. And it has never happened. I have several 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons on my record, but have never been able to commit to the full. I always had an excuse. I work 12-hour shifts, so I have blamed my long work hours. I was in graduate school for 2.5 years, so I blamed it on that. You name it, I used it as an excuse. My desire to do it has always been strong, but I was always waiting for the right timing.
The thing is, there will never be a perfect time for any incredibly difficult and time-consuming task. You just have to get in your head that it is going to happen. So after discussing with my husband (my biggest supporter), I picked out a marathon and a training plan, and decided to take the plunge and run my first marathon. It is a scary decision and I question it daily. I haven’t even started training yet and I am already worried about my ability to do it. But isn’t that what is great about running? It is so unpredictable and exhilarating that it just leaves you wanting more. I want more, and finally decided that to reach my goals, I just had to make them happen.
I am beyond an expert at running, but I strongly believe in learning from others. Here are a few tips on how to make your fitness goals happen:
Get your family on board. Usually big goals mean that they will be making sacrifices, too. Setting yourself up for success means involving all of those that are affected by said goals. My husband is my biggest supporter. Without his pep talks, tough love, and cheering spirit, my goals would go by the wayside.
Set goals that are realistic. I want to be successful when I run my first marathon. I don’t want to just do it, I want to do it right. I want to complete it in a time that I am proud of, be as prepared as I can be, and make sure that I have adequate time to train. However, I know better than to set outrageous goal times, a too short training plan, with poor fuel planning. Something that requires so much sacrifice deserves to be done the right way. Not doing so will lead to possible injury and loads of regret.
Be prepared to give 100%. The timing will never be perfect. That is a fact. However, sometimes the timing is better than others. I would never plan to run a big race in the middle of a big life event, like a huge move, having a child, or major job change. Big goals sometimes have sacrifices, and you have to be willing to sacrifice in certain areas to give these goals your all.
When it comes down to it, we tend to set goals for things we are passionate about. If you truly have a passion for something, you will find a way to make it happen. Just remember not to let the goal consume you; we do these things because we love them! The moment we stop is the moment that we need to re-evaluate.
Thank you so much Kristen for allowing me to share my rambles!
Connect with Carson!
Blog: http://runningsouthern.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runningsouthern
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RunningSouthern
Instagram: http://instagram.com/runningsouthern
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115989974562047562895
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Let's chat!
How often do you set goals for yourself?
What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
Get your family on board. Usually big goals mean that they will be making sacrifices, too. Setting yourself up for success means involving all of those that are affected by said goals. My husband is my biggest supporter. Without his pep talks, tough love, and cheering spirit, my goals would go by the wayside.
Set goals that are realistic. I want to be successful when I run my first marathon. I don’t want to just do it, I want to do it right. I want to complete it in a time that I am proud of, be as prepared as I can be, and make sure that I have adequate time to train. However, I know better than to set outrageous goal times, a too short training plan, with poor fuel planning. Something that requires so much sacrifice deserves to be done the right way. Not doing so will lead to possible injury and loads of regret.
Be prepared to give 100%. The timing will never be perfect. That is a fact. However, sometimes the timing is better than others. I would never plan to run a big race in the middle of a big life event, like a huge move, having a child, or major job change. Big goals sometimes have sacrifices, and you have to be willing to sacrifice in certain areas to give these goals your all.
When it comes down to it, we tend to set goals for things we are passionate about. If you truly have a passion for something, you will find a way to make it happen. Just remember not to let the goal consume you; we do these things because we love them! The moment we stop is the moment that we need to re-evaluate.
Thank you so much Kristen for allowing me to share my rambles!
Connect with Carson!
Blog: http://runningsouthern.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runningsouthern
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RunningSouthern
Instagram: http://instagram.com/runningsouthern
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115989974562047562895
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's chat!
How often do you set goals for yourself?
What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
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