Sometimes it’s hard to talk about goals, it breeds vulnerability and accountability. Fear can come into the frame in terms of not meeting expectations therefore disappointing yourself and those around you. This can happen in relationships, careers, your health, and pretty much every other aspect of your life as well, but fear isn’t a good state to live in. I would rather fight ‘til the end and have people around me, then play it safe alone. So, I thought maybe we could start there today.
Most of you know I ran the Hotlanta Half on Sunday. It was my first half since the beginning of April, and I haven’t been near that distance since then. With my recovery from my procedure mid-April and the events that followed I was iffy leading into the weekend, but I have big dreams. My hope is that I can break into the elite realm while still maintaining this everyday person lifestyle, I hope it inspires people along the way. The idea that you can be active, wherever you are, see the world, and enjoy it to the fullest training yourself for the road ahead is something I am passionate about and all this is scary to say out loud. It’s important though and can’t be dismissed as fantasy. I can go into a whole long post about why the ins and outs of all this important, but I will save it for a later time.
Now going back to Sunday, I stepped up to the line with the idea that I would play it safe, but I had no idea what that would look like. Would I be able to run the whole thing? Would I even be able to stay under 2 hours? It scared me but I was ready to find out. While the weather had looked dicey several days leading up to the event the rain held off and the clouds hung overhead the whole time I was on the course. The humidity absolutely played a factor as to my ability to move forward, but I made it. Running those 13.1 miles in the hills and humidity of Atlanta reminded me why I loved it, but it also reminded me of the fact that each day and each season brings unique challenges. Yes, I did run the whole thing and my time was much better than anticipated, however over two days later and my body is still reeling, soreness after a half is something I haven’t known in several years.
Things look different now, my body has changed, my season has changed, but my goals remain the same. I can say in confidence that this next season will bring even more beauty, and that this past season has taught me SO much that I will use to fuel me.
Whatever season you are walking through the soreness won’t last forever, and there is a reason you have it there. You have grown, stretched, and possibly feel as though you’ve gotten trampled on, but you are still here, and you still have the opportunity to move forward. The Hotlanta Half has been one of my favorite events over the past several years and while this year looked different, I love it more than I ever have. That’s the funny thing about pain sometimes, you look back and realize you would do it all over again if it allowed you to learn, grow and step into where you are now. Even in a setback kind of way this weekend helped me get further towards those lofty goals I set a year or so ago.
What goals do you have? What sticky season have you had to walk through to help push them forward? Have you had the “Ah-ha” moment when it made sense on exactly why you walked through what you did?
I want to know! Send em my way via email or in the comments!
On to the Peachtree Road Race!!
Tag: halfmarathontraining
The Weekly Blurb
Christmas is just TWO weeks away! After a week full of Christmas Parties and MLS Cup victories the beginning of this week was a game of catch up.
Quick shout out to my sister at Hevesi.co for snagging some pictures from one of the first major gatherings at our home, we love getting to share the season and celebrate our first home with some special people.
I hope you are getting to spend the holidays celebrating even through the hard things that I know so many of you are facing. Even if it’s just getting out for a bit, embrace the best parts of the season.
Workouts
So where are we now? On the workout front it’s been tough a few recents from life in a rainy season around Georgia:
Saturday – 20 minute blaster thanks to Nike Training App, plus 20-30 minute core-work.
Sunday – recovery/walk
Monday – 15 minute warm up, 30 minute easy on the treadmill
Tuesday – 60 minutes on the treadmill (this is the longest I have gone since the half on Thanksgiving so I took it easy just getting my legs back under me)
Wednesday – 40 minutes of bodyweight circuits with the November Project
Speaking of, I was excited and honored to be asked to write for the November Project blog last week, the post dropped Monday if you want to check it out here.
So while workouts have been consistent the racing plan is still up in the air. Over the next few weeks I am taking a breather to reprioritize some things in 2019 and what that looks like competitively I am just not sure yet. One thing that has been added to the calendar as of yesterday is pacing the Georgia Publix Half Marathon in March. Getting to pace is such a special opportunity so thank you Atlanta Track Club!
Recipe
This week also sparked some creativity in the kitchen. Red-Roasted Pepper-Chicken Bake over zucchini noodles (check out the recipe here) and mixed in homemade skinny Alfredo sauce (check out the recipe here). While I didn’t get the texture of the noodles 100% for my picky texture husband we both thoroughly enjoyed the taste and would absolutely recommend.
The end of this week is going to be full of celebrations of all kinds from Christmas, to birthdays, to graduations and project finishings. Hope to dive more into this next week. Until then friends!
Jordan
Fueling Her Forward 