Back to blogging. The great grande holidays of Christmas and New Year have receded and we find most of the US living through the polar vortex of 2014. It has been cold. Perhaps it is the lapse in entries, the rush of the past few weeks, the continued training … not sure …but there seems to be loads to include in this posting. I had intended to catalog a more fruitful examination of my goals and training for the year. However, in the spirit of the new year: 14 fun things…
- UMLY 5K – this was a sweet 3.1 mile run that Hugh and I did on December 31 to end a great year and welcome in a new one. So much of what I have accomplished this past year (has it only been a year??) I owe to many, and a few people in particular. Gay is one of those people. I do not think she truly realizes the impact she has had on my life. As the saying goes ..nothing great is easy. Friends and support make the hard stuff easier. Gay never once made me feel anything other than successful. She has been a constant source of support, good cheer and information. She has been one of my steadfast cheering squad (among many others). Gay’s first run ever was the Upper Main Line YMCA 5K. Gay is a fitness instructor for the YMCA. I believe in the mission of our Y’s – they do good work for communities, families, women, men, children, old and young… I support them. Hugh and I were part of a happy crew of perhaps 100 merry souls on New Years Eve morning. Along with Gay’s son Andrew – we stormed the hills of the main line in the freezing cold and had a blast doing it. I wore my merriest neon pink hat and ran pretty well, finishing in 39:10. I had been pacing behind an older gentleman (in his 80’s – I would later learn). I managed to pass him on the last downhill. I began to cruise into the finish when I heard his footsteps coming up fast behind me. I also heard Gay shouting to “sprint it in!!!” but did not have the heart to pass him again…he owned that victory for another New Year!!! It was good great fun!!!
Our happy Team at the UMLY Gay also managed to snap my all time favorite running photo of me as well!
Photo finish at UMLY - BLOG2PRINT- I began this blog as a record of my adventures. It also provides the perfect vehicle for me to pass along information about my training, races, swims, goals and assorted stuff along the way. Having the blog makes it easy for me to point people to the information they need. For Christmas I decided to surprise Hugh with a hard copy of my writing. He has enjoyed reading the blog almost as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I happened upon a great FREE online site which will print a blog. It works with the majority of formats. I use WordPress. The site is Blog2Print. It is extremely easy to use and walks you through the steps required to convert your online blog to a hard copy. My blog resulted in a 242 page book and cost $80.00 to produce. There was a holiday discount that I was able to use as well which saved me 10% on the production and free shipping. Hugh loves the gift. I also loved seeing the fruit of my labor. If you blog (and I hope you consider taking it up) , seeing your work in print really warms the spirit (the first photo is me holding my first volume!).
- Wake Me Up… Gone, Gone, Gone…Onward – we all need little catch phrases or songs to keep us motivated. While I do not listen to music on trail runs, I do listen to music on the treadmill. I also have learned the skill of singing songs to myself during long swims. Many marathon swimmers use songs to help keep away boredom. Find some great songs to keep you motivated. It really works. Hugh likes the song “Wake Me Up” by Avicii. I run to “Gone,Gone,Gone” by Phillip Phillips and repeat the “onward” matra during long swims
- 3 mile qualifying swim done! – one of my goals over the holiday was to complete my 3 mile qualifying swim for the NYC Swim Little Red Lighthouse 10k swim in September. My goal was to finish the swim in under 1 hour 50 minutes and I did it in 1 hour 49. It was a great swim. So I will be doing the 10K as well as 4 other NYC events. I am also dedicating this swim to Hugh’s brother, John – whom we lost to mesothelioma last March. More to come on that later.
- Flipping over FLIPAGRAM – I watch the Weather Channel a lot. They often include snippets about new technology. My latest fun thing is Flipagram. It is a FREE app that can be downloaded to your smart phone. It creates wonderful little videos using your photos and music. I love the videos and you can easily create them for yourself or send to friends as a little pick me up or motivation. Here is one a made from just some of the fun running photos I keep on my iphone – Brave. Give it a try!
- 14 in 2014 – More folks have contacted me about how to get started with running, walking and just a more active lifestyle. The BEST advice I can offer (in my opinion) is to have a goal. Make it realistic, but make it something you want to achieve. Last year, I joined in a Facebook group for all kinds of runners to do 13 runs in 2013. It is a great group. Extremely supportive and representative of just about every kind of person. This year I have signed once again to do 14 in 2014. What is your goal?
- Still Loving the Lady – At the end of August I was contacted by a freelance writer who does work for Elizabethtown College. He had been assigned to develop a piece for the winter issue of the college’s magazine Elizabethtown. This is the publication that the college sends to pretty much everyone. Alumni, donors, retirees, corporations, trustees, heads of state …who knows. The list is huge. Anyway, I was really honored and thrilled. I am happy to help represent the college and all they do. The issue was to focus on “Mind Body Soul”. We chatted for perhaps and hour. So I knew the issue was coming. Today it showed up in my office.
Hugh reading the winter issue of Elizabethtown magazine, “Pushing Boundaries” and a write up on the Statue swim People have embraced this swim. It has really registered for many people. You just never know what your passion will help ignite in others. One of the greatest thrills of this journey continues to be the impact that I help to make in other people’s lives. That in turn continues to help me. It really is a win win. I hope 2014 finds you finding your passion.
- The 45 minute mile man – Hugh has taken up swimming. He is doing extremely well. Lady Liberty also ignited something in Hugh as well. He jumped into the pool in September and has never looked back. While not a natural swimmer, he has kept at improving his endurance in the water and tackling issues in his stroke. In September he managed a 58 minute mile in the pool. As of January 6 he can now complete a mile in 44 minutes! Hugh has enrolled in 2 of the NYC Swim events – the Brooklyn Bridge swim and the NYC Aquathlon (1.5K swim, followed by a 5K run).
- Books, Books, Books, Books – Hugh and I have been reading like crazy. Hugh’s focus has been on fueling our bodies better. Hugh’s biggest goal is to do his first full marathon in 2014. My swimming has now advanced to the long distance realm and likewise requires a more realistic and sensible approach to food. Needless to say, we are both hungry ALL THE TIME! But rather than eat a lot poorly, we want to eat a lot of the right foods. I had happened across the following excellent book on fueling the athletic body and so far it is fabulous. Hugh is on his second read and highly recommends the book and the recipes:
While Hugh has happily assumed the job of team chef, I have devoted the bulk of my reading to learning about what it takes to swim the English Channel. Big goals are scary. But one of my favorite quotes, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough” seems to work for me. What also works for those big scary dreams is to take them a step at a time. Like running your first 5K or half marathon or marathon or open water swim. So for me, the first step is to read about it. I have read or am reading the following three books and they are tremendous on the crossing and the sport of marathon open water swimming (all are available via Amazon.com):
- Swimming for a Cause – Hugh and I have enrolled in most of the NYC Swim events. Three of those events will be dedicated to 2 organizations which mean a great deal to us. In 2013 I swam around the Statue of Liberty in support of the women and men at Thistle Farms/Magdalene House. In 2014 I will once again be swimming around the Lady in support of these amazing people. Hugh and I will also be doing the NYC Brooklyn Bridge Swim and will be dedicating this swim , as well as my 10k Little Red Lighthouse swim to the memory of his brother John and raising funds to support the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation . I will have more information to come on how to support our swims. We hope to call it the “2 Bridges Swim” for John.
As promised … 14 fun little things for the New Year. Til next time… be good to one another, Cheers!
Finding at 50 