Thankful Thursday-January 19, 2017

I have had a lot of things to be thankful for this week.  First, I am a triathlete!  Yes, me-the girl who can't swim and isn't really athletic.  I completed the indoor tri through Lifetime Fitness.  The tri is a 10 minute swim, 30 minute cycling and a 20 minute run.

I have to admit that I was nervous going into this and didn't have high hopes for my score.  However, it was a lot of fun and I know that I have been bitten now by the tri bug.  I won't be training anytime soon for a triathlon since I need to work on getting stronger and take swimming lessons but I won't rule it out for sometime in the next year.

Next, I received notice that I was going to be a Balega Impi Ambassador and a Nuun ambassador for the second year.  I am so grateful to represent these wonderful companies.  Both of these represent everything that I am about a person-giving back, taking care of each other and our planet along with being responsible.  Balega's American/South African story is simple.  We provide foot solutions to help runners perform at their personal peak in comfort. In doing so, we are afforded an opportunity to get involved in building closer, caring communities around us. This, in a nutshell, is our mission.  We strive to be consistent, reliable, operate with integrity and to excel in everything we do so that every day we can add value and operate in the true spirit of ‘ubuntu’ with:

OUR RETAIL PARTNER COMMUNITY

OUR RUNNING COMMUNITY

OUR WORLD AROUND US

Nuun believes that a company's principles are as important as the products it makes.  We are committed to replenishing active people and our planet - by always examining our practices and valuing our principles of living clean:  clean product | clean planet | clean sport.

I was able to attend a glow run last evening at Fleet Feet Morrisville sponsored by Nathan Sports.  I won a pair of lock laces and a Zephyr Fire 100 Runners' flashlight because I was the most glowing runner.  I can't wait to use these especially the flashlight when I am running at night.  

As always, I am so grateful and thankful for this life that I lead. What are you thankful for this week? Let me know as I would love to hear!   Till next time and remember, my journey continues...If you can dream it, you can do it as Walt Disney said!

Thankful Thursday-January 12, 2017

This week, I am thankful for my running life.  This week, I had the opportunity to run with Lifetime Fitness Cary.

I met some wonderful running people and Lifetime Fitness is absolutely amazing.  I hope to run with them on Tuesday evenings.

Also, I will start a training group this upcoming Monday to start training again.  It is a month long group meeting once a week to run a mile.  I know that this seems wrong given that I've been running for four years now but due to my medical history over the last 18 months, I need to get back to running instead of walking and intervals.  This will give me the strong foundation that I need to rebuild.  

I am so thankful for planning my new year and becoming stronger this year.  As always, I am so grateful and thankful for this life that I lead. What are you thankful for this week? Let me know as I would love to hear!   Till next time and remember, my journey continues...If you can dream it, you can do it as Walt Disney said!

Thankful Thursday

I decided to write a new blog post every Thursday-Thankful Thursday.  Every week, I will be posting running and other things that I am thankful that week. Thankful is an adjective meaning pleased and relieved or expressing gratitude and relief.  Studies show that being thankful has some potent effects on your health.  Some of these effects include a healthier heart, better sleep, being more optimistic and making new friends.

This week, I am thankful for my Impi Balega ambassadorship.  I received our last package of goodies from Balega.  This ambassadorship has allowed me to work with an outstanding company while making new fantastic friendships. This has been one of last year's highlights for me and   I can't say enough wonderful things about being a Balega Impi!

Last night, I had the pleasure to run with a local running group-The Raleigh RunningNutz.  What a great group of new running friends.  I am looking forward to spending more time with them and getting stronger in my running while building new friendships.

As always, I am so grateful and thankful for this life that I lead. What are you thankful for this week? Let me know as I would love to hear!   Till next time and remember, my journey continues...If you can dream it, you can do it as Walt Disney said!

2017 New Year, New Goals

2017-new year and new goals.  The last 15 months have been tough, I will admit.  The summer of 2015 brought cancer into my life and sidelined me.  2016  was fighting back while struggling with thyroid disease and financial troubles along with a move from a place that I called home since I was 18!

I will admit that I've struggled with all of this including depression but I'm going to try to make 2017 my come back year.  I've felt so alone and afraid over the last months.  The move to a new place while giving up a job that I loved to go to being unemployed and without a lot has been stressful.  I'm trying to figure out my life and the depression has gotten the best of me.  I share this with you because I know that many people feel the same way that I do at times; not to have you feel sorry for me but to share the struggles that we all have in our lives at times.

I have decided to not do many races in 2017 which will be hard when I see on social media all the races, pictures and medals once the running season is in full gear however I decided that I want to be stronger this year in many ways.  My running has struggled along with my mental, emotional and physical being.  My times have been slow since all my medical issues and it has brought me down.  I have felt like a failure, that I let everyone down including myself and even thought about giving up my running and my Gracious Warrior Princess.  However, the one thing in my life I have never been is a quitter no matter how hard my life becomes; I just put my feet in the trenches and keep going.  I'm not ready to give in or give up just yet!

My goals are simple-strong and tranformation.  I want this year to help me be a stronger person in all aspects of my life; not just running.

 My goals are:  

1.  Litsy Reading Challenge A to Z.

2.  Mount TBR-Mount Blanc-read 24 books on my TBR (To Be Read) pile on Goodreads.

3.  Litsy reading challenge.

4.  Wake County Public Library reading resolutions.

5.  Read Harder Challenge.

6.  Pop Sugar Reading Challenge.

7.  Cross train-grow stronger.

8.  Blog once a week.

9.  Increase social media numbers.

10. Daily Gratitude Journal.

11. Get a full-time job.

12.  Lose 10-15 pounds.

I'm am striving to make 2017 my best year ever in becoming the best possible me!

Till next time and remember, my journey continues...If you can dream it, you can do it as Walt Disney said!