Is Your Vision Visible?

Is Your Vision Visible?

In sharing my experience that I will discuss below, I was asked several times what is a vision board?  This is a definition that I found on google that describes it pretty well - “A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal. Literally, a vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do or have in your life.”

For the second year in a row, I spent a weekend afternoon with my three daughters (11, 13, 15) creating vision boards.  We gather lots of old magazines, poster boards, and craft supplies and set off.  The goal is to focus on the next year and your life beyond.  It is a great opportunity to see their creativity and the things that make them tick.  

In creating my own board, it was fun to reflect on last year’s board and see how many things had happened and to look at the things that hadn’t and determine if they were still of interest now.  Many things returned to my board that had been there before - presumably a good sign that I am relatively focused on my journey! 2016 looks like some new races with new distances, more focused goals related to work and honed in on time and adventures with family.  

For the girls, I heard of places that they would like to go, and what they want to do.  Some things were expected but some were surprising.  Vidcon, Comicon, hmmm....   It is fun to hear them share their experiences and see how their thought processes work.  It was fun to take time to reflect on their board from last year and to see what changes and modifications that they make.  

We are all on our own journeys.  Everyone has different plans.  One Day and One Step…

Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Re-Cap

My plan for the day.  Eat a healthy breakfast.  Complete the first 13.1 in my typical time and execution - approximately 2-2:30.  Address nutrition needs and body for the last 13.1 focusing on the finish and making it there in decent shape.  Enjoy it and embrace the journey.  

Kimbirly, Brooke and I woke up about 5:30.  We organized ourselves and our things at just after 6:00 - after a couple of attempts to leave - we headed out.  My Mom had agreed to be our chauffeur and had planned to get us to the Light Rail Station in Tempe but once on the highway decided she would drive us all the way to the start.  We arrived literally right at the start - couldn’t have planned it any better.  Thanks Mom!!  There was a Sheraton hotel that had lots of runner type people lingering in the lobby so we opted to join them.  We found a nice place to sat down and waited out the start by visiting with others - the two men, one from Denver and one from Albuquerque, that travel around the country to run marathons together - having breakfast, taking photos and enjoying the nice (non-porta potty) bathroom.  

We headed out to the start about 7:35.  Checked our bags with the UPS bag check and headed to Corral 7.  We took some more photos and started to move our way forward to the start.  The corrals were not overly busy and moved along nicely.  We reached the start.  I said my goodbyes and good-lucks to Kimbirly and Brooke and we headed out.  

On a mission to take it all in, it was fun to read people’s shirts, signs and messages and to take in all of the sights.  

Among the people - the lady dressed as Minnie Mouse as we tried to decipher the guy in what looked like a pickle or a green bean costume that turned out to be a cactus…  that made sense!  The guy running with two big speakers and the music cranking.  The guy dribbling a basketball the entire way (confirmed that he finished still dribbling!).  The guy with the massive bottle of Tic Tacs or something similar that jiggled with every step.  I tried to sync my cadence to his so I would be timed with the shakes!  Two different people with their first marathon signs.  I patted them both on the shoulder and told them congratulations.  Fun to hear the support they received from others.  The guy in his USA Duathlon National Championship jacket that was with me most of the day - we finally talked a bit around 23.  Meeting Judianne officially after talking to her off and on along the way.  She was dressed as a police officer - hat and all and had a shirt on that said Thank a Cop.  Had the pleasure of talking to her boyfriend - the cop - around mile 22.  Was fun to talk through the last few miles and push hard to finish.  Congrats Judianne!

Among the sights - The second or third band from the start with the little girls (not more than 10 or so) rocking out - wondering if they will be the next big name in a few years.  The Mexican restaurants and the good smells...that was a bit of torture to say the least.  The beautiful homes along the course on Missouri avenue and in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Seeing new areas of town that I had not visited before.  Enjoying the familiar sights providing a landmark to our location.  The cheerleading and spirit groups along the course and the rest of the bands - each unique in their own way.  

Among the spectators - The little old man sitting on his walker outside of the senior home saying good morning to everyone that passed.  The group of about 10 70-80-somethings at the end of their driveway with a large speaker having a ball and dancing to Footloose.  The fresh oranges from people’s trees in their yard - definitely a treat!  The kids standing along the side cheering on their Mom’s - that one always makes me tear up a bit!  My Mom waving at the Finish as soon as I crossed.  She was standing almost directly next to Renee and Susan at the Finish and was surprised to hear them cheer for me too - I introduced them through the fence.

The race went pretty close to exactly as I had planned.  My half time was 2:17 - right on target especially considering the bathroom stop just before mile 11 where I enjoyed a few minutes of rest.  The second half was focused on maintaining electrolytes and nutrition and listening to my body.  I walked some but ran more.  My legs were definitely fatigued toward the end but overall things felt really good.  My Dad told me the day before the race that he thought it would be about a 5:30 finish.  I kept his voice in mind as I pressed along the way.  And, I enjoyed the journey!  It was a fun day!  5:10:52.  Marathon PR!  One Day...One Step.

Reflecting on My First 100x100M Swim

To kick off the New Year, I accepted a challenge, or peer pressure as it may have been, to complete 100x100 with my friend’s Master’s Swim Group.  This would be by far the longest distance that I had swam in a single session either pool or open water.  With a little less than a month from when the decision was made to swim day, it was go time.  

The preparation.  I am fortunate to swim with a great swim group every Sunday.  We swim long-course (a 50M pool) and typically swim about 3500M.  Our workouts typically focus on endurance and aerobic fitness.  I stuck to these workouts and continued with my typical strength, cycling, running and recovery schedule.  I also recruited some of my Sunday swim mates to join in the fun and help with the accountability piece.  

On Saturday before the big swim, I made the following post to Facebook:

Tomorrow is my first official "unofficial" event of 2016. I am scheduled to swim 100x100M. My longest swim workout or event to date. I am fortunate to have many great friends jumping in the pool with me and going after the same goal. Peer pressure makes us do crazy things!! So while I am swimming away, I am looking for people to claim 100 sets so I can think about you for the set and take my mind off of the circles. Comment below and pick up number. If you would like to support my official cause - TeamEdith and the Edith Sanford Foundation, follow the link below and put your pick in the comments with your donation. I would love to get 100 $10 donors to kickstart 2016. All donations are tax deductible and support a great cause. I tri because I can and for the many out there who can't. Their journey is much harder than mine. One Day...One Step. Courage to Start. Strength to Endure. Resolve to Finish. Thank you for your continued support. #TeamEdith #RunKimRun #eNRGperformance #ThisStuffWorks

Many of my amazing friends jumped on this post and I ended up with many 100 sponsors all picking numbers with significance to them, many generous donations to Team Edith and lots of fun messages and encouragement.  

I set off a little before 6 a.m. Arrived at the pool in the dark and cold - let in the back door since the Rec Center wasn’t open to the public yet.  Joined by Barb, Heather, Susan, Gay-Lynn, Candy and Joan we set off.  I had gathered 100 plastic feet to help me keep track as the 100’s passed.  One bowl full to the brim at the start and one completely empty.  It seemed like a long way to go.

We jumped in and got started.  Last Sunday we did a warm up swim.  We broke the 100s into sets of 5.  100 Kick, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Pull, 100 Free.  I managed to swim 5000M - at that point my longest to date so figured I would set off on this plan.  I didn’t like the 100 Breast last week so replaced that with Free.  After a bit I got bored with this so switched to sets of 500 instead.  

It was fun to reflect, as the laps passed, on the friends that had claimed the various sets and their reason why.  I thought about places we had been together, training we had done together, events we had completed together.  When I got to the 70s, 80’s and 90’s, I reflected on the year I was born, houses and states that I had lived in, friends that I met in various places.  Milestones for our family - high school graduations, college, Great Gram, age 98 today and celebrating 99 this year.  She got two sets as 98 years is a long time to live!!  Happy memories and maybe why I sped up the last five, Heather!  Finished 100 reflecting on my new friend Laurie from Ohio that claimed 100 - we met on the Ironman AZ 70.3 course in October and finished together.  I gained an awesome friend and great support that day and am so happy that we are still in touch.  These crazy journeys bring people together!  

I waited 25M from the end for Heather - she took cool down seriously - I wasn’t faster than her - and we swam the last few strokes in sync and touched the wall together.  A milestone for both of us.  First 10K!!  A big high five!  

It was fun to see all of my friends there today reach new milestones.  Everyone reached a new record distance and all had smiles to celebrate.  Many fun pictures, lots of stories and smiles and a great time had by all.  Happy Milestone Birthday, Susan!  A huge day in more ways than one.  Thanks for sharing a great day!

2015 - The Year in Review

2015 has been another fantastic year.

While I have not visited on all of the activities and milestones in One Day...One Step,, many new challenges have been started and completed by myself, athletes that I have the honor to coach and friends.

I completed my first 70.3, watched my husband complete his first Ultra 50K, 50 mile and 100 mile runs, watched many kids, including my own, complete new distances in triathlon, running, swimming and more.

Everyone's goals are different and the steps that we take are all part of a bigger journey. Reaching a finish line that seemed impossible a while back, and now wondering what you can do that is bigger and better. It is important to take time both to reflect and enjoy as well as to decide to realize your dreams.  

I write the following in my journal every day. One Day...One Step. Courage to Start. Strength to Endure. Resolve to Finish.

As you may or may not know, with much support from my husband and our business coach, I made the leap this year to follow my dream and became an Endurance Coach. I am working at ENRG performance in Littleton and coaching with the Kids that TRI and Kids Running America programs. The opportunities in front of me are absolutely amazing and I am thrilled to be in this step of my journey.

In setting your goals for 2016, please know that I am your biggest fan and would love the opportunity to walk beside you on your journey.

I have some pretty ambitious goals for 2016 and look forward to sharing my journey.

Please "Like" the eNRG performance Facebook page and let me know if you would like to join the latest challenge. (I, along with several others have a 30 day plank challenge underway)

Thank you for your continued support of your journey and mine!

‪#‎RunKimRun‬ ‪#‎TeamEdith‬ ‪#‎eNRGperformance‬ ‪#‎ThisStuffWorks‬

2015 Milestones

Races

01-18-2015 - Prairie Dog Half - Louisville 2:06:32

02-14-2015 - Love ‘em or Leave ‘em 10K - Parker - 1:18:37

 -(Christina’s First 10K - amazing opportunity to run beside her and see her cross the finish)

04-12-2015 - Prairie Dog Half - Arvada - 2:09:04

05-15-2015 - Colfax Half Marathon - Denver - 2:06:56

05-24-2015 - MHM Open Water Swim - 23:55 (That was possibly the coldest water ever!!)

06-13-2015 - Ironman Boulder 70.3 - 6:33:10

07-05-2015 - MHM Open Water Swim - 1:32:44 - 2.4 miles

07-25-2015 - Prairie Dog Half - Castle Rock - 2:07:25

09-19-2015 - Prairie Dog Half - Westminster - 2:00:51

09-20-2015 - Little Foot Sprint Tri - Relay - SWIM - 16:45 (750M)

- Team 1st in Division/Gender

09-27-2015 - Oktoberfest Tri - Sprint - 1:25:43

10-05-2015 - Hot Chocolate 15K - 1:28:21

10-18-2015 - Ironman AZ 70.3 - 7:05:16

Certifications:

Metabolic Efficiency Training Certification - Level 1 - March 2015

ACE Personal Trainer Certification - July 2015

Miles:

Bike 2,209 miles

Run 608 miles

Swim 200,404 yds

Testing:

Metabolic Efficiency Test - March 2015

Sweat Test - April 2015

Equipment:

Quintana Roo TT Bike - March 2015

Steps in the Journey! Welcome 2016!