Goals are meant to be achieved!

On January 1st, I set some goals for myself.  The obligatory drop 40 pounds along with some very specific fitness goals.  I can say I haven't dropped the weight - some yes, but not all.  Going to stick with the fact that there is almost half a year left to reach that goal!  As for the other goals, three of them were: run a sub-8 minute mile, swim across Lake Monticello on July 4th and finish the Marine Corps Marathon with a smile on my face (preferably under 5:30).  I am happy to say that I have managed to reach two of these goals already!  

Sub-8 minute mile:  This goal came about after a track workout last fall. Back in high school, my fastest mile was 7:40. In October, I ran one in 8:13.  So I decided that I needed to see if I could break the 8 minute mark with training.  Last week, I was doing my weekly track workout & was running a long interval.  I thought I had turned off all of the alerts on my watch, but apparently I didn't.  When I had completed the first mile, my watch beeped & I looked at the time - 7:45!  Holy moly! I did it & I wasn't even trying to. I wanted to stop & pat myself on the back, but I realized I still had a bit more to run for the workout, so I kept on moving & finished in 15:00:03. When I finished, it was one of the first things I mentioned to my coach (once I caught my breath!) So exciting to be able to share it with him because he is one of my biggest supporters & spends a great deal of time telling me I can do things.  He pushes me to the limit & I am always surprised when I meet or beat my goals. I am looking forward to running a timed mile & seeing what time I can come up with!

Swim across Lake Monticello: July 4th is the only day they allow people to swim across Lake Monticello where my dad lives.  About five years ago, my sister-in-law, Ragga, decided to take part.  Every year since, I have wanted to join her, but never did because I was not comfortable in the water.  That's a bit of an understatement - I was terrified of it!  I decided it was time to suck it up & overcome my fears.  So I started swimming in January & have been steadily improving each time I get in the water. July 4th was here, so I packed up my suit & headed to the lake.  I arrived a few hours before the swim & tried not to think about it.  I knew I would have no problem with the distance - 400 yards.  It was being out in the middle of the lake & having nothing to around me but water. I kept telling myself it would be over in 15 minutes (or faster if I didn't screw up!) We needed to get across the lake to the starting point, so we headed over in the boat.  When we got there, we jumped out & headed to the beach where we got in line to get body markings done. And then we sat and waited. I was surprisingly calm - don't know why, but I wasn't going to question it! Before I could back out, the swim started. We waited until the faster swimmers were out & then we started on our way. It was going pretty well & I was surprised at how comfortable I was.  There were a few moments when I had doubts, but I told myself to suck it up & put my head in the water & swam.  I told myself this was the perfect practice for my sprint tri next weekend at Colonial Beach.  There was no option but to swim & get over it.  I had set my watch to alert me when I was halfway across & when it buzzed, I was happy & it gave me a little more motivation. There were some people to swim around, but I was enjoying it.  As I approached the end, I remembered that I was supposed to keep swimming until I my belly (or chest!) hits the sand & that's what I did.  There were people standing up & walking through the deeper water, but I kept going until I couldn't swim any longer & stood up in the shallow water.  I finished the swim in 10:37 which was a nice surprise. I was expecting it to take at least 12 minutes if not longer. Ragga finished right behind me & came in 2nd in her age group. I was so happy that I made the commitment to the swim & happy that I stayed focused on improving over the last 6 months.  Next year's goal will be to swim it faster!

For the 3rd goal - finish Marine Corps Marathon with a smile - I have a few weeks left to go on that one - the marathon is 16 weeks away.  That seems so soon & I guess it is, but I have no doubt that I will be able to meet my goal time with a smile. My coach's training plan is proving to be a success & I have no doubt that with his help, I will be able to meet all the goals I set this season & beyond. 

Thanks for reading & have a great day.  Remember to smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to!