Dreaming Beyond Your Comfort Zone

in

I re-listened to the Runner's World Show Podcast on Deena Kastor's Positivity Speech yesterday and was totally inspired. I was ALSO inspired yesterday when I listened to I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein's Podcast interviewing Teal Burrell (Teal went from a 4:07 marathon to qualifying for the Olympic Trails with a 2:42 Marathon)- talk about dreaming big!

I started thinking about dreaming big (and not just kind-of big, but really really big) and how truly scary it is to think of the long road there may be to get to your goals (and how uncomfortable it could be). I like to set goals for myself and sometimes get only a fraction out of my comfort zone, but I'm not sure if I've ever really pushed myself way out of my comfort zone too much. I've hiked some pretty dangerous trails, sky dived, moved halfway across the country by myself, applied for jobs totally out of my league, but these all seem SO small compared to Teal's goals and Deena Kastor's amazing speech about positivity. 

I've also been thinking a lot about my recent race and what my goal for Las Vegas Marathon should be. I'm a huge believer in stepping stones towards a larger goal, so I wanted to utilize LV as a stepping stone towards my bigger goals (running a sub-4 hour marathon, qualifying for Boston, running a 1:45 half-marathon). I also know that I still struggle with pushing myself in a race beyond my comfort zone (getting comfortable with the uncomfortable)- I was SO close to the edge of breaking through this barrier at my recent race (progress, eh?), so I am determined to achieve that at my next race. 

Positivity and the ability to dream big really do go hand-in-hand.

You not only have to BELIEVE in yourself, but you also need to BELIEVE in your dream. 

Creating positive self-talk is really difficult and something that I don't always succeed at. I get down on myself (sometimes on crummy runs or sometimes when I have a set-back from one of my dream goals), which is pretty terrible and a total dream-crusher. So, I am determined to begin to re-work my thinking from negative to positive.

It's not going to happen overnight or 6 months from now and it will be challenging, but I believe it will be THE key to my success to reaching my dream-big goals. 

It'll start small from consciously trying to be aware of how I look at situations, view myself, view others, etc. and correct myself when I notice these negative behaviors creeping in. I will also list three things each day that I am thankful for. 

Here's to launching my #dreambeyondyourcomfortzone project! You can join along in my project and leave your #thankfulnotes in the comments, a journal, your blog, social media, etc. Share the positivity!

Thankful for today:

  1. A beautiful view out our deck
  2. Avocados and Over-Easy Eggs
  3. My Resiliency

What are you thankful for?

Any big race tips to stay positive and push outside your comfort zone?

What are some things that make your Dream Big list? 

Setting BIG Goals & Embracing the Scary

in , ,

Goal setting. Sometimes our favorite thing to do and sometimes really intimidating, scary, and nerve-racking. Talking today about how actually writing down those goals makes it seem 'real' and that scary goals can sometimes be the best ones!

Please forgive that super long piece of grass right in the middle of my photo....

Please forgive that super long piece of grass right in the middle of my photo....

I am a huge dreamer and believer, but it takes me a LONG time to actually come to terms with my goals and embrace them. Sometimes the journey to achieve our goals can be scary, intimidating, and come with big change/sacrifices/set-backs etc. I set some pretty big goals for myself this year including breaking 2 hours in the half-marathon, breaking 4 hours in the marathon, and taking charge of my career path. 

I was honestly SO scared that I won't achieve my goal of a sub-4 marathon this year, however I'm slowly starting to realize that it's OK to be scared/nervous/anxious/excited (all of the above & more) and that this 'scary' goal of mine is good and it means that I'm pushing myself. Sure, I may not achieve it at this marathon next month, but I've got another one planned for in November and if I don't achieve it then? It's ok, I know I'll get there and I'll come out stronger in the end. 

Scary goals are OK. They mean that we're able to look past what we're currently capable of and believe that we can achieve so much more. 

I finally realized that I could very well be ready to break that 4 hour marathon goal on my biggest interval training cycle this morning. 10 miles with 4 mile repeats at 7:50-8:00min/mi pace. I honestly almost passed-out the first time I read this plan and thought there was no way I would EVER run a mile under 8 minutes, let alone 4! However, I continued to persevere through my training plan and the workout came on the docket this morning (I may have lost some sleep last night stressing about it...). I woke up and 4:45am to fit it in before work this morning and was determined to do this ENTIRE work-out outside. I absolutely love the treadmill for speed workouts, but have recently started switching them to outside as I know my mental toughness needs some work before reaching my sub 4-hour goal. 

I did a 2 mile warm-up then settled into a half-mile stretch of road that is pretty quiet with traffic (and no homes so less people to see me run by them 10+ times...) and flat. I settled into my first mile and was surprised with how easy it felt at 7:59 pace. 800 recovery then pushed into the second one (7:55), 800 recovery, third one (7:57), 800 recovery, and last one (7:58). I couldn't believe it- I had reached my goal and TOTALLY ROCKED IT. I basically felt like I was on cloud nine and still can't believe how easy it felt. 2 mile easy cool-down to follow.

I still have 26 days until my race, but I will be riding this cloud nine feeling for quiet some time! Despite the results that race day brings, I know that my big goal will be obtained whether it is in the cards for next month, November, or 5 years from now!

So embrace those crazy-scary dreams with open arms and know that you're badass for pushing yourself beyond your current limits. The journey to your destination will always teach you a thing or two and make you stronger, no matter the outcome. 

 

Do you have any big, scary goals for 2017?

What's your tactic for overcoming those nerves and embracing the scary?