On ambition and my new goals

Blake and I were talking the other day about our options for working and caring for our kid, trying to figure out what will be the best balance for both of us to be able to reach our goals and take good care of our child.  Blake started talking about ambition--how he has it.  He was saying that he wants to make the best of his skills as a designer and do awesome things with his career.  He said he's got to feel like he has goals he's working toward.

I heartily agreed.  I'm the same way.  It's one of the ways we are well-suited for each other.  I'd like to think we're mutually supportive of each others' goals because we understand; we both have that drive to push ourselves and to do and be awesome things.

I'm not completely finished with my schooling yet, and I've already set a goal to run a half marathon!  Ambition?  Yup, I get that.

I've  been wanting to get healthier and feel better about my body.  It's not that I really feel so bad about the way I look, but I'm not real proud.  Is this making sense?  I remember how confident I felt when I was a little lighter and in better shape.  I had more energy and just felt good.  I want to get back to that.  (I can't say that I want to get back to pre-pregnancy, because I'm there already.  It's more that I want to get back to pre-degree maybe.  This program has taken a physical toll on many of us.)

I know that setting a goal like "I'm going to workout" or "I will get down to 160" will never happen.  It's just not motivating enough for me.  So, I set an ambitious goal to accomplish something: I want to run a half marathon.  I want to do this one.  It's an all women's race through and around Disneyland.  Just running around Pomona or something isn't as motivating to me as a Disneyland race.  So, I'm paying the extra bucks for registration and doing it.  The most scariest thing about it for me isn't the distance--given enough time anyone can go 13.1 miles--it's the time limit.  You have to maintain a 16 minute per mile pace or they pick you up and don't let you finish.  Yikes!

The race isn't until January, so I've got lots of time to train.  I bought a running trainer app for my phone that's pretty wonderful.  It plays music from my iPod and then has a trainer voiceover.  So, the trainer comes on and says "Time for 60 seconds of running" and then I run to my music and when it's over he comes back on and says "go ahead a slow down for 2 minutes of walking."  It's just what I need.  Somehow keeping track of the training aspects at the same time I'm trying to push myself to do something I haven't been a big fan of in the past was a little too much.  The trainer app is just what I needed to push me over the edge and help me fully commit.

The app I bought has different training programs.  I'm starting with the 5K program now, will do the 10K next (in preparation for this race, it should be beautiful, will build my confidence, and gives me an intermediate goal to work toward), and that should put me right on track to complete the half marathon training for January.  It's kind of nice to go out in the morning; I see lots of other people jogging and walking around the neighborhood and park near our apartment.  One day last week I ran on the treadmill in our fitness center.  At my current pace, I'm right around 16 minutes per mile.  Now, I don't know that I could keep it up for 13 right now, but that is encouraging news.

I'm sharing all this in part because I'm excited about it, in part because writing down my goals will help me increase my dedication and increase the likelihood I'll accomplish this (research shows it's true), and in part to invite anyone who is interested to join me.  Tinker Bell race anyone?  10K on the coast?