giving rise to action; staying fit and sane through running
The second half of 2012 marked a comeback for me after herniated disks sidelined me for close to a year. Months of physical therapy gave way to a very patient approach to running again. I gradually increased mileage until I felt comfortable entering a 5k and over the course of the next six months made my way back up to a 10-mile race in early December. All the while I visualized myself as a strong, capable runner, accomplishing each milestone. Read more
My journey toward becoming a coach developed in early 2016. I first took the Road Runners Club of America Certification Course in mid-March and passed the written exam the following week. I was now an RRCA Certified Running Coach. At the end of that month, I took my first class with the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Their process to become a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) took a little longer. I spent 104 hours in the classroom and then participated in a six-month certification program that included hands-on coaching, ongoing group work, and one-on-one supervision. I have worked with my own coach, passed the written exam and have fulfilled the requirement of more than 100 coaching hours. This certification program is recognized as the most rigorous in the industry. Today is the final mile of this 21-month journey. The oral certification exam.
In order to be properly prepared and to have my head in the right place, I’m taking a little break from this week’s blog and passing along a few words of wisdom from around the Internet. It’s that time of year when we engage in self-reflection and think about our hopes and dreams for the New Year, so I thought these were all worth sharing. They have a couple common ideas; some things that I have been considering as well. So, in 2018… Read more
You have the strength, the courage, the discipline and the power to bring your dreams to life, to be the change you want to see. You can make your dreams a reality.
To be the person you need to be to achieve your goals – you are going to first run a marathon. Yes, a marathon! YOU are going to finish a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles. I’m going to tell you that you CAN finish a marathon. I will tell you that you DO have enough time, and that you are not too out of shape, slow, old, or whatever excuse you have in your head. Because that voice in your head telling you that you can’t run a marathon, is the same voice that’s sabotaging you in other areas of your life. Read more
I think I sold myself short last week when I said that I had only mastered “surviving” the holidays. Thanksgiving was wonderful. Thanksgiving weekend was full of quality time spent with my daughter as well as friends. The house has been enthusiastically decorated for Christmas inside and out, and I find myself embracing all that the holiday season has to offer. That’s when it occurred to me that I was beyond surviving. I had found my inner Mary Sunshine. Read more
I received a message recently that the went something like this: “The Cancer Society came up on my FaceBook feed looking for people to run the London Marathon and raise money for them. Do you think I should do it?” It was followed by a passionate case of why this was a great cause, how it personally touched her family, and so on. And then, the admission: “fundraising is completely out of my comfort zone.” My immediate response was “yes! do it!”
There are two reasons I encourage marathoners to run for charity. Number one is that the charity benefits from the funds raised, and also because you share their message with your family and friends. Personal testimonials of your involvement with them are powerful marketing tools. The second reason is that you benefit. While running for a charity makes you feel damn good, it also comes with perks. Read more