Inspired

Greetings, again. I hope everyone reading this is doing well. I have been doing fantastic! I’ve been super busy with school, work, MMA and my most recent accomplishment, completing my first 5k!

The days and hours leading up to race day were filled with much anxiety and excitement. As, I assume, most training schedules go, you do not run the full distance until the actual day of the race. This alone scared me to death! I had been training for six weeks to build my body and endurance up to be able to run just over 3 miles. Training constantly made me very proud of myself, but I still did not know if I was going to be able to run the full distance come March 13th.

Race day started bright and early on Saturday. My nerves going crazy, I jumped out of bed, put on my fancy race attire, ate a good pre-race breakfast and was out the door. My friend, Amanda, was along for support…I definitely needed the numerous “calm down” talks she gave me on the way!…and I, of course, needed my own, personal paparazzi!

After the bagpipes (yes, they were pretty much awesome) and the gunshot, we were off. Setting my pace came pretty naturally, and I was able to keep it the whole time. The halfway mark was noted by an aid station with water…much needed! During the last half, my body was finally getting the hang of it….autopilot and listening to some good tunes until the finish. The race was held at LP Field, where the Titans play, and the finish line was on the 50 yard line….so cool! As I was rounding in the stadium, and about to come out onto the field, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I can now see why people at the end of races are crying! That feeling of accomplishment cannot be fully described by words. Just remembering at week 1 of training, I could barely run 2 minutes without getting tired…and I just ran 3.1 miles! Not to mention, I was very proud of my time: 34:51!!

After having so much fun with this race, I have decided to sign up for another 5k in April. Now that I know I can run that distance, I'm going to be working on my time.

Hope this true story was as inspirational for you after reading it as it was for me after writing it...

Cheers!

PS - here are some pics for your viewing pleasure...

Change

I've been sitting here for a while, trying to get out the words that will somehow explain the jumbled mess floating around in my head. They don't even have to be elegantly pieced together to sound poetic. I just want something coherent, but that has seemed near impossible tonight. It quite possibly could be all the school work that has consumed my day...3 textbook chapters, a thirteen page Harvard Business Review article, another 6 page article and an attempt to write a fictitious business memo to a company about how I know the best ways to run their operations...geez, that even sounds worse typed out! No wonder my mind is mush.

For the past...I don't how long...I have felt I am at a stand still. Yes, I do have a job, a nice place to live and the privilege to further my education. I live in a pretty cool town and I have the most amazing family and friends. And we cannot forget Weasley...even if you do not like cats, Weasley would be the one to change your mind...he is absolutely wonderful. But, I feel like something needs a change. To clarify, I do not think my family and friends, or Weasley, need to change - they're about as close to perfect as human beings, and cats, can be. I just feel like something in my life needs a bit of a tweak.

I have always believed that if you want something, you just have to make it happen...speaking rationally here, people. I mean, you can't just sit on your butt and expect things to be given to you. Life is not meant to be easy, but people who work for what they want are rewarded beyond their imagination. Even though I know I want to make some changes, I get nervous...that's probably my biggest set back. I am in a comfort zone that I am terrified to get out of, even though I feel I am not quite where I want to, or should, be.

I have started doing things that, in my opinion, should curb the uneasy feelings. As mentioned before, I've started MMA, which I absolutely love! It is not a joke, that kind of workout and discipline does wonders for stress and your overall well-being. So, Lindsay deserves a "Job Well Done!" on her first attempt. In addition to MMA, I will soon be furthering my physical abilities with training for and running a 5k, which I have also mentioned in a previous post. My first day of training is supposed to be tomorrow, but the 5-7 inches of snow outside right now may put a damper on my plans. Starting back to grad school this month has really encouraged me, and has helped get me in a better mindset. Check mark on attempt number, eh, 3.

These are all great, but the biggest attempt I have yet to make cannot be discussed...yet. It sucks, I know...I want to scream it from the rooftops. Although, 2 things: 1-this here World Wide Web can, yes ladies and gents, be seen by the world, and 2-I really, really don't want to jinx myself! It is, by far, the thing that, not could, but will change my life...it could put a hiccup in things, in which I will have to redirect my path, or it could be the greatest thing I have ever done. No matter what, though, I will be stronger and will have learned so much about myself from doing it. For those of you who know, I thank you for your support. Sad as it may be, you are behind me and that means the world (well, even more than that) to me.

Until I can divulge further...

Cheers.

Spring Training

Apparently, I lead a rather interesting and busy life. Otherwise, I'd be able to find the time and/or motivation to write my posts more frequently.

This week has probably been the slowest and most boring one I've had in a long while. It really puzzles me to try to think of why office people work the week of Christmas. My solution...surfing the internet. Yesterday, I had a very enlightening few hours of learning about mountain ranges around the world. Today, I have been looking everywhere for a good 5k training schedule.

For the past 3 years, I have tried multiple times to get into running. Not until recently did I come to the thought that I probably failed constantly because I didn't have a goal in front me. Any task or dream or idea is near impossible to complete or reach if you do not have a set goal and a detailed plan of how you will go about it.

Enter, 5k. Not only did I need a goal, but I also needed that goal to be realistic and attainable. My best friend in Virginia is training for her first 1/2 Marathon...definitely not something I should attempt at this point, but perfect for her. She's always been a runner, but is just now getting back into it after taking a short sabbatical. She may even come and run my first 5k with me! Back to my point, she has a detailed, 18 week (goodness, that seems long) schedule. In having that, she's been able to stay on track, and her endurance will be built up just in time for her mid-March 1/2 Marathon. This is something I definitely needed...

So, after looking quite a while for a training schedule, I end up at the Nike website. Thankfully, I have finally arrived at, what seems to be, a good 6 week schedule. I should start training at the end of January, and will, hopefully, be completing my first 5k on March 13...wish me luck!

Cheers.

Stop Talking About It, and Do It!

Wow, two weeks since my last(first) blog post. Not off to a good start, Lindsay! I have been busy, and a little bit under the weather...but mostly, I've just been contemplating what I want to write about...and, finally, my quest to become more active came to mind, and it is something I can continue to elaborate on...

It is hard, if not impossible, to find someone who is 100% happy with their body. Some want to lose a few pounds or inches, some even want to gain a few...and there are those who just want to be "fit". That is me. I constantly find myself saying I want to "tone-up" or I want to "get in shape", be..."fit". My boyfriend, Derek, and I talk about this subject on a semi-regular basis; although, it's more in the sense of being healthy and having the body and stamina needed to do what we want...backpack, climb, run, martial arts, etc...

Derek reads a good bit about Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon Man, and I always enjoy hearing about the encouragement Mr. Karnazes' life and philosophies can provide. Just the other day, Derek was talking about Mr. Karnazes' book, and how Mr. Karnazes explains how his body got the way that it is. He didn't, and doesn't, set out to be fit, he set out to do what he enjoyed. Once you practice and train enough for whatever it is you want, having a fit and healthy body is just an added bonus.
Wow...this definitely boosts my motivation!

I've always enjoyed hiking and camping, but it wasn't until this past summer that I got into backpacking...and absolutely loved it. I have set huge goals for myself in this arena, but I have confidence. Reaching summit on most, if not all, 14ers in the Colorado Rockies and, one day, the Tour du Mont Blanc...goals that I could not reach today, but ones that I am already gearing my body up for. In the mindset of Dean Karnazes, I am just doing what I enjoy, and will eventually have what is needed to reach those goals...and get fit in the process.

Another activity I have, for some time, been wanting to start is kickboxing/self-defense technique - and not to be confused with aerobic kickboxing (which is a great activity in itself). I want that kind of workout, endurance, confidence...to know I can defend myself (I am a girl, you know...) and to know that I could totally bring someone down if I needed to :) So, naturally, I talk to Derek about this. His response? "Just do it. Quit talking about doing it or wanting to do it...get on the phone, find out what you can about it, and do it." I have to admit, that was a little hard to hear. This whole time, I hadn't felt like I was being a slacker, but after Derek said that, I realized I was, in some sense. No one can expect to get things without working for them. Yes, it is only week 2 now, but I am having a blast with my classes. My muscles have never felt this kind of pain, but they will recover, and be stronger for it. I'm doing Krav Maga (Israeli hand fighting), Muay Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I really do recommend them all for everyone, especially girls.

This might be an abrupt end to a post, but that is all I have to say on this subject...right now. So...

Cheers.

Introductions

Greetings everyone.
To begin, thank you for stopping by to read about my somewhat, striving to be, interesting life. For my first post, I just want to have the chance to introduce myself, give you a glimpse of who I am, and then explain what I hope this blog will be and what I hope to get out of it. For you, my wish is that you will be able to see the world and this wonderful life God has given us through the eyes (or lenses, if you will) of someone else.
Obviously, my name is Lindsay. I grew up in Alabama, with two amazing parents and two beautiful-souled older sisters. I graduated from the University of Montevallo, with my bachelors - a very unique and inspiring institution, where I met some of the most influential people I've ever had in my life. I have now lived in Nashville for three and a half years (with my beautiful cat, Weasley), where I work for a start-up pharmaceutical company and am enrolled in a masters online program at Regis University. These are all things "about me", hence them being in the "About Me" section of this blog. The core of who I am, though, and the thoughts and feelings people have when they hear my name or think of me, is much more extensive and deep...or I at least would like to imagine so.
I do have a good life, and I appreciate every breath I am given. I agree that you should be happy where you are, live in the moment...and I strive to do that. Although, I do not think people should underestimate the power of dreams, the determination of working towards what you want and the rush of happiness you get when you know you've achieved your goals (keeping in mind to give proper credit to the ones who helped you along the way).
Yes, I have many dreams, goals, interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and you will hear about them as I continue to write about my journey through life. It was recently brought up that the title of my blog implies that I'm a photographer...well, I'm not. However, it is indeed an interest of mine, that I like so much I hope it will be a hobby one day.
So, I've said a snippet about me, and have given a tiny bit of insight as to what this blog will be about, but...what do I hope to get out of it? Mostly, encouragement and the extra push I need daily to continue on in my life that I hope one day can look back and say was adventurous. I believe if I write daily or weekly, it will keep reminding me that I have dreams and goals and a list of things I want to accomplish...and, it will remind me that they are all possible if I want them to be.
I feel as though I have rambled on enough. I definitely left the flow of a good writing back at the second or third sentence of this post...I apologize for that. If I'm lucky, I've sparked your interest enough to check back periodically to see what I have written.
Cheers,
Lindsay