Choose to Become

In September, I had the opportunity to attend Time Out for Women here in Logan. For those of you who aren't familiar with this amazing awesome weekend, check out this website. It's basically an evening and a day of inspirational music and speakers for women only. I've gone 4 times and plan on continuing to go whenever I have the opportunity.

This year, the theme was "CHOOSE TO BECOME" which I LOVE! This is something I've spent alot of time thinking about and I think I'm finally ready to write about my goals. During the opening remarks, we were encouraged to DISCOVER ALL OF OUR POSSIBILITIES. We were encouraged to make a list of things that come to mind and we were reminded of the scripture in Mark, that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Here is the list of things that I wrote down.

Writing a book
Becoming a strong cyclist
Setting a PR at the 70.3 triathlon distance
Taking voice lessons
Completing an iron-distance triathlon

As I sat down and pondered (yes, I've actually been giving this quite a bit of thought), I noticed that, of course, 3 of my goals involve triathlon and training. Since I got engaged, I've let my training and racing goals slide quite a bit. No excuses for that...except getting married, getting a puppy, having 2 part time teenagers, moving to a new state, etc etc etc. I also feel like I've had to sort of figure out who this "new" AJ is and what she looks like. That probably sounds funny, but it's sort of hard to explain.

So, in an effort to establish my goals and start moving forward, I'm posting my CHOOSE TO BECOME goal.

I'm CHOOSING TO BECOME A TRIATHLETE...AGAIN...specifically an long distance triathlete.

In order for this to happen, there are several things that need to take place. Things like losing weight, getting back into the "training" habit, finding a place to swim that's not 20 minutes away and only open from 5-6:30am, etc.

I've sort of put together a rough draft of a timeline for this happening...hopefully, it will play out this way, but I also know that life is tricky sometimes, so... we'll see what happens.

October 2011-January 2012 - Work on losing weight and regaining strength and fitness. Work on cleaner eating.

February 2012 - Start training for Boise Ironman 70.3

May 2012 - Run the Ogden 1/2 Marathon (one of my favorites) with my hubby, Kyra (my step-daughter) and my friend, Andrea.

June 2012 - Boise Ironman 70.3

September 2012 - Bear Lake Brawl 1/2 Ironman and hopefully (it's a lottery) LOTOJA with my Dad.

At some point, I would like to sign up for an Iron-distance triathlon. I'm sort of thinking Ironman St George, Ironman Arizona, or maybe Ironman Coeur D'Alene, but we'll see. I know that in order to train for an IM I absolutely need my whole team (ie. hubby, kids, dog, etc) on board.

So, that's it...that's my CHOOSE TO BECOME goal. I've already cut out the candy from my diet, started focusing on eating lots more fruits and veggies, journaling my food, and most importantly, working out 6 days a week. Now, I just need the scale to start dropping, and my fitness level going back up. I'm hoping that the blog will be a good way to keep myself honest and up front about how this whole journey is going.

Oh, and I need to remember that

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM (or her) WHO BELIEVETH!

Triathlon Dreams Have Begun

Apparently, tri season is almost here because I have started dreaming about races. Last night I had my first triathlon dream. It was somewhat amusing so I thought I would share. It was the first race of the season and I was standing at the water's edge dreading going into the cold. I was thinking of all of Chris' advice and how I needed to get in and warm up, but I didn't want to. I wasn't wearing my wetsuit, who knows why not. All of these thoughts were rolling through my head about how the race was going to go and if it would be a good experience or what.

Anyways, the race started and into the water I went. The funny thing was that the water wasn't cold. It was very pleasant, so I started swimming and feeling good. I got out to the turnaround point and all of these people were just standing in the water. I couldn't believe they could stand up, so I stopped and asked them why they stopped. One woman said she was resting for 2 minutes. I looked at them like they were crazy and just kept swimming. I made the turn and headed back to the exit.

I was the first one out of the water! I couldn't believe it! I kept wondering how in the world I was so fast, but then I remembered that a bunch of people were just standing around the turnaround instead of swimming, so I ran up to the transition area and realized that I had NO idea where my bike was. I didn't remember setting up my transition area. I searched around until I found Oscar and then realized that my backpack was packed and I didn't know where anything was. Yikes!

So, I started tearing everything out of the pack looking for my bike shoes. They were nowhere to be found. I couldn't believe I forgot them. I seriously looked through the backpack over and over again trying to find them. There were three pair across from my bike, but none of them were mine. What the heck?! Why don't I have shoes?

Then, I started looking for my running shoes and helmet and stuff and I didn't have any of my tri stuff. I'm sitting next to my bike, with a tri backpack filled with nothing but useless junk. There is nothing in there that I can use to do my race. I didn't know what to do. I just kept rummaging (my tri bag is big) and searching through this bag and was getting really frustrated. I looked up and realized that I had been sitting in transition for over 30 minutes and there were no other bikes around.

At this point, I decided to just call it a day. There was no way I was riding my bike or running with no shoes. I started shoving everything back into my backpack and grabbed Oscar and marched off to my car. I couldn't believe that I was the first person out of the water (like that would ever happen) and then couldn't finish the race because I didn't prepare my transition area or even bring the right stuff with me to the race.

Then, I woke up... So, yes, apparently racing season is coming soon. I'll be on the lookout for more crazy dreams about my races.

Remember, You're Making Dreams Come True Today

During the Princess 1/2 Marathon, I was running through the back entrance of Magic Kingdom, and I passed the cast member entrance. Above it was a sign that said something like, "Remember, you're making dreams come true today." I'm fairly certain I've passed this sign at least 5 times before, and I think my friend Sherry even mentioned it to me. However, before that day, I'd never given it any thought.

Because I'd already had my "Am I a Princess?" internal dialogue, I decided to give this thought some thought. What an incredible way to start the day...seeing a sign that reminds you that your job is changing someone's world. What can be more powerful than helping someone's dreams come true?

At ISU, I don't see a sign that says anything about dreams when I arrive to work. I do remember that "Gladly we Teach and Learn" is on our seal. I realize that when I gladly teach my students, I might be playing a very small role in helping to make their dreams come true.

I guess the bottom line is that each and every day, we have the opportunity to impact all of those around us. Are we going to have a positive impact and perhaps contribute to helping to make a difference in a very small way? Or, are we going to go about our days leaving no splash or impact. Perhaps we all need a sign for when we leave our home that we can make dreams come true.

Living Your Dreams

When I was a little kid, my parents told me that I could do anything or be anything that I wanted to. I'm pretty sure that most parents tell their kids this, but my parents took it a step further. My parents encouraged me to write down my dreams and here's the key... Then, they helped me write down a list of goals that would help me achieve my dreams.

As I grew up, my parents continued to encourage and foster this behavior. They even helped me out when I needed experience or support or even money. Sometimes, I wasn't able to achieve my dreams, but because I worked on goals and "lived" my dreams, I was able to accept the disappointment, maybe because the journey to the goal is more important and valuable than the actual dream.

Because of this experience, along with some reflection, I've learned that one of my core values is this idea of living your dreams. It is a part of who I am and is also something I feel very passionate about. In fact, I get very frustrated when I'm around people who either have no dreams or who dream big, but never take any steps to achieve their dreams.

As a professor, I have the opportunity to impact my students' lives. While the content of the courses I teach is important, there are many other lessons I hope that my students take away. I want my students to know that they should live their dreams. I want them to know that the pathway to those dreams requires hard work. I want them to know that it's not the actual dream that really matters, but that the decision to dream and then start taking steps toward achieving that dream will completely and totally change their lives.

One of my triathlon mentors said something to me that seems to fit along with this theme and idea of living your dreams. He said, "You will learn that it's the journey, not the race that transforms you as a person, the race confirms it all. And when you have a great race, that confirmation runs deeper." This was in a discussion about Ironman triathlons, but I think the statement applies to so much more. The journey to your dreams will absolutely change your life, and the achievement of that dream will confirm those changes.

I'm very grateful to my parents for teaching me to dream big, for teaching me how to go about achieving and living my dreams, and for always believing in and supporting me. I hope to instill this idea in my students and that they will go after their dreams. Personally, I have some pretty lofty dreams floating out there, but while I know they'll be very difficult to achieve, I believe that it may be the journey to those dreams that becomes most valuable.

"buy a BIGGER BOWL"

Today, at lunch, I was reading my USA Triathlon Life magazine, and on the last page there was an article called, "buy a BIGGER BOWL," by Jeff Matlow. In this article, the author speaks about imagination and the "reality box" that we live in, which traps us within our boundaries and limitations. He says that for most people, the "reality box" limits our reach and that we are stuck to the box by a rubber band that we only stretch by imagining ourselves in a different reality. He uses the example, "If we feel overweight, we dream of being thin." He then goes on to say,

"But for those who dare, imagination can be extended beyond the limits of our elastic band reach. We can leverage our life experiences as a means to further stretch our imagination and expand our believes...day after day we travel down the same road, until one day we dare to imagine a different route to a different destination. On that one day we suddenly decide to veer left rather than stay our course to the right. We take the path less traveled, believing and dreaming that it will lead us somewhere new: somewhere better."

He goes on to give examples of people who stretched their imagination, including Roger Bannister, the first man who ran a sub-4 minute mile. He explained the Bannister effect and mentioned that Bannister expanded the mind of the world and his record was broken in 46 days. He says that dreaming is the first step towards accomplishment, but is also the first step down a long road, and that "We can challenge ourselves every day to continually dream bigger dreams, but without a plan for our body to follow our dreams will lead to nothing."

I think my favorite part of the article is at the conclusion, when the author states,

"In a funny way we are like goldfish - we will always expand to the size of our bowl. No matter how big the challenge set before us, we will find a way to succeed. Don't think you can go faster? Convinced you can't go longer? Think you can't do an Ironman? I think you are wrong. Buy a bigger bowl. Dare to dream. Dare to peek outside the confines of your imagination. Stretch your mind, reach your arm, and put your hand through the fire. Grab hold of the other side with convincing fortitude and pull yourself through. I promise, you won't get burned."

So many times in life we let our fear define our limits. We allow ourselves to stop progressing because we don't believe that we can accomplish our dreams. We let our lives define the person we are, rather than living the way that we want to and the way that we dream about. What the author says is true...if we truly want to achieve something, all we really have to do is trust ourselves, and we will make it through, without getting burned, and while we're pulling against that rubber band attached to our "reality box," we may get lucky and it will snap. Then, we're free to truly explore our own limits.

Dreaming Big

Well, one of my good friends challenged me to announce one of my big dreams. I've often wondered what the difference is between goals and dreams and can you ever dream too big? I think a few of you know that I want to race at Kona in the Ironman World Championships. I struggle with putting this out there because while I really really really want to do this, I'm not sure that it's possible, even with all of the hard work I can possibly do, I just don't know if I will be good enough or fast enough or strong enough to actually qualify for Kona. That said, it's still on my list of things I dream about.

So, while I'm not sure if this is a possible dream, I do know that I want to do everything in my power to race at Kona. What am I doing to accomplish this dream? Well, here's my list...and while it might not seem like much, at least I have some sort of plan that will definitely be evolving.

On my wall at home, I've started building my Kona Dream bulletin board. I have course maps and how to qualify. I have a list of races that you can qualify for Kona attached to this bulletin board. I actually dream about the race and watch myself actually being in the race and running down Ali'i Drive and swimming in Kailua Bay and riding out to Hawi.

I've committed to completing my first 1/2 Ironman on August 9 in Provo, UT. I've started my training and its going well. It's actually been empowering to know that I can do this.

I'm signing up for Ironman Wisconsin in September and will be racing in Madison in September 2009. This will be my first ironman distance race and will definitely be a defining moment.

While these may seem like small tasks to get me to Kona, I think that's what I can do for right now to at least start on the path towards my dream. I have a feeling that I may not actually accomplish this dream until I'm on my way to being elderly, but I still want to shoot for this.

So, there's my big dream. It truly is a dream, but maybe, just maybe, I'll actually be able to live it out!