Setting goals has always come easy to me. Letting go of them and watching your dreams slip away is the difficult part. I know my goal for 2015: stay healthy, return to racing and accept getting my butt kicked, win a national title, and prepare myself to be in the best possible position come the Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2016. How am I going to get there? Not a clue. This is one of the most difficult realizations I’m facing as 2015 is in front of me. I don't have a racing schedule, can't commit to anything in 2015 and I'm learning a new way to deal.
I had a plan at the start of 2014. Have a baby, take a break from serious competition, delve deeper into the other aspects of my life- coaching, business owner, join a new sponsor, and recalibrate my priorities. In June I had Riley, drowned the first few months by the demands of motherhood, let my body and mind heal, supported Ben as he raced a killer 2014, and slowly got the fire back. I returned to training slowly and conservatively yet was surprised at how fit I got in such a short time. I had all my prehab and strength routine set up and was on my way. After one fist pumping workout on Lake Mary road I let myself get lost in dreaming of 2015 race plans and started to write a schedule.
Big mistake! 5 weeks later I encountered a set back and sitting here now I had to wipe those races from the schedule. Crap, what now? As runners we are guilty of crumbling in the face of adversity. We are so addicted to plans that when they go awry we collapse, and go hide in that dark place where no one can get through to us. It’s not just the training stimulus we miss it’s the ability to dream and make plans for the future. When we’re healthy we give ourselves permission to make goals, visualize ourselves crushing it, and dream big. Yet in the dark days of an injury or setback we shut off the dreaming and hoping mechanism. I’m tired of shutting that off.
In 2015 I’m gonna roll with the punches. They may come in the form of a flared up psoas muscle, Riley having a sleep regression = no sleep for mom and dad, a sub par race result because I wasn’t 100% prepared. I have to let go of an ideal plan that looks so attractive on paper but in actuality is really hard to attain. I am guilty of overanalyzing when Riley had a bad night of sleep or kept waking early from naps and pulling out my trusty friend Google. I’d ask Ben “why is he doing this?” His response: Because he’s a baby. So I’m embracing this answer to many of the questions I might face in 2015. Why didn’t that race go well? Because some races don’t. Why did my back flare up? Because some injuries happen when you’re pushing the limits of the human body to become great.
My running inspiration has always come from the Rocky movies. Yes I’m old school and a nerd. One of the lines from Rocky V has always resonated with me. "It ain't about how hard you get hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
I started the #journeywithsteph in 2014 coming back from pregnancy and childbirth. It was all about overcoming obstacles, adapting to a new body and life, and sharing the ups and downs along the way. Through it I met so many fans and running peeps via Instagram, Twitter, and blogs who found solace, inspiration, and a bit of a humor in it. As a new member of the flock I’m eager to continue this journey and hopefully mingle with this community of women on and off the race course. We’re all on some journey to discover what we’re made of and what we can achieve. I’ve tried to plan my journey too much and hold onto the reigns too tightly. So I’m thinking it’s time to accept that crap will happen and I should build a bridge for myself and get over it. In 2015 it’s all about Rolling with the Punches.
Schedule: Ha this is a funny one to outline as there's no for sure race but so many great choices once I'm ready.
January 16-18: Rock N Rock AZ: Speaking at Expo alongside Ben who is racing.
February 7: US Cross Boulder, CO: cheering, racing, who knows?!
April 25-26: San Luis Obispo Marathon- Speaking, appearance.
April/May: Track races maybe.
Spring/Summer: Marathon would be awesome but not a guarantee.
June 26-28: USA Track Champs.
The rest of the year: not sure, maybe I’ll be racing next month, maybe in 3 months!
