It's Here! It's Here!!!

It's REAL!

My Dopey Bib Number is HERE!

Today a friend posted her Dopey Bid Number had arrived! I replied...SAY WHAT! So off I went to look for mine. Sure enough there it was! Run Disney email update! Quick as can be I downloaded my waiver and there at the very bottom was my number: 34951. 

I was so excited I did the DOPEY Dance. 

Then I realized that's not the only thing I have to celebrate! 

I also have my Disney Resort Wrist Band so off I went and dug it out from the pile of stuff I've stashed away for this epic adventure.

But the giddyness didn't end there...NO NO NO!!!

I also realized that in just a few short hours I'd be on my holiday break: Not to return to work til Jan 2, 2014!

Combine them all and you have the makings of a REAL blessing! 

May your day also be filled with great peace, joy, happiness, and laughter! 

Namaste!

Dopey Challenge - The Three Pillars of Success

The Three Pillars of Success

1. Passion
2. Purpose
3. Persistent Action

The key to anything in life, and I mean anything, is your ability to persevere; to not give up especially when the going get's tough. The trouble is most people do. They give up on their dreams and their goals. They just accept others opinions of failure as their own.

So the question now becomes how do we persevere when others quit? Here is what I have found to be my truth from my Dopey training. Follow your Passion AND link it with a Purpose! I also found this to be true; the higher the purpose, the more powerful the resolve to continue. The higher the resolve, the more you will need PERSISTENT ACTION.

Passion is a great driver and an absolute must for embarking on your mission. But you're going to need some help to keep the fire going and that is Purpose. In the case of starting the Dopey Challenge, and not quitting when life threw me one curve ball after the next, my driving force - my purpose  - was to tell my son to follow his dreams, just like his mom. If I failed and I know I gave it my all then so be it. But I haven't so I will keep pushing and driving toward my purpose of living another dream. 

I am just a few short weeks from Dopey and this I can say with great certainty; I went from a highly competitive, obsessive compulsive, overly stressed  personality to an adult with the confidence and courage to pursue what matters the most; living a life filled with love, joy, peace, happiness, and laughter.

For now, I leave you with this thought: Believe in your dreams and your heart's desire will follow. 

More to come as the race draws near. 

Namaste

Power Run: Unleashing my Inner Beast

Today I was supposed to do 6 miles. Instead I opted to do one of my Crazy runs. 

What I discovered was I really miss my Animal Flow workouts.

2.5 Mile Animal Flow Workout:

• 1 Mile Jog
• Animal Flow Repeat 3x: 
• Tiger Crawl - 5 yards
• Duck Walk - 5 yards
• Reverse Duck Walk - 5 yards
• Frog Hop - 5yards
• Jog 1/4 mile
• Animal Flow Repeat 3x:
•  Tiger Crawl with a push up - 5 yards
• Walking Lunges - 5 yards
• Reverse Tiger Crawl - 5 yards
• 1 Mile Jog

I know you're probably thinking why? Well, for one it's a lot of fun and two the benefits are unbelievable.

Benefits:

• Balance
• Speed
• Coordination
• Strength
• Body Composition
• Flexibilit
• Cardiovascular endurance

So next time you want to challenge yourself without any weights try an animal workout. 

Meet Mr Scrape...a drag of a friend!

Mr Scrape is one tough dude!

On Saturday I saw this guy dragging a tire while doing bridge repeats. That's not the first time I've seen it. As a matter of fact, just about every time I run the Key Biscayne Bridge I see one or two people dragging one of these thing up and down the bridge. So when I got home I looked it up.

Tire Dragging Benefits

• It helps build strength and hip power.
• It's especially good on active recovery days as it's concentric motion that helps build blood flow. 
• It's great low impact running. 
• It's great high impact running if you decide to sprint.
• It makes you focus on form.
• It's a total leg and midsection workout. 
• It targets some hard to tone muscles like abs and glutes.
• It strengthens your knees and improves your overall balance.
• It simulates running up hill. (This is especially helpful since we really don't have ANY hills in South Florida.)

Equipment

• An old tire: If you don't already have one, you can easily find one at your nearest tire store. Just ask if you could have an old tire for your workouts. You'll be amazed how quickly they will assist. That's how I got my 18 inch tires. Or, keep it simply and go to your local junk yard.
• 3" eye bolt with washer and nut: this is optional as you can simply wrap your rope around the tire. 
• Nylon Cord or Rope: the rope needs to be tough enough to drag the tire. I used a tow strap.
• Carabiner or Snap Link: I used two large Carabiners - one connected to the eye bolt, and the other to the waist hook I created from the tow strap. 

 Put It All Together

• Drill a hole in the tire. 
• Insert the eye bolt. Place the washer and nut on the inside of the tire. Snug down tight.
• Take the rope or tow strap and connect the ends using a Carabiner or Snap Link. 

 Drag Types

•  Forward: targets calves, quads, glute
• Reverse: targets hamstrings, glute
• Lateral: targets IT bands and Adductors

Today's Workout - 1 Mile

• 1 x 100 yards forward drag
• 2 x 300 yards forward drag
• 2 x 300 yards reverse drag
• 1 x 300 yard forward drag
• 1 x 300 yard reverse drag
• 1 x 100 yards forward drag

What an amazing workout! The tire weights about 55 lbs, and when you add the friction between the tire and the concrete, it feels like it's twice as heavy.

What Now
Now that I'm at the end of my Dopey training, the time has come for me to bring back my crazy workouts. I believe Mr Scrape and I will become GREAT friends.

Dopey Test Run #3 - DONE!

Dopey for Dopey!

2, 4 , 6, 8...who do I appreciate?!  My FEET...My FEET..HURRAY!

I've never had greater appreciation for my feet as I do today.

Dopey Test Run #3 in the bag:

• Wednesday - 6 miles
• Thursday - 8 miles
• Friday - 12 miles
• Saturday - 21 miles

Grand Total = 47!
(Dopey Challenge is 48.6) 

Great Big Thank You to Some Amazing Kids!
This week's great AHA came from today's run. As I started my trek I realized the roads were filled with Scouts. Not just a few kids here and there but thousands of them. I mean kids of all ages, their Leaders, their Parents, their support crew and Cops to help guide the traffic at key intersections. 

As I ran past these kids, I realized there were some who were actually really young. I stopped and asked one of the leaders what are the ages of the kids doing this event. The man replied:  "6 - 18. They are all from various clubs like Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, Explorers, and Girl Scouts." Then I asked how far they were walking. The man replied: "13.1 miles."  I couldn't believe my ears - 6 and 7 year olds walking 13.1 miles - why that's a half marathon!

When I reached my 17th mile I saw another troop leader and I asked "What do these kids get for completing today's walk?" She replied: "This is the 39th anniversary of the Old Cutler Historical Trail Hike. When they finish they will get the Old Cutler Trail Patch. But this is really just their first big hike. They have another hike that is even bigger." "What's that?" I asked and all the while thinking to myself...what 13.1 miles isn't enough of a challenge for these youngsters? She said: "33 mile hike from Pompano Beach to South Beach. They have a sleep over mid way AND they have to carry their own gear - tent, food, drink, clothes, sleeping bags - whatever they feel they will need for the hike." I asked: "Even the 6  and 7 year olds?" She proudly said: "Yes!"

I was in awe! Unbelievable! Here I am feeling like I cannot go another mile and these kids were "DOING THE DISTANCE!" And you know what...most of them were happy. They were out there with their families and friend singing, walking, laughing - living large!

I looked at the lady and said: "Thank you for motivating me to keep on going!" It has been such a pleasure to run along side you guys. I have to run 20 miles today and at times I just wanted to give up. But each time I came across a bunch of your folks, I just felt so inspired to keep on going. It is truly a please to have you out today sharing your passion for excellence! Thank you!"

Moral of the story...NEVER GIVE UP!

When I signed up for the  Dopey Challenge I wanted to take myself to another level. At times, I felt like it wasn't possible; between family, work, injuries, and life it was difficult to complete the miles. But today I learned it doesn't matter!  You can run, walk, or crawl...as long as you smile while never giving up!

All you have to do is BELIEVE! And the Light within you will guide your every step.

Namaste!

Dopey Challenge - Living Another Dream!

Unplugged goes Live in Run South Florida!

Back in August a friend asked to meet with me to discuss an opportunity to help with a project she was involved with. She asked if she could bring a friend to talk with me as well. I had no idea what she wanted but she was a friend in need and I was ready to help.

Off I went and a one hour meeting turned into a three hour discussion about my love for running. 

We talked about everything related to running; the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! I told them what drove me to do the distance. Why I had a love - hate relationship with the sport. What worked for me and what didn't. Basically, how I've learned so much about myself.

At some point during our meeting, I thought to myself, what a blessing to be able to share my passion. Then, it happened, the reason for the meeting. 

My friend knew my passion for running and told me she and her business partner were starting a running magazine specific to South Florida. Their goal was to create a community just for South Floridians; a place to call their own; to come together as a community; to meet, discuss, share and grow from one another. Then they invited me to join their journey by writing an article for their first issue. I was flabbergasted! I couldn't believe my ears! What an honor to be a part of this spectacular event!  I jumped at the opportunity! 

Now I mus tell you the truth. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to jinx myself. After all, this is a business, and I know how the marketing world works. For whatever reason, my article could have been pulled. So I just kept it to myself. 

Then on Dec 1st, late in the evening, I checked the magazine website to see if it had gone live. And when it loaded onto my iPad I screamed! YEA!!!!!

My entire family stopped what they were doing and asked what was going on? I told them..."I'M PUBLISHED! I'M PUBLISHED!" I was so excited!  

My parents, who were in town celebrating Thanksgiving weekend, asked to read the article. So I gave my iPad and they began to read. When my mom finished, she handed it back to me and said..."WOW! This is good. I always thought you should be a writer." I looked at my mom and proudly said..."I am!"

I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did writing it! 

I thank you Run South Florida for allowing me to be a part of your journey. 

I thank you readers for allowing me to be a part of your life; after all, you're taking the time to read this post. 

God Bless you all!

Plugged In or Unplugged? an article by me.

http://www.runsouthflorida.com.php53-9.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/?p=785