“Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where…” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carrol
This week, I’ve been feeling a bit like Alice. I feel like I’m trying very hard to get somewhere….but I’ve totally lost sight of where that somewhere is.
Does that make any sense at all?
Training wise, I’m having a really brutal week. I did a big 16km training run last Friday morning (which I was beyond proud of by the way) and then had a huge weekend where I did 4 classes in 2 days immediately after the run and haven’t had a day off since then. Suffice to say I’m paying the price for it big time. My knees are absolutely on fire, I’m getting sharp pains in both ankles, and even my upper body is absolutely aching (a product of ambitiously increasing my chest weight in Monday’s BodyPump class).
Training aside though, lately I’ve been struggling quite a bit with my overall career direction, and what it is that I really want to accomplish with my life.
(I know, I know, quarter life crisis right? So predictable…I can’t help myself :P)
I have always been a person that is happiest when I have a tangible project to tackle, something to roll up my sleeves and get to work on. I’m missing that right now.Between you, me and the wall, I think I know what it is that I want to do and what direction that I want to go. I think I’ve known for a while. I have lots of thinking to do over the coming months.
For now, it’s just about time for a brand new month and boy do I feel like I need a fresh start. There were lots of good things about June (like the Milton Triathlon, some track workouts, a long run, buying a wetsuit, getting to lots of spin classes), but lots of things need to happen in the month of July to put me in a good position for the Kingston Triathlon in August.
I’ve set out some specific training goals for this month, and also some “life” goals as well. Because you know, balance is good, or so they say 😉
Training Goals for July
- Get Organized (for crying out loud)
I’ve set up a calendar to keep me on track with training this month. My goal is to follow it like it’s the Bible. Check it out below. I know there isn’t a lot of rest scheduled on there, but I’ve done my best to avoid doubling up on “high impact” days. I’ve learned from this past week of total burnout that no real athletic gains are made when your body is totally exhausted. I promise I’ll at least try to respect that. But seriously, why didn’t I think of the calendar thing earlier…….????????
2. Swim at least once a week, and increase my distance to 2km.
3. Complete the Toronto Olympic Distance Triathlon with a smile on my face.
4. Complete a 20km training run (no smile required, that one’s gonna suck)
Life Goals
- Put pen to paper and crunch some numbers on some career alternatives. Get really crunchy on what is and is not possible financially, and figure out what it would take to change the path that I’m currently on.
2. Do a coconut oil treatment on my hair twice a week.
(Don’t ask, my hair got in a terrible quarrel with my straightening iron. You don’t have to ask who the victor was).
3. Make the time to get up to Sault Ste. Marie for my Grandpa’s 85th birthday party
4. Read “Inferno” by Dan Brown.
I bought it at Costco 2 weeks ago and have been carrying it around with me everywhere, yearning for 10 minutes to sit uninterrupted and read the dang thing! I vow right now to make it happen this month. Maybe I shoudl schedule some time on my trusty calendar???
5. Do some (more) serious work on my blog appearance and layout! I’m starting to get the “blog improvement” fever….;)
Anyways. I think we all have a lot to learn from our friend the Cheshire Cat. If you don’t much care where you’re going, then it doesn’t much matter which way you go. So before you head off to enjoy your long weekend, tell me….
- Have you ever lost your direction like Alice? How did you get back on course? Which direction are you headed in right now, and what fabulous things are you working towards?
- What do you think of the new layout for Going the Distance?! I really value your feedback, please let me know what you think!
HAPPY CANADA DAY ALL!!!
Going The Distance 
Yes, coconut oil! I promise you will be happy with the results…. but consider it too for everything else. Moisturizer, cooking, baking etc. etc. It’s a miracle oil, I swear!
You are a busy bee, with ambitious goals and high standards but I know you will tackle everything on your list because that’s just you. I can’t stress enough how important food is though. Keep that in mind with all of your training because it will help you a ton in rebuilding that muscle after every insane workout you push yourself through. Not to self-promote, but seriously consider Lifewatchers or any of the free classes we offer at Goodness Me! with naturopaths.
As for career goals, I had a piece of advice given to me 7 or 8 months ago that really stuck with me. “If you want big rewards, you need to make big risks.” That helped me “man-up” and really buckle down to what it was I wanted to do. It allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and look at the big picture.
And for the blog -let me know if I can help you at all 🙂 We’ll get it in tip-top shape, no problem!