A Couple of Lessons from the Saddle

I don't exactly know what it was about today that drew me to the keyboard, but as I begin to type it feels good. It feels really good. I thought it would be fair to spend some time discussing what has been a major source of inspiration for me over the last two years and some lessons that I have learned (or relearned) along the way. 

My source of inspiration is The Handle Bar (for a brief description of the Handle Bar see paragraph 3 of my previous blog entry). I have been riding at the Handle Bar for two years and have been an instructor at the Handle Bar for the past year.

I teach a Saturday morning class at 7:25am  so I typically go to bed at 10pm on Friday nights after watching some very relevant Netflix or HBO programming (think season 6 of the Sopranos or season 1 of Orange is the New Black). I wake up around 5:45am to have some coffee, stretch, and listen/dance to a few of the tunes on my morning playlist.

I leave my apartment and walk to the studio around 6:45am. Each week as I walk to the studio, I find myself smiling. I find myself smiling because I am excited that I have the awesome opportunity to share 45 minutes with a group of amazing individuals.  Lesson 1: Surround yourself with amazing people.

Throughout class today (basically during every class) there are moments when you look out into the bike room and you see individuals pushing through discomfort to challenge themselves to be better and stronger. Seeing that inspires me in ways that I am not sure that I can properly describe. The cumulative effect of all of this hard work is a palpable electricity that everyone in the room gets to share. Lesson 2: Without even knowing it, your hard work can inspire others.

I am so happy that I get to start every weekend off with a dose of positivity and hard work.  I don't know what you weekend, week, or month has in store for you, but during that time my hope is that everyone who reads this takes the opportunity to work hard and surround themselves with amazing people.

Gear Up

It is a familiar story that is often told in slightly different way: Sisyphus rolls the ball to the top of the hill, to then be forced to repeat the process, Bill Murray's character in the movie Groundhog Day wakes up each day to the sound of Sonny and Cher's, "I got you babe" and is forced to relieve the day over and over again, or my currently reality that Boston is hit with another major snow storm crushing the transportation system as well as the soul of cities many delightful citizens.

As a result of the major amount of snow, a few things have been happening for me the last two weeks. First, I have a lot of people saying things to me when I am running like: "That takes dedication" or "You're crazy".  Both of which are kind of fun to hear.  I also have been forced into many flying leaps while running as I reach a street corner and there is a giant ice puddle. This has led me to an additional realization that my leaps are somewhere in between a swift cheetah pouncing on its prey and a ballerina that was scared mid-leap by a little mouse.

Also, I have taken the time to supplement my snow running with spin classes at The Handle Bar, which is rising the charts as one of my favorite places in Boston. It is basically a bad ass workout dance party which is also a nice supplement to the solo dance parties I have in the mirror most most mornings before work.  During class, the instructors push everyone to "gear up". I couldn't imagine a better phrase or idea. Take a moment to focus on becoming a better version of yourself.  It is never easy, but it is always worth it.

It is also seems that I have been shoveling out my car for about 2 weeks straight which seems like it could be the most difficult aspect to accept of this winter, but then I remind myself of the purpose of shoveling out my car. I shovel my car so that I can get to work and teach students algebra and how to be awesome. Shoveling a car is a bit easier with that lens. I encourage everyone to choose using the  the positive lens.

Knowing that more snow may be approaching for the upcoming weekend, my thoughts are drawn back to an inspiring college professor and the lesson that Nietzsche would want us to take away from Sisyphus. We have to imagine Sisyphus happy.

 Imagine yourself happy!

Reflections on January 2015

      2015 began without a sweeping resolution, but instead would be centered on a theme, a positive force of nature. The goal would be to consistently push myself to be better and to get others to join in on the fun. January would have a specific set of goals that would start the year in the proper direction.

     The list of January goals was written on a piece of white printer paper that I taped to the side of the dresser in the guest room next to my desk. Every night, I would take the opportunity to revisit my goals for the month and think about the actions that I was taking to achieve my goals. 

   Here was my list:

1. Sub 30 minute 5 mile Fresh Pond Race (a race held each Saturday around a pond near Boston)

2. Meatless Sunday Dinner through Friday Lunches

3. Finish Advisory Curriculum

4. Be Grateful every day.

5. Be Active with 20 different people. 

and I didn't write it on my list, but I made a commitment to having a drink free January. 

 You might expect at this point that I will be writing about my perfect completion of all of my goals, but that is not the case. I was only able to race Fresh Pond during the 1st two weeks of the months and I was able to race the 5 miles in 31:24 in sub optimal conditions. This goal will be moving onto my February list of goals and I look forward to sharing with you the outcome by the end of February. 

During the month of January there was only one instance that I ate meat during the week. It was at breakfast during a snow day after finishing a great run with a great friend. I ordered a meal that had bacon by accident. It was a delicious mistake!

I wrote a ton of advisory curriculum which was definitely the result of this goal. I still need to write a few more lessons to be done for the year, but I refuse to continue to write about it because it is definitely not a "sexy" goal. The Bay State Test Blog deals mostly with "sexy" goals. 

It is the last three goals that I was most excited about during the month of January and I strongly encourage that anyone who reads beyond this point considers setting some  type of similar goals as the net positive that I obtained as a result of being focused on these goals was something that I felt was worth sharing. 

5. I set a goal of being active with 20 different people. I tracked this in a very basic way with a strip of paper that  I listed each person that I was active with during the month. Next to the person's name I wrote the date and way that I was active with that person. Throughout the month, I  pushed myself to invite people to go for a run, or join me at a spin class, or go to yoga. I was active with people that I had never been active with before and I was able to reconnect with friends that I hadn't seen in a long time doing something extremely positive. I only was able to be active with 19 people, but I will set the same goal for February and plan to have a much better outcome. 

I have been drink free for all of January. My mind is sharp and combined with the adjustments in diet and the absurd amount of shoveling that I did during January I have lost 8 pounds. I wasn't drinking  very much in 2014, but the extra focus that I have gained as a result of this commitment has allowed me to push myself mentally, physically, and spiritually. I feel like a life-ninja. 

Lastly, The goal that  I was most proud of achieving for the month of January was the goal of being grateful every day.  I set an alarm on my phone to buzz at 8:30 pm each day so that I would have a time to reflect and write down one thing that I was grateful for on that day ( no repeats). At the end of the month, I had a list of all of the things that  I was grateful for each day. It was great reminded of all the positive things that have fueled me throughout the month of January. I look forward to doing it again in February. 

I hope that you enjoyed reading this and are feeling positive as a result. I haven't written in a while and I feel a bit rusty. I apologize for any grammar or fluency issues that exist in this entry. I hope you had a wonderful January and I hope you have an even better February.

Smile!

He Awoke...

from his slumber. He was recharged and ready to be a warrior once again.

It isn’t always about the running!

I looked around and I realized that I was surrounded by a pretty amazing group of people.

I was in the process of cooking a fairly epic meal. It would be my last meal in my 20’s and I wanted it to be something noteworthy. I was attempting three of my favorites (tortellini alla vodka, eggplant risotto, and penne carbonara).

I didn’t realize in that moment that I would be spending the last two hours of my 20’s engaged in two very different (but both very exciting) activities. The 1^st was a solo dishwashing dance party. The second was sitting in front of bright 14 inch screen as my fingers moved swiftly across the keys.

I would like to share some excellent realizations that I had during this evening.

1. Ace of Base is probably the best music to listen to while having a solo dance party.

2. I was incredibly happy with the life that I lived thus far. The 20’s were a particularly amazing period of time.

3. It isn’t always about the running. As I looked around at the amazing people that I was with who were sharing great stories, food, and laughter together my mind began to think of all the great friends that I have made along the way and the incredibly family that I was fortunate enough to grow up with and be a part of. Running is such an amazing part of my life and I never take it for granted, but it is incredible to know that if I run a 4:34 for the mile instead of a 4:32 that none of these people are going to think less of me in anyway.

4. We can never necessarily predict the direction that life will take us, but the more often we practice being the best version of ourselves the easier it is to smile back at the road that we travel on and help others smile as our paths cross along the way.

5. Chumbawamba is also pretty amazing for solo dance parties.

I hope that whatever circumstance that has led you to reading this blog entry makes you think about where you are in this very moment and all the things, people, and events that have led you to where you are. I hope that in reflecting on all those things you have a great big smile. I hope that you take the time to say something kind to someone who has made you a better you along the way.

Thank you to everyone that shared my last meal of my 20’s with me and anyone that I have ever shared a meal, drink, smile, or a laugh with!

Stay Current

I realized how absurd I must look: a sweaty white guy sitting alone in his car in an empty school parking lot in Roxbury eating room temperature mac and cheese mixed with chili.

My mind flashed to the thought of how important it was to live in a way where you Stay Current.

I think that we live in a culture where we can expect to fall behind and easily catch back up. I came to this realization when I went to watch a tv show On-Demand and it was not available (It wasn’t available because I recently took the exciting step to downgrading to basic tv). I realized that I no longer had the safety net of On- Demand and that the only way for me to know what was going on with Parks and Rec or the Real House Wives of Beverly Hills that I would need to Stay Current.

I realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to Stay Current on these shows ( particularly because I wouldn’t even have access to any fantastic Bravo programming), but then I realized that I was excited about this prospect and how I might be able to challenge myself and others to Stay Current on being the best version of ourselves.

Back to my mac and cheese/chili.

I had just finished an easy 12 mile run after school and my body was craving the immediate intake of protein and carbs. I was really excited that I had the opportunity to satisfy this need with my delicious blend of carbs and protein. I was happy that could Stay Current on some of the needs that would aid my recovery from this run ( I surely could have driven home and wait 25 minutes before eating, but I think having the immediate intake of the mac, cheese, and chili was much more beneficial).

So I challenge people to think of how they can Stay Current on things that will make their life better in a few small ways

- Stay Current ( on your health) and do a set of sit up and push-ups after reading this line. And maybe drink an extra glass of water

- -Stay Current ( on being positive) and tell someone how they impressed you in some way today.

- Stay Current ( on your relationships) and call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while that lives far away

Feel free to add any additional ways to Stay Current on being better versions of ourselves.

Resolve Constantly

If there was one action that I could encourage people to take in 2012, it would be to Resolve Constantly!

I looked at my last blog post and was a little bit upset that my last post was on November 27^th. I was three days and 29 miles from hitting my November Goal of 240 miles for the month. It was ambitious and I am sure that people may have wondered if I hit my goal. Did his resolve wane? Is that why he hasn’t blogged in so long?

I am very happy to report that since my last entry, my resolve has grown even stronger and I am back on a familiar path of pushing myself and others to be the best versions of themselves.

I resolved three things for December and I achieved all of these resolutions.

- I ran with 25 different people for the month

- I ran a sub 4:40 mile.

- I ran 255 miles for the month.

I am resolving for a January filled with:

- 265 miles

- Only 3 days of pizza eating

- a Sub 4:33 mile.

As we make our way into the New Year, I would hope that people take time out of each month, week, and day to resolve something.

Resolve constantly, and push yourself to be a much better version of yourself.

Resolve constantly, and share your mini-resolutions with the people around you so that they can hold you accountable for being that better version of yourself.

Resolve constantly, and encourage others to resolve constantly to make themselves better version of themselves.

Everyone deserves to be a better version of themselves today than they were yesterday. Everyone deserves to be a better version of yourself tomorrow than you are today.

This does not happen by chance.

Resolve Constantly and Constantly Create a Better Version of Yourself!

Only in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

My month goal was 240 miles.

I am at 211 miles. I have 3 days to get 29 miles to achieve the goal.

I am really exciting to be very close to reaching my goal, but I am going to have to work hard to hit the mileage. I need to make this happen. Any support that you can provide ( text, phone call, email, in person motivation) would be greatly appreciated.

Falling short of my goal isn't really an option that I am interested in taking.

After a great thanksgiving break with family and friends, I am reminded of a phrase that my dad would say to me and my brother if we were ever happy with almost accomplishing something.

"Almost doesn't count. Only in horseshoes and hand grenades"

Any support that you can provide in helping me hit my 240 miles for the month would be greatly appreciated.

Also, December is just around the corner so I hope you have begun your brainstorm of you December Resolution.

Take a Run to Be Thankful

Go running by yourself or run with a close friend during the next couple days. On the line challenge yourself to this task.

List 5 things that you are thankful for

However, I want you to be specific. I don't want you to just say blanket things like "I am thankful for my family". Challenge yourself to be specific (What or who are you thankful and identify a very specific reason that you are thankful for that person or thing)

I ran with a great friend today and we talked about some of the things we were thankful for and I shared some things that I was thankful for, but after we parted ways my brain really began to explore all of the things that I am thankful for.

I was thankful for my father who worked so hard his entire life to give me opportunities to figure out who I am and how I can help this world out a little bit.

I was thankful for all the people who I have met that have challenged me to become a better person, runner, friend, and teacher.

I was thankful for my mother who taught me how to cook, dance, smile alot, and to understand how important family should be.

I was thankful for my brother who taught me how to stand up for myself and always knew when to step in if I was ever having trouble standing up for myself.

I hope that anyone who reads this takes the opportunity to think of all the things that you should be thankful for. I hope that you take that opportunity while you are running so that you let all these amazing people and experiences that you have had to help fuel you on a run as we approach one of the best days of the year.

Check this out

If you are real running nut, then you will probably enjoy this blog of my friend who is working to run a Sub 15:00 5k.

http://sub15minutes.blogspot.com/

On a more personal note, I ran a solid 14 miler today. This rounds up my total for the month of November to 165 miles. I am 5 miles ahead of my pace for 24o for the month of November, but I may need to kick it up an additional notch just to be a little crazy.

Am I crazy?

I walked out passing a group of students crowded together in the vestibule. I received the familiar look that says “He is going to run in this weather? He must be a little bit crazy”. I loosened up my stride as I ran down Circuit Street. I was trying to be very aware of my mind and body on this very wet dark evening.

I checked in on my form right away. “Pockets and Potato Chips” (This was the phrase that I used to remind my athletes of their arms and hands as they ran. Were their hands gliding just off of their pockets? Were their hands held together in a relaxed manner so that they could hold a potato chip, but not break it?). My arms felt incredibly smooth and relaxed as I darted across the street. My mental typewriter was typing with the exact same cadence as my stride. I realized that this was going to be an incredible run and the my mind was going to meander through memories of the past, thoughts of the future, and brief snapshots of the present.

I made my way down Washington St, and then made a left making my way toward the Reggie Lewis Center. I realized that I had to pay a little bit more attention to the present then I would normally desire on a run like this, but that my magical “Stop Car” hand might not be effective on wet night, during rush hour in Boston. As I turned right onto Tremont Street making my way downtown, I noticed the rain in the street lights and smiled, thinking of a friend who would enjoy this wonderful sight on this wet dark evening. I continued down Tremont, trying to map out my route for the evening, but unable to be decisive I decided I would let a colder, wetter me make those decisions. I knew that I would end up back at my school. It made me think of all the journeys that people take in life. Sometimes we end up back where we started, but my hope would be that even though we know where we might end up that we can end up changed for the better based on how we go through our journey.

I realized that I was smiling a great deal. I wonder what the passing drivers were thinking as I waited at the traffic light doing something somewhere between a dance move and running in place. My smile grew as I thought of some of my best friends in the world and the way that putting one foot in front of the other for long periods of time made us connected in ways that many people could never understand.

As my mind floated back to the present, I realized I was approaching Boston Common and I was being blessed with one of my favorite sights. It was the sight of steam coming up from a sewer cap, and for some reason it just really makes me happy to live in a city.

I continued to assess my stride, “Pockets and Potato Chips”.

My journey around the park led me into Downtown Crossing. It was raining and it is still before Thanksgiving, but Downtown Crossing was filled with Big Stars lighting up the entire area with holiday joy. My mind began to echo with the crisp sound of Justin Bieber’s “Little Drummer Boy”. Somehow I emerged near City Hall and I found myself looping pass the TD Garden and into Beacon Hill. I was excited that my mental typewriter was still typing away and hoped that somehow by me doing something that I love on a daily basis and writing about it that it could make people happier and excited about all of the great things that we get to do on daily basis. As I made my way up and down the narrow streets of Beacon Hill, my mind transplanted itself into the plot of a generic Hugh Grant romantic comedy where, in classic Hugh form, he has some very climatic conversation about love in the rain in a park. I smiled as I made my way out of Beacon Hill wondering why enjoyed Hugh Grant films as much I do (Love Actually, 9 Months, and 4 Weddings and a Funeral are my top 3 if anyone is wondering).

I made my way along Commonwealth Ave wondering what kind of job does someone have that lives in these incredibly amazing homes.

This thought was very fleeting as I checked in on my stride again, “Pockets and Potato Chips”. My stride was still very smooth, but I came to a very harsh realization that the very wet conditions, and length of the run had led to some serious nipple chaffing.

(Your reaction to that last sentence of writing is probably going to be the biggest determinant of how many more times you read this blog. If you enjoyed it and it made you laugh and/or smile, then congrats you will probably be reading this blog until the day you die. If you were disgusted with it, then you probably didn’t even continue reading to this sentence)

I moved onto Mass Ave, fighting through a lot of pedestrian traffic and the sound of cars honking in frustration to the inevitable traffic that you would have on a wet night. I smiled realizing that I was having much more fun then anyone sitting in traffic.

I turned down Washington St and realized that my run was going to be over in about 10 minutes and how I was so happy that I got to spend some good quality time with myself. I then came to another realization, which was that I must have washed my pants with too much detergent because my soaked pants were beginning to foam up as I strode through Dudley.

I finished strong up to my school and thought back to my students in the vestibule. I wondered about myself, “Am I crazy?” I wasn’t sure about that, but I did know one thing; that this putting one leg in front of the other for a really long time really made me quite happy!

Thank you to anyone and everyone that I have shared a run with!

Mid November Reflections

Sunday is a great day to reflect on life and the path we create for ourselves. I hope that everyone who reads this would take a little bit of time to reflect on your day, week, month, and year.

I hope that in your reflection you come to the realization that you are an amazing person with many amazing qualities and that you use those qualities to make your life and the life of others around you more amazing.

I also hope that in your reflection that you think about what more could you do. Could you add a few more minutes on to each run of the week? Could you do 1 extra good thing each day that is going to help someone in your world?

I also hope that if you were inspired to create a November resolution (see my blog entry from about 2 weeks ago) that you are taking time to reflect on how you are doing with your goals.

Here is update on my progress to my 240 miles for November. It is currently 11/13 and I am 105 miles in for the month.

Also, you should probably listen and dance along to one of the two songs I have listed below ( They probably have nothing to do with your goals, but they are just so fun)

1. Donna Summer's "Last Dance"

2. "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from the Lion King.

Have a great week all!

Accidental 10 Miler

There is few things tat feel better than to do something that is good for the mind, body, and soul especially when the thing is done with such great ease and the final result only seems to be an accident.

I ran an accidental 10 miler today. My run started with a 30 minute run with one of the athletes on my team. She is an impressive super human that pushes the people around her to be great. The amazing fall weather was a catalyst to the enjoyment that I was getting from every stride.

We ran past our school and picked up one of my friends/coworkers to join us for some more running. We ran another casual 20 minutes. The conversation flowed smoothly from Halloween attire to our favorite Thanksgiving foods and many other little interest facts that make learning about the people we surround ourselves with very fun.

We dropped off our super human athlete and decided to go out for a little bit more. The "little more" turned into 40 minutes as we discussed travel, family, and friends. The moon was extra bright as we finished smoothly back to my starting point. When I looked down at my watch I realized that 90 minutes had passed by and that I was able to spend a good amount of my day doing one of my favorite things with amazing people.

I hope that everyone takes time after reading this post to invest energy in something or someone(s) that is important to you. The more time we invest in the positive things in our lives, the more likely we are to find ourselves doing things that are accidentally awesome.

1 Day, 3 States, A whole lot of running

Any day that begins with watching thousands of people run 26.2 miles is going to be an amazing day. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a major marathon, then I would like to offer you one suggestion. Look at the eyes and mouth of the runners that pass by. I believe if you do this you will be able to notice a twinkle in their eyes and often a slight smile, but a different smile that you don't get to see every day. Although I can't say for sure, but I believe this smile and twinkle is the result of a great joy that these runners are experiencing. It is the joy of months of hard work and effort being cashed in. It is the smile of the runners thinking about all the sacrifices they made to get them to that very moment. It is the smile of runners that are caught up in their amazing accomplishment and the fact that so many people had come to celebrate their amazing feat.

It was very easy for me to lace up and go for a 3 mile run this morning in Brooklyn with the excitement of this amazing event.

Here were some special highlights of the marathon from my perspective

1. My friend, Laura, ran her 1st marathon today. I 'm incredibly proud of her!

2. Two of my friends ran extremely impressive times of 2:41 and 2:43 for the marathon. Awesome Job Sal and Walsh!

3. Another friend was the personal running coach for and ran the marathon with Olympic Gold Medalist Speed Skater Apollo Anton Ohno

4. I was able to cheer for Ethan Zong, winner of Survivor Africa.

I was able to use the inspiration provided from this amazing event to motivate myself to go on another run with my friends when I dropped them off in Connecticut. The amazing fall weather and some beautiful trails reminded me of the thousands of miles that I had run on the same trails with the same friends. The beautiful sound of leaves crunching below my feet with every stride I took felt to be part of an amazing dream sequence.

I began to get a bit tired during the last hour of my drive from Connecticut to Boston. I dropped my bags as soon as I got to my apartment and laced up 1 more time. I wanted to set a new record for myself 1 day, 3 states with a run in each state of 3 miles or more.

I think it is now time for bed.

Choosing Adventure

As the work week moves to a close, I have spent a good amount of mental energy reflecting on the week and some of the things that I wrote this week.

I challenged people to set some New Month's Resolutions and to Move to Amazing, and I hope that everyone was able to be inspired by something that I wrote this week and you had a better week because of it. I hope that you pushed others around you to have an amazing week as well.

Yesterday morning my phone went off the deep end and began doing very crazy things. The inside screen ( Yes! I had an inside screen because I had a flip phone) of my phone started displaying everything upside down and backwards. I was quite concerned that this would be my last day with a phone that I loved from the day that we met. In honor of such an amazing life we shared together I continued to use my phone in the same way that I had used it for year. A friend texted me and I responded that I had to flip my phone upside and look in the mirror to read the text. She texted me a great compliment saying something like " You even know how to turn a broken phone into an adventure".

It made me smile, but as I went to the Verizon Store and purchased my new iPhone that I am a little bit scared of I was a bit sad. The store manager told me that they wouldn't be able to recover any of my numbers from my old phone. I was upset that I would have to go through the process of regaining all of the the numbers that I had stored. This was not going to be an adventure, but a mundane task of recovery.

A few friends suggested that I just send a big facebook message or make a facebook event to quickly regain many of my lost numbers, but then I realized that it is important to choose adventure. The loss of my phone is actually a chance to reconnect. It is not only an opportunity to regain numbers of family and friend, but a chance to reach out to friends that I have from all over the country and reconnect.

I like to think that I surround myself with amazing people that do amazing things and this is just an opportunity to hear about all of the cool stuff that people are doing while regaining their contact information.

Choose to make a boring task an adventure for yourself. Invite someone to join you on the adventure and see how it makes you feel.

If you are wondering how my 240 miles for the month of November is going here is what I have accumulated so far:

11/1- 8.5 miles

11/2- 8.5 miles

11/3- 7 miles

Move To Amazing

I think that many times people think of Amazing as a destination getaway. We get trapped in our daily routines and move about our days in a very regular manner. On occasion, we venture to do something Amazing. We go on an amazing trip, we have an amazing night out, we go on amazing run, we have an amazing day at work. However, the accomplishment of amazing is something that we find ourselves at on a rare basis. It is a destination getaway that we enjoy before we get back to the reality of the somewhere between so-so, not so bad, and alright.

My challenge to you is to Move to Amazing. Allow yourself to be in this fantastic place on all of your runs. Let every day of work be amazing. Realize that you probably surround yourself with amazing people a lot of the time. It might not be easy for you to pack up all of your things and Move to Amazing, but I think you will be quite happy once you can call Amazing home.

What does November have in store for you?

Today's entry is an effort to provide reader's with a little change to their frame of mind.

As Massachusetts pushed through it's first winter storm this weekend, my mind began to focus on the winter season ahead. I think the whole world knows that I love Christmas, but the holiday that I have a lot more trouble with is New Year's. I don't dislike the idea of fresh new beginnings or setting new resolutions for ourselves. In fact, I find both of those things very important.

My question is this : Why wait till January 1st? Why not set a goal for yourself for the month of November?

November is only 30 days. I am sure if you made a New Month's resolution you are more likely to be successful than a New Year's resolution.

My November Resolution is to run 240 miles for the month of November.

So as the weekend comes to a close I challenge you to not only think of the week ahead, but of the month ahead and ask yourself and others "What does November have in store for you".

Two Claps

I would like to give some Shout Outs to some amazing things that I support.

1. To the City on a Hill Cross Country Team that ran freaking amazing at their league championship. Two Claps!

2. To Foundation Running Camp. Two Claps.

and here is their website.

http://www.foundationxccamp.com/

3. To anyone that has set out to do something that they knew was going to be difficult from the start, but realized that what they were going to be doing was important. Two claps.

Set a Big Goal for yourself for something incredible that you want to do 6 months from now. Write it down and show it to someone in the next 24 hours. Then chase down that big goal.

Set the Week on Fire!

Be an inspiration to the people that you surround yourself with this week.

Be exceptional in as many ways that you can think of and encourage people to join you in that task.

Here are some steps for getting started.

1. Wake up and drink a glass of water.

2. Do 5 push ups to get the blood flowing.

3. Compliment someone during the 1st hour you are awake.

4. Read one of my old blog entries.

5. Eat something healthy

6. Set up a time to go for a run with friend.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Spread the Joy of Being Awesome!

I was pumped up to hear from a few friends today about some of the 4 things that they have accomplished.

One of my friends is drinking his water when he wakes up.

Another friend is drinking her water, but suggests that you add some lemon to the water to start the day off on an even better note.

Another one of my friends made a salad with veggies and chicken. He also walked to the gym in the rain.

Hearing little things like this get me pumped up!

I ran in the rain today and it was crazy fun! I also played the game Ninja and that was crazy fun too!

Have you done something today to get someone pumped up about something?

If so, then post a comment to this blog post with what you did. Spread the joy of being awesome!