I Will Be A Runner v2012

So back to my previous post about my Bucket List....

This year I am going to conquer something that has always been my nemesis.  Running.  I am a wanna-be athlete.  I played sports in school, but I was no star.  I am card-carrying gym rat and love spinning classes and most recently, a group strength training class I signed up for.  But put me in a pair of running shoes and I am gasping for air doing a slow trot for 3 minutes.

This has always been especially frustrating.  A few years ago I was into road cycling and could ride up to 70 miles.  (I participated in a century ride, but had to quit half-way in due to a friend's emergency).  I have never been able to figure out why I could ride a bike for hours, but got winded during a slow jog around the block.  I think it's a mental block, since I have always hated running.

But this year, I'm busting through that block.  I have the shoes, Garmin gadget thingy, appropriate running gear and a training plan (C25K on my iPhone, although my trainer friend may have other ideas).  How can this not be a plan for success?

There will be more to follow on exactly how successful this plan is.  My goal is to participate in a 5K this year and run the whole thing.  Seems simple enough, right?

Meanwhile, this picture pretty much sums it up for me...

The Bucket List

How much have you checked off your life's 'bucket list' lately?

It's the new year, time for resolutions, yadda, yadda, yadda.  This year, I thought I would revisit my bucket list.  And then I thought, "Wait...do I even have a bucket list?"  Turns out, I can't remember ever sitting down and making a list of all the things I want to see and do before I kick the bucket.  

And just what exactly is a bucket list?  Is it simply a to-do list to check off?  Or is it a list of actions that somehow represent the person we want to be?

If I made a bucket list in my 20s, I might have been able to check a few things off.  Like getting married, having a child, career success, traveling to another country, and saving a life.  Now it's a bit different.  For what it's worth, here is my first draft of my Bucket List.

Travel:  NYC, Hawaii, Ireland (again), Italy, Germany, California wine country

Run a 5K

Write a book

Learn to speak Spanish

Take my daughter to the beach, Disney World, a Broadway show

Be financially independent

Volunteer more, watch TV less

Start a new hobby

Master folding a fitted sheet

Finish MPA degree

Fly first class