Hi everyone! It’s Friday…unfortunately not my true Friday since I have to work the next two days, but the good news is that it’s time for another Friday Five with You Signed Up For What?!, Mar on the Run, and Eat Pray Run DC. This week we’re talking about goals and I was so excited to sit down and make my new list of goals for the next few months. I think that you can learn a lot about someone from their goals, and I’m excited to read about everyone else’s goals this week!
1. Run a sub-2:30 half marathon and not feel like I’m going to die at the end. I’ve been hoping for that ever since I started running, and I am less than 1 minute and a whole lot of pain away from that goal. I have one more half marathon left this year (Beat the Blerch in September!) and I’m hoping I can do it! I am so pumped for this training plan!
2. Go backpacking. I want to do this soooo bad, but it’s also kind of intense up here in Alaska. We have to tie our food up in a tree so the bears don’t come into our tent at night, the mosquitoes are relentless and huge, and it’s cold yet sunny at night. But I spent some time today researching basic backpacking supplies and I think I’m ready to possibly buy some soon! Top trails I have in mind: Caines Head, Lost Lake, and Johnson Pass. But there are so many long trails up here that I want to try out and backpacking is my key to getting there!
3. Find a job that I love. This might actually be the hardest thing on here. I know that I’m passionate about working with children and young adults with disabilities, and I’m looking for a job here in Alaska that incorporates part of my old job with less time driving and more actual lunch breaks. Teaching might just fit that description, so I’m going to work on getting certified up here in Alaska (lots of paperwork and transcript/Praxis/certification transferring, but it should take less than a year!) and hopefully I’ll find a place where I fit in, feel appreciated, and enjoy most parts of my day. At the very least, I’d like to make enough money to rent a nice little apartment in Anchorage so we don’t have to move back home!
4. Join a running group and not be too afraid to go. I really need running friends, and coincidently I also need a whole new set of friends up here in Alaska. Why not combine both goals into one? This is such a scary goal for me because even though I’m outgoing, I’m so self conscious and slightly awkward when it comes to meeting new people that I want to like me. Plus even with all my running experience, I still feel like such a newbie when I meet runners who train for real and run marathons every month – why would they want to talk to me? Hopefully I can find a chill group of runners who like eating post-run 🙂 I will fit right in!
5. Find a cross training method that I enjoy, and do it regularly. I really don’t think hiking is the best method of cross training since it still uses my leg muscles, so I’m going to try to add something that incorporates less legs and more overall toning. But don’t worry, I’ll still hike almost every day! Yoga hiking is the new thing up here…
Those are my 5 biggest goals right now. I’m hoping that by the end of October I’ll have crossed all these goals off my list! I think that right after a big event like a half marathon, the best thing to do is make a new list of goals to keep me looking forward to the next big thing. I love challenges so I’m excited to take these on in the next 3 months! And honestly, I’m so excited to get started with the Anchorage job hunt/apartment hunt/final move so that we can finally start our new lives up here!
My excited/nervous face at the end of my last long run before HTH! It totally applies here!
What is your biggest goal right now? Do you have any of the same goals that I do?
Mom in the Mtns 
Good luck to you ! Your sub 2’30” goal is impressive ! I am from Maine, we also have bears and mosquitos. Now I live in France. no bears or mosquitos. 🙂
Thanks! I loooove Maine, we thought a lot about moving there before we chose Alaska! And no mosquitoes? I think I need to move to France!
Awesome goals! I love having things to work towards. Right now my biggest goal is successfully completeing my next half marathon and being injury free!
I basically have that goal too! It’s not worth finishing a half if you’re in pain. Trust me 🙂 Good luck with your next half!
Best of luck on all your goals! #3 is very hard but I bet you can make it happen – I got lucky and found a job I love (a career change even) and it’s made a huge difference in my life. I need #4 myself – need some friends (preferably female and runners) in my area, and there’s a local running store group, it’s just that the scheduling doesn’t easily work for me. But, gotta try. Happy Friday!
Yes, #3 is definitely the hardest. I’ve had some crappy jobs in the past and I’m really hoping to find something that I’m excited about, especially because I know this winter is going to be long and hard with the lack of sunshine. It’s awesome that you found a job you love! Hopefully you can find a running group that fits into your schedule soon!
Great goals! I hope you find a great group of running friends 🙂 I recently joined a group and it is scary to show up when you don’t know anyone, but it’s only once, right? After that, you know people!!
Hahaha that’s such a good point! Unless different people show up each time. Then you’re screwed 🙂 I hope I can find one where I fit in as soon as I get there!
Definitely join a running group and go! I was so scared to workout with my tri club the first couple of times, but honestly, they made me a stronger and more experienced athlete just by learning and training with them. And even for being a small club, there are so many different experience levels, it’s fantastic! We have someone who’s racing the Ironman World Championship next year and someone who just ran their first sprint and we all train together and learn from each other. It’s so awesome having a group like that on your side!
Wow that’s awesome! I hope I can find a place where I fit in. It’s tough not having any running friends! Plus I’m going to need a lot of advice about running through the winter here, so I’ll need the expertise of some of the locals!
My half marathon goal is the same as yours! I’ve done. 2:20 in my training runs but when it was time to race I was injured so I came in much later than that. I have a half coming up in the fall and hopefully I will not be injured for that one so it should be a true reflection of my time.
Good luck with the teaching stuff. I know that is all a lot of paper work and stressful Praxis test but hopefully will be worth it!
Oh that’s so frustrating! Hopefully you can finally hit that time in a race! And for teaching, I’m hoping a lot of my PA stuff will transfer over to AK. I got certified in PA a few years ago so I’m hoping I’ll still be good!
Those sound like really good goals! I’m also working towards a sub-2:30 half, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen this year. I just haven’t made training enough of a priority.
I hear you. That’s why I haven’t gotten there yet 😦 Hopefully we’ll both reach our goals soon!
I’m focusing on the same half marathon finish time that you are. I’ve been training on lots of hills, and I know that my next half marathon course is not, so I’m hoping that’ll pay off when race day comes next month.
That is such a good idea! I really need to get better at hill training. There is a huge hill behind the place I live, and I know if I ran that a few times a week I’d probably get faster!
You’ve got some really great goals!!! I want to join a running group soon too! They are an amazing source of support and knowledge. I definitely recommend it!
Good luck with getting that teaching job! I know it can be overwhelming to get synced up in a new state with their policies and paperwork, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, Go For It!!! The world needs more people like you!!
I love how that’s the biggest shared goal of everyone reading this today. I wish we all lived closer so we could all run together! And hopefully teaching works out up here. It was tough trying to find anything back in PA so we’ll see what happens! Thanks!
Great goals! I’m kind of in goal limbo right now. We’ll see what the rest of the year brings.
Good luck! Goals are always so tricky!
Yeah you JOIN THAT RUNNING GROUP, GIRL! It’s only going to make you a better runner.
Yay! I can’t wait to move so I can try it out!
We have Yoga Hikes here too and I love it! Great goals.
I haven’t done one yet but I did just buy a Groupon for one! I’m so excited!
Great goals! I hope you find that job that you love! Running groups are great, hopefully you’ll be able to find some new friends! Ahh I love hearing about your life in Alaska. Backpacking sounds so legit!
It seems like joining a running club is a common goal of everyone on here. I wish we all lived closer so we could start our own! And yeah, I hope I can start backpacking soon! I’m literally looking at backpacking tents and packs right now on Amazon!
Such great goals. 🙂 You are such a sweet person with a great attitude. I have no doubt you will find a wonderful job soon that you love! And definitely do not be afraid of going to running group! I know it can be intimidating at first, but they are so much fun!
Awww thank you! I really really hope so! I think there’s nothing worse than hating your job. We spend so much time there so I want to enjoy it! And I really hope I can find a good running group in Anchorage! The main running store has one so I’m going to check that one out first!
it’s too bad you didn’t move to chicago; eating post-run is my favorite thing! i don’t even run that far or fast, but after a 10k, i totally feel like i earned a milkshake and big sandwich haha
Haha yes you are my kind of runner! I think milkshakes work after any length run 🙂
I’m always afraid to join a running group myself. Good goal.
It’s so scary! Not only do you have to make friends, you have to keep up with them too! But I definitely want to try it out when I move. I’ll let you know how it goes!
You have so many great goals! Good luck!! My biggest goal right now is to get to my fall half marathons injury-free and ready to go!
I love that goal! That’s kind of my goal too. I think we all want to feel ready for those half marathons, I just never usually do!
I am so jealous that you are running the Beat the Blerch half marathon! That will be awesome! I know you will break your goal there! Joining a local running group when I first moved to New Jersey was the best thing I did. It was really hard to get the courage to go the first time, but it was well worth it!
It is going to be so much fun that I’m hoping it will distract me from my nerves over beating my PR! Plus there will be Nutella 🙂 I hope I can find a good group to join soon!
you are so close to your half marathon goal — i know you will hit that! and go try out a group. you may need to try a couple before finding the right one, but running buddies are the best!!
That’s a great tip! I’m hoping that I find the perfect one on the first try, especially since I’m figuring that Anchorage won’t have a ton of running clubs 🙂
joining a running group was the best thing I’ve ever done! I’ve met so many amazing new friends and love having a built in support group.
That’s so awesome! I hope I can find that in Anchorage!
You have fabulous goals – they are all real and all achievable! You will get your goal for the half marathon! And good luck with the job search.
Thank you!
Those are awesome goals! I totally feel you on the running club; my schedule for work doesn’t allow for it right now anyway, but the thought of joining one still makes me nervous! I went out on group runs a couple of times and freak out and kept my headphones in haha. I have a half marathon coming up in four weeks and I have a nagging IT band injury that isn’t going to let me get my time goal of sub 1:50, so my new goal is to just enjoy it, have fun, and still be able to walk afterwards!
Oh shoot I love #4 b/c it’s something that makes my list every time I move somewhere new but I always chicken out! Good luck! And backpacking is one of ym FAVORITE things to do!!
Have the same goal in #1! You can do it!
These are great goals! You can totally run a 2:30 half marathon.