TGIF:
This Goal Is Finished
Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!
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If you are inspired by Irene's story below, consider joining Velocity as we begin training for a mini-triathlon. Training starts May 1 and runs through the Luray Triathlon on August 14.
If you are inspired by Irene's story below, consider joining Velocity as we begin training for a mini-triathlon. Training starts May 1 and runs through the Luray Triathlon on August 14.
Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Irene Vatandoost. I (Jaime) have known Irene for years and was so excited to catch up with her when she came to our workshop last October. In the past year, Irene has not only made an amazing physical recovery from a serious illness, she's also begun living her dreams. I am so proud of her and cannot wait to share her story with you!
The Achiever
The Goal
My goal was to train for and run a half marathon with Team in Training (TNT) by the end of 2011. By training with TNT I had the secondary goal of successfully fundraising $1,500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
In order to train with TNT all participants must raise a specific amount of donations for LLS, usually ranging from $1,500- $4,000. The donations go towards cancer research as well as programs and services to families affected by leukemia and lymphoma.
Why This Goal?
Back in October of 2010, I attended Velocity’s goal setting workshop. A few months before attending the workshop I experienced a major life crisis where I was hospitalized and bedridden for several weeks and had to recover for several months thereafter. My professional and personal life were negatively affected and as the days passed during my recovery, I found it easier and easier to wallow in my own misfortune and adopt a “why me?!” attitude.
During the Velocity workshop, I realized my core values were physical and mental health, integrity, confidence and service to others. I’ve enjoyed running for many years but because of work and school and illness, I had lost the motivation to run. I recognized that I needed support and guidance on how to train again and I needed to feel accountable to someone other than myself that I was putting in the miles every week. Given what I knew about TNT I saw this goal as an opportunity to pull myself out of thinking about my own situation for a moment and take some time help others and contribute towards a great cause.
The First Step
Research! I tried to gather as much information as possible from a friend of mine and his fiancé who had recently completed a TNT event and were about to sign on for their second. They patiently and honestly answered all of my questions about training and fundraising. By the time I went to an information session, I had most of my questions answered and registered on the spot for my first half marathon and committed to raise $1,500.
Challenges
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| Irene, in blue, on a training run |
I had knee, hip, and back pains- something I had never experienced before. Although I was feeling better physically since my illness, I hadn’t considered just how much my muscles had been deconditioned. I had to pull back on the amount of miles I was running and add recovery mechanisms and strength training to my plan.
It was very difficult to trust that even though I was running fewer miles than recommended, that I would still be ready. I decided that the important thing here was that I was at least trying and not giving up.
Fundraising: I think many people share the sentiment that asking friends, family, and complete strangers for money feels awkward. For a shy person like myself- it can at times induce mild anxiety! One day I had to spend the afternoon going around Downtown Bethesda on my own asking business to donate raffle items for a fundraising event.
How did I mitigate this obstacle? I told myself “Get over it! The worst they can say is ‘no’! ” To my surprise, what the TNT staff told me was true: “If you ask, people will donate.”
Staying Motivated
Following the advice I received at the Velocity workshop, I tried to tell as many people as possible about my goal to run my first half marathon and to raise $1,500 for LLS. As people donated and my race became a common topic of conversation with friends, I was constantly getting the boost I needed to keep training.
TNT does an amazing job at employing coaches, staff, and mentors (past participants) who run with you on your long runs, check in with you during the week, and remind you of your mission. I also tried to consistently remind myself that this was a journey and I was putting in the work the best I could. If I was supposed to go on an 8 mile run and I only managed 5, I praised myself for getting up at 6 am in 20 degree weather and still trying!
Who Helped?
First, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this goal without all the friends and family who donated towards the cause. Finishing the race wouldn’t have felt as great if I didn’t know that I had also surpassed my fundraising goal.
During the training, I sought out the help of a friend of mine who trains athletes professionally. He takes a lot of pride in his ability to help people achieve their fitness goals and if he wasn’t by my side at the gym helping me strengthen weakened muscles, then he was emailing me recovery routines, support, and guidance.
During the entire time we trained I never ran anything beyond 10 miles and I spent the last few days leading up to the race doubtful that I could run the full 13.1 miles. I was discouraged by the thought that I was going to have to start walking towards the end of the race or worse, would be in too much pain to finish.
I'm still in awe at what a difference it made to have all of the coaches and TNT support staff along the sidelines. I was just so eager to spot the next TNT coach, staff person, team members (old and new) who would give me that extra boost to keep going. Every time we spotted each other we called out the TNT slogan “Go Team!”
I have run in other shorter races before but I can honestly say I don't recall enjoying a single one as much as I did this one- I felt genuinely happy and surprisingly hopeful as I was running.
When I passed the ten mile point, I realized that I had reached uncharted territory for my body and mind and at that same moment I spotted a coach on the side and she ran up next to me. I told her that I had never run this far and she said then that means each step is a milestone from this point on. I just thought, "yeah, why don't I let this milestone occur and keep running?"! I finished the race the way I dreamed of finishing and I know I could not have done it without the coaches.
TGIF - Celebrate!
I can’t say I did anything special when I finally accomplished this goal, but I can say that I felt different. Maybe it was the famous “runner’s high” but I had a renewed sense of confidence that I hadn’t felt since before I set this goal. The first chance I got I also thanked those who had helped me achieve this goal.
Oh yeah…I also bought myself a necklace I’d been eyeing for about 2 years that I said I couldn’t get myself unless I did something REALLY big!
Advice
Share your goal as a means to educate yourself. I used to keep my goals to myself because I was fearful of feeling like a failure in front of others if I didn’t meet my goal. I took a different approach this time and told everyone I knew about this goal.
Not only did I receive “surprise” donations from people I hadn’t anticipated receiving from but I received tons of support and guidance from friends who I didn’t even know were also runners. I received advice on what to eat, where to run, what gear to wear from people who were speaking from experience.
Without their advice I wouldn’t have known when to listen to my body and know when to pull back or when to push forward. I don’t know many people who can simply get up and run 13.1 miles so this was definitely a goal that required research and educating myself on the sport.
What's Next?
I plan to continue running and sticking with my workout routine and plan to run at least one 5K race and one 10K race this spring/summer. My attitude is much more positive and hopeful going forward and this was my ultimate goal to have as I start graduate school in the coming months!
You still make me smile. I <3 knowing you.
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