TGIF:
This Goal Is Finished
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Today's This Goal Is Finished achiever is Avery Boyce. Avery had already decided that she need to change a lot of the priorities in her life when she attended our Goal Setting Workshop last winter. Read below to find out how well she is doing in sticking to her goals!
The Achiever
My name is Avery Boyce. Over the course of my life I’ve pursued a lot of different goals, from lighting design to neuroscience to entrepreneurship. Now I’m really excited to be a real estate agent in Washington, DC, my home town.
The Goal
To run a half-marathon (13.1 miles). This was a stepping stone goal to a 21-mile race that is coming up.
Why This Goal?
In June of 2009, I turned 30 and realized that I was miserable, overweight, and generally dissatisfied with the way the choices I had made turned out. The first step to changing everything was getting out of my business and moving to a new city. With that done in June 2010 I turned my attention to my health. I had 100 pounds to lose and I knew I needed a big goal to keep myself motivated.
The First Step
First I settled on a sport. I had run cross country in high school, so I knew some of the basics and that I like it. I had never run more than 6 miles, so I wanted to do a long distance. I started looking for destination half marathons so that it would feel like a real reward and something worth working towards.
Big Sur came up over and over as being one of the most spectacular races in the country. Lucky for me, my college roommate lives in northern California and so I could visit her (and get her support) at the same time. Sadly, the half marathon was in November, but there was a 21 mile race on May 1st. I decided to push a little harder and do the 21.
To meet that goal I knew I needed to do a half marathon before then, so I signed up for the Rock ‘n Roll Mardi Gras half marathon on February 13th.
Big Sur came up over and over as being one of the most spectacular races in the country. Lucky for me, my college roommate lives in northern California and so I could visit her (and get her support) at the same time. Sadly, the half marathon was in November, but there was a 21 mile race on May 1st. I decided to push a little harder and do the 21.
To meet that goal I knew I needed to do a half marathon before then, so I signed up for the Rock ‘n Roll Mardi Gras half marathon on February 13th.
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| Avery running the Clarendon 5k in training. |
Changing all of your basic habits at once is really hard! I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to push so hard that I suffered permanent injury, so I took it as easy as I needed to. I started with the Couch to 5k program, then combined walking and running as necessary to build up my distance. I scheduled races at regular intervals, 5ks over the summer and a 10k October 31st. I am always slower than I hope to be, but I look at this as a lifetime process.
Staying Motivated
I am always seeking new information and help from other resources. Reading books about different approaches to diet and exercise not only reminds me of what I should be doing, but inevitably gets me more excited about doing anything at all.
In January I decided that I needed to do weight training to be able to haul my body forward for hours at a time so I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer.
I also journal pretty regularly and write blog posts keeping my friends and family updated. I decided early on that no matter how I got to where I am, it’s where I am and there’s no shame in undoing it, so I speak really freely about the process. That engages my friends in ways that are helpful.
In January I decided that I needed to do weight training to be able to haul my body forward for hours at a time so I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer.
I also journal pretty regularly and write blog posts keeping my friends and family updated. I decided early on that no matter how I got to where I am, it’s where I am and there’s no shame in undoing it, so I speak really freely about the process. That engages my friends in ways that are helpful.
Who Helped?
I really appreciated the perspective and information in The Four Hour Body. I have gone back to that really frequently. My trainer and all the staff at Vida Fitness have been so giving and supportive. Speaking of supportive, my friends have been really wonderful, giving me encouragement, listening to me complain, and even coming to New Orleans for my half with me!
TGIF - Celebrate!
Lucky for me I was already in New Orleans, so I had an awesome weekend of music, drinking and fantastic food with my friend and her fiance!
Listen to yourself and make decisions about what you need confidently. Don’t be afraid to revise based on new information. Running a long distance is as much about learning as it is about putting in the time and there’s no best way for everyone.
What's Next?
That 21 mile race is coming up May 1st in Big Sur! I’m down 40 lbs but looking forward to hitting 100 lbs lost. I’m also thrilled to be getting into the real estate business in DC. I love learning how to master something new and I look forward to working with lots of different kinds of people to help them get the most out of such a big, important asset.
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