28 February 2014

Bath Half is here....

Well, just a mere 2 days to go! I've got my kit ready:




and my breakfast planned:



and a general plan of attack
Miles 1 to 4: go as slow as humanly possible, it takes me a few miles to get into my stride and I don't want to burn out too early by trying to keep up with everyone else.
Miles 4 to 10: hopefully will have settled into a comfortable pace and will attempt to enjoy myself! I'll aim to down few shot blocks around mile 9/10 to keep me going thru the last push
Miles 10 to 13.1: drag my knackered butt round the last few miles anyway I can!

I'll see you on the other side! XXX

27 February 2014

Nudge Nudge Wink Wink

This is a little article on following, what the author calls 'Nudges'

I followed nudges to start crossfit - its something I'd read of in blogs and my friend Johnny was getting a membership for Christmas. Friends from crossfit signed up for Tough Mudder so I joined them, the running training for which nudged me to sign up for the Bath Half all on my own.

Practising yoga in Chicago made me realise: 'wow, I've been doing yoga a long time, maybe I should do something more with it' from which I found a cheap course that my much respected yoga teacher took 10 years ago.

Goals do help nudge me, remind me of things I want to achieve, and this blog helps me record little ideas and ponderings that sometimes, quite quickly turn into more.

I'm paraphrasing a quote from which I can't remember the source: life, ultimately has no meaning. It is up to us to create our own meanings - be that pursuit of knowledge, travel, wealth, family. So I suppose 'meaning' would be something like - try everything, pursue all inspiration, because these little nudges can lead to amazing things.


 
XXX

26 February 2014

50. Adventures

So much adventures! we're only in month two of 2014 and I already have a lovely list of adventures booked or planned.




and fingers crossed for




I hope your 2014 is filled with exciting new adventures! XXX

24 February 2014

Happy Monday

Good morning all!

Reasons why this Monday sucks less than usual:
  • I found and applied for a new job at the uni, one that is 4 days a week so would allow me to teach yoga alongside.
  • I woke up next to my most favoured human being - my gorgeous boyfriend
  • I'm off to a yoga class in an hour
  • Its pay day tomorrow :D
  • I have a coffee date with fellow blogger Ali tomorrow
  • I've booked a massage for Thursday as a final prep for the Bath Half
  • I have a delightful weekend of cocktails, cinema and running to look forward to.
  • Now, all I have to do is get this tedious office work out of the way......




XXX

14 February 2014

Another exciting adventure, another gorgeous vintage travel poster....

Roll on April!




XXX

Pride? and Science and stuff

Do you know what I did today dear readers? I gave up a sixth of my salary to keep a children's science fair running - yeah, I know, I don't even like kids! but I do like science, and the 'Bath Taps into Science fair' means a lot, to a lot of people, and I'll be damned if it goes under on my watch.

I remember when the founder of these fairs told me that if he could make 'one child smile' with science, it would all be worth it. I rolled my eyes! and told everyone what a crazy hippy he was - except now, when people are trying to turn this thing into a corporate advertising project. Suddenly I find myself fighting with the hippies - this is supposed to be about inspiring people, delighting them, showing them what wonders there are in the world of science.

So our budgets got unceremoniously cut, and all that was left was what I'm getting paid. Which makes me laugh, because I spend a huge amount of time whinging about how I get paid less than the office cleaners. But I continue to help on these crazy projects, because there is no one else to do it, so I suppose thats why I gave up the money, because there's no one else it seems. Damn pesky kids......they better learn something!


 
XXX

10 February 2014

Fear & Goals

I've come a long way since this whole running thing started, but training for Bath Half is really kicking my ass this week. Its getting close and I'm getting scared, which I admit is somewhat illogical, after all I could walk the course if it came down to it, I have no expectations of time, so all I actually need to achieve on the day is to continue to be alive!

Do you have goals that scare you?




 
XXX

5 February 2014

On Goals


This article came out a few months ago but has some very interesting insights on goals via some UK based research of 2,000 men and women and their top 10 life ambitions.

So let’s see, I've already lived abroad, and done various selfless volunteer work (It’s kind of weird that that one needed to be on there with an age deadline, could people not get round to helping a charity any sooner?! it’s not particularly hard)

I have no intention of waiting till I'm 42 to travel the world, but I suppose by that age I would have seen a fair chunk of it, so maybe that's what it means. The order of some of the goals seems kind of odd to me; you'd rather get married than travel the world?! Jeez, and you'd rather have a family and own a dream home than do something selfless? (On the other hand, who am I to say what dreams people should have, happiness is after all very personal)



 
 
Overall these goals seem incredibly generic - I've no doubt this 'research' came in a tick box form hence the lack of any more exciting life goals (where's lose $100 in Vegas? learn to surf? swim with sharks? climb a volcano? - I'd take any of those over learning another language for example)

Inspired by this article, I pondered what my top 10 life goals would be if I had to refine my list, to the very quintessence of what I want to my life to be. My top 10:

1) Travel the world (a huge amount of my goals can be wrapped up within this one)

2) Find my calling/dream job (whatever that may be....)

3) Own a dog

4) Own a home

5) Live abroad (again)

6) Teach

7) Be an expert (in something... this is kinda similar to 2+6 tho)

8....) Now, for someone who has a blog about achieving goals, I got a bit stumped here - I like have fun and silly goals, but if it came down to the crunch and I had to pick just a few - I think Travel, Own, Teach - that would do me just fine. Maybe it’s just the mood I'm in today.

I suppose continuing some things woulde ncapsulate many of my goals: continue to seek new challenges, continue to value my friends and family, continue to learn, continue to make mistakes, and continue to try

Oh but for 10 I'll have this one, although perhaps this should be number 1...

10) Be Kind, be relentlessly and unequivocally kind, as often as humanly possible.




So friends, if you could have just ten life goals, what would they be? :)

xxx