stumbling through the good parts

Normally, this feels like a rhythmic post. Something I do every month, whether I blog about it or not. However, this year around New Years I felt as if I heard more negativity surrounded around goal-setting and following through with things. The reasoning behind setting goals (and then for some, making them public) is different for each person. Some need outside motivation. Some like to keep theirs private in case they aren't achieved and others just think the whole idea is quite silly. I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I wanted this next year of my life to look like, whether I was being realistic in making achievable goals and what the real direction I wanted to go with things in my life. I want to encourage those that have a difficult time sharing their aspirations with others to find a way to do so. Write a time honored favorite, a letter, to your best friend asking them to just listen and acknowledge. Share them on a blog, twitter or Facebook, whichever platform you fe

This weekend was full of a wide range of activities that I was able to accomplish after the ridiculously long work week this past week. A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I would try a second attempt to run a half-marathon.  (I missed my first one after my little brother made it to College Nationals for Ultimate Frisbee his senior year in Boulder, Colorado.  I decided it would be better and much more fun to go support him instead.) I decided to sign-up for Rivertown Half-Marathon  in Danville, PA.  It looks to be a middle of the road marathon, with not extreme elevation discrepancies and continues next to a river in western PA.  Jon and I decided we were going to make a weekend of it and stay in the area to do some camping and climbing on the Sunday after the race.  However, I decided I should probably start logging some miles again.  I was reading in Runners Magazine last week that it's good to create variations in your running routines and I decided to do some mile-repeats f