Markemmanuel

Although the Federal government went out of their way to bail out large banking institutions in 2009, they decided to leave individual Americans at the mercy of high interest rates that continued to get higher.  I can’t wait for the government to bail me out so I’m taking the initiative to do it on my own.  I need to know where I am financially so I can formulate an action plan to get out of debt. I begin with a financial triage and assessment.

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I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day.  My family’s love and support keeps me going all these years.  Then there are my small circle of friends that I enjoy life with.  I still have my health and the legs under me that help me achieve something I didn’t think was possible only a few years ago.  I have access to good food and clean water.  I am thankful for all the open space set aside for me and future generations to enjoy and appreciate.  I work for a company that’s flexible enough to allow their employees to live their life and enjoy those open spaces.  I live in one of the most free country in the world.  There are so many things to be thankful for and to write about.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Visiting Philadelphia was a great trip and an amazing experience as a solo traveler.  I met a lot of friendly people.  I visited places on my itinerary.  The weather stayed sunny for most of the trip.  The hostel I slept in exceeded my expectations.  I was satisfied with my Sunday run no matter what the time was.  Most of all, it was the first time I felt comfortable in my own skin in awhile.

Since returning home, I’ve been decompressing from the marathon and my immediate plane ride home.  As soon as I crossed the finished line, I grabbed my gear and walked to the subway station.  I gathered my things at the hostel, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and took the R1 to the airport.  After going through security, I only had a few minutes to grab a slice of pizza.  I landed in Chicago to find calls and text messages from my brothers and my mom.  Patrick collected me almost immediately and we went to Mug’s to pick up a pizza.  It was a great way to end a busy day.

Yesterday, I took a short walk and stretched my sore muscles and relaxed for most of the day.  I looked back at my weekend and the chapter it closed in my life.  I had dinner with my brother and Aimee to update them on my travels.

Today, I look forward and start setting new goals for myself based on the dreams I dream.  Three things I know.  First, I want to get faster.  Second, I want to live better.  Third, I tore down a wall and I’m ready to dismantle another roadblock.

All the training I did in the past year nearly unraveled. I stuff myself with excess calories, I lost motivation to go run, and my thoughts turned negative.

I ate at Chipotle on Sunday, Portillo’s on Monday, and tried Five Guys on Tuesday. I gorged on food to fill something in me and replace the negative feelings I’ve been feeling. Dining at food joints like these isn’t bad if it’s once a week or less. I consumed a lot of calories. I’m sure I gained weight.

Running as therapy is a Catch-22. It makes me feel more positive. My thinking becomes more clear. However, I need to be somewhat motivated to run. The obstacles of winter running are easy excuses to postpone running until the next day. Dark descends early. It’s easy to get lost in the woods past dark. Road running at night is a scary proposition in the Chicago suburb I reside in. I can’t find my cold running gear to run in. I didn’t sleep well and woke up plate. It’s always something. When I’m in a negative mood, I find it hard to go out and run. The lack of running pushes me down further.  I managed to run in the woods on Wednesday.  I didn’t get out of bed early enough to run.

I spiraled downwards and caught myself today before school. I had a bad mantra repeating in my head. My breathing was shallow. I became anxious. I ate more food. The pathological critic started bashing me. I worked through it and went to class. If I didn’t, I’d still be falling.

Tomorrow is a new day. I’m alive and breathing. It’s the first day of the rest of my life.

The Philly Marathon begins in less than 13 days and I’m in my final days of my double taper (if that’s that it’s called.) There’s a lot to in the final two weeks. I need to finalize plans for marathon weekend, make a checklist and pack my gear, playlist, and visualize the course.

My plans for the weekend are loosely laid out. I promised I’d volunteer at packet pickup Friday morning and I’m going to bed early on Saturday. I hope to explore Center City Saturday morning and afternoon. Immediately after the marathon, I’m taking a flight home to watch the Bears game. I can’t see myself watching the game around a pack of Eagles fans in Philly. Taking time out to explore, have fun, and enjoying life is important. This isn’t a business trip. It’s a trip to get away and do what enjoy. Beyond that, I’m not doing anything special. It’ll firm up as the week goes on.

Running shorts, moisture wicking shirt, soap, toothpaste, floss, and what else do I need? I slowly assemble a list of what I need and gather all the things I need. I need something sexy and suave for my evening excursion exploring Philly. I know I’m missing something. I don’t know what it is.

I’m going solo on this trip. There isn’t anyone to talk to or help motivate me between my flight on Thursday and the day of the marathon. I might meet a few people in Philly but that’s not guaranteed. I need a playlist to amp me up, inspire me, and keep me company. I need help putting together a playlist for the marathon. Any suggestions?

One of the most important thing to do is visualize the weekend and the race. I need to visualize who, what, where, when, and why. Marathons are mentally and physically brutal. Running is all about energy management: how we acquire it and when we use it. It’s mentally difficult for a slow runner because of the total time it gets us to to the finish line. The mind wanders. Negative thoughts could slip and slow us down more. The mood we wake up with can affect our performance. Running over 26 miles beats on the body. We strip the energy from our muscles. We push it to its limits. Without proper planning, runners might strip away the energy too soon. The body might give up to preserve itself or it could malfunction. Visualizing the race programs the plan into the mind and body for it to execute the plan on race day.

There’s a lot to do to make this marathon successful. The closer my trip gets, the more excited I become. I can’t wait to get to explore Philly.

Behind my desk, I have this thing called a Vision and Dream board.  I pin up something that represents what I want for me now and in the future.  Each time I attain something, I take it off the board and place it into a book of accomplishments.  The board acts as a daily reminder of what I’m working towards and what I already have.

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In early January, a twitter user started Follow Friday.  It’s is a tweet that people send out to suggest people to follow.  They are recommendations to others on who to follow.  I like the idea.  I’ve found some useful website and Twitter users.  The downside is that tweets are jammed packed with people that I don’t know why people are recommending certain people and why I should care.  Sooo, I decided to focus on one or two people or groups on Follow Friday and post why you should care on my website.  My First follow Friday goes to Walk Jog Run.

Walk Jog Run is aids me plan and map routes for my runs.  I map out a route, write a short description about it, and I have the ability to share it to the world or keep it private.  I’ve mapped out a few marathons with WJR.  The website also allows me to estimate how many calories I burned, estimate my pace, and determine how long my day may be.   WJR also has a nifty iPhone app in the iTunes Apps  Store.

Walk Jog Run is the route planning and mapping website that I use due to its features, lack of advertising, and simplicity.  Go ahead and try it out!