Category Archives: Goals

Adventure, Friends, Goals, Running

CHAMPIONS!!!

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We are the 2012 Southern Odyssey Relay Champions!!!!

It’s official.

Old Guns & Young Ones — Southern Odyssey Relay 2012 Champions!!!

I have had plenty of time to think, but I still draw a blank on how to best summarize the Southern Odyssey 2012. It was a 24-hour adventure that was equal parts endurance challenge and road trip. The combo is certain to generate memories from even mundane events – a gas station stop, a u-turn on the highway, or an interaction with another team. Our team was a delightful mix of wild exuberance and steadfast determination. I can easily say that I would run a relay with that team any day – Old Guns & Young Ones for Life!

I would like to highlight one particular memory: One of my favorite quotes from the race came around 6:30 AM at exchange point 30. Our van had been sleeping there for about an hour, and I had just received a text from Paige saying Kevin was running leg 30. I roused Phil, the next runner on our team, and explained that Kevin was running and that he, Phil, might want to prep for his third and final leg. As he was waking up, I asked him if there was anything he needed/ how he was feeling, and he responded:

“I don’t know… We’re in uncharted territory.”

His statement perfectly summarizes, what it is like to compete in one of these races. You don’t train to run at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning, you do it when the time comes. You don’t practice running three times in 24 hours, you rise to the challenge with a delirious smile. That is how you survive the Southern Odyssey (or any relay) and become a Champion.

In addition to the above picture gallery, I thought you might enjoy a selection of tweets from the #southernOD12:

 

What my teammates are saying in the days after the race (in a way, this is much better than anything I could have written):

Ali: “Ok, Julia was right… after a day at home I do think I want to do this again.  But, I’m on Team Roadkill next time–in it to win it is intense.  It was so much fun.”

Andy: “Mark your calendars. You have to defend your title.” Also, “It’s not a weekend, its a lifestyle.” (see picture below)

Julia T: “Still enjoying my runner’s high—goofy grin on my face all day today!! What a great team!!”

Suzy: “I had A LOT of fun getting to know all of you and competing! I’m down for defending the title next year!”

Kevin: “I can’t wait to do it again. OLD GUNS! YOUNG ONES!” & “Just saw two old guns run by my house – livin’ the lifestyle!”

Julia F: “I am SO honored to have been a part of Old Guns and Young Ones. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into and I have never done anything like that before. It was awesome and exhausting and SO MUCH FUN! Thank you all for making it an awesome experience!”

Paige: “No rest for the weary. There’s time for sleeping in the grave.”

“It’s not a weekend, it’s a lifestyle.”

Are you interested in doing a relay? 

One of the beauties of relay running is that you compete with a team of mixed abilities where each individual is vital. I cannot stress enough that you do not need to be an ultra runner to compete – if you can run five miles at a stretch and maintain a positive attitude on little to no sleep, you’re good as gold! If I had a chance to survey our team, I bet average weekly mileage would be between 20-30 miles and average long distance runs 5-6 miles. Maybe half of our team members have run a half-marathon or marathon, and only two had competed in a similar relay race before. So what are you waiting for?

Here are a few you might consider:

  • Ragnar Florida, Miami to Key West FL, January 4-5, 2013
  • Dixie 200, Atlanta GA to Birmingham AL, March 22-23, 2013
  • Palmetto 200, Columbia to Charleston SC, April 12-13, 2013
  • American Odyssey, Gettysburg PA to Washington DC, April 26-27, 2013
  • Reno-Tahoe Odyssey, Reno NV & Tahoe CA, May 31-June 1, 2013
  • Look up other Ragnar series options including: Arizona, Southern California, Chicago, Cape Cod, Utah, Napa Valley, Washington DC, and more

Ones to look up for next fall:

See you on the road!

Adventure, Clemson, Discovery, Flux, Friends, Goals

Still time for Firsts

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Even though I was a student here for four years, there are still things I have never done. This is a post about things I have done for the first time in the last week.

Eep! I’m lost!

Last Friday, I went to the Denver Downs corn maze. The maze covers 15 acres and this year was intricately cut to commemorate the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. I read about the maze a year or two ago in the campus paper and wanted to go, but it was one of those things I put off and put off until the maze was closed for the year. When I saw the maze was open this year, I told myself, ‘Now is your chance.’ I had a great time getting lost in the corn and recommend it as a local Clemson fall activity.

Go Tigers!

The next day proved to be equally as fulfilling. I went to the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech football game and sat in the fifth row up from the West End Zone. The seats were amazing! I have never been so close to the game nor seen it from that perspective.

 

I also treated myself to a Minute Maid frozen lemonade. I have looked on longingly numerous times as others enjoyed them, but refused to pay the exorbitant price. Last Saturday, in honor of our great seats, I thought it was finally time to treat myself. It was delicious! I’m only bummed I did not get a picture of my smiling face.

Check out these seats! – With my good friend Amanda.

On Tuesday, I crossed off ‘Get your picture taken with the President.’ I think it was a pretty good snap too! Thanks President and Mrs. Barker.

Picture with the President and his wife!

Wednesday evening proved to be another banner day for firsts. I went to Thai Spice, a local restaurant, and it was delicious! Then I did coin laundry next to the Tiger Mart. I know, you’re thinking, ‘Coin laundry? Really?’ Okay, that one is not so thrilling, but if you knew what dire straights I was in for clean clothes, you would celebrate too.

And why was I in such need for clean clothes? Because on Thursday I was leaving town to run the Southern Odyssey (see Final Countdown!). This will be the first time I have done this race, but the second time I have done a relay of this type, so it counts as a sort-of-first. The next post will be about the aftermath of the race, and if you are reading this between Friday at 11 am and Saturday at 11 am, there is a good chance one of my teammates or myself is out running – wish us luck and speed!

Invincible

Have another first I should cross off the list before I leave? Contact Me!

Discovery, Flux, Goals

State of Flux

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flux |fləks|
noun
1) the action or process of flowing or flowing out
2) continuous change

As I state on my homepage, I am in a state of flux. This can unsettle me. I thrive on structure and am challenged by my present lack of a career plan. Here is a look at where my plans have been, and how I am addressing my occasional unease.

In elementary school, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. It’s a great answer to the question “what do you want to do when you grow up?” Ranking right up there with doctor, teacher, and lawyer, parents and educators smile and say that’s a fine idea, and you’re safe until college.

Prior to the start of college, I decided to follow a path more outdoors related. I thought “conservation biology – that’s where I will make my mark.” (In the meantime, “conservation biology” became “wildlife biology,” but that is a minor detail.) I could become a researcher and university professor. Again, smiling approval from those around me, and I felt more certain of this direction, until Fall 2011.

Faced with an upcoming graduation, I began to apply to PhD programs in wildlife biology. As I did so, I began to think globally about the decisions I was making. If I was going to pursue a PhD for 3-5 years, my course of study would very likely determine the course of my career. This was an uncomfortable revelation. Uncomfortable first because I had a sense I was not wholly taken by any of the projects I applied to, and second because without those projects, my plan forward became uncertain.

Fast-forward to fall 2012. I completed my master’s degree in August and work almost full-time for the US Play Coalition. Most days, I feel like I must be one of the happiest people in Clemson – I have a job I enjoy, a fantastic boss, good friends, a sense of belonging and of being needed. I finally have time to read books, blog, go to football games, go out to eat, watch TV and movies, and more. Still, moments of doubt creep up, and I question my decision to stay. In large part this doubt is fed by knowing the overwhelming majority of people around me are students “progressing” toward a degree, and I am not. The juxtaposition causes me to feel as though I have stalled.

Then in a timely moment, I read this article: Gala Girl. Now I see that I have not “stalled” or stopped “progressing,” rather, I am “developing myself.” I am building career skills, from budget forecasting to strategic planning to serving customers to developing products. When I succumb to doubt, I diminish my ability to fully engage with these opportunities. Thus, my new goal is to maintain a perspective of self development, which will take reminding from time to time, but now I have this post to help me do that.