Tag Archives: goals

Big Thanks and Big Adventures Ahead

I wanted to swing by on this last day of 2023 to wish you all a Happy New Year and tell you how much I appreciate you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy days to read my musing about running, triathlons, and life in general, and for supporting all of my adventures, big and small. Community is what makes all these moments come together into a wave of joyful memories.

As we get ready to launch into the new year, I hope you’ll take time to savor all the gifts that 2023 handed you, especially the gift of health and fitness. No matter how old I get, I will never cease to be amazed by what our bodies can do if we treat them well and give them the opportunity to excel. Nor will I ever become numb to how much joy and gratification there is in pushing our limits to see what is possible.

Cheers to setting new goals in 2024, pushing outside our comfort zones, which is where all the magic happens, and to reveling in the beauty of that process all along the way.

I can’t wait to connect with you again in the new year and share some exciting new goals and upcoming adventures. 2024 is looking bright already!

What are you looking forward to most in the new year? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop them in the comments below.

Happy trails…
xxBecky

Kicking off 20 Weeks until the NYC Marathon

My friend Janet and I are running the NYC Marathon together on November 5th.The two of us have been friends for nearly four decades after being thrown together as college roommates our freshman year at Lewis & Clark College. We took this selfie back in April during a run we did when she was visiting from Oregon. We were laughing so hard, it’s lucky we didn’t fall off the cliff!


When I signed up to run the New York City Marathon with my friend Janet last November, I was incredibly excited, but because it was so far off, it felt more like a gauzy notion than a substantive goal. If you want to know how it all started, you can read my blog post about it HERE. Now, with 20 weeks to go, this shit just got real. I couldn’t be more fired up, focused, and ready to take on four months of disciplined training.

My number one goal is to get to the starting line in one piece. That means staying healthy, happy, and injury-free, ready to charge through the five boroughs of New York with Janet who is running her first full marathon. Let’s go! There is nothing like your first marathon, and I can’t wait to share that experience with her.

My second goal is to savor this special journey back to the Big Apple. This will be the 25th anniversary of the first time I ran the New York City Marathon. My first adventure through the city back in 1998 got me hooked on marathons for life. It became the first of nine marathons I’ve run so far, including two which were part of Ironman triathlons. I’m especially excited to return to the Big Apple to run my 10th marathon and soak up that “Only in New York” energy.

My third goal is to raise funds for Team for Kids, a fantastic nonprofit that brings free health and fitness programs to schools in NYC and across the country. Team for Kids focuses on developing healthy attitudes toward running and physical activity, building confidence, and boosting motivation, which of course, is totally my jam. By being part of this team and raising funds, I’m thrilled to be able to pay it forward to the next generation of runners so they can experience all the joy and life-changing benefits this sport has to offer.

Here’s a snapshot of what my first official week of training looked like:

Week #1 (June 18-25)

Sunday: Run 55 min easy pace [5 miles] plus 10 min dynamic warm-ups and 10 min cool down and stretching

Monday: REST (walk, core and foot exercises, and stretching)

Tuesday: Cross-train (45 min spin bike [12 miles approx], 30 min strength training)

Wednesday: Run (45 min easy pace [4.2 miles] plus 10 min dynamic warm-ups and 10 min cool down) as well as 30 min core exercises, and 10 min foot exercises

Thursday: Cross-train (45 min spin bike class with Kristine [13 miles approx], 30 min strength training)

Friday: Cross-train (45 min elliptical [4.5 miles], 15 min rowing, 30 min core exercises)

Saturday: Run (76 min easy pace [6.5 miles] plus 10 minute dynamic warm-ups and 15 minute cool down walk/jog), as well as foot exercises and stretching

Sunday: REST (walk, foot exercises and stretching)

Snapshots:

Sunday long run 5 miles easy pace
Tuesday x-t spin bike plus weights
Wednesday 4.2 miles easy pace
Friday x-t elliptical running 4.5 miles, plus rowing and core
Saturday long run 6.5 miles easy pace. Road, bike path, trail, sand and a nice ice bath for the legs in the ocean afterward


Highlights:

• Spectacular weather after three months of Graypril, May Gray and June Gloom.

• The simple fact of being consistent and knowing one week is officially in the books. And looking forward to rocking next week!

• Raising $860 for Team for Kids in the first week of fundraising. Thank you to James & Hensley, Jenni, Emma, Sarah & Richard, Susan, Jen, Deborah, Kirsten, and Christina! With your generosity, we are now 1/3 of the way to my goal of $2,620 (for the 26.2 miles I’ll be running). My gratitude runs deep.

If you’d like to support my marathon effort and help create running programs for schools across the US, and get kids fired up about a lifetime of health and fitness, click on the link to my Team for Kids fundraising page HERE. No donation is too small, and for every $10 you donate, you will automatically be entered into my giveaway for a pair of Hoka running/walking shoes. All the details are in the link.

Cheers to our awesome fitness community, setting new goals and to kicking off another adventure!

Happy running!

xo Becky

On the Road Back to the Big Apple

It was 4:30 Monday afternoon when a text dinged my phone. Trying not to be annoyed by it, but too curious to ignore it, I opened one eye and squinted, barely lifting my head as I struggled to find my phone. I had been curled up on the couch battling the virus from hell for several days now—the kind where your ribs are so excruciatingly filleted from coughing, you wonder if you may broken them.

When I saw the text was from Planet, however, my other eyelid popped open without complaint.

Reaching for my glasses, and blinking to clear my eyes, I delved into her lengthy message. It didn’t take long before a huge smile swept across my face. The gist of it was that after watching the New York City Marathon the day before, she was reminded of how badly she had always wanted to do this Bucket List Race, and how she had finally decided the time was right. I knew that feeling well. Things hit you at just the right moment and then there’s no turning back. The best part was that she asked me if I’d like to come along for the ride.

“OMG LOVE IT!!!!!!!!” I answered a bit later after the fog lifted from my brain. “It’s such a fun race. I have the bug too. I have literally been googling marathons for the past few days. Let me give it some thought…”

I had just completed Ironman California two weeks earlier, and although I still recovering, I was already thinking about my next adventure. Running New York with Janet (Planet) would be a hoot, and an honor, and the perfect challenge to share with my dear friend whom I’ve known ever since we were thrown together as roommates our Freshman year in college–mind-bendingly, thirty-eight years ago. How is that even possible—especially since we often both still act like our shoe sizes?

The last big adventure Planet and I had done together was a girls trip to Tibet and Nepal in 2000. Journeying to Lhasa, Mt. Everest Base Camp, Kathmandu, and points in between was a trip that will forever be seared in my memory. We had always hoped to do more epic adventures together, but life has a way of getting in the way.

A half hour later I texted her again, “The more I think about it, the giddier I become! I ran my first NYC Marathon 25 frickin’ years ago…it would be such a blast!!! EPIC!!!”

That’s really all it took.

“Shall we hit the register button?” I asked after another round of OMGs, pump up emojis, and exclamation points on both ends.

“Let’s do it!” she replied.

Thus began Janet and Becky’s Next Big Adventure! November 5, 2023 is now boldly marked in red on our calendars


Because we were afraid to take our chances with the lottery in February, we both joined the New York Road Runners charity team, Team for Kids, which raises funds for youth running and community programs. Being a youth running coach myself, this felt like a perfect fit and a meaningful way to give back to the sport that has given me so much over the years.


The countdown is officially on! Three hundred and sixty days until we head to the Big Apple to toe the line on Staten Island!

Now my ribs have even more motivation to heal quickly!! 🙂

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step…Kicking off My Journey to Ironman Arizona

It is with a blaze of excitement that I share my next big adventure with you. It’s something I’ve been dreaming of doing since I was a teenager, and after more than three decades, I’ve finally decided to go for it…my first IRONMAN TRIATHLON!

For those of you who may only be vaguely familiar with IRONMAN, it’s considered one of the more challenging multi-sport endurance events in the world, comprising a total of 140.6 miles:  2.4 mile swim, 112 bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. Competitors must finish the race in under 17 hours. The event I’m participating in will take place in Tempe, AZ on November 20, 2016.

One of many long rides I'll be enjoying during the year ahead as I train for my first Ironman.

One of many long rides I’ll be enjoying during the year ahead as I train for Ironman Arizona.

To be quite honest, I’m still pinching myself that I finally hit the registration button after thinking about doing this for 34 years (when I first watched Julie Moss crawl across the finish line on Wide World of Sports in 1982), and I’m slightly terrified that I’ll fail , but I’m far more excited about the epic journey ahead! Woot! Woot! This is a whopper of a birthday present to myself on the 21st anniversary of my 29th year…a gift of time and resources to chase after my dream.

My mantra is one day and one workout at at time. Train smart. Have fun. Enjoy the journey.

On another note, most of you know philanthropy is an important part of my life–on my very “regular person, non-Rockefeller or Bill Gates” level. Like you, I try to do what I can, when I can, and hope it makes a small difference in the world. While I normally raise funds for cancer research, for this race I’ve branched out and joined TEAM EMPOWER, which is affiliated with the race, raising funds for a very inspiring organization called SMILE TRAIN.

Smile Train is an international children’s charity providing free surgery for children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate. Children born with cleft cannot eat or speak properly, aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job and face very difficult lives of shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Some children are even abandoned or killed—all because of the way they look. Their clefts usually go untreated because they can’t afford the simple repair surgery that takes as little as 45 minutes and costs as little as $250 dollars.

My goal is to raise $5,000 during IM AZ, which will change the lives of 20 kiddos. This completely tangible goal makes me smile just thinking about it!

I would be honored and grateful if you would consider contributing to my Smile Train fund as I take on one of the toughest athletic challenges of my life. And because I love celebrating your support and generosity…

The first 15 people to contribute $250 will be entered into a raffle for a $100 Amazon gift card. That’s a 1 in 15 chance, and the best part is that you will personally be changing the life of one child and his or her entire family! How cool is that?!?

The first 15 people to contribute $100 will be entered into a raffle for a $25 Amazon gift card. And of course, any amount you are able to donate is appreciated–even if it’s equivalent to a cup of coffee. It all adds up!

HERE IS THE LINK TO MY SMILE TRAIN FUNDRAISING PAGE: http://support.smiletrain.org/goto/beckyaaronson. All donations are 100% tax deductible.

Thanks for considering, and thanks for being part of this epic year ahead!! Your good thoughts will make all the difference in getting me to the starting line!!!

Let the adventure begin!

xo Becky

Running, Racing and Dream Chasing

Posted in Motivation, Running by

HappyFeetWhen 2014 rolled around, I knew it was going to be a great year. I could feel it in my bones.

Something was starting to burn deep inside me again—the desire to compete and make fitness a priority. Let me rephrase that…the desire to make MY fitness a priority.

I’d spent so much time over the last year and a half organizing and coaching all my kids running teams (peek at my coaching page if you’re interested), on top of writing and juggling all the things moms juggle, few hours were left in the day for my own running.

Oh, I’d run here and there, start then sputter, get pulled away, then start again, repeating an endless frustrating cycle of mediocrity as I fought to maintain my baseline fitness. I even joined in races when I wrangled enough time and energy, but I was definitely not operating on all cylinders.

And the thing is, I know without a doubt that if I don’t make health and fitness a priority, I feel off kilter—like a wobbly top spinning full speed ahead, bumping from one thing to the next. I put everybody and everything ahead of myself. I say, “Yes” to too many things. I volunteer more than I should. I don’t get enough sleep and often make bad food choices.

I’m embarrassed to share with you how much chocolate I consumed…not to mention red wine…and coffee (lots of coffee)…all those treats, which temporarily make us feel giddy, decadent and “rewarded,” but also pack on an extra 5-10 pounds if we’re not careful.

When the ball dropped in 2014, I was more than ready to say, “Enough, girlfriend!” and take decisive steps to get back to center and reclaim my own personal fitness goals.

Screen shot 2014-04-05 at 3.22.24 PMThe first thing I did was join the Santa Barbara Athletic Association and entered their Grand Prix race series.

“What’s that?” you ask.

The SBAA is our fabulous local running association, which has created a fun way for its members to compete against each other in races all throughout the year. You simply sign up in your age group and gender and race in designated 5Ks, 10ks, and half marathons throughout the year. Points are awarded for whatever place you come in, and at the end of the year, whoever has the most points in each age group is crowned the winner.

It’s simple enough, but believe me folks, this took a major dollop of courage, considering I wasn’t feeling worthy of signing up for this group yet, let alone racing at my mediocre level of fitness—especially since some of the top female runners in all of Santa Barbara happen to be in my age group. We’re talking 5, 6 and 7-minute milers. Gulp.

But I took a deep breath, swallowed my pride and jumped into the mix.

And guess what? It’s the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long, long time.

It has been nothing but fun, and most of all it has given me some much-needed goals to help me stay focused on making my own workouts as much of a priority as those I create for my kiddos.

I don’t know about you, but without a race goal dangling in front of me I find it easy to bumble aimlessly through my workouts or opt for coffee and a good book instead of a track workout or a tempo run on mornings when I’m feeling less than motivated. Perhaps you can relate?

After joining the SBAA, I also joined the Santa Barbara Cruisers, a running group coached by Super Stud master’s runner, Nash Jimenez. We’re talking a 64-year old speed demon who still runs a 5 minute mile. Not only does he coach the Cruisers, but he also coaches many of the elite runners I previously mentioned.

Nash had generously offered to coach me from the first day I started working with him in 2012 (we coach the Kids Corner Coyotes running team together), but I never took him up on his offer. I was always way squeezed for time, and quite honestly never felt ready…that is until a few months ago.

That tiny step of joining the Cruisers added one more layer of commitment to my fitness goals and launched me even farther into this super supportive running community we have here in Santa Barbara. Not only that, it finally dragged my reluctant butt back to the track for some much-needed speedwork—not something I’ve ever enjoyed on my own.

So how has it gone so far?

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