Number 82 – Half way to a Half Marathon

Having survived the City2Surf, a Fun Run from Sydney’s CBD to picturesque Bondi Beach via the infamous “Heartbreak Hill”, I’ve been reassured by many enthusiastic well wishers that I’ll have “no problems” with the Half Marathon being that is only half again as long. “You’re more than half way there!” they say with a grin and a pat on the back.

 

That by the last 3kms of the C2S I’m usually surviving only on the dream of a cold glass of wine at the Beach Road Hotel and that I get to practically fall downhill before that last torturous kilometre where walking in front of the screaming crowd would be nothing short of shameful seems to have no bearing on my friends unconditional assurance that I will be sprinting gloriously over that 21km finishing line. I however I know differently.

 

So to complete dream number 82, I have decided to join a support group. “Hi, my name is CJ and I think I Can (Too) run a Half Marathon”. Can Too is a non-profit program that matches fitness incentives with a good cause and thankfully is used to people like me whose idea of serious training is to Google inspirational YouTube videos after a quick jog while I take pictures for Instagram.

In return for Can Too’s expertise and patience I will be raising valuable funds that go directly towards funding cancer researchers through Cure Cancer Australia. Cure Cancer is a cause that is very personal to me having lost some special friends to cancer but also having watched some extremely brave individuals survive this terrible disease. I also had a scare at 21, being diagnosed with melanoma and thankfully was lucky enough to walk away with nothing more than impressive scars and an appreciation for the spray tan. 

 

So on May 19, with crazy cohorts Charlotte and Kate (anymore volunteers?!) I will walk out my front door and join the thousands of Sydneysiders who also seem to think this is a perfectly normal thing to do at 6am on a Sunday morning. All things going to plan, 2 hours later I’ll be crossing the finish line in Hyde Park with blisters, cramps and victory V!

 

 “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
― Dean Karnazes, UltraMarathon Man

 

If you’d like to read more about Can Too here is a link to their website - http://www.cantoo.org.au/Aboutus.aspx. If you’d like to help me reach my target (and obviously help out Can Too), check out click on the link of the side of the blog, donate and leave me a motivational message while you’re at it.
 

An Introduction to The Big List

An Introduction to The Big List

 
As another year starts racing away (how is it that a month has already slipped by without me noticing?), I've been spending time I should be lovingly devoting to Excel spreadsheets actually thinking about what it is that I would like to achieve this year.
 
Having been inspired by Sydney's own NYE fireworks display and their "Year of" symbol on the Harbour Bridge, I decided that each year I would have my own "Year"
 
2010 was CJ's Year of Positivity. Having returned from a year of carefree travel around the world including several months of volunteering with beautiful children in Tanzania and Costa Rica, being thrown into head first into reality required a definite shift from the "Post-Holiday Grump" in which I was wallowing . Being positive about friends, strangers, work, myself and most of all about being back in Sydney. I was no Pollyanna playing the "Glad" game but I'm sure pigtails are making a come back.
 
2011 was the Year of Fun. A year of not taking myself so seriously, enjoying my friends and ensuring I made the most of everything this amazing city has to offer. I began to realise that Sydney was waking up. Small bars and restaurants kept popping up; my friend Alex and I couldn't keep up with a lists of places we needed to try. There were always events on, movies to see, festivals to go to and experiences I needed to be a part of. I got to travel back to the Caribbean and New York with my Mum where I unwittingly ticked of a few of the items on my list. It really was the Year of Fun. This was also the year I turned 30, and had one of the most amazing parties of my life surrounded by beautiful people both in and out.
 
2012 - The Year of Action. At the end of the Year of Fun I started to lose my way and wasn't sure what was next. It may have been an attack of the "Dirty Thirties" or simply watching my friends doing things that I wasn't. After a weekend of long talks with my ever inspirational cousin I emerged with a Action Plan, and The year of Action. In a Year I got a dream job, on course for my dream career (for now!), a new house (never need to rent again!) and started my studies (though a loooooong way to go).
 

2013 - After a year of seriously big moments, I sat back a thought about what it was that I needed this year to cement the huge achievement and satisfaction I felt from the last. I decided that it  needed to be about the smaller moments, so I went back to a list I wrote quite a few years ago. Once again, it is my amazing cousin who also has a list of hopes and dreams, (30 of which she achieved the year she turned 30) who first pointed me in this direction. My uncle has his "To-Do" list. My neice has her "Bucket List". I think we've made it a family affair, one that we help each other to achieve. And so, today I start with 120 Dreams (23 of which I can already say "I did it!").  Bring on the CJs Year of Magic Moments