Parking, Jen Lancaster & Running

Yesterday was one of those wonderful, lazy Saturdays where the hardest decision I had to make was which parking spot did I want to park in so I could go shopping at the Barnes & Noble.  And this where-to-park decision was more of a choice as opposed to a decision seeing as how I arrived at the Barnes & Noble about two minutes after they opened, on a Saturday of a three day weekend.  I was on a quest to get one book, Jen Lancaster's memoir Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?.  I had already read this book several years ago but it belonged to my sister, Rose, so after years (literally) of wanting to read it again I decided to go buy my own copy.  (And yes I reread good, quality works of literature.  And as far as I am considered in the world of memoirs, Jen Lancaster is a literary genius.)

Once I chose one of the 1,000 open spaces in the front of the store, I started on my quest for Jen Lancaster.  As I headed towards the back, left hand side of the store something more interesting caught my eye.  An entire section dedicated entirely to exercise and fitness, and within that two entire shelves of books dedicated to running.  It was almost as if the books on running were speaking to me saying, “KD! You must stop here first!”  Why is this significant?  Since last week, I have had this sudden urge to run.  And not in a Flash Dance, She’s a Maniac running in place in leg warmers kind of way.  My urge to run is more of a one day I can run one of those 5K marathons with ease.  I would like to be able to do so by the time I am 30 which gives me two years and 7 months.  So, after perusing through several books on all things running, I settled on Kara Goucher’s Running For Women: From First Steps to Marathons (with Adam Bean).  I have to admit that I did not have a clue who Kara Goucher prior to spotting her book at Barnes & Noble.  So, after a quick Google search I found that Kara Goucher is an Olympic long-distance runner who earned the bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and she represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  (Thank you Blackberry Smartphone, Google and Wikipedia.)  My personal goal is to read this book by the end of the week and incorporate new ideas and techniques into my ultimate goal of running a 5K marathon. 

Is there a goal, big or small, that you have in mind that you would like to accomplish?  Maybe you want to run a marathon, start a business or go back to college.  Have you sought advice from a book or a professional in person?  Or perhaps you have relied on your own intuition and life experience.  Whatever your goal or goals in life may be, strive to set small, realistic goals in the beginning so you can be successful and build the confidence needed to push yourself to the next level.  Then one day before you know it, you will have reach your goal and you will be ready to move onto something bigger and better in life.

Well, thanks for stopping by!  Until next time, stay blessed!

~Ms. KD♥