Sandy Johnson (Vice President of NEXCareer, Career Coach, Board Member of NABS, Marathon Runner) is a Dynamic Career Management Professional with a creative flair. She combines her background in advertising with her passion for personal and professional development to help clients shape their career and build successful results.
Sandy shares her current hot project:
Sandy Shoes: Rising up to the challenge in October to run for 7 days in the Sahara Desert under extreme heat of 50 degrees Celsius. It’ll be a great motivator to finish a race at the foot of the pyramids! Less than 2 months to go!
Fun in the Sun: At 37.5 degrees, the thermometre reached a new high in my lifetime this summer. And you think Toronto has been HOT these past few months. On a long training run, complete with a pack on my back, I grew more and more discouraged as I melted under the sun. How am I going to do this in 50 degree temperatures? Note to self – it’s going to be hot, but it’s a dry heat over there. Positive thoughts put a different spin on things…
Treasure Digging: My backpack is almost ready - just a few more items to collect. Last week, I got a bivvy blanket to keep the desert animals away. I’ve collected my gear by using the list of mandatory items provided by the race, and then enlisting the help of experienced adventure racers in the guise of MEC staff, for additional consumer guidance.
Upgrade the Spade: The MEC staff gave me a valuable piece of advice: “Get a decent utility tool. When travelling in Egypt, you need to rely on yourself to get out of trouble.” Hmmm…
Thinking Inside the Box: I cut up my sleeping pad in two to reduce packing space. My backpack is 25 litres and it doesn’t look much bigger than the backpack my daughter takes to school. Everything, and I mean everything I need for a week, has to fit into that pack. And when it’s packed, I have to carry it myself for the entire 250 km. Each item will be considered carefully before it passes the IN or OUT test. Packing light has taken on a whole new meaning.
Shaping Up: Going for a run, has always meant going for a run. Just that. Not going for a walk, or a run-walk, or a sequence of running for 10 minutes, then walking for 1 minute. Why would I do that? Now I know. Covering a marathon a day for 4 days straight, then running a double marathon the next day - with a heavy pack, will undoubtedly require some walking. I never thought walking would feel so great. Sometimes it feels so great, I think I can never get myself up to the speed of even a slow trot. I guess we’ll see.
Finishing Thoughts: Trained for 4 hours over 30 km this past weekend. Next milestone is 40 km...
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Wow - this sounds like an impossible race! Sounds like you are setting a goal and going after it! Good for you. Reminds me of the Michaelangelo quote " failure is not in setting the bar too high and missing it - it is setting the bar too low and achieving it!"
ReplyDeleteSandy can you share some of the psychological and emotional aspect of working towards this goal? I imagine that when you are absolutely beat in the heat it is hard to stay motivated - what are you doing to stay motivated and where are you drawing your inspiration?
When I did the hike to Manchu Pichu with altitude (13,000+ feet) they had a simple mantra - go at your own pace and just put one foot in front of the other! You will get there!
Sandy I am sure you will get there as well.