Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
My personal 10 Hubs in 10 Days Challenge.
Hello once again folks. It's ya man Brad H. coming back at you again. I'm coming to you on a rainy Monday evening here in Texas. I can't speak for everyone else, but rainy days provide little motivation to do much. However, we can't let the rain keep us from doing what we got to do. At any rate I hope this reaches you all in good health and spirits. Today's post is going to be fairly brief and straight to the point. It's about a personal challenge that I embarked on almost two weeks ago. I called it the "10 Hub in 10 Days Challenge".
Some of you know or may be familiar with the passion that I've developed for blogging. The website, Hubpages is one of the sites that I blog on. I've been writing on Hubpages for around 7 months. Up until I decided to do this challenge I set for myself, I had written 19 hubs. Hubs are the name given to articles on Hubpages. I've been looking for a way to become more motivated to write on Hubpages, so I set the 10 Hubs in 10 Days Challenge for myself. Now before I go any further, I want to say that there is another challenge that many other writers on Hubpages do. It's called the "30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge". The name of this challenge is pretty self-explanatory like the one I made for myself. I'll talk more about the 30 day challenge in a bit.
I wanted to set a challenge for myself that I feel would challenge me, but would also allow me to reach it as well. As I mentioned in previous posts, you don't have to go all out everyday in reaching your goals. Small goals and small steps are key. Three days into my personal challenge, I posted a question on Hubpages asking if anyone wanted to join me on the challenge. I received two responses, and one of the writers decided to do the challenge with me. Now I personally found this to be a great thing. Not only did I have someone else encouraging me to finish out this task, but I was helping to motivate someone else also. I love it when support comes from someone else, or a group of other individuals. This is something that I actually wrote about in one of my hubs.
Now that I've finished the challenge, I'm going to be posting the 10 articles on my blog for anyone who wants to read them. I'll be posting one article daily until all ten are posted. I want to give a special thanks to Hubpages user http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/. She is the writer who took the challenge with me. We've corresponded several times through e-mail, and we've both decided to tackle the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge. She is the person who inspired me to want to take on this new challenge. We are planning on starting the challenge in June, so I'm going to start preparing myself to be ready. I'm definitely up for it. Well that's it for today folks. I'll start posting articles tomorrow. If you want to read my hubs, you can read them at http://prospectboy.hubpages.com/. I'm also going to be adding a widget from Hubpages to my blog, so you can read my material that way as well. Well take care everyone, and I will be back soon. Till then, peace and blessings to all.
Some of you know or may be familiar with the passion that I've developed for blogging. The website, Hubpages is one of the sites that I blog on. I've been writing on Hubpages for around 7 months. Up until I decided to do this challenge I set for myself, I had written 19 hubs. Hubs are the name given to articles on Hubpages. I've been looking for a way to become more motivated to write on Hubpages, so I set the 10 Hubs in 10 Days Challenge for myself. Now before I go any further, I want to say that there is another challenge that many other writers on Hubpages do. It's called the "30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge". The name of this challenge is pretty self-explanatory like the one I made for myself. I'll talk more about the 30 day challenge in a bit.
I wanted to set a challenge for myself that I feel would challenge me, but would also allow me to reach it as well. As I mentioned in previous posts, you don't have to go all out everyday in reaching your goals. Small goals and small steps are key. Three days into my personal challenge, I posted a question on Hubpages asking if anyone wanted to join me on the challenge. I received two responses, and one of the writers decided to do the challenge with me. Now I personally found this to be a great thing. Not only did I have someone else encouraging me to finish out this task, but I was helping to motivate someone else also. I love it when support comes from someone else, or a group of other individuals. This is something that I actually wrote about in one of my hubs.
Now that I've finished the challenge, I'm going to be posting the 10 articles on my blog for anyone who wants to read them. I'll be posting one article daily until all ten are posted. I want to give a special thanks to Hubpages user http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/. She is the writer who took the challenge with me. We've corresponded several times through e-mail, and we've both decided to tackle the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge. She is the person who inspired me to want to take on this new challenge. We are planning on starting the challenge in June, so I'm going to start preparing myself to be ready. I'm definitely up for it. Well that's it for today folks. I'll start posting articles tomorrow. If you want to read my hubs, you can read them at http://prospectboy.hubpages.com/. I'm also going to be adding a widget from Hubpages to my blog, so you can read my material that way as well. Well take care everyone, and I will be back soon. Till then, peace and blessings to all.
Monday, March 19, 2012
My experience of running my first 5K race.
Hello once again. This is Brad H. coming back at you. I hope that anyone who reads this is in good health and spirits. This is a post that I've been wanting to write and update for a little over a week now. However, due to some circumstances and the receiving of some terrible news regarding a family member, I'm just now getting around to doing it. I guess I will stick to the saying "better late than never" in this case. On March 10, 2012, I done something that I had previously never done before; I had run in my first 5K race. Some of you are familiar with my previous blog postings. This had been a goal that I had been wanting to accomplish for awhile, and I was finally able to complete it. Now that the experience is over with, I want to take some time to reflect upon and share how special it was to me.
Race bib and timing chip. I thought it was cool that they had our first name on there. I wasn't expecting that.
The day before the race was a tense day for me. I honestly was not nervous leading up to this day, but that soon changed. The race was taking place at 8 a.m. in the morning. I live about an hour away, so I had to leave early to get there. I went to sleep around 10:30 that night. That's when the anticipation of the event honestly began to affect me. I tossed and turned an hour just thinking how things were going to go. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and soon found myself awake again. After 30 minutes or so, I dozed back off. My alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I knew the time had come. Me, my mom, and sister got on the road around 5:45 a.m. Upon arriving I noticed there was a lot of traffic. It was clear to me that this was a major event, and I was happy to know that I was a part of it. This is when the nervousness that I felt earlier began to fade away.
Me before the race took place.
I parked around 7:30 a.m. This gave me 30 minutes to prepare mentally for the race. Around 10 minutes to 8 a.m., the announcer called for all participants of the 5K to come onto the course. I stepped out on the course amazed at how many people were doing it. Those of you who have followed my post know that I was aiming to do the race in 30 minutes or under. This was another thought going through my mind as I waited for the start. With a minute left to go, the countdown to the start began. At exactly 8 a.m., we were off and running. I felt a great sense of joy and happiness running with hundreds of people who were all headed in the same direction as me. Sure we all had different reasons for being there, but we all had the same goal in mind, which was to finish.
On the first mile I started out passing people and getting passed up by some as well. There were people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels there. I had my mp3 player on with a variety of different songs to keep me motivated during the race. By the time I reached the 1 mile marker, I noticed the volunteers at the first water point. I quickly grabbed a cup of Gatorade while I was running. Here is a tip for those you planning to run in a race. Slow down while drinking out of the cup, otherwise most of it will end up on your face or shirt like it did mines. Things were going great, but by the time I reached the 2 mile marker I began to fatigue. I really got away from my game plan going into the race. The goal was to push it on the second mile or third mile, but the adrenaline of being there got to me. I pushed too hard on the first mile and wore myself out. However, I continued to soldier along.
With about half of a mile to go, it was obvious to me that I was beginning to slow down. I noticed people that I had previously passed catching up to me, and some were beginning to go past me. I grabbed another cup of water at the final water stop and continued to run along. As we all began to come towards the finish line, there was a female volunteer standing at the last turn on the overpass who really inspired me. She was encouraging us all and gave us all high fives as we passed her. I began towards the finish line and got excited when I saw the crowd there cheering us on. No matter how tired I was, I was determined to finish up strong. That's when I saw my mom and sister cheering me on. I reached down for what strength that was left in my legs and I finished the race. I was very fatigued, but felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Photos I took after I finished of the start/finish line.
After I finished, a volunteer cut off my timing chip from my shoe. I went and got myself a banana and some water, and then went to find my mom and sister. I stayed around a bit to cheer on others finishing up the race. A few minutes later I went to the screen to see my time. To my great delight, I had reached the goal I set for myself. My chip time for the race was 29:43, which meant that I finished in under 30 minutes. I finished 163 overall, and 15th among the 30-34 age group. I was very happy and satisfied with my performance. After leaving the event, me and my family went to IHOP to enjoy a well deserved breakfast.
I really enjoyed running in my first 5K race. It was definitely an experience that I will keep close to my heart. The volunteers were great, and the people who set-up the event were excellent as well. I want to thank everyone at the Gusher Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K for allowing me to be a part of it. They are truly wonderful and encouraging people. I will definitely be participating next year if everything goes well. My personal goal is to run in the half-marathon next year, so we will see how that goes. As for the immediate future, I want to do another 5K race, and then run in a 10K in November of this year. That gives me a few months to train for and get ready for that also. Running in my first 5K race was the best way to start out my birthday weekend. It was also the greatest birthday gift that I could have given myself. I want to thank everyone who gave me encouraging words. They definitely did not fall on deaf ears. I also want to thank the "Couch to 5K" running program. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do the race without it. I can't say thank you enough to you all.
Well that's it for this time folks. I will continue to keep you all update on my future running endeavors. I hope you enjoy the few pictures that I posted on this post as well. I'll be back again soon writing, so stay tuned. Till then peace, love, and blessings to all.
Race bib and timing chip. I thought it was cool that they had our first name on there. I wasn't expecting that.
The day before the race was a tense day for me. I honestly was not nervous leading up to this day, but that soon changed. The race was taking place at 8 a.m. in the morning. I live about an hour away, so I had to leave early to get there. I went to sleep around 10:30 that night. That's when the anticipation of the event honestly began to affect me. I tossed and turned an hour just thinking how things were going to go. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and soon found myself awake again. After 30 minutes or so, I dozed back off. My alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I knew the time had come. Me, my mom, and sister got on the road around 5:45 a.m. Upon arriving I noticed there was a lot of traffic. It was clear to me that this was a major event, and I was happy to know that I was a part of it. This is when the nervousness that I felt earlier began to fade away.
Me before the race took place.
I parked around 7:30 a.m. This gave me 30 minutes to prepare mentally for the race. Around 10 minutes to 8 a.m., the announcer called for all participants of the 5K to come onto the course. I stepped out on the course amazed at how many people were doing it. Those of you who have followed my post know that I was aiming to do the race in 30 minutes or under. This was another thought going through my mind as I waited for the start. With a minute left to go, the countdown to the start began. At exactly 8 a.m., we were off and running. I felt a great sense of joy and happiness running with hundreds of people who were all headed in the same direction as me. Sure we all had different reasons for being there, but we all had the same goal in mind, which was to finish.
On the first mile I started out passing people and getting passed up by some as well. There were people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels there. I had my mp3 player on with a variety of different songs to keep me motivated during the race. By the time I reached the 1 mile marker, I noticed the volunteers at the first water point. I quickly grabbed a cup of Gatorade while I was running. Here is a tip for those you planning to run in a race. Slow down while drinking out of the cup, otherwise most of it will end up on your face or shirt like it did mines. Things were going great, but by the time I reached the 2 mile marker I began to fatigue. I really got away from my game plan going into the race. The goal was to push it on the second mile or third mile, but the adrenaline of being there got to me. I pushed too hard on the first mile and wore myself out. However, I continued to soldier along.
With about half of a mile to go, it was obvious to me that I was beginning to slow down. I noticed people that I had previously passed catching up to me, and some were beginning to go past me. I grabbed another cup of water at the final water stop and continued to run along. As we all began to come towards the finish line, there was a female volunteer standing at the last turn on the overpass who really inspired me. She was encouraging us all and gave us all high fives as we passed her. I began towards the finish line and got excited when I saw the crowd there cheering us on. No matter how tired I was, I was determined to finish up strong. That's when I saw my mom and sister cheering me on. I reached down for what strength that was left in my legs and I finished the race. I was very fatigued, but felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Photos I took after I finished of the start/finish line.
After I finished, a volunteer cut off my timing chip from my shoe. I went and got myself a banana and some water, and then went to find my mom and sister. I stayed around a bit to cheer on others finishing up the race. A few minutes later I went to the screen to see my time. To my great delight, I had reached the goal I set for myself. My chip time for the race was 29:43, which meant that I finished in under 30 minutes. I finished 163 overall, and 15th among the 30-34 age group. I was very happy and satisfied with my performance. After leaving the event, me and my family went to IHOP to enjoy a well deserved breakfast.
I really enjoyed running in my first 5K race. It was definitely an experience that I will keep close to my heart. The volunteers were great, and the people who set-up the event were excellent as well. I want to thank everyone at the Gusher Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K for allowing me to be a part of it. They are truly wonderful and encouraging people. I will definitely be participating next year if everything goes well. My personal goal is to run in the half-marathon next year, so we will see how that goes. As for the immediate future, I want to do another 5K race, and then run in a 10K in November of this year. That gives me a few months to train for and get ready for that also. Running in my first 5K race was the best way to start out my birthday weekend. It was also the greatest birthday gift that I could have given myself. I want to thank everyone who gave me encouraging words. They definitely did not fall on deaf ears. I also want to thank the "Couch to 5K" running program. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do the race without it. I can't say thank you enough to you all.
Well that's it for this time folks. I will continue to keep you all update on my future running endeavors. I hope you enjoy the few pictures that I posted on this post as well. I'll be back again soon writing, so stay tuned. Till then peace, love, and blessings to all.
Friday, March 2, 2012
First official 5K run is upcoming. Lets get it!
Hello everyone. It's Brad H. coming back at you once again. It's definitely been a hot minute since I've updated, but here I am again with a special announcement. I've actually been wanting to write this post for about a week or so now, but I've been caught up with a few things. I'm glad that I am finally getting around to doing it. First off, I want to say that I hope everything is going good with all who reads this. Hope you are reaching and accomplishing any and all goals that you've set for yourself so far. Me personally, I'm focusing on small goals and small steps like I mentioned in a previous post. However, I have taken the first steps in achieving a goal that I've wanted to achieve for a long time now.
If you follow my blog, you know that I went through and completed the "Couch to 5K" running program in late 2011. I officially graduated from the program on December 3, 2011. If you aren't totally up on this, you can check out my previous posts on this topic. Upon completing the program, I announced that I was looking to run in my first official 5K race. Well I'm happy to announce that it's now that time. I registered for the "Gusher Marathon, Half Marathon &5K" race about a week and a half ago. I'm officially in! I will be running the 5K portion of the race, and I'm very excited about it. It's taking place March 10, 2012, which is the day before my birthday. Running in and completing this 5K is going to be the gift that I give myself for my birthday. There is no amount of money or material gifts that can compare to being healthy, which is something that I am continually striving for.
The race is taking place about an hour away from where I live, so I will have to drive there on race day. I will have several family members who are going with me for support. I will be picking up my race day packet sometime next week. As far as preparation goes, I've been running and preparing for the race. I've already scouted out the course, and I've also purchased myself some new running shoes strictly for this race. They should be here in a few days. I plan on getting in a lengthy run in the next couple of days, and probably a light run on Saturday or Sunday. Next week will be the week of the race, so I think I'm going to take it easy and rest. I only have one real goal for this race, and that is to finish in 30 minutes or under. If for some reason I don't, I won't complain if I'm a minute or two over 30 minutes as long as I run the entire time. There are going to be a couple of thousand of people participating in this race, so it's going to be exciting to run with so many people.
I want to thank everyone who has left a comment or gave me any type of support in achieving my running goals. The time for the race is almost here, so it's time for me to get in my zone and be focused. I will try to take plenty of pictures on the day of the race to share with anyone who reads or follows me. The time is here folks and it's going down on March 10th. I'm the type of person who likes to finish what I start, so I will finish this journey. Well that's it for now. I hope to be writing you again soon, maybe a day or two before the race, but you will definitely hear back from me after it. Thanks again for the support. Peace, love, and blessings to all. Lets get it!
If you follow my blog, you know that I went through and completed the "Couch to 5K" running program in late 2011. I officially graduated from the program on December 3, 2011. If you aren't totally up on this, you can check out my previous posts on this topic. Upon completing the program, I announced that I was looking to run in my first official 5K race. Well I'm happy to announce that it's now that time. I registered for the "Gusher Marathon, Half Marathon &5K" race about a week and a half ago. I'm officially in! I will be running the 5K portion of the race, and I'm very excited about it. It's taking place March 10, 2012, which is the day before my birthday. Running in and completing this 5K is going to be the gift that I give myself for my birthday. There is no amount of money or material gifts that can compare to being healthy, which is something that I am continually striving for.
The race is taking place about an hour away from where I live, so I will have to drive there on race day. I will have several family members who are going with me for support. I will be picking up my race day packet sometime next week. As far as preparation goes, I've been running and preparing for the race. I've already scouted out the course, and I've also purchased myself some new running shoes strictly for this race. They should be here in a few days. I plan on getting in a lengthy run in the next couple of days, and probably a light run on Saturday or Sunday. Next week will be the week of the race, so I think I'm going to take it easy and rest. I only have one real goal for this race, and that is to finish in 30 minutes or under. If for some reason I don't, I won't complain if I'm a minute or two over 30 minutes as long as I run the entire time. There are going to be a couple of thousand of people participating in this race, so it's going to be exciting to run with so many people.
I want to thank everyone who has left a comment or gave me any type of support in achieving my running goals. The time for the race is almost here, so it's time for me to get in my zone and be focused. I will try to take plenty of pictures on the day of the race to share with anyone who reads or follows me. The time is here folks and it's going down on March 10th. I'm the type of person who likes to finish what I start, so I will finish this journey. Well that's it for now. I hope to be writing you again soon, maybe a day or two before the race, but you will definitely hear back from me after it. Thanks again for the support. Peace, love, and blessings to all. Lets get it!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Consistency is the key.
Hello once again. It's ya man Brad H. coming back at you once again. I hope all is good and well with anyone who reads this post. It's been awhile since I've updated my blog. I hope the New Year is going well for you all thus far. As for me my, year is going pretty well up to this point. As you may already know, I'm preparing for the 5k race that I'm planning on running in March. I've had a few setbacks with my training towards that venture. However, I'm happy to say that I was able to go running earlier this evening, and I felt really good during the run. I'll continue to keep you updated on my training and the race in general.
Tonight I wanna discuss something that I've been thinking about lately, that is the word "consistency". It's a word that many of us are familiar with, but we don't always apply it to our lives. Many of us set goals for ourselves that go wayside due to inconsistency. It's like one day we wake up ready to attack whatever life has to offer, but a day or two later we fall back into a relaxed state of doing nothing. It's very important to be consistent in whatever we are interested in. Ask yourself this question. If you were trying to reach a goal that you set for yourself, would you rather go hard at it a few days and slack off a few days? Or, would you rather take small daily steps? Kinda like pacing yourself and slowly chipping away until you reach it? That's something to think about right?
We all have different ways and method of doing things. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. It's important to remain consistent at whatever it is you do or want to achieve in life. We all know that it's never good to overdo things, but we shouldn't let that be a crutch for us. Lets work towards being consistent. Whether it's at work, a hobby, or just being an all around person. Remember it's better to be good 98 time out of 100 rather than 2 or 3 times. Those are the words I leave you with. Well that's it for this time. Again, I hope everything is having a great year so far, and I'll be back soon. Till then peace, love and blessings. Later.
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