Transition, what's next...

Transition.

It’s a word I hear often from people in our inner-circle. 

Maybe you find yourself in transition right now, wondering what’s next.

Maybe you want to make a transition, but don’t know how.

Maybe you want to transition from an old career you don’t love anymore to a new career that lights you up.

Maybe you want to help others in transition.

Whatever your relationship with the word “transition” is, believe me, we’ve all all been there.

Almost everyone goes through transitions in their life.

And what I personally love about transitions is that even when they feel dark or scary, there’s always a light on the other side.

The true definition of transition is “the process of changing from condition to another.”

It’s a passage, a movement, an actual flowing state.

Which means even if you don’t know what it all means right now, there’s something good coming.

So how you deal with transition is up to you.

Do you try to ignore it and hope it will go away?
Do you dive into it and experience the pain and overwhelm?
Do you talk to others and find comfort in sharing your challenges?
Do you embrace it and happily make your way to the other side?

If you want to transition from a career you are in right now to a new one that's more in alignment with who you are, I want you to know its possible.

If you want to transition from a career you are in right now to retirement, I want you to know it isn’t always easy.

If you want to transition from your home to another home, I want you to know it can happen.

I’m sharing this because I’ve gone through transition before and I’ve also had the opportunity to help thousands of people, a lot of colleagues and friends who, make their own transitions to what they love.

Through this experience, I’ve noticed a key trait about those who get to where they want to be….

They don’t resist the transition. Instead they dive in head first, and then feet first. They may admit they don’t like it, that it’s uncomfortable but they want a change.

I say head first, because you have to have it in mind—believe it, plan for it and be okay with it, to get everything started.

They don’t hide from it or just try to live with it or try to "get over it".

They accept it and….Here's the key….

They look to the future.

They look to the other side.

They look to what they really want.

And they take the next step in front of them to get there.

If transitions are about flowing and movement (per Webster's dictionary), then you have to be flowing, too.

If you stay stuck and try to resist it, it's going to be more painful and not much will change.

But if you start moving, even if it's just the smallest step, things will start to shift.

All you have to do is take the next step in front of you.

Connect with someone who can help you.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

Things can be crazy and confusing right now, that’s just what it is.

Allow it to be and look to what’s in front of you.

Don't stay stuck. 

Sink into it and move a little.

Now’s a great time to sink into transition, after all we’re in the season of transition. 

Hostile Teacups

Hostile Teacups

Creative writing Rewritten by Kim Groshek

I sit with friends on the patio at the café, cup in hand, and talk through fixing the world’s problems. I talk like a cappuccino, I’m frothing with anger, and I’m peppermint mocha, or honey-green tea, busy-beeing from flower to flower. My coffee cups speak volumes, it listens while I sip. I have a small espresso cup, decorated with cute little designs. I look inside at the coffee, as if a storm, a far-off cyclone appears. Then out from nowhere a vision of blood has stained the concrete. I sip, cradle the fragile storming cup, and enjoy the bitter taste of the blackness. My frown replicates the lines on the cup, and then I smile.

I’m feeling it. I get it. Many times I don’t talk about it. Many times. There are times I still sit at a coffeehouse by myself. But today, not, I look up and smile at my friend who sits across the table chatting away, about this and that.  She has a larger, more solid cup which boasts a dark red color, vibrant and rampant like the words that come out of her mouth, “my friend just lied to me, vagrantly.” she quips, then with lips pursed blows a gust of air to the side blowing her unkempt hair to the side out of her face.

I watch her tap her fingers on the side of her capacious cup.  

I wear a long-sleeved top with jeans and a hat to shade my skin. I glance back at the precious cup I hold with my hands, well made, seems to be cracking around the sides, a small cleft runs from the word “Made in china”.  Surely my firm cup will not break--it might shatter. I sip then delicately place the cup back on the saucer, hiding the small crevice.

Now that things have changed again, out there, in here, I wonder, perhaps there is one better. Is there something that tastes best? I glance to the counter, the tea-lady pours her liquid into a cup, but somehow she doesn’t look particularly happy. Her tea makes me think of an insatiable feeling, like “dry as a witch’s nose.” Tis' the season, right, Thoughts conjured up from watching the steam cloyingly rise.

I stroke my china handle, drawing boundaries between air, liquid and table. My extroverted cup holds in the conversation, delineating what’s possible from the flowing surge of ideas.

We sit, cups in hand, creating new realities, like the designs on this porcelain cup. Then, I hook the fishy thoughts, which fly out from the cup through the air, challenging what was just said.

A Recap of The Year So Far…

Writing Reflection

What a year, we started out in the Ozark Mountains near Branson Missouri. What a new experience THAT was. Next stop was the Owl’s Nest with twelve of the simply most beautiful soulful women as we all got 200-RYT Yoga Certified. Then I headed to Sedona Arizona to do a little run in the middle of the most beautiful red-rock mountain you would ever see, and drove through Cottonwood Arizona watching the breeze float through the dry-grassy fields with mountains in the background heading to visit friends in Sun City west and to see my parents for a few days in Mesa. 

I spent many days in Green Bay working in the corporate headquarters there for work. We went to most whimsical and hilarious musical with friends, “Menopause, The Musical,” at the Fireside. Kicking off our running season with Bucky in Crazy Legs in Madison. I had so much fun creating a new personalize front-doormat with a friend in Appleton. Then it was off to the cutest most quaint cottage on Cedar Lake with my best childhood friend for a weekend of eating lovely homemade food crafted by my friend from the heart, writing, reminiscing and enjoying the sun on our face as we bathed by the lake. 

Off to do a little California dreaming in Moorpark California to hang with my best friend of over 30-something years. We laughed, walked, talked and had some serious stuff to work through. We closed out the week in Malibu at the beach. After that I flew to Waikiki, having greetings like “Aloha kakahiaka” wherever I turned. I ran the half marathon in my 49th state. We enjoyed some fine foods and music at Dinner in the Woods in Waukesha. Then headed back up north to spend a weekend together, “Date nights” we call them; we walked along the Fox River, had dinner at Fratellos on the Waterfront and just chilled. 

Then, I took some time reflecting on the states I traveled during my half marathon running journey, not really believing what was sitting before me, a map of the United States with only 1 state left. I hung out at home a lot then, after that, just to enjoy the greenery in our backyard. In June, we took a long drive up north, to spend some time camping and biking in the very big-tree forests and do a little kayaking. As we biked, over 58 miles I might add, on the newly blacktop White Bear bike trail, we stopped in Boulder Junction to walk around my old stomping grounds, at Camp Manitowish. 

Later that month, on the other end of the spectrum, we headed to the city. In Chicago, we took the red-line in from a little place in the suburbs which was a new experience for both of us, and took in “Hamilton, An American Musical.” It was good, BUT not as great as everyone is making it out to be. We go to a lot of theater, so our experience might be a bit more critical.

We had friends stay at our home and I lead my first Paint Nite, trying my best not to laugh too hard as I was trying to explain what paint to brush on the page when. We went out on Rock River and enjoyed a day of kayaking. 

Then we headed to Egg Harbor enjoying a weekend stay at the Landmark and taking in a show at Peninsula Players Theater. 

I took a cruise, with a large group of runners to enjoy the BIGGER experience of running my final half marathon with my running peeps. I started in Seward Alaska, saw Hubbard Glaciers, Zip-lined in the mountains at Icy Point, and then ran my final state on the seacoast of Juneau.  We even saw two bear cubs running across the finish line catching up with their mother and a wale. 

In August, we went kayaking in Elkhart Lake, and enjoyed an evening of music, which my high school friend sings. In September we stayed at the Cornerstone in Door County. We always like bringing in fall the first part of September, when the whether turns crisp and the sun is sharp over the bay. We try to ride the Door County Century, this year we made it to Egg Harbor and back, 30 miles in all. 

Currently, I am refilling my soul at a Cottage on the Bay in Brussels, near Sugar Creek County Park. And tomorrow, I’m taking in a long walk, simply taking care of me: getting a deep-tissue massage and a much needed “shampoo and cut” in Egg Harbor. 

My daughter arrives tonight. Can’t wait to see her and just enjoy sitting on the deck, catching up overlooking the bay, listening to the waves hit the rocks and enjoying a good cup of jo.

It’s a beautiful sound, the water, waves, wind…

Maybe I’ll just sit and watch the water. Life is full and my cup runs over with thankfulness.

Recap - Running a half marathon (13.1 miles) in all 50 States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

You read that right 50 half marathons in 50 states. Travel can be transformative. Meeting people, immersing in culture, seeking out new experiences, and overcoming challenges— these are things that make travel magical and create lifelong memories. I hope this story inspires you to set off on your own journey as well as provide you with useful information to help you find your way. This is a chronology of half marathon runs in all 50 states, which formally started in 2001 at the Waukesha Trailbreaker 13.1 miler--way before having this crazy idea to run in 50 states. It began in 2005, but wasn’t until 2 years later when I pounded the pavement every weekend, literally. The idea emerged during a road trip with two high school friends. The first thought I had was, “This was a crazy idea, running a half marathon in every state.” So I came up with “Crazyrunninggal” as a hash tag. Initially the run started with just 25 states, in 2008, running in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, Indiana, and running the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with my favorite guy. Back at it in 2009 I hit the pavement in Arizona, Oklahoma, and Georgia--with my favorite guy--and then solo in Colorado, Washington, and Illinois. Then in 2009, I’d run a state a week, from February in New Orleans to Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Vermont, Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska. I met people from over--completing all 25 states by April 2009. I got my Juju back in 2014 and decided to run a half in the remaining states. My average out-of-state travel cost was $118.70 running half marathons 5-days back-to-back, a week at a time, running in Calhoun County West Virginia, Bluefield South Virginia, North Carolina, and Seneca South Carolina. I only had 12 more states to run at the end of 2014. In 2015, I ran the Detroit marathon with my friend, and completed 7 more states: Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. As a lifetime traveler, I stepped foot in every state except Hawaii by this time; but, wasn't done, even though I took a break from my half marathon tour. I kicked the dirt in New York running the NYRR marathon in 2016—this is worth mentioning since the entire city was shut down for the runners--No kidding! In 2017, I ran 2 more half marathons in Utah and Oregon. Utah was crazy! I ran with a headlamp down a mountain and crossed the finish line at midnight. It was dark. Later that year I finished the IRONMAN Wisconsin! Now how many can say that? This year, 2019, my final year, was a magnificent 13.1 mile run along Honolulu’s Waikiki coastline. Before the race, they sang about "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness—in Hawaiian it is "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono.” and before the race the announcer said, "Laki maikaʻi” which is "good luck!” The final run was in Juneau, Alaska. I can now officially say, “I completed running a half marathon, 13.1 miles, in all 50 states.” This journey brought so many large accomplishments and really just small baby steps to a much larger journey. How did I do it? The secret isn’t speed or stamina, it’s progression, start out small, the important matrix isn’t time, distance or pace, but improving, exploring, seeing with “eyes-wide-open” and discovering. Even if you’re just having fun; which is what it’s about anyway, the journey is for no one but you. If you pay attention, if you stay devoted, you’ll see things you have never seen before, and you will also see your life improve. It’s not only about the run or the states I traveled (but that’s cool too), it’s about who I met (now lifelong friends), what I saw (and understand), where I went (a big world out there), and how I changed (perspective). It changed my viewpoint (just like Robin Williams lesson in Dead Poets Society)—not only as a traveler, but my family views, spiritual views, career insights and all of it—learning to Just Be Me—Not someone else’s opinion of it Plus, I produced over 7 kids books which I gained from the ideas when I went on these journey OUT there….running. There’s so much more, and that’s just the start. I urge you to travel as far and as much as possible. Work ridiculous shifts to save your money, go without the latest iPhone, or no phone at all for a year (which I did). Throw yourself out of your comfort zone, find how other people live and realize that the world is a much bigger place than the town you live in. And, when you come home, home may still be the same and yes, you may go back to the same old job, but something in your mind will have changed, and trust me, that changes everything. Come along with me to the wild side, and see what you can see.

Stats on my Half Marathon Quest ---

• First State in Quest: Dubuque, Iowa June 2005 
• First State in this years Quest: Honolulu, Hawaii (*) 
• Last State in Quest: The Glacier Half Marathon in Juneau, Alaska 
• Years Half Marathoning: 18 
• Longest drive: 2870 miles (Wisconsin - New Mexico) * 
• Longest flight: 8,364 mi (Hawaii) 
• Ratio Drive to Fly: 35:15 (8:3) 
• Most expensive travel cost per day: Alaska 
• Cheapest out-of-state travel cost per day: New England series 
• Ratio Solo or Together: 38 solo & 12 with someone (38:12 solo ratio)

50th state is Alaska - complete

Thank you for supporting me as I journeyed through this amazing 50-state venture, the final state to run a (13.1 mile) half marathon. 50th state is Alaska.  The Race was in Juneau Alaska on July 21, 2019. I finally accomplished running a half marathon in the final 50-state. 

Thoughts, Reflections and Lessons

Reflection of those things I learned during this whole journey

I like to reflect on the lessons I learned throughout my journey in this case it’s my 50 state half marathon journey. These are some thoughts, reflections and lessons…

• You are going to sprain your ankle when you run the Las Vegas half marathon in December 2007 after running it, even though you knew you injured your ankle in kick-boxing that Tuesday before the run. The results, crutches for 3 months and no running - lesson, don’t run the half marathon when you are injured. You will only injure yourself more.
• You are going to tear your ACL skiing down a triple black and be out for 1 year after surgery and many months of physical therapy. Next time think twice before you do something stupid.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
• There will be setbacks and years when you don’t do “anything running” between 2011-2012, and that’s okay. The goal will simply be there when you get back to it. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
• A runner crushed her foot, after healing only 8 months later, she is running on this cruise for her 40 state.  Everyone is going through something. Support them in their accomplishment.
• Embrace the challenges. There will be many. Let them come your way and play through them. Make the challenge fun, it will no longer be the monster you pretend it to be.
• Met a runner who has qualified and run Boston 8 times. She is working toward 10 Boston marathons. When she reaches 10, she will be in for life! Learned the qualifying time for my (and now her) age group 50-54 to qualify for Boston is 4:00. I think this is doable and reachable, I may consider this one as my NEXT venture to consider.
• A runner got 1st in the 5K run, said she was going to Australia sometime with her husband not when she retires but NOW, because one thing she learned was sometimes if you wait until you retire your people might not be here anymore to go with you. :*( VERY good lesson.
• I learned that people, especially the running community, will open their arms and welcome you to share a room, their food, their time, and the course with you. Even if they are strangers, they are kind, their heart is in it because they get you.  Runners get each other.
• This is from another runners voice… spectators will formulate that you must look a certain way in order to run. But there are runners of all ages, sizes and races. The fastest runners have been solid and stalkier. Not all runners are tall and skinny. Many time spectators who do not run are just trying to figure it all out. 
• It’s not easy to run a slower pace, but I have several races, in order to help a newby or first-time half marathoner along her journey to finish her first race.
• It takes strategy, as your body ages, you need to be smart and listen to your body most. If it says, “Today I can’t do it.” Then you don’t. Or “Today you need to race-walk.” Then you race walk.
• Just do it, simple as that. Don’t let your mind take over, don’t get in your head or else you will be stuck there.
• Join a group to encourage you and make you accountable if you need that motivation and push.
• Traveling can be expensive, you can be smart about it though.  I traveled all day Friday in my VW car to run a race on Saturday, and turn around and drive back the same day after the race.  This saved me a lot of money and time. The con is I didn’t really get to see the state much, just a short dinner at night or breakfast before the race or saw the people and terrain during the race. 
• I’m glad I took a week in Colorado, it was there where I ran Crazy Horse in altitudes I thought I would never recover from, running 2 miles straight up a mountain and after where I got confidence to write with Susan Piver and discover the enneagram which helps me with characters in my stories.
• I believe travel opens your eyes to new things. When you see these new places, people and history, you see how our country was formed.  
• Traveling the states on the Burlington, Vermont race weekend is where my books, Bugs Adventure Series, came to life.
• Getting injured happens and is not fun. When it happened to me in 2011, it stopped my journey for a full year. I didn’t get back to running until the year later 2012. It takes a while to recover and heal, but if you follow instructions, are patient and do the work, you will heal to full recovery and be back on the road running in whatever time it takes to heal. Be patient with yourself.
• You will find unexpected friends. I ran into a friend, around 73, who is a master swimmer and swims competitively with a team today. She asked me if I wanted to go find a pool at the next town so we could swim laps. Like I said, everyone is so open to sharing their time.
• People are reading my crazyrunninggal blog. Now that was fun to learn about on this trip.

That’s my recap.

National Half Marathon Running Tour: Volume 49; 2nd Edition

Spearfish South Dakota. 2014 2:03 — in United States.

Today, I am mentally preparing to run a half marathon in state number 49. A long time coming, for my national half marathon running tour! This is the story of how I got here.

This is a long story -- reflecting back on the running tour. You may choose to get a cup of tea or coffee take a few sips, then read a small clip, stop — put it away and bring it out again another day—then read a little more. There’s a lot to digest and take in.

Sit back and enjoy!

The secret to running isn’t speed or stamina. It’s progression. Whether you’re starting out or training for a new distance, the important matrix isn’t time or pace, but improving. Even if you’re just goofing off and having fun, running for no one but yourself, even if you don’t care about results, if you pay attention, if you stay devoted, you’ll see improvements.

Reflecting back, reviewing journals I wrote earlier on. The idea didn’t start until 2007, I already had a few states completed, I officially started in 2005, but the idea wasn’t until 2 years later. I already had 15 lifetime half marathons under my belt. I ran 1 full marathon and 2-sprint distance Triathlons, and biked 45 miles a few times that summer.

These are chronological details about my half marathon journey.

I formally started running my first 13.1 mile run in 2001 at the Waukesha Trailbreaker, way before I had this crazy idea to run across the state border in all 50 states.

What started as a girls weekend road trip, turned into a National running Quest. The idea came to me in April 2007 when I took a road trip with two high school friends who said, “Did you hear about the Half2run series, you set a goal to run 25 half marathons in 25 states."

I already was traveling for work, so, I figured why not? I thought it was a crazy idea, so I called myself “Crazyrunninggal” As a hash tag and even created a blog with that name so I could write my story as I journeyed on this Quest.

The first ideas was to run 25 half marathons in 25 states. I ran some half marathons in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, Indiana, (signed up for Ohio and Texas, but didn’t make those due to injury) and even ran the San Francisco in California with Leon. I also ran the big Chicago marathon “The infamous heat stroke marathon of 2007” (refer to Chicago marathon archives for devastating stories). I did it again in the freezing cold in 2008 the next year.

Medals as of 25 states complete

While I did this, Staci and I did a road trip to Rhode Island and New Brunswick, I ran a few half marathons then (New Brunswick was my first out of country half), we also traveled to Germany to visit Deike and her family. This was while I studied and received my second master’s degree in August 2007.

Next year, I traveled to Spain, 2008, to visit Staci--she lived in Madrid— we traveled together in Greece, Ireland and Spain. And this year, I ran Arizona, Oklahoma, and Georgia with Leon, Colorado, Washington, and Illinois.

I picked it up a notch in 2009, traveled to run in a state each week. I started this in February of that year, with my first run in New Orleans—As I did this, I would drive, fly and sometimes crawl to the start. I met people who I keep in touch with today, over 10 years later. I ran all 25 states by April, 2009. These states included Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Vermont, Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

Center of the Nation Back-to-Back Running Tour

2011-2013 was a downturn for my running. I tore my ACL skiing and of course, was out for almost the entire year healing from the surgery. It took me over 6 months to get back on my feet again, literally, to walk each day was a significant feat. This is where I discovered yoga as a healing practice. I traveled more to volunteer, work and spread the word and volunteered producing some plays, films and lead some keynotes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and abroad to Africa. To be honest I can’t remember the running part much during these years--because I couldn’t get my head back into the running game. The years seemed to fly by way too fast. I did, however, publish over 7 kid’s books and a Win by leading book. Now that was fun!

I started getting my Juju back in 2014, and decided to complete running in all 50 states. At the time my average out-of-state travel cost for runs was $118.70 for a run because I found the 5-day running series that allows me to share boarding costs, food and gas with other runners I met. Running these half marathons within a 5-day back-to-back stretch. I ran in Calhoun County West Virginia, Bluefield South Virginia, North Carolina, and Seneca South Carolina. By the end of this year, I only had 12 more states to go: Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska.

In 2015, I ran the Detroit marathon with my friend, and completed 7 additional states, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

By 2016, I had traveled to every state, (lifetime travel); either because of work, personal road-trips (with Staci or Leon) or through my national half marathon running tour. The only state I haven’t been to yet was Hawaii. This year, I ran the New York Marathon—it was cool! They shut down the entire city. I’m not kidding! I also ran 2 more of the states: Utah and Oregon. Utah was crazy; I ran in the dark and crossed the finish line at midnight.

Kentucky. 1:52 2009 — in United States.

The next year, I took a BIG U-TURN, a fork in the road. 2017 was a MAJOR Lifetime milestone. I finished the IRONMAN Wisconsin— I beat my swim time by 40 minutes and have unforgettable story. “So many large accomplishments in one year, and really just small baby steps to a much larger journey.”

I traveled to the Netherlands in 2018, so this took me away from my running. That’s okay, it just happened this way for me. I ran some shorter 5K fun runs, did a few local half marathons and hit my 100th lifetime half marathon that year.

So, here I am, it’s May 2019, the only states left are Hawaii and Alaska, planned to run in that order. I am on my way to Honolulu to run my next state -- ready to run the along the Waikiki ocean--set to be some rough mountainous elevations and lava-filled sites. It is surreal, and real at the same time. More pictures to come, my next Chapter is here — stay tuned.