Tag Archives: goals

Resolution Check-In

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Wow, August 1st, this year is just flying! Time to check in on those resolutions.

Last month’s big focus was cross training and strength training. I started strong but then let things slip a little near the end of the month. I need to come back strong on that this month to help boost my Marine Corps Marathon training and make sure I stay on track with my New Year’s Resolutions to get healthy and build a stronger core. I’ve been doing great about running smarter not harder so far this year and I certainly don’t want to fall behind and land myself on the injured list again.

Rocking my I Run This Body Tee!

Rocking my I Run This Body Tee!

I’m still working on the soda, but am doing a bit better. I still have free soda just around the corner from my desk at my new job so that doesn’t help matters, but I’ve been drinking fountain soda at restaurants a lot less so that’s a positive.

My Boston Qualifier goal is coming up quickly with Marine Corps Marathon training in full swing. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous and worried about my speed, but I am already putting in a lot of good, quality miles. I also know I shouldn’t judge too soon especially with the summer heart wave that kicked off my training.

Seeing as how important that goal is to me my main focus for this month will be my long runs. So far so good on this front, but I’m far enough into my training where I already have a few under my belt but far enough away from my race that it can be easy to let one slip if I’m feeling unmotivated. So here’s to another good month of long runs!

Hope everyone’s doing well on your Resolutions!

Resolution Check-In

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I know I say this every month, but how is another done already?! With the beginning of the month here it’s time for me to check in on how I’m doing with my New Year’s Resolutions, and choose what my focus will be for this month.

Even with a lot of running so far this year I’ve been staying injury free. I’ve spent a lot more time stretching, foam rolling and icing than ever before, so I’m sure this is playing a major role. Building a stronger core was also a major part of this and I’ve been doing great with that. I’m on day 124 of my consecutive days streak doing my P90X ab ripper workout and also completed a 5-minute plank challenge last month. The craziest thing about the plank challenge was that I wasn’t sore the next day – so this core thing must be working!

Drinking less soda was April’s focus since I was reintroducing it to my diet after giving it up for Lent and didn’t want to overdo it. I had a few bad days with this when I was tired and traveling and craving caffeine, but overall I’m getting a lot better about not drinking too much soda. Definitely still something I need to work on though.

My last resolution for this year was more of a goal – Boston Qualifier. As I’m sure you can imagine and as many others feel, I want this more than ever now. My marathon isn’t until late October so I won’t be able to get in for 2014, but I hope to be there cheering on next year’s runners knowing I have my ticket punched for 2015. I just hired a running coach thanks to a Zozi deal, and am really excited to have someone to work with to help me navigate my training plan and hold me accountable. I think this will be a great step towards getting my BQ this year!

May’s focus is going to be all about strength. My goal is to do at least 3 strength workouts per week to work on toning and strengthening my upper and lower body, which will only help me become an even better runner.

What are your goals for this month? How do you plan to get to them?

Resolution Check-In

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April is here and hopefully spring-like weather will be here to stay soon too. At the start of each month I like to look back at my New Year’s Resolutions and see how I’m doing. I also pick what I’m going to focus on for the next month.

Getting healthy and staying healthy was an important goal for me this year. So far things are going well with this and I’ve made smart decisions about when it might not be healthy to do a workout just because it’s on the schedule. I did miss a couple strength workouts and missed a few too many days of stretching in March, so I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again in April.

Building up my core is another part of staying healthy and making me a stronger, faster athlete. This continues to go really well. My streak of consecutive days completing my version of the P90X ab ripper core workout that I began on December 29 is still going strong. I had to laugh on my 90th straight day as I found myself getting it in during TV timeouts of the Syracuse – Indiana game to calm my nerves, and remembered that this whole streak started during SU football’s appearance in the Pin Stripe Bowl. I’m probably going to have to come up with a way to make this workout harder in April so I don’t get too used to doing the same thing everyday.

Drinking less soda is going to be my key focus for April. I actually didn’t have a soda during all of Lent (mid-February through March 31), but not having something when I’ve made a commitment to give it up is easy for me. Not overdoing it as I reintroduce it to my diet will be more difficult.

March’s focus was on nutrition and I felt like I made some really good strides. Ian and I started eating salads with dinner a couple nights a week. I’m eating a ton of fruit every day, and thanks to my Mom for sharing the skinnytaste website with me, I’ve been finding more ways to eat veggies with my meals. We tried out several recipes from the site and all were great – you couldn’t even really taste the veggies in some of them, which is a good way to make sure I eat them. I kind of have the palate of a five-year-old sometimes. (Or most of the time.)

New recipes that we tried in March included a baked broccoli mac and cheese, baked spinach and sausage pasta and stuffed buffalo chicken breasts. I loved the mac and cheese. We actually used a mixed bag of broccoli and cauliflower – this may’ve been the first time in my life I’ve eaten cauliflower – and it tasted great. I’d make this again in a heartbeat. The stuffed buffalo chicken breasts were also very tasty and a great game-day meal. I was skeptical about the spinach and sausage because it called for what I deem a gross amount of spinach. I really liked  it the first night we ate it though and and even the first and second times I reheated it. By the last time it was kind of gross. I would suggest halving this recipe if just making it for two.

In addition to focusing on regular nutrition I tried some new things out to fuel along the way on my long runs. I found two flavors of Gu that I actually like and my stomach tolerates really well. I also tested out the Honey Stinger pomegranate flavored gummies and they were great.

Even though it won’t be my main focus going into April, I’m hoping to keep making strides with my nutrition and finding even more ways to get those veggies into my diet!

How are you doing on your resolutions this year? Anyone have any big goals they’re working on?

Broccoli Mac N Cheese Leftovers - forgot to snap a pic when we were eating

Broccoli Mac N Cheese Leftovers – forgot to snap a pic when we were eating

So much spinach!!

So much spinach!!

Baked sausage and spinach pasta

Baked sausage and spinach pasta

Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts w/ a side of rice

Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts w/ a side of rice

Resolution Check-In

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Wow, another month has flown by so I wanted to take a step back and see how I’m doing with my New Year’s Resolutions. It’s always good to check back in and remember what I’m working for.

Building up my core strength and staying injury free are key goals for me this year. I made core strength my January focus and managed to keep going strong through February doing my P90X Ab Ripper workout everyday. Going back to last year I’m at 63 straight days! I’m sticking with my stretching and foam rolling too to do what I can to stave off any injuries.

February’s focus was speed and I feel like I made great strides on this. (Yes, pun intended!) I reached my goal of two speed workouts per week though track workouts, hill repeats and tempo runs. My times have come way down since my first speed workouts back from physical therapy in January and my pace is steadily improving.

I got to register early for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon through my deferment from last year, so now that race is officially on the calendar. So far I feel like things are right on track to get my Boston Qualifying time this October!

My focus for March is going to be nutrition. To run and workout as much as I do, I need good food to fuel me. I’m going to really try to up my fruit and veggie intake this month. I’m usually pretty good with fruits, but I’ve spent most of my life avoiding veggies so I’m trying to get better at that. I’m also going to focus on my nutrition on the run, and plan to try out some new things to fuel along the way on my long runs.

Are you still on track with your New Year’s resolutions? Tell me about your successes and challenges!

Nike Women’s Half Marathon DC: Here I Come!

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My first goal race of 2013 is the Nike Women’s half marathon in Washington D.C., and I cannot wait! Monday marked the start of my official training plan. I kicked things off with a cross training and strength training day before hitting the hills this morning. I’ve decided to follow the Hal Higdon advanced half marathon plan, but am switching the Monday and Wednesday runs to cross training days. As much as I want to get back to running six days a week, I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet and don’t want to overdo things again this year only to end up re-injured.

I’m a bit annoyed at myself for paying 100 bucks more for this race than my last full marathon (this was $160), but sometimes the experience is worth the cost and I’m hoping that’s the case with this one. It’s the inaugural race in D.C., so I’m excited to be a part of it. I love that Nike partners with Team in Training – an awesome organization that supports the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and also the group I ran my first marathon with. Another bonus…instead of a medal when you cross the finish line, you’re given a little blue box with a Tiffany’s necklace in it!

I ran the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco way back in 2005. I’m not sure why, but I remember less about this race than any other marathon I’ve done, but I do recall it being pretty well organized and a fun event. It was marathon number two for me and I’ve come a long ways since then. I had so much energy in college that I could go out and run a marathon without really training (just very slowly), and I also didn’t really know the right ways to train for a race. I had a basic 3-day-a-week and one long weekend run plan that I kind of, sort of followed as the semester got busier. Unfortunately, it was usually the long runs that I didn’t always fit in.

Race nutrition wasn’t something I’d even heard about. I thought people eating along the course needed to suck it up. I mean going 4 to 5 hours without food shouldn’t be that difficult, right? Oh, I had so much to learn. I’m fairly certain my pre-race meal the night before was at a bar where I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a Miller Lite. OK, it was two Miller Lites. What was I thinking?!

Needless to say, I will be A LOT more prepared for the Nike Half. I learn more with each race I do and can’t wait to put my latest knowledge into action as I take on this course. I love racing in my own backyard and that’s what this course feels like. I know and have repeatedly run every inch of it, which I think will be a huge benefit come race day. We’ll get some awesome views of the monuments along the Mall, do an over and back on Memorial Bridge, pass by the Kennedy Center, brave Hains Point and finish up on Pennsylvania Ave not too far from the White House. I’ll also get to do a dress rehearsal a few weeks earlier at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler which follows a similar course.

My goal for the race is 1:38:15, which would be a 5-minute PR and a 7:30 pace. I’m going to have to really kick it up a notch in my training to get back to running at that pace and be able to sustain it for that long. My fastest pace for a longer distance race to date is 7:40, but that was also “only” a 10 miler, so it’s an ambitious goal, but one I think I can reach if I prep right. I also know a whole bunch of people who are also running this race, which makes it even more fun.

Let me know if you’re running the DC Nike Half as well and what your goal is for the race – can’t wait to see everyone out there on April 28!

Resolution Check-In

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Wow, how is the first month of 2013 already done? I still haven’t gotten used to writing 2013 instead of 2012 yet…I have a feeling this year is going to fly. With the start of a new month, I figured it’d be a good time to check back in and see how I’m doing with my New Year’s resolutions.

My big January focus was core and I had a goal of completing my P90X Ab Ripper workout five times per week. I beat my own expectations on this one, getting through the Ab Ripper workout every day last month. Going back to December I’m up to 34 straight days beating my previous longest streak of 31. It’s becoming a normal part of my daily routine now, so most days I just get up and do it without thinking or stressing too much about it. I’m hoping to keep this up as I know a stronger core will only make everything else I do easier.

Getting healthy was another resolution for the year and I’m off to a great start. I’m officially done with physical therapy, and am on my way to getting stronger. I’m sticking with my strength and stretching routines so I give myself the best possible chance to not end up injured again.

Drinking less soda was also on the list and I’ve had good weeks and bad weeks on this one. I started out the year strong telling myself I wouldn’t drink any soda Monday through Thursday. I made it through the first week and all the way through Wednesday of the following week. It probably hasn’t helped that I’ve been getting up much earlier than normal and exercising in the morning a lot more than I used to, leaving me a bit sleepy when my midday craving for a caffeine boost hits. After several early mornings that second week, I was up even earlier for a 4:30 wake up call to make a group run that Thursday morning, and I caved at lunch giving into my soda craving and falling back into my soda-a-day routine for the most part after that. I’ve tried drinking diet soda since I hate the taste so much thinking that I’d stop drinking it if I didn’t like it, but I just started to get used to the taste…yuck! Oh well, I’ll try again this month!

I obviously can’t realize my big goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon until my October marathon, but getting back my speed is going to be my big February focus. I’ve built a great base of fitness over the last five weeks or so completing mostly easy paced runs and a lot of cross training. Now it’s time to crank it up a notch. My goal for this month is to complete two speed sessions a week whether it’s at the track, running hill intervals or tempo runs.

Smiling after getting home from last week's track workout - need to remember that post workout feeling so I keep getting out there for speed sessions!

Smiling after getting home from last week’s track workout – need to remember that post workout feeling so I keep getting out there for speed sessions!

How are you doing on your resolutions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s 2013 already. I had such a great 2012, and am looking forward to an even better 2013!

The New Year is a great time to reflect and think about goals for 2013, although I often like to pick something each month that I’m really going to focus on and improve on. This helps me keep things fresh and top of mind so that my New Year’s resolutions aren’t completely forgotten come summer time.

Here are my big health- and fitness-related resolutions for this year:

Get Healthy
I’ve been working really hard at physical therapy and doing my strength and flexibility exercises, so I have no plans of giving up on this now. I can’t even remember what it feels like to run at close to 100 percent, but that’s what I’m shooting for this year. For now I’m still doing PT, but even after that’s done with I need to remember to focus on strength and stretching as important parts of being a good runner.

Stronger Core
This goes hand in hand with getting healthy. When I used to teach boot camp, I told my class every day as I made them do plank after plank that a stronger core makes everything else easier, and now it’s time to practice what I preach. Strengthening my core will play a major role in stabilizing me when I run and helping me avoid the hip drop I started doing to compensate for my injury. This will be my big January focus, and I have a goal of doing my version of the P90X ab ripper workout at least five times per week.

Drink Less Soda
Soda is my biggest vice. I love the way it tastes and since I already drink so much water, it is usually a nice change of pace to have something with taste. My office has free soda, so I’ve started drinking way too much with it easily available. I’m not a coffee or tea drinker so it’s my main source of caffeine, but when you start getting caffeine headaches from not having your daily soda, I think that’s probably a good sign that you drink too much!

Boston Qualifier
OK, so this is more of a goal than a resolution, but qualifying for the Boston Marathon is something I really hope to accomplish this year. I was bummed to have to defer my entry to last year’s Marine Corps Marathon, but can’t wait to run it this year and go from my sub-3:35 qualifying time.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy and fun 2013!

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Ian and I getting ready for NYE festivities