Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Time flies...

I can't believe today is the last day of November.  This year has just flown by.  I do love this time of year (except for the weather, of course....)  I am so excited about the holidays this year, that I have joined 3 different holiday exchanges:

1. A really cool Christmas Card exchange.  I did this one last year and it was so neat to meet people from all over the world!

2. The DailyMile Secret Santa.    I am super excited about this one.  DailyMile has become my source of inspiration...and a place where I have been introduced to some excellent athletes....and made some incredible friends.

3. A Blogger Christmas exchange.  This is a new one for me, but it sounds like it was a lot of fun last year, and I cannot wait to do it this year!

I have been trying to get back into some good eating habits.  I have found that I am gaining weight....and this does not make me especially happy.  For now I am trying to really watch my calorie intake for the day.  I know that it is all mental....but I feel like I am always hungry.  I am making sure to eat every couple of hours, but I am being sure to make wise choices.  It has made these last couple of days a challenge.  I am really hoping I will be able to get back down to my goal weight , and that in turn will help my speed.  My goal is to lose 15-20 pounds by March for the Arnold 5k.

I had a run on the schedule tonight, but it is getting postponed until tomorrow morning.  I am beyond exhausted for some reason, and I can feel the beginning of a headache, plus I was behind on grading.  So while I would normally go for a run while T is at bells, I decided to work on grading for an hour and then come home and try to get to bed early.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I will be hitting the pavement (or maybe the TM) first thing tomorrow morning.   As I type this I am covered in a puppy blanket...my two cavaliers are very snuggly.  It is making me very warm....and sleepy.   I think it is time to wrap this post up!

Do any of you struggle with weight issues?  How do you handle it?

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Rainy days and Mondays... 11/28/11

it was like monsoon season came to ohio today.  didn't run today (it's a day off), but i am starting to try to plan out my training starting in january.  i am excited for the jingle bell run on saturday.  i would love to try to break 23:00.....not sure if that will happen this week or not, but i am hopeful it will happen soon. 

the only race that i know for sure i am running next year is the canton marathon on june 17th.  i am totally psyched about this race since it will be all along the streets of my hometown.  running where i grew up is going to be such a cool experience.  plus i have lots of childhood friends that will also be running it!  

my plan for this week is to take it a little easy and try to be rested up for saturday. 

here is my plan: 
monday: rest
tuesday: speedwork (either 400's or 200's) and strength training
wednesday: 2-4 miles easy and yoga
thursday: tempo run and strength training
friday: 2 miles easy and stretching
saturday: jingle bell run
sunday: 8-10 miles easy run and strength training
T and i haven't had a chance to get back out there and run together again, yet.  but she has told me she is ready to go again.  so we will run tuesday, thursday, and then she will attempt to run as much of the jingle bell run on saturday. 

signed up today for the dailymile secret santa.  looking forward to meeting someone new!  i love this time of year....even if it is highly stressful at times.  i am going to try to keep the meaning of the season at the forefront of everything i do over the next few weeks.  i have been trying to remain thankful every day this month, and i would like to try to continue that same thankful spirit.  

what are you thankful for this season? 

let's try this again.... 11/18/11

I have tried to keep a blog before, and failed miserably.  I am hoping that this time will be different. I love running.  I love thinking about running...I love talking about running....I love shopping for new running gear...  you get the point.  

Last week I did a pretty challenging hilly trail race for the first time.  It was insane...and I loved it.  I am going to be incorporating more hills into my runs.  I love the challenge.  

I am planning on running the Jingle Bell Run in a couple of weeks, and I would really like to break 23:00.  I will be running it with my dad and the rest of the family will be walking/running as well.  Since I began my journey 16 months ago, many members of my family have taken up running...my mother in law, my sister in law, my dad, my daughter, and freinds...it's been really cool to share in their journey!  I am also planning on the Arnold 5k in March.  

In June 2012, I will be running my second marathon in my hometown, Canton, OH.  I am very excited to run on the streets where i grew up!  I hope to be able to break 4 hours in that race.  

My youngest daughter, T, is training with me to run a 5k.  We are on week 5 of C25K, and we went out tonight for her 2nd day of the week.  She has been doing soooo great.  Tonight, however, she wasn't feeling well.  After about 8 minutes in, we had to turn around and head home.  We will try again tomorrow.  

i look forward to keeping track of my progress and reflecting on my life as a runner on this blog.  hope