November Run Down and December Goals

December 1, 2019 by 21 Comments

Hello December!

Kind of hard to believe that there are mere 30 days left in the year. November, like most of this year for me, went by in a blink. This Thanksgiving week felt especially short, but I enjoyed all the extra time with family, especially having my oldest home from school. Here’s how the workouts played out…

Caught this beautiful view on a run this week

Weekly Run Down

Monday – 3-mile run
Tuesday – Orangetheory
Wednesday – Yoga
Thursday – Power walk with my husband & pup before feasting!
Friday – 4-mile run
Saturday – 5-miles
Sunday – Orangetheory

I finished November with 57 miles and have happily jumped on the OTF bandwagon for some great cross-training. On my other November goals, my plank streak is alive and well, and I made some progress on my 2020 race calendar. I will admit my eating habits have still been a bit hit or miss, but I have gotten back to meal planning which always helps. Overall, I would call November a win!

Wrapping up November and setting a few goals to close out 2019! #goals #last90days #runchat #keepshowingup Click To Tweet

December Goals

To close out 2019, my goals are pretty simple:

  • Continue my plank streak
  • Continue to cross-train 2x’s/week
  • Revisit my PT exercises at least 3x’s/week
  • Prioritize sleep
  • Find a couple of half marathons to add to my race calendar

The cranky hip that flared up during the Chicago Marathon has been making some noise so getting back to my PT exercises is a must. My sleep was all over the place during November so I’m going to do what I can to set myself up for a better night’s sleep this month.

How was your November? Have you started planning your 2020 race calendar? Any half marathon suggestions?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: goals, Weekly Run Down

Weekly Run Down and November Goals

November 3, 2019 by 29 Comments

Each month I like to set a couple of monthly goals to help me stay on track. So with October now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to share some goals for November.

But first, I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

Weekly Run Down

Monday — Strength training

Tuesday — 3 soggy miles

Wednesday — Rest

Thursday — 3 miles. Wrapping up October with 63 miles.

Friday — Strength training and the start of a new plank streak

Saturday — 3 more miles on a gorgeous morning!

Fall running makes me happy!

Sunday — Got a brisk morning walk with my husband and pup before settling in to watch the NYC Marathon.

November Goals

A new month means new goals! What are you planning? #goals #last90days #runchat #keepshowingup Click To Tweet
  • Plank Streak — I’ve been really inconsistent in my core work, so I’m going to use daily planking to build some consistency.
  • Clean up my eating — Honestly, I’m still eating like I’m running all the miles! LOL! It’s time to reel it and get back on track.
  • Cross Training 2x’s/week — I’ve been itching to try OTF, and with less weekly mileage on my plan, it feels like a good time to try it out.
  • 2020 race planning — WIth just one more race on the calendar for this year, I’m going to start sketching out what next year could look like.

How was your week? Did you watch the NYC Marathon? Any November goals?

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Filed Under: goals, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Week 8 and August Goals

August 4, 2019 by 26 Comments

Each month I like to set a couple of monthly goals to help me stay on track. So with July now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to share some goals for August.

But first, a quick run down on week 8 of Chicago training.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 8

Monday — Rest day with mini golf, bowling, and arcade games on the side as part of my youngest son’s birthday celebration.

Tuesday — 5-mile run and a much-needed massage!

Wednesday — 6 miles. With this run, I hit 107.65 miles for July!

Thursday — 5-miles.

Friday — Rest day.

Chicago Marathon training wk 8 and some August goals #WeeklyRunDown #MyChicagoMarathon #MarathonTraining #Runchat Click To Tweet

Saturday — 12 miles. I ran the first 6-miles as an out and back, which felt pretty good. But the next 6 miles were just plain u-g-l-y! It’s clear I still have work to do to figure out my pre-run and mid-run fueling because I felt like I had hit a wall by mile 9. The last 3 miles were just hard and I’m so grateful my husband had joined me for the final 6 miles.

Sunday — 4-mile recovery run. I was surprised at how fresh my legs felt, even on the hills.

Total miles for the week – 32
Total miles on the road to Chicago – 165.15

August Goals

  • Figure out my fueling and hydration strategy
  • 10 minutes of daily core work
  • Develop a consistent recovery routine — the key word here is consistent!
  • Continue to focus on self-care — massage, acupuncture and getting enough sleep!

I am really happy with the way my training went in July. Hopefully, these goals will help me to stay on track in August as the mileage grows.

How was your week? Any goals for August?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, goals, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Week 3 & a Mid-Year Check-in

June 30, 2019 by 20 Comments

Is anyone else amazed by the fact that we are halfway through the year? Yep, 6 months down and 6 months to go. It feels like the perfect time to reflect on how I’m progressing with my fitness goals – and to adjust as necessary.

But first, a quick review of the week that was.

Chicago Marathon Training – Week 3

Monday – The training plan said 5 miles but coming off my 10K the day before, my legs voted that idea down in a hurry! So rest day it was.

Tuesday – The combination of humidity & tired legs made this 5-miler a fight from start to finish.

Wednesday – Yoga

Thursday – 5 miles of intervals with Coach Marc. Challenging but this run felt great and it was nice to see paces I haven’t seen in quite a while!

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Strength workout in the form of gardening. A few hours of weeding and transplanting in ridiculous humidity provided a good total body workout.

Sunday – 8-mile run. My husband J and I decided to meet up with my brother for a run. We decided to check out the course for our upcoming 10K and I added on a couple of extra miles on the end.

Total miles for the week – 18

Overall it was a good week and I’m especially happy with the way my first speedwork played out. I finished June with 74 miles.

Mid-Year Check-in

At the beginning of the year, I highlighted 4 goals:

  • Run a marathon
  • Stay off injured-reserve
  • Make sleep a priority
  • Mind what I’m eating

So far I feel like I’m on track. I’ve managed to avoid injury and I think I’m doing a pretty good job of being mindful of what I’m consuming. And…of course, marathon training is underway!

Sleep has been the biggest challenge for most of the year, but I’m starting to feel like I’m slowly turning a corner. I’ve made more of a commitment to skip late-night TV (sorry Daily Show!) and we recently retired our old mattress set for a glorious new one. Baby steps…but every little bit helps.

As I dive into the second half of the year and push for the marathon, the focus on staying injury-free via strength training, making good nutrition choices, and chasing those all-important ZZZs will continue to be important goals for me.

How did the first half of 2019 treat you? Are you on track with your goals?

I linking up Deborah and Kim for Weekly Run Down link-up.

And, with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, goals, marathon training, Tuesday Topics, Weekly Run Down

June Goals and Global Running Day

June 4, 2019 by 24 Comments

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know that I like to set monthly goals. But before we dive into June plans, let’s do a quick rewind on the month that was.

May Rewind

For May I had 4 goals:

  • Keep building my base and run 75 miles
  • Prioritize rest & sleep
  • Return to early morning runs
  • Reach the starting line of the Run to Remember healthy

And, with the exception of getting more sleep, I nailed all my goals! I hit 79 miles for the month, was out the door before 6 a.m. most mornings, and happily toed the line for my half marathon. The chaos that has come to be the norm around here for the month May did nothing to help my rest and recovery, so I’m not surprised I missed the mark here, but overall I’m really happy with the way the month played out.

June Goals

Prioritize rest & sleep — OK, so let’s try this one again! With school out and more white space on the calendar, I can hopefully do much better here.

Strength Training & Daily Core — While the mileage was up last month, my strength training suffered. Marathon training starts soon so it will be more important than ever to get at least one weekly strength workout. I’m also back to daily planking for a stronger core.

Improve my cadence — Coach Marc mentioned on our last run that with my form improving, he’d like to see me now pay more attention to my cadence. I’ll be doing some runs with a metronome, which should be interesting.

Run a strong 10K — I have the BAA 10K at the end of the month. I’m not sure what the time goal will be but I’d like to feel ready to push the pace a little.

Global Running Day!

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics, and this week they’re asking everyone to share their plans for Global  Running Day. While Wednesdays are not typically a run day for me, as luck would have it I had to juggle my schedule this week so I’ll be hitting the pavement in the morning! I also plan to check out all of the race discounts that will be happening in hopes of finding a good deal on a September half marathon.

How will you celebrate Global Running Day? Have you set any June goals?

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Filed Under: Global Running Day, goals, month in review, Tuesday Topics

May Goals

April 30, 2019 by 18 Comments

It’s the usual custom around here to make monthly goals – I find it helps me to stay on track and keeps me accountable. But somehow, I let April slip by without setting some. So now that we’re knocking on May’s door, it’s the perfect time to make some plans for the month.

May Goals

Run, run & run some more! — With my first race of 2019 coming up on Memorial Day weekend, this month will be all about mileage. Coach Marc is always tweaking my training plan, but I’m thinking 75 miles for the month is totally doable.

Prioritize rest & sleep — Quite simply I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for most of April…actually ever since I got home from vacation. My sleep has been poor. Not a good path to continue down….

Return to early morning runs — Lately, I’ve been really been all over the place with when I run, but I prefer to get out and get my runs done early. This is especially a must once the weather turns hot so I might as well get back in the habit now, right?

Reach the starting line healthy — So in addition to prioritizing sleep, this means regular trips to the acupuncturist, take my supplements, and keep up with the glute/hip prehab no matter how mind-numbing it is!

And, that’s it! I’m keeping it simple and focused.

What are your goals for May?

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: goals

February Run Down & March Goals

March 3, 2019 by 26 Comments

With February in the rearview mirror, it’s time to set a couple of goals for March.  I like having these mini targets to keep me on track and accountable.

So let’s recap February and see what’s on tap for this month!

February Run Down & March Goals

Good things for the month:

  • I had 3 goals for February – weekly yoga, daily pre-hab work, and beat my January mileage. I did a solid job on the first two but came up short on the mileage.
  • Consistent strength training – beyond the pre-hab exercises I focused on core and upper body work.
  • I got a chance to get a Dexa Scan and learned a lot! (In case you missed it, you can check out my post about my field trip here.)

Things I could do without:

  • Ice, wind and frigid temps kept me indoors more than I wanted, and without a race to train for, I just didn’t feel as compelled to hit the mill for any real distance – and I’m ok with that.

On the decks for March:

  • With 8 weeks until my first race of the year, Portland 10 Milers and then the Run to Remember Half a few weeks later, it’s time to start to get focused on a training plan.
  • March Goals:
    • Increase my weekly mileage
    • Continue to work with Coach Marc on form drills and cadence
    • Continue to make pre-hab exercises a regular habit
    • Daily core work

New Ambassadorship!

I got a great start to my weekend when I opened my email Friday morning to learn I’ve been selected as an ambassador for Tailwind Nutrition! I absolutely love Tailwind – it is the one fuel I can count on with my often finicky stomach. I’m really looking forward to being a part of their team!

New Link-up!

If you hadn’t heard, Holly & Wendy decided to close down the Weekly Wrap – big thanks to both of them for hosting such a great link-up! Happily, Deborah and Kim announced the new Weekly Run Down link-up, so those of us who write a weekly fitness recap have a new place to connect and commiserate!

And that’s my run down. How did February treat you? Any big plans for March?

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Filed Under: #TailwindTrailblazer, Boston's Run to Remember, goals, month in review, Portland 10 Miler Tagged With:

January Wrap & February Goals

February 3, 2019 by 34 Comments

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know I like to set monthly goals. Having mini targets helps to keep me on track and accountable to the big goals I’ve laid out for the year.

So let’s recap January and see what’s on tap for this month!

January Wrap & February Goals

Good things for the month:

  • Joined Coach Marc for a treadmill workout
  • Finally made it back to the kickboxing studio
  • Logged 51.25 miles – given that I didn’t run most of the first or last weeks of the month, that’s higher than I expected!
  • Found my new running shoe!

Loving my Brooks Adrenalines!

Things I could do without:

  • All things Polar Vortex
  • Piriformis deciding to not play nice this past week – contributing to the lack of mileage

On the decks for February:

  • Focus on daily pre-hab work – especially glute activation and hip strengthening
  • Beat January’s mileage – while I haven’t set a miles goal for the year, I would like to see my mileage consistently increase each month.
  • Time on my yoga mat at least once a week

Hoping to put this new mat to good use!

Recapping January & setting some February goals #weeklywrap #runchat #runnerslife Click To Tweet

Ambassadorships!

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be returning for my 4th year as a SPIbelt Ambassador!

Use code TEAMSPI for 10% discount

And, for my 3rd year as a Skirt Sports Ambassador!

Use code SSA821Mic to save 15% on Skirt Sports

And that’s a wrap!

I’m joining Wendy and Holly for the Weekly Wrap, and guest host Amy, from She Runs by Faith.

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Filed Under: #skirtsports, goals, month in review, SkirtAmbassador, Weekly Wrap, WomenWhoMove

New Year’s Ultimate Coffee 2019

January 4, 2019 by 25 Comments

Happy New Year!

Catching up with friends over a big mug of coffee sounds like a great way to help kick off this new year so I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the first Ultimate Coffee Date of 2019!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I really enjoyed the holidays. It was great family time and I loved having the Christmas week off from work. While I did race around a bit like a chicken with my head cut off the week prior, the holiday week I was able to totally kick back and relax, and I did my best to soak up every moment of the downtime.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that having the time off has left me craving for a “real” vacation. We didn’t take a family vacation last year, but I’ve already got my sights set on the boys’ spring break time in March – now the question is where to go?

If we were having coffee, I would also tell you that I took advantage of the downtime to also reflect on the past year and start to set some goals for 2019. For the past few years, I’ve picked one word as the theme for my year across all areas of my life  – and this year my word is Intentional. With the “busy-ness” of life it is too easy to move through the days on autopilot and before you know it days…or weeks have just flown by. My ultimate goal is to be more intentional in the habits I form, in my career choices, in my home life…I think you get the picture.

My 2019 Fitness/Running Goals:

  • Run a marathon — This was top of my list last year, but was derailed first by family schedules and secondly by injury. But I’ve got my sights firmly locked in on Chicago and know with Coach Marc’s help I will reach that starting line ready to take on 26.2!
  • Stay off injured-reserve — This will encompass a variety of things including consistent “pre-hab”, strength training 2x’s/week, and continuing to incorporate the Chi Running focuses Coach Marc has me working on. I also think Marc will keep me from powering through when I should be backing off.
  • Make sleep a priority —  I am a notoriously bad sleeper and when things get crazy, sleep can easily get pushed to the bottom of my list. My goal is to do a much better job of going to bed early and not falling asleep while watching late night TV on the couch.
  • Mind what I’m eating — While tracking my macros during the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program, I realized just how little protein I’ve been consuming. I don’t plan to continue to actively track my macros (though never say never), I will continue to be mindful of upping my protein intake.
Sharing goals over coffee #oneword #livingintentionally #yearofthemarathon Click To Tweet

So what would you tell me over coffee? Have you set any goals for the new year?

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Filed Under: goals, one word, Ultimate coffee date

A few goals to wrap up the year

December 10, 2018 by 27 Comments

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I can already feel that this month is going to go by in the blink of an eye. Here it is the 10th of the month already and I have yet to post my monthly goals. But first, a quick recap on the week that was:

50 degrees – Perfect running weather!

Monday – 3-mile run
Tuesday – 2-mile night run
Wednesday – 4-mile guided run with Coach Marc
Thursday – 1.25 mi power walk plus strength work
Friday – 1-mile walk and yoga
Saturday – 4 miles
Sunday – 1.25 mi power walk with the pup

Total 16.5 miles

Thank goodness for this Holiday Challenge! While the week started off with a beautiful 50+ degree morning, the nice weather was very short-lived. There were a couple of times I could have easily chosen to hideout from the nonsense Mother N was dishing out, but I was determined not to miss a day of this Challenge. So far, so good.

I had my first guided run with Coach Marc on Wednesday where he took me through a series of body sensing drills. It was a great refresher for me on many of the Chi Running principles. We ran on some great rolling country roads with almost no traffic, which was perfect to focus and practice without dodging cars. I know I must have been pretty absorbed in all Marc was sharing with me because I realized afterward it never occurred to me to once pull out my phone to take pictures. A “blogger fail” perhaps, but it was great to be wholly concentrating in the moment.

December Goals

While I hadn’t gotten around to posting them yet, I did set some goals for the month. I like to have monthly goals to keep myself on track, and especially at this time of year with so many demands on time, it can be pretty easy to let things slide.

My main goal for November was consistency – whether it was running or cross-training, and I think I did a pretty solid job at that. I kept the running short and easy and gave my nagging injuries a chance to heal.

So for December:

  • Finish the final 3 weeks of FASTer Way to Fat Loss
  • Start incorporating Chi Running focuses into my runs and run with Coach Marc at least twice
  • Pre-hab with PT exercises 3x’s/week
  • Complete the 40-day Holiday Challenge I started on Thanksgiving (today marks Day 19!)
  • Continue with regular acupuncture treatments – (I had two this past week and felt so good afterward!)
  • Return to kickboxing classes

Hopefully, these goals will keep me on track and building momentum for a strong kick off to 2019!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

And, with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

Have you set any goals to close out the year? Have you started planning for 2019 yet?

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Filed Under: #HolidayChallenge, ChiRunning, goals, Weekly Wrap