2012 Summer Goals

Running Through Phoenix motivated me to write out summer goals. I know from experience that writing down a goal causes the fairy godmother to grant my wishes.

Since I'm coming back from an injury, my goals aren't focused solely on running.

1. Strength exercises daily
2. Run Wasatch Ragnar Relay in June (2 weeks)
3. Focus on what I can do rather than what I can't do.
4. Swim or aqua jog at least once a week
5. Do the elliptical at least once a week
6. Run Sweat your Thorns off 5K(I have no clue the date Adam is running this so hopefully I'm in town)
7. Running camp in July
8. I so hope I can run Hood to Coast in August
9. Pick some scrumptious tomatoes and zucchini in my garden.
10. Make it through the summer without turning into a fried egg on the cement.

Happy Running!

Resolutions

I'm feeling a little groggy, with a mild headache after a non-wild and crazy evening. Staying up late will do that to me and I was in bed before midnight too. Guess I'm just getting older.

Many people set resolutions for the new year. Coach Dean wrote a blog post about NOT setting resolutions.  Why wait until January 1st to set about making a change? Just start the change. For me the first of the year is perfect to reset my thinking regarding food after the indulgent holiday season.  Amanda at Run to the Finish has started a challenge to keep a food journal for the month of January.  To start off the challenge I updated my profile and weight at Fat Secret, an online food journal.  Weighing myself was a shock. I knew I was heavier but had no idea 6 lbs crept on during the holidays.  I'm going to clean out the freezer and set up my pantry list with the app Out of Milk.  The question is do I keep or toss the chocolate chips. It's not that I won't allow myself sweets but if something like chocolate chips are around, I'll eat them.

While I won't set up specific resolutions, I do write a letter to myself as if it was the end of the year already.  I got the idea from Jess at Jess LC.  I need to find my letter to myself last year and see how I've done.  I've found that writing down desires and goals they come true.  For example, in December 2009 I made a 101 things in 1001 days.  Some of the things were long shots that I didn't think I would really work towards them yet they came to be.  I wrote down go to Maine for no particular reason because I thought it would be beautiful. I had no desire to truly plan a trip to Maine and make it happen making it a long shot. In April, after running the Boston marathon, John and I took a trip to Maine. Another example is I put in the list, "plant a lemon tree".  We have an orange tree on order to be delivered in March, after the threat of frost is past. Writing down desires is powerful.

I challenge you to write a letter to yourself, make a 101 things in 1001 days list, or a list of things to accomplish. This isn't meant to be a resolution list or something to beat yourself up list.  Maybe call it a wishlist instead. Just something to put down ideas in writing, even if they are long shots.

What goal setting do you do? Do you write letters to yourself?  Do you have a 101 things list?

Dreams vs. Goals - Guest Writer Liz Finch

Have you ever dreamed of running a Marathon? Maybe even the Boston? Even if your answer is no, this post can still help you… if you are only willing to take a small journey with me. Ready? Let’s begin.

The first thing you need to learn is that there is a big difference between goals and dreams.  A dream is only a dream. When we take steps to achieve it, then, and only then, does it become a goal.  A dream is the desire to run Boston. A goal is taking steps to run the Boston. Even so, dreams are very important because they are the stepping stones for our goals.

So think with me for a moment, what do you daydream about? I literally had a dream last night that I was running this 5k that I’m registered for and my running was effortless and flowing just like what I had secretly imagined. Okay, so a 5k is a small dream, but it’s a stepping stone to larger dreams like one day running a full marathon.

The very first thing that I need is a mission statement. A mission statement is your dream, written out. So let’s say my big dream is to run in the Disney Princess Half come February 2012. (My small dream was the 5k, remember?) My mission statement might be, “I will train, through 5ks and 10ks, to run in the Disney Princess Half”. Or it might be, “I will become fit and strong through running races and cross training so that I can run the Disney Princess Half”. This mission statement is for you alone, so get as creative as you like!

The next step is where you can get quite creative. Put on your thinking cap, and think of goals that will help you accomplish your mission statement. Mini-steps. The only criteria that you need to use for those are that they must be MAPSS – Measurable, Attainable, Positive, Specific, and Scary!

So a good goal for me is, “I will run 2 5ks and 2 10ks and 1 half marathon to prepare for the Disney Princess Half”. A mini goal is “I will run the 5ks in under 40 minutes”. Measurable, Attainable, Positive, Specific, and Scary! 

Keep making goals until you’ve reached your major goal. So it would look like this:

Run a 5k à Run a 10k à Run a half marathon à Run the Disney Princess Half. 

Under each of those you might have even smaller goals, like a time goal, weight goal, or fitness level goal.

Does that make sense? Remember, any dream can be accomplished if you only break it down into measurable steps.

The last step is the most fun, in my opinion. Post your mission statement and your current goal somewhere where you can see it. On your bathroom mirror, the fridge, where ever! I also post pictures from Runner’s World and especially the posters of the Disney Princess Half all over the house so I’m always reminded of my goal.

Cheers, and Good Luck on your Goals!

L. Finch

Liz is a runner from the Kansas area whose biggest dream is to run the Disney Princess Half... and someday maybe a marathon. Her weakness is coffee, chocolate, and books. After falling and breaking her arm while running, her greatest fear is falling while running. Visit Liz at her blog Feet Dominating Pavement

2011 Goals

Happy New Year! A time to set goals and realign.  Realistically each and everyday is a new day to realign goals but as a society we use the first of the year to focus. The discontentment in my life also rears up around this time. Actually it's been there for a while. What's my goal? My purpose in life?  When I die will it matter to anyone? Will the authorities only discover I'm dead after the property taxes aren't paid and the lien on the house is sold (I read this really did happen to someone a couple years ago). I want to feel like I matter and that life has meaning.  In the meantime while I try and figure this out, I set goals and try and maintain the necessary balance between insanity and the necessities of life.

My 2011 Goals
1. Boston is my biggest goal and focus through April.  After that, I don't have running goals.  To meet the Boston goal I'm going to

• Run South Mountain Thursday mornings
• Focus on eating better and drop some weight. 8 lbs is my goal
• 2 days a week of core work.   Elizabeth has given me some ideas of core work
• Look at tracking my food intake
• Take vitamins daily(C, D, Calcium, multi)
• 2 chai teas a week (instead of one daily)

2. Organize my scrapbook room.  This should come together in January when I get cabinets finally put in.  Once that's done I will update my running scrapbook, which is a year behind. I'm looking forward to making cards and scrapbooking again.

3. Run two Ragnars and volunteer at Del Sol Ragnar

4. Personal improvement.  My friend Jackie has worked through The Artists Way by Julia Cameron and blogged about it.  While I wasn't in a position to start the 12 week journey at that time, I bought the book and  will be starting it soon.  I recommend checking out Jackie's blog for her journey through the book but also to learn about here BIKE method. It's about finding your Best self, your Inner strength, that Killer instinct, and being able to use your Expressive voice

 5. A couple other goals include meeting Sally Meyerhoff, a local elite runner.  Taking a calligraphy class. Making progress on my 101 things in 1001 days.   Breaking 22 minutes in a 5K. Put together a task list where I can check off my sub-goals and keep me focused



Do you write down your goals?  There is a lot of power behind writing down goals.You don't have to publish them for the world to see.  I chose to do so because they seem more real and I can easily find them.  Here's a simple example of how writing down goals helps and sometimes it just happens.  I follow Sally Meyerhoff's blog and have wanted to meet her.  In 2009 while I would sometimes see her during the race (on the out and back courses) I could never find her at the end of the race.  On 12/26/2010 I wrote down my 2011 goals in my journal and wrote down "meet Sally Meyerhoff" and on 12/31 after the midnight madness race, I finally met her.

Here's another example of where writing down goals.  Last year Jess, at Make Under My Life, talked about how she wrote herself a letter as if she was reading it at the end of the coming year.  At the beginning of 2010 I wrote myself a letter of goals and things I wanted to see happen. I set my intention.  I didn't read the letter until a few days ago and over 50% of the things came true.  Some of the things that didn't come true were things like the housing market rebounding, which I have zero control over.  

I used to avoid writing down goals because I'd focus on what I didn't do and use the list as a tool to beat myself up.  The goals were also unrealistic, like lose weight or be happy.  Or maybe they were someone else's, get a million dollars in net worth or buy a Mercedes. If I can be realistic in setting goals and make sure they are true to me, then I can enjoy the process.  And there is nothing stopping me from changing my mind and resetting them at anytime.

Happy Running!

2010 Year in Pictures

2010 was a great running year and for the most part injury free.  Including my new years eve run tonight, I'll have run almost 1290 miles. That's my most ever.  I ran 15 races from 5K to marathon distances and 4 Ragnar Relay races.  Thanks for being great bloggie friends and encouraging me and supporting me through the year.

February - Qualified for Boston in 3:44:02

Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains

February - Ragnar Del Sol

May - Sky Diving

Had 2 sleepless nights camping with my brothers youth group...oh the drama!

June- Somer exchanges with me at Wasatch Ragnar

Running Challenge Questions gets me and other bloggers thinking and sharing

ARR Summer Series - 5 races in the heat of the summer

June- Elevate Running Camp in Flagstaff

Camping

Business Trip to the Carolina's and meeting Lesley, fellow blogger

October - Ragnar Las Vegas

The Best Race in the World with the Black Knight

Running the Women's Half Marathon just to get a cool medal and a PR too

Hiking the Grand Canyon - North Rim

November - Florida Central Ragnar

Hiking the Grand Canyon - South Rim

Lazy Bones Wine

Happy New Year and Happy Running!

1010 Miles - Goal Reached

My goal of 1010 miles in 2010 was reached today.  While I figured this week I would reach the goal, I didn't know today's long  run would be almost exactly what I needed.  I ran 15.12 miles today and had I not looped back around to meet up with John, I would have been shy .06 miles and then I'd have to heard back out before writing this post.  

 
Happy Running!

Ramblings

Have you seen the movie Eat, Pray, Love?  I wish I had read the book to know if the movie stayed true to the message that was sent in the movie. Overall I really enjoyed it.  I loved the fact that she traveled and she was able to find herself but it was a Hollywood movie that glossed over the true anguish someone would go through.  One scene that had me sniffling was her conversation with God and through the painful tears she asks God what to do.  Just tell her what to do she said through her tears.  Oh, how many times I've been there and yet God was silent.  One line that I liked was smile through your liver meaning smile through your whole, entire being.  I believe that if you practice smiling through your liver, it will flow out through your life.  Now, I just need to practice that and see what results I can gain.  Another line that I liked was she doesn't need easy, just not that hard. Again, how many times have I wanted life to just not be so hard.  To hell with the comments" its not the destination its the journey."

Two years ago I had 3 plantars warts removed and no, I didn't kiss a frog! ( I can hear Jamoosh and Adam making funny comments already).  The hole in my foot was 1.5 inches wide and 1/4 in deep.  It was very, very gross and took me a long time to recover. Two months ago I discovered a new wart. It was very small but I know what those suckers can do.  They can grow and multiply and take over the foot making one giant wart foot. I tried the duct tape removal method on the new one but I didn't apply it consistently so had zero results (not sure if I believed it would work in the first place. )  Making an appointment with my podiatrist was the next step.  The timing for the appointment was great because it was right after my Crater Lake Rim Run and in-between races.  When the doctor discovered a second wart, I twisted into a pretzel to see the new invader.  Darn it!  He was right.  I now have two small holes in my foot from having them burnt off (skipped the freezing and went straight to the burn).  It's sore to walk on and I hope to run again in a couple days.  In the meantime...watch out...I'm grumpy.

My next big race is a half marathon on November 7th. I want a PR.  There, its now out there and I now have to be accountable to all of you.  Give me the tough love and don't let me slack.  To meet this goal I have to do  my speed work and my goal runs.  I also want to strengthen my core and lose some weight.  November is really close and I need to get seriously focused if I'm going to meet this goal.  I have one more week of travel for work and then I should be able to eat better and not be tempted with the desserts (I have a big sweet tooth).  My goals are:

• lose 5 lbs.  Eat small meals and no fried food. 
• core work 3 days a week
• One goal paced run of 6 miles a week and incorporate goal miles in my long run.
• One speed workout a week
• Create a running schedule and follow it.

Happy Running!

Handling Missed Workouts

In my recent post My Marathon Training Plan,  I said that I learned that I shouldn't stress so much when having down weeks.  I was asked for tips in handling missed workouts.  Afterall, it is easy to look back and say that it was a blessing in disquise.
I am not that great at handling missed workouts while they occur. Just ask my boyfriend.  The level of anxiety created on missed workouts depends on why the workout was missed. A workout could be missed because of scheduling conflicts, sickness, injuries, oncoming injury, not wanting to run the scheduled workout or just plain not wanting to run.

Reschedule or alter the schedule.  If its one run I'm going to miss, I tell myself that I can make up the run another day or add a couple miles to other runs.  I can switch my track workout or tempo run to another day. I remind myself that I need to be flexible and a couple days won't affect my conditioning and the break will do me good. If there are a lot of missed days one thing I tell myself is having a recovery week is important.  Every 4-6 weeks a 30% reduction of miles is important in training.  I can either continue with the plan when I can or I can rework the plan.

Focus on what you have and not the lack. If it's a reduction in miles or a reduction in a workout I try and focus on what I did do as compared to what I didn't do.  Focusing on what I have is always better than focusing on the lack.  If I have a 5 mile on the schedule and can only do 3 miles, I focus on the 3 miles.  I focus on the fact that I still got out there and got the blood going.  This is true if I ride the bike, swim or do the elliptical instead of run. I got out there and burned calories.

Use down time wisely. If I don't have time for a run or have an injury I try and do strengthening activities. I'm a firm believer that strong hips/glutes prevent or minimize lower leg aches and injuries.  The exercises include situps, push-ups, lunge matrix (forward, side, side-backward lunges), monster walk, planks, leg lifts, bridges, running pose or calf raises.  I won't do all of these at a time but will do a combination. Not only do I know the exercises are strenghtening the muscles but I feel like I"m doing something.

Revise Goals. If you have an injury the only option may be to revise the goals.  When I sprained my ankle I knew a December marathon was no longer an option.  Since the money was already spent I changed to a half marathon and decided between a January and February marathon.  This decision wasn't made easily though and I did shed many, many tears.

If all else fails... CRY!!!

Is there a friend or coach you can talk to? Sometimes hearing someone else perspective helps see what's important.  And sometimes it helps to just cry.

What are the ways you handle missed workouts?

Ramblings

I'm off today (woo hoo!) and will work on unpacking and paperwork.  After dragging out the move for weeks, we ripped off the band-aid and finished moving.  Here's what happened..

1. Show my house to prospective renter on Sunday night
2. Renter implies that he wants the house on Friday
3. John and I look each other and say OH CRAP and begin feverishly packing, arranging truck, housekeeper, carpet cleaner to be out Thursday.
4. Communication with potential renter becomes spotty but finally on Wednesday he says he's renting a different house.
5. We still move everything on Thursday (day before Ragnar race)
6. Saturday, after Ragnar race, show house to another prospective tenant, who needs it ASAP and takes possession on Monday.

Although we were screaming while the band-aid was ripped off  I'm glad that it is done. So now comes the process of figuring out where everything goes.  John may disagree but I think I'm doing very well on identifying stuff to give to goodwill.  We've already made 3 trips to Goodwill and I have another 2 boxes ready to go.  It is so unsettling to be in a state of flux when unpacking.  Soon life will be "normal" again (whatever the heck normal supposed to actually be).

I have made progress towards my 101 Things List including add a blue, pink or purple streak to my hair.  Using permanent hair color added a dark fuscia, probably more of a red to my hair for Ragnar.  Since that wasn't dramatic enough I also used blue, which was temporary but the pictures don't show off it well. 

Alice and Chuck also opted for blue hair.

Now that the marathon and Ragnar is done, I don't have running plans.  I think I switched over to the eating plan because I've put 4 pounds on in 2.5 weeks!  Ack!  I've signed up for a Crater Lake 13 mile run in August but don't have anything else on the schedule. If I don't have a goal I'll continue on the eating plan.  Train for 5K's, which there are an abundance of?  10K's, which there aren't as many?
 What do you think I should focus on? Have you been in this situation? What did you do?

Training Misconceptions

One of the reasons for having a blog is to help you reach their goals.  When I first started running I absorbed everything I could about running.  If the bloggy world existed then (it may have and I just didn't know it) I would have been reading everything I could.  Many ideas were formed from Runners World, from things I heard, from what I thought (with no expertise basis) of what made a good runner, a good half marathoner or marathoner.  Many of those beliefs were wrong. I would compare myself to those false beliefs and not stack up very high against them.  Here are some of my misconceptions and how they have adjusted.  


Misconception #1- You must run every day.
You don't need to run every day to be a great runner.  My marathon training plan consisted of 4 days a week.  Last year when I was training for a marathon I built a schedule running 6 days a week.  That surely would make me a good runner and get me a BQ, or so I thought.  I got injured and was out for about 3 months.  Everybody is different and maybe you can  handle more days a week but 4 days a week is a good number for me. 


Misconception #2- You must run a lot of miles a week.
I thought when starting to train for a marathon that I should be AT LEAST 50 miles a week.  70 would probably be a better number.  These numbers were pulled out of thin air.  Last year I was so proud and excited that my training plan would put me above 50 miles.  But I never got there because I got injured.  This time around, my highest mileage week getting me to my BQ was 41.25 miles.  Again, you might be different and able to run more.  


I would truly love to run more days and more miles a week and maybe I will increase it.  However, the time commitment becomes greater and I can fit the 4 days/40 miles into a schedule pretty easily now.  Could I do 5 days?  50 miles?  Probably but what gives in its place?  


Misconception #3- Each week you must increase your long run and your overall miles.
For my weekly long run I would see saw  between a long long run (18-22) and a shorter long run(14-16 miles) towards the end of the training plan.  The long run paces I didn't worry about too much.  However, I did try and have the last few miles be at goal pace.  The shorter long runs were at goal pace.  In order to be able to run goal pace in a race, you need to train with miles at that same goal pace.


Every 4-6 weeks a decrease of 30% should be built into your schedule.  This allowed a break in the schedule and time for the body to recover.  I would look ahead in the calendar and try and plan my recovery week around a scheduled vacation or a race.   If you are feeling tired or feeling like you have plateaued (even if you aren't training for a half or a full), then you probably need to give yourself a recovery week.


Misconception #4- The pace for the miles doesn't matter and just do miles.
With your miles you also need quality miles (20% of your miles at 10K pace or faster) and goal paced runs to train yourself to run at your desired race pace.  My 4 running days consisted of 

• Speedwork.  This could be at a track or also fartleks (running faster for a time or distance).  I did 800's and worked up to 10x 800's (Yasso 800's). I also did ladders, 200,400,600,800,1000 and back down.  Or I would go to track with the running club and do whatever the coach told us to run.
• Tempo Run. I started with 2 mile tempo at 10K pace and built up to 4 miles.  Tempo runs are my least favorite and these would often turn into a tweener run ( a run between a tempo and a goal) or a whatever run...I was just running.  These are easiest if I run with John since he is naturally faster than me and I would try and keep up with him.
• Goal paced run.  Since 8:45's was my goal pace, I would have one of my mid-week runs be a goal pace run and also the lower mileage long runs be goal paced.  If you are training for a half marathon, a 10K, or a 5K you should build in goal paced miles too.
• Long run. If it was a shorter long run distance ( 14/16) then I would do goal paced after my warmup miles.  Otherwise I would just run whatever I felt like.

The numbers above are what I did training for a full marathon but it is the same concept for a half marathon, 10K and even training for a 5K. If you're training for a half marathon you still want speedwork, tempo runs, goal paced miles and just time being on your feet at whatever pace.

I have plenty more misconceptions but that's enough for now. 

What misconceptions about running and training do you or did you have?

Ramblings

Back in December I posted a 101 things to do in 1001 days.  I have made progress on some of the things and mark them off on the list.  On Thursday I finished one which was give up diet coke for a month.  I had many false starts but have now hit that target and plan on keeping ice tea and just plain water in my diet instead of diet coke.  It wasn't easy and I still get a yearning to have that first delightful sip of diet coke when I hear the fizz when someone pops open a can.  Ahhhhhh.


Despite lacking confidence at the beginning, I had a great tempo run Wednesday night.  My run last night went well too.  I'm finding that throughout the day my energy and enthusiasm dampens but getting out for a run is uplifting. Nothing like a good run to cure the taper or any kind of blues.

Last week I mentioned the spelling errors in the lecture/syllabus for the creative writing class I',m taking.  The instructor did acknowledge that it was done on purpose (thank goodness).  Here’s what he says ”Some of you noticed that there was spelling errors, grammar problems with the first lecture (and if you didn't that is alright - not all writers are editors).  I did this for a reason.  When a reader finds mistakes, they unconciously look for more mistakes.  Their enjoyment of the writing is lost.  Make sure that you reread your work and correct any errors that you find.  People want to read to enjoy the story, not become an editor.”  (I didn’t notice till I copied/pasted that unconsciously was spelt wrong).  I’ve continued to be negative on the class that hasn’t even officially started yet. There is a whole mess-up with the book for class too so all my proactive planning got me no-where. There is a mess-up on when the class starts.  His first week assignment is to start a memoir 1000-2000 words.  Fine.  The next week says to write another 2000 words.  Wouldn’t it have been helpful to have known that at the beginning to pick a topic?  Not to mention the first weeks assignment said 8 pages MAX.  Obviously that can’t be 8 pages max if you just added another 2000 words. I know I'll learn something but am disappointed at the way the class is starting.  Have you ever taken a class where it was disorganized and you thought the professor, although must be smart, was a doofus?

For any of you considering to get into the rental housing business…DON’T.   That’s my advice.

Did you know there was an 8^th dwarf?  His name was Sleazy but that’s inappropriate for a kids cartoon so they had to RIF him right after the casting call. 

101 Things in 1001 days

I'm jumping on the band wagon and have put together a 101 things list to complete in 1001 days.  First I want to explain (ok, really I want to complain) this was a really tough exercise. It took me a month to finish the exercise and I was searching out other people’s 101 lists for inspiration. Putting achievable things was important and if there was something that would have been for 5 years out, it shouldn’t be on the list. Eventually I started putting things down that I knew were going to happen anyways, like moving to a new house or finishing a book I was reading. After all, those are accomplishments and why not have easy things to cross off the list?



The Mission:  Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:  Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?   Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: November 5, 2009
End Date: August 2, 2012

Not Done
In Progress
Completed

Running/Exercise
1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon (2/14/10 IMS Arizona Marathon)
2. Run the Boston Marathon 4/18/11
3. Run 1000 miles each year in 2009 (Nothing like waiting till the last minute.  Complete 12/28/09)
4. Run 1000 miles each year in 2010  (Met the goal in October of 2010)
5. Run 1000 miles each year in 2011 (Buckeye Outdoors went down and the data was lost. I'm sure I met the goal but don't know exact miles run)
6. Read 5 books on running (5/5) (Runners Blood, Tergat, Ryan Hall, Strides (haven't finished it though),snippets of other running books)
7. Post a review for each running book I read (Runners Blood)
8. Do 50 pushups straight
9. Go sky diving (completed May 2010)
10. Take a yoga class
11. Break 22 minutes in a 5K (Feb 2011)
12. Do a podcast review (12/09)

Travel and See the World or stuff in my Own BackYard
13. Go to Yellowstone
14. Go to the Grand Tetons
15. Go to Germany with my dad
16. Visit 3 National Parks I haven’t been to (4/2011 Acadia)
17. Go to Maine (4/2011)
18. Go somewhere with John each month (2/33) (I figure I've done this even if not vacation like)
19. Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (11/09) Day1, Day 2 Day 3
20. Go car camping each summer
21. See the northern lights
22. Go visit my friend Karen in Nashville, TN
23. Go to SLC and visit Somer (4/10)
24. Go to Magic Mountain (or another roller coaster park) with my brothers
25. Go visit my brother in Colorado (3/10)
26. Go to the 4 Corners
27. Go to Lake Powell (does packing and driving up to only have the truck radiator go out and cancel the trip count?)

Crafty Stuff
28. Finish the Spain scrapbook (12/09)
29. Finish the France scrapbook
30. Finish the Italy scrapbook (8/11)
31. Finish my parents scrapbook
32. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2009 (12/09)
33. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2010
34. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2011
35. Sit down and make 10 cards for everyday occasions (12/09)
36. Complete crocheted blanket
37. Scrapbook with Tracy from California (12/09)

Declutter
38. Exfoliate 25% of my stamps (3/10)
39. Exfoliate the Longaberger baskets (1/10)
40. Sell one of the rentals (4/10)
41. Go down to one bookshelf of books (haha, not going to happen and for what reason?)
42. Decide what to do with Gingerbread Christmas village (4/10 put it in the shed. Thank you John)
43. Keep my personal email down to 5 emails for a month
44. Get off unnecessary mailing lists for catalogs

Eating and Food
45. Find a local farmers market in Phoenix and shop as often as possible from it (one opened a mile from house.  SCORE!)
46. Try one new recipe a month (7/33)
47. Try a new restaurant each month. (Gyro House, Jacksonville Restaurant, Corbins, Bomberos, Central Grille, Sam's Gyro's, Rumor's Grill, Blue light special place in Flagstaff, Tuck Shop, disappointing Mexican restaurant, Darcy's Bistro and Pub(Denver) Thai place by track, TobyKeith) (13/33)
48. Raise herbs on the patio (complete but failed, 2010) (grew basil this year and getting a real garden going 1/11)
49. Bring cookies with a thank you note to a police, fire or post office (12/09)
50. Plant a lemon tree
51. Give up diet coke for a month (1/10)

Personal Development or just because
52. Put this list in a blog and update it (12/09)
53. Take a creative writing class (1/10)
54. Find Stacy Smith (4/2011)
55. Plan absolutely NOTHING but a massage one weekend
56. Buy a big, fluffy rug (12/10)
57. Complete getting CPA (uh, not sure if this is essential to me but it’s on the list.)
58. Figure out how to take bad tenants to court October 2010
59. Paint my nails with clear polish once a month
60. Put a temporary purple, blue or pink streak in my hair (2/10 Ragnar)
61. Leave a note telling someone how much I like their Christmas lights.(12/10)
62. Go 48 hours without computer/phone (11/09 in the Grand Canyon)
63. Apply to the National Park Service for a job
64. Have fresh flowers at home for 4 weeks
65. Brush the cats weekly for a month
66. Search out other brands of chai tea  (1/11)
67. Get a manicure
68. Set up the hard drive and back up computer (1/10)
69. Journal every day for 30 days (2/11)
70. Meet one of my blog friends (Christine at Wasatch ragnar 6/10)
71. Sell or do something with my old wedding ring (this turned out very poorly and it's best for it to sit and do nothing for now.
72. Mediate every day for a month
73. Change doctors (12/09)
74. Change dentists (2010.  Decided didn't need to change dentists)
75. Update resume
76. Write another 101 list at the end of the time period
77. Get an eye exam complete November 2010

Because We Should All Be A Little Nicer
78. Give flowers to someone (12/09)
79. Give 100 RAK’s (17/100)
80. Find another organization to donate to (12/09)
81. Donate $10 to charity for every goal not met
82. Give blood (1/3) - after my last blood donation in 5/10 I've decided I'm not going to do it anymore. I'll gladly do the cash charity donation for not accomplishing this one.
83. Send a random care package to a friend 12/10

House Stuff
84. Pack existing house (2/10)
85. Clean house (construction dust is everywhere) (2/10)
86. Oil doors in house (4/10 NA)
87. Move (2/10)
88. Unpack
89. Organize Scrapbook room (4/10)
90. Paint ceiling and beams (12/09)
91. Paint living room accent wall (12/09)
92. Fix broken drip line pipe (12/09)

Entertainment
93. Go to a drive in movie
94. Go to a movie with John (12/09)
95. Have a house warming party - birthday party for John doubles as house warming, right?
96. Finish an Echo in the Bone by Diana Galbadon (1/10)
97. Take each of my nieces and nephews individually to a movie
98. Go to the wildlife zoo in Phoenix
99. Take a photo everyday for 30 days
100. Spend an evening with girlfriends (4/10)
101. Take a photography class -signed up for one January 15th, 2011

Monthly Wrap-Up

November was a good running month.  Even though my ankle is still creaky, I'm running well and for the most part have had good long runs.  My confidence was down much of the month but I had a great race on Thanksgiving and a great long run on Saturday.  My IT band and foot ached following the long run but overall it was a great run.

The month of November I ran 3 races (one double header) and got PR's in both 10K's that I ran.  It is awesome to be getting PR's.  Now I need to remain healthy, continue to train and run a marathon in January or February (yes, I still haven't picked one) and qualify for Boston.  In two weeks I'm running the Tucson half marathon and have my concerns about the downhill course and my IT band.  However, I'm hoping since I've run the 10K's so well, that a PR for the half marathon will happen.

I have gotten lazy on my off days and haven't rode my much bike.  With the holidays and extra projects, I think I'll continue to be ok with taking days completely off.  I didn't log my hiking miles in the Grand Canyon but that was an accomplishment in November as well.

I've run 897 miles in 2009 and only have 103 miles to run in 5 weeks.  At 20 miles a week, this is very achievable and I'm starting to watch it much closer as I near the end of the year.

Happy Running!

Monthly Wrap-Up

I'm happy to be wrapping up the month of October.  Three weeks off from an ankle sprain was not easy.  But I'm running again and went for a 10 miler yesterday that I was only 2 seconds off goal pace. I do have the challenges of my ankle still aching but more than that I'm struggling with getting back to good nutrition.  The candy that is around the office and the candy that was 75% off at the store this morning and is now in my car is very tempting and I'm giving in.

I need to change the Tucson marathon to the half marathon and I think once I actually make the switch I'll be able to get back into my training and eating better. I know I need to switch my entry and sign up for PF Changs but there is something preventing me.  The cost of $115 for PF is one reason and the number of people in PF is another.  I think another reason is my lack of confidence and fear of getting injured again.  I really wish I had a crystal ball.

To wrap up October I ran 50 miles, which is higher than I thought it would be.  It just goes to show you how doing something a little bit at a time adds up.  In addition to the running I did 61 miles on the bike.

Here's to finishing up October and looking forward to a strong November

Monthly Wrap-Up

Where does time go? Its already a couple days into September and I need to do my monthly wrap up for August. It was a great month. Although I didn't do any swimming this month, I did continue with the biking and was able to run on a consistent basic. I signed up for an 18 miler in New Jersey in October and I started my 16 week marathon plan.

On my tempo run this morning I was running with John and we came across two ladies walking. Since I was a couple strides behind him I told the ladies that I was trying to catch him. They yelled to me that I could do it. Go SHE POWER. I sprinted and caught up to him and yelled SHE POWER. The SHE POWER wore me out some but I still managed a good pace. My mile splits for the tempo run were 7:36, 7:37 and 7:35. I was surprised at the last split since I was getting tired. Just goes to show you what SHE POWER can do.

Happy Running and Keep Moving Forward.

Monthly Wrap-Up

I'm feeling pretty happy today. Last night I went to the track and ran 8 x 400's with sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, squats and bridges between each lap. I did 80 push-ups...boy push-ups too...and my arms aren't screaming. Or let me say they aren't screaming yet...DOMS may still hit. My hip is also feeling ok, probably since I took a prescription anti-inflammatory last night right after the workout.

Tomorrow I'm going to run 6 miles so today is a rest day. I'm becoming hopeful that I'll be able to start a marathon schedule in 3 weeks. There is an 18 mile run in New Jersey in October that I would like to sign up for and need to make sure that I can be at 18 miles for the day. Just think....automatic PR since I have never raced an 18 miler yet.

Once again seeing the numbers in a monthly total is impressive to me. I have figured I wasn't running much but considering I only ran 16 miles and biked 69.7 miles in June, running 41 and biking 75 in July is a substantial increase. I swam less in July and probably won't get much in for swimming during August since the pool is closed now in the afternoons during the week.

Monthly Totals

Monthly Wrap-Up

I follow a couple of blogs and stole an idea from fellow runner Sneaker Sister at http://sneakersister.blogspot.com/. Sneaker Sister posted her monthly totals and I love that idea. When I look at my totals for the month I don't feel like I'm such a lazy bones after all.

Monthly Totals

Although my running was only at 16 miles, my biking was almost 70 miles and almost 3 hours of swimming.

I did start to run again last week (and probably had almost all those 16 miles in that week) but it quickly caught up to me. That is a problem for me...I start to run, feel ok, think I'm super woman and run too often and too fast. I ran 2 miles this morning after 4 days off and am feeling pretty good. I would love to go out again tomorrow and run but I'll be smart and bike in the morning and run Thursday night at track. I'll just have to remember to run SLLLLOOWWWLLY.

Give Me a Donut

I love donuts, especially maple frosted donuts and donuts with rainbow sprinkles. Very Yummy. A couple of weeks ago I got a card for Krispy Kreme donuts where I could get a free donut and coffee (yuck, tastes like dirt) every day. After eating three donuts within the time span of one short week I knew that card had to go.

Why do I bring up donuts you ask? Because the draft title of Dean's book has donut in it. Oh, it also has the word "goal" but if you could think about goals or a donut, which one would you think about?

One "PRO" listed in the book for setting goals is "Falling short of a goal will leave you further along than if you never tried. " This one is hard for me to reconcile with. I feel like I've failed in not being able to run the marathon I signed up for (that happened to have been for yesterday). How can I be further ahead than if I've never tried? If I focus on the negative's then I can come up with many reason to answer that question. However, I know answering with negatives will get me nowhere but more tears so here is how I got further:

I got one more 18 miler under my belt for experience

I got to see the buffalo on my 18 miler (really I live in Arizona, not the mid-west)

I was able to listen to 3 hours of music without feeling guilty of doing nothing

I could have eaten many donuts based on how many miles I've run

I've learned about my IT band and what a bugger the TFL muscle is

I've made a couple new friends on the web that also have IT issues

I've been able to ride my bike along with my boyfriend as he runs

I could come up with many more reasons how I've gotten further with my goal than if I hadn't set it at all but I'll stop with those. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this quote I found.

"It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is best from the top. " ~Arnold Bennett

Goal setting

The great thing about goals is you can redefine them. Oh, my goal is still to qualify for Boston but I want to change my sub-goals.

Goal: Run a Boston Qualifying marathon in 2009 with a 3:50 or less.

Subgoal:

1. Run NO MORE than 5 days a week
2. Take one full day of rest
3. Run one long run, one speed work and one tempo run a week
4. Eat regularly with healthy snacks, watch red meat intake and reduce refined sugar
5. Include strenghtening exercises 4-5 days a week. (monster walk and plank at a minimum)

As I think about my goals I realize I need shorter focus goals. I'm running Wasatch Ragnar in the middle of June and need to be ready. So my shorter term goals are to do my PT exercises and run 4-7 miles, go to Ragnar and have a blast.

Book in the Making

One of the things I enjoy doing is helping people. I have helped test a program www.gowagon.com, written documentation for www.buckeyeoutdoors.com (although that is still in progress) and edit two books for my friend and running coach Dean. So when Dean sent me a chapter of his new book, I happily read it. One of the awesome things about seeing a book through the process is the morphs the book takes from the initial idea to the end result.

Usually most stories about someone starting to read a book is they curl up on the couch, next to the fireplace with their cat cuddling next to them. Living in Phoenix with a broken A/C on a day that's to hit 105 doesn't lend to that level of comfort and coziness.

Opening up the document I see that its 15 pages...ugh. Why when I read a book do I like short chapters, even if its the best book in the world. Guess that's a carry over from college days and doing homework.

The chapter is about goal setting.....hmmm. Certainly an area I can improve in. It goes through the list of why (yeah, yeah, know all about those), why not to (hey if I don't create a goal I can't fail at it, right?) Hey, its talking about not sitting on my butt eating that donut (little does Dean know that I have a card for a donut a day from Krispy Kreme) and wait, it says don't go to the scrapbooking store and get fancy paper (is that comment directed towards me? One can never have too much scrapbooking supplies.)

I like this idea and had tried it since I liked it. "A trick I learned long ago was to have a key word that reminded me of my goal. I wrote it on a small colored piece of paper and put it in my wallet next to the dollar bills. Every time I went to purchase anything anytime, I would see that paper. Several times a day I reinforced my goal. What makes this so practical is that in very short order, I would only have to see glimpses of that piece of paper and I would immediately think of my goal. I didn’t have to take a “goal setting worksheet” out of a file in my desk and read through it to remind myself of what I wanted to achieve. It was instant. It was repetitive. It was cheap. It was private. " The problem with it, is its not fool proof an I'm a skeptic. I had did that, was working towards my goal and yet got injured so there went my goal. Yes, I know that I will try again but what did I do to attract the injury when I had did everything I was supposed to? Or thought I was supposed to? How do I know what I missed?

Dean's comment to keep a goal private is something I'll try next time. I told people that I was training to qualify and now I have to deal with the questions of when's my race or how's my training going and I have to deal with my own disappointment each time I answer them.

One thing about reading about goals is I feel I should set them (again).

Here's my new goal following the goal setting steps outlined.

Goal: Run a Boston Qualifying marathon in 2009 with a 3:50 or less time.

Subgoal:

1. Run NO MORE than 5 days a week
2. Run one long run, one speed work and one tempo run a week
3. Reduce red meat, refined sugar (ohhh, that doesn't mean I give up my chai tea does it?)
4. Include strenghtening exercises 4-5 days a week.

So I set them, now what? Each day I need to work closer to the goals. Dean asks the question..."What one thing have you done today to get closer to your goals?" When I'm running on a regular basis the answer...I went for a run is too dull, too standard, is it really working towards my goal. If you're working towards a goal aren't you supposed to feel extraordinaire in someway?

So I've begun my journey working towards my goal to qualify. 4 miles today and now I need to focus on what I'm doing and not the fact that I was suppose to be tapering for my marathon right now. I ran 4 miles, with almost no discomfort and that is more than I was able to do a week ago. Tomorrow, I'll do something to work towards my goal.