Thank You Running Gods

I woke up this morning and my leg felt 100 times better. I don't know who to thank - either my 'Stick' (roller) after spending quality time with it last night, maybe all the stretching helped, or maybe it was just the running Gods looking down on me and giving me a break. Anyway, I'm thinking yesterday's soreness after the run was hopefully just due to not running for 2 weeks and running too far and too fast on my first day back (what can I say, I was excited). So, I'm hoping if I keep it to a few slow miles a few days this week I can get a much needed break from the pool. I'll play it by ear...

The Mother Effing Pool

My run this morning didn't go well. I'm back to the mother effing pool for another week. And, pool only this week as the bike and elliptical seem to be irritating my sciatic nerve. I better swim like Michael Phelps after 3 weeks of chlorine overload. GAH.

Why it's a GOOD Friday

• Because it's simply Friday. Work is insanely busy for me right now, and I am looking forward to not thinking about work at all this weekend (we'll see if that actually happens).
  
  
• I finally got the 60 page bitch, otherwise known as our Spring/Summer brochure, off my damn desk and to the printer. This has been like a 2 month work in progress. Unfortunately, I have another one, though not as big, to begin in about a week.
  
  
• We're hosting Game Night at our house on Saturday. I love games. Dan hates games and will never play with me. Unless I invite people over to the house and force him too. We're playing Sour Apples to Apples. Anyone ever played that?
  
  
• I have about 500 people signed up for the 5k I am in charge of on Saturday, Feb 4 (Cupid's Chase 5k for those local who want to sign up!!). The weather is looking nice for race day, so we should get a lot of people who sign up race day and will likely get close to 600 runners. This is big for a small town 5k. I work my ass off planning this race and trying to make it a good one. Before I took over this race, we averaged about 175 runners. Who else thinks I deserve a big raise for more than doubling participation in the last few years? :)
  
  
• AND, the best Friday news of all: I can run again, starting on Sunday! Halle-frickin-luyah. And, just FYI to everyone (including myself) who didn't think I could make it 2 weeks without running, I did not run ONE STEP over the last 2 weeks. Gold star for me.
  
  HAPPY WEEKEND!
  

My Week of Cross Training in Review

I survived week one of cross training; one week down, one to go. While I wasn't able to exercise with my first choice of activities - running - I was able to get my sweat on other ways, and for that I am thankful. My week involved 16,500 yards of swimming, a Pilates class, two core workouts, an a spin workout on my bike trainer.

My week of workouts...
Monday: Rest

Tuesday: (Lunch) 1900 yd swim

Wednesday: (AM) 3,500 yd swim; (Lunch) Pilates; (PM) Core workout. I've been doing the McMillan core workouts that are specifically designed for runners. It's a 3-disc DVD series with different workouts and levels on each DVD; I really like it.

Thursday: (AM) 3,400 yd swim: (Lunch) 1800 yd swim. My first ever 'double' swim day.

Friday: (Lunch) 2,600 yd swim

Saturday: 5,100 yd swim. This was my longest swim to date. I did 5x1000 with about 1 minute rest between sets. 100 kick cool down. It got boring...I got sick of seeing that little black line over and over again.

Sunday: My arms needed a break from swimming. The doctor said I could add cycling in as long as it didn't hurt and I stayed out of aero position. So, I loaded my bike on the trainer in the garage and got to work with a 50 minute spinning workout (Spinervals Sweating Buckets DVD). It felt good to actually SWEAT. I followed up the spin workout with another one of McMillan's core workouts.

One more week of no running. This week I'll incorporate some spin classes into the mix and continue with my swimming.

Happy training everyone!

Pool Rat

Hi there. Meet my new best friend. His name is swimming pool.

This is not me. I look 10x worse swimming.

Since I am out of running commission for two weeks and all I can do is swim, I've been a swimming fool. Minutes after the doctor told me no running, but I could swim my little heart out, I marched down the hall from the training room directly to the pool. Since then, I've been swimming more than I have ever swam in my life (5 swims in 4 days, ranging from 2,000 to 3,500 yards) and now have an overwhelming scent of chlorine that follows me around, even after showering.

Although it doesn't provide the same high as running, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. And, I've noticed that I am swimming a few seconds per 100 yds faster than I have before - probably because I am fresher, as opposed to throwing in a swim after a hard run. AND, my leg is starting to feel better. That's the best news.

I will say, I'm feeling a little lost heading into the weekend without any runs - particularly a long run - planned. I feel like I don't know what to do with myself. However, my choices are pretty simple: do nothing or swim. So, swim it will be. I decided since I can't run a 5k tomorrow, I am going to try to swim a 5k. It may take me all damn morning to do it, but I am going to give it a try. If you haven't heard from me by 1 pm, I've probably drowned.

Now that I am an expert swimmer (sarcasm, folks) I will list a few swimming observations from the past few mornings at the Recreation Center and afternoons at Southwestern:

•  The scenery stinks. Same black line all the time. Never changes. The only thing that can make it interesting is the swimmers in the lanes nearby. I know it isn’t what I should be doing but I get bored and my ego makes every lap turns into a throw-down even if the guy two lanes over is only working with a kickboard.
  
• I can’t dance. No rhythm. Swimming is series of intricate movements that must be performed perfectly. Toes pointed, hands cupped, extending my stroke as far as I can, use high elbows, rotate your hips(but not too much), don’t cross your arms, and oh yeah breathe. I feel like I’m performing an exotic Latin dance while wearing snow boots.
  
• Dry Skin. This is the worst part. Even after showering and moisturizing immediately after wards, I can feel my skin being pulled tight as moisture in my skin suddenly disappears. I spend the rest of the day scratching my poor dry dead skin. 
  
• The nice chlorine smell that permiates from your skin the rest of the day.
  
• With swimming, technique is much more of a factor in times then pure physical fitness. This irritates me.
  
• Goggle eyes. I've tried so many different types of goggles, it isn't even funny.  If I wear them loose, they leak.  If I wear them to actually keep water out, I walk around looking like an owl or looking like someone has beat me up all day. 
  
  

Next week I'm cleared to add Water Running to my regimen. Let's see how many old ladies with noodles I can race.

The Silver Lining

I went to see a sports doctor yesterday, and the verdict is...(drum roll, please)...I am dealing with sciatica, which is the irritation and inflammation of my sciatic nerve that runs up and down my leg. So, the answer to my question I asked him 2.5 seconds after he told me this: How long of no running? The answer: 2 weeks.

While 2 weeks of no running seems like an eternity to me, if I look at the bigger picture it's really nothing. I'm already on Day 3. Just a short blip in time. 2 weeks of not running is better than the alternative - which is continuing to run, not letting the nerve heal, causing it to permanently rupture and end up on crutches. So, while I could moan, bitch and feel sorry for myself, I am choosing to look at the bright side: as I feel there truly are some silver linings with this injury, and I truly believe I will come back stronger post-injury.

Silver Lining #1:
I am cleared to swim to my little heart's content. So, it's not like I have to sit around eating bon bons. I know there are a lot of runners out there who don't know how to swim and/or don't have access to pools. I am lucky to both know how to swim, swim on a regular basis anyway, and have access to two pools free of charge every day of the week. And, they are both within a 2 mile radius of my house. I feel pretty lucky about that.


Silver Lining #2:
I've been wanting to work on my swimming and get better/faster. Running has always been my main focus, so swimming only 2-3 times per week isn't making me much better. But getting in the pool 6 times per week will. Last week I picked up some pointers from the swim coach at Southwestern, and I can use these next two weeks to not only increase my swimming endurance, but to work on improving my stroke technique.

Silver Lining #3:
I am cleared to continue with my Pilates class and do core work. I said I wanted to be more consistent with my core work, and now is the perfect time.

Silver Lining #4:
I am going to be forced to clean up my diet. It's the simple equation of calories in vs. calories out. If I am not going to be running, I can no longer eat like a human garbage disposal who is running 70 miles per week. I am used to eating without caution, but when I started to take a look at my diet yesterday, there are very simple ways for me to not only cut out extra calories, but really clean up my diet. Not eating out with play a big factor in this (sorry, Dan). Subbing fruit for fries, cheese-its, candy and basically many of the unhealthy snacks I seem to partake in; cutting down on the mayo I put on my sandwiches; skipping the cream cheese on my morning bagel; quit eating the ice cream/frozen yogurt desserts at night just out of habit - dessert is not always a must!; cutting out alcohol; not eating an entire basket of chips/queso when we eat Mexican food; not using an entire bag of cheese on my salads - the list could go on and on. A lot of times I eat out of habit rather than hunger, and I think sometimes as a runner I get the mind set that I can eat whatever I want. I wouldn't be surprised if I actually lose weight during my running hiatus just from simply paying more attention to what I shove in my pie hole.

Today's Lunch/Snacks: Raisins, Banana, Apple, Carrots, Greek Yogurt, Turkey Sandwich, Clif Bar

This morning was my first morning trip to the pool in awhile. I was out of bed at 4:45 am, and first in line at the Rec Center at 5:20 am so I could get my choice of lanes when the pool opened at 5:30 am. I swam 3,500 yards and left feeling good...I have to admit I got a little jealous when I saw driving home and saw people running, but my time will come.

To make the day off to an even better start, I arrived at work to receive a Starbucks gift card from a co-worker, thanking me for always helping him out with projects, etc. Let me tell you, that small act of kindness went a long way with me this morning. And, made me remember that there are more important things than running.

Made my day.

I'm Apologizing in Advance...

...if I'm a complete b*^ch this week. I am not running AT ALL this week (fingers crossed it's just a week) so that my aches and pains can heal. I've done a number on my hip/entire left leg, and trying to run through it would be idiotic and only prolong my recovery. Soooooo, I'm taking my longest break from running in ....oh....5 years?....and resting.

So, I imagine I'm going to be a little grumpy this week. See, running provides so many benefits for me - one of them is keeping my sane and helps me to relieve stress. And, unfortunately, I have a very stressful few weeks of work ahead. Work stress + no running = bitchy Erin. Sorry, Dan (and friends and co-workers and random strangers who come across my path).

I'm doing my best to keep a positive attitude and remember this too shall pass. And, I can swim. While it doesn't provide the same "high" as running, it's something. So, I'm thankful for that.

How do you relieve stress other than running? Any ideas for me? Ones that don't include eating lots of ice cream....


A big thank you to everyone for their kind words on my DNF post. They were very much appreciated and the bright spot in an otherwise dark day.

DNF

This is an extremely hard post for me to write. And, I promised my husband I won't make it a long one as it's our last day in Phoenix, and I am determined to make it a good one.

I've literally done hundreds of races in my lifetime. I've powered through an ironman, a 50 miler, countless races in god awful heat, etc. And, I've never quit a race. Never. I've never DNF. Today I did. It is an incredibly hard pill for me to swallow.

What happened? My body said no way in hell are you running 26.2 today. My body is a stubborn mother fucker. Today is not your day it told me. And, I acquiesced.

Earlier in the week I mistook some soreness in my hip/glute region as just soreness. I chalked it up to just soreness, nothing more. By Thursday, it was still lingering. Bad. By Friday I started to to think it may be a pulled muscle. I rested Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I took Advil. I prayed I would be good to go on race day. Unfortunately, I wasn't.

To be honest, today has all been a blur for me: all I  remember is the feeling of defeat that came with pulling out of the race at mile 16. I remember the tears, the humiliation and the defeat I felt in not finishing the race. The race was delayed 30 min in starting - I could blame that. Say it threw me off my game. I could blame a lot of things. But, the truth is: there is no one to blame but myself.

I could say my injury is a freak one; but, it's not. It's a result of improper rest and  recovery. I am stubborn and I do not know when to say when. So, i f you can take anything from this, it's do not as I do, but do as I say. Constantly pushing yourself to the limit without proper recovery WILL catch up with you. It did to me today.

I started out today just fine. Phoenix is flat and fast. Perfect for a PR. I was running the first 7 miles at 7:14 pace. Then pain hit. My hip/glute area was so tight that it was sending shooting pain up and down my left leg. My shins started to shoot with pain as well. I started to alter my stride. BUT Nothing was going to stop me. I could run through this.

I was wrong. By mile 10, I was in dire pain. A concerned police officer told me I looked very wobbly running - was I okay?? Sure, I told him. I'll be just fine. I'm Erin. This isn't my first dance with the marathon.

Mile 12 - I can't do this anymore. I am basically limping mile to mile and I am defeated. Unfortunately, the marathon and half started different places, so there is no option for me to turn off and run the half. Tears are streaming down my face. I am praying that this too shall pass. It did not.

I start to bargain with myself. Just one more mile. One mile at a time. You have to make it to the finish line.

At mile 16, I lost the battle with myself.

I made the decision to pull off at a medical tent and call it a day. I immediately burst into tears. A nice med tent aid told me "Don't worry, you made it 16 miles! What a great accomplishment." I was very thankful for her kind words, but I wanted to tell her, "I am Erin! I don't quit! This is not me!"

The ride back to the finish line in the SAG vehicle was humiliating  for me. My husband was waiting at the finish line for me. My mom was awaiting texts via the tracking. They would be so disappointed. And worried. I let everyone down. I sat in the SAG van and cried. And cried. The very nice gentlemen who also DNF put things in perspective for me. He told me  these things happen and I am my hardest critic. And, though I blew it off at the time, he is right.Thank you kind sir. He had run 50 marathons, and his words were very comforting to me.

There is no room for self pity after today. I have not treated my body kindly. I have not recovered as I should after big races. Eventually, my streak of good races was coming to an end - and today it did. All I can do is move forward. I will live to run another day. That's all I can ask.

Thank you to everyone for your support and kind comments. I am very lucky to have such awesome people in my life.

We Made It

We made it to Phoenix. Time to see what I can pull out of my bad of tricks tomorrow morning for Marathon #18. Here we go!

View from our hotel. We're staying in Tempe, literally on Arizona State's Campus (hence the big "A")

Yes, he's wearing a Cocks hat. South Carolina Gamecocks, that is.

Lucky bastard only has to run 13.1 miles tomorrow.

Lucky #1218.

Carb loading. CHEERS!

See ya on the other side!

Sometimes rest is just what the doctor ordered...

Usually on Thursday mornings at a hair past 7 am, I am just returning from running with the group, shedding my sweaty running clothes and getting ready for the work day. This morning, however, at a hair past 7 am, I was snuggled under my big comforter debating how many more minutes I could sleep until I actually had to get up for work. I had gone to bed around 9 pm. That's a good 10 hours of sleep. I was supposed to run 5 miles this morning - last pre-marathon run. Needless to say I didn't.

I rarely miss run group, and I hate when I miss it. Although the group was running hills this morning, I had planned to join them for an easy 5 miles, minus the hills. 5 miles was on my schedule. I rarely skip my morning workout, and if I do, I'm already thinking about how to make it up later in the day. The strive to be “perfect” often defers me from remembering to give my body rest when it's calling for it.

This has been a really busy week at work for me. That, along with the cedar fever plaguing Texas, and constant weather changes have left me feeling a little bit run down. I also made the incredibly dimwit move of doing a bunch of squats, lunges and burpees on Monday that left me incredibly sore. So, by the end of the work day yesterday, the 4:45 am wake up call to go to run group Thursday morning and run 5 miles did not sound very appealing. I started to bargain with myself - maybe I'll sleep a little later and just run 3 miles. But, then I got to thinking about it, and talked some sense into myself. Running 5 miles - or 3 for that matter - is not going to make me run faster in my marathon on Sunday. It really won't provide any benefit at this point. In fact, running this morning when my body was saying REST, would likely just do more way more harm than good.

Fortunately (and sometimes unfortunately), I am one of those people that is excited about exercise/physical activity; it doesn’t take much bribing at all to get me moving. So it can be hard for me to forgo a run or skip a scheduled workout. Sometimes my mind is there ready to go, but my body isn't.  And, to be honest, sometimes I feel guilty about taking a rest day, even though I need it, and seeing everyone else post about their awesome workouts (another reason I got off of Daily Mile). But, sometimes I need to take a day to sit around and not do much of anything at all. And that is okay.

So, today I will rest and forget those 5 miles and will not feel guilty. Hopefully my body will thank me on Sunday. Phoenix bound in the morning!

Anyone else ever feel guilty about taking unscheduled rest days?

Wordless Wednesday

I received the following text message from Dan this morning and almost spit out my coffee.

Only in Texas

**excuse my misspelling of seriously. I was too busy laughing to worry about spelling.

Race Week

Race week is here, and our mini-vacation couldn't come at a better time. I'm completely overloaded at work right now with planning one of my work events -Cupid's Chase 5k- and trying to get our massive Spring brochure done and back from the printer by February 1. So, I'm ready to get out of town for a few days, relax and run Marathon #18 - the Phoenix Rock & Roll Marathon. I've never been to Phoenix - or Arizona for that matter - and am excited about checking out the area, and of course, running. Side note: if anyone has any recommendations of good places to eat, visit, see etc. please let me know!!

This is my first race since JFK 50 on Nov. 19, so I don't really have a plan. My training since then has been spotty, and with the holidays just behind me, I am not sure what I am capable of for 26.2 this weekend. I am going to do my best, of course, I'm just not sure what my best is right now. My plan is to use this race as a base for Boston to see where I'm at with my training and what I need to work on. I'm taking a week recovery after Phoenix before starting my Pfitz Boston Training plan on Jan. 23. The weather should be nice in Phoenix and the course flat, so I have that going for me. I think I am capable of running a 3:15 this weekend, so I will pace myself accordingly to start off the race and re-access the situation at the half-way point if need be. Side note: I'm a little annoyed with Rock & Roll. This is the second race lately (first being San Antonio) I've run of theirs where the fastest pace group for the marathon is 3:30. What happened to the 3:10, 3:15 and 3:20 pace groups? I would have appreciated the opportunity to run with the 3:15 group but guess I'm on my own :)

If you wish to track me,  you can receive text updates on your phone by registering HERE. This information really is for you, Mom, as I'm sure no one else is in dire need of my race results. :) My bib # is 1218.

This week will be pretty easy workout wise for me, as I'm mini-tapering this week [my own version of taper; I'll use a real one for Boston. Pinky promise]. I ran 7 miles easy this morning with strides, tomorrow will be some 2k repeats at marathon goal pace, Wednesday 7 miles with 2 @ marathon goal pace, Thursday 5 easy, Friday swim, Saturday rest.

Phoenix here I come.

Week in Review

First week post-holidays down. To be honest, it was meh. I am carrying around some holiday weight and it makes me feel like a pile of poo. I did better this week eating for the most part, but we still had our fair share of indulgences- HI Thursday night trip to Uptown Social for fried pickles, beer and a an entire pizza for myself and HELLO again Gloria's for Sunday brunch of delicious El Salvadorian food, bottomless mimosas and dessert. Oh well. I have come to the conclusion that I am never going to be the girl who is super concerned about eating clean, calories,trans fat and indulgences and how they may or may not affect my running  - I spent too much time in my 20's doing that. Time to live and let live.

Last week in review: 54.03 running miles; 3 swims, 2.5 core workouts
Monday: 5.5 mile easy recovery run @8:01 pace

Tuesday: Back to work and a normal schedule. (AM) 10.68 miles @ run group. We did mile repeats with 400m recovery. I wasn't thrilled with my mile splits. I felt like I was running faster than I actually was, which sucks, by the way. The core workout w/recoveries was 5 miles in 35:40. Mile splits were 6:51, 6:45, 6:32 and 6:42.
(Lunch) Back in the pool after a 2 week  hiatus with a 2,200 yd swim.
(PM) McMillan Core Workout. I bought McMillan's Core DVDs with a gift card. They are short (15 min workout) but tough. Level 1 had me quivering and whining like a baby.

Wednesday: (AM) 8.64 mile hilly recovery run @8:12 avg pace. Finished with planks and push ups. (Lunch) Back in the pool for 2,200 yd swim; (PM) My first Yoga Class!

Thursday: (AM) Run Group - We did a fun multi-venue workout this morning which consisted of a 2K repeat, 3x800',s and hill repeats, good for 8.64 miles. Again, I was a bit discouraged with my speed work. I feel like I'm carrying extra weight (which I am, dammit) and it's making me slower. (Lunch) McMillan Core workout + portions of Jillian Michael's Core Workout. I was so sore on Friday.

Friday: (Lunch) 5.2 miles @7:57 pace.


Saturday: 15.22 miles. 2.21 miles wu @8:30 pace, 13.01 miles @ 7:47  pace. 2,000 yd swim post-run.

Sunday: XT. 30 min Elliptical at Southwestern.

Short work week ahead...Phoeninx bound Friday...my first Pilates class tomorrow...good times!

My Attempt at Yoga

Lately, it seems as though everyone and their mother practices yoga. I've been saying for months (years?) that I need to try it for myself. My resistance has come from the fact that 1) I am extremely inflexible, I can’t touch my toes, and balance and being still are NOT my strong points; and 2) It's hard to make the time among swim, bike & run to dedicate to yoga.

But, I finally bit the bullet and went with a friend to a Core Vinyasa Yoga class last night. I didn't have anything going on, and the first class was free so I had nothing to lose.

The verdict? I don’t hate it. I don’t love it either, but I’m committed to trying it again with a different instructor before making a decision. I’m hoping it will increase my flexibility. Since I currently have none, I’m thinking things can only get better.

Just because you are fit and in shape does not mean you will be good at yoga. I definitely had to check my ego at the door. Most of the postures are very challenging, I couldn't complete them properly. The nice thing is that you work at your own level. So while those around me held onto their feet while fully extending their legs in the air, I was happy to just extend my legs.

In case you haven't figured it out, I was not very good at yoga. Not even a little. I have the flexibility of a stick. My downward dog should be re-named what the fuck is that. The instructor asked if she could touch me so she could try and position me in the correct position, but my body just wasn't having it. I feel like I'm whatever level comes before beginner. I probably need a remedial class.

I also had trouble with the whole mind-body connection. I attempted to practice focus and meditation and my body and mind are like "practice something else like eating or sleeping". I tend to get bored easily and my mind wanders a lot. But, maybe I just need to work harder at it. I can't say I gave it my best effort to make the mind-body connection, as for half of the class I was trying to figure out how to get into the correct pose. And, a lot of times I realized I was holding my breath. Which is definitely a yoga no-no.

One thing that did strike a chord, however, is something the instructor said repeatedly throughout the class: "Let go of the actions and behaviors which no longer serve you”. I immediately thought she was referring to my love affair with good beer, on-line shopping, sugary candy, and reality television. But as the words sit with me now, I think it’s deeper than that. I think, for me anyway, it’s about letting go of that comfortable but harmful thought pattern of not doing enough, or being enough, or doing it right, or not doing it like everyone else does it. Basically, I need to shut the hell up. I AM enough.

So, yoga, I'll be back. And, hopefully next time I'll bring my A game.

Do Not Make Bets on Twitter

Last week I made a bet with @sumjam, a fellow local runner, on Twitter that my Louisville Cardinals (#4) would beat his Kentucky Wildcats (#3) in basketball on Saturday (12/31). The loser would be forced to wear the opposing team's (ENEMY) apparel at their next race.

I lost the bet.

In case you don't know, wearing anything from the University of Kentucky is a DOUBLE WHAMMY for me (and hence, a tragedy).

I received my graduate degree from the University of Louisville. Therefore University of Kentucky = state rival team.

I received my undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina. University of South Carolina is in the SEC (Southwestern Conference). University of Kentucky is in the SEC. This = rival schools.

So, any way you look at it, the bottom line is I highly dislike the University of Kentucky.

Q: How do you compliment an University Of Kentucky fan? A: Nice tooth.

However, a bet's a bet, and I am now forced to wear this get up at my next race. Which is Phoenix Rock & Roll Marathon. 26.2 miles in this.

Congrats, James, on your Wildcat victory. I hope you know all of my Phoenix Rock & Roll pictures are now ruined. :)

Hi there Rick. Thanks for ruining my New Year's Eve. And my future race pics.

2012 Goals

I wasn't going to go a "goals" post, but there are some things I want to accomplish in 2012, so maybe putting them in writing will hold me accountable. So, here goes:

Fitness Goals:

1. Run a sub-3:10 marathon.

2. Train properly for a marathon. This includes actually following a training plan, recovering properly, and tapering before the big race. This also means not racing every weekend. I've never really followed a training plan, tapered, nor had an "A" race marathon where I was specifically was chasing a particular goal. Instead, I ran what I felt like running, raced all of the time and hoped that at least one of the races would produce the goal I was looking for. So, to achieve Goal #1, a sub-3:10 marathon, I've done some research and developed a training plan from Pete Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning book. I looked at several plans, and this one seemed to suit me best.

Dear Pete, Please lead me to a sub-3:10 marathon. Thank you kindly, Erin.

I already had Phoenix R&R marathon on my race schedule in a few weeks, so I will be starting this training schedule a week after Phoenix R&R. It will different for me to follow a plan on a daily basis, and it may end of not being my thang, but I'm going to give it a shot.

3.Consistent Core Work. I go through phases where I am either incredibly consistent with my core work, or incredibly sporadic. I've see the benefits my running has reaped from core work, and I would like to make it more of a priority in 2012.

4. Try Yoga and Pilates. This, I believe, will also help with Goal #3. I am going to my first yoga class (a Yoga Core Class) on Wednesday evening. I also signed up for a 2 day per week lunch time Pilates Class at Southwestern. I'm incredibly inflexible and so I've always shied away from these type of activities, but I just need to suck it up, realize I'll look like a fool, and just do it.

5. Become a Better Swimmer. Dan's co-worker - the swim coach at Southwestern - has offered to help me several times with my swimming, and I need to take him up on it. I've always felt too embarrassed in the past to have anyone help me because I know my stroke is horrible but I am certainly not going to get better on my own.

6. Trail Run Twice Per Month.

7. Knock out a solid 70.3 race at Buffalo Springs Half-Ironman in June. Don't let that race course kick my ass again.

Non-Fitness Related Goals:
1. Eat out Way Less. Attempt to cook more. Prepare meals for the week on Sunday and have a plan in place. I am a horrible cook. I know most people say this, but it's really true in my case. I always see people post these great looking healthy recipes, but I'm not able to replicate them. And, to be honest, I really don't even like to cook. This results in us eating out a lot. Which wastes a lot of money. Every year we say we are going to quit eating out so much, and every year we fail. Maybe we'll have better luck in 2012.

Today, I prepared this lovely fruit salad so I would have healthy snacks for work this week. Betty F-in Crocker. (baby steps)

2. Eliminate Clutter. Do You Remember Life Before Social Media? While I appreciate everything social media has brought to my life, I have to admit lately I feel like it's taken over. I feel like social media should compliment your life, rather than compete in your life. I began using it as a task avoidance, it became dinner in front of the computer rather than with my husband, and was honestly leaving me absent from 'real life' at times. It makes me head hurt sometimes. I recently deleted my Daily Mile page as it had become the biggest time suck of them all. While I appreciate all of the encouragement, valuable insight and fantastic people I have met through the site, something had to go. I simply did not have enough time to keep up with the site. I also felt myself getting sucked into some of the unhealthy habits I see on the site -i.e. people competing for the 'most miles', those who go weeks without a rest day, etc. I really need to focus on my training, and stay focused on my goals. So, it was time to bid adieu to Daily Mile.


3. Volunteer at either the local animal shelter or with the Austin Basset Hound Rescue. Our rescues have brought such joy to our lives, I would like to give back, particularly to the Basset Rescue who does such great things for these dogs.


4. Have More Patience. Yeah I don't foresee it happening, but it's fun to dream big right?

Cheers to 2012 and achieving your goals!

Done and Done

2011: Done.
2,850 mile goal for the year: Check.

 Happy New Year!

I went into last week unsure of how many miles I would get in this year amidst continuing Christmas festivities and New Years Celebrations. While I continued to indulge in the holiday junk, I also had a surprisingly great week of running. My legs felt great and all my runs felt easy and fast (holiday junk eating = faster running? :).

I ended up with 69.1 miles for the week and surpassing my goal of 2,850 miles for the year. Take that 2011.

Monday: 10 mile run in Wylie, Texas @ just under sub-8 pace.

Tuesday: 5 mile ez during lunch

Wednesday: 15.05 miles @ 8:03 pace

Thursday: 7 mile progressive tempo run

Friday: 10 mile run - 5 out, 5 back (run second half faster than first; sub 8 pace)

Saturday: 16.1 mile long run with Mick; starting at 8:30 pace and dropping to 7:15 pace. 7:50 avg pace for the run.

Sunday: 5.85 mile resolution run with the Georgetown Running Club. Ran with Rob, Allison & Justin @7:47 pace.

Happy New Year from the Ruyle's!

NYE. I made it until 10:30 pm. That's huge for me.