Goals for 2011

I've been thinking about my running/fitness goals for 2011 for a while. Then the great computer crash of 2010 happened and bled into 2011, making blogging quite difficult. The computer is (somewhat) fixed and we've also added a netbook into the mix, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and first up are my goals for the year.

In no particular order:

Race Goals: I want to run at least three races this year, and I want one of them to be longer than 5K. I'm also shoehorning in the goal of having one race be a bit different than what I've tried so far in my running. Given that Sue has talked me into joining her for a relay triathlon, I've already got that goal in my sights. I want to be able to run an entire 5K without walk breaks. Finally, I want to run one race that also has a kids' run so Alex can participate too.

Training Goals: More focused training and sticking to the training plans. I did really well with Couch to 5K, but after that the training plans never held up. That was mostly due to illness and injury, but I like working with a plan and want to do better on that front.

Distance Goal: Once I proved to myself last year that I was sticking with running, I liked the idea of setting a cumulative mileage goal for the year, as many other runners do. (HT to Geek Girl Runner and Running Diva Mom for inspiration in this regard.) I have two goals in mind -- a low end goal and an ambitious (for me) goal. I'm not ready to share them because they feel ridiculously low, but I have them and will be working towards them.

Health Goals: My running is largely about improving my cardiovascular and overall health, but I do want to take off some pounds. We have always tried to be mindful of our eating, but are trying to make this a renewed focus this year. Because concrete goals are more likely to be met, I want to focus on better meal planning, more meals with non-meat proteins (we've done well at this already), and at least one meal a week with fish.

Fitness/Activity Goals: I am trying to get some sort of exercise every day, even if that is just a brief yoga routine. I want to work in more strength training and core work as well. I would like to do both several times a week but know that is not realistic for me right now, so the goal is to do at least one session of either every week and build up from there.

2010 Goals and Recap: I'm proud to say that I met my 2010 goal. My goal for the first year of running was to run three 5Ks. I did that and even added a fourth race at the 2 mile distance. That means that I got two PRs last year! Beyond my official goal, I had hoped that I would be able to run a 5K without walk breaks by the end of the year, but my training got too interrupted by illness and that wasn't possible. I did run the entire 2 mile race and cut down the percentage of walking in each 5K, so that was positive.

Will Run for Chocolate and Then Not Run for a Month

It's been a while. On November 6th, Sue and I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K. It was my first cold race and my first really large race (30,000 people). I'd been sick since the end of September, and my training plan had been all but abandoned. In fact, it was a race day decision whether I was even going to run at all. I decided to run, and it surprisingly felt pretty good, especially the first mile and a half. Running from Grant Park and on Lake Shore Drive provided a good adrenaline boost. Even without the training I had hoped for, I still finished in under 40 minutes. I had to sprint at the end to do it, but I pulled it out and finished at 39:53, which was exactly two minutes longer than my first 5K in April.

Unfortunately, later that day my right ankle felt sore and by Monday I was limping on it. After a good regime of RICE helped but didn't get rid of the problem, I went to the doctor. Fortunately, it wasn't a stress fracture but tendonitis. They gave me an Aircast, which helped with the compression a lot. I rested it for a month, and have just started slowly working my way back into running. So far it hasn't flared up again. I'm taking it slow (mostly walking), but it feels good to be moving again.

Running Rewards

I'm still not 100% after this respiratory infection and that is playing havoc with my training. I really had to push myself to get out today. Then, it started raining as I was getting ready to leave. I powered on and the rain didn't get too heavy until later in the run.

I ended up taking a different route than usual, and that lead to a domino effect of decisions about the route that lead to my reward. I changed my mind about how far north I was going to go when the rain got harder. I changed my mind about what street to run back on at the last second, even having to backtrack a couple of steps. And, then, a few blocks down that street, I could see someone walking a dog about a block ahead of me. There was no question it was a Cairn Terrier puppy. That bumped up my pace as I wanted to be sure to catch up before they took a turn. The owner was friendly and understanding about this complete stranger who wanted to pet his dog. I explained that I had had two Cairns, and he was more than happy to let me meet his four month old puppy. The puppy was thrilled to make a new friend and, in true Cairn form, was jumping up and licking me in no time. What a treat on a dreary, rainy day.

Love to Rip and Harper.

Treadmill Day

When I started running last winter, the deal I made was that if I stuck with it we would get a treadmill for this winter. The mill was delivered today. I hate that it takes up so much space, but I am so happy to be able to keep running without having to worry about darkness, cold temps, and ice.

10-10-10

I watched my first marathon today. I went out to cheer for my friend Josh, to take in the atmosphere, and to get inspiration by watching all of these amazing runners.

I'm so impressed by anyone who goes out to run a marathon. That will probably never be part of my running quest, but it certainly is inspiring. It was amazing to watch the elite and fast-paced runners. (I wasn't able to stay too long, so I only saw the wheelchair racers through the 3 hour pace group.) I was fascinated by the wheelchair racers, both by their strength and by all the different race chairs they used. (Yes, I am the daughter of a mechanical engineer.) The most moving part for me was watching the racer with prosthetic legs running. I don't even know how to put into words how or why that choked me up, but it was quite a moment.

Congratulations to everyone out there running today!

Cape May Beachfront Run

I was very excited about the Cape May Beachfront Run to run a race in one of my favorite places (and in my home state) and to run a race with my parents and siblings there to cheer me on. It's always great to run a new distance (read: automatic PR), and a two mile race meant that I would be able to run the entire race without taking a walk break, which was a good feeling. But the best part was having my family there. Not only did I have a personal cheering section, but it turns out I have a crew!

I highly recommend running a race with a crew. I will never be an elite athlete (my time for the 2 mile run was 23:52), but I sure felt like a rock star with my own coach, warm-up team, photographer, cheering section, and post-race massage therapist. Thanks to my family for all the support!

Coming down the home stretch in lucky number 22!



Post-race with the Sister Division of my crew. They kept me supplied with plenty of water and bananas while I recovered.

Mixing It Up

Today was my first track workout and my first attempt at speedwork. I’m pretty pleased with how it went overall. Of course, I went a bit too fast in the 800s and ended up cutting the last one to a 400 (I was supposed to do 3X800). I did my recovery 400s as walks with an average pace of 14:24. My average per mile pace on the 800s was 11:10 (10:58 on the first one and 11:22 on the second). Next time I will slow that down a bit. My training schedule has me doing speedwork in a couple of weeks and I’m supposed to do the 800s at just under a 12 minute/mile pace. I’ll try to be better about hitting that next time.

I really enjoyed running on the track. I’m sure it might get boring on a regular basis, but I liked the feel of the track and the fact that I could run without having to think too much about distance or crossing streets and alleys. After having a bus almost run me down the other day, I could really get used to not having to worry about vehicles on my runs. Too bad there isn’t a track close to our house.