Goal

So....have a couple of anniversaries coming up later this month and it got me thinking a lot about goals.  I joined an on-line community called Walk Across America and began really tracking how much I walk each month.  In April and May I walked between 150 - 175 miles.  I set a goal that in June I would break 200 miles for the month.  So far I am on track for that goal - of course we are only 5 days in to the month, LOL!

Pepaw and I also set a goal of working out more often.  We have been going to the gym more regularly - doing both weights (circuit training) and cardio on alternating days...we actually made it 6 days in a row! I think it helps that we changed gyms and we both really like the new facility - So that goal is going well too.

We are also getting geared up for our run in October.  We are both, as I said above, incorporating more cardio into our workouts - I have started the C25K program...I am currently working on 2/2 run/walk intervals - although right now my runs are more like "speed-walks" than runs!  I am seeing some progress though - and I know I can do this if I stick with it...it just may take longer this time. That is why I'm starting in June to prepare for a 5K in October!

We have changed up our eating habits a little too. We are cutting down on portion sizes, and sticking more closely to fruits and veggies with smaller protein portions as well.  We've cut WAY down on sweets/treats as well as bread.  I am hoping these changes will start to show on the scale REAL soon, although I haven't seen much in that department yet.

Finally, thought I'd share some flowers I saw on my walk yesterday...taken with my iPhone.

Tomorrow

One of the things about choosing "goal" as my word is that I really need to make public each goal I set. I have a couple that I'm going to begin working on tomorrow.

First, today while we were at Costco I found a book, showed it to Rick and we decided that we would go on a new adventure this year. The name of the book is The Love Dare. It is a year of devotions for couples. So my first BIG goal this year is to set aside time each day with my husband for devotion, prayer, and our Love Dare challenge of the week. I'm sure you'll be hearing about it as we make our way through this process. One of the things the authors say to do is to "journal" your journey. This allows you to look back and actually see your growth and progress. Some of my journal will, of course, be private...but there are other parts I'm sure I will want to share.

The second goal I'm working on is *gasp* cooking a little more.

I have subscribed to an online menu planner and I've been using it for a couple of weeks now = since I've been "off", and I really like it. The menus are simple and quick - don't use a lot of exotic ingredients - are the right size - and they taste great. Not only that, but they also provide a shopping list made up for you that is easy to modify if you don't want to cook a specific day's meal plan. I've already shopped for next week and have two main dishes, as well as several of the side dishes packed and ready to go for next week. Tomorrow's plan is to complete the other 2-3 main dishes and then I'm set for the week. I'm hoping to be able to continue this more often than not. By prepping most of the meals on the weekend it leaves me free for my workouts and work during the week....we'll see how this one goes.

So, there you have it. My two biggest goals so far. I will certainly try to keep you updated as we continue on the journey!

OK...I bit!

In case you are wondering about the title, my daughter has her own blog - I read it every day - sometimes even when she doesn't update it! She posted today about her "One Little Word" for the next year. You can read her post here. After reading that post I got to thinking about what word I would choose for this year...I thought about how many - many years ago I stopped making "New Year Resolutions". They were nearly always a failure anyway - and who wants to set themselves up for failure at the beginning of every year? So instead I determined I would set goals for myself every year. This would be goals that were obtainable IF I WORKED ON THEM...of course the same could probably be said for resolutions - but for me it made all the difference in the world.

So as I searched for a goal for this year - and then read Little Wonders - I thought, "why not make goal my word for 2010?" And that is what I have done!

I looked to find out what the word actually meant before I chose it and was surprised to see that the first two definitions really fit what I mean exactly!

1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

2. the terminal result in a race.

How fitting! So my One Little Word for 2010 is goal. I hope to set many and achieve as many of them as I can. Not only in the races that I run, but it my life as I live it. There are so many ways I can see working this word into my daily life - even the smallest thing like setting one daily small goal that I can work toward.

In my own small, little way of thinking - setting the goal and working toward it is what counts...if you do that and do your best then you are a winner - reaching the goal is just the icing on the cake (or the bling at the end of the race!)

My "goal" is to post about this word a little more often here - not only my race goals, but some of my "daily" goals as well....and to look back at the end of the year on how this "One Little Word" that I have chosen today may have had an effect on my life this year.

This is an experiment for me - I am excited to be able to start this on day one of the new year! May you reach ALL your goals this year as well!

The Human Race

Today we joined with thousands of others around the world in the Nike Human Race. Ours was held here in Allen at 7:00 AM. It was a little cool, around 47 degrees, and it was still pretty dark at start time - just the way I like it!

There weren't all that many runners here at our race in Allen - which was fine by me since the trail we were running on wasn't real wide - made for a "painful" start because if you got behind a group, even if it was a small group, you couldn't pass - you had to run at their speed until there was an opening.....this is always frustrating for me since I know I have to get my best times early in the race before I hit the wall...

It was really too dark for me to really look at my Garmin at the first part of the race, so I just went with how it felt, and it felt GREAT! There was water just before the 2 mile mark and I looked at my pace at that point and I was looking at under 30 minutes for the 5K mark...whoo hooo...well, it turns out looking and doing are two different things here. Mile 1, despite not being able to get around a few people easily, passed in 9:58. Mile 2, slightly faster at 9:52. Mile 3 was my slowest of the entire race 10:08. That put me at 29:54 for the 3 mile mark - and about 30:17 for the 5K. I'll take it - getting closer and closer to breaking that 30 minute mark!

The last half - for the first time EVER was actually better than the first half! NEGATIVE SPLIT COTTON! Mile 4 was completed in 10:02. This one I understood because I actually forgot to take my GU at the turn around and had to walk a small way to get it opened up and taken in....only a few steps - and I think mostly because my hands were so cold, and I slowed at the water stop too. Mile 5 was my fastest in the race - completed in 9:41! Mile 6 was nearly as good with a 9:44. I actually passed 2 people here in this mile...haven't passed people who were still running at this distance ever - I've passed walkers, but not runners :) I was happy!

The last .3 miles were pretty much up an incline. I chugged on up it, trying to pick up some speed and keep up with Rick. Just before I got to the finish line the girl I had passed in mile six came up on my left side. Luckily I caught a glimpse of her over my shoulder as she closed in and I thought to myself, "Oh no you don't" - I shot off like a rocket and crossed just a toenail ahead of her.

The last 3 miles were completed in about 29:29, and then of course you need to add the 2:59 for the last .3 miles, so my time for the entire 6.30 miles was 1:02:21! A NEW PR BY 5 MINUTES!
Can you tell I'm excited? Now I'm really looking forward to the 1/2 next month...hope I can PR that one too!

Bugged again

After a brief hiatus I'm bugged again. Body Bugged that is. Back in March when my subscription was up for renewal I decided I needed a break. A break from strapping the hardware on my arm every morning....a break from worrying about how many steps I had (or hadn't) taken that day....and a break from typing in every bite I had eaten. I had been 'bugged' for over a year at that point and felt pretty good about knowing what I needed to do. And I've done "O.K." I haven't gained or lost much...just hanging steady. BUT now it is time to get back on track again. Having that marathon motivation going is just what I needed. I would like to get back down to where I was this time last year (that is onlly 4 lbs away) .... I know I'll feel better running if I do that.

The other cool thing - and one of the things I missed while not wearing my bugg - is when you do something special - like hiking the mountains in Colorado - you can actually see how many steps you are taking and how many calories you are burning. I think everyone that was there was wishing I was wearing the bugg and mentioned it at least once....good incentive. We have a couple more hiking trips planned this year and it will be interesting to compare those hikes with our normal weekend activity levels.

They have come out with a new version of the body bugg - V3. It is slimmer, black, and goes on your left arm instead of your right. I like it a lot better than my old one. It isn't nearly so obvious under the sleeve of your shirt....a lot of people won't even notice it at all.

So - I'm bugged again. This time though I'm not the only one. Rick is bugged now too. It is kind of fun to work with him and to realize how much you have to think about the activity to try to get those steps in! We have a tendency to think we are much more active, walk a lot more than we reallly do. It is the same thing I went through when I got mine the first time.

Yesterday was our first day wearing the bugg - by the time he got home I had over 6,000 steps to his barely over 2,000.... we both broke 10,000 before bedtime - a good thing and our goal for each and every day.

This is one more way for me to measure progress as I work toward the goal of completing the marathon in December. I'm not even kidding myself into thinking I can run the entire distance...that will be my challenge, but I'm trying also to be realistic about it....but the pedometer portion of the bugg is going to let me know if I'm working harder each week toward my 26 mile goal. We'll see how that works out as the weeks contine by.

Sunday Run

Wouldn't it be great to enjoy a sunrise run on the beach like this?!?

It was HARD to get up this morning. It was hard, but we did it. 5:30 we were on the road to Arbor Hills. I was just hoping that it wouldn't be so hard to run today. We stopped for a small cup of coffee - so I could wake up, lol- then off we went.
We got there and parked, we were only the second car in the lot this morning, and got ready to head out. It was really dark, and I was a little concerned we wouldn't be able to really see where we were going good enough to run...that turned out to be an unfounded concern as we headed out in the gray light before dawn. We decided on the more uphill version for the first lap this morning. We started out slow and steady and I made it a decent ways along the trail before my legs gave out. I walked - for a VERY short amount of time and took off running again. One more stop and then off again. During the second stop I was going to look at the Garmin to see how we were doing and the silly thing shut completely off! Then when it came back on the timer didn't start back again. This really upset me because I knew this run was going better than the last two! After the first lap we stopped by the car so I could have some light and see what was going on. I got it all set up again and found that it had stopped at .87 miles (our first stop!) We drank some water and took in a little GU and headed out again.

For reasons still unknown to me this second lap felt GOOD! This is the first time I've felt good running since the first 10 miles of Cowtown! I ran the first mile at 10:42 and the second mile at 10:43, so my pace was nice and steady and Rick said I looked more relaxed than I have the last few runs as well. My legs didn't hurt (well, maybe just a little - but it was certainly manageable!) and I felt strong! We got back to the car without stopping once!!! After this part of the run Rick and I discussed how much better this was and came up with a couple of ideas. Our first theory is that I simply don't warm my muscles up and stretch out enough before we start - thus my leg muscles "locking up". Our second theory is that I simply run better in the cold...our last two runs have been in the afternoon when the temperature was in the mid 70's...I know that I run better in temperatures below 70. I also know that if I am going to participate in runs in Texas anytime after March I have to prepare my body to run in the higher temps. I'm hoping that we can better prepare ourselves this year, now that we have done one summer running season, and perhaps become better runners for it! We discussed changing our run next time and trying out the shorter inner loop before we add in the middle section of higher hills to see if I can get warmed up better, or if this just poops me out quicker, LOL...Time will tell!

After our talk we decided we had enough time for the shorter, inside loop so we took off running again. We hit the first downhill slope and my legs let me know I was doing more than I should! I kept going but about 1/2 way up the next uphill my left thigh just locked up! I walked a little and then ran as far as I could. I had to walk about 1/2 way up the last hill, but I finished pretty strong.

All in all we ran a little over 5.5 miles and I feel a little better about the run next Sunday in Austin. I was really getting worried that I wouldn't even get a good start on that one. I guess my goals are:

1. To finish

2. To finish without walking

3. To finish in about my normal time (1:07:45)

4. To beat my best time (1:06:03)....

Remember, this run really has no goals for me, LOL!!!

One week to go

We have only one more week to ready ourselves for the Cowtown 1/2 marathon. I don't feel ready this time. We haven't run as far as we did for the DRC 1/2 last November. We have been doing a lot of hill running this time, so I feel a little more prepared if there are hills...I also feel a little faster on the shorter runs. THAT will remain to be seen.

I am excited about the run next Saturday - it will once again be a family affair with Chris, Candy, the grandkids, Cotton, Rick and I all going to the race. Cotton, Chris, Rick and I will all be running and Candy and the kids will hold our gear and enjoy the festivities until after the run. Tradition says we then go out to lunch together.

My goal for this race is to simply finish. As I said above, I don't feel real ready - I know I probably won't be as fast - but I also know I can go the distance!

You'll notice that I added another run after this one. The Allen Eagle 5K. This is to support the Allen Foundation of schools which benefits students and teachers of the school district I teach in. They give scholarships to both students and teachers, as well as grants to teachers to help with the expenses of teaching... A wonderful organization and one that I continue to support! Rick will be running with me too, and my goal in this one is (of course) a sub 30 minute time. It is chip timed this time, so a good possibility for me to be successful and show it!

That's all for now - I'll post again after the race!

We're Still At It

Yes we are....we are still running several times a week. We did have a little break last weekend, but we were right back on the treadmill last night! Now it is VERY crowded right now at the gym - all those New Year's resolutions - so we decided that we would run for 30 minutes and then determine what we needed to do after that.

I've been feeling pretty good running for a full hour and completing about 6 miles in right around 62 minutes...so I decided that last night I would challenge myself. I haven't run a decent time for a 5K distance since last May. I've really been struggling with this. I honestly beleive it is because I've been really trying to add distance and make a longer distance feel really good and keep a steady pace. I've also been working on slight negative splits on those longer distances which means I need to run the first few miles at a little slower pace. Anyway - back to my challenge. I WAS going to complete this 5K in under 30 minutes! Darn it! I WAS!!! Off I went.

I started out a little slow - warming up...then I saw Rick ramp his speed up to a 10 minute mile and I knew it was time to speed it up if I was going to make my challenge to myself. I started running some intervals at 6.0 for 400 meters, then 6.2 for 400 meters, then 6.0, then 6.5 and reapeating that. When all was said and done I had completed the entire 3.1 miles in 29:53!!! My overall finish was 3.27 miles in 32 minutes....I was elated!!!

After a quick "potty" break we looked around and there were still a few treadmills available so we decided to try another 30 minutes. As you can imagine my legs were pretty much shot, so I did the "run/walk" thing. Of course THAT is what is showing on my mini....not my beautiful sub 30 minute 5K...THAT's why I had to TELL you about it!!!

Of course ALL that mileage was added to my challenge miles - I'm now up to over 50 miles for the month and the 75 miles looks like it might just happen! After all, I still have 9 more days and I only need about 20 more miles!!!

Now, Rick and I have joined the DRC (Dallas Running Club) and one of our first races is coming up on 1/31. We decided to do the 5K instead of the 15K since it is pretty close to our first 1/2 marathon of the year. I'm hoping that I can finish that one as well as I did on the treadmill...problem is the sidewalk doesn't require me to keep moving my feet at a certain pace to remain standing, so unfortunately I tend to slow down more when I get tired, LOL....I'll let you know how that goes!!!

Starting a New Running Year

As I sit here on New Years Eve reminiscing over last year (including reading my last post, lol) I thought I'd add a little challenge for the new year. I had already challenged myself with my Nike+ on their website to run 75 miles in January. The most I've ever run in one month is 82 - and that included a couple of half marathon training runs back to back! 75 sounded doable for me, so I challenged myself to do that. It comes out to an average of about 2.5 miles a day.

After I challenged myself with that goal I was surfing around some other sites and saw a Nike+ challenge and I thought, "Hmmmmmm, THAT looks cool". I went to the site again and looked around. I figured out how to start a challenge and set one up! It is called "75 miles to start the year." I posted on the WW bulletin board about the challenge and told the forum readers that it was open to all. By the time I finished posting and sent Rick to check it out I already had 8 people signed up for the challenge! Looks like I'm not the only one ready to start the new year out running!!!!

I went out today to check the progress and a few more people have joined the challenge and that is when I figured out how to add it to my blog so you can follow along on the progress as well.

Wish me luck! If I win a challenge I get a little "virtual trophy" to put in my trophy case. I actually joined 3 other challenges as well. One for teachers, one for age groupers, and one for another distance. I'm hoping that all this will continue to work as incentive to keep me running and putting in the miles so I can reach my ultimate goal of completing the White Rock Marathon in December of 2009.

Here's hoping you have a happy and healthy 2009 too!

Brrrrrr!

This morning we awoke to icy slick streets. Not right for December in Texas! I didn't want to stay home just 4 days before the winter holiday from school...only because that means I have to work an extra day around Easter when I know I'll be wantin' this time back again!!!

I have still been running...I can still do almost six miles in an hour - although I feel I should be doing six miles in under an hour by now! Sometimes I wonder why my times don't just zoom faster and faster like I think they should...I am running several days a week...I do TRY to go faster. It's just that it seems like the harder I try to go faster the more I have to walk later in my run....hmmmmmm. Then when I go for endurance, well, needless to say I don't go very fast.

I am making some progress though. Since it is getting close to the new year I had to take a look back at where I came from. As I look back to last January when I first began this journey I see a poor ol' lady that couldn't make it from one fire hydrant to the next without stopping to catch her breath! I remember clearly the first time I actually made it a mile on the treadmill. I was so excited and proud! Then came my first 5K in cowtown. My family was there, my son had finished the race and was standing with my daughter talking at the 30 minute mark how their dad and I should be there in around 10 more minutes...how shocked they were when they saw their Dad just a couple minutes later, and how even more shocked they were to find out that I had already finished and no one had even seen me - (hence my nickname of "ghost runner", lol). Then our goal became a 10K. We ran our first in the heat of June in Dublin, TX. Even though I didn't make my goal time I learned I could survive the heat! In fact I can honestly say I learned something from every race I ran last year. Once that race was over we set our hearts and minds to the completion of a half marathon. We were looking at San Antonio in November. Even though we didn't make that one we did run in the DRC 1/2 and now I can proudly say I've run over 13 miles several times!

I guess I just have to remember to keep all things in perspective and give myself room and time to grow.

Here is to my 2009 goal...the White Rock Marathon next December!!!

Finally Made It!

Well today was weigh in day. I have been nervous and impatient about this. Last Saturday I was 0.2 lbs away from my WW goal weight. I have been up and down all week according to my scales and I really wasn't expecting anything stupendous today at weigh in ~ but the name tag my DH made for me says it all!

Once they got it across to my little pea-brain that I had actually met goal I jumped up and nearly tackled DH giving him a big hug!!! I'm glad we were the only ones there, it might have been embarrassing otherwise!

Since December 1, 2007, I have lost a grand total of 37 pounds! Running has REALLY helped me get there! Last night at LCWO I actually set a new PR for both a 5K and a 10K. Now, you must realize that this was on a treadmill, but I ran the 5K in 29:44 ~ 10 seconds faster than my previous best. I had already set eaverything up to run for an hour and I finished 6.21 miles in 62 minutes. I was so excited...that was about 5 minutes faster than I ran the 10K in June! DH and I know we need to start running more outside, the heat here is a killer and your body needs to adjust...I also need to adjust to the terrain and get my Nike + synched so it is more accurate. During the Dublin 10K it said I ran over 7 1/2 miles (HA!) We are planning to do that, but for now - just watch me float around on a runner's high!!!