January Health & Fitness Goals

Here we go with another post on goals!  It's January, what can I say?  I really do like to give myself these monthly goals, though.  They really help me to stay focused and/or re-focus on what I need to be doing one month at a time.  It keeps things from getting too overwhelming.  Some months I kill it, I hit each goal and other months I struggle and miss the mark.  But, I don't let it stop me.  I just try to look at the big picture and be honest with myself as to why I didn't meet my goals.  Was I lazy? Busy? Did I set unrealistic goals? Etc...This helps me so I can set more attainable goals.  So, for December, sadly, the goals were not met 100%.

I kept training for Spartan.  I didn't run a 5K with my family, I did sign up for an actual 5K Race on Dec. 31st and completed my 14 in 2014 challenge.  And although my family didn't run with me, they were there cheering me on!  I gained some weight, I lost some too, so pretty much stayed even : / I managed to run 43 miles in December, not quite the 50 I wanted but close...I did 321 burpees in December, though! It wasn't a total flop of a month, but wish I would have reached my mileage and of course, losing the weight would have been awesome, but hey there's always next month...

I kept January pretty vague.  So far 13 days into January and I gotta say, I'm doing okay!  Ready to take on the Spartan Beast & Sprint races this weekend and finally get my trifecta! Woohoo

What are your goals for January?  We're aalmost half way through the month already, how are you doing with reaching your goals?

Highlights From My 14 in 2014 Race Challenge

Last year I accepted the challenge of running 14 races in 2014 and I've been chronicling each race here on the blog.  Feel free to go back and check them all out, HERE!  I've gotta say, I'm really proud for achieving this goal, but I'm kinda glad it's over.  I really enjoy running races, but ensuring I had 14 throughout the year was tough at times.  I was literally scheduling my life around races, not that I minded that too much (wink wink)!  We got to travel a bit for races too, which I loved, except when Jason forgot to pack our bag with my race sneakers for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon.  Yea, that wasn't too fun.  Thankfully, it all worked and I ran the race in new shoes thank to my sister!  We also traveled to Temecula, CA for what should have been my Spartan Trifecta weekend.  I'd ran the Spartan Super in April here in Vegas and was all set to run the Spartan Beast & Sprint SoCal but the weather had other plans.  There was a major heat wave and although I did finish the Beast with my girl, NinjaEve, the Sprint was canceled the following day.  I really enjoyed running the Spartan Beast, even though it was a pretty brutal course, and I'm looking forward to going back and trying for my trifecta again next weekend! AROO!!!!

A few other favorite races were the Bubble Run 5K because I got to run it with my 5 year old daughter and that was just a blast!  I also had fun running the Komen Race for the Cure 5K with my sister.  Of course, I can't forget Tough Mudder and facing my fear of heights.  Different than Spartan in so many ways, Tough Mudder has a way of changing me for the better each time I run it.  I can't wait to see what Tough Mudder X3 has in store for me in 2015. 

Running 14 races in 2014 ranging from fun 5Ks to a half marathon and physically grueling OCRs, taught me that I am capable of so much more I give myself credit for.  We are all capable of so much more. Our bodies are strong and can get us through anything, it's our minds we have to convince otherwise.  I see that now.  But, most importantly, this year has shown me how much support I have from my family and friends.  I could not ask for better people in my life and I don't know what I've done to deserve it.  I just know I couldn't get along without them.  I couldn't get along without friends willing to french braid my hair at 10pm so I don't have frizzy hair for a race, for a sister who is willing to drive over 3 hours to watch the kiddos while we run a half marathon, for friends & parents who don't complain when I ask them to watch my kiddos so I can run and train for races, for racing OCR peeps who run & encourage me even though I'm slower than they are!  Thank you! 

Yes, 2014 has shown me so much love and support.  It's made me appreciate those in my life so much and I hope to always be there for them like they are for me.  I'm ready to take on 2015 running some fun and challenging races.  I know I won't ever be alone.  This journey is not mine alone, it's a journey I started for myself, but has become so much more than that.  It is about finding inspiration where there was none before, it's about motivating not just myself but those I love.  No, I won't be running 15 in 2015, but every race I run this year I will run with purpose.  I will give it my best because it's the least I can do for everyone who is helping me get to where I am going.  Where that is exactly, I'm not sure, but wherever this journey takes me has got to be way better than where I was before.  It's already been a fun ride so far! 

Where will 2015 take you?

Race 14 of 2014 | Changing of the Year 5K

I am such a procrastinator!  I seriously waited until the last day of 2014 to complete my 14th race. Not only that, I didn't even register for the race until the day before.  Honestly, I'm not usually this bad at procrastinating.  With the Spartan Sprint being postponed in Temecula in September, it throw off my schedule.  My last race should have been Trails of Glory.  So, I was stuck trying to figure out how and when to add a race to an already very busy end of the year schedule.  I was going to settle for doing a virtual 5K, but I honestly don't love "virtuals" so I held off.  Finally, it was down to the wire and I had to find something.  Like I said, Dec. 30th I finally signed up for the Changing of the Year 5K put on by Jus Running.  It's held at the historic Floyd Lamb Park in Las Vegas.  It's a nice park with lakes and pathways, so it made for a pretty location for sure.   

I am not a cold weather runner.  I live in Vegas and we have pretty mild winters, plus if it's cold I run inside or change up my workout!  I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to the cold.  So, I was pretty nervous about the weather for the race, since all week the forecast was for snow! Brrrrrrrr!!  I ended up purchasing a pair of fleece lined leggings and a beanie to cover my ears.  The rest of the stuff I already had and layered!

On race day, we did have some flurries in the morning by my house, but the temps rose to upper 30s and the wind calmed down by the time the race started at 4pm too!  My family came with me to the race, they too were bundled up.  I did feel kinda bad for them because I knew that once I got running, I'd warm up, but they were just going to be waiting for me at the finish line.  They didn't even complain about the cold.  I love them so much for always supporting me.  My children and husband are just too good to me!  I also met a few runners before the race from my facebook running group, so that was super nice!  It's always great to actually meet people you interact with only on social media.

Here I am with Emily, from Our Knight Life blog and my little Elysse!

I am not a huge fan of 5Ks because it usually takes me about 2 miles to warm up and find my running groove.  I've only ever done a few fun 5Ks with friends like the Color Run, Bubble Run, and some trail 5Ks.  My time for the trail races was not so good and of course, we weren't running for time on the fun ones!  So, when the race started I wasn't going for any PR, I just wanted to give it my best, push myself to take off faster than my usual pace, and see what happened.  I forgot to take a whiz of my inhaler before the race started, so 3 minutes in or so, I pulled off to the side to take my puffs and move on.  A little after mile 1, I saw the first person heading back to the finish and that's when I realized how much I don't like out & back courses.  I can see all the faster runners coming back and it's a little disheartening.  It killed my spirit during the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail 5K and I was starting to get that same feeling during this race, but I didn't let it creep in.  This was my race, not anyone else's and I shook it off.  I made it to the turn around and started to lose steam.  The gap was getting wider between me and the small group I was behind.  I'd also been having some calf pain all week and it was acting up.  I slowed down a bit and even took a 10 second walking break before I took off running again.  I knew I was close to the finish line and I really wanted to push myself to run faster.  I saw my son at the sidelines and he started running alongside me.  That was the best thing ever! And when I looked up a the timer and saw it was at 29 minutes, well that was just gravy!  I ended with an official time of 00:29:24 with a pace of 09:28.  I was 6th in my age group, 14th female, and 28th overall.  Woohoo!! Not only did I finally get a sub 30, but my family was there with me cheering me on and supporting me.  It's such a great feeling to have your kiddos say they're proud of you!  I was so happy with how I ended my year of 14 races in 2014!