2014: The Year of the Half Ironman?

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a lovely holiday.  Now that I've recapped 2013 let's talk goals for 2014.  

1)  Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. My goal for 2013 was to end the year the same weight I started it at but we all know that didn't happen...  Not sure if this is possible prior to being done breastfeeding but I could certainly try harder than I have been!  It's just hard because I'm hungry ALL THE FREAKING TIME, plus we all know I'm not getting a ton of sleep (and we all know the correlation between weight gain and lack of sleep), but things have been pretty off the rails with the holidays.  Less sugar, more veggies. 
 
2)  Complete a Half ironman???  I've only done one triathlon, and it was just a sprint, so I don't know why I think I can tackle a half ironman, but that's definitely on my bucket list - and why not this summer?  I originally hoped to complete this last summer, but that obviously didn't happen.  I think if I can capitalize on summer off from work to train then (I don't think I could balance it otherwise) - so if I could find one that was in August or September I think I could *maybe* swing this?  I'm definitely most worried about the biking...

3)  Complete a Marathon??  Wow, two question marked goals in a row.  I would LOVE to do a marathon this year but if I have to choose (which I'm guessing I might have to) I'd choose the Half Ironman.  Again, if I do one, it's going to be in the fall with the majority of training done during the summer.  Also, I need to be done breastfeeding before I tackle a marathon.  I really do want to do one this year because I'm on the every other year plan - I've completed 3 marathons in 2008, 2010, and 2012, so I MUST do one in 2014!  I won't lie, Chicago has been calling to me...

2008, 2010, 2012

4)  Submit at LEAST one paper for publication.  While finishing my dissertation was AWESOME, it pretty much means nothing if I never do anything with it!  If I want to make myself marketable job-wise (even though that's the furthest thing from my mind right now) I need to beef up the CV.  To make this more accountable, let's say I need one paper submitted by March and another submitted by October. 

5)  Be present. When I'm with Baby J, BE with him. When I'm at work, WORK. There's no sense feeling guilt over something that can't be changed. You work AND are a mom so try your best to be good at both, even though you'll probably never be able to be great at both.  Spend more quality time with JMan.  We still haven't been on a date since Baby J was born!  We need to find a babysitter. 
 
6)  Breastfeed through the first year. My goal was 6 months, let's see if we can make it 6 more.  I don't have much control over this, but I sure can try.  I AM super tired of pumping, evidence being that I didn't pump at ALL over break even though I wanted to to add to my freezer stash, but I will do what I can to try and maintain my supply if it dips again (I had a problem a while back but went on a "pumping vacation" one weekend - which is NOT a vacation AT ALL, and also made some lactation cookies).  

Clearly breastfeeding is working so far.

7)  A PR of some sort would be nice... but I won't hold my breath. I'd rather finish a Half Ironman than train for a PR.  It IS pretty sad how old my PR's are though.  If I wait too long I'll be too old to get any new PR's!  So maybe a more appropriate goal is to "get faster" this year, to put myself in position to legitimately PR in 2015.  If I can consistently train throughout the year (which means not getting injured AND not being lazy) I think this can happen.  So perhaps "consistently train throughout the year" is the real goal here. 

8)  Read one book for fun and one professional book or magazine each month.  I was SHOCKED to discover I read 28 books in 2013, but 9 of those were baby-related, so 19 sounds a lot more right.  My favorite "for fun" books of 2013 were Me Before You and Where'd You Go Bernadette, and my definite favorite professional book of 2013 was Focus.  

 

9)  Continue the streak???  As of today I've run for 36 days in a row.  Can I keep it up?  Go for 50?  Or more??  We'll see!

10)  Have a GREAT year!  I hope you all have great years too!  What are you going to do this year to make it great???

An August AND a September Recap Story(s)

Okay okay, so I kind of totally suck at putting up my monthly recaps.  It's true.  And as the ultimate proof, here are BOTH my August AND my September posts all rolled into one, since I never put up an August one.  So how are my goals coming?  Well, 2012 WAS the year of the marathon, at least in that I completed one (not in the whole PR-ing thing) and I already volunteered at a race!  Check, check.

So what's left to do before the end of the year?

1)  Finish my degree.  Okay okay, that's not happening before the end of the year, but I AM making progress on this.  I'm happy to report that my results section ALONE is over 55 pages and growing.  My work on this is slow, but it is steady, and thanks for a fabulous advisor who lets me hang out at her house all night while she answers a million of my questions I'm learning a ton.  Lots done, but still lots more to do. 

2)  Travel to at least 8 new places.  Ummmm???  So far this year I've been to Kauai.  That was awesome and amazing, but it's only 1 new place. 

I also went to Philadelphia, which was new, but since it was for work I'm not sure it counts.  I can't think of any other new places I've been this year??  I better get on this.

 Remember this?!

3)  Miles.  In August I ran 71 miles (a new low) and then in September I ran 54 miles (a newer low).  This is to be expected since I took 2 full weeks off of running because of my dumb hamstring, split between the two months.  This brings us to a total of 838 miles for the year - not too shabby given that I still have 3 months left to rack up at least 162 more miles.  Hopefully I make it!

4)  Races.  August was a HUGE month in terms of races, so it's not to be overlooked!  First, there was my very first triathlon.  Although this wasn't officially on my goals THIS year, doing a triathlon has seriously been on my new year's resolution list for SO MANY YEARS that this year I just didn't want to let myself down again so I left it off.  AND THEN I DID ONE!

Me with all my transition stuff!  Despite all my planning, I STILL majorly messed up that first transition!

Gold medals!

Then there was that itsy bitsy thing we'll call HOOD TO COAST!  Remember my BILLIONS of posts about it?  Yeaahhh, you probably do.  It was pretty amazing. 

5)  Read 26 books.  I've read 43 books so far this year so this task is definitely done!  I read 4 books in August and 4 books in September (all but 1 were during my trip to Kauai! ah, the joys of reading on vacation).  Most of the books I've been reading are young adult dystopia (aka Hunger Games-esque) fiction, so if you don't like that kind of thing, I don't have much to recommend.  I read book 1 and 2 in the Birthmarked Series (Birthmarked and Prized) and book 1 and 2 in the Across the Universe series (Across the Universe and A Million Suns).  I liked both and will definitely read the 3rd!  Just add that to the list of the other books I'm waiting for (aka Matched #3 and Divergent #3!). 

Although my book reading has slowed down IMMENSELY since my new job started (and since summer ended), I've still got one recommend-ers that isn't young adult (you can give your sigh of relief now).  The book is Perfect Chaos and I think EVERYONE should read it.  A true story of a normal, everyday middle-class educated family who deals with bipolar disorder - written from both the mother's point of view and the daughter who experiences bipolar.  I read this book in one day and found it incredibly powerful.  PLEASE read it.  I have to be honest - part of the reason I may have been obsessed with it is that I've actually met the authors, but I still think you'll find it eye-opening.

 Read it!

How were your August and Septembers?  Can you believe summer is over already?!  I'm so sad about it.  Are you?  Or are you one of those crazy people who don't love summer best?

A Vow, A Promise, Some Goals

Okay peeps.  Now that I feel like my hamstring is on the mend, I need a plan.  I need some goals.  I need to make some promises.  I need to be careful; I need to baby my hamstring.  If I'm going to get better for real, I need to make it a priority.  And this means not doing my normal Ricole-esque situation, which involves getting all hopped up on running and running a billion miles super fast right away.  No, Ricole, No.

I also have to address another issue super quickly - and that involves seeing a doctor.  Several of you have asked me about that and I agree, at this point seeing a doctor would be smart.  I do kind of hate sports medicine doctors as I've never seen one that actually helped me.  So I do have a vendetta against them, that's true.  But also, since I switched jobs I unfortunately don't have insurance right now, so I've been waiting until that kicks in October 1.  While I still don't really want to see a doctor, I do want to see a PT and a massage therapist, and the doctor is the avenue to those other things. 

So here we are - my promises.  For the NEXT MONTH, so until October 25, 2012, I vow to:

• I Will Run SLOW.  Seriously slow.  I will run no miles in less than 9 minutes, and they should be closer to 10.  NO MILES LESS THAN 9!  

•  I Will Take Walk Breaks.  Walk breaks must be taken at least once every 3 miles, preferably more often.  

•  I Will Take Short, Slow Steps.  I Will Avoid Hills.  This goes along with #1 - I will run SLOW and SHORT steps - I will not lengthen my stride, even if a coyote is chasing me.  Okay, maybe then I will.

• I Will Strengthen My Leg Muscles.  We all know the #1 cause of most running injuries is weak glutes.  Whether that's my problem or not, they certainly could use some strengthening, as could the obvious culprit, my hamstring.  I've been doing eccentric hamstring exercises with a band and need to continue doing them.  I will make a real effort to strength training my legs at least 2-3 times a week even if for only 10 minutes at a time.  

• I Will Adhere to the 10% Rule.  No getting over exuberant and running 31 miles in a 50k race I'm signed up for just because I really want to...! 

• I Will Make a Doctor Appointment.  There - are you happy??!!  I know you were waiting for that one.  I definitely want a sports massage.  

You'll notice that there's no distance rules.  My hamstring doesn't seem to really mind distance (although the most I've done recently is 8 miles), it's the lengthening of your stride during speed and hills that aggravates it so. 

And those, my friends, are my very important vowels for the next month.

What do you think?  Ever force non-time-related goals on yourself like me?

A June Recap Story

June was a big month for me.  I turned 30 and had a complete freak-out about my old age.  Don't worry, I drowned my sorrows in wine, pretzels, and bratwursts in Leavenworth.  I'm still not happy about it though. 

But, June came and went all the same.  So let's see how I'm doing on my goals, now that we're halfway through the year! 

Mileage. Since June involved the big taper for the marathon, it was my 2nd lowest month of mileage this year at 93 miles.  Still pretty good though!  And still easily (knock on wood) on track to break 1,000 miles for the year. 

Books.  Wow, I read ONE book this month. Yep, that's it.  I kind of fell off the reading wagon.  I read the 11th book in the Pretty Little Liars series.  I also listened to The Hunger Games, which I LOVED listening to while running, but since I'd already read it it doesn't seem fair to count it?  I'm currently working on The Kitchen House as well.  In spite of my lack of reading in June, at halfway through the year, I have already accomplished my goal of reading 26 books (I've read 30).  So let's readjust that goal to 52 books - one a week.

Though JMan got me a fake bow & arrow for my birthday, I am still dying to shoot a REAL bow & arrow. 

Races.  I ran a race in June.  It was kind of a big deal.  Maybe you've heard of it?  Yes, I ran a MARATHON.  All 26.2 (er, 26.6) miles of a marathon, and I sub 4-ed.  No, I didn't PR, I already told you that.  And yes, there were some major dark times during that race.  I already told you that too.  But 2012 WAS the year of the marathon, in that I finished it.  "Breaking 3:55 (hopefully) easily" is unfortunately a joke.  I'm not going to throw in the towel just yet though.  It's possible December 2, 2012, will hold the answers I seek.

 This is how I'm choosing to remember the race.  

All thumbs-up's and smiles and rainbows and unicorns. 

Degree Completion, aka Data Entry.  Maybe you remember my #drowningindata tweets?  Well, I FINISHED MY DATA ENTRY!  What a relief.  So ecstatic.  Now the REAL work begins, in analyzing and writing and reanalyzing and rewriting - but at least it's interesting, exciting work, instead of a pressure-cooker of mundane tedious tasks.

And that's a wrap!  Can't believe we're already halfway through 2012.  

How was your June?

Hey Girl - Tell Me Your Revised Marathon Plans

Did you go enter my nuuntastic Nuun giveaway yet in honor of MARATHON WEEK?  Go do it!

So freaking SATURDAY is the MARATHON.  Whoa.

 source

So remember when I was all like ooh, look at me, I've got marathon plans and they involve smashing my PR?

Yeah.  Scratch that.  During my 22 miler I had a whole new revelation.  And it involves just SURVIVING this marathon.  And not just surviving it.  But hopefully ENJOYING it.  You see, during this run, in which, you may recall, I didn't just feel fine but I actually felt good and strong at the end, I realized that these two goals are mutually exclusive.  Maybe not for everyone else but they definitely are for me.

 But getting negative splits is too much pressure.  source

Because you see, during the Portland Marathon I felt terrible from mile 14 on.  That's HALF THE RACE.  Of feeling terrible.  Over 2 hours (yes it took me a full 10 minutes longer to run the second half than to run the first half) of feeling awful.  And yes it poured the entire time and that probably didn't help (and might be why I'm freaking out about the possibility of rain on Saturday!), and yes I've suffered from many mini-injuries since then and missed a good chunk of training while I was in Singapore last year, but STILL, I haven't trained for a marathon since 2010.  And before that since 2008.  So you see, in a ramble-ramble-ramble way of getting to the point, I worry that if I don't enjoy this marathon, I may never run another one.  And continuing to run marathons seems a whole lot more important to me than getting that sub 3:55 I'm dying for. 

 I thought so.  source

Don't get me wrong, I have more reasons than just that.  For one, I completely 90% doubt my ability to even run a PR.  My speed workouts in the last few weeks have been less than stellar (okay okay, they've been non-existent), I seem to have more bad runs than good, and my stress level is HIGH due to the data entry nonsense you hear about nonstop.  I feel like I've lost my running mojo and am so ready for this training cycle to be over.  Because of all this, I think the likelihood of blowing up if I go out there running 8:35 miles from the beginning is 80%.  Or higher.  And yes I just made that percentage up.  But you get my drift.  And given that this interacts with my desire to feel good (see point #1), I think I have to let the PR goal go.  If the stars align, they align.  But if they don't, I don't want to be devastated after these months of training and hard work.

Or is this just a case of the taper crazies? source

Am I crazy?  Don't get me wrong, if it's there for the taking, I will go for it.  But if Saturday's not the day, it's not the day, and I don't know want that pressure hanging over my head. 

Do you guys ever think the pressure of getting a PR is just too much pressure?  Like everyone will be disappointed in you if you don't get it?  Isn't that crazy?  Is it crazy / weird that I just want to run without any time goals weighing me down? 

A May Recap Story

I can't believe May is over already! And I also can't believe how long it took to get my May recap up.  Oh, you can believe it you say?  Shut your mouth! 

Books.  I kind of fell off the reading wagon in May.  I only read 4 books this month, including the 10th Pretty Little Liars book, The Thirteenth Tale, and our two next book club books though, Arcadia and The Night Circus.  I LOVED the Night Circus and highly recommend it.  It's like Harry Potter meets Hunger Games meets Water for Elephants.  READ IT!  Arcadia was so-so.  It was interesting because it was about growing up on a hippie commune in the 1960's, which I know nothing about.  But then it jumped through time a lot and I liked it less.  Still, worth a looksie. 

   

Miles.  In May I just BARELY beat out June's mileage of 123 with a whopping 124.  That will probably be my highest mileage month of the entire year though, so I need to savor it!  Right now I'm way on track to beat last year's total mileage of just over 1,000 miles. 

 

The weekly mileage is looking pretty good too.  

 Looks like it's time to taper to me!

Races.  I ran my 6th race of the year in 2012 and my 12th half marathon ever: the inaugural Portland Rock n Roll Half Marathon.  I didn't PR and I didn't feel so great but I GOT 'ER DONE.

That's us.  Getting 'er done. 

Volunteering.  I finally volunteered at my first race in May!  It was the Tacoma City Marathon / Half Marathon - I got to cheer on a ton of awesome runners including many old and new friends, bloggers and otherwise.  I HIGHLY recommend volunteering at a water station to anyone who hasn't done it before!  IT'S SO FUN!

Plus, I got a $30 credit to a future race, which I have already cashed in for... drumroll please...

LindsayOnTheGo is doing it too!  Plus I've got some peer pressure on other people in the works.  :-)

Degree Completion.  I have been making MAJOR progress towards this and this is the #1 reason why I'm so busy and have lost my running mojo.  The crazy never-ending work load will lessen soon with the end of the school year.  So look for better blog posts / blog stalking again starting around June 22.  :-)

Pretty good May if I do say so myself!

How was your month?  What is your #1 goal you hope to reach this year?