april goals

Short term, intermediate goals are not my strong suit. I do well with big, scary (i.e. run a half marathon/marathon) longer term goals, but the little ones are the ones I tend to slack on. So here's my effort to do better at setting, keeping and meeting short term goals.

1. Find my long lost nutritional discipline. I seem to have lost my ability to make wise food choices on a regular basis. That needs to change as I ramp up mileage. Also, my sister is getting married in May. Less of a muffin top would be a good thing. In terms of details that means way less dairy (if any at all) on my sensitive tummy and to back away from the Oreos. Oh how I love Oreos, but that's for another post on another day. Oh and I'm also experimenting with a new pre and post run fuel strategy, but I will get into that when I have been able to see how it's going to pan out.

2. Speaking of mileage. I want to set the somewhat lofty (for me) goal of running 75 miles this month. Now, for those of you who regularly run this in a week or two try to remember what it was like to be a newbie. Besides, the point of this goal is that what I REALLY need to do is to become more consistent on a day to day and a week to week training basis. I tend to go hard for a week or so and then skip most of a week then rinse and repeat. If I could find some consistency in training, everything else will fall into place. Besides, to meet my overall goal of running the FULL at the Route 66 Marathon in November, I need to be running consistently before training actually begins, not just when I get a bee in my bonnet and need to blow off steam. (Bee in my bonnet? What am I, 88 years old and from Revolutionary America?!)

3. Crosstrain. Eww. But it needs to happen. Riding my bike and some weight and core training need to become regular occurrences in my life. Seriously. As my sister calls them, "Nancy Regan arms" just won't cut it in a tank top...or ever.

4. Stop being a wimp when it comes to the 5K. I need to get faster and learn to deal with the short term pain of a 5K. I can do it for a half marathon, but not a 5K? I make no sense. Looking to set a new PR pronto.

So there it is. What I want to do in my running life this April. Exciting, huh? Well, I am already 7 miles deep, so it's a start!! If I can start to pull the little things together, November 18 is going to be a BIG marathon-y success!

Happy Running! (or Zumba, [Erin!] or spin or swim or however you like to sweat!)