Non-Scale Victory

My NSV for the week is what I have been posting about the last few days: meeting my time goal for the half marathon I ran on Sunday!!  I’m sure my readers are getting tired of hearing about the half, but I’m proud of myself for rocking it so hard!!

I set a time goal of 2:10, and I ended up finishing in 2:09:12!!  I PR'ed by almost 16 minutes!  If you want to read a looooong race recap, check out my post from yesterday. 

I will be running another half marathon in August, and my goal for that race is to get a sub 2:00 time.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Madison Half Marathon Recap

Sorry that I did not have this race recap posted on Monday like I said I would!  Just a warning, it's a long one.

If you have been reading my blog, you know I ran my 2^nd half marathon this past Sunday.  I was nervous the last two weeks leading up to this half because I was sick for a few days, and it really affected my running.  I had set a time goal in my mind, but I did not share it on my blog before the race.  If I had shared my goals before the race, I was worried that I would have to report back that I did not accomplish my goal since my pace was out of whack from being sick.  Well, I’m happy to report that I kicked ass, reached my time goal, and PR’ed hard core! 

My goal was to finish in 2:10, and my finishing time ended up being 2:09:12.  Last years’ time was 2:25:04 with 11:04 pace.  I beat my time by 15 minutes and 52 seconds, putting my pace at 9:50.  I shaved over a minute off my mile pace.  I definitely was pushing myself, but there was room to push myself harder so I could have done even better.  And to think, I was so nervous about not reaching my goal.

I am going with my official time being 2:09:12 because that is what my watch said.  If you look up my results on line though, my time is “officially” 2:15:58.  Obviously, I would go with the quicker time, but here is the story as to why my watch is correct, and the online results are wrong.

The story begins with the fact that I never crossed the start line.  This means, my timing chip did not register until I crossed the Mile 3 time reader, and the time on the clock at the reader was the time from when the very first runner crossed the start line at 7:00.  Why did I not cross start line, you are wondering? 

Well, that’s because I thought the race started at 7:30.  Not 7:00.  Which means I did not show up until 7:05…cue panic and disbelief as I see the last few people trickling out of the starting chute, and I still don’t have my timer on my shoe, or my music started, or my long sleeve taken off, or my number pinned on, or my last bathroom stop taken!!  I look at Nick in horror and go, “Oh my god, I think the race already started!”  Uh, clearly it did.  I whip off my long sleeve, Nick starts pinning on my number, I get out my IPod, tie my chip onto my shoe, yell a quick, “see you at the finish line!” and sprint off to the chute.  I left Nick to handle the dog (we decided to bring Skittles so she wasn’t cooped up all day) and pick up everything I dropped on the sidewalk in my frenzy to start running. 

As I approach the chute, I find a volunteer member standing by a gap in the fence.  I walk over to him, and casually have this conversation as I untangle my headphone cord.

Me:  “So, was start time 7:00?”

Volunteer:  “Sure was.”

Me:  “Crazy, I thought it started at 7:30”

Volunteer:  “*Chuckle* Nope, 7:00” 

He finally looks over at me. “Oh! You’re a participant!”

Me: “Yup, I’m running a little late apparently since I thought it started at 7:30”

Volunteer:  “Ah, well, you have time.  Don’t worry, the walkers are just starting now.”

I realize at this moment that even though I am 5 minutes late, and almost everyone is through the starting chute, everything is going to be ok.  My headphones are in.  I check my shoe laces one last time.  Do a few quick stretches, and off I go. 

I still did not get my last bathroom stop in, and of course all I can think about for the first half mile is how badly I have to pee, and how I really don’t want to slow my time down to use a port-a-potty.  It also hit me at this point I had not crossed the start line, which meant my timing chip didn’t get activated.  Since I was in such panic mode, I didn’t look for the start line, I just joined in at the break in the fence by the volunteer.  The start line was only half a black away too…I just didn’t take the time to think about it, and look to my left.  Instead, I just jumped in and started running.  I then became annoyed that the volunteer didn’t say anything to me, like “Make sure you cross the start line, right there, before you begin.”  We had had a conversation.  He stood there and watched me put on headphones in.  Then he watched me trot away.  Oh well, it was my responsibility not his.

So as I mentioned earlier in the post, my timing chip did not start tracking my time until I crossed the Mile 3 time reader, which was the official time from the 7:00 start, which was at 34:11.  In reality, I crossed that reader around 29 minutes.  This means that when I crossed the finish line it was 2:15:58 since the race had officially started, and that was what my time was recorded as.  I was quicker than this though, so I am going using my watch time as my OFFICAL time. 

Oh well.  Though, my favorite spectator sign from the race was, “Pain is only temporary…Internet results are forever!”  Too bad my internet results will never reflect my true time…

Enough talk of OFFICAL and “official” results.

Even though I started the race in a panic, it ended up being my best race so far.  It was even better than some of the shorter races I have run.  Once I started running, and got into my pace groove, I felt great mentally, emotionally, and physically.  The first big hill, which was the same hill from the Crazylegs race, was not nearly as daunting as it was during that run, and I zoomed up it pretty quickly.

Just before mile 3, I saw my friend’s Heidi and Chris.  Heidi’s brother and sister-in-law were running, and they are MUCH faster than I am, so I was really touched that they stuck around that point to see me run by too!  I slowed just a bit as I ran by them to say I messed up the start time, hence my late arrival.  They got a good laugh out of it

.

There were water stations about every mile and a half, which was awesome, but I passed by the first few because I had to pee and didn’t want to take in more liquid.  I saw Nick and Skittles by Camp Randall which was just before mile 4.  They ran down the sidewalk with me for a couple blocks, and we talked about the craziness of the morning, and being late, and how it was turning out to be a pretty good race despite the chaos.  At the base of the long, gradual, Monroe Street incline, Nick wished me luck and trotted off with Skittles so they could catch me run past on another leg of the course. 

At the mile 6 water station, I knew it had to drink something.  The urge to pee, even though I had not stopped to use the restroom, was completely gone and I was pretty sweaty.  I grabbed water, stopped for a second to drink it down, and continued on my way.  I have yet to master the run and drink technique. 

Right after that water station, I saw Heidi and Chris again.  It is definitely motivating, and extremely encouraging, to see your friends cheering you on.   When I spotted them, a huge smile spread across my face, and little pep was added to my step.

At mile 8, I stopped at the water station again and grabbed a Gatorade this time.  I sweat sooooo much when I run so I decided to alternate between water and Gatorade to help my electrolyte levels, and ensure I didn’t get a tummy ache from too much Gatorade.  At water station at 9.5 miles, I took two waters because I was feeling pretty hot and drained, and the toughest hill of the course was in about ¾ of a mile and I wanted to make sure I was ready for it.  I also saw Nick and Skittles by this station which helped put a smile on my face before heading to the big hill. 

The hill I’m speaking of is the one.  It sucked even more this time than when I ran in earlier.  I put in more miles this time before approaching it than I did in my practice run, and it definitely showed.  In the group of people around me when I started the hill, I was one of the only people to actually run up it.  Most people walked.  I so badly wanted to join them, but I wanted more to not walk at all during this race so I powered through.  My running was barely faster than their walking, but I’m proud of myself for getting over it without walking.  There were a ton of people cheering at the top of the hill, and one of the local running companies had a booth set up with a microphone too, so that also motivated me to keep on trucking. 

I grabbed a Gatorade at the 10.5 mile station, and smiled at the fact that the remainder of the race was mostly downhill or flat.  From mile 10.5 up to mile 12, the race was a little boring.  It was mostly a straight shot, with no shade, and there were not too many spectators.  Starting at mile 12 through to the finish line, that all changed.  There were people everywhere, many shouting out encouraging words, and blasting pump-up music on stereos. 

Since we were so close to the finish line, spectators started encouraging individual runners by reading their names off their bibs.  I had a bunch of people say specifically, “Ashley, you’re doing awesome!! You’re so close the finish line, Ashley!! You’ve got this, girl!”  I love the air of excitement that spectators bring to the race experience.  They cheer on perfect strangers, and know just when to say the right things to give runners the extra boost they desperately need.

The final block, leading up to the finish line, was a bit of an incline, but I was ready to get my medal, my chocolate milk, and my free beer, so I gave it my all and sprinted as quickly as I could.  My legs were exhausted and kind of jellyish so my “sprint” wasn’t too quick, but my heart swelled with pride when I crossed that finish line!!  I stopped my watch, and couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked down and saw I had met my time goal. 

2:09:12.  Such a sweet, sweet, number.  I thought for sure the race was not going to go too well since the morning had started so roughly.  Man, I have never been so happy to be proved wrong!   

If you’re still with me, thank you for taking the time to read through this extremely long post!! 

Now, it’s photo time.

 Post-Race.  All I wanted to do was sit down, but I NEEDED my photo!

Finisher medals.  They were HUGE this year! As you can kind of make out from the picture, it's about the size of my palm.  It's also super heavy, you could probably knock someone out with it.

The awesome neon yellow race shirt.  I wore it to work on Tuesday so I could brag a little.  I am not at all ashamed :) 

Goals. Goals. Goals.

Goals. Goals. Goals.  It’s time to get back into the swing of setting weekly goals.  Last week, I took the week off from the Weekly Goals Link Party.  Before that though, I was creating goals, but not really following through with them.  This week, I am ready to make up some great goals, and kick some booty in accomplishing all of them!

1.  Track everything I eat.

I’ve been very lax on tracking my calories lately.  Usually, I start the day tracking, but after breakfast, I generally give up.  This has led me to eat whatever I want.  I felt that if I wasn’t seeing those calories add up, I wasn’t really eating them.  My eating has gotten out of control lately so I hope that being stricter with my tracking will help me get back into a healthy routine.  

2.  Go to the gym at least 5 times.

I have had a gym membership since the middle of February, and when I first got it, I went all the time.  Lately though, I have barely used it at all.  In the month of May, I think I have only gone 3 or 4 times.  I hate that I am wasting $30 a month by not using my membership.  It is sometimes tough to get myself to the gym since I run outside so often.  I need to start seriously strength training though, and I have no equipment for that at home, so I need to use my gym membership for that purpose.

3.  Complete the first week of Jamie Eason’s LiveFit.

I “started” this program two weeks ago, but I only completed the first day…because I suck at going to the gym.  I have wanted to incorporate strength training into my fitness routine so I can work on defining my muscles.  I don’t know too much about strength training so I like that this program seems straight forward and easy to follow.  I will not be following the diet, I will just be completely the strength training.

Since I just ran a half marathon yesterday, I am taking the week off from running.  I’ll probably end up going for 2 or 3, easy short runs, but I have nothing particular scheduled.  Starting June 3^rd, I will be back on a running schedule as I will begin my 18 week full marathon training!  My first full marathon will be October 6^th, so I have exactly 18 weeks to train.  I plan on running a few other races, such as half marathons, before then also.

I’m ready to take this week on and rock these goals!

I Finished!

Workout:

I ran a mother fuckin' half marathon!!

13.14 miles - 2:09:12

I'll post a full race recap tomorrow.

'Twas the Night Before...

Friday Workout:

6.15 mile run – 1:00:42

Workout:

50 minute walk with dogs - 2.41 miles

At the Expo getting my bib and shirt!

Yes, MEN'S SMALL. I don't like the way the women's sizes fit...

In about 12 hours, I’ll be crossing the start line of my 2^nd half marathon!  I’m excited and nervous.  I ran a 6 mile loop of the course on Friday, and it was a little tough.  The course overall is much more hilly than I’m used to running on. I’ll be just fine though.  I just need to hunker down, and get my booty over those hills.  They are just hills, and all I need to do is get over them!!

The picture below is an example of one of the hills I will be conquering tomorrow.  It is the nasty hill that I ran up during my Friday 6 mile loop.  The picture doesn't really do it justice, it doesn't quite capture the terrifying vertical-ness of it.  On Friday, I ran up at the end of mile 6.  Tomorrow, I'll be running up it around mile 10.5 which means I'll be more tired.  I think this is the part of the course I am most nervous about.  

Wish me luck, and I can't wait to report back on how the race goes!

It's the Final Countdown

Thursday Workout:

3.23 mile run – 29:32

It’s the final countdown badababa badabahbah to the half marathon!  My training has been fairly lax since I was sick because I felt so weak and struggled so much when I ran.  I decided to take a few days off to just let my body relax and gain back some strength.  Last night, I was just itching to go for a run though.  I’m really happy to see that my quick pace is back for my short runs.  Seeing that 9:10 average really brought my confidence back.  The weather on the day of the half is supposed to be cool and overcast so I won’t have to struggle with the heat either. 

Today will be my last “long” run before the race.  I am doing part of the course that goes by my work.  It will be a 6 mile loop that ends with a nasty hill.  The hill is going to suck, but I’ll be better off getting one practice run over it before the actual race day.

Before going for my run today, it is the end of the year picnic for the staff at my work.  There is going to be a lot of delicious, not so healthy food, and LOTS of beer.  Since I NEED to get this run in, I am going to have to be extremely conscious of what I eat and drink, and how much.  I brought an apple and banana to eat this morning before the picnic so I can fill myself up so I won’t eat too much before the run.

After having a few days of misgiving about running this upcoming half marathon, I’m finally back in the game and ready to kick some ass on Sunday!

 

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Breaking Up

Sorry for being MIA.  My bff was visiting from NJ so I spent a few days catching up with her at her parent’s house near La Crosse.  Here are a few pictures that sum up our time together:

at a candy/ice cream shop

pre-run

post-run

wine tasting

just us being us 

Whenever Anna is around, a lot of candy, junk food, and booze is involved.  We also take tons of ridiculous pictures.  The running photos and the last photo are just a snipet of silly things we do when we take pictures.  I had a marvelous time with Anna, and I miss her already.  After all that fun though, I feel like a big bloated fatty today.  I need to get back into my routine stat so I can stop feeling so gross.

My fun filled days with Anna segue into the title of this post, I am breaking up with my scale for a while.  I have decided I am not going to weigh myself for the rest of May.  My next weigh-in will be June 5^th.  I have not been seeing the results I want on the scale, and it’s bumming me out.  My body is changing in other ways though since my clothes are becoming loose and I had to tighten my belt, but not seeing the number on the scale change, or seeing it go up, can be very discouraging.  I am running a half marathon on Sunday, and I would rather worry about getting ready for that instead of the high number on the scale.  

Not My Week

Workout:

3 Mile Run – 29:34

20 Mintue Walk – 1.14 miles

30 Mintue Walk with Dogs – 1.43 miles

The title of this post explains it all.  This week has been ROUGH.  I’ve been sick since Wednesday night, vomiting sick, and I just started to feel better last night.  Tuesday’s workouts were never completed because of studying and cleaning, and then I was sick so I didn’t work out Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. 

Last night I had already planned on going for a long run today since I was feeling better and I need to make up some mega mileage.  I didn’t really think about the fact that I had been bed/couch/bathroom floor ridden for the last couple days.  That being said, all I can say about today’s run is that it did not go well.  I wanted to run for at least an hour, but right from the start, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.  Three miles into it, I just had to quit.  I was lightheaded, exhausted, and my legs were wobbly.  I was super disappointed, but I should have known I was going to be too weak to go for a long run after being sick for days.

Hopefully I can get a nice long run in tomorrow instead.  I’m thankful I was sick this week instead of next week right before I run a half marathon.  If the half was tomorrow instead of next week, I would be screwed.  I will still compete, but I’m pretty sure there would have been a lot of walking.  Here’s to hoping I get back to 100% before next weekend!!!

Not What I Had in Mind

Yesterday did not go as planned.  I have my final exam for Spanish today, so I knew I would be studying a lot yesterday, but I was sure I had time for a bunch of other things too.  Once I got home from work, the plan was to take the dogs for a walk, study for a bit, go for my run, take the dogs on another walk so I could cool down, study some more, head to the gym to do strength training, study more, go to bed. 

This is how last night actually went.  Get home, start to study, realize I haven’t done any of my workbook yet, take an hour to finish my workbook, get a call from my bff that is going to be in town for the next week saying “hey, I’m stopping by your house tomorrow before heading to my parents,” look around the house and realize it’s a pit (my bff lives in NJ and has not seen our new house yet so I wanted it too look good!), start cleaning frantically so I can get back to studying, clean for an hour and half, decide it’s time to go for my run, look outside and it looks like it’s midnight even though it’s only about 7:30 and see lightning, never mind no run tonight…back to studying, be pestered by needy dog that is afraid of storms while trying to study, get another phone call from my friend, "never mind I won’t be coming over tomorrow does Monday work instead?", ugh I wasted an hour and half scrubbing toilets, vacuuming, and doing laundry, when I could have been running or studying, study some more, think about going to the gym, but then realize it’s almost 10 and I am exhausted and not prepared for my test yet, say FUCK IT  and just go to sleep where I have to battle the needy dog for my pillow because it’s still raining and she thinks she deserves to sleep on my pillow when she’s scared.

Did you follow all that?  Basically, it boils down to the fact that nothing went as planned.  I spent all night studying and cleaning, and I didn't get much of a workout in today.  Luckily, I did go for a walk during my lunch break so at least I got some activity in today.  I was also really excited to see my bff tonight, but now I have to wait until Monday, wahhhhhh!

Enough whining, here are some lovely pictures from my walk at work yesterday.

Leading onto the pier network

Path through the woods

Adorable little bridge that leads to the zoo

A memorial spot for my previous boss that passed away from pancreatic cancer.

View of the lake past the marshes

The college I work at is on a lake so there is a pretty little walking path through the woods to the lake, and a network of piers throughout the marshes.  It's a gorgeous little stroll, and I love being out by the water. 

Now, onto something I have been dreading since the weekend.  Weigh-In Wednesday.  I knew this weigh in was going to be bad because of all the family get togethers this past weekend, but I didn't think it would be this bad.

163.3

Yuck.  That's a 2.7 pound gain.  I had weighed myself on Monday because I felt bloated and gross, and was curios how much damage I had done.  I was even higher than this number, but I was hoping to be back down to 162ish if not lower by today.  I was praying that I was just retaining a bunch of water from eating too much sodium.  Looks like that's not quite the case.  This is going to make my weekly goal of getting into the 150s VERY challenging. I guess I'll be kicking it into mega high gear for the rest of the week!! 

Wish me luck!

Goals Link-Up

Workout:

30 minute walk on my lunch break

30 minutes on stationary bike

20 minutes of strength training

30 minute walk with dogs

Today, I started Jamie Eason’s LiveFit strength program.  I am just doing the strength moves, not following the diet and cardio plans.  My main focus is running so I have to keep up with my own running schedule.  My arms now feel like jello, but I am super pumped to do this program and see some results.  My upper body strength is pretty pathetic so I can’t wait to start getting some definition and much needed strength!

It’s time again to link up with the fabulous Jess over at Operation Skinny Jeans to talk about goals.  I give myself a C+ on my goals last week.  I was supposed to run 25 miles total last week, but only ran 19, which did include a single 12 mile run, so I am fairly happy with that outcome.  I was supposed to track every single morsel that went in my mouth, but that did not happen.  There were at least 3 days that I gave up tracking on MyFitnessPal after lunch, and just didn’t finish out my log for the day.  My final goal for last week was to slow down my eating.  I think I did a great job with this.  Nick and I talked more during dinner which helped me slow down.  I also worked on taking smaller bites and chewing them more. 

This week, my goals are:

1. Get into the 150s.

I usually weigh in on Wednesday, which I will do again this week, but next I will weigh in on Monday to see if I achieved this goal or not.

2.  Walk every day during my lunch break, weather permitting.

I have an hour long lunch at work and I usually use it to take a class.  Classes are over for the summer, and I usually end up just eating at my desk while I work and I don’t take advantage of the full hour.  Today, I ate while working, but decided to spend a half an hour walking outside.  It felt so great to get out of the office and move.

3.  Eat at least 3 different veggies a day.

My veggie intake has been lacking lately.  I’ve been in a rut and have just been eating raw carrots or celery, and I usually just eat them at lunch.  I want to try to eat a veggie at every meal, and eat others rather than just carrots and celery.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

12 Miles

Saturday Workout:

11.92 mile run – 1:57:33

Alllllllright!  I definitely have the confidence to rock my half marathon in 2 weeks.  I’ve been a little nervous about the half these last few weeks since my training has been a little sporadic.  I have been worried that I won’t be able to run all 13.1 miles.  Most of my run was on a flat surface yesterday though, but I did get in a couple inclines.  I just know that my pace will be a little slower for the half since there are more hills in Madison.  At least I know I have the endurance to finish all of those miles without walking!  I’m pumped to get a BALLER PR this year!!

It’s a good thing I ran so many miles yesterday and earned a ton of calories.  Nick and I had a combined birthday party yesterday for his niece, dad, and grandma.  We ate sloppy joes, pasta salad, and cupcakes.  After the birthday party, we had a Mother’s Day get together with Nick’s mom and her family where we ate grilled burgers, brats, and ribs, potato salad, chips, and brownies.  I ate A LOT of heavy food, but I didn’t feel too guilty since I kicked ass with my run. 

Today, we’ll be heading to my mom’s house for a Mother’s Day cookout with my brothers.  There should be a better selection of fruits and veggies at my mom’s cookout, so hopefully I’ll end up eating better today.  I still have to get in at least 6 miles sometime today so I can achieve my weekly goal of running at least 25 miles.  I slacked, hard, on this goal, and now I’m scrambling a bit to make it up.  My legs are extremely sore and tight so I have to do a lot of stretching before I can head out and hit the pavement today.

I hope everyone has a great day with their momma, or their own babies, whether they’re human or furbabies!

NSV

My legs were HELLA sore and tired yesterday from my Tuesday night run.  I used this as an excuse to not run last night.  I did have grand intentions of at least going to the gym, but then I had a few too many of these

So instead of going to the gym, this is what my night consisted of:

A lovely fire outside that included roasting marshmallows and makings s'mores, and taking ridiculous pictures of our DOGters.  Molly reminds me of a glamorous granny, and Skittles just looks like a boss and super bad ass. 

Now, on to some serious matters.  My NSVs for the week.  

I had to buy a new belt a few months ago and hated the fact that I ended up having to buy a large.  Even with buying the large, the tightest I could get it was on the second notch.  This means I almost needed the XL.  I'm proud to say that yesterday I wore said belt, and I was able to put it all the way to the LAST notch!  Before I know it, I'll need to buy another new belt and it will be a medium!!!

Coinciding with the tighten of my belt is the fact that my jeans are all slowly becoming too big.  I wear an 8 or 10 depending on the brand, and I now need to wear my belt with almost all my jeans!  I cannot even remember the last time I wore anything smaller than an 8.  I just might need to go on a shopping spree soon!!

I hope everyone else is having great Non-Scale Victories too!!   

What a Wonderful Feeling

Workout:

6.98 mile run – 1:09:33

50 minute walk with dogs – 3.08 miles

Holy cow, it feels grrrreat to be back!  I enjoy how I feel so much better when I’m active than when I’m a slug.  I enjoy it so much more that I don’t understand why I go through my funk phases.  I am only human, I guess I just need my down time every now and then. 

There are only 19 days until I run my 2^nd half marathon.  Eeeeeekkk!  I am running the same half that I ran last year, but the course is different this time around.  The first 5ish miles actually follow the same course that I just ran a few weeks ago for the Crazylegs 8k.  This means I get to conquer that awful, steep, Bascom Hill again…that makes me want to cry a little, but it’s right after the first mile so it’ll be over quickly.

My friend that ran the half with me last year is supposed to run it again with me this year.  She is already registered, but she emailed me on Sunday saying she didn’t think she would be ready so she may have to ditch out.  Her work schedule has been crazy, she’s a nurse, so she hasn’t been able to follow much of a training plan.  She’s already a great runner though so I hope she’ll just tough it out.  If not, I’ll be bummed, but I understand.  Her pace is quicker than mine so last year we only ran together for the first 3 miles before she kicked it into high gear and went at her own pace. 

I'm a little bit nervous for my weigh in tomorrow since last week was such a train wreck! 

     

I hope everyone is having a great week, and to all my fellow 10-Week Challengers: keep on rockin it!!

A Fresh New Week

My last post was titled, “Pretending Monday Didn’t Happen.”  In reality, I’m just going to pretend all of last week didn’t happen.  I fell of the wagon last week, hard.  I ate like a piglet, drank A LOT of beer, didn’t track my food, and skipped far too many workouts.  I got into the mindset that if I didn’t track my food, it was like I wasn’t actually eating.  Not seeing those calories add up fueled my denial about all the awful stuff I was putting in my body.  I know it’s good to have “bad” food in moderation to keep yourself sane, but moderation was not a word in my vocabulary this past week. 

As I alluded to in my last post, what’s in the past is in the past.  I made bad decision the last few days, but there is not anything I can do about them now.  What’s done is done.  I can’t go back and make changes.  Now, I can only move on and work my booty off.    

Since I sucked at life this past week, I was not successful in any of my goals.  Here’s a reminder of what my goals were last week.

1.  Focus on strength training.

2.  Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

3.  Maintain a 1500 or less calorie diet.

Those goals are out the window now.  It’s a new week, and I’m starting fresh with new goals.  My goals from last week were great though, so I may revisit them in the future.  Without further ado, my new goals.

Eat slower.  

1.  Take time to savor my meals.

I enjoy cooking, and like to take the time to try new recipes and make nice meals.  I spend a lot of time prepping and making food each day that I in turn wolf down in a few minutes.  Often, it feels like a waste to use all that time making a meal that I eat so quickly.  I want to slow it down and enjoy the food I make. 

2.  Run at least 25 miles this week.

My half marathon is now only 3 weeks away.  I CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS ANOTHER RUN!!!!!!  By setting 25 as my mileage goal this week, it means I can’t skip a run without falling way behind. 

3.  Record EVERYTHING I eat this week.  EVERYTHING!

Honestly, I sometimes do not add food items to my MyFitnessPal account.  I act as if not adding them means I didn’t actually eat them.  That is not the case.  My body will reflect those cheats even if my calorie count does not.  By making myself track everything, I will be able to see what I can cut out of my diet, and focus on making healthy change.  Today already, I ate ice cream.  I wasted 300 calories on ice cream.  It was delicious, and I enjoyed every bit of it, but I could have had 3 bananas instead, or 4 apples, or about million stalks of celery for 300 calories.  I could have eaten so much more, and been much more satisfied, if I would have used those 300 calories on fruits and veggies. 

I'm excited to move on and begin this new week! I hope everyone else is off to a healthy start this week!