"The Jam" Thursday - What is blowing up my iPod

Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought, "why is my alarm going off this early?  It's Saturday for heaven sake!"  Only to be rudely awaken to the fact that it's not Saturday and it is actually Thursday morning.

Cue this scenario this morning for me.  Le Sigh...

It is Thursday and that means it's "The Jam" time, where I share songs that get my legs pumping and my booty bumping.  This weeks "jam" idea is courtesy of a great Twitter friend of mine, Jill Barnes (sweetest thing ever!), of a song that is on my rotation but I haven't posted about.  It's a fun song and a bit of a blast from the past since this song was released towards the beginning of her solo career.

So today's "jam" is:

Wind It Up by Gwen Stefani

I remember rocking out to this song during late nights at work.  Cranking up the volume and singing along in an empty office building.  Now I listen to this while running and helps me rock out a bit when I need a good distraction.  The video is funny and yes, you guessed it Jill, a take from the movie Sound of Music.  It's quite funny, I love Gwen's sense of humor with her video. 

Hope you all have a great Thursday (only one more day to go until the weekend!!) and enjoy todays "jam"!

End of Week 17 Half Marathon training

Another week has gone by, more training runs and another week closer to the goal of my first half marathon.  I know it sounds so cliche, but it feels so surreal to think about how far I've gone in my journey and that it's almost over, the race is 4 weeks away.  This doesn't mean I'm going to stop here.  Oh no...I've got the Rock n' Roll Seattle half marathon in June and Disneyland Half Marathon weekend in August.  My friend Danielle is also trying to talk me into running the BMO in Vancouver, BC on Cinco de Mayo.  I said I would go cheer, but I'm not sure if I will run, though I heard it is an AMAZING course and a really organized race in general.

So this weeks training was pretty much like all the others, just with an increase in mileage on my long run.  It was:

Tuesday: 30 min run/walk
Thursday: 30 min run/walk
Saturday: 12 mile long run  <---YIKES!

If you can remember from previous weekly training recaps I can never get a Tuesday run in to save my life.  Well, I got one in at the beginning of the week!  <shock and awe ensues!>  I was able to get off work a bit early on Monday and spend some time with the hubby, so when I got home I immediately changed into my running gear, grabbed my hubby and we were out the door!  He had wanted to go running that day, so I figured we could spend some time together running since I needed to get some time in on the road as well.

We ran around our neighborhood, which is no easy feat as we live on a big hill and everywhere around us is hills, so just by running around where I live I will always get hill training.  Check.  Hubby was having a bit of a tough time breathing during the run, the hills plus the horrible air quality we were having because of the week+ of fog/stagnant air, didn't help.  So we walked a bit more than what my run schedule called for, which was fine with me, because I was hurting myself.  Oof!  Now I know why the schedule calls to wait until Tuesday to run after a long run of 11 miles.  My muscles were so incredibly sore and just not wanting to work in general.  Boo hiss!  Regardless, we got through the run and cheered each other along the whole way.

Thursdays run didn't happen.  I was not feeling well for most of this week.  Achy and had a headache off and on most of the week.  I wanted to rest to make sure that it didn't turn into a full blown illness.  So I decided to rest, I didn't even go to Pilates either, so I really just took it easy this week. 

Saturday came and I was headed to Alki Beach to run along the water there, if you've ever seen "Sleepless in Seattle" Alki beach is the place where Tom Hanks played on the beach with his character son.  Just to give you some background on where I was.  On the schedule for the day was 12 miles.  I had 2 friends meeting up with me at 11am for 6 miles, so I went early to get 6 miles done on my own and then run with them for the second half of my run.  If I'm going to have company for my runs and they won't be there for the whole thing, I prefer them joining during the second half, because the conversation tends to help distract me from the pain I'm feeling.  HA!

So out and back along the beach is 6 miles total, so I would make the trip twice to complete my mileage.  Good thing it's beautiful out there, otherwise I would have been bored!  The first 6 miles were good.  Watched the scenery around me, ran along the trail with TONS of other runners and got lost in my own thoughts.  It was a peaceful run actually and quite enjoyable.

Then I got back from my first time around, my running partners had arrived.  It was nice to have these ladies with me to help with my next 6 miles, I would need them more than I knew.  When I had gotten there to meet them, I started to get a pain in my lower left calf, a pain I had never had before and was troubled with it because it hurt with every foot strike.  Ugh.  I found that if I adjusted how my foot was striking it wouldn't hurt, so I had to be very aware of how I was running as to not aggravate it.

We continued on with the last 6 of my run and the first three were not bad.  Tried to keep a good and steady pace and felt pretty decent.  We had stopped and stretched half way through, so at 9 miles for me, which turned out to be not so good of an idea for me as my hips completely stiffened up during that time.  I was running like I had just gotten off a horse after a long ride.  So. Not. Pretty.

But by this time I wanted the run to be done.  I wasn't hurting per se, I was just more wanting to get the mileage over with.  So as we were heading back to our starting point and running into a really nasty and cold headwind (slowing you down by an average of 20 seconds per mile) some thing happened that I had never experienced before.  

We were about a half mile from the end when I completely zoned out.  It was kinda like tunnel vision if only for the fact that I didn't hear anything or really feel anything, I was just so focused that my mind zoned out.  When that happened, my body completely took over.  My stride became effortless and my pace, amazingly enough at mile 11.5, picked up.  The ladies that were running with me, said all of a sudden I just started to pull away from them and I was going a lot faster, making it tough for them to keep up.  When I got to the finish point and confirmed it on my Garmin, I "woke up" out of my zone out and was surprised to see what I saw.  We had been running an average of 12:45 min/mile, however in my last .5 mile to the end I was running an 11:15 min/mile.  I had picked up that much speed at the very end and I didn't even know it was happening.

 

I was able to look down at my Garmin and admire this though.  12 miles, done and in the books.  At that point, I was hurting, but knew I could have gone another 1.1 miles to complete the half marathon distance.  Knowing that and feeling that ability was humbling and exciting all at the same time.  For the first time I really felt confident enough to admit to myself that "Yes, you can run the half marathon distance...and live to tell the tale after!"  HA!  I was elated, but still hurting a bit, so not a lot of celebrating. :)  It's crazy to think that I've actually been able to run 12 miles by my own two feet, and also to think that this eventually will not be a feat for me.  That this distance will be something that I will do with some sort of regularity for my future race training.  That right there, boggles the mind!

So another week in the books and only three more training weeks before I hit my taper week (hahah...I actually said taper week and was actually referring to me, oh boy I crack myself up!).  Then it's off to Orlando to run with the Princesses!  AAAHHH!!!  I can't believe it is almost here, I'm so freaking excited!!!  But I can't get ahead of myself, training first, I have to prepare properly for this race.  It's my first half and I want to make it a good one!

Momentum Monday: Negative Energy

Hello Monday...we meet again.  Let's try and make it not quite so quickly next weekend, eh?  

Another Monday means another weekend of relaxation and a long run.  I'm still riding off the high of finishing my first ever 12 mile run on Saturday, it still feels weird to say that I accomplished that.  But I did, I have the pics and witnesses to prove it!

Speaking of my witnesses, one of my friends that came and ran with me on Saturday brought up a really good point that I wanted to talk about today.  Without divulging too much information about the situation, she has an ill family member that has her quite upset and the fact that the doctors don't know whats wrong, makes it that much more difficult to bear.

She said last week that she would come out to run on Saturday, but then her family issue happened and she decided against it.  On a split early morning decision, she decided to get herself out there and run with us.  Why?  Well today's Motivation was completely appropriate:

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She knew that staying at home she would be stewing about whatever terrible scenario she had in her head.  She also knew that running would help give her a nice break in her routine and to think about something else.  She also knew that running would help her shake the stress and negative energy off.  How appropriately put.  

I can't think of a better way to deal with stress than to run.  Whether it is for a couple of minutes or many miles, the release of what you are keeping inside through the movement of your body is so therapeutic.  There have been countless times where I have looked between a bottle of wine and my running shoes on the floor and tried to decide which one would be the best to deal with my stress/anger/anxiety/negativity/etc.  

I would long for the bottle of wine, because that was an old habit of mine.  I would have incredibly stressful days, where I would go home and open a bottle of wine only intending on having a couple of glasses.  Then before I knew it, the bottle was almost empty and although I wasn't feeling those feelings anymore, they were still there waiting for me.

When I started choosing my running shoes over wine, I found that when I was done with my run, however long it might have been, I felt better.  I breathed easier and the weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  The run had given me time to process what I was feeling and to release anything I was holding onto...and yes, that includes tears.  I've had runs that have stopped dead in its tracks because of a bawling session.  It's okay, cry it out.  You probably needed it.  

What I'm trying to get at is that I know I felt better mentally, physically and psychologically after a run during stressful times.  It may not be for everyone, I understand that.  But next time you are having a particularly stressful/negative day, or week, give it a try.  Lace up your shoes and hit the road or the treadmill or trail and just run.  Leave the stress in your dust.

"The Jam" Thursday - What is blowing up my iPod

Ah...my Thursday/Friday is here once again.  Oh how I adore three day weekends.  It's the only thing that keeps me sane when I work my insane hours during the week.  They also allow me to decompress and really gear up for my long runs on the weekend.  For some reason I always feel rushed when I work on Friday and get up early on Saturday for my long run, does that happen to anyone else?

You may have noticed that race talk is really starting to pick up on here.  With the race 32 days away the anticipation and excitement are really starting to build up.  I'm so nervous, excited, thrilled, cautious, geeking out over this race weekend, that it's pretty much all I think about lately.  The training has really helped me to feel stronger and more confident about me and my ability to run this race.  A feat I thought was insurmountable, is now well within my grasp.  It's such a great feeling.

Which is actually a great intro to "The Jam" for this week.  It's from an artist that I've watched and listened to from the very moment they were discovered.  She's got such a powerful voice and I just love her.  Today's "jam" is:

Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson

The lyrics are pretty powerful and the beat is a great motivator.  I like to listen to this when I need a little (okay...a lot!) encouragement towards the end of my long run.  Plus it's a bit of a double entendre when speaking of listening this during a workout.  HA!  I hope you enjoy the listen and have an awesome Thursday!

End of Week 16 Half Marathon training

It is the end of Week 16 in my training and I'm feeling more confident with each passing week.  The mileage keeps increasing and I keep attacking it with a strength I've never seen in myself before.  Let's take a look at the training for this week.

Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Saturday: 11 mile long run

Tuesdays run didn't happen.  I just started taking a pilates class that I go to on Monday and Wednesdays and I'm LOVING the classes.  They are really working my core and legs, I have that good sore feeling after every class and I'm loving it.  Though this past Mondays class really worked my legs and they were kinda useless on Tuesday.  I have also been in meetings until late in the evening almost everyday, essentially killing any opportunity I have to run after work.

Thursdays run didn't happen either.  I spent the evening hanging out with my sister, a tradition we haven't been able to do in about a month.  I was intending on going on my run during lunch, but then those damn work meetings were stacked up so I only had 30 minutes inbetween, barely enough time to have lunch, let alone run!  

So with my week day runs being a bust this week, I was really looking forward to my weekend run.  Saturday was going to hold 11 miles for me and I was nervous.  I knew how much I hurt after 10 miles and I knew I needed encouragement.  So I was glad that I was able to get my friend Danielle to come out and run the second half of my 11 miles with me.

So Saturday morning I started out on my own.  It was a foggy morning (again) and really cold, like 33 degrees cold.  Brrr...

I was off and running on my own for a while.  It was quiet with TONS of runners around that morning.  So it was good to have so many people around!  The first 5 miles of my run were FANTASTIC!  I felt good, strong and fast!  I was able to get into a good rhythm and before I knew it I was running around 11 mi/min.  Which is really fast for me.  It was nice feeling so good that when my walk breaks came, I felt like I didn't need them, that I could run straight through them and be fine.  I did take my breaks, but I felt so good.

Right before I met up with Danielle (and our friend Erica came out for a short 4 miles) to finish my last 6 miles, I took some fuel and was feeling good.  I met up with the ladies and we all headed out on the trail again.  The further and further we went along, the worse and worse I was feeling.  Sluggish and achy.  My right hip was starting to really give me issues.  Not sure what it was, but it is still pretty stiff.  

Erica left us at 4 miles and Danielle and I continued for the last two miles.  I'm so glad that Danielle was there, those last two miles were tough, with the last one of course being brutal.  The distance seemed to tick off SO SLOWLY!  I felt like I was running in slow motion, it was painful.  Then, it was over.

 

I was done and 11 miles had been stomped.  I couldn't believe it.  Looking at this picture even now, I still can't believe it.  11 miles done.  By me and me alone.  No one did it for me.  I had company along the way, but I was the one who did the work and ran those miles.  I'm in awe of what my body has been able to accomplish, at how focused mentally I have become on these runs and how much confidence I have gained from all of this.  

It is more than just the miles, it is the knowledge and proof that you are able to make something so seemingly difficult to accomplish, attainable.  It really is a head game at times, the battle of wills mentally on what you can and won't do.  Your body is an amazing thing and can accomplish amazing feats, if only your mind will get out of its way!

To say I'm nervous about 12 miles on Saturday is an understatement.  Though I have come so far now, I don't want to stop.  It's in me now and I can't let go of it.  I've taken down 11, I'm going after 12 with a vengeance.

Momentum Monday: Comfort Zone

I don't know about you, but Mondays are always tough.  I never get quality sleep the night before and I'm already going through my task list of things I need to take care of when I get into work.  It's never conducive to a good nights sleep. 

Especially when it's a holiday Monday and you are practically the only company open for business on that day.  Brilliant.  So instead of sleeping in like most everyone else, I'm at work trying to talk with vendors that are themselves closed for the day.  Double brilliant.  But I digress...

Today is Momentum Monday and with all the training I have been doing lately, this quote seemed to fit pretty well.

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I love this quote because in so many ways, it is so true.  I have never felt so strong and confident as I do after a run, an activity I for so long scoffed at.  Reaching a new distance, improving my time, stomping a challenging course, those are all things that I revel in and am in awe at what I've been able to do, once I got out of my comfort zone.  It's exhilarating, freeing and invigorating.  The joy I get is beyond the soreness I may get or the time crunch it may create at times.  It's worth it, because I'm worth it.  It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but if it was easy then it wouldn't be as rewarding (and you would be doing it already).

 

It is easy for us to say "I can't do that, I've never done that before." "It's not a possibility, it looks like too much time/effort."  It's always so easy to say "no" or "I can't", and always a challenge to say "yes" and "I can" or "I will".

 

Is it the fear of the unknown?  You may have never pushed yourself to that limitation before and you aren't sure how your body will react. 

 

Or is it the fear of failure?  We are in a society that rewards and revers winners, well, not everyone can be a winner and no one wants to be a loser. 

 

Trying is winning, not trying is losing.  Why is that?  Because trying something new is more times than not getting you out of your comfort zone, pushing your personal boundaries and creating new situations to experience.  This can be exciting and terrifying all at the same time. 

 

You never really know what you can accomplish until you push the barriers of your comfort zone.  There could be a talent that you possess that you may have never known unless you tried.  There could be joy waiting to be unlocked with each experience you create.  We are all marvelously complex human beings.  Let's try something new this year...let's get out of our comfort zones at least once.  It may be the best decision you've ever made.

 

 

Question for you:  Have you ever tried something out of your comfort zone and you find something you love and are good at?  Has it turned out not so well?  What was it?

Countdown begins: 5 weeks to the Princess Half Marathon

I bet you're thinking to yourself, "you are already starting your countdown? You still have over a month to go!"  True, I won't lie, the race is 5 weeks away.  However, when you have been counting down since 50 weeks...5 weeks is a VERY short time.

5 weeks.

That is all that separates me from my first half marathon.

5 weeks.

That is all that separates me from running through the "Happiest Parks on Earth"!

5 weeks.

That is all that separates me from meeting new friends, making memories and forging strong bonds in the running community.

5 weeks...may seem like a ways off to you, but will be gone in a blink of an eye for me.  I registered for the Princess Half Marathon in September and busied myself with my training program that would take 21 weeks, all the way up to the race.  21 weeks sounded like forever to me and that the race is so far off, but now with only 5 weeks left to go in my training, the dream is becoming very much a reality.  Those 16 weeks have sure gone by VERY fast.

I watched all the tweets and pictures and posts about the WDW Marathon last weekend and now I'm watching all the tweets, pictures and posts about the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland this weekend.  These are only fueling the fire in my belly for the Princess Half Marathon.  I simply am giddy with excitement!

I'm giddy not just for the excitement that seems to brew around Run Disney events, but also because my long weeks of training are starting to come to its pinnacle.  All my toil and hard work will be paying off in one splendid weekend where I will run a hard fight against 13 miles and collect that coveted bling.  I will sweat, laugh, cry and sparkle with a few thousand other women in a race that is just as much about fun as it is about running.

5 weeks...its arriving so soon, and yet not soon enough.

"The Jam" Thursday - What is blowing up my iPod

It is Thursday, and I don't know about you, but this week has been hell for me.  Spinning my wheels but feeling like I'm getting nothing done, just digging a deeper and deeper hole.  Ugh...can't wait for this weekend and my long run.

Funny, I sit back and look at that statement and think to myself that I never would have said that five years ago, let alone last year.  A lot has changed and it becomes more and more apparent with each passing week.  I'm loving my running and looking forward to my long runs on the weekends so that I can decompress and figure out things going on in my head.  But I digress...

Today's jam is a favorite of mine, I heard it again recently during a pilates class and it has been on my mind for days now.  So I want to share it with you.  So today's jam is:

Disturbia - Rihanna

It's a good song with a good beat and better than what she has out now.  I like running to it, singing to it and dancing to it.  Hopefully this song will be a good addition to your music list.  Enjoy!

End of Week 15 Half Marathon training

So you're probably wondering why there was such a jump between my training posts, considering my last post was at the end of week 9.  Oops!  Well between then and now I dealt with my stomach/GI issues for an entire month and not much running (read: none) was getting done.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I started running again and building up my mileage.  Since week 9 I have progressed up to running my first ever 10 mile distance.  Something that was no easy feat!

This week, number 15, was a scale back week.  Only 3 miles on the plan.  Wait, what?  3 miles?  I go from running 10 miles down to 3?  So I changed it to 6, seemed like a fair adjustment to me.  So 6 miles it was for my long run.

This week's schedule was just like usual:

Tuesday: 30 minute walk/run
Thursday: 30 minute walk/run
Saturday: 3 6 mile long run

Tuesday and Thursday were lost causes.  Crap got in the way and I never made it out for a run.  No lame excuses, just never happened.  So Saturday would be my run for the week.  Lovely.

Saturday I was up and getting ready for my run, looked outside and saw the very thick layer of frost on the ground.  Frost = slippery run!  Oh boy!  So as I was getting ready, I made the mistake of checking my Twitter feed and I got caught up reading all the tweets from those running the WDW Half Marathon.  An hour later, I got dressed and headed out the door for my run.

It was a leisurely 6 miles up and down hills in Bellevue and my body fought me the whole way.  It was a rough run, I couldn't get into a groove and I just felt off.  I got it done in 1 hour and 20 minutes (ugh), it was a slow and arduous run, but I got it done and I felt good that I was able to keep up with my training.

It is 6 weeks from today that I will be in Disney World for my half marathon and I'm getting excited about it!  (Reading all the tweets from the marathon weekend in WDW has been fueling this excitement for sure!)  I have 11 miles set for next weekend and I'm nervous about it.  Though I also know that when I conquer this run, that means I only need two more miles to reach the half marathon distance, something I feel I could do.  It will hurt, but I can do it.

It's all getting real and the race I've been dreaming about running for about a year is rapidly coming.  I'm nervous and really excited.  This long journey is coming to its fruition and I am so excited for it.

5 more weeks of training.

6 weeks until D-day.

Awesome.

"The Jam" Thursday - what is blowing up my iPod

It is Thursday!  WOOHOO!  Why am I so excited?  It's technically my Friday since I actually have Friday off.  Though I am suffering from race envy right now with all the bloggers and my Team runDisney peeps are all in Disney World, or are on their way, for the 20th Anniversary Marathon weekend.  They are also experiencing unseasonably warm weather there (80's), during the same weekend that the greater Seattle metropolitan area is experiencing snow.  So I am having race envy, location envy and weather envy.  I can't wait to live vicariously through all the tweets and recaps that will be streaming in over the next few days and weeks.

So to distract me from all that, I am here today to give you my "jam" for the week.  The songs that get my legs pumping and my booty bumping.  This weeks song is inspired by all the people running in the huge marathon weekend in Orlando, this is a song for all of you, especially those who are running Goofy. ;)

 

Stronger - Kanye West 

This song personally got me through the last mile of my last long run where I was in so much pain that I just wanted to stop.  The beat keeps me going, the lyrics encourage me to not stop and this is a good song to keep you moving.  Certainly a good song to have on your playlist for a tough run.  Enjoy!

Momentum Monday: The little voice of doubt

It's Monday already?  Didn't we just do this?  The weekend was far too short for me, how about you?  Regardless, welcome to another week and the first FULL week of the New Year!  How is everyone doing on their goals/resolutions?  Good?  Bad?  Haven't started yet? It's never too late to start!

My weekend flew by, like I'm sure most of yours did as well.  Saturday had a large chunk of time dedicated to prepping for, doing and recovering from my scheduled long run.  On the schedule this week?  10 miles, my longest distance yet.  I was trying not to think about it, because the moment I thought about 10 miles, double digit miles, I would start to psych myself out.  That little voice of doubt in the back of your mind that feeds into your psyche started creeping in; and doubt can be a run killer.

"I can't do this, that is just so long!"  "How am I going to do this all by myself?"  "This is going to be so hard, why am I doing this?"  All these and more were streaming through my head that morning faintly in the background of my thinking.  I tried to keep positive and think about what I needed for hydration, what I needed to bring for fuel during the run and where I was going by keeping the route in my head.  Busying my mind from the little voice telling me that I can't do it.

When I got to the park along Lake Washington, I was pleased at what I saw as this route was new to me.  Lots of runners going along the trail, bikes galore and chilly, but comfortable running weather.  I got out, stretched, took a picture to send to Twitter and headed out on the trail.

The first 5 miles were good.  I felt solid and was enjoying the scenery, it really was a beautiful run.  By the time I got to six miles I had looped past my car and was headed toward a 4 mile out and back.  My hips were starting to get stiff but nothing really was bugging me.  When I got into mile 7 I was heavily relying on my music to distract my mind, I was getting sore and I still had over two miles left to go.  When I got to my turn around point I was thinking to myself, it's all downhill from here (because literally it was, I had climbed a bit of a hill during the last mile), and I'd be done before I knew it. 

Mile 9 hit me like a brickwall and all I wanted to do was stop.  My hips were screaming, my knees were angry, my ankles were tired and I was just done running.  My mind kept saying "I'm done", "I don't have anymore left to give", "just stop and walk the rest of the way".  Then ironically, I busted out with this Momentum Monday quote all on my own, so when I saw this todayI knew I had to use it:

I did.  I called myself a liar.  I kept saying "You're lying to me, you've got more, show me." "You are almost done, you've got this", "Can't Stop, Won't Stop!"  Good thing I was all by myself and there were no other runners around because I was talking up a storm to myself.  That last mile I wasn't going to stop, I was almost to the promise land and I didn't want to stop short.

And I did it.  10 Miles.  Done.  I felt elated!  I had done it.  I did not let my head win and stop me from running.  I knew I could get that last mile in and I wasn't going to let myself stop until I was done.  It was a triumph over 10 miles and more importantly, over my little voice.

Question for you: Have you had a time where the little voice of doubt won? If not, how did you fight back? 

Slackerdom and a kick in the pants!

Holy cow...I just looked at the posts (or rather lack of posts) that occurred in December.  I feel like a total slacker because of it.  Although I strive for quality over quantity, I know there were some important topics that I did not discuss that could have been therapeutic for me and helpful for others who may be going through that same thing.

Typically December is a month full of gatherings, events and lots of joy and happiness.  Not so for me this year.  My health issues made it difficult for me to participate in any activity or even get wrapped up in the Christmas spirit like I usually do.  This past December I battled a stomach issue that sidelined me from running and ultimately lead to a few pound weight gain.  Crappity-crap-crap!

I did all I could to make my tummy and digestive system not go on the fritz and when you just look at lovely green veggies and your stomach turns, it's never a good feeling. Carbs ruled my diet for about 2 weeks, then as my stomach started to feel better, I was able to reintroduce the veggies I love to eat.

Because I was so down on myself, I didn't want to post, worrying that all I would be was Debbie Downer and too much of that is just no good.  Even for the person going through it.

So I apologize for my absence and look forward to a much more productive January and 2013 as a whole!

This year I have really set myself up to have a busy year.  In February I have my first half marathon at the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World, then my second half marathon in June for the Rock n' Roll Seattle Half and then a third half marathon in August at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.  I'm going from never having run farther than 10K to running three half marathons in one year.  Talk about stacking the cards against you!  With this lineup of races, I have to work on keeping up my endurance and working on getting fitter.

This leads me to my goals for this year!  YAY GOALS!!!  (Don't everyone get excited now!)

1) Continue with my half marathon training all winter, spring and summer.  I have a few months inbetween races, so I need to keep my distances up and work on being more consistent with my time at the longer distances.

2) Work on my strength training.  I need to incorporate more weight work into my running schedule.  I know this cross training will help to keep me from getting injured as well as assist me in the long run for improving my endurance and time. 

3) Try something new.  I got a Groupon for 20 CrossFit classes at a local Box.  (That's what they call their locations, right?)  I've heard from many people, both close to me and in my blogging community about how much people love and have been changed for the better by CrossFit.  I am willing to try something new where people are there to help you improve and will encourage your growth.  I hope that this will be a positive experience.

4) Change my eating habits.  During the previous year I had lost 40 pounds, mainly from improving my diet and cutting out white sugar and white flour.  This past year I let those two things back into my daily diet and I've suffered from it.  I wasn't losing like I should with all the running I was doing and I wasn't feeling as good as I had when those things were out of my daily intake.  My goal this year is to make the positive strides in my daily diet and find recipes that I can use in replacement of poor food choices.  Cutting out the processed food will make me feel and function better.

and finally, 5) To be more consistent with my workouts and running.  I struggle with this all the time, I have a goal or even a workout schedule and I can't seem to keep up with it.  I always let something get in the way or some excuse keep me from my workout.  It's troubling to me too because I always feel great after a workout/run and I always tell myself to remember this feeling.  But then the lazy settles in and I give in to it.  I will make the commitment to myself to workout or run when I say I will and not give up on myself or let the lazy get me.

So these are my 5 goals for this year and I am really excited about all of them. Being excited about your goals will help you in your pursuit of them.  If you are not excited or ready to attack your goals, then you need to think about why you have those goals and if they are right for you at this point in time.  Use your time and energy in the pursuit of what you want to accomplish and in doing so you will have one hell of a ride. 

So let's attack this year together and push ourselves in accomplishing our goals! 

Question for you: What are your goals for this year?

"The Jam" Thursday - What is blowing up my iPod

Today is the first "Jam" session of the New Year!  I'm excited to be sharing some good tunes with you and hope that you find some good music to add to your list as well!

Today's "Jam" is a song that I rocked out to a few years ago and hadn't heard in a while.  It wasn't until I was at a Flywheel session that I heard this song again and it made me jam out during that particular sweat session!  Which is saying a lot because I normally get my butt handed to me every time I take their class!

So enjoy today's "Jam":

Let Me Think About It - Ida Corr

This has got such a fun and funky beat that I find myself grooving out to it wherever I am.  It's just a good song to have on your list when you need a pick me up in whatever you are doing.  Enjoy!