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?