It's been a while since I talked about my on-again-off-again relationship with running, but with St Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend only 6 weeks away, I figured it was time to jump back on the running train.
In theory I am training for the St Jude 5k on December 6th, but I've been slacking. I've been struggling to motivate myself and have taken to trying new routes and playlists and running patterns to keep things interesting.
A large part of it for me was the weather. With the hot weather in August and September, I was less than enthused about having to get up and run at 6am. October has been better, and I've enjoyed being able to sleep in and run at 8 or occasionally even 9 [or 12.30pm, like I did today!].
Another has been my muscle loss. Because I stopped doing my workouts, my legs are not as strong as they once were. I'm running slower as a result, and it's also making my runs tougher to get through. I need to start alternating my runs with workouts to make myself stronger again.
And finally it's been my schedule. I started getting into a routine in September, but then October hit, and with it came an overnight babysitting gig; a 4-day house- and pet-sitting gig; Homecoming / Reunion weekend; and then a week where all I wanted to do was sleep. This is the one I'm working hardest toward re-establishing, because I know once I have a routine, everything else will fall into place.
To help myself out, I'm setting some goals for myself. They're all attainable, but I'll definitely have to work to meet them in the next 6 weeks and through the end of the year.
my goals:
In theory I am training for the St Jude 5k on December 6th, but I've been slacking. I've been struggling to motivate myself and have taken to trying new routes and playlists and running patterns to keep things interesting.
A large part of it for me was the weather. With the hot weather in August and September, I was less than enthused about having to get up and run at 6am. October has been better, and I've enjoyed being able to sleep in and run at 8 or occasionally even 9 [or 12.30pm, like I did today!].
Another has been my muscle loss. Because I stopped doing my workouts, my legs are not as strong as they once were. I'm running slower as a result, and it's also making my runs tougher to get through. I need to start alternating my runs with workouts to make myself stronger again.
And finally it's been my schedule. I started getting into a routine in September, but then October hit, and with it came an overnight babysitting gig; a 4-day house- and pet-sitting gig; Homecoming / Reunion weekend; and then a week where all I wanted to do was sleep. This is the one I'm working hardest toward re-establishing, because I know once I have a routine, everything else will fall into place.
To help myself out, I'm setting some goals for myself. They're all attainable, but I'll definitely have to work to meet them in the next 6 weeks and through the end of the year.
my goals:
- complete a Nike+ training program. I often lose patience with these, or I skip a day and then never get back on track, but I figure it'll be good since I have an actual race at the end of it. In theory I should have started it 2 weeks ago, but there's no time like the present. it begins on Monday, October 27, and wraps up with the St Jude 5k on December 6. and the good thing is that it automatically incorporates cross-training into the program, so I'll really have no excuses.
- reach the next levels for Nike Fuel and and mileage. I've been using the Nike+ running app for nearly 3 years now, and I am closing in on two milestones: reaching 150k in Nike Fuel [only 2,000 away] and reaching the Blue Level for running [621 total miles run]. I'll probably reach the Nike Fuel milestone next week and so will increase that goal to see if I can get to 200k by the end of the year. as far as the running level, I'm about 74 miles away from the 4th milestone within the Green Level and 167 miles from the Blue Level. that one is going to be tougher, and it might be early January by the time I hit it, but it's something to work toward.
- increase my mileage each week. this will happen anyway with the program, but once that finishes I will have to keep it up on my own. I figure if I just increase each run by a quarter-mile or so, that will take care of itself.
- break a few of my records. I'm hoping to break my 5k record in December, but I'd love to beat some of those other records along the way. fastest mile; most miles in a week; most miles in a month; etc. because why not?
- get some new insoles for my shoes. the shoes I bought in April are still holding up well, but my flat feet have pretty much destroyed the insoles and I can slowly feel my arches hurting more and more after each run. I'm hoping to get this taken care of this weekend to ward off any potential injuries; if I've not done so by the middle of next week, you have my full permission to kick my butt.
- [not strictly running related, but also kind of] get some new running music. I love most of the songs I have on my running playlists, but there are also a few I would love to switch out for some newer ones. I am always up for suggestions!
- and finally, make running a priority again. this is the main one I have struggled with in the wake of two half-marathons and a summer largely spent on the road, but I am slowly coming back around to it. missing the Nike Women's Half in San Francisco last weekend has kind of kicked me back into gear, and I want to capitalize on that and see where it takes me.
So there you have it. I'll check back in around mid-November to see where I'm at.
Happy trails!
xx
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