1st quarter in the rearview mirror

Despite the weather, 2014 is off to a fabulous start.  I ran a LOT of miles in the first few months: 144, 115, 200!  There was some creative managing and I ran way more miles on the treadmill than, well, ever, but in the end, I pretty much nailed my training.  I maxed out at a 54 mile week and had a total of 5 weeks over 40 miles.  I even managed to run two faster than I thought I could half marathons, despite very little fast running at all.

My confidence level going into the five half marathons in five days is way higher than it was for last year’s event.  Note to self: don’t get cocky.  It’s still a lot of miles.

Since it feels like I’ve done nothing but run for the last three months, it’s time to evaluate all my goals.

Running

1. Finish another five half marathons in five days.  A week from now we hit the road.  I’m ready.  I can’t wait to do this again!
2. Run 14 16 half marathons in 2014. Two down! (RNR USA and Caesar Rodney) #3 is in two days and then 4-8 are just over a week away.
3. Run half marathons in 4 new states and one new country. Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ireland. Bam!

Fitness/Physical Health

1. Keep moving our whole family down the path towards healthier eating and more movement.
   Yeah, didn’t happen.  This winter was so cold and awful that I really just gave up.
2. Move on the days I’m not running – a minimum of fifteen minutes.  I was active, but pretty much no upper body work.  I managed one Pure Barre class and a couple of pushups and planks, but it’s time to get back at ti.
   
3. Get back to a point where I’m comfortable in all of my clothes. I didn’t gain weight with this training, but my jeans aren’t any looser than when I started.  But high mileage does not equal weight loss for me.

Work

1. Consistently work the number of hours each month that I’m supposed to hit. Meh.
2. Keep building my skills with Google Apps, especially in creating Google Sites. I’ve gotten pretty darn good manipulating Sites.  It’s still one of my favorite parts of my job.
   

Personal

1. Actually attend a BURP (homebrewers/beer lovers) event. Does hanging out with the members at various events count?
2. Take a trip with Beer Geek. Hello, Riverboat Series. I’m so ready for a vacation.
   
3. Be more social. In 2013, I was thinking I need a “social” job because I was becoming too isolated working from home while the kids are at school. Now, I realize I need to make my money at my real job and just add in some social to my life. So, here’s my plan: Oddly, I did end up getting a social job.  I now work at the reference desk at the public library on occasion.  I also got hired to work a race, which I enjoyed quite a bit (other than the cold rain…)

• Continue to run at least once a week with the ladies of MRTT – nope, winter messed with this, but I did meet up with them for a variety of events and a few runs.
• Run at least once a month with a non-MRTT friend – nope.  I managed one run in 3 months.  Need to get better about this.
• Do something social at least once a month in the evening: go out with friends, have a couple over for dinner, attend an event… – This I rocked.  We were surprisingly social this winter.
• Reach out at least once a week via email or phone to a friend I haven’t talked to much lately – I think I managed once a month.  Better than nothing, but still…

All in all, I’d have to say that the first quarter of 2014 was pretty awesome.  The second quarter will include 11 races, so I expect it will be a whole lot of fun. I can’t wait to see what the next few months brings…

How are you doing with your goals?  Have you added any new ones? Made any big changes?