Rating my year at the 6 month point

At the end of each month, we’ve been asking you to rate your running month as part of Tuesdays on the Run. As we close out June, I’m also going to check in on my annual goals too.

As far as June goes, it started off strong and then flatlined. My body didn’t bounce back as well after the Heartland race series as it has after other series. I really have no one to blame but myself. I did a lot of speedwork this spring, but I didn’t do a lot of back to back runs. I also didn’t do as many double digit runs as planned. Just this past week, I finally started feeling more like myself on the run. I no longer feel like I’m running through mud. I’m quite thankful for that as the I need all the energy I can find to start Hansons Marathon Method in the heat. That’s right, week 1 of Marine Corps Marathon training is already in the rearview mirror.

But how are my other goals going? Let’s see…

Running

1. Get back into the local race scene. I’ve been really busy with the traveling and racing and only running half marathons. I used to love to run at the local races, so I’ve decided to hit up a bunch again this year. I’ll be doing a 5K, a four mile race, the GW Parkway 10 miler, and a few others. Running these shorter races will also help me with my next goal. NAILED IT! I ran more local races than I have in years and I dragged Beer Geek along on the trip. 
2. Find some speed again. I suck at speedwork. I just really am not good at pushing myself when I’m not in a race. If you are local, don’t be surprised to see me pop up at some 10Ks and 5Ks in the area. Why? Because I want to run the GW Parkway at a sub- 10 minute pace, which is not something I’ve been able to manage in a long time. (My PR is 1:30 and change, so it’s very unlikely I’ll PR…) Nailed this one too! I actually finished faster than I thought I was capable of.
3. Use a training plan again. I was all over the place with my training for 2016. I never really settled into any plan, regardless of the race I had coming up. This week I plan to sit down and put the Hansons Half Marathon plan on the calendar and use that to get ready for the GW Parkway. I totally blew this for GW, but I just started Hansons again for Marine Corps Marathon, so my success remains to be seen. But I have a secret weapon this time – one of my favorite runner friends is doing it with me and she’ll hold me accountable.
4. Add another 4 or so states to my 50 states quest. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t plan at least some travel and racing. And I do still love the half marathon, even if I am backing off a bit. We are planning to hit the Mainly Marathons Heartland Series, but everything else is very tentative at this point. See that white section in the middle? That’s where I plan to run. 5 new states this year! Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa. Sadly, that’s likely it for the year.

Fitness/Physical Health

1. Batch cook on Mondays.  We have activities three nights a week now, so I need to have easy meals for those nights. I figure if I make two large meals each Monday, that will feed us until Friday. We ate tacos entirely too often this year, so we need to branch out.Umm, no. But on the bright side, we paired down life to only two crazy nights a week, so I was able to cook more on regular days.
2. Cross Train at least once a week. I have options in my fitness room and there are tons of videos out there. I need to make myself use them. Bonus if I manage more than once a week. Sometimes I managed this. Mostly I didn’t.
3. Stop grazing. I don’t eat an evening meal on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Instead, I find myself grabbing random things from the refrigerator and the pantry. I need to fix myself a meal and eat it after we get home (and actually eat a healthy snack before practice/running so I’m not ravenous when I walk in the door.) Cutting down to two crazy nights a week has helped with this, but I’m still a snacker…

Work

1. Blog 3 times per week. I began cutting back from 5 times a week earlier this year and I love that I no longer feel pressured by my blog. Hopefully this will free me up to spend more time reading other blogs and interacting on social media. I’m enjoying only writing 3 times a week, but I’ve filled my life mostly with other stuff besides blogging. I’m actually ok with that.
2. Sub as often as I can at the local library. I’ve subbed frequently this last month and I’m remembering why I became a librarian in the first place. Working the reference desk is a very social job and sometimes I even get a question that takes a lot of thinking or researching. I’ve been getting in a few hours a month and I still enjoy it.
3. Keep up my 2016 schedule. I started working more hours on the days that I worked and taking one full day to not work. I noticed towards the end of the year that I fell out of that habit, so I need to make an effort to get back on it. For a lot of reasons (some out of my control), this hasn’t been going as well.

Personal

1. Continue cleaning and decluttering. This month I moved a lot of stuff out of our house via a “buy nothing” group I belong to. It’s been great seeing things I don’t need (and are just filling up space in my small house) go to people who can use them. Along these same lines, I need to minimize how much new stuff I bring into the house. I have been getting rid of a lot of clothes. (I’ve even released a few Skirt Sports things out into the wild.) Next up is a kitchen purge.
2. Take a trip with Beer Geek.  This will always be on my list. We need this time each year to reconnect and reevaluate where things are going in our lives. Our trip for the Heartland Series was a ton of fun, beer, and running.
   
3. Minimize Facebook and other social media. I’ve turned off notifications and I’ve left a bunch of groups. I know I need to spend a certain amount of time for blog purposes, but not having new stuff pop up all the time should help with the distraction issue I’ve been having. Hmm, I’ve pretty much stopped most social media, but I haven’t kicked my Facebook habit. I need to keep fighting that fight.
4. Keep using my bullet journal to keep me on track. I love having everything in one place and for some reason, writing things down makes them more real to me. I’ve always been  a big “to do” list person, so this is just one big (really organized) list. Mine isn’t pretty and I never manage an index, but I use it every single day and I love that all of my random notes are in one place.

While I might only give June a C+, I’d have to say that 2017 so far deserves a strong B, maybe even an A if all you look at is the running. Now if I could just remember to occasionally pick up a weight or use the rowing machine in my sunroom, I might see some improvements in my running form.

How about you? Is 2017 going well for you so far???

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