Checking In- Monthly Goals

It’s May TOMORROW?!? WHAT! I think I spent the majority of April looking forward to my birthday and then the race that the entire month just blew by. I’m taking the rest of the week as a ‘see how I feel’ and not push myself to do anything regarding running. I’ll have one more week of ‘maintenance work’ for my 50 miler next week before then I’ll begin to taper. I’m hoping to hit up some trails when I arrive back in Steamboat (hoping more snow will be melted!!), which will be a nice change of pace. I always look forward to switching goals after a big race and think that it helps me avoid injury/ burnout (which I definitely had last Summer and it was NOT fun —> running more trails really helped get me out of that funk). It will be nice to ‘forget’ about pace for a while and just explore.

SO, before I make some new goals for May- let’s check back on April’s goals and how those went. Spoiler: I was pretty busy this month!

• Yoga 1x / week - CHECK! I look forward to my once or twice weekly yoga sessions :)

• Meditate 1x/ week- Sadly no, but I will keep putting it on my list with the intention that I will make it a habit again.

• Read 2 books- CHECK! You can see the latest two books I read here.

• Do 3 pull-ups. No. SO scared to do them at them gym. I WILL get this goal done this month

• Visualize Race Course- CHECK! I did this A LOT.

• PR the marathon-

• Save $$$$- CHECK! Limited excess spending, reduced down our $ on groceries.

MAY GOALS:

• Explore More. More trails, more unseen spots, more adventuring

• Yoga 1x/week

• Meditate 1x/week

• Visualize Race Course

• Run my first 50 Miler!!!!

• Read 2 books

• Practice Gratitude

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-What are your goals for the new month?

-Anything exciting you’re looking forward to?

-How many donuts consumed is considered too many? Asking for a friend….

Checking In On Monthly Goals!

I cannot believe that March is tomorrow?!? January felt like it lasted a million years and then February happened in a blink of an eye! I also feel like the days between 60-90 before a goal race fly by. I’m less than 60 days away from Eugene Marathon! I’ve got some goals that will help me reach my goals there this month and will help set me up for success later on. I also got my hair cut yesterday- what do you think of my selfie?! I was pretty tired by the time I got done, but it was well-worth the 6 week wait to get in with my normal hairdresser!

I’m also excited to FINALLY be done with my book and onto a new one. YAY for new reads! Book review for the one I just finished will be up tomorrow.

Before we look ahead to March goals that I’ve set, let’s see how February went. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go great, but also could have been worse (looking on the bright side of things!). Looking forward to hitting some more goals next month:

• Read 2 books- CHECK!

• Ski @ a new-to-me Mountain..not so much

• Do 1 pull-up …not so much

• Yoga 1x /week- CHECK! Loving my routine of yoga at home a few times a week

• Meditate 1x/week- CHECK! Feeling good with the new Calm App (I used to use Headspace, but have liked the change to Calm instead lately)

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March 2019 GOALS!

• Yoga 1x/week

• Meditate 1x/week

• Ski @ 1 new-to-me-mountain

• Do 3 pull-ups

• Daily gratitude of 5 things (listing them out everyday. I normally do something similar in my journal, but want to make a conscience effort to list them out)

• Visualize race course (Eugene) 1x/week

• Save $$$

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Tell me what are some things you’d love to accomplish in March?!

Do you ever do a daily gratitude list or visualize your race before you run it?!

I need your TIPS on HOW TO DO A PULL-UP!

End of The Month Check-In!

Finally January is nearly behind us! How was your month? Are you a big ‘new years resolution person’ or not so much? I think they say that most people it takes 3 weeks before something starts to become a habit, so if you almost made it there don’t give up! Begin again and give yourself grace. Implementing new schedules, new goals, new sleep patterns take time (i.e. why the first few weeks of marathon training ALWAYS seems impossible to me and then I get past the hump and it feels like I could continue this schedule forever).

I didn’t set a ton of January goals- mainly because I knew how busy I would be- but was able to do some really fun things!

• Ski at 1 new-to-me mountain- CHECK!

• Save a lot of $$ - I got a decent amount saved, but could be better!

• Yoga 1x per week

• Plank hold for 4 minutes- CHECK!

• Read 2 books- CHECK!

Now, let’s make some goals for next month!

• Read 2 books

• Ski @ one new-to-me mountain

• Save $$

• Do 1 Pull-Up

• Yoga 1 x per week

• Meditate 1 x per week

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What are some things you’ve achieved this month? —> I keep a gratitude journal and write down a few things every night that I’m grateful for. This really helps me celebrate even the smallest achievements!

Feature Friday: Checking In On Your Monthly Goals

Happy Friday! Last day of November! How are you spending it?!? It’s been the craziest week at work (normally the week after Black Friday is…) and I’m more-than-ready for the weekend. Also cannot wait to pick up our Christmas tree! I’m so happy that running is back in my life and while my mileage is low, it feels so good to just get in a few miles most days during the week. Anyone else put up their Christmas tree yet?!?

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Let’s check back on my November goals before setting new ones for December:

November Goals:

• Purchase only needs not wants- Basically check. This is MUCH harder to do when you go on Vacation, but I really didn’t purchase anything crazy!

• Learn how to crochet- Done!

• Hold a plank for 4 minutes

• Cook Thanksgiving dinner!- Check!

• Yoga 1x/ week- Almost check. During the first two weeks leading up to the race (and being sick) didn’t have as much yoga as I would have liked (i.e. none…)

• Take 2 FULL WEEKS OFF from running after the race in Vegas -CHECK!

• Make a recipe from scratch- nope. but I DID cook a Turkey so that totally counts for something.

Overall, I really did great in November. Going into the end of the year, I always feel like it’s more challenging to stay accountable with your goals so happy to have hit most of them. Also feeling really excited that I’ve stuck with my end-of-the-month checkins and working towards my 2018 goals! This is the first time that I’ve ever held myself accountable for what I wanted to work on for the year and really felt like each month I was making it happen.

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December goals:

• Stay present in the moment more

• Read 1 book

• Purchase only needs, not wants

• Yoga 1x / week

• Go skiing at a new-to-me mountain

• Skin up the mountain twice

• Make a snowman

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Do you have your Christmas tree up?

Favorite Holiday cookie recipes- share them with me!

Three things you’re doing this weekend?

A Peak Into How I'll Be Training For Eugene

Happy Friday-eve! Anyone else really looking forward to the weekend? Work-weeks after a long weekend are so tough. At least we have another long-ish weekend in another few weeks for Christmas!

Here’s a little preview of what my training for Eugene Marathon will look like (I’ll be following Hanson’s Marathon Method- my FAVORITE marathon training calendar):

• I’ll begin training on December 24th (Christmas Eve) for 18 weeks!

• I’ll peak at 64 miles and get in one 20-mile long run (I adjust Hanson’s plan a bit to make sure I get in at least one 20 mile long run)

• My goal is a sub 3:40 marathon. While I’d love to get that BQ in Eugene, I think sub 3:40 is a very realistic goal for me. During my last 3 half marathons when I’ve been going up hill or just feeling a bit sluggish, 8:20 pace has been my default for those times (which would be my goal pace during the marathon). Which is why I’ve settled on that time goal.

• I’ll have 2-3 workouts a week and run 6 days a week (mainly easy miles) with some speed/ strength/ and tempo work thrown in there.

• I want to run a half marathon 4-5 weeks out from Eugene (although not sure on what half yet)!

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Ever followed the Hanson’s Marathon Method?

Ever ran Eugene before- GIVE ME YOUR TIPS!

What are you currently reading right now?