Big dreams?

The new year is approaching quickly, and I still can't believe it! We've started decorating the house, we are going on our tree hunt this weekend and also seeing Santa so I know it's the season. That also makes me realize that we are really close to 2012 and my upcoming race calendar.

As of right now, I am actually only registered for two races; a half marathon in March and my second full marathon in May. I also have my eye on my first triathlon, a women's only sprint in July if I can manage some swim training. 

2011 was a HUGE year for me goal wise. I beat all big goals I set, which brings me to 2012:

(Found on Pinterest)

My latest "Dreams" or goals are freaking me out! I am not ready to publicly discuss exact numbers, but let's just say that I have specific time goals for both the half and full that will make me work extremely hard for the next 6 months.  Go BIG or go home, right? At this point, I'm thinking that it's better to try and fail than to not even try. Hopefully I still feel the same way if I don't meet these goals!

Do your dreams (goals) scare you?

---Anne

It's not just a number

Healthy....it's not just about a number on the scale. It's not just about eating a million servings of fruits and vegetables. It's not just about exercising regularly. Healthy is a combination of all of these things and having a healthy mental attitude about yourself.

Two years ago, I started on my journey to healthy. It's been a long and challenging journey. It's been a fun journey. It's been a journey filled with excitement, pride and tears.

This past weekend it really hit home for me how far I've come in my journey. First, I went on a solo shopping trip! Moms, you know how exciting that is; no one asking how long it's going to take you to try on clothes, no whining, no crying, no escape artists. Searching every store for dresses for a cousin's wedding next month (yes, I know I have time, but the sales were good!), I finally found a few that might work and wouldn't require a small loan to purchase. I grabbed my size, only my size (not 3 sizes just in case I needed a larger size) and tried them on. They all fit! Then I realized that before I tried them on I wasn't worried if they would fit or not, I was only concerned if they would look good! Such a HUGE step for me! I bought a dress that two years ago I never would have imagined trying on, let alone buying and wearing in public. 


I no longer obsess about every bite I take. Some days I don't have good eating habits, but I know it's not the end of the world; I just refocus the following day. I do not deny myself anything, but I do deny myself LOTS of that same anything. I set limits for eating and try to stick to them. The fact that the scale has pretty much stayed in the same place for a year says that I have learned some good habits. Well, and that I run a lot. This is what healthy means to me.  There are days where I see myself in a picture and don't recognize the "new" me. I love shopping for cute, fashionable clothes (sorry honey! I'm going to need a job soon to support my new clothes addiction!).  I am happy to be healthy! Now, on those bad days, I will need to come back here and remind myself of this....


What says "healthy" to you? 


---Anne

Obsess much?

Yes, I do. It's just a little fact about me. I obsess about everything in life; my kids, my husband, my house, my running, my friends; well, you get the point. I have think I have a coach for my May marathon. I say "think" as until I see my training plan, I won't know for sure. This is a free coach that I heard about from Katie on twitter when she found a coach for her upcoming half marathon.

Today, I plugged my back-up training plan into my calendar so I have a general idea of what our winter/spring calendar looks like. This is the training plan that I will use if 1. I don't like the plan I get from the coach or 2. I don't actually get a plan. See, obsessing. I have plenty of time. My training plan doesn't even have me starting for another TWO MONTHS (January 30). But, I NEEDED to know what my base mileage should be over the next couple months and how a new spring Half Marathon would fit into said training plan. Also, we are planning a fun family weekend in February and I wanted to see how I would need to rearrange my training. Again with the obsessing planning. My life feels like it runs (pun intended) smoother when I have my training mapped out on the calendar.

Do you obsess over training plans? How far in advance do you need to plan out your training?


--Anne