Last Long Training Run Before Tapering

(Warning: there is a picture of my foot, more specifically my heel after a blister)

The training schedule has me running 20 miles today. 

The thought is nerve-wracking and makes me doubt myself. Doubt my training. Doubt if I'm ready for a marathon in 14 days.. 

That negative doubting is not going to get me anywhere. In fact, the power of thinking is a strong one when it comes to running. Most of the time, you're running with your head, not your legs. Physically, running long distances can be painful. Mentally? It's excruciating. 

So, why do I do it? Why do I keep signing up for races? Why do I dread the training but ignore that and just keep putting one foot in front of the other? 

Because there is nothing else like it. At least nothing else I've found yet.. 

I love my running shoes..

I love the feeling when I'm done... 

I love crossing the finish line...

I love the bibs... 

I love the medals...

I love the pride I feel in myself when I set a goal and reach it...

I love the pride my family feels when I set a goal and reach it...

 

I love the outdoors... 

I love the friends I've made...

I love the places I've been lucky enough to run in...

I love the fact that I have lost toenails and the general appearance of my runners feet... 

I love it all.. 

But, sometimes it can be difficult to motivate myself to go for the run I have scheduled. No matter how much I know I need to train, no matter how much I know it will benefit me, tying those laces, that first step, those first few miles are difficult to forget. 

But finishing a long run.. Heck, even finishing a short run is a fantastic feeling. It's just so much easier to remember the pain than the pride... I need to work on that. 

I decided that this weekend I could spread the 20 miles between the two days rather than do it all at once. Again, it's not ideal, but it will get done and that is the important part. 

I knew that today I had to do a minimum of 12 miles in order to reach my mileage goal for the month. I also knew, as I was walking on the treadmill that the more I did today the less I would have to do tomorrow. I ended the day with over 15 miles and am proud of that. More walking than running, but I'll get back out for a run tomorrow, even if it's raining. 

26.2 miles is going to hurt on March 15th, but I'm hoping the excitement and thousands of other runners will help push me through when my body gives out. And of course the support from my family while I'm out there running. I always know when I've hit my wall and I always know who I can turn to for support. 

I'm actually looking forward to finishing up my training tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to tapering though. I suck at tapering. It makes me angry. And I tend to get miles in anyway.

I'm hoping that this past month and a half of training that did not go as well as I had hoped was for a reason and taught me something.

It taught me that I do love to run and that I need to appreciate it while I can still do it. It taught me that I need to train properly, including more strength training and better eating.

Oh, and no more marathons after this year...

My Weekend Mileage

This weekend I had to complete a total of 18 miles. Ideally, I would have completed those miles consecutively- running the first 8 with my sister and then going out for 10 alone.

That didn't happen, however I had told myself on Friday that it didn't matter how I got the miles in. It didn't matter when or where either. The idea was to put as little pressure on myself as possible. So I allowed myself to spread the mileage out over the weekend. I just needed to have completed 18 miles by Sunday night. 

I happened to complete the 18 miles I needed on Saturday by doing the following:

8.06 mile interval run with my sister

2.44 miles with Camper (1 mile interval run, 1.44 mile walk)

1.45 mile walk with Isabel to dinner

6.25 mile walk on the treadmill

Half of the distance was using intervals, the other half walking. More walking than I would have liked, but at this point I can't be upset about that. I have to be proud of what I did accomplish. 

I did plan on going out for some extra miles on Sunday, but I wasn't feeling 100% and the rain (which I usually love to run in) was a pretty good excuse to keep me inside. Isabel and I did go for a 1 mile walk though, so that was nice to get some fresh air. 

I'm actually really proud of myself for reaching my goal this weekend and for not allowing the number to take control. Next weekend is 20 miles, and although I will probably allow myself to spread the miles over the two days again, I do also need to reach a certain number of miles before Saturday to allow that to happen. 

For now I'm just going to focus on today and the miles I can get in. The rest will fall into place. 

A Slump

aka: Dopey Killed My Running Spirit

(Good luck trying to follow along. This post was written while I was out for a walk and my thoughts were all over the place. Add on top of that the fact that I really have no idea where my mind is at regarding this topic and you're in for an interesting read!) 

I have been trying to find the words to explain what happened last weekend, but to be honest I don't know if there are any right words for how I was feeling. I keep thinking there's going to be some magic explanation for what I will call a hiccup in my training plan, but I don't think there will ever be an explanation.

So instead of trying to think of this big reason as to why, I'm just going to explain what happened.

I spent the majority of 2014 training for one race or another, most half marathons with the exception of Dopey, but that was only for part of the second-half of the year. My mom has commented that she's surprised the slump, hiccup, falling out with running didn't happen sooner. I'm not, but I'll explain why later.

This past week I had 15 miles on the schedule. And every time I looked at that schedule I dreaded the weekend coming up. In fact, I have dreaded every running weekend since Dopey. I have skipped many training runs since that weekend, and the furthest distance I have gone in a row since then has been 6 miles. Most likely the only reason I did the 6 miles was because I had somebody to help hold me accountable to doing them.

This past weekend was a three day weekend thanks Presidents' Day. So the idea of running Saturday quickly turned into possibly running Sunday which quickly turned into possibly running Monday. Meaning I kept procrastinating when and where I was going to run.

I knew I should have listened to both myself and my best friend who told me to do it Saturday morning and get it out-of-the-way, get it done with. But clearly that didn't happen. In fact, the thought of running 15 miles at all this weekend, no matter how I spread it out or where I did it brought me to tears.

Yes, the thought running made me cry.

I'm still not sure if those tears were from dreading the thought of going for a 15 mile run, or from finally coming to terms with my feelings. The only thing I can conclude, is that it was a mixture of both.

Here it is folks. The vulnerable, 100% honest truth. The side that I've been hiding for a little while now. The side that I'm afraid will be held against me at a future point... 

I hate training for a marathon.

I have very little desire to sign up for another marathon, let alone complete the three I have on the calendar for 2015.

The idea of running 15 or more miles for the next three weekends was mentally exhausting, and I had had enough. I was done. I was ready to put my shoes up on the shelf. I was ready to walk away from all future races.

But then that idea made me sad too.

It took me a while to finally define myself as a runner, but that's part of what I am. I am a runner, and I have been for the past five years. Realizing that a part of me no longer makes me happy is a scary thought. I guess it's possible that I was having somewhat of an identity crisis.

My decision over the weekend, my decision that is subject to change at any time, is to put zero races on the calendar for 2016. I also have zero intentions of making a mileage goals for 2016.

I put a lot of pressure on myself in 2014, and even more on myself in 2015. Add on top of that that I am a very all or nothing person and it's not a good combination. Not to mention, I am my own worst critic and if I don't do something I set my mind to it's an automatic failure. I don't look at the attempt, or the progress, just the fact that I didn't finish what I set out to do. 

I wouldn't be me if I wasn't stubborn so come Tuesday morning I realized I needed to buck up and set my mind towards my goals for this year and make as much progress as I possibly can.

I mean, it's February and I'm freaking out about being behind and I have 10 more months to make it up. Plus I'm not even that far behind on my mileage and I could very easily reach my goal for this month. And, there is no way I'm letting that money go to waste. I am running all of the races I have signed up for this year.

But at this point I have no desire to train for anything more than a half marathon, which is a problem, since I can't go out and run 26.2 miles in 24 days, in 3 months or in 9 months without putting in the time, energy and miles training for them. 

So where does that leave me? 

Just as confused as I was Saturday, Sunday and Monday. If not more so. 

I'm pretty sure the above words make very little sense, but it helps me to admit that I'm not in love with training. That I'm taking a step back from my plan to allow my body what it needs, to (more importantly) allow my mind what it needs. 

I'm not sure where things are going to go from here. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time with my running. If I want to go, I do. If I start a run and I'm not feeling it, I walk. If the upcoming 18 miles on Saturday is overwhelming to think about (which it is) then I'm going to look at it as an 8 mile run with my sister and one 10 mile run, or two 5 mile runs, or however else I can get in another 10 miles between Saturday and Sunday. It's not ideal, but it's how I'm going to get through it for now. 

I'm hoping at some point I can get back into the groove and find that enjoyment that I used to have, that excitement for an upcoming race. But until that happens I'm not going to put so much pressure on myself.

I'm doing pretty well, considering. I may be behind on some goals, but it's really not that bad. Definitely something I can work on before the end of the month to get ahead. And a good reminder to not allow myself to get so far behind next month the way I did this month. 

It's definitely time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and think about why I want this. If the cons of running out weigh the pros, then it may be time to find something else that brings me joy. In fact, Saturday morning, after taking a breath and finally admitting how unhappy in have been, I went on Pinterest and this was the first thing I saw: 

Then, while out for some retail therapy, I saw this: 

Now I just have to try and translate what my heart is saying, because I currently don't know.. 

Interval Training

I have been running intervals since my very first race in 2010. At the time I didn't realize that intervals were a thing, and was adamant that I was not a runner because of how much I had to walk.

At that time it was simply survive from point A to point B and you'll be rewarded with not being tortured by running. I ran the 3.1 miles at my first race on my 25th birthday and I thought I was going to die. I hated every second of it (other than the fact I was running with my sister, but even that was frustrating at the time because the race was her idea and she kept pushing me to run farther, lol!)

After that race, and the 10K mud run a few months later where we used the same technique, I took a break from running because, well, it was hard and I hated pushing myself. 

But at the same time I so desperately wanted to love it. I would see people out running and they made it look so pretty, so effortless. So I tried again, this time using my iPod and running every other song. Another form of intervals, yet 2:30-4+ minutes if running at a time was exhausting, and still not something I wanted to do. I had to drag myself out to run and when I was finished I was disappointed with the hard effort for the short distance. 

So I stopped again. 

Until I got the bright idea to join my sister on her bucket list item of running a marathon before her 30th birthday. It wasn't so much the idea of attempting to run again that appealed to me this time (been there, done that), but the idea of spending time with my sister. As much as I hated my first 5K race while I was running it, I enjoyed the time I spent with my sister and loved how our relationship completely changed at that point. I figured the benefits out weighed the impending pain.

Being the fantastic researcher and planner that she is, my sister found a group of runners who were training for the same marathon we were. She told me about the Galloway method and how she really wanted to train with the group. 

I wasn't so excited. I barely wanted to run out on the streets in public where people could see me, let alone purposefully in front of a group. What if I ran weird? What if I slowed everyone down? What if they laughed at me for trying to be a runner? What if, what if, what if??? 

She sold me at the idea of one free running session. That was it, it was all I had to commit to. One Saturday, 3 miles. If I hated it I could walk away from the idea and we would go onto the next one. 

As with most things I'm afraid to try, I fell in love with it. The method, the group, the accountability, everything. Who knew there were so many others who used the combination of running/walking, who accepted it as their way of making it through any distance and who considered themselves runners!! 

It opened my eyes to a whole new world of running and sparked my interest of attempting to be a runner again. This time it stuck though because it was "easy". Easy in the sense that you weren't supposed to feel like you were dying at the end and the fact that I didn't feel like I was going to die during or after the run. 

I was hooked, and have been ever since. 

I would be lost without my interval timer. It's easy and convenient and pretty.. 

But, I've become comfortable with my 30:1 intervals. I don't feel like I'm really pushing myself and at some point this year I would love to PR both my half and full marathon times and I feel as though my best opportunity to do this is not necessarily to increase my speed, but rather increase the amount of time I'm running and decrease the amount of time I'm walking. 

So that's what I have scheduled for this year. I have set it up so that just about every three weeks I change my intervals by 5 seconds. It may not seem like much, but I want to do this right and keep it going, not shock my body into an injury for pushing too hard too fast. 

By the end of the year I should be up to running 1 minute, 45 seconds and walking 45 seconds. Seems crazy to me now, since I'm currently only up to 40:1, but I feel that I'm already out of my comfort zone without wanting to give up completely. And the proof is in the watch. I feel as though I'm running the same speed, just for a longer amount of time and my mile times have been faster than what they were at 30:1.

Hopefully that excited feeling stays when I'm running longer than I'm walking.. But I'm sure it will, because if I can see results already from a 10 second difference, imagine what it could be in the coming months!

Weigh In

Starting weight: 183.8

Goal weight: 163.8

Last weeks weight: 182.6

Current weight: 182.4

Current +/-: -0.2

Total +/-: -1.4

BMI: 26.9

Body fat %: 28.3%

Measurements- 

Bust: 40"

Waist: 35.5"

Hips: 44.5"

L thigh: 25.75"

L arm: 12.5"

This past weekend was very mentally draining as I contemplated my relationship with running and my future with it. I debated whether to share my feelings about it here, but it came down to not really knowing what to say or how to say it at the time. Now that I have a better idea of where I'm at and what my future might hold I think I'm ready to share in a different post, just in case someone somewhere might be feeling similar things. I'm sure it won't make a lot of sense because I'm still figuring it all out, but why not get it out instead of holding it all in.. 

For now, though, I'm updating my weight for the last time in February as I have decided to weigh in and update all of the above stats only once a month. My goal in doing this is to finally stop giving the scale so much control and to allow myself a chance to really focus on eating foods that make me happy. I'm not tracking the calories I burn and instead allowing myself to eat anywhere from the minimum calories MFP gives me (as of now 1510) up to 2000. If I'm hungry, I'll eat. If I'm craving something, I'll have one serving. If I go over, it's not the end of the world. 

I need to stop treating food like the enemy, something to fear how it will affect my weigh in. Food is what keeps us alive and it is delicious and should be enjoyed. I want to enjoy my food without feeling guilty about carbs or calories or fat. I don't want to go crazy, but I need to stop obsessing. 

As for exercise... Well, I'm still in training mode and working on falling back in love with running. That's all I have to say about that for now. 

I am strength training and have increased my workouts from two days a week to three. My focus right now is to feel stronger so that come July I am able to make it through Body Revolution- 6 days a week. I have split up No More Trouble Zones into two 35 minute workouts that I plan on doing Monday's and Wednesday's and then using another of Jillian Michael's DVDs on Friday's. 

I want to look toned, but more importantly I want to feel strong. 

I know her workouts work, I just have to do them to see the results. I also know that for me I don't usually see results from strength training or long distance training on the scale. Which is why when I do weigh in next month I will also take measurements and my body fat % to hopefully see changes there, where it matters.

I feel good about this. I feel ready to make these changes. I'm not getting any younger.. I need to do this now.

I'm not too excited about my before pictures, but you have to start somewhere..

Weigh In

Starting weight: 183.8

Goal weight: 163.8

Last weeks weight: 181.2

Current weight: 182.6

Current +/-: +1.4

Total +/-: -1.2

BMI: 27.9

I'm getting frustrated with myself for giving up after one bad meal or one bad day. Instead of picking myself up and moving on I just continue down the path of self destruction because it's easier to admit defeat than to stand up and keep fighting.

But that's not who I am. I am a person who sets goals and attempts to achieve them, no matter what it takes.

However, it has been brought to my attention that I am maybe putting to much pressure on myself to reach too many goals at once. Which I agree with.. But it's not that simple for me to just stop working towards something.

For now I am going to continue to work towards the goals I set at the beginning of the year, but I'm going to be focusing more towards certain ones (like my mileage goal) and less on others (like my biking goal). It doesn't mean I'm going to forget everything I've done or not continue to add what I plan on doing. I will still add it up, but if I don't reach the goal this year, I'll just try again in 2016, no big deal. 

Overall, my main focus from all of my goals is reaching that 1702 mileage goal for my mom and ending the year weighing less than what I weighed when the year started. Everything else is good to work towards and make progress on, but not a fail if I don't quite reach them. 

Who knows, but putting less pressure on myself to do all 10 goals may actually help me achieve them! At least that's what I'm hoping will happen..

My New Toy

I really like the gadgets I use to track my progress. I use my heart rate monitor to track the calories I burn, my GPS watch to track the distance I walk and/or run, my pedometer to keep track of steps, my interval timer for running and increasing how long I run for, etc. 

At this point I feel part robot with all the straps and watches I have on, but I have a hard time running "naked" and part of my joy of running comes from seeing how far I'm going, what my pace is, how hard I'm working, etc. Running by feel is good, but for me I can only do that occasionally. The not knowing drives me crazy, so I continue to put it all on before I go for my run. 

And now I have an additional gadget to put on..

I purchased the Jawbone UP last week and it finally arrived in the mail yesterday. I charged it last night and started wearing it today. It's been fun so far to plug it into my phone and see the progress I'm making. I think I'm even more excited to see what my sleep looks like, because I know it's probably not going to be pretty.

I really think I'm going to have fun with this, especially once I've plugged it in for a few days and have data to compare. I love numbers and I love seeing areas that I can improve on. 

Anything I can do to be healthier and to give me more knowledge into how to do so is worth it to me. I have never once regretted the purchases I've made when it comes to my running gear, so I doubt I'll regret this.

I have a sneaky suspicion that it's going to push me to do more than I already am...

Planning a Birthday Party

Last year Isabel decided she wanted a Frozen themed birthday party. I figured with the popularity of the movie it shouldn't be too difficult to pull off..

Unfortunately the amount of products to choose from at the time were very slim compared to how it is now. You can't go into a store of any kind without seeing something Frozen at this point, but back then? Forget it!

So I got creative..

It was probably the best (and most expensive) birthday party I have thrown (granted it was only my 6th), however I decided after the stress of trying to put something together from nothing that this years birthday, her 7th, would be an easier theme. 

Ha! 

That's not going to happen.. You see, after Isabel requested to have a Frozen birthday party again, I suggested we lean towards the other movie she watches on repeat, The Lego Movie.

Lego's have been popular for as long as I can remember, so I thought with the movie it wouldn't be too difficult to put something awesome together. 

Well, that's not the case. In fact, I can't find anything based on the movie!! What the heck?! I'm really going to do this again??

You bet I am! 

I've been looking through Pinterest for some basic ideas of things I can do for decorations, however to make it easier for myself I'm going with the basic Lego colors: red, blue, yellow and green. The plan is to watch the movie and providing a few things for the kids to do- coloring pages from the movie, small baggies of Legos so they can be "master builders", and of course serving tacos (Taco Tuesday! Even though it will be on a Saturday..) I've saved some creative pins that I'm hoping to use as well: 

And, my awesome sister and her amazing photoshop skills have helped with the invitations, using the following as a base and adding in her personalized flare: 

The more I think about it, the more excited I get to put this together. It allows me to use my creative side and when it all comes together it's so worth it. Especially the look on that little face when she sees it all put together. Who can pass that up?! No amount of stress can stop me from attempting another fabulous party! 

Thankfully I have just over a month to finish planning and preparing. Just over a month to get the creative juices flowing and figure out how to tie it all around a construction worker named Emmet, a master builder named Wyldstyle, and a unikitty, among other characters.. I foresee a lot more Pinterest in my future, but that's not a bad thing!! 

Updates to come as they happen.. 

Weigh In

Starting weight: 183.8

Goal weight: 163.8

Last weeks weight: 184.6

Current weight: 181.2

Current +/-: -3.4

Total +/-: -2.6

BMI: 26.8

Well, this was a pleasant surprise from the past two days of being conscious of my food intake. I wasn't going to mention what I've been doing yet, for fear of not following through, but I may as well be open and honest to hold myself accountable and then share my experience as planned. 

February 1st, while out running 5 miles with my sister, I decided that I have had enough with being overweight. I've had enough of the mind games. I've had enough of the roller coaster that is my weight history. 

I started thinking about what has worked in the past and remembered that almost a decade ago I cut out carbs and lost a lot of weight.. 

That's not a possibility right now. Running long distance will be difficult without carbs, but it doesn't mean I need to be eating the amount of carbs that I have been eating. In fact, I've fallen back into that mindset of "I ran x amount of miles this week, I can eat what I want". Not good.. At all.. 

So, I simply decided that I would start a low carb/low calorie experiment, staying under 2,000 calories per day (no matter how many I burn) and under 200 grams of carbs. Here's where it gets flexible for me- I have decided that when I have a run coming up that is anything over 6 miles I can go over the 200 grams and 2000 calories, within reason, on Thursday's (to carbo-load) and Saturday's (to have some extra carbs before the run and to have some extra calories after the run). The main focus being WITHIN REASON. 

I plan on using these extra carbs with brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, etc. Complex carbs. Healthy. Saturday's may be my splurge day, where I eat whatever I'm craving after that long run. I don't want to reward myself with food or think that because I ran x miles I can eat unhealthy foods, but at the same time, if I deprive myself all the time then I will eventually fall off the wagon and go way overboard. 

I feel as though this may be a good balance for me. Or at least a good experiment to try for the month of February and hopefully longer. 

I weighed myself Monday morning for my experiment update and was at 185.4, so between eating low carb for two days (I know, not enough time to show a real loss), drinking more water and overall being healthy and active, I am already down 4.2 pounds from that initial weigh in. 

If that's not motivation to stick with this, then I don't know what is!! 

Jillian Michael's Made Me Cry

I've been trying to stay consistent with my strength training over the past couple months. I started in December and managed to get in 5 out of 5 strength sessions. 

January was not perfect, but pretty good. I moved on from 30 Day Shred and started Ripped in 30, taking a break the week of and the week after Dopey. I managed to get in 4 out of 5 strength sessions. 

Keeping the strength to two days a week fits well in my schedule and doesn't feel overwhelming. At the same time, I'm getting into my head about it not being enough.. Especially on nights like tonight.

I started week 3 today and found myself cursing Jillian Michael's, doubting myself and my strength/progress, and shedding a tear or two out of frustration. You see, I thought by now I would be able to make it through a workout without feeling like I'm going to die halfway through, without needing to take multiple breaks during the 30 minutes. I should be able to do that.. 

But instead I'm pushing through. Doing as much as I can. I may need to take a few seconds multiple times throughout the workout, but I'm still doing the workout. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of the fact that I've only skipped one strength workout. I'm proud of the fact I'm sticking to this and getting stronger with each passing day. 

There will be days that push me to doubt myself and push me to tears, but there will also be days that I finish and feel like it wasn't much of a workout at all, but in a good way. I obviously prefer to feel strong, but I do think it's important to be pushed to your limits. 

I have already scheduled my strength workouts for Tuesdays and Thursdays and I think that's a good balance for now. July will be an ultimate test for myself. 90 days, 6 days a week. Body Revolution. To say I'm nervous is an understatement.. 

I know that's it's all worth it. The good, the bad and the tears. I've been appreciating what I've been seeing in the mirror more and more and I am actually excited to take progress pictures this month and see the side by side. To see what has been happening over the past month. 

Here's to looking forward to feeling sore tomorrow!

Workout Schedule- January/February

I feel really good about where I ended with the month of January. I reached my monthly mileage goal and my monthly minutes goal, barely, but I still made it!!

I ended the month 3.8 pounds higher than when the new year started, but I didn't just gain weight this past month.. 

It's not very easy to see, but all of the red writing are workouts I did. The pink highlights are long runs and strength training I completed. Basically it comes down to 4 skipped training runs, 1 skipped strength day and a total of 7 days that I was inactive. 

Or, to put a positive spin on it: 4 days of Dopey, 4 scheduled strength days completed and a total of 24 days that I was active. 

I lost some motivation after Dopey. That's a lie.. I lost all motivation after Dopey. I had zero desire to run and forced myself to go out for a painful 1.24 mile run 8 days after the race and then a nice 3.43 mile run 9 days after the race. Then I went back to dreading it again. 

It was frustrating, to say the least.. I had hoped that scheduling my races the way I did would help prevent this feeling after a long run, but I was not so lucky. In fact, I still feel as though I am forcing myself to lace up and be active. 

It's worth it. Every single walk, run, bike or strength session have proved to me that I enjoy being active. I enjoy sweating. I enjoy endorphins. So why can't my mind be ready and remember that feeling before so that it's not such a struggle?

If only life were that easy, right?

The good thing to come out of this struggle is the proof that I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not giving up and throwing in the towel because it's not my favorite thing to do now. In fact, it's pretty awesome to finish a workout and think about how badly I didn't want to and yet I did. Eventually it will become second nature again and I can start this merry-go-round again. 

The start of a new month means a new set of workouts and trying to figure out when and where I can get in my long distance runs for this month. 

I am so happy/excited/grateful to be able to say that I am once again training with my sister for a half marathon in April. Although our training schedules don't line up so well since I am training for a marathon in March, I am (more often than not) able to run her miles together and then go out and finish mine. It is beyond helpful for me to be able to have company for part of those long runs I have this month. 13, 15, 18 and 20 miles back to back to back to back are a lot of miles alone.

I'm looking forward to finishing up the last two weeks of Ripped in 30 this month, as well as working on my lower body and and with Killer Buns & Thighs and 6 Week 6 Pack. 

To add some more strength this month, I decided to attempt a 30 day challenge. I liked the idea of this one because it involves the whole body and I think it will be good to incorporate on an almost daily basis. We'll see if I can actually finish one of these! 

I'm ready to rock this month! I was able to reach my fitness goals last month when I had little motivation, so this month I feel unstoppable as I already feel as though I'm starting the month strong and with more motivation than I've had in a while. The goal? Simply to be active more days than not and to try to complete as many strength training and long runs scheduled as I physically and mentally can while being patient if I miss or skip one or more. Weight related, I would like to weigh less on my last weigh in of the month (2/25) than I do now (184.6). 

Good things are going to happen this month. I can already tell!!