Off to a great start!

I haven't made a habit of posting so obviously I'm a bit behind. We have had a very busy and COLD start to the new year at our house, starting with the One One Run on January 1st at 1pm in Parchment.  Maggie went with me - probably not a great idea as the weather decided to get in on the whole numbers act and it was 11 degrees outside.  I had to be at the event for work, so spending 4 hours outside was not fun.  The trail wasn't well cleared either and Maggie's snow pants kept falling down, so we actually walked the 2.2 mile course rather than running.  We made it though!

It has just gotten colder since that day, so while I did make it to the first week of my Beyond Training Camp (sponsored by the Kalamazoo Area Runners), those are the only two days that I have run outside.  Thank goodness for the treadmill!

So for the first week of January I have managed to log 19.45 miles towards my goal of 1,000 miles for the Voyage to Venus - only 980.55 more to go.  Whoo hoo!

As far as my nutrition goals go, I am one week into the Cathy Zielske Jumpstart through Big Picture Classes and have actually managed to keep up with the daily assignments.  I'll be putting my actual album together this weekend when I'm off at a girls weekend/scrapbooking event, so maybe I'll post some photos at that time.  I lost 2.2 pounds in the first week of the year, so that was kind of exciting.

I'm starting day 4 of the 21 Day January Reset Challenge led by Laura of http://www.mommyrunfast.com/.  So far so good on that front too - but I am glad the first 3 days are over and I can add some chicken/turkey back into my meals.  I have fallen in love with this Quinoa Veggie Salad as well - it is so good!

Now off to enjoy the rest of my day!

Today we start on our Voyage to Venus - the kids and I have each pledged annual mileage, to the tune of 100 miles for each kid and 1000 miles for me.  I'm very excited to get started, and very proud of my kids for setting this as a goal!

It has been months since I posted on this blog, and no one missed it (not even me)!  I've set some new goals for 2014 though, and I think that using this blog will be a great way to keep track of everything for myself.  And if someone else finds it interesting along the way, great!

Here are a few of the things coming up in 2014...

1.  Voyage to Venus!  My kids and I have both pledged miles for the Voyage to Venus.  The kids each plan to run 100 miles during 2014, and I've signed up for 1,000 miles.  Looking forward to getting started on that...time to plan for that average of 84 miles per month (20 per week).

2.  14 in 14.  I managed 13 races in 2013, now it is time to run 14 races in 2014.  I'll stick with a mix of 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons.

3.  Starting out 2014 with a 21 day detox led by my running coach from 2013, Laura Peifer.  This will be the first time I try something like this, starting January 4th.  Hoping it helps with my goal of losing 25 pounds in the next year.

4.  My son Gabe wants to run his first 10k in 2014, and my daughter Maggie wants to run something longer than a 5k.  They are both planning to use the Kalamazoo Area Runners Club Championship Series to work towards their overall running goals for the year.

So, that's where I'm at and where I want to go!

SBBC By The Numbers!

April 8-14, 2013

Monday

50 minutes running
Water
Freggies
Total Points:  7

Tuesday
60 minutes running
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 8

Wednesday
15 minutes strength work
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 3.5


Thursday
65 minutes running
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 8.5


Friday
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 2

Saturday

Water
Freggies
Total Points: 2


Sunday

2:54:08 running (15 miles)
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 19


Total Points for week: 50

It's Green!

The first smoothie of the week that is actually the color green (the others have been purple)! This one is kale, avocado and banana. Wasn't sure about it at first but I think it is growing on me!

SBBC By The Numbers - Second Week!

March 25-31, 2013

Monday

50 minutes running
7.5 minutes upper body work
Water
Freggies
Total Points:  7.5

Tuesday
75 minutes running
Water
Freggies
Total Points:9.5

Wednesday
Water
Freggies
5 minutes upper body training (quickie!)
Total Points:2.5


Thursday
46 minutes running (Hill Intervals)
20 minutes run/walk - Girls on the Run
Water
Freggies
Total Points:8.5


Friday
Does outlet shopping for 6 hours count?
Water
Freggies
Total Points:2

Saturday
2:11:55 minutes running - 11.6 miles
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 15


Sunday
Water
Freggies
Total Points: 2


Total Points for week: 47

Recap: Repeat of last week in that I met my point goal but I'm still having issues getting in the strength training.  Maybe a training plan with a 4 day running schedule is simply not the answer for me.

My Saturday long run was a vast improvement over last week.  I felt so much better and so much stronger and I was much more in tune with what my pace should be.  The weather was great, and the scenery running around Gull Lake was amazing.  Now if only the temp would inch up another 10-20 degrees we'd have long run perfection!

Goals for week 5 - Stick in the 45-50 point range.  Starting that green smoothie challenge on Monday - I spent my Sunday afternoon preparing ziploc bags full of smoothie goodness (?) in advance.  I'm also doing a 7 day sugar detox (just added sugars for this round).  Then I've just got to figure out how to get in a 13 mile training run when I have an all day meeting on Saturday and a 5k Sunday mid-morning followed by the regular Sunday afternoon family schedule.  Guess that means skipping church to get in 10 miles before the 5k!  Not ideal but this close to the River Bank Run I'm not sure I have another choice!

Green Smoothie Challenge - Ready to Rawk!

I am not quite sure that I am ready for this as I am not a big smoothie fan, but I am jumping in this April and doing a 30 day Green Smoothie Challenge. Today I did the initial prep work for week one. Tomorrow after running I will grab one of these packages and give it a try. Let's see how it goes!