April came and went in a blink of an eye. My goal this April was the same as last April - build a strong foundation, focus on core work, and perhaps define my abs a bit more. I have to say, I am happy on where I stand in my training but there is still room for me to grow...and I have a plan for that.But first, let's talk numbers!
This April I ran 170 miles, down 5 miles from last April. I posted on facebook how those 5 miles were tempting me and questioned if I would put in another 5 mile run later in the day. The thing is, I had plans with darling daughter and it wasn't my highest priority to tie April miles especially since I was up from 144 miles in March. All things happen for a reason and I am glad I stuck to my fun plans as yesterday I got knocked down by a cold. I am much better today but still not 100%. But let's get back to numbers.
April 30th marked day 853 of my running streak and day 122 of my yoga streak. I have run 581 so far this year and my streak miles are at 3.835. That is exciting! How are my abs? Stronger and dear hubby has even commented they are stronger and I should keep planking. I will. I grew my plank to 3:30 minutes in April and no, I didn't plank yesterday. I know. Shame on me. But I did stick to my streaks and ran and did yoga. Planking will come back into play soon. I just needed sleep yesterday.
Now for my 2014 goals:
Goal 1: Fuel my body well. I am continuously improving my nutrition and more fruits are in our house. I have always loved veggies but eating fruits has been a bit harder for me traditionally. Right now, I am not sure my body loves the fruits as much as the veggies but I am still striving to find the balance between good clean fuel, good performance, and a happy tummy. I also loved noting that is was a year ago that I said good bye to Gatorade and hello to cleaner sources of sports drinks. Ironically, as of now I don't drink them that much at all during my training runs.
Goal 2: Improve flexibility. A work in progress and the yoga is helping magnificently. I can see and feel improvement in so many poses and this makes me happy. My left side is still tighter than my right and I don't know if I will ever get them on equal playing fields but I will keep at it.Goal 3: Run every day. Check! I love how this is no longer a question of will I run but when will I run. I know I will run every day no matter what. It is just part of me now. I also love that dear hubby asked last night if I got my run in. He was concerned since I went home sick from work and hit the couch. Yes, I ran. A single mile with 15 minutes of very gentle yoga. It was what was best for me yesterday.
Goal 4: Be a stronger representative of Maui running. This goal has lost significance with me over the past few months. Yes, I want to tell you about Maui running and provide race re-caps and I will continue to do so. I would also like to think that those coming to Maui could find information about where to run locally and I do have a page devoted to that - HI Running. It may need some tender loving care here and there but this goal of running on Maui seems so small these days. As of now I am more focused on bigger things like I Run for Michael: Who Do You Run For? This group is amazing and the mutual support between runners and their buddies is bigger than Maui. I am anxiously awaiting my buddy and as of 4/26/14 I was number 2,054 on the runner waiting list. You will be hearing more about this and probably less about Maui in itself.
May Goals:
Love one another!
Welcome May Madness! My plan is to continue to run and do yoga every day. I would like my running weeks to be 40+ miles and yoga 15 minutes a day with one or two days a week with longer classes. In addition, I want to continue to plank but I have a new plan for that. The 3:30 plank was tough. Killer tough. I am not afraid of hard work but I think I want to pull the plank back down to 3:00 and focus on ensuring amazing form each second. The April challenge was to grow the plank 5 seconds a day. Achieved. And yes, I do feel I did hold my form well but I want to step back and ensure it is awesome. I plan to do a 3:00 plank for seven days, add 5 seconds, and perfect that plank for seven days. Let's see how this works and that is madness part 1.Madness part 2: Double runs! I have found that getting up super early and running longer before work is tough. I want the time on my feet but home runs are not as stellar as gym runs. It is a treadmill thing. So my goal is to incorporate doubles on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two reasons. One, it trains me to get up early and get to the gym before work even if it is for a short run. And two, it allows me to put more time on my feet. And don't remind me that yesterday was a Thursday and May 1. I am still not letting that bring me down.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful I am feeling better today.
Daily Affirmation: I am a crazy, happy lady!
