Earlier in the evening I made Chinese food (way, way to much food for a family of four) which we ate by candle light. I also drank some of the commemorative wine from my Athens marathon. The girls rang in the New Year at 9pm and we called their grandparents and wished them a Happy New Year.
Today was another wet and yucky day out but I stuck to my guns and ran. I turned my run into a tempo run using hydro poles as markers. I ran all out for one hydro pole and took it easy for two working a few hills into the mix. It was a much better run than yesterday.
My parents had my sisters and our families over in the afternoon and we all ate way too much food again. I had planned to have a big dinner tonight with portobello mushrooms and chestnut stuffing and black eyed peas but I'm rescheduling it until tomorrow night because I'm still not hungry from this afternoon. You know your body is telling you something when you crave raw vegetables.
I had also planned to write out my New Year's resolutions and goals for the next year, but I've decided this is something I just don't want to rush into. I think last year I set the bar too high. Its not that I think there is anything wrong with reaching high... I believe in all of that motivational stuff about achieving the unachievable. I know that the biggest limitation in life is our own belief that we can't do something. But last May I set some pretty specific goals for myself.
Remember.....
Crazy Mother's Running Goals for 2011:
1. Run a total of 2,500 k during 2011.
2. Run a sub 4 hour marathon.
3. Run a sub 50 minute 10k.
4. Run a sub 23 minute 5k.
Guess what??? I didn't reach any of them. That was a post on coping with failure. I could look at the positive.
1. No I didn't run 2,500k this year but I did run 1,994k. 500k off is a lot. I thought running 2 marathons is a year would be a way to get this mileage. I ran over 2,100k in 2010 and only trained for one marathon so I thought this was an achievable distance training for two.
2. Run a sub 4 hour marathon. Didn't happen, in fact if you go by time alone, my times increased. However, my recovery and overall enjoyment of the marathon increased with each one. Considering running is a leisure activity for me, intended to bring me happiness my times should not matter as much as my sense of accomplishment.
3. Run a sub 50 minute 10k. Not even close. I did set a 10k pb this year though.
4. Run a sub 23 min 5k. Nope and I'm approaching that 2 year mark of setting that pb. I only ran one 5k this year and I wasn't training for 5k speed at any point this year. What did happen in the 5k I ran in was my daughter ran in the finish with me and cheered my on the whole way.
I don't feel like a running failure because I didn't achieve these goals. 1,994k is a far distance to drive let alone run. Running two full marathons, two half marathons, Around the Bay, 2 10k races and one 5k is a lot.
What I think I need to do is take a step back, reflect on my accomplishments, narrow my focus and decide where I really want my running to take me. I'll be posting about my new goals soon... promise...
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