Recap: April 2012 (weeks 16-18)

I've been unmotivated to blog lately, but I'm going to try to get back in the swing of things. I packed a lot into April, and now my body is screaming for a break. It's really hard to resist the deluge of races in May, but I've vowed to take it easy and take a breather before the madness begins again in June with Goofy training. I'll likely not be racing again until September, but it will be nice to get back to some structured training again.

Stats & Goals Progress (33%)

• Run: 80 miles; 350 / 1000 (35%)
• 16 hours
• 12:37 avg pace
• Walk: 70 miles; 267 / 500 (53%) 
• Bike: 39 miles; 4 days; 20 / 52 (38%)
• Yoga: 8 sessions; 2 hours; 22 / 120 (18%) - Still unmotivated to get up early for yoga. I'm surprised I did this much in April, because it feels like weeks since I've done any yoga at all. I got back to it this week, but still not feeling it. 
• Drove: 649 miles; 2651 / 6500 (41%) - About a hundred miles less than March, so that's good, but still a little high. Most race travel is now over for a while, so the next few months should be a lot better an balance out the first 3rd of the year. 
• Dinning Out: 8x; $78 / $80; restaurants: $54 / $65; snacks/sweets: $24 / $15 - Not bad, but I clearly over did it on the sweets. I'm starting to feel them too, so I'm going to cut most of that out in May to get back on track with clean eating before Goofy training starts in June. 

April Accomplishments

• Corporate 5K
• LBLO Half 
• Earth Day 12K - New PR
• Run for the Trees 5k - New PR of 1:03 & sub-30!
• Qualified for Level 2 of Half Fanatics with 6 half marathons in 6 months
• Registered for the Goofy Marathon & a Half Challenge!
• plank a day

Goals for May

• Resist the urge to race and enjoy maintenance running until Goofy training starts in June. 
• Get back to a yoga routine at least every other day

***

I forgot to post the last 3 weeks, so I'm just going to tag them onto here:

	Week 16	Week 17	Week 18
Run	11	19	21
Walk	10	20	14
Bike	8	3	0

Recap: March 2012

March was a great month! I collected three more PRs for my 2012 collection and got two steps closer to being a certified running coach. I'm also getting in more cross training while running is in maintenance. April should be just as awesome. And now the numbers and related commentary ...

Stats & Goals Progress (25%)

• Run: 95 miles; 270 / 1000 (27%) - So close to 100 is awesome! Shorter runs and lots of races means speedier average pace.
• 18 hours
• 11:23 avg pace
• Walk: 60 miles; 197 / 500 (39%) - I'm loving all the extra walking so much that yesterday I started the "Wonderful Walks" track on Daily Challenge. 
• Bike: 39 miles; 6 days; 16 / 52 (31%) - I'm starting to find the joy of cycling again! I'm even contemplating another duathlon, but I just don't think I can fit it into my schedule :( Does anyone know of a nearby duathlon on a Sunday?
• Yoga: 13 sessions; 4.2 hours; 20 / 120 (17%) - I need to pick this up a bit, but I seemed to have burned out a bit form doing it daily and was giving my body the extra sleep it was craving. I'm all set now and back to my early morning routine, but adding Fitdeck workouts for core/strength to the routine means I'll have to do a bit less yoga. But I am in maintenance mode for running until June, so I want to take advantage of that to start a routine before the milage starts piling up again. 
• Drove: 742 miles; 2002 / 6500 (31%) - Drove more than planned again, but 360 miles of this was our trip to Sarasota for coaching class and the half marathon. Without that, we drove less than 400 miles, so that's not bad. I fear April won't be much better since Jason has his first tri of the season coming up at the end of April in St Pete, but then things should settle down a bit with travel.
• Dinning Out: 11x; $73 / $80; restaurants: $63 / $65; snacks/sweets: $10 / $15 - I'm pleased with these results, specially since that included a 3 day weekend away from home (although my meals during coaching class were included) and we went to the Melting Pot for our anniversary. I'm pleased I kept the sweets in check. I'm still eating plenty, but most of them are homemade. I made my own granola bars yesterday with homemade chocolate and they are to die for. I've adjusted this budget once again. Still shooting for $80 total, but allotting more to restaurants and less to snacks/sweets.

March Accomplishments

• Orange Blossom Half - HM #13 & New PR of 2:18
• Sarasota Half - HM #14
• Winter Park 10K - 7th 10K & New PR of 1:03 
• New Magic Mile PR of 8:10 
• Passed RRCA Running Coach Certification Exam
• Renewed First Aid Certification

Goals/Events for April

• 4.12 - Corporate 5K
• 4.14 - LBLO Half
• 4.21 - Earth Day 12K
• 4.28 - Run for the Trees 5k
• sub-30 5K
• plank a day

Recap: February 2012

February was of course a great month because I finally met my marathon goal and it was just amazing. I don't have much else to say that I haven't said already, so I'll just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Stats & Goal Progress (16%)

• Run: 74 miles; 175 / 1000 miles (18%) - I took it easy on the milage as I recovered from the marathon and tapered for the March races, but that's still a lot of milage for me. 
• time: 14.5 hours
• avg pace: 11:47
• Walk: 83 miles; 137/500 (27%) - Wow! I am pretty sure this is another monthly walk PR, almost 30 miles more than in January. It is great recovery, and I'm enjoying it so much that I often find ways to add more walking to my day.
• Bike: 70 miles / 6 days; 10/52 (19%) - Instead of "times" per week, which I was having a hard time counting since some days I would bike a few times or wasn't sure if to count roundtrips as 1 or 2 since they are logged separately, I decided I'm going to count days I bike. So the goal is to bike at least 1 day per week. 
• Yoga: 6 hrs; 16/120 (13%) - I fell a little short here, but I took some time off because of my wrist and because I needed the extra sleep on some days. 
• Drove: 638 miles; 1260 / 6500 (19%) - a little over my goal again, and even more than last month, but this included the trip to Jacksonville for the marathon, so it's not that surprising. 
• Dinning Out: 11x; $85 / $80; restaurants: $71 / $60; snacks/sweets: $14 / $20 - I thought I had gone over budget much more than this, but I made up for it by not buying as many sweets. Again, this was mainly due to our trip to Jacksonville where we had no choice but to eat out. I'm hoping on our trip to Sarasota this weekend we can have access to a fridge and maybe a microwave, but we'll at least bring a cooler to keep a few things on hand. 

Feb Accomplishments

• 26.2 with Donna - Marathon #4, sub 5 hours, 30 min PR
• Marathon Maniac #5027, 3 in 77 days
• Daily Challenge Streak of 50+ days

Goals for March

• Orange Blossom Half
• Sarasota Half
• Winter Park 10K
• sub-2:20 Half or PR (< 2:24)
• 1:05 10K or PR (< 1:06:20)
• Continue Daily Challenge Streak

Recap: January 2012

January was an awesome month and a great start to 2012. I have no doubt that February will be just as good. I'll let the stats speak for themselves, with a bit of commentary along the way. :)

Stats & Goal Progress (8%)

• Run: 101 / 1000 miles (10%) - 3rd time ever running 100+ miles in 1 month, and that means I'm ahead of my goal. w00t! I'll probably be under my goal of 85/mo next month since I'll be taking it a bit easier after the marathon, but we'll see how things shake out. 
• time: 20.5 hours
• avg pace: 11:25 
• Walk: 54 / 500 miles (11%) - monthly PR as far as I can tell. I've been really focusing on walking as active recovery and because I really enjoy it, and the weather is perfect for it. I need to take advantage of it while I can before it gets too hot to walk to the bus without bringing a change of clothes to work. 
• Bike: 43 miles; 4 / 52 times (8%) - no PRs here, but glad I got out once a week as planned. I think this will go up throughout the summer because I'll be helping my group do some brick workouts, and I may even try a duathlon or triathlon before year's end. 
• Yoga: 10 / 120 hours (8%) - right on target! I've been enjoying this a lot, but I may have to slow down a bit in lieu of sleep and so I don't over stretch muscles, but I may just vary the routine a bit more to target different areas. 
• Core: plank a day (40m total) - So glad this is over lol I'm take a little bit of a break, but plan to keep doing it a few times a week. 
• Drove: 622 / 6500 miles (10%) - A little more than planned, but not too bad considering the circumstances. I'll write a separate post about my thoughts on this goal later. 
• Dinning Out: 8x; $91 / $80 - A little high, but not too bad. I'll write a separate post about my thoughts on this goal later. 
• Restaurants - $60 / $60 
• Snacks/Sweets - $32 / $20 

January Accomplishments

• DeLeon Springs Half Marathon (#12)
• Marathon - Ocala Marathon (#3 - PR)
• Plank a Day Challenge - 1:20 PR
• Restarted Daily Challenge and on 24 day streak
• Challenge for a Change

Goals for February

• 26.2 with Donna Marathon (BMC), #4 in 5 hrs
• Burpee Challenge (# burpees = day of the month)
• Continue Daily Challenge streak
• Challenge for a Change
• Virtual 12athon

December 2011 Recap

The final month of 2011 comes to a close and it was truly a great one. Despite my setback at the Space Coast Marathon, I picked myself right back up and began training for marathons #3 and #4. I focused on recovering well and properly and was still able to log 93 great miles of running in all kinds of weather :) January already promises to be just as great and I can't wait!

December Summary

• ran 93 miles
• biked 34 miles
• walked 52 miles
• 20 yoga sessions; 7h 15m
• total: 179 miles; 46 hours

December Accomplishments

• 11th Half Marathon / 4th OUC HM
• 22 mile long run
• Organized Christmas Eve 10K Fun Run

January Goals/Events

• run 90-100 miles
• walk 45-50 miles
• bike x4
• plank-a-day challenge
• 10 hours of yoga
• [01.01] 12th Half Marathon: DeLeon Springs
• [01.06] Volunteer at Disney Marathon Expo
• [01.08] Volunteer at Disney Marathon
• [01.22] 3rd Marathon: Ocala

November 2011 Recap

Today is the last day of NaBloPoMo, but I may try to keep it up for a few more days. Anyway, November did not end as planned, but it was still an amazing month. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.

In other news, I'm finally mentally recovered from this marathon I have registered for my 3rd, a hilly full marathon in Ocala in January as a training run for BCM in February, and thus finally becoming a marathon maniac! :) I just hope I'm not last =P I have a slew of half marathons I'm going to register for very soon also in my quest to become a level 2 or 3 half fanatic by the end of next year.

Stats & Goal Progress (92%)

• ran 94 miles; 829/700 (118% goal exceeded!)
• biked 5 miles; 581/2000 (43%)
• walked 51 miles; 376/400 (94%)
• yoga/core/strength: 15 sessions; 5.6 hours
• total: 150 miles; 41 hours; 2056/3100 (66%); 402/365 (110% goal exceeded!)

November Accomplishments

• ran 10th half marathon with a new PR
• ran 2nd marathon
• NaBloPoMo

Goals for December

• OUC Half Marathon (for FUN!)
• 20+ Long Run
• Christmas Eve Jingle Bell Run with Group
• Bike :)

October 2011 Recap

October was an amazing month. I had 2 great marathon+ long runs and 2 race PRs. I ran 129 miles! That is most I've ever run in 1 month and 27 more than last month. That puts me at 735 total for the year so far, and with 2 months to go I've already exceeded my 2011 goal. I wonder if I can make it to 900 :)

November is going to be just as awesome because it is marathon month! I'm beyond excited! I am officially on taper, so I'll be taking it easy for the next 4 weeks. I'll probably go a little nuts, but I'm happy 3 am wake up calls are behind me ... for now :) I have a half marathon in 2 weeks, which I'll use as a tune up race to practice my marathon race pace (which will still be a half marathon PR for me), so that will give me something to obsess over in the meantime :)


I'm once again going to blog every day this month as I did during the previous taper because it was a great way to keep me distracted, give me a venue to let out the crazy, and document the process. So if you have burning questions for me or topics you'd like to see me address this month, please comment and help distract me :)

Stats & Goal Progress (83%)

• ran 129 miles; 735/700 (Goal Exceeded!)
• biked 35 miles; 846/2000 (42%)
• walked 42 miles; 325/400 (81%)
• yoga/core/strength = 12 sessions; 4.2 hours
• total = 206 miles; 47.5 hours; 1906/3100 (61%); 361/365 (99%)

October Accomplishments

• 26 mile LSD Run (in the rain!)
• 5 Mile and 2 Mile PRs
• 50K LSD Run in the Rain

Goals for November

• taper! :)
• NaBloPoMo - blog daily 
• sub-2:25 half marathon
• sub-5 hour marathon 

Upcoming Events

• 11.13 - 13.1 Fort Lauderdale
• 11.19 - Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2011
• 11.27 - Space Coast Marathon

September 2011 Recap

September was an amazing month, and I cannot believe I forgot to post the recap. It started with an amazing birthday and a 10K PR, continued with a great 23 mile training run, and finished with a 15K PR. I ran over 20 miles each week, including a 33-mile week, and for the first time ever I ran 100+ miles in one month! I even biked a significant amount! What a great way to celebrate my birthday month :) October is shaping up to be just as awesome, then November begins the taper and countdown to the marathon.

Stats & Goal Progress (75%)

• ran 102 miles; 606/700 (87%)
• biked 63 miles; 811/2000 (41%)
• walked 40 miles; 283/400 (70%)
• yoga = 9 sessions; 3 hours
• core/strength = 3 sessions; 40 minute
• total = 205 miles; 42 hours; 1700/3100 (55%); 314/365 (86%)

Accomplishments

• 10K PR on my birthday!
• 15K PR (still need to post this race report. sneak peak)
• 23 miles long run

Goals for October

• run 100+ miles
• walk 35 miles
• bike
• 16  yoga/core/strength sessions (3/wk)

Upcoming Events

• 10.08 - 26 miles
• 10.23 - U Can Finish Distance Dare (7 miles)
• 10.29 - 29 miles (last marathon long run then taper begins!)

August 2011 Recap

August was a good month of training. I came close to running 100 miles, but 94 is awesome. I even managed to do a bit of cross training, so I'm please with that. I'm going to make specific goals for September in hopes of being more consistent with yoga and core/strength, so we'll see how that goes. Had a great, and somewhat easy, track workout this morning, and now I'm really looking forward to my 10K race on Saturday. My last 10K was at the end of March, and my last race was in May, so I'm long overdue :) Let's hope we have some nice weather.


August Stats & Goal Progress (near 67% is good)

• run = 94 miles (13x); 504 / 700 (72%) 
• longest run - 20 miles
• walk = 28 miles; 243 / 400 (61%) 
• run + walk = 122; 747 / 1100 (68%)
• total = 121 miles; 31 hours; 1495 / 3100 miles (48%); 272 / 365 hrs (75%) 
• core/strength = 3 fitdeck sessions + 1 cardio kick; 60 minutes
• yoga =  7 sessions; 158 minutes

Goals for September

• run 95+ miles
• walk 35 miles
• bike, no specific goal, just get back on my bike
• 12 yoga sessions (3/wk)
• 8 core/strength sessions (2/wk)

Upcoming Events:

• 09.03.11 - Puzzle Run 10K
• 09.17.11 - 23 Miles
• 09.24.11 - Miracle Miles 15K

July 2011 Recap

Still slacking on the cycling and cross training, but my running is picking up nicely. My body certainly feels a bit worn out, specially after running around Sea World and Downtown Disney with a toddler all weekend. I didn't do much of anything other than run last week, and this week is shaping out to be much of the same, but I'll try to get back into yoga and core soon.

Week 9 of marathon 2 training was uneventful with a total of 15 miles, including hill repeats, 400s, and a 7 mile long run. This week we tackle mile repeats again, and next week is 18 miles! I'll probably wait until after the major long runs to do updates because they will get boring and repetitive real soon. So far now, here are my stats for July.

Activity	July	Goal Progress (should be 58%)
run	84	410 / 700 (59%)
longest run	16	n/a
# of runs	13	13 / 13 (100%)
walk	18	216 / 400 (54%)
run + walk total	102	626 / 1100 (57%); 89/mo; 22/wk; 3/day
bike	16	748 / 2000 (37%); 107/mo; 27wk; 4/day
total	119 miles; 29 hours	1374 / 3100 miles (44%); 241 / 365 hrs (66%)

I have an 18 mile and a 20 mile run in August, so I should be able to log 90+ miles over 13 runs. I really need to focus on trying to get at least 2 core workouts and 1 yoga session (minimum!) per week.

2011 May & June Recaps

I can't believe 2011 is already half over, but it's been a great one. I expect nothing but more great things for the 2nd half as I train and run my 2nd marathon! Yes, I am still excited about this :) Because of vacation, June was a better month than May for running,  but not for cycling. It's been super hot and with the start of the Galloway group I've been running in the mornings instead of cycling to work. I want to incorporate cycling back into my routine, even if just for cross-training and social rides, but I don't think I'll be commuting to work for a while. I need to put all my energy into getting used to the new routine of waking up at 4 am 3 days a week. In the fall, when the weather cools and I am able to run after work, that will probably change, but for now I am enjoying running consistently and I'm certainly seeing results.

Activity	May	June	Goal Progress  (should be 50%)
run + walk total	72	100	524 / 1100 (48%) 87/mo; 22/wk; 3/day
walk	27	42	198 / 400 (49.5%)
run	45	58	326 / 700 (46.5%)
longest run	5	10	n/a
# of runs	14	12	12 / 12 (100%)
bike	198	0	732/2000 (37%) 146/mo; 37wk; 5/day
total	270 miles 34 hrs (1/day)	100 miles 28 hours (.9/day)	1,255 / 3100 miles 212 / 365 hrs (1.2/day)

April 2011 Recap

April was a great month. I ran a half marathon and 2 5Ks, one of which was a new PR in under 31 minutes! I started biking to work regularly again and logged the most miles biked since August. I'm feeling really strong on the bike, constantly averaging 14+ mph on our commute to work without feeling like I'm going to die lol I'm feeling really optimistic for the duathlon next weekend. Just in case, I'll be doing another hill workout this weekend because that will be my weakness. May is shaping up to be a great month too.

Goals/Races for May 2011

• [05.14] CF Sprint Duathlon #1
• [05.14] Ice Cream Ride
• [05.21] Jeff Galloway Running School
• [05.22] Geocaching with the UCF Bike Bus

April Accomplishments

• [04.10] Iron Girl Half Marathon
• [04.14] Corporate 5K
• [04.23] Run for the Trees 5K (New 5K PR!)

April Stats

• walk = 26 miles
• run = 51 miles
• longest run = 13.1 miles
• # of runs = 10
• bike = 216 miles 
• longest bike = 18 miles
• total = 292 miles / 39.5 hrs (avg 1.3 hrs/day)
• home-cooked meals = ??  (goal 90%)

2011 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 33%

• Run/walk
• 352 / 1100 (32%)
• 88/mo
• 22/wk
• 3/day
• Bike
• 534 / 2000 (27%)
• 134/mo
• 33/wk
• 5/day

March 2011 Recap

March was a pretty good month, with two great races, and April is shaping up to be even better. I've been slacking on blogging, so I'm going to blog everyday this month to kickstart my creativity. With 4 races in the schedule, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Below are my March stats.

Goals/Races for April

• [04.10] Iron Girl Half Marathon
• [04.14] Corporate 5K
• [04.17] Earth Day 12K
• [04.23] Run for the Trees 5K

March Accomplishments

• Orange Blossom Half Marathon (2nd fastest)
• Winter Park Road Race 10K (New 10K PR!)

March Stats

• walk = 32 miles
• run = 54 miles
• longest run = 13.1 miles
• # of runs = 12
• bike = 45 miles
• total = 131 miles / 16.5 hrs (avg .5 hrs/day)
• home-cooked meals = 89% (goal 90%)

2011 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 25%

• Run/walk 
• 275 / 1100 (25%)
• 92/mo
• 23/wk
• 3/day
• Bike 
• 318 / 2000 (16%)
• 106/mo
• 27/wk
• 4/day

February 2011 Recap

Another great month, with 2 more miles of running than last month. I'm finally back into the groove of regular exercise, including yoga and core/strength. Not much else to say, so I'll let the numbers speak for themselves.

Goals/Races for March 2011

• Orange Blossom Half Marathon
• Winter Park Road Race 10K
• Hot Air Balloon Ride
• Cheer on Jason at his 2nd Half Ironman (Gator Half Triathlon)
• Teach 1st Cycling Savvy Bike Handling Class

Accomplishments

• Lady Track Shack 5K
• Taught 1st Cycling Savvy Road Tour

February Stats

• walk = 31 miles
• run = 60 miles
• longest run = 10 miles
• # of runs = 15
• bike = 125 miles
• longest ride = 16 miles
• total = 246 miles / 36.5 hrs (avg 1.2 hrs/day)

2011 Goals Progress
To be on track, percentages should be around 16%

• Run/walk 
• 189 / 1100 (17%)
• 94/mo
• 24/wk
• 3/day
• Bike 
• 273 / 2000 (14%)
• 137/mo
• 34/wk
• 5/day
• Home cooked meals = 92%

January 2011 Recap

I've been meaning to post all kinds of things, but I've just been super busy running, cycling, cooking from scratch, and becoming a cycling savvy instructor. I'll try to get those posts up soon, including an update on my progress on the 101 Things lists, healthy eating/cooking, and life without a car. In the meantime, here are my January stats.

Goals/Races for February 2011

• Lady Track Shack 5K
• Teach my first Cycling Savvy Class

Accomplishments

• Became a Cycling Savvy Instructor
• Set up Corporate 5K Team and began team training

January Stats

• walk = 40 miles
• run = 58 miles
• longest run = 10 miles
• # of runs = 15
• bike = 148 miles
• longest ride = 16 miles
• total = 246 miles / 36.5 hrs (avg 1.2 hrs/day)

2011 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 8-9%

• Run/walk = 98 / 1100 (avg 98/mo; 25/wk; 3/day; 9%)
• Bike = 148 / 2000 (avg 148/mo; 37/wk; 5/day; 7%)
• Car = ? (will update later)
• Home cooked meals = 94% (6/9 out)
• 101 Thing = 1/40 (3%)
• Books = 0/12 (0%)

November 2010 Recap

November was an amazing month, and I already know that December will be too. I completed 5 races, I'm on track for meeting my 2010 goals, and got a new half marathon PR! Oh yes! I'm back! =) There's nothing much more to say, so I'll just let the numbers speak for themselves.

November Accomplishments

1. Space Coast Half Marathon - 2:28:16 (chip) (New PR!)
2. Tumarac Turkey Trot 5K - 38:21 (chip)
3. Founder's Day 10K - 1:09:47 (chip)
4. Founder's Day 5K - 1:09:47 35:02 (clock)
5. Urban Dare - 2:15:58 (clock)
6. NaBloPoMo (blogged daily for 30 days)
7. Began Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge
8. See Running Progression spreadsheet

November Stats

• walk = 62 miles (holy crap, that's a lot of walking!)
• run = 57 miles
• longest run = 13.1 miles
• bike = 160 miles
• total = 280 miles / 47 hrs (avg 1.6 hrs/day)

2010 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 92%

• run/walk = goal met!
• 951 /  700 miles 
• avg: 86/mo; 21/wk
• (ran 652 miles; 48 miles to go; 12/wk)
• cycling = 84% complete
• 1473 / 1750 miles 
• avg: 134/mo; 33/wk
• 277 miles to go; 70/wk
• tri 2010 challenge = 2424 / 2010 (goal met!)
• total exercise hours = 416 / 365 hours (goal met!)
• 101 things = 34 / 30 done (goal met!)

September and October Recaps

This is a little late, but better late than never =P I cannot believe we only have 2 months left in this year, and I'm pretty excited that I've already met some of my 2010 millage goals! I'm shocked that even though I didn't run for 2 weeks in October, I still managed to run 61 miles and 12 more than in September. I guess in September I was still getting over injuries and building back up, and in October I did 2 long runs of 10+ miles and ran a half marathon. I'm slowly getting back into my routine, but now that daylight savings time is over I need to figure out when to run.

Accomplishments

• Halloween Half Marathon

September/October Stats

• walk = 29 / 31 miles
• run = 49 / 61 miles
• longest run = 9.5 / 13.1 miles
• bike = 179 / 170 miles 
• total distance = 256 / 261 miles
• total time = 36.5 / 40 hrs

2010 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 83%

• run/walk = goal met!
• 831 /  700 miles 
• avg: 83/mo; 20/wk
• 594 run only miles; 106 miles to go (53/month; 14/wk)
• cycling = 75% complete
• 1315 / 1750 miles 
• avg: 131/mo; 33/wk
• 435 miles to go; 218/month; 55/wk
• tri 2010 challenge = 2147 / 2010 (goal met!)
• total exercise hours = 292 / 365 hours (80%)
• 101 things = 26 / 30 done (87%)

Update and Belated August 2010 Recap

There seems to be a direct corrolation between my motivation to blog and my ability to run. Since I've not been running as much, and certainly not racing, I find that I don't want to blog about the negative so I just don't blog at all. The truth is there are plenty of positives in my life, and even the running is progressing. I ran 8 miles this weekend and it felt good. Yesterday I ran 3 miles non-stop @12:10 pace without really pushing it and it felt great. I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll run BCM in February, but I'm playing it by ear and will see how the Miami Beach Halloween Half goes first.

See more birthday photos

I celebrated my 32nd birthday two weeks ago, and that week was a blast. I took a few days off from work and fully enjoyed my birthday:

• Wednesday - Birthday lunch with coworkers at First Watch
• Thursday - Took the day off for some much needed me time. Started the day with yoga, then easy biking to get a facial. My sister came over early so I could spent time with my adorable niece, then went to PF Chang's for dinner when my parents arrived.
• Friday - This was my actual birthday and Jason took it off from work too. I slept in a little (7 am) and started the day with an easy 6-mile birthday run, then Jason and I had a lovely time enjoying the outdoors on our bikes and making fresh ice cream with my new ice cream maker :) We finished the day with the First Friday ride for civility, which was a huge success, followed by dinner at Ethos. I was exhausted and glad I could sleep in the next day.
• Saturday - Slept in and then went to the Trek Tri expo with Kelly.
• Sunday - Rode the bus to Disney to cheer and take photos at the Trek Women's Triathlon.

In other news, Jason completed his first Half Ironman Triathlon this weekend and he rocked it! He gets extra credit hard core points for doing it in Clermont (read hills) and in Florida in September (read hot and humid). It was brutal, but he got it done and is even contemplating a second one already :) I of course was there cheering him on, taking lots of photos, and volunteering. It was a very long day, but lots of fun and it made me crave running a marathon again. *sigh*

August Accomplishments

• 31 Photos in 31 Days
• 10 Day Real Food Challenge
• Began UCF Bike Bus
• Commute Orlando Author

August Stats

• walk = 42 miles (3 < July)
• run = 34 miles (7 < July)
• longest run = 6 miles
• bike = 218 miles (22 > July)
• longest ride = 16 miles
• total = 294 miles / 38.5 hrs (avg 1.2 hrs/day)

This Friday is the next night ice cream ride, and I can't wait. Join us!

July 2010 and Week 30 Recaps

I cannot believe I've been eating only vegetarian food for over 4 months now and I don't really miss meat. I occasionally crave something, but it quickly passes and I feel much better about what I consume these days. I still need to wean myself off sweets and other processed convenience foods, but for the most part we do ok. Training this month was hindered a bit by the development of plantar fasciitis and a bike fall that kept me from running for 2 weeks. I did plenty of biking and it seemed to help maintain my fitness as I was able to jump back into running this week without any problems. I'm reevaluating my goals for the rest of the year and focusing on having fun. I have a 5K race this weekend, the same one in which I placed last time, and I'm not sure what to expect because of the break. Maybe the rest will work in my advantage :)

Goals for August

• take one photo each day with my iPhone [Flickr album]
• 95% homemade meals (eat out 4-5x times)
• Cool Summer Mornings 5K #3

July Accomplishments

• Completed Cycling Savvy Course
• Camping by Bike
• Place 3rd in my Age Group at Cool Summer Mornings 5K!
• Ran Watermelon 5K with family
• 2 months living without a car
• 4 months of eating vegetarian
• 89% homemade meals (10x restaurant food; avg 2.5x per week)

July Stats

• run = 41 miles
• longest run = 11 miles
• walk = 45 miles
• bike = 196 miles
• longest ride = 41.2 miles
• totals = 282 miles / 40.5 hrs (avg 1.3 hrs/day)

2010 Goals Progress

To be on track, percentages should be around 58%

• run/walk = 586 / 700 miles (avg 84/mo; 21/wk; 84%)
• cycling = 748 / 1750 miles (avg 107/mo; 27/wk; 43%)
• tri 2010 challenge = 1351 / 2010 (67%)
• total exercise hours = 253.5 / 365 hours (avg 1.2/ day; 69%)
• 101 things = 19 / 30 done (63%); 11 in progress

Week 30 Totals (rounded)

• run - 9 miles
• walk - 7 miles
• bike - 75 miles
• totals - 92 miles / 10.5 hrs

Week 30 Workout Summary

See details on Dailymile

• Monday - biked 22 miles (work + bus)
• Tuesday - walked 2.5 miles (bus)
• Wednesday - biked 12 miles (doc/errands)
• Thursday - biked 32 miles (work)
• Friday - ran 3 miles; walked 2 miles (bus)
• Saturday - biked 9 miles (farmer's market)
• Sunday - ran 6 miles; walked 2 miles (errands)

June 2010 Recap

I ran almost the same as last month, but walked more and biked 7 times as much due to the fact that I am now living without a car. Overall, I was more active than last year and last month; I suspect that will be a continuing trend for the rest of the year as I plan to run at least 2 half marathons and 1 full marathon before December. I met or came close to meeting all of my goals. I ate out more than I planned, but most of that was during our mini vacation so I'm ok with it. I still had over 90% of my meals at home, so that's good enough for me.

I'm really pleased at how much of the meals we cook include local and fresh ingredients. I think I've completely weaned us off canned foods (diced canned tomatoes and tomato sauce were the hold outs, but we no longer need this crutch). We now only use either fresh or frozen veggies. I even made my own humus this week and I finally got the recipe down. There are still a few processed foods we keep around, but it's mostly sweets and other snack foods. We can't let go of all our guilty pleasures =P

June Stats
See details on Dailymile

• run = 61 miles; 15/wk avg (62 miles in May; 21 miles in 2009)
• longest run = 10 miles (HM in May; 4 miles in 2009)
• bike = 242 miles; 60/wk avg (34 miles in May; 228 in 2009)
• longest ride = 15 miles (18 miles in May; 50 miles in 2009)
• walk = 27 miles
• total = 331 miles / 43.5 hrs (avg 1.5 hrs/day)

2010 Goals Progress
To be on track, percentages should be around 50%

• run = 410 / 700 miles (avg 68/mo; 17/wk; 59%)
• cycling = 552  / 1750 miles (avg 92/mo; 23/wk; 34%)
• tri 2010 challenge = 1060 / 2010 (53%)
• total exercise hours = 213 / 365 hours (avg 1.2/day; 58%)
• 101 things = 16 / 30 done (53%); 11 in progress

June Accomplishments

• No chocolate! (glad that's over!)
• 3 weeks living without a car
• ran 1 mile in 9:04 (so close!)
• CF Tri #1 (then broke up with triathlon)
• 91% Homemade Meals (8x restaurant food - double my goal but that's still great)

Goals for July

• 5K PR
• [07.04] Watermelon 5k
• [07.17] Cool Summer Mornings 5K #2
• run 70 miles / 2 (double digits) long runs