New Goals...New Hope???

Okay, it's a brand new year.  2016.  People are making New Years Resolutions and setting new goals.  I'm not big on resolutions, but I do like goals.

I recently realized I didn't set any finite goals for 2015...and looking back on my year, it definitely shows a lack of focus, for sure.  Without motivation, I piled on even more unnecessary weight, my eating habits went to he**, and my running "training" (if you can even call it that) slacked off terribly.  About the only area of my life where I can say I truly found success all year long was in my work life - which is awesome - but it's definitely time to start focusing on ALL OF ME again.

Ok. Soooooo....   My running friends and I are discussing setting the "2016 in 2016" goal for groups of us.  I figure my contribution can safely, and should be, at least 500 miles.  This is a personal goal I had set for the last several years and I like having a number to work towards all year long.

So there it is.  500 miles in 2016.  Plus of course, the standard "lose weight," "eat better,"  "keep up with the blog," ... yadah yadah yadah.  All of which will be important, but for the beginning of the year I'm going to strictly re-focus on getting my training back on track and then let the rest follow.  Lots of hope attached to this one.

Race Report: Too Cold to Hold - 2014

***I found this old race report floating around, un-posted, so decided to go ahead and post, just for fun...***  This is from the January 2014 Too Cold to Hold race in Dallas.

So, the blog's been a little quiet lately - not much to talk about.  Training for the Donna half had been okay - a few big hurdles but nothing that was going to keep me from finishing.  I had a really bad cold that settled in my chest (turns out maybe it was bronchitis?) and that kept me from running at all for a few weeks, so I had to start back slowly, then tweaked my left knee on the stairs (doh!) and ended up skipping a long run just to be on the safe side...

Because I'm a bling whore, when I saw the Too Cold to Hold / Too Hot to Handle race package last year I knew I needed to sign up for it, despite the rather extreme racing conditions ... because check out these medals, peeps.  Awesome, no?  And they FIT TOGETHER!!!!  Must have them!  So I signed up for the cold 10 miler and the hot 15K.

Too Cold to Hold was yesterday morning, and this was the weather forecast, true to the race's name:

Brrrrrrr.  Honestly, if not for the conjoining medals, I probably would have DNS'd this race because of the weather conditions.  And standing at the start line it looked like a lot of people had done just that.  It was COLD.  and WINDY.  At the 5 mile turnaround I made the decision to switch from the 10-miler to the 5-miler, just so I could be out of the cold faster, lol.

The race director/company always puts on a good race and has a nice after party.  They were well-prepared with hot chocolate, and portable heaters, but it was just so cold I didn't stick around too long afterward.  You can't really tell in this picture, but there was ice forming on my hat after I finished.

Post-race.  It was coooooooold!!!

The cool (pardon the pun) medal!

Buckling Down and Streaking

If I had a dollar for every time I've said "I need to do something to change this" over the last year, I'm pretty sure I'd have a good chunk of next month's mortgage.  I have gotten entirely too complacent with my training - barely following a plan and settling for "good enough to get me through" for months and months on end.

Somthing's GOT TO change.  SERIOUSLY.  Time to buckle down and RUN.

I'm not big on follow through.  I'm great with the grand ideas...that tend to fizzle out in execution.

So, when Runner's World posted their annual #RWRunStreak Challenge, I was tempted because it would be a great way to force myself to get back on some kind of plan - but, would I actually get past day 2 or 3?

Then a friend announced her commitment and she and I talked, and decided to be #StreakBuddies, so between the plan, the need to prove to myself that I can do it, the accountability of having a buddy, and the need to just do something, I think I've got my goal - and it's attainable.

The plan starts with a Turkey Trot today, Thanksgiving Day.  So I'm toeing the line, literally, in downtown Austin for their annual 5-miler.  Day one, check!

#RWRunStreak Training Plan