When I first started this blog (broken record- how many times have I started a post with this sentence?!?!) I did it as a record of my training and progress as I dove into the world of running and triathlon. I have spent much of the last few months re-reading my old blog entries. Mostly because I wanted to remember how awesome it was when I was blogging but also because I knew it would motivate me back into my training. It was really fun to re-read all my race posts; it was especially great to see how far I have come over the years. It definitely did the job of motivating me. But you know what wasn’t fun- seeing how statistical I had become. Holy shit, I kept track of ever step I took! Or at least it seemed! I did weekly reviews, months reviews, broke down my mileage for swimming AND biking AND running. I really feel it is important to keep a training schedule and I still think it is important to keep track of my miles, but I also think I took it to a level of crazy before. In planning how I was going to approach this year, I knew staying healthy and uninjured were at the top of the list. That meant following a good nutrition plan, not pushing too hard and following the 10% rule like it is my job. Obviously, this means I have to keep track of things as I go along. But more than that, I need to stay accountable. Which brings me back to the exact reason I started this blog. As a record of my training and progress. I don’t need to do specific re-caps. But I do need to stay accountable with at least a monthly post of where I have been and where I am going.
So where was I in January?
Running- I ran consistently two times a week building a base throughout the beginning of the month. Towards the end, I threw in a third min-run as I began to get into my half-marathon training schedule. Right now, my “long” runs are still short and I am working on speed and consistency. As the mileage builds, I will focus more on endurance. My runs thus far have been good for the most part and I am pretty excited to see where this training cycle takes me.
Ballet– I am loving these classes. I take one ballet class and week and one Barre class a week. When I get rare Monday or Friday night in, I do an extra one. Ideally, I would be doing two of each a week, but unfortunately a schedule like mine isn’t very accommodating. I am looking forward to Spring Break when I can pick up some more classes. If you are looking for a new way to strength train or just a new activity, I high recommend a Barre class. I cannot believe how much my body has changed in just six weeks. My weight hasn’t dropped all that dramatically, but I see and feel such a difference!
Nutrition- I have been using My Fitness Pal to track what I eat. Accountability matters most here. I don’t put the cookie in my mouth because I know I have to write it down. I don’t have the second glass of wine (or even the first lately) because I don’t want to use my calories for it. I am eating so much smarter this year because I know I have to own it every single day. This isn’t new information; it is a n0-brainer being accountable for what we eat will result in eating better. With that said, I am always amazed at how much I change when I practice this on a daily basis.
Sleep- I am pretty sure that as long as I work two jobs and have to get up at 5am for the first one, I will never get enough sleep. Maybe I can catch up on Spring Break?!?!?
Resolutions- I am trying. In January I finally set up my guest bedroom so that was a huge check off my list. I haven’t read a single book but I did pay off more debt. I also continued my promise of only paying cash for everything. If I don’t have it, I need to either pick up another waitressing shift, or not have it until I can better afford it. The only purchases I put on my credit cards are online purchases. The only other way I will use my credit card are for big purchases (new appliances coming soon and hopefully new living room set) and real emergencies.
Other life events-
-As you already know if you read my blog, my friend Jessica lost her battle with CF two weeks ago. Sadly, last week, only a week after Jessica passed away, my friend Will lost his battle with lung cancer. It has been an emotionally tough month for me, but I have been blessed overall and that is what I am focusing on right now.
-I am really excited that the Raven’s won the Superbowl. Joe Flacco grew up a few towns over, went to school with my cousin and is married to a friend of our family. I don’t follow Pro sports all that much (I love college sports) but I do cheer for the Ravens, so that was an exciting game 🙂
Do you track what you eat? How much you exercise?
What do you focus on when you are going through a tough time?
Finishing is Winning 
I keep track of what I eat when I am being “good.” I do WW points as that seems to work for me. Hope things get better for you. Sounds like an incredibly tough month.
It sounds like you had a successful month. I’m still thinking of you and your friends during the horrible time. Two friends in one week is awful!
As you know, I have been tracking what I eat (also using MFP) and it has made a huge difference in what I eat/drink. This is my first time really counting calories and some items blow me away when I read the label. I have been tracking running mileage (though I haven’t worn my garmin in a while.. I just know the mileage of my regular routes or use the treadmill mileage) but don’t always tally it all up until much later (I write it down and eventually go back and add it all up). I don’t follow a specific training schedule (it works for me). I just started keeping track of minutes I spend doing other activities like elliptical and arc trainer but I never did them regularly before so no need to track.
You already know how I feel about the Ravens so I won’t mention it here. I respect your views on them and JF though.
I started tracking at WW again at the beginning of January. I always said I ate healthy but a few practice days in December pointed out that I did eat healthy but way too much. I agree that tracking keeps you accountable to yourself. I don’t intend to keep doing this the rest of my life but for now it’s working great.
I try to exercise at least 5 days a week and I plan 6. If I do 6 it’s great but if I do 5 that’s great too. I try to run 3 times a week but this week for example I had to cut one run short because of the weather and cancel one again because of the weather. Can’t wait for Spring.
I’m sorry to hear you lost 2 friends in such a short period, that’s though!
The last really rough time I had was back in 2000 when my Dad died but honestly I can’t remember what I focussed on back then. I do know I ate, ate, ate and was at my heavies weight ever within a couple of months.
Take care and take your time to grief about the loss of your friends Jill.
Yay! You are off to an awesome start! Do you feel like having these goals and other things to focus on has helped since this month has been so hard? Sometimes that helps me – having something else to focus on. Although sometimes I just fall apart.
I don’t track food. Unfortunately, it makes me super neurotic!
Sorry about all of the loss in your life recently. But is sounds like you have some great goals happening. Sometimes it is really hard to stay focused on our goals and looks like you are doing it. Great job!
I use MFP too! Now we must be friends on there too… lol. I need to track to stay accountable to myself. I tried to go “on feel” after a few months when I thought I had it down but … That didn’t work out. So, calorie counting it is for me, it just works (for me).
Haha- I did the “on feel thing” but the problem was, I “felt” like french fries and ice cream every day!