Sunday, January 6, 2013

2013s Plan

I hadn't given my 2013 goals/resolutions a whole lot of though before January, and have to confess to still not giving them a lot of thought so I thought I better do that this morning! Time for some action on that.

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 I am not going to set a mileage goal this year.  Last year it was to run 1500 miles and I ran over 1600.  I decided not to focus on mileage this year so I don't feel any sort of pressure to have to run when maybe my body just needs a rest or some cross training.  I still plan to track my miles on DailyMile but I don't want it to be a focus or an obsession.

So far I have two half marathons this spring on the schedule and another in the fall.  There will be no marathons this year and I am okay with that.  I will do another but 2013 is not that year.  There will also be some 5ks, 5 mile,  and 10k races thrown in. 

My Hood to Coast Team didn't get back in this year so we are looking hopefully doing a Ragnar Relay somewhere.

I want to continue doing HIIT type workouts at least three times a week, but no more than 5 times. Rest days are important! I have been a lot of ZWOWs lately or making up my own. Bodyrock.tv is no more and their new site is to crazy for me.  Simple really is best and Zuzanna keeps it simple.

Nutrition wise my plan is to minimize processed foods as much as possible.  Keep lots of fruits and veggies in the house for snacks. 

Last year I seemed to get a little over reliant on using energy gels. I had it in my head that I needed to take one before a run or a couple of miles in so that I would have lots of energy to run.  I quit doing that a couple of months ago and have done up to 10 mile runs with no energy gels.  That's right, I went cold turkey on them and have survived! 

I do still plan to use them once I start doing runs longer than 10 miles, but very sparingly!

Write down a training plan!  I have never done this, I just sort of wing it.  I think this made me a little over trained for my marathon last year and resulted in some burnout afterwards.I also think it will help me get faster and I want at least one PR this year.  (who doesn't!)

Quality over quantity for running mileage.  This relates to not setting a mileage goal for the year.

Last year I kept running clothes in the car so that I could run after work if I had the time.  I quit doing it in the summer when it got so hot and never started up again in the fall.  Part of that was listening to my body.  I started doing that again. After work runs are short and easy usually never more than 4 miles and if they are longer than I cut back the next day.

Continue to not worry about weight.  As long as my pants fit and I feel good I don't care what the scale says.   After all a pound of muscle is more dense than a pound of fat.

Take time everyday for the kids.  It can be so easy to get caught up in the day and what I need to get done that I don't always take time to play with the kids.  We are good about reading books everynight and plan to continue this for as long as they will let me :)







18 comments:

  1. Hi Christy, new reader here (not sure if I have commented yet?). Your 2013 goals look great, it sounds Luke you are making and have already made some really smart changes! Have a great day :)

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  2. What are you reading with your kids? We just finished The Hobbit and they LOVED it. Enough that I'm even considering letting them see the movie--part of me still thinks they're too little but they weren't too little to enjoy the story.....

    Your plan sounds fantastic to me. Being that sensible about mileage and rest I bet you'll get more than one of those shiny PRs in 2013.

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  3. I love your goals! May have to steal some... I need to include not worrying about the scale AND spending more time with the kids each day.

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  4. I also don't take any gels on runs under about 10-11 miles.

    I've found, after a LOT of crappy long runs and trial/error, that what really works well for me is taking a gel about 45-60 min in, then taking in smaller amounts of calories more frequently, rather than all at one every 45 minutes or whatever. It has helped keep my energy levels steady, and I don't hit the wall anymore.

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  5. You have great goals Christy. I especially like the part about not obsessing over miles. There are so many times when I want to delete my DM account just for that reason, but then I always keep it. Maybe I keep it just to see how many donuts I burn? Ha, who knows. I also like your goal of not eating as much processed foods. I also need to keep more fruits and veggies in the house for snacking. I stopped obsessing about my weight last year when I was training for Eugene, but no running over the summer has definitely made me a little soft around the edges. The clothes still fit, but I don't feel as confident anymore. I hope to work on that this next year.

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  6. I loooooooove how you said, "after all a pound of muscle is more dense than a pound of fat" -- so true! I'm caring less and less about what the number on the scale says more concerned with overall appearance. While I'd like to lean out then tone, I think the main objective is to create well rounded fitness routines for 2013!

    I've been so inspired by everyone posting his or her 2013 goals, I've decided to post mine tomorrow!!

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  7. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of bedtime stories with my Mom or my Dad. I bet your kids love that cuddly quiet time too. Good for you.

    I think it's good to not pressure yourself into mileage goals.

    I hope you have a wonderful year and you know I will be here cheering you on and reading all about it.

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  8. Looks like you are gonna have another winning year!! :-)
    Love your goals!
    Could you write mine ;-)

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  9. I love your goals! I have no doubt 2013 will be a success!

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  10. Those sound like excellent goals to me! Hard to believe you trained for your marathon without a plan, I would have been lost without that.

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  11. I am a firm, firm believer in formal training plans. My running has improved so much since I started doing them. And, I hear ya' on the gels. I sometimes think I over-do it with them. But I end up taking them most of the time because I run first thing in the morning and I haven't eaten anything. But I want to cut back on them anyway.

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  12. Fabulous goals!! I am certain that 2013 has some wonderful PRs coming your way :)

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  13. Great goals! I hope you get several PRs this year. What half-marathons are you planning this year? I am from Montana too and was planning on doing one (will be my first!) this fall.

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  14. Nice goals! I don't do energy gels for anything under 13 miles, so I'm totally on board with that one!! Good luck!

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  15. I love your 2013 goals! Quality over quantity is something that carries over into many areas of life. When I nanny overnight we always read a book before bed and he will be 10 in a few months so I have a feeling that the day is coming when reading before bed won't be "cool" anymore.

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  16. I love your 2013 goals. I still haven't officially set mind yet. LOL.

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  17. i love your goals, especially love that you read with your kids! my parents can still quote dr. suess' ABC book because they read it to me so many times, good memories!!

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  18. reading with the kids is so important...I started that when they were not even able to understand a word I was saying and I kept doing it and buying books for them..all kinds of books...and now they are great and avid readers!!

    I hope this will be a great running year for you!

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