Nothing deep or meaningful about it

Hello!

I feel weird writing this post today, it feels like a Monday post to talk about my fitness goals for this week, and recap what I got accomplished health/fitness wise last week.  But here I am doing it anyway, because Monday felt like the best day to post incredibly happy news, so that's what I did instead.

My goal last week was to run 2 miles three times, and complete 1 cross training session.  Of that, I did the three 2 mile runs, but I didn't manage to squeeze in the cross training over the weekend.  So, a 75%, a solid "C" for the week.  Unless you count the awesome massage I got on Saturday as Cross Training, in which case, I totally rocked that ish.

Yeah, I don't really count it either.  But I really wish that I did.  That would be amazing.  A C doesn't feel good enough for me, it doesn't feel like I worked hard enough, or pushed to get results.  And so as I looked back on what the problems were last week, I tweaked a few things to hopefully make them slightly more Kristen-friendly.

I remembered that I really tend to hate working out on Mondays and Fridays, so I flip-flopped things around for this week... we'll see if it helps me stay on track and get ALL of my workouts in this week!  Whatever helps me get them in is what I'm gonna do.  At this point, I am less concerned about adequately spacing rest days, and more so with getting back in the habit of doing some sort of exercise regularly.  Also, I'm working with the run/walk intervals, since that's what I'll be using in my training plan and on race day for my next half.

And while not explicitly stated, I will also be stretching and foam rolling the crap out of my legs. 

I feel like I should say something deep or meaningful about meeting my goals, and striving for new opportunities.  But truly, as I write this, I am crazy exhausted, and the wind is howling, and I'm not wearing a bra.  There is no deep or meaningful thought left in my noggin right now.  And if there were, it would be about wine, or the love of dogs, or something to do with slippers, because those are the things that are seeing me through this Monday evening.  Like I said, Monday workouts just don't tend to be a "thing" for me.  Also, Pinterest is just not helping a sister out with the motivational mumbo-jumbo tonight.  #firstworldprobs

So please just tell me in the comments below anything.  Maybe... that you're working out too, and how it's sometimes hard.  Or how you only have deep thoughts while wearing flannel.  Or that you hate when the wind sounds like a ghost.  I don't know.  But share so that we can all be happy, because it's Tuesday, and all Tuesdays need a little bit more random happiness.

If you have big news, and no one is around to hear it...

At our wedding in June, our officiant led into the telling of Ammon's and my love story by asking everyone to consider the thought experiment of "If two people are on a first date, and one of them doesn't know it's a date, does it still count as a first date?"  It was totally accurate of our start as a couple.  However, I can't say it's been accurate of this news that I have not kept a secret at all had a really hard time not shouting from the rooftops.  And today I'm going to share it with you, my blogger friends.  I'm sorry you're among the last to know.  I didn't mean for it to work out that way.  But you all were some of the FIRST to know when Ammon proposed along the side of the road on our way to TCBY, so it's fair, I think.

This is where Ammon tells me "Get on with the damn story, Kristen".  Punctuated by drinking delicious beer.  Okay, okay.  Sheesh.

So the big news... the big, Earth shattering, life changing news.

Last Wednesday, I was offered, and subsequently accepted a job transfer to be the Accounts Receivable Clerk for my office!!!  It is a position I have wanted for about 2.5 years now, and it means that I will be engaging in substantially less customer service, answer the phone less, and spend all day with blessed ledgers and spreadsheets.  And while some of you may consider all of that to be your own personal circle of hell, wait until I show you my new office.

Oh yeah, I get a new office, too.  With a door that locks, and 3 windows to the outside.  If you had seen the happy dance that I did when I got a cubicle 6 months ago, you will understand that the idea of having a private office is such a revelation that I just can't even start.

The new job doesn't "officially" start until February 10th, and in the meantime, I'm wrapping up my current job as an Assistant Property Manager, training the new APM, and training in my new role.  It's a pretty hectic work schedule for the next month!  So please understand if I'm a little... quiet... on these here interwebs for the next month or two while we're all settling in.  I promise that I'll be back, and that I'll do my best to pop in when I can!

I like big news and I can not lie

I am officially one of those people who has big news, but isn't going to tell any of you about it yet (unless you're Michelle, in which case you know, because you demanded to know when I was bursting at the seams with good news.  You are now a secret keeper).  I know.  It's kind of rude to just prance around in front of you all with big news, and refuse to share it until some undisclosed future date.  Oh, what am I saying... I'll probably share my news on Monday.  It makes me so happy, and half of you will probably think it's silly.  I don't care, because I legitimately looked like this all day Wednesday:

Sometimes I get so excited that all of the tendons in my neck pop out.  Fun.

And for those of you who don't follow my Instagram, we are not pregnant.  That is the only hint that I will give you for now.  Feel free to guess in the comments.  I hope that you all have a happy, happy Friday!

That didn't quite go as anticipated

I am awful at keeping to workout schedules.  So, so, so awful.  I am even worse about working out when I don't have one, so I make them, knowing that they probably won't be followed nearly as well as they should be.  I tend to be somewhat rebellious when it comes to workout schedules.

 

From Pinterest

 

After being super excited about finally figuring out how to make those image do-hickey-thingamajigs on PicMonkey that all of the good workout people make, I went and blew the schedule on the very first day.  Ooooops.  That isn't a very good start I suppose.  I did catch up last night, though, and got in 2.18 miles of run/walk, plus stretching and foam rolling.  Mondays and Fridays are a huge challenge for me in terms of working out, so I may shift my workouts for the next few weeks so that they fall on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and one weekend workout.  Hopefully this will help me to actually get the work done in order to start a half marathon training plan.

And speaking of half marathon training... Only 7 days into the New Year, and I am already re-evaluating my goals for my next half marathon on May 4.  I had hoped that this would be "MY" race, and that I could realize my goal of running 13.1 miles in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Well, then that 2.18 mile run yesterday happened.  It didn't feel good.  It wasn't pretty.  In fact, it was miserable, and my hips protested a bit.  It made me seriously consider when I want to peak in my training, and what my marathon plans for September will be.  I want to meet my goals, but not to permanent detriment to my body.  That's just craziness, and not worth it.  For the record, I WILL run a half marathon in 2:30 or less in 2014... but since I'm already planning on doing 3 or 4 half marathons, I have options, and it's worthless to limit your options when it comes to things like which race you plan to set a PR at.

So instead of doing the same things I've been doing in the past, I am going to take a different approach to this next half-marathon, and I'm going to do run-walk intervals of running 5 minutes, walking 1 minute.  I'm going to use Jenny Hadfield's Run-Walk Half Marathon training program.  My goal for this half marathons is going to be consistency.  Sticking with the intervals.  Keeping steady pacing in both the running and walking portions.  Not going out so hard that I hurt myself and limp in.  Being able to cross the finish line with a little gas left in the tank.  All of these are things that I will be proud to accomplish on May 4.  No, it isn't running the whole way, but since I haven't gotten quite there yet, I think being able to say that I ran 5/6ths will be better than "I made it to 8 miles and couldn't go any further, so I limped in".  That's the hope, at least.  I don't know.

This is what I look like after limping to the finish line.  Not pretty.  Poor Alyx does not want to hang out with me looking all gross and grumpy and shit.  Also, this is probably one of the only pictures I've taken where you can actually see some of my scars from knee surgery.  Neato.

Honestly, I'm pretty excited about this run/walk program.  It looks challenging, but doable, and intervals are nice because you're constantly switching things up and less likely to be bored.  My theory, at least, because running is kind of boring unless you're with people who are willing to chat/commiserate the whole damn way with you.

Anyway, hos are your goals/themes/words/resolutions going?  Are you still right on top of them, or are you having to re-evaluate a little?

How I'm getting my groove back

First of all, thank you to all of you for your support on my last post about running and transitioning to the triathlon in 2015.  You guys... you are so wonderful.  I have no words most of the time for how much I value each of you.  Also, I know I have sucked at keeping up with comments.  I have hardly been opening my laptop lately, and any of you who I have emailed via phone, or texted with know what a train wreck I am with that particular technology...  Poor excuses.  I'm working on that, and on reconnecting with things and people that are important to me.

You know what is absolutely insane?  Despite my big running goals for 2014, I have not run more than a half a mile or so since the Shiner Beer Run back in November.  I haven't even worked out.  Nope.  I enjoyed taking a break from it.  I needed to take a break, to recover, to do other things.  Those other things ended up being reading, watching copious amounts of tv, and spending time with the husband and animals.  And it was all blissful.  I am so glad I did it.

But, all good things must come to an end, so that something better can come along and take its place.  Like finally capturing that sub- 2:30 half marathon that I know I am capable of.

So I'm now going to ease back into running and working out.  I always feel the need to have a plan for what I'm doing, otherwise I'm always afraid that I'll become directionless and give up.  Naturally, during this entire hiatus from working out, I have been planning how I would dive back into it all when I came back.  How much I was going to back off on mileage, what I knew I would need to commit to doing so that I could meet my goals.  I need to build a base weekly mileage of at least 12 miles in the next 5 weeks so that I can start a 12 week half marathon training plan.  On paper, that sounds easy, but in my head this sounds really hard.  12 miles is 3- 4 mile runs, or 4- 3 mile runs, or some combination thereof.  Something I feel like I did wrong in the past was not taking my weekday runs seriously, and counting on my weekend long runs to successfully get me to the finish line.  I don't want to fall victim to that again.  I need to work on my discipline with my weekday workouts, and not falling victim to "being too busy" or "being too tired" or "I don't feel like it right now". 

For me, it's about taking things one week at a time, and not getting bogged down with details, or with what I have coming up in the future.  Just one step, and then the next.  So my plan for this week is as follows:

It seems so simple... and yet, that is the challenge for me.  I always feel like I can discount the little things, when in reality, those are the things that are most important, and have the biggest impact.

Since I'm nosy incredibly curious about the lives of others, and because it's resolution season, what are you doing this week to work towards your 2014 goals?  Please tell me below, and I'll do my best to email everyone a little extra encouragement this week!

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

My first two athletic loves are dying for me to fall in love with running.  And I have decided that 2014 will be the year that this happens.  It has to happen, because after 2014, I might not get the chance again for a while.

 

 

Sounds ominous, right?

After much consideration, 2014 will be the LAST year I focus a lot of energy into running distances over a  10k.  Or, at least I most likely won't be focusing on longer distance running for several years.  It was a hard, painstaking decision to make.  However, it was made based on my plans for the future, my dreams, and my goals.  I never set out to become a runner.  I set out to fall in love with running enough that I could accomplish a goal that has been in my heart since I was 15 years old.

The Olympic distance Triathlon.  The culmination of my two first athletic loves, and this athletic endeavor that is such a challenge to me.  1500m swim, 25 mile bike ride, and a 10k run.  Let me tell you, this would be a huge challenge for me to complete.  1500 meters of swimming is NO JOKE, and the thought of running 6.2 miles after 30 minutes of swimming and almost 2 hours on a bike makes me cringe.  Yet at the same time, it ignites a fire in me.  It whispers "oh eff yes, you can so rock this" to me.

The thing is, I don't want to just "do" triathlons.  I want to be GOOD at the triathlon.  It would be easy for me to go out there and do well in the swim and the bike, then wog my way through the "run".  But that isn't really what I want.  I would love to go out there and do my personal best in all three phases, and finish with times that reflect hard work and dedication.

 

Another reason for making this the last year is family planning.  While we have put the baby making discussion on hold for the time being, we do plan to reopen the subject after my full marathon in September.  I know that a lot of women continue to run and race long distances while pregnant, but based on what I know of my body and my family history, this will not be viable for me.  My uterus has a weird forward tilt that indicates that I will "show" very early in my pregnancy, and likely be bigger than a house before I give birth.  And while my mom remained active during both of her pregnancies, she gained nearly 50 lbs while pregnant with me, and more than that while pregnant with my brother.  So while I can see short 3-4 mile very slow jogs, I just can't imagine myself being that girl showing up to a half marathon while pregnant.

But perhaps the reason that weighs so heavily on my heart for why I plan to give up long distance running is my health.  My body really has had a hard time adjusting to it.  I have had complications with my IT bands.  Most recently, I have had circulation problems.  These are problems I deal with in my everyday life that have been magnified by the pressures of distance running.  And while I want to prove to myself that I can do these hard things, and that it's possible for me to be a successful runner, I realize that I may never overcome some of these limitations.

I am so excited to have one last year to make my mark with running.  To meet the goals that I have set for myself within this discipline.  To try to become the best runner that I can become, in just 12 short months.  I might not have this opportunity again.  Like so many things in life, you only get one shot at a particular moment, and this is it for me with running.  I don't want to blow it.

I have plans for 2014

Happy New Year!

Did you do anything fun?  We didn't.  We crawled into bed around 10, just like any other night.  Womp, womp.  However, I'm nursing a sinus infection, and Ammon was snoring like a lumberjack, so I was awake to acknowledge the start of a new year.  And man, do I have some big plans for this year.  2014 is going to be incredible, I can just tell.  Some of the things that I will make happen for myself and my family this year:

- I am going to rock my internship.  I haven't talked about it here yet, but my work is allowing me to complete my accounting internship with them during my paid work hours, and it's a huge opportunity for me to grow into an accounting position.

- Get some travel in.  We have so many people to visit after the wedding, and I want to make a dent in that list.  The top 3 places we are wanting to visit are MN, VA, and WA.

- Run the Lincoln Half Marathon on May 4, 2014 in 2:30 or less.  I signed up for my next half marathon this morning, and I have high hopes that this will be my race, finally.

Either way, though, I'll be running with Alyx, so it will be awesome.

- Graduate from my Associate's in Accounting program and start work on my Bachelor's.  

- Move into a house!  We aren't ready to buy, but we are ready for something a little bigger and more homey than where we are now.

- Run a full marathon.  Yup.

- Get back on the bike.  I miss it.

- Celebrate an amazing first year of marriage, and five years of togetherness with that husband of mine.

If it were up to me (and it's not), we would celebrate this with ALL of the holiday/Bill Cosby sweaters.

So here's to the New Year!  Can't wait to hear all about the fun and exciting things that you all have planned, so tell me about them below!