4th week's goals of 2014

My goals for week 4 of 2014 were these:
Run 3-4 times and have a total of 10 miles for the week in running, bike further than week 3, swim further than week 3. Complete all of my classes. Try a Yoga class.

Here is how the week went:

Monday:  I had off of work for the holiday, so I took full advantage to have a great workout.  Started with teaching body sculpt class, walked 1.25 miles, ran .25 miles on an indoor track, swam 1093 yards.  Seized the moment in the afternoon to enjoy the sun and 34 degrees and ran 4.40 miles outside!

Tuesday:  Didn't feel so great in the morning, so I didn't exercise before work, after work taught my body sculpt class

Wednesday:  Body Sculpt class before work, Yoga class after work.

Thursday:  Zumba class, then ran 3.15 miles on a treadmill.

Friday:  Biked 15 minutes before work,   Swam 13  laps or 650 yards  in a team triathlon (5 laps were warm up before the triathlon started)

Saturday:  Swam  10 laps or 500 yards (two were warm up before the Indoor Triathlon started)   Biked  30 minutes    Ran 2 miles.  Walked over a mile.   Later Saturday afternoon went out in the FREEZING cold and ran 1.13 miles so that I could achieve my weekly goal of over 10 miles for the week.

Sunday: Rest

I didn't achieve biking further than week 3, but I came close, so this week I upped that goal for the bike.  I did achieve doing a yoga class and running at least 10 miles.  This week was crazy busy, so I'm grateful to have done well with working out and achieving most of my set goals.

Week 4 Totals:
Elliptical:  0 miles
Running:   10.93 miles
Walking:   2.25 miles
Swam:   2243 Yards
Biking minutes:  45
Body Sculpt classes 3
Yoga class 1
Zumba class 1

Totals for year:
Elliptical 3.5 miles
Running  32.86 miles
Swam   7765 yards
Body Sculpt classes 8
Zumba classes 4
Biking minutes 120
Step classes 1
Yoga Classes 1

Goals for Week 5 of 2014 are these:  Run further than the week before in 3-4 times out running.  12 miles for week 5 of running would be my ultimate weekly goal of running.  Get back on the elliptical and do 2 miles for the week. Swim once of 1000 yards or more.  Bike 60-90 minutes for the week.  Complete my regular scheduled classes.

3rd week's goal

For my 3rd week my goals were these:  Swim once of 2000 yards, or twice of 1000 or more yards each.  Run 3-4 times and the distance doesn't matter this week, just run at least 3 times.  Bike once of 25 minutes or twice at 15 minutes each.  Get on the elliptical once and do at least 2 miles.  Teach my regularly scheduled classes which are 3 body sculpts and 1 Zumba.

Here is what I accomplished:

Monday:  15 minutes on the bike, Body Sculpt class
Tuesday:  20 minutes on the bike, 1 mile on the elliptical, Body Sculpt
Wednesday:  Body Sculpt before work, then 2.22 miles running after work!
Thursday:  15 minutes on the bike, 1 mile running, Zumba 50 minute class
Friday:  1/2 mile on the elliptical, 10 minutes of Yoga stretches.
Saturday:  4.31 miles running outside, then .70 running on a treadmill inside.  2000 yards swimming and 40 minutes of a Body Step class.
Sunday:  Rest

Total for week 3:
Elliptical 1.5 miles
Running  8.23 miles
Swam  2000 yards
Body Sculpt classes 3
Zumba classes 1
Step classes 1
Biking minutes 50


I didn't do 2 miles on the elliptical, but I did do extra minutes on the bike and did a step class.
The 2000 yards swimming was done all at once, which is new for me.  I felt good this week.


Totals for year:
Elliptical 3.5 miles
Running  21.93 miles
Swam   5522 yards
Body Sculpt classes 5
Zumba classes 3
Biking minutes 75
Step classes 1

Here are my goals for week 4 of 2014:

Run 3-4 times and have a total of 10 miles for the week in running, bike further than week 3, swim further than week 3.  Complete all of my classes.  Try a Yoga class.

2nd week's goal

For my 2nd week of 2014 my goals were swim twice, but a little further both times than the week prior.  Run 3 times, however run further each time than the week prior.  Then lastly to get on my bike and ride at least 20 minutes.  The bike is on a trainer in the basement since it's way too icy, snowy, slushy, cold and gross to go outside on my nice road bike.

I achieved all of these.  I even did a little extra this week.  I did 2 miles on the elliptical on Monday.  Taught Body Sculpt on Tuesday and ran 3.1 miles.  Wednesday I taught Body Sculpt.  Thursday early morning I got on the bike and rode for 25 minutes.  Then after work on Thursday ran 2 miles, taught Zumba, then swam laps.  Friday I rested.  Today I ran 4 miles outside and then swam a bunch of laps. Sunday I will rest again.

Total for week 2:
Elliptical 2 miles
Running  9.1 miles
Swam  1972 yards
Body Sculpt classes 2
Zumba classes 1
Biking minutes 25

For my 3rd week my goals are these:  Swim once of 2000 yards, or twice of 1000 or more yards each.  Run 3-4 times and the distance doesn't matter this week, just run at least 3 times.  Bike once of 25 minutes or twice at 15 minutes each.  Get on the elliptical once and do at least 2 miles.  Teach my regularly scheduled classes which are 3 body sculpts and 1 Zumba.

I feel great this week.  I'm thankful that this week I was healthy enough to achieve my goals.

Totals for year:
Elliptical 2 miles
Running  13.7 miles
Swam   3522 yards
Body Sculpt classes 2
Zumba classes 2
Biking minutes 25

1st week's goal

Instead of New Year's Resolutions, I like to make weekly goals.  My first week's goal of 2014 was to run 3 times, do Zumba for at least 45 minutes, and swim twice.

I did just that.  I ran on Monday 1.6 miles, Thursday 1 mile and then on Saturday 2 miles.  On Monday I swam 14 laps and then on Saturday I swam 17 laps.  On Thursday I did Zumba for 50 minutes.

For my 2nd week my goals are these:  Swim twice, but a little further both times than the week prior.  Run 3 times, however run further each time than the week prior.  Get on my bike (which is on a trainer in the basement) and bike at least 20 minutes once this week.

Santa's Snow Shuffle 5K ish Fun Run--Cedar Falls,Iowa--Saturday, December 14, 2013

A very cold morning, but not too cold and not as cold as the week before in that race. Santa's Snow Shuffle is put on by http://www.trekmanracing.com/ and it's a great Fun Run around Christmas. There were no times and it's not a certified course, but so much fun. Almost everyone dresses up. The run ended up being 3.45 miles. It was snowing just barely the entire run. Such a beautiful outside to run in.

We almost didn't go to the race, even though we had registered for it months ago, we thought we might not go due to cold temperatures and crappy weather lately.  There was predicted bad weather coming in Saturday morning.  We decided Friday night to just go.  Jason was driving.  Good thing we did because we each won free entries into the Fools 5K put on in April by Trekman Racing!  And at the very end of the drawings for prizes, I won a sweet running jacket for Jason.  This was in addition to the chocolate, gloves, santa hats and amazing food post race.  I just love getting stuff free and seeing great running friends.

 A very happy fun morning.

A picture taken before we went running.  There is Kyle, Lisa, their children, Jason and I.  What a fun morning.

Starting out on the cold run.  Lisa was snapping pictures.  I have my full running mask on.

Jason stopping during running.  Not sure why he is facing that direction, the racers were going the other way.

Glad I had this cute outfit to run it.  It was actually perfectly warm.  I had on white running tights underneath the striped red and white hose.  The red suit was great.

After the run, here is a picture of Kyle, Jason and and I with icicles on our faces.

My friend Lisa Flaherty and I before the race.  Always great to see her.

Cool Christmas costumes.  Wonder how those were to run in?

My good friend Lisa Helland.  I don't get to see her often.  So glad I did this day.  She is so fun to be around.

the winners of the group costume.  Santa, a sleigh and all the reindeer.  Funny.

2013 Jingle Bell 5k--Iowa City, IA

It was a super cold morning. The thermometer said 6 degrees and I knew I would be freezing.   However, since I paid for this race and I was healthy,  I decided to run it.  The race was chip timed and was a flat course.  It was hard to breathe but I ended up with a PR for the year.  29:01.  I have run a 5k faster but that was before my ankle injury.   Someday I'll see 27 minutes again.

This is the lake we ran around.  It was mostly frozen and so gorgeous. 

The shirt.

This is me about two minutes after finishing the race.  My eyelashes were frozen and had icecycles on them.

Great post race treats.  My company was a sponsor of the race.

Cute hats and glasses on these girls.

The Return of the Turkey Trott 8K--Marion, Iowa

The weather was almost perfect for a run. It was about 50 degrees and misting out. The misting made some areas of the run slippery like the bricks we ran over on one part of the route and part of the cemetery we ran through and if you hit the paint on the road just right with your shoe you might slip a little, but for the most part, it was awesome.

 I started out running with Jason and planned on keeping up with him the entire time. I can almost run his pace which is around an 8:55 to 9:10 mile pace usually. However around 1.5 miles in I got a HUGE stomach cramp and told him to just go and do his best. He wanted to wait for me and stopped for a second but I waved him on. I know had it not been for that dang stomach cramp I would have done super awesome and been able to stay with him. Oh well. I jogged at a 10 minute mile pace, did some deep breathing until my stomach settled down and I went on my way again. I could see Jason way ahead and tried hard to catch him, but then lost sight of him. Bummer.

 Jason ended up getting a HUGE PR (personal record) for himself by over 6 minutes. His time was 44:20 which is an 8:55 average mile pace.

I came within a minute of my 8K PR. In 2010 I did 46:58, in 2011 I did 50:20, in 2012 I didn't race due to an injury, then today I did 47:55. I know with the training I'm currently doing that I'm on track for a 43 to 44 in the near future, so I'll keep working hard and hopefully can pull that off next year!

 My friend Tyler Sullivan pulled off an amazing 27:05 which is an average mile pace of 5:27! He WON the turkey trott! Sweet. I am impressed.

 We saw Dean and Jill Schwickerath and their daughter and got to spend a tiny bit of time with them.
 Dean pulled off an impressive time of 32:22 which is a 6:31 average minute mile pace and he won 2nd in his age group! Go Dean! He took home a medal and pumpkin pie. It was a fun morning and I saw so many friends. Here are a few pictures:

Dean, Jill, their daughter, Me and Jason

Jason and I with the turkey.  

Outside getting ready to run, we had just put our
race numbers on.

Lisa and I.  I hadn't seen Lisa in months, it was so great to see her again.

Screaming Pumpkin Race Quarter Marathon (6.55 miles) Peoria, Illinois--October 25, 2013

The weather was absolutely perfect for a night Halloween race. It was cold, but a perfect cold.  The wind was super light if there was any so it didn't blow our wigs off or our head decorations off.  You were only cold if you were standing still.   I wasn't ever too hot, or too cold.   The race started exactly on time of 5:50 p.m.

 We went to this race with our friends Kyle and Lisa. They picked us up and we went to Peoria. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from our house.  I'm really not sure how Lisa and I were able to talk our husbands into dressing into tu tu's or tights or anything they had on.  This is one reason how I know our husbands love us so very much because they dressed up in these ridiculous costumes to have fun with us.

Lisa and I are devils to show that "The devil made me do it."  Ha.  I made Jason's and my tu tu's and they turned out ok except they were a little long and were full of static.  Next time I will make them shorter and easier to run in.  I'm so grateful to Lisa for going to the Halloween store and getting not only fun wigs, but the tights for Jason and all the other fun stuff.  It was a great time.  During the race we would check out some of the really old gravestones.  It was fun to run some, walk some, goof off a bunch.  If you want to check out the website for this race go here.

This race has many good points:

• Finishing medals--this year were gorgeous.
• Great food after the event.  
• Easy packet pickup 
• Chip timing bib
• Bib for your scrapbook
• music before and after the event
• medical tent
• lots of parking close to the event
• Marathon and marathon relay options.
• lots of porta poties
• You run through a cemetery and that is just fun.
• plenty of water/gatorade stations in case you needed them.

The bad points are:

• This year the course didn't seem as well lit as last year
• The pavement had seriously deteriorated from last year so there were tons of pot holes and broken pavement everywhere so you really had to watch your step or you would roll an ankle or die. 

I took a few pictures so here they are.  I should have taken pictures of all the awesome costumes I saw because there were some great ones this year.

All of us.  Jason is showing some leg.

Lisa and I in our devil outfits.

Posing for another group picture with a giant cat.

The front of his costume.

The back of Jason's costume

Another great group picture.

The awesome finishing medal.

The race bibs.

Close up of the medal.

New goals

Over the last month I have been making some new goals in fitness.

One of these is to either bike or swim at least once every week.  This is harder as winter is approaching and that makes it harder to bike in the freezing cold.  Last week I biked a couple times and swam laps one day, however this week the biking and swimming didn't happen.  I plan on setting out my stuff tonight so I can bike into class at the Rec Center tomorrow and teach and then bike home.  It will be a cold ride, however I have a light on my bike so it will be possible.

Another goal is to get back on my elliptical and use it again.  It has been collecting a bit of dust and needs some love, so this week I got on it and did a mile.  Next week the goal is 1.10 miles.  I would like to increase my distance on the elliptical each week by 10%.

Another goal is to run more often and run more miles each week.  I have been running so much more in the last 3 months than I did all year because the first half of the year I was still fighting an ankle injury.

Last week I decided that I needed to be more consistent in my running and the only way to really do that is two fold:  Set goals each week and run a little bit further each week.

Last week I set my first running goal of the year and that was to run every single day except for Sunday.  This is something I've never done in my 3.5 years of running.

My sports medicine doctor who has done at least 10 Iron man competitions said that doing several short runs is very important in running.  Meaning.

Don't go out on Monday and do 5-8, then skip a day, Wednesday do 8, skip a day or two and then do 12 on a Saturday because it was your long run.

Instead spread that out a bit like this:

Monday 5, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 5, Thursday 3, Friday 2, Saturday 10.  This will be much easier on your body.

Since I'm still in the 15-20 miles a week point I ran my mileage this way:

Monday 1.16, Tuesday 2.06, Wednesday 4.10, Thursday 4.03, Friday 1.03 and Saturday 7.01 miles.

Total 19.39 miles for this past week.

My new goal for the next week is to run 10% further than this week and to also run every day again.  I feel absolutely amazing and look forward to running again.  It is easier to make time for a bunch of short runs than it is to squeeze in 2-3 longer runs.

Timber Trek 2013--Amana, Iowa

It was a perfect day to run. It was cloudy and 65 degrees. The obstacles seemed so much harder this year and CVRA lengthened the race to just over 5 miles long, but it was still awesome. I'm so glad my family all decided to run with me. Such a great day!  If you want to see the results go HERE !

All of our racing feet.  To me this picture means this:  Sharing your love of  running with those you care about the most. 

Here is a picture of most of my family.   There are two more children that belong here however they have moved out.  I was thrilled to have most of the family running together.   What a great day. 

Alyssa and her friend Sofia.

Finishing the long trail race.  I gave it everything and
wore myself out.  What a great race.

Alyssa finishing strong.

Scott and Jason finishing together!

Happy to be done.

All muddy and soaking wet.

Brenden in his muddy clothes before he changed.

Scott all wet and muddy.  He was not
happy at all.  He was super tired.

Brenden won 2nd in his age group.

Alyssa all muddy.

The front of Brenden's medal.

The back of Brenden's medal.

Jared showing off his new running shirt.