I’m having one of those days when I keep trying to write something, but nothing sounds good. Not like I should care that it does, but whatever.
This past week of workouts was great and very varied (ha!). I ran, rode the spin bike, and did some yoga. It was just great. I’m loving cross training right now! And, oddly enough, I’m not stressed out about my half marathon in 6 short weeks. I’ve magically changed my outlook and care more about my overall health and long-term fitness goals. So that means that, though I care about the race and I plan on doing well, I’m thinking about the long term. It sure does help to change perspective sometimes.
In other news, I ran a 5k on Saturday, and I plan on recapping it soon, but, dare I say it, it was easy (which probably means I could have run faster). AND I ran 3 more miles later in the day to get my mileage in. Fantastic.
To sum up, I’m a workout machine . . . and I love it! New activity for the week: swimming!
Generally I have pretty high expectations for myself. While this isn’t bad inherently, it kind of exacerbates my already-perfectionistic tendencies. And if I don’t meet up to these expectations, I do one of two things: 1) Brush it off and congratulate myself on a good effort, or 2) Let the guilt of failed goals settle in–and camp out . . . for a really long time. These reactions certainly apply to my athletic pursuits, but they creep into my life goals and wishes. For the most part, I try hard to meet the expectations I’ve set for myself, but let’s be honest, some of these optimistic goals are never really what I want to do, so those are the failures I don’t allow to bug me very much. But those goals I really strive to conquer? I’m crushed when they aren’t achieved, and I spend too much time worrying about what I could have done better.
The good news is that I’m human, and as such, I’m not alone in this thinking. Now why do I bring this up? I’m setting new goals for myself and am scared that they won’t pan out despite the effort I’ll put into them. I’m terrified of the what-ifs. I’m afraid that I won’t be good enough or that I’ll give up on the goal. But I don’t want to. I really want to meet this goal. I can do it, but I need to be motivated enough to put in the effort and be satisfied with the result. Sorry that I’m being vague, but I needed an outlet to share these thoughts. When I really solidify my goals into manageable pieces, I’ll let you know, but in the meantime, I need a new mantra.
What are some mantras that you live by when you’re working on a goal?
A lot of things about 2012 were awesome, namely going to California twice, getting a new job, running some races, and reviving this blog. Others weren’t so fun, like having way too many things to do at the new job due to a restructure, plantar fascitiis, and a general lack of motivation haunting me at the end of the year. But let’s dwell on the good stuff. Here’s the good stuff from 2012!
I’m a half marathoner! I never doubted that I would run a half marathon, but I wasn’t sure I would make it to the start line of my Halloween half. Thanks to an awesome PT, I made it, and I’m still in recovery mode–and I’m ready to rock a few half marathons in the new year!
I have awesome friends to run with! Gotta love my Blister Sisters. These gals certainly help me stay motivated and on track (no pun intended). They’re awesome, and I know we’ll be in for some more great training and races in 2013.
Yum.
I love french fries! Well, this won’t ever change . . . But I’m hoping to find great fries in the new year. If I don’t, well, that would just be sad. Any suggestions?
I love new gear! I got a lot of great gear this year. Honestly, I’d rather get a new pair of running shoes or a pair of capris over “normal clothes” any day. What’s the coolest piece of gear you’ve gotten this year? I would have to say my new Altras and my yurbuds take the cake on this one.
And I love the chance I have to check up on myself today and set goals for the upcoming year. Here we go . . .
Eat more vegetables. I love veggies; I’m just lazy for some reason and don’t prepare them as much as I should. This will change in the new year. (Starting with spinach and artichoke dip tonight–healthy, right?)
Cross train more. I really enjoy cross training, and I know it will help me stay away from running injuries. It’s easy to just stick to running, but to be a better runner, I need something more.
Run 3 half marathons. This will be fun. I’m signing up for my first one tonight, and the next one’s registration opens up next week. It’s gonna be great!
Improve my 5k time. I need to do speedwork.
Run a few 10ks. I’ve only run one, but I really loved the distance, so we’ll see more 10k races this year.
Grow the blog. I know I need to improve things on the blog (like design, content, etc.), so I’ll be working on that.
Go on a kick-awesome trip. TBA, but it’s going to be great.
Get ahead at my job.
Cook more. I love cooking, but I’ve gotten out of the habit due to working late, stress, etc. This has to change.
Have fun! And this means more dates with the Engineer, fewer nights of working late, more activities, more races, more good stuff in 2013! 🙂
Well, good job if you’ve read all of this. 🙂 I hope that you will all reach your goals too, and I wish you all the success and happiness in 2013.
And thanks for reading French Fry Runner! Stay tuned for more awesomeness in 2013!
(p.s. I’ll announce the winner of the Shine On, Sporty Girl giveaway on Wednesday, January–or maybe tomorrow. We’ll see.)
This past week of workouts was great and very varied (ha!). I ran, rode the spin bike, and did some yoga. It was just great. I’m loving cross training right now! And, oddly enough, I’m not stressed out about my half marathon in 6 short weeks. I’ve magically changed my outlook and care more about my overall health and long-term fitness goals. So that means that, though I care about the race and I plan on doing well, I’m thinking about the long term. It sure does help to change perspective sometimes.
I have awesome 
And thanks for reading French Fry Runner! Stay tuned for more awesomeness in 2013!