january recap

I’ve decided that for 2016, I’m going to get back into doing monthly recaps. I think they really helped to keep me on track, and it’s nice to check in to see where I am once in awhile. Even if I am a few days into February already.

Miles this month: 94.5

Miles this year: 94.5

Favorite workout: Hill repeats on the treadmill

Toughest workout: First attempt at 15-16 miles

Races run: 0

Cross training: Abs + Lifting

Books read: See Me by Nicholas Sparks (37% Complete)

Places traveled: 0

January started out as a strong month. I was ready for a new year, and determined to start running on the right foot. I had a decent base going in thanks to some late races in 2015. Things were looking to be a 100+ mile month, until I was sidelined on the 24th. I didn’t quite reach my goal of at least 100 miles, but I typically don’t reach more than 50 miles in January, so this was a huge improvement.

I did a lot of running on the treadmill, and I can’t help but think that my hill repeats were my favorite workout. I felt strong during and after the workout, when I easily could have passed on doing any hill work at all. My toughest workout was my first attempt at a longer run. Everything went against me running that day and I only ended up with 3.5 miles. Mentally, I need to stress less about the workout and just let it happen.

I didn’t run any races, but I kept up with my ab work and lifting. I’m hoping to stick with it and see how it helps my training this year.

As for my goals of traveling more and reading more, well, I didn’t travel anywhere, but I am working on my first book of the year. It was a bit hard to get into in the beginning, but I’m hoping I can knock out the rest of it during an upcoming trip. Then on to the next book.

The month didn’t end too well, but it could have been a lot worse. At least we weren’t covered in snow and dealing with single digit temperatures all month, like last year. I’m hoping I can bounce back from injury next month and build my mileage up again. No races are on the schedule, but I do have a trip to look forward to!

How was your January? Suggestions on books to read?

January has come and gone, and much quicker than I would have liked. The first two months of the year are my busiest with work so it’s only normal that my monthly review is a few days late. For 2013 I wanted to try something new, and by doing a monthly recap I can check in on my goals and see just how much work I’ve done or need to do. Let’s check out January…

Miles run: 20

Races run: 1 (3M Half Marathon)

Books read: 2.5 (The Next Best Thing, The Last Song, 50 Shades of Grey-partially complete)

Places traveled: 3 (Austin, TX, Las Vegas, NV, and Toronto, Canada)

Sickness: 2 (Flu and sinus/head cold)

Languages learned: 0

Unnecessary purchases cut down: Yes

New recipes: 0

A whole bunch of numbers, and what does it really mean? I didn’t run much, but I needed that break. I was able to run another half marathon and had one of the best race experiences yet. I traveled a bunch for work, which meant I was able to get a ton of reading done on the planes. My take so far on 50 Shades is it’s poorly written, and I’m definitely not hooked on it like many other women.

Traveling a lot meant I easily caught the flu bug followed by another week of a head cold. Insert lack of running and excess of more reading. Needless to say that feeling sick didn’t give me the urge to try any new recipes in the kitchen.

Still haven’t picked up any German, but thinking of trying Rosetta Stone to see if it would be beneficial or not. And as for unneccsary purchases, I traveled more than I was able to shop. And the only time I did spend some money was towards my car. Not so unnecessary.

February brings less traveling, and hopefully some more running. I’m also looking into some lifestyle changes with my eating habits and my training. More to come on that.

How was your January?