Since Sunday's race I've been playing the "what if?" game. Yes, the heat was a factor and slowed me down but what if...I would have kept running slowly instead of taking walk breaks...poured water on my head and face to cool down...stayed calm and didn't panic that all was lost after a slow mile 9...drank more water and Nuun, etc. I'm not beating myself up, just trying to learn from a bad race. I think I now know how my body responds to running in the heat and sun in a race, and I also realize that I panicked and mentally lost it. I can practice strategies for dealing with both of those, and I'll have another chance on Memorial Day. I signed up for the Ghost Town Trail Half Marathon, a little over an hour east of Pittsburgh. It's a point-to-point course on a rails-to-trail with a net elevation loss, so it sounds very similar to the October Buffalo Creek Half Marathon I've done twice and love. I realize that it may be just as hot or hotter on Memorial Day, and while a flat course is nice, I won't have the benefit of the breaks on the downhills of a hilly course. But I want to try again at reaching my goals. I'm excited!
Since this race will be my main goal for the rest of May, I thought I'd give my goals update, looking back at April and forward to the rest of this month.
April Goals
1. Run at least 84 miles to stay on track for my 1,000-mile yearly goal.
Yes! My monthly mileage was 139.2. My mileage for the year is 468.52.
2. Continue training for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and do not
miss a workout, except if doing a workout would negatively impact my
health (see also #6).
Yes! I followed the plan and didn't miss a workout.
3. Continue my strength training routine, or reduce to once a
week.
Yes! I did strength once or twice a week.
4. Continue to do yoga most days.
Yes! My regular routine is now to do short yoga sessions most days of the week.
5. Track points in Weight Watchers. Again, I am not focused on
weight loss because I want to make sure I'm fueling properly. But I do
want to track points to help me better manage portions and reduce
snacking.
No. :-( I did very poorly with tracking.
6. Stay healthy. Getting to the start line health is my top priority this month.
Yes! I got to the start line in good health with no injuries.
May Goals
1. Run the Ghost Town Trail Half Marathon on May 25. I'll be shooting for the same goals I had for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I'm not including a monthly mileage goal because I've been over my mileage for the past three months.
2. Do more strength training. While I've liked running higher mileage, strength training is my first love so I've missed not having time to do more of it. I want to focus more on strength training this month, with a goal of 2-3 times a week.
3. Lose weight. Not tracking what I eat the past month has taken its toll. My weight is up to what it was at the beginning of the year--nearly 7 pounds over my goal weight. My focus for the summer will be on getting back down to goal weight. I'll start this month by daily tracking and ensuring I stay within my daily and weekly PPV allowances. I will also weigh myself weekly.
I am not including yoga as a goal because I doing yoga regularly is part of my normal routine now.
How are you doing on your goals? Labels: Ghost Town Trail Half Marathon, goals, monthly mileage, yearly mileage
