I Gotta Be Honest

Today I had a truly wonderful morning run.  I had one of those moments when I take a mental note of how great it feels to be out there and running.   But, when I woke up this morning, I did my best to talk myself out of getting out of bed.  I have NEVER been a morning person.  EVER.  This past year and a half I have forced myself to run in the mornings, and I have wimped out more than I care to admit. I convince myself that I am too tired, my foot hurts, it is too cold/hot outside. You name it, I have lied to myself only to gain a little more sleep.  I know that I will feel better if I do run.  My entire day will be better.  But, my bed is cozy and taking the first step to get up and out the door is the hardest.  And, as good as my intentions may be of running later:  usually life happens and the run doesn't.  The morning may not be my friend, but the truth is that it is the best time for me to get my run on.
Same thing goes for what I eat.  I know that I need to track what I eat in order to lose weight and keep it off.  I know that I do great with this until . . . . . .   I eat something "bad" and I don't write it down.  No record of the crime, until my skinny jeans don't fit.  Probably not the best plan.
At the start of this New Year, I am making an effort to be honest with myself and do what is best for me, even if it isn't the easiest thing to do.  I'm not going to reach any goals lying in bed.  Those races aren't going to run themselves.  So, I'm setting the alarm for 5am, tracking those Weight Watchers points, and aiming to "keep it real" this year.

Setting Goals, Not Resolutions

2011 was a pretty big year for my running "career".  In fact, it was pretty monumental when I sit back and think about it.  In May 2010, I started the Couch to 5k program and this non-athlete, forced herself to run.  Running those 60 second intervals was so hard I was sure I would never actual finish a 5k.  But I had a goal and I was going to get there.  2011 was the year I ran further than I ever thought I would, completing my first half marathon in February and my first marathon in October.  In 2012, I'm setting the bar higher.  I plan on training for 2 marathons with Team in Training: running in Anchorage in June and Nike (again) in San Francisco in October.  I also have a goal of running 12 half marathons in 2012.  A baker's dozen is 13, but this runner's dozen is 14 races run in 2012. That's over 200 miles of racing, and countless miles of training.  That's my goal . . . what's yours?
Here's the half marathons I plan on running, so far, in 2012:
Nike + Half Marathon (a virtual race) Jan. 15
Topeka to Auburn Jan 21
Rock the Parkway April 12
Kansas Half Marathon April 22
Running with the Cows May 12
Hospital Hill June 2