Ready for Change!

"Little changes can lead to huge leaps and bounds in the overall destination!"

It's the beginning of 2013!

I need to reflect on 2012 before I project 2013!

Last year brought some transitions in my running and training.  After the Half-Marathon in early January, I only did one race, a mid-night 5k in Dunedin.  My running buddy, Lisa and I ran across the Causeway in the middle of night with a full moon beaming on the inter-coastal waters!  I can't wait to do that one again!  But when that was finished I didn't have another race in mind, so for the first time I didn't have a race to use as a goal or motivation in training.  I had to set my mind on the personal desires I had for my running.

I decided to do away with my Galloway Walk/Run method.  I was going to go for straight running at long distance.  I have always been secretly envious of long distance runners!  I had to discipline myself to not bolt out of the gate but to take a nice and easy approach.   I also found my perfect pace and learned to listen to my body when I hit my perfect stride and just keep it there.  I was so stoked to reach a run at six miles without any walk breaks! After many months I found that my daily normal run distance was four miles, doing a six mile long run once a week and that was a huge and joyous accomplishment!

Throw out the timer!

This all happened, I believe, because I threw out my timer...not literally...it's in my iphone, duh!   But I threw my mindset on timing out and concentrated on the long haul of finishing and it gave me distance in exchange.  So if you are looking for distance - forget your time and let your body take you there!  Sometimes it's really pushed on us runners to concentrate too much on speed and time!

Do what works for you!

I also took great pains...and that is what it was...in strength training.  I found a few awesomely intense workouts that worked for me in strengthening my core and more importantly my upper thighs!  The key words I want you to pay attention to is "that worked for me".  That is main ingredient to any success!   It's all about what WORKS FOR YOU not what works for everyone and anyone else!   The older I get the more I realize that nothing is cookie-cutter.  Stop trying to do the latest fad, the things that someone else is selling you and discover what fits you and you will most likely find your greatest success right there!

Take in more protein!

Lastly, I got my internal health in alignment regarding my Thyroid journey.  I found an amazing holistic MD who open my eyes to the importance of daily high Protein intake (I gulp down an awesome protein shake, or two, daily).  Ladies, let me tell you that I have watched my muscle mass increase, which had depleted greatly in my forties!  Protein is the answer to that aging problem!  I also got my thyroid numbers nicely balanced so that my energy and weight control is finally at happy levels!  All of this is a big piece of my health and fitness pie! (I'm not really sure pie should be used with the word fitness!)

Make small steady changes!

Although most of these transitions happened in the last 6 months of 2012 - it has led me to make some great overall CHANGES!   And CHANGE is really good!  Little changes can add up to huge leaps and bounds in the overall destination!  

Keep setting new goals!

So as I close the chapter of 2012 in my running and fitness logs I am very happy BUT NOT SATISFIED!  Although I don't really have a drive to do a big race I am searching for new and different goals.   I see some 5K's in my future with my hubby who has now entered the world of running as a beginner!   I also see more concentration of strength training as well as slowly increasing some distance.  I would like to see myself in a half-marathon again running all the way to the finish.

So - 2013 - I'm ready for you!