Goal Setting

I've been reading a few posts on my fellow running bloggers' pages and I think I need to follow their lead and really work to set goals for myself each week. I have a training plan that I follow, but that doesn't always happen.

So this week,  here is what I'd like to accomplish both running-wise and in the other realms of my life:

Tuesday: Run 4 miles with a group (outside) and use my Garmin (finally); mail handbags I'm selling to Bag, Borrow, Steal (they've only been sitting in my entryway for 2 weeks now).

Wednesday: Cross-training and attending a fundraiser to benefit PAWS.

Thursday: 3.5 mile run outside, barring more snow.

Friday: Cross-training and perhaps a happy hour.

Saturday: haircut I need desperately; selling clothes I no longer like to Plato's Closet.

Sunday: 5 mile run--haven't done one of these since before Christmas; dinner to celebrate friend's engagement; one course ends, another begins.

Actually looking at these goals written out, it really doesn't look too bad. Although the one thing I left off is that I also teach a course on the side, so every night also involves grading papers and starting discussions online.

Outdoor Bliss

Oh my gosh, I ran outside! Yes, you read that correctly. It only took me, oh, 24 days into the new year to run outside. However, it was a group run so I still haven’t broken out the Garmin. I try to go electronics-free when I run with others. It was a balmy 37 degrees during our evening run. Our meeting point was about a half-mile from my apartment, so I got in a nice warm up then and a cool-down on the way home. So all in all it was a little over 4 miles of running.

And I kinda forgot running outside can be hard. I had trouble catching my breath a few times and my throat felt too dry and cold to swallow a few times. But I am so glad I finally broke out of the gym.

However, as you may have heard, Philadelphia was by a pretty intense snowstorm, so we’ve got about 16 inches of the white stuff on the ground plus 3 inches of ice that won’t come off the sidewalks or roads. So my Friday night will consist of 3 miles on the ‘mill and 30 minutes of bike riding.

Happy Weekend!

Oh, the Choices of a Runner!

Tonight I had originally planned to do a 3-mile group run. However, this morning we had a wintry mix that almost landed me on my butt the minute I stepped outside my door. It’s mostly changed over to rain, but temperature is hovering a little over freezing, which is making me more and more inclined to hit the treadmill.

But I also have realized that I haven’t run outside since sometime in December and the Garmin I got for Christmas hasn’t left his box—except to charge. 

Eek! The decisions! Run indoors where it’s hot and dry and I have to compete for a treadmill or possibly freeze outside but have company running.