My goals for this week are to:

1. Start marathon training (YAY!) I am loosely following this plan from Runners world. I have to add in swimming and biking. If anyone knows of a training plan for someone running a marathon in 4 months and a half ironman 2 months after that let me know! Cory and I are finishing up our plan tonight so I will try to post it tomorrow.

2. Put away all Christmas decorations and start thinking about how I would like to decorate for the winter (I am thinking warm oranges to combat the chilly winter)

3. Catch up at work without freaking out.

For 2011 I am going to try to focus on a word for each month. This month the word is Kindness. I am going to strive to treat others and myself with kindness. I got this idea loosely from the book the Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben Have you read this book, would you like to?

Happy Monday!

First off, Happy New Year!

This race was BRUTAL! It was very cold, I think it was 12 degrees when we started and a bit windy. The race was difficult and very hilly, I enjoyed the run for about the first 9 miles then the hills started to hurt and I was ready to be done. People huddled around a fire waiting to start

We started with a fairly hilly 4 mile out and back. I liked this part because I got to see my dad again before heading out on a nine mile loop. Out and back with mom (she ran 4 miles today)
One of the many cattle guards we crossed

The loop started with a killer hill up middle of Cinder Butte. Then back down the other side in 12+ inches of snow. Difficult but there were great views and it was kinda fun. Behind us down the hill
Up to the top!

Miles 6 through 8 was on a gentle down hill on packed snow, theses were easy peasy miles. Still feeling good

Miles 8 through 12 were a steady climb back out of a canyon, it started out fine but after a few miles my low back started to hurt and my legs didn’t want anymore to do with it. Can you see my dad? he’s the little person at the finish waving at me. The butte we ran up is in the background.

The last mile and a half (course was a little long) was mostly down hill. It was so nice to be done and filled with a sense of accomplishment. We stopped of at Starbucks on the may home for some coffee, hot chocolate and treats, YUM!

The afternoon ended with an ice bath and a slow recovery walk with my dogs.
Now we have to pack up and head back to reality, wah =(
How was your first day of 2011?

This time last year we were in the same place (SunRiver) for New Years. It seems like longer than just one year has passed. A year ago I could barely run two miles, and couldn’t run the January portion of the winter distance series, Frosty’s Frozen Five & Ten, because I couldn’t run five miles. This is where I talked Cory into training for and running our first half marathon. In fact we put together our training plan on our drive home.
Cory, Erik(my brother) and I at the Horsetooth Half Marathon:
(This was all of our first half marathon, although Erik has completed two marathons before so I am not sure if it counts)
It’s funny to sit in the exact same place as last year and reflect on how different life is now.
Today we visited Sunrivers’s mall, where we will cross the finish line of the Pacific Crest half ironman in June. I can’t believe we will be back in less than seven months for our race…..GULP!
My mom who has finished both the 5 and 10k portions of the race showed us where the finish line will be

Hopefully it will be warmer on June 25th =)

I love goals, I live by them and really enjoy setting them. One thought that has been floating around my head is being more intentional and having more accountability for the goals I set for myself. So I think I will Copy Goals For the Week (love your blog!!) and write weekly and monthly goals on my blog. I will try to do this every Monday for my weekly goals and near the first for the month. How do you feel about goals/resolutions, do you set them and/or write them down?
My goals for this week are:

1. Do something active everyday even if it’s just a walk with my dogs
2. Eat healthy foods, and eat in moderation. Just because I am on vacation doesn’t mean I need to eat like a piggy.
3. Take time to reflect on 2010, and think about what I really want in 2011.
4. Relax and enjoy my time off.

I will also set (hopefully) attainable resolutions. My big goals are to finish three big races:
Full Marathon in May
Half Ironman in June
50K in October

A non-athlete resolution is to landscape our front and back yard. I don’t know when we will find the time but we will get voted off our block if we don’t do something soon.

This week Cory and I are on vacation, after hosting Christmas at our house we need it. So we left Denver yesterday morning and arrived in Sunriver (near Bend Oregon) this morning. It’s beautiful here.

There are miles and miles of trails so it’s perfect for active people. This is also where all Pacific Crest races end =)

I am looking forward to snowshoeing, snow running and relaxing. I am really excited about the half marathon that Cory and I are running on New Years day. The race is described as:
“The Huge Ass Half
13 miles (half marathon). Starts with a 4 mile out and back plus one counterclockwise 9-mile loop.
BEST SUITED FOR: Those who have slacked over the holiday and only worked on expanding their ass and need a jump start. You’ve been procrastinating to begin training because “it’s so cold and snowy in Central Oregon.” After completion, your ass is still pretty big but it might not jiggle as much as before.”

I hope everyone is having a wonderful relaxing last week of 2010!

I got a gift from my secret blog buddy Jess from Run Jess Run, thank you so much, I will definitively put it to good use!

Here is Winston modeling it, I really think he has a bright future as a male model…he calls this look “sleepy pug”

Rudolph’s Revenge was not a great a race for me. I ran the first two miles at sub 8 mm but then I had the WORST asthma attack I have ever had in my life and ran the last mile in over 10 minutes. I am talking fall down to the ground gasping for air right after crossing the finish line and having race officials seriously threaten to call an ambulance. Not cool. But it was really fun to race again with my family. My mom and Cory did great. Mom to first in her age group (go mom!) and Cory took fourth in his, only 2 seconds behind the third place finisher, his time was 21 min and I can’t remember the seconds. My time was 26:57 landing me at 8th in my AG out of 77, given the circumstances, I will take it.

Today I am hosting a work “meeting” at my house, I use quotations because there will be drinking. I made sangria, I hope it’s good!

I spent all day Sunday and some of yesterday making home made candy for my team, including; salted caramels, walnut fudge, dark chocolate truffles and peppermint bark.



Finished candy gift boxes

Today is my last day of work until after new year (YAY!) can’t wait to really start enjoying Christmas. Happy Tuesday!

I have been thinking lately that the name of this blog is a bit of a misnomer. Maybe in the new year when I can focus on training again then I will talk more about triathlon training but for now it’s just not. I suspect that even after the holidays I will talk about more than just training. I am sure my house, dogs, family and work will sneak it’s way in.

Tonight I am going to hubby’s holiday work party, it’s a fun chance to dress up and eat expensive food on someone else’s dime, can’t beat that. But that means that I will be out late so I probably wont get up early(4:20am is the norm) to work out. This will be three days in a row of no working out, it is starting to get to me, but there is just too much else to do. I haven’t even started my Christmas cards or making salted caramels and liquor infused truffles as Christmas presents for my staff.

Oh and by the way, we had basically no snow last night, what a disappointment for me and thousands of Denver school children.

I am so excited, snow is coming today! I still get as excited as a child about snow, I even love running in the snow. Proof:
It’s feeling more and more like Christmas, I have bought and sent my gift to my secret Santa blog buddy set up by Jill, thanks Jill!

I am hoping to meet Jill at this weekends race, I will be in these socks:
seriously, I have no shame.

Happy Wednesday!

We finally took the time last night to finish up decorating for Christmas.

Winston was ready to help
fireplace in the “annex”
Hanging the first ornament
OSU Santa my parents bought me when I graduated
The medal from our first half-marathon
Fireplace in the living room

Table with new dishes =)