Running Goals for 2013

I'm not the type of person who commits to resolutions. Not because I don't have anything to improve upon, but because I very rarely finish what I start. It's a huge fault of mine. I have good intentions of setting goals for the new year, but my goals are always so far-fetched, I tend to toss them out the window early in the year. However, I am very committed to "running" goals! 

These are just a few running goals I have for 2013. No details, just straight to the point (unlike any of my other posts.) 

1. Run at least one race a month.

2. Run sub 24 in a 5k. 

3. Run sub 2 hours for 1/2 marathon.

4. Average 100 miles a month (break 1,200 for the year.)

5. Run better on hills. (I hate them!)

6. I know I mentioned running a marathon in December, but I'm still up in the air about it.

7. Make sure to keep track of my runs by posting them on running ahead! I might even start posting them on dailymile again. Looking back at old posts the other day was motivating. I hate that I don't know how many miles I ran in 2012 because I switched watches in September and lost data. 


Those are the main ones. I'm sure I'll add to this throughout the year, but those are set-in-stone ones, so to speak. I have a feeling I'll be setting new goals halfway through the year. :)

Top 12 Moments of 2012

1. June 23rd - I got married! Hands down, best memory of 2012.

                                                                                                          
                             

  

                                                                                       
                                                        
                            

Yes, we put on our running shoes and took pictures.This surprised no one. 

2. And what's a wedding without a honeymoon?! A week away from "real life" to relax on the beach in Panama City Beach, FL was just what we needed.

P.S. We're celebrating our one year anniversary in JAMAICA! Yah, mon!
                                                                             
          


The rest of these are in no particular order. And I'll go ahead and say, there's a strong chance the majority will be based on running and racing. Also, I'm extremely thankful for pictures, because without them I think the only three things I would have remembered are: wedding, honeymoon, and races. And nothing specific about them.


3. The Color Run - I love 5k's, and I'm really competitive when it comes to running them. However, even though this WAS a 5k, it wasn't timed, so I just had fun with it. And I'll tell you what, they don't call it "The happiest 5k on the planet" for nothing! Seriously, it was the most fun I've had in a long time. My husband had planned on taking a video with his GoPro, but it died right before the start. Sad, I know. My mother-in-law even participated with us! She's such a trooper (even with blue hair!)
                            

             

4. The Zombie Buffet 5k! - Another "fun" race. This one was timed, but I wasn't running for a PR - I was running as a zombie - a zombie bride, that is! Chris (who was a zombie groom) wore a GoPro camera on his head and made an awesome video montage! Check it out below. He's a talented triathlete AND video editor!

            

                                        

Awesome video montage done by my husband!

5. Setting a new 5k and 13.1 PR. 24:32 (way back in May or June) and 2:02 (October). My goal between now and March is to go sub (or a flat) 24 min. and sub 2:00. Once I hit those goals I'll do what any other runner does and shoot for another one. Are runners ever "satisfied" with their time?! I don't think so. 
                               

The Boro Dash. Last year this was my 3rd race, ever , and  I placed 3rd in my AG (first time placing.) This year I  didn't place, but I did get a PR!

              
6. Running my 2nd half marathon - The Middle Half! I've been lucky enough to have Chris run with me for both of them. He's trained me since day one, and I love him for it. It's because of him that I've gotten so much faster. Unfortunately, about 4-5 weeks prior to race day I did something to my arch. To this day, I'm not sure what happened (fallen arch, torn muscle? - I don't know.) All I know was it continued to get worse over time and it got to the point where I couldn't run 1/2 a mile without being in excruciating pain. I became so frustrated, while constantly on the verge of tears, because I wanted so badly to meet my goal. And I knew Chris wanted it for me, too. I took a few weeks off and that seemed to help. A week before the race I told Chris I thought my foot would be okay to run. 

Good news: My foot felt fine the entire race. 
Bad news: Because of the time I had to take off, I lost some of my training (especially my "long" distance runs.) My legs and body started to fall apart at mile 9, which was frustrating. And from then until the end I was mentally over it. I wanted to give up, but of course having Chris by my side - not letting me quit - helped. I still ended up with a 2 minute PR, which is good. And now my training is better than ever and I'm SO excited about my next 1/2 marathon in March! 
                                 

My Saucony Kinvara 3 shoes. Best running shoes I've ever worn!

           

7. Watching, and cheering for, my husband as an extremely talented, stubborn, and competitive triathlete on the Wattie Ink Elite team! Even though getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go to his races can be rough (and I'm sure I'm Mrs. Grumpy Pants), I wouldn't miss it for the world! I love race season! Well, I like going to his races - watching him train isn't all that exciting (sorry.) Plus, I have a responsibility as a tri-wife - take lots of pictures! When I first was given that responsibility I was clueless: "What are transitions? Now, where do I go again? It will take you how long to swim? You're gonna be back from the bike around what time? Okay, so I can expect you at the finish line by [insert random time that I normally end up forgetting.]" But I've always managed to get pictures. They might not all have been of Chris, but he's usually in there somewhere. ;)

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See?! I'm a good wife! :)

 

8. Babysitting this fun little fella! (A break from running and racing memories)

9. Getting to see a taping of one of my favorite bands - Mumford & Son's for CMT Crossroads! I was even moved to the front row for the last few songs. Made my night! 

10. This one is really random, but my memory is starting to fade: Building a race shelf with my husband. Well, he built it. I spray painted and wrote on it. But I think it looks awesome!! 

11. [Insert your favorite memory of me, because I'm running out of memories, and 2012 memories are starting to run into 2011's.]

12. And all of these other random memories/ pictures that can't really be categorized.:

You're welcome.

All in all, 2012 was a year full of love, laughter, and PR's! I'm sure there were more memories (maybe ones that should have been in my top 12?), but my memory is horrible, so this will have to suffice. Now, to see what 2013 has in store! 

Christmas 2012 Recap

Christmas with my family lasts for about a week (so it seems.) Christmas with my family is total CHAOS, with kids running rampant, laughter, screams (of both terror and surprise) and lots of cameras flashing. If you don't want your picture taken, don't come around my family. It's candid-photo mania! 


Christmas #1: Immediate family. Husband, mom, dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews. Total number of people: 9 

See the camera that's taking a picture of someone else taking a picture? You never know where to look (or not to look.)

Christmas #2: Extended Family: [insert same people as above] grandma, aunt, two cousins, cousin's wife, cousin's two kids. Total number of people: 16 (in an itty bitty house)

The one "look-at-the-camera-and-smile" picture. This was taken 3 times because everybody kept coming into the room with their footed pajamas on. I mean, who WOULDN'T want their picture taken in them?!

 Christmas #3: Low key, sans kids, and full of laughter with my in-laws = 5 people. Love it. Sadly, no pictures were taken, which is surprising, because my mother-in-law is a camera-happy person, too (opposite of my mom.) Only she likes less candid photos and more "look at the camera and smile!" Candid or posed, I'm down (and ready) for whatever. Anyway, we oldified and fatified ourselves; my brother-in-law can knit, and we Skyped with family in London! We drew names, so we weren't neglected to buy everyone a present, which is nice on the bank account. I drew my husband's name and my brother-in-law's. My husband also drew my name and his brother's name. We decided to buy each other TWO gifts. I'm not sure if this is because we love each other so dearly, or because we just wanted one to open early. Probably the latter because being the impatient couple that we are, we opened our gifts a day early. Okay, two. All right, I opened one of my gifts 10 days before Christmas. But that's okay, because it was A NOOK HD+! Just look at it! :)

He also bought me a new pair of casual every-day new balance shoes. I bought him a black Kavu jacket and...and...why can't I remember what else I bought him?! Oh, well, it'll come to me later. 

Christmas #4: Back to my parent's house with my dad's side of the family this time. We didn't do gifts, so it was basically a gathering with family we hadn't seen since last Christmas (and food, there's always food.)  There were more kids, more chaos, and more pictures. Total number of people: 16, but a different 16 than Christmas #3. Keeping up? No? That's okay, Christmas is over. You can pretty much stop reading, now - if you haven't already. I can get winded when I write.

Well, that sums up our first Christmas as a married couple! It seems every year goes by faster and faster and the holidays just come and go. Christmas was sneaky this year, and came out of no where. And for some reason I had a problem getting into the holiday spirit, but seeing my nephews get excited about everything helped. Maybe once me and the mister have some kids of our own the spirit will be rekindled. 

Next Christmas, we aren't exchanging gifts at my in-law's. Not because of financial troubles, or because we don't want to, but because my father-in-law pitched an idea that we all agreed on: We are going to "adopt" a family in need and buy Christmas gifts for them instead of ourselves. I think that's a great idea and encourage others to do it as well!

Anyway, merry (belated) Christmas, from the Hansons! (Not pictured: our two four-legged furry friends.):

26.2

So, I kind of want to run a full marathon some day. Maybe. I think?

No, really, I do. Preferably before I'm 30, which doesn't give me a lot of time. 5k's are still my favorite, because of the speed, short distance, and the ability for me to place in my AG, but the accomplishment of running 26.2 miles is something that has been on my bucket list for awhile. (Actually, a 1/2 marathon was on my list, but I've long since crossed that off -twice and counting.) I just never thought I would actually do it. The idea has always seemed too far-fetched. You know why?

BECAUSE IT'S 26.2 FREAKING MILES OF RUNNING! Who does that?! I can't even begin to wrap my mind around running that distance; for that length of time. I mean, it would take me at least 4 hours to complete it. FOUR hours. Probably longer. Anyway, that seems like an insane amount of running time. I have trouble mentally preparing myself for a mere 10 mile run, let alone a full marathon. I'd tell myself that it's just two half marathons, but that makes me want to punch myself.

I'm having trouble remembering why I want to do this.

Of course, that was my mindset when I started running over a year ago, while training for my first 1/2 marathon. "13.1?! What?! I can't do that!" And now, I've run two and have two more coming up in February and March. The distance doesn't scare me like it used to. It's getting easier - the distance, the speed, the mileage - each week. I've seen lots of growth and it's motivating.  

When I do decide to run one (which might be as early as next December) I'm making my husband run it with me. He ran both of my 13.1's with me, pacing me the whole time. (He says I'm on my own for the rest.) Then I can change out my 13.1 magnets for one of these!:  

And then I can cross it off my list - one time. Because I don't know if my body will let me run that distance more than once.

5 People

I've heard it said before that you are influenced by the 5 people you surround yourself with the most; that you start to act like them.

And I think this is 100% accurate. I don't believe you need to physically be around these people in order for them to have an affect on you, either. People you interact with through social media, whether you know them or not, can have a huge impact on your behavior (be it negative or positive.) For example, if you are constantly engaging in conversation with people who have negative attitudes, use offensive language, act "holier than thou," and do nothing but spew insults at others, then more than likely you will start to behave that way as well; whether you want to or not. 

On the flip-side, if you choose to surround yourself with people with positive out looks on life, good morale; people who look for the best in people instead of the worst; those who seek to make others happy; people who strive to use kindness to overcome evil, then you will have a better chance of having those kinds of characteristics shine within you. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm far from perfect. I have horrible road rage; I curse; I can be a "negative Nancy;" I have poor attitudes; I complain; I'm grumpy; I give silent treatments. I'm not always like that, and I think it's because of who I surround myself with that I have a "calmness" that over-powers the rage. Actually, in my case, it's not always who I surround myself with, it's what I read. That, and when I do come across that kind of attitude from someone else it makes me think, "Wow, that person sure is irritating to be around! I hope I'm not like that."

So, I challenge you to sit down and make a list of the top 5 people you interact with on a daily basis. Honestly? I can't even think of 5 people I interact with on a daily basis. Maybe that's good, maybe that's bad. Fortunately, I think most of the people I DO interact with have a positive influence on my life. And I'm an adult, so if I don't like the way you act and I know I don't want to be influenced by you it's no trouble at all to say "adios."  


What about you? 

Innocence

It's Monday. A day that is normally summed up with the following phrases:

"But, I don't want to go to work tomorrow!"
"I hate Mondays."
"How is it ALREADY Monday?!"
"The weekend went by too fast."
"Where's the fast forward button?"

You get the point.

However, today was different. Today, I welcomed Monday with open arms - literally. I welcomed it, because I had 20 young kindergarten students I eagerly wanted to see, to hug, and to teach. This morning, I went to work with a different mindset. I spent most of the day sitting back and watching my students interact with one another. (Albeit, I did have a pounding headache, so I probably would have done this regardless of the recent tragic events.)

I didn't stop the constant chit chat.
I didn't tell them to "stop getting out of your seat" when they needed a tissue for the hundredth time.
I didn't get on to them for tattling, blurting out, or telling me about their loose tooth (which they had already told me about last week.)
I let them argue.
I let them whine and complain about the fact that "so-and-so looked at them wrong, cut in line, poked them, etc."
I let them be kids.

I didn't do this because I was tired of teaching, or because it's so close to Christmas break and I just "gave in." I did it because I wanted them to be six years old. Innocent and oblivious to the evil in this world, even though I sadly know they are not.