Goals.......... or lack of.

Having a goal!
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So I went through June without really having a race goal. I did have my simple goal of getting my 250 miles in to meet my 3000 miles in 2016 goal (a really long goal so you can slide a little here and there) and also to keep my streak going (min 1 mi a day). I met both those goals in June, but I found it very hard to do as I did not have much drive even with a 4th of July 5k coming up. I lacked that desire to go out and run.

I also slacked off on my health and plant based diet goals. I think that is what really sucked me down into the ‘no drive’ zone. This time of year we attend a lot of Dave Matthews Band concerts and as tradition has become, I let my eating habits slide. Products with a lot of sugar kept showing up in front of me and I quickly found myself with that desire to EAT SUGAR all the time! Take it from a person who struggles with addiction, sugar is very addictive. I also let the 1 item that I let slide in my diet once in a while become a habit……. Ice cream! The one item I miss on a plant based diet is ice cream (I know there is good vegan ice cream out there, just not easy to find in my area :-( ) and I allow myself to have it from time to time, normally on long run days. One of the major reasons I only do it once in a while is the milk instantly flares up inflammation in my body and the next morning I have hangover feelings…… yup…… Needless to say I gained some weight and not the good kind in June.  So for the past 5 days, I fought and got back on the plant based track minus the sugar.

So with my running in June, I got up every morning and went through my normal routine fighting to get out the door. By mile 2-3 of my run I would start to feel good and end up enjoying my run, but I was tired and lacked the boost to kick it in gear. I lacked the desire to run long, I think my longest run was 14 miles once. My HR stayed in range most days, but my pace time increased. There were a few days were I picked up the tempo, but again just so, so…….. Makes me wonder how I am going to perform at this 5k in 3 days?

Looking forward to July, I knew I needed to get something longer than a 5k on the calendar to give me a reason to keep my ‘long run’ legs fresh. I bounced around looking at different events and last night I decided to enter into the ‘Endless Summer 6hr Run’ in Annapolis, MD on July 30th. This will be my second ‘set time frame’ event and my daughter has already agreed to come crew for me. I think I will be able to make a good showing. I also have my next attempt at getting my BQ in September and need to keep building.

So this morning when I went out for my run, I FELT GREAT! I felt like I had a reason to run and my body agreed (or maybe it is just happy to be off all that sugar?). I had one of those runs were you want to just keep running……………

It is amazing the power of having a goal! 

Eh Hee!

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