Fit(ter) in '15! Twelve months of fitness challenges

Every year I set a list of goals. Last year my sole fitness goals were:

...join a local running group, and survive the first year of baby-hood.

(That second one is harder than it sounds.)

This year my baby has grown into a speedy little toddler, and while I fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans and my biceps are fierce (lifting a 24 pound child a hundred times a day will do that...) my middle is squishier than it needs to be and I ran a measly 225 miles in 2014.

It's just too damned easy to consider an afternoon at the playground a "workout."
I need a kick in the pants.

So... 2015 will be the
Year of the Fitness Challenge
1 year. 12 months. 1 fitness challenge per month.

Before we get started, some stats:
Weight: 143.8 lbs
Fastest* mile: 7:56 (Oct. 2014)
Longest* run: 4.9 miles (Oct. 2014)
Max pull-ups: 3
Max push-ups: 60
Max crunches: ?
Max plank: ?
*In past 6 months

I considered kicking this plan off with plank-a-day, 30-day yoga challenge, or a run-streak, but after querying my friends and running buddies, and spending waaaay too much time on Google, this full-body strength training challenge called to me...

I started yesterday with 60 push ups after a 4.75 mile run.

(Yes... I know the list says 100. And I'm not making excuses. But I did a full workout with 30 walk-down-push-ups on Wednesday. Thursday was supposed to be a rest day!)

Next up... 100 squats!

2013 Goals? Keep calm and...

Normally I spend the first week of January developing a list of goals and priorities for the year. I focus on a goal or two in each of a few broad categories:

• Positive contributions to the community: This is the goal wherein I plan to donate time or resources to some community service.
• Knowledge and professional development: This category usually encompasses goals for reading, completing certification courses, submitting papers to conferences, etc...
• Focus on family and friends: I have a tendency to let career considerations dictate my social calendar, so I make it a point to plan family visits early and often.
• Travel: My "see a new place every month" or "take a vacation overseas" goals fit snugly into this category.
• Practical matters: This goal includes basic useful skills... things like learning to bake bread, or taking that CPR class I haven't signed up for yet...
• Fitness: Here we have race goals, pace goals, and a variety of other fitness challenges.
• Finances: For years this goal group included tasks like "pay off student loan."

But this year I've got a serious case of goal writer's block.

Looking ahead to 2013, I have many changes in the works not the least of which are moving to a new city and changing jobs.

Perhaps a single, simple goal like "Keep calm and carry on" would suffice for 2013.

Image source

But that would hardly give me a feeling of accomplishment... (Keeping calm and carrying on should be standard operating procedure, even if it requires an extra glass of wine or an extra shot of espresso. Or both. Plus, you can't stop being Type A that easily.)

So, I need "real" goals.

I think the sub-24-minute 5k goal can and should be revived in 2013.
After all, I can run intervals and sign up for a weekend 5k whenever and wherever I am.

Image source

But what about the others? How can I make travel plans, sign up for a class, or set up my distance racing calendar when I don't know exactly when or where I'll be moving? As for finances, "don't go broke while looking for a new job" hardly seems like a lofty target.

Image source

Maybe I should just let 2013 roll out however it will, and jump into races, pursue job leads, and take opportunities wherever they arise?

Maybe my goal this year should be to plan less and to play more?

Or... maybe I should start thinking about the Marine Corps Marathon for 2014... and I should start looking at real estate listings in the DC metro area...

What are your goals for the new year?
What suggestions do you have for mine?

Morning motivation: Making resolutions

Perhaps this cartoon from Calvin and Hobbes is not the most motivating message about New Years resolutions, but we'll get back to serious motivation next week...

(Y'all know I'm a bigger fan of goals than resolutions anyway.)

In the meantime:
Happy New Year!

Success? (2012 goals)

Back in January I set a few key goals for the year. Unfortunately, at the end of the 3rd quarter, my goal score was not looking so good...

Goals: 3, Injury: 2

That left me with a long list of competing goals for the final months of 2012. In a delicate balancing act in the final month of the year, I made some substantial progress... but was it enough to accomplish every goal?


Goal - Run Faster:
5k in less than 24 minutes

Progress: While I consistently placed in the top 10 percent of the field, high temperatures and humidity meant that my summer 5k didn't even crack the 25 minute barrier. (Boo!)

My Turkey Trot was closer, at 24:48.

I had one last attempt at breaking the 24 minute barrier during the Ho Ho Hustle 5k on December 15th, but my legs were still tired from the prior weekend's half marathon. Despite earning an AG award (2nd of 35 women 30-34), I wasn't fast enough to PR.

This goal lives on in 2013...


Goal - Run Longer:
Complete 5 half marathons

Progress: (1) Gulf Shores, (2) New Orleans, (3) Pensacola Beach, (4) Holiday Half in Point Clear, (5) _____ Umm... 80% is a passing grade, even if I was aiming for an A+. Just don't tell my students I said that...


Goal - Learn New Things:
Read 15 non-fiction books

Progress: Here's my non-fiction reading list for the year...

1. Two Old Fools, Ole
2. Delinquent Daughters
3. Complaints and Disorders
4. Wild: From Lost to Found on the PCT
5. Ratio
6. Delusions of Gender
7. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
8. Memoirs of a Gas Station
9. Behind the Beautiful Forevers
10. Longitude
11. Bossypants
12. Galileo's Daughter
13. Predictably Irrational
14. The Art of War
15. it's complicated

As for #15, I'm not sure where to begin...

I've been reading the The Complete Memoirs of Casanova for several months, but Casanova lived to be more than 70 years old at a time when most people lived to a ripe old age of 30, and he chronicled nearly every day of his adult life. That's works out to more than 20,000 days of biography!

Casanova led a remarkably adventurous life of travel, gambling, career-hopping, and yes bed-hopping. (This is no 50 Shades, though. Despite Casanova's sexual adventures, he wrote his diary in the 1700s. Most of the smutty stuff is written in a fade-to-black style because back then even a rake didn't tell all of his secrets.)

Even without lurid details, the "book" contains 30 volumes and more than 2,200 pages (yes, that's a four-digit number). So I'm happy to have gotten through the first few volumes (about 400 pages). We'll count that as "book 15."

On the fiction side of the fence...
I read Things Fall Apart, Cold Comfort Farm, My Antonia, Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes), Sense of an Ending, Slaughterhouse Five, Still Life With Woodpecker, War Brides, NW, and some fluffy beach-reads not worth mentioning.

I just started Bonfire of the Vanities. This classic weighs in at 700+ pages. While unintended, 2012 is, apparently, the year in which I read really long books...


(If you want to know more about what I'm reading, follow me on Goodreads.)


Goal - Travel/Explore:
Visit one new-to-me place every month

Progress: Still exploring like a tourist!

• January: Gulf Shores, AL
• February: Indian Temple Mound museum in Fort Walton Beach, FL
• March: A jazz club, Maison, in New Orleans
• April: This month was a new-to-us trail double header.
• The Blackwater Trail 10k took Hubby and me to a part of the Florida backwoods we'd never seen before. (So new, in fact, that I nearly skipped the race out of fear that I'd get lost...)
• We followed that up with a hike in the Naval Live Oaks National Park
• May: Audubon Park in New Orleans.



Colonial Williamsburg

• June: Another two-fer!
• I ventured into new neighborhoods and new-to-me museums while in Washington, DC.
• Hubby and I went back to Gulf Shores, AL for an "adventure day" of exploring new beaches, shops, and restaurants.
• July: A whirlwind weekend trip to Jacksonville and St. Augustine
• August: Spelunking in Florida Caverns State Park and hiking through Falling Waters State Park
• September: A visit to the battleship museum in Mobile, AL



Eden Gardens State Park near Rosemary Beach, FL

• October: the travel month to beat all travel months included trips to:
• Atlanta
• Williamsburg
• Rhode Island (hiking a new trail with my family)
• and Destin (running the Halloween 5k)
• November:
• Tarkiln Bayou State Park
• Torreya State Park
• Eden Gardens State Park
• December: Point Clear and Fairhope, Alabama for the Holiday Half Marathon

Goal - New 2 U Cross Training Challenge:
Just ask Kim...

Progress: Is there a medal for this multi-sport event?

Tennis!

• January: I discovered that I loathe burpees,
• February: ... but I enjoy cardio kickboxing.
• March: I nearly broke my nose trying stability ball strength training.
• April: 100 ups became a regular part of my workout routine.
• May: I skipped it! (skipping drills to improve running form)
• June: I shredded Jillian Michaels.
• July: Cross training paid off when I found $10 buried in the sand while snorkeling.
• August: I got back in the pool for some long-overdue lap swimming, and I suppose spelunking counts, too!
• September: I tried pool running, aqua jogging, pooling... whatever you call running underwater.
• October: I rocked a workout on BodyRock.TV
• November: I conquered my worries about lack of hand-eye coordination and tried my hand (and eyes) at tennis.
• December: _____ (I still have 36 hours to go. I'll think of something!)

Goal - Go streaking!
Run at least 1 mile per day from Halloween through the New Year

Progress: I've been streaking for more than 60 days, and covered more than 170 miles!

Did you set any goals for the year?
If so, how did you do and what are your goals for 2013?

Setting the bar low

As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm running 13.1 tomorrow without pre-race rest days (read: run-streak) and somewhat under-trained (read: injury).

I'm not even going to pretend that I'm racing* tomorrow.

So.

Source: google.com via Linda on Pinterest

I'm setting my goals low for this race.
Like you've-got-to-be-kidding-me-that's-not-a-goal low.
Thank goodness it's a race, not a limbo contest.

• A-goal: Stick with the plan to take 90-second walk breaks every 15 minutes. Consider the race a training run for January/February half marathons.


• B-goal: Wake up. Brush teeth. Tie shoes. Drive to starting line. Waddle through 13.1 miles and celebrate with brunch and a beer.


• C-goal: Show up on time. (If you don't know this story, you should...)

*Important detail: The entry fee was $20. It's much easier to think of a race as a slightly-pricey course-supported training run when it doesn't cost more than my favorite pair of running shoes.

Have you ever run a race as a training run?
How do you set goals for important events?

Goals vs injury (3rd qtr goal checkup)

The score at the end of the 3rd quarter...

Goals: 3, Injury: 2

As Madden would say, the momentum changed in this game. But then again, there's still lots of football left to play... Or running left to run...? Maybe I stretched this metaphor too far? Ahem. Back to the goals...

Back in January I set a few key goals for the year. Now there are only 3 months left to go before the calendar rolls over to a new year. This means, of course, it's time for a goal checkup.

Source: fitmomintraining.com via Beth on Pinterest

Goal - Run Faster:
5k in less than 24 minutes

Progress: While I continue to place in the top 10 percent of the field, high temperatures and humidity meant that my summer 5k didn't even crack the 25 minute barrier. (Boo!)

Then PF and a calf strain struck. (Double and triple boo!) Speed work is off the table for at least another few weeks while my leg goes back to normal.

While my sub-24 minute goal remains, it may become a 2013 goal...
(Boo! And hiss!)


Goal - Run Longer:
Complete 5 half marathons

Progress: (1) Gulf Shores, (2) New Orleans, (3) Pensacola Beach.
Having run all 3 of those races before May, I have nothing new to report. (Are there even half marathons on the Gulf Coast in July, August, and September?)

I had no summer distance racing plans, but was keeping up my mileage with October and November half marathons in mind. Then... (see note above).

I need to make sure I'm fully recovered before I return to long distance training. Going to fast, and too far, too soon set me back a few weeks once already. I won't make that mistake again.

Fortunately, after a couple of successful runs last week, I am feeling more confident that I'll be running long again before year-end. I've got my eye on some late-November / early-December races.

I might pull this one off yet!


Goal - Learn New Things:
Read 15 non-fiction books

Progress: 10.5 books down, 5 to go!


Goal - Travel/Explore:
Visit one new-to-me place every month

Progress: Still exploring like a tourist!

• January: Gulf Shores, AL
• February: Indian Temple Mound museum in Fort Walton Beach, FL
• March: A jazz club, Maison, in New Orleans
• April: This month was a new-to-us trail double header.
• The Blackwater Trail 10k took Hubby and me to a part of the Florida backwoods we'd never seen before. (So new, in fact, that I nearly skipped the race out of fear that I'd get lost...)



Spelunking in Florida Caverns SP

• We followed that up with a hike in the Naval Live Oaks National Park
• May: Audubon Park in New Orleans.
• June: Another two-fer!
• I ventured into new neighborhoods and new-to-me museums while in Washington, DC.
• Hubby and I went back to Gulf Shores, AL for an "adventure day" of exploring new beaches, shops, and restaurants.
• July: A whirlwind weekend trip to Jacksonville and St. Augustine
• August: Spelunking in Florida Caverns State Park and hiking through Falling Waters State Park
• September: Battleship museum in Mobile, AL

Goal - New 2 U Cross Training Challenge:
Just ask Kim...

Progress: Six  Nine months and still going strong!

• January: burpees
• February: cardio kickboxing
• March: stability ball strength training
• April: 100 ups
• May: I skipped it! (skipping drills to improve running form)
• June: shredded
• July: Cross training pays off! (I found $10 buried in the sand while snorkeling.)
• August: I got back in the pool for some long-overdue lap swimming, and I suppose spelunking counts, too!
• September: Pool running, aqua jogging, pooling... whatever you call running under water

Did you set any goals for the year?
If so, what's your progress to date?

Goal checkup

Back in January I set a few key goals for the year. With 6 months down, and 6 to go, a checkup is in order...

Source: fitmomintraining.com via Beth on Pinterest

Goal - Run Faster:
5k in less than 24 minutes

Progress: My one and only first 5k (so far) this year was a fun-run clocking in at 25:48.
While I was consistent about form drills, speedwork, and other pace-improving activities through the winter and spring, summer heat has sapped my speed. December looks much more promising...
**Late breaking update: I ran a 5k this morning, but the goal remains elusive. Race report will be posted tomorrow.**

Goal - Run Longer:
Complete 5 half marathons

Progress: (1) Gulf Shores, (2) New Orleans, (3) Pensacola Beach.
A fall marathon would round out this list because 2 half marathons = 1 whole marathon, right?

Goal - Learn New Things:
Read 15 non-fiction books

Progress: When I last checked in on this goal, I was way behind schedule with only one non-fiction book completed by April.

I blamed it on a winter and spring of working two jobs.

Now school's out for summer, and I am proud to report that I've polished off five (5!) non-fiction books in the past 8 weeks (ok... ok... 2 of them were nearly done back in April). I need to maintain my blistering reading pace since reading-for-fun will come to a screeching halt when school starts up again.

Goal - Travel/Explore:
Visit one new-to-me place every month

Progress: Six solid months of exploring like a tourist.

• January: Gulf Shores, AL
• February: Indian Temple Mound museum in Fort Walton Beach, FL
• March: A jazz club, Maison, in New Orleans
• April: This month was a new-to-us trail double header.
• The Blackwater Trail 10k took Hubby and me to a part of the Florida backwoods we'd never seen before. (So new, in fact, that I nearly skipped the race out of fear that I'd get lost...)
• We followed that up with a hike in the Naval Live Oaks National Park
• May: Audubon Park in New Orleans. (Given the number of times I've been to NOLA, it's a serious shame that this trip was my first visit to Audubon Park...)
• June: Another two-fer!
• I ventured into new neighborhoods and new-to-me museums while in Washington, DC.
• Hubby and I went back to Gulf Shores, AL for an "adventure day" of exploring new beaches, shops, and restaurants.

Goal - New 2 U Cross Training Challenge:
Just ask Kim...

Progress: Six months and still going strong!

• January = burpees
• February = cardio kickboxing
• March = stability ball strength training
• April = 100 ups
• May: I skipped it! (skipping drills to improve running form)
• June: done (but not yet written!)

Did you set any goals for the year? If so, what's your progress to date?

Half #3 and goals revisited

Tomorrow's half: Gulf Coast Half
Marathon at Pensacola Beach

I'm resting.
I'd rather be running.
I think I have a shot at a sub-2 half tomorrow, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high. I know my training is solid, but for some reason having a firm goal time in my head just makes me anxious and cranky. I'd rather talk myself into an "I'm not worried" state, sleep well tonight, and be pleasantly surprised tomorrow.

Plus, it's supposed to be warm.*

Even if tomorrow's Gulf Coast Half isn't my best race of the year, I've got at least 2 more 13.1s in the works, which brings me around to revisiting the year's goals...

(I'm good at setting and achieving goals, I just don't want to think about goal times the night before a race...)

In January, I set a few key goals for 2012. Here's the brief version:

Goal - Run Faster:
5k in less than 24 minutes

Hamming it up at the NOLA race expo

Progress: I've only run one 5k so far, and it was a fun run, not a "race." Result: 25:48. But I've been very consistent with weekly speedwork, so I feel confident that if I truly race a 5k, I'll be ready to break my 24 minute barrier.

Goal - Run Longer:
Complete 5 half marathons
Progress: (1) Gulf Shores, (2) New Orleans, and tomorrow should make 3. I've signed up for one more already, and I'm targeting an autumn race (or two) to round out the year.

Goal - Learn New Things:
Read 15 non-fiction books
Progress: While I'm ahead on the half marathon goal, I'm a bit behind on the books. I'm almost through Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking and I finished Two Old Fools - Olé! In my defense, working two jobs has taken a big bite out of my leisure reading time... I'll pick up the pace once school is out for the summer.

Goal - Travel/Explore:
Visit one new-to-me place every month

Exhibit from the Indian Temple Mound Museum

Progress:

• January: The Gulf Shores half counted both in the race and new-place categories.
• February: Hubby and I drove to Fort Walton Beach to visit the Indian Temple Mound Museum, had lunch, and walked along the waterfront. The museum is small, but the exhibits are fascinating.
• March: March was a travel-heavy month (to places we've been more than once). On the few days that we were home, Hubby and I mostly just wanted to rest. Day trips and hiking were out of the question, so March's adventure was trying a new-to-us jazz club while we were in New Orleans.

And it turns out that I've got a new goal to add to the list... The new-to-me cross training challenge.

So - I'm making good progress on my 2012 goals!
But I still don't want to talk about pacing for tomorrow...

How are you doing on your goals for the year?
Do you get anxious the day before a race? If so, what do you do to calm pre-race jitters?

*Sorry Boston runners, I have some sympathy for you, but seriously it's always 85 and humid here in Florida... Move here - We'll train together! Hot and humid race-day weather will never ruin your race dreams again!

Did I run hard enough?

In the hours immediately after a long race, I start second-guessing my effort. My mind reels with questions of:

Did I run hard enough? Could I have pushed harder? Did I really do my best?

I don't know why this happens. I was elated after Sunday's half marathon, but halfway home, I started to wonder if I could have run harder/better/faster/stronger?*

I see the clock as I cross the finish line. I start out proud, but then I begin mentally lining up this race against those I've run before. I get back home and do the math... 4 minutes faster than this one (good!)... but 15 minutes slower than that other race...

No one wants to be slower today than they were yesterday/last week/last year. And while I know I could not have run a minute per mile faster, I wonder... Could I have shaved off another minute from my finish time? Two? I had enough kick for the last half mile. Could I have started my final sprint sooner? I didn't hurl at the end. Shouldn't I have been dry heaving at least?

I tried to distract my nagging brain. I made popcorn and sat down for an afternoon of football. I napped through part of the Pats / Ravens game, but was wide awake for the fourth quarter nail-biter finish. I got up and walked around. Stretched. I made dinner and mostly ignored the Giants / 49ers. (You can take the girl out of New England...) I went to sleep.

...And woke up so sore it hurt to get out of bed.

Today stairs are my enemy.

And I have my answer: I may not have puked at the finish line, but I really did run as hard as I could yesterday.

How do you evaluate your performance after a race? Comparing stats against prior races or pre-race goals? By how your body feels? By whether or not you enjoyed the ride?

*PS - I gave up hating Kanye when Watch the Throne was released. It is too good to ignore... But running playlists will have to be another discussion for another time. Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with K. West?

Goals that made the short list

Source: fitmomintraining.com
via Beth on Pinterest

This year my initial Goal List was two bullet points shy of turning into my household "To Do" list.

I stopped myself before I typed in "change car air filter" and "clean refrigerator." Shocked at how far off track I had gotten, I decided to take a step back and really zero in on what I want to accomplish.

Years ago, my Goal List started out specific and lofty: "finish grad school!" But somewhere along the line, it morphed into a task inventory of chores. Long and detailed, my Goal List lacked focus.

Your focus needs more focus!
From: The Karate Kid

My list needed a dose of Mr. Miyagi.
Focus!
(If you don't understand the Karate Kid reference, you're missing out...)

So I pared down the Goal List. I focused.

I have goals.
Fewer goals.
Bigger goals.

Goal - Run faster:
In 2012 I will run a 5k in less than 24 minutes.
I've been staring at my PR of 24:04 for more than 3 years now. It's actually painful to admit that in print. This year that record will FALL.

Goal - Run longer:
In 2012 I will complete 5 half marathons.
In all my running life so far, I have never completed more than one half (or marathon) per calendar year. I enjoy the challenge, why not do more?

Goal - Learn New Things:
In 2012 I will read 15 non-fiction books.
Why 15? Just because it's more than I read last year (12).
PS - Recommendations welcomed on this one!

Goal - Travel/Explore:
In 2012 I will visit one new-to-me place every month.
In 2011 I spent quite a bit of time on airplanes flying back and forth between my Gulf Coast and West Coast homes. I was traveling, but not really Traveling. Then I went to Barcelona and remembered what it is like to really Travel. As in... for fun. To explore. To see places I haven't seen before.
Double brownie points if one of the half marathons is in a place I haven't been to before!

And lest you think I've forgotten important things like family, community, and professional development... Rest assured, I've got those covered, too.

Do you have goals or resolutions for 2012?
How long did it take you to put your goal list together?
Do you revisit your list during the year and make adjustments? Recommendations on non-fiction for me to read?

2011 in review

Miss Zippy posted a few "year in review" questions and asked readers to respond, so here goes:

Best race experience? Not gonna' lie -- small, local races became my favorite this year as I discovered that my possibility of placing increases in inverse proportion to the size of the race!
Third woman overall in a 5k... I'll take it!

Best run? My best running experience was during a half marathon... Not because it was my best pace ever (far from it!) but because after weeks of hip pain, my feet felt light for the first eight miles, and because I witnessed incredible kindness and encouragement between runners on the course.

Best new piece of gear? N/A.
I don't think I bought anything besides replacement shoes this year...
Oh wait... Headbands! A pack of cheap, cotton headbands from Target saved my dying, sweat-stung eyes on summer runs. Never needed those before moving to the Gulf Coast! (Thanks for nothing, Florida!)

Best piece of running advice you received? I don't know if this counts as a piece of advice, but I've had a helluva lot of fun streaking! I've always taken days off to "recover," but thanks to the gauntlet thrown down by Runner's world, I've run every day for more than 5 weeks in a row. I have a new appreciation for what my body is capable of.

Most inspirational runner? Matt Long, NY Firefighter who was hit by a bus, left with a 5 percent chance of survival. After numerous reconstructive surgeries and excruciating physical therapy, he recovered to run the NY Marathon and complete an Ironman tri. Sort of puts a "crappy long run" into perspective... His book, The Long Run, is one of the most compelling books I've read.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Sweaty. (Thanks, again, Florida!)

How was your 2011? Best run? Best advice?
Fill in your answers in the comments or leave a link to your own blog post!

Goals, not resolutions

Photo credit

Resolutions. Bah. Humbug!
Resolutions are for sissies.

New Year's is one of my favorite holidays. I love the "year in review" recaps, and I love the bright, shiny expanse of a new year rolling out ahead of me.

But, for me, resolutions sort of suck the life out of the new year. Resolutions imply that we're unhappy about our current lives. Resolutions imply short-term changes on which we will never follow through.

Goals, on the other hand... Goals are different.

Goals set us up for success. Well-designed goals provide both a specific accomplishment and a clear path to achievement.

Goal: Spend more time here in 2012.

Case in point:
I could resolve to "get faster" in 2012.
But what does that mean?
So my goal will be more specific: run a sub 24 minute 5k, and do track work and hill repeats on alternating weeks until I beat my 5k PR.

I'm still working on my goal list... but a new 5k PR is priority #1.

(For more on my thoughts about goals vs. resolutions, see my recent piece for Examiner.com)

Are you a resolver? A goal setter?
What are your goals for the New Year?

Links that make you think

I'm out of commission for one more head-cold-and-fever-recovery day. But in the meantime, I've had a chance to catch up on my reading. In the process I stumbled across a couple of web gems that should be shared:

• Beth at Shut Up And Run posted "The Cone or Crap" which is far more insightful than the poop-humor title suggests.
• Meg at Watch MeGo Run talks about how running can "hurt so good," in her post Why I Love Pain.
• Adam, at The Boring Runner, takes an (uncharacteristic) serious tone to reflect on life goals and mortality in Reflections while on the run. I promise it's positive, not morbid. But he does ask two questions that really got me thinking:

If you had 6 months to live, what would you do?
What would your one-line obit say?

Maybe rest days have left me with too much time on my hands, but I've been thinking about what I'd do with only 6 months to live... Oddly (or not) I think it would look a lot like what I did this past week: some travel, some work, some running, writing and reading, going for walks on the beach, and trying new restaurants with Hubby, plus lots of time with my family.

I would definitely drink much more wine if my liver didn't need to last another 50 years. I might also do something crazy like try to run a 100-miler on not-enough-training.

But otherwise, I wouldn't change much at all.

I started to worry that this means I lack imagination, but then I realized it really means that I'm living a life I enjoy. If I get an idea for a trip or a new project, I add it to the list and get it done. (Except rock climbing... that's been on the list forever, and a friend even got me lessons for my birthday, but I still haven't checked climbing off my life list.)

Hubby suggested we could pack a couple of suitcases into a van, and travel from state to state running the most interesting routes and eating the best local foods... But that's not such big a change from the way we live now. We'd travel more (continuously, instead of 1 or 2 trips per month) and by wheels instead of wings, but otherwise the goals are the same: travel, eat, run, repeat. (It's probably good news that we have the same goals.)

I'm not sure what that turns into as a one-line obit? That requires more thought, more wine, or both...

And I really need to get on that rock climbing thing...

What would your answers be?