Setting New Goals And Keeping A Commitment

I can't believe that we are half way through 2015 already. May and June seemed to have just rushed on by and now we are at July. I had set a goal for myself that I would run three to four Half Marathons this year. I completed one in April and my second one in May. Yesterday I committed to my third one of the year which will be the Charlotte Covered Bridge Half Marathon. This will be the first time that I have run this race as well as it being my Fifth Half Marathon. I love running in new places. There is something thrilling to me when exploring new roads to run. I do find comfort in some of the routes I frequent yet I enjoy the adventure of a new run.

May was my highest mileage month for me this year hitting 131.08 miles (not a PR for me though). June I fell short for some reason only reaching 116.01. I was pretty disappointed in that. I had thought I even put in a few extra days. I think what happened is that since I was not officially in "training" mode for another Half I allowed some of my longer runs to fall short a couple miles of where I would have liked to be. Now that I have committed to my next race in September I am hoping to start pushing myself to at least break 120 miles this month.

I am still cross training on days I don't run. I have a few video's on You Tube that I enjoy. Adding to my love for Jillian Michael's, I recently discovered and developed a girl crush on Rebecca Louise. She has a full body workout on You Tube that I have been doing along with an arm workout. We can't forget to work on our core so there are days I also do her 10 Minute Ab Workout. I do like to mix up my workouts so I am sure to work all areas of my body. I get in a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) once to twice a week as well. This is effective as well as challenging, not to mention important if you are a runner. If you want to get in a quick but effective workout look up some HIIT video's to try.

For a couple years I ran without any cross training, silly me! Cross training has indeed made me stronger for my runs. My times have improved as well as my stamina. I really wanted to sculpt my body more to gain muscle and tone my body.  I am still a work in progress. I continue to work on where I want to be physically knowing that with each workout or run I am creating a better me. I may not ever be exactly where I want to be when I look in the mirror, yet I hope to be happy with the work I have put in and being where I am at now.

Since we still have a couple of months left of summer and July and August tend to be the hottest I decided to purchase a Camelback Hydration Pack. I do not like running with anything in my hand and decided a fuel belt that holds water also wasn't for me. I figured a Camelback might be just what I need. In looking for the right one for me I knew I didn't want anything big and I would only be using it for my long runs. I was also being frugal, truth be told, and though there were other models I liked I was not looking to spend a lot. I instead used Birthday money I received which bought me my new friend. I will keep you posted on what I think about it after I get to try it out.

For me setting goals and following through with my fitness commitments is important to me. Setting the goal is the first part. Once I have set that goal I become determined to reach it or excel beyond it. It's not always easy and there are days I do not have the motivation. I always say I love to run, but that doesn't mean I always want to run. Some days require an extra push, a personal pep talk. I never regret a workout or a run afterwards. Making the commitment to a healthier and better me is one of the best commitments I have ever made.


Did you set any fitness goals for yourself for 2015? What is your favorite way to workout?