Woohoo! My first week of Dumbo Double Dare Training is in the books. It didn’t go completely the way I planned but what plan actually does. I am still happy with how it went though. I ran three times, did a daily plank and practiced yoga once. I was hoping to get in a few more strength and cross training sessions but that wasn’t in the cards last week.

Last Week’s Workouts:

• Monday, 5/13/2013 – Cross Training + Strength Training
  • Elliptical – 1.60 miles, 20 minutes
  • Strength Training – NROLFW Workout 1A #1 (30 minutes)
• Tuesday, 5/14/2013 – Easy Run
  • 3.00 miles, 40:49 minutes, 13:36 min/mile avg. pace
• Wednesday, 5/15/2013 – Rest
• Thursday, 5/16/2013 – Tempo Run
  • 4.26 miles, 54:18 minutes, 12:45 min/mile avg. pace
• Friday, 5/17/2013 – Rest
• Saturday, 5/18/2013 – Rest
• Sunday, 5/19/2013 – Long Run + Yoga
  • 4.00 miles, 52:59 minutes, 13:18 min/mile avg. pace
  • Yoga – AM Yoga DVD (Hip Openers, 25 minutes)

On Monday, I started my workout with a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical machine. I never really have a set work out planned for my cross training. Once my warm up was done, I went over to the free weights for my strength workout. Over the weekend, I decided to give the New Rules of Lifting for Women program another try. Since it has been about a year, I started over with Stage 1. {I will be posting about this more in the future.} When I was done, I jumped back on the elliptical for a 10 minute cool down.

After work on Tuesday, I stopped at the gym on my way home. We were up way too late on Monday to make the 5:30 AM wake up call. {This is an area of my life that I seriously working on.} My training plan called for an easy run at a 13:41 avg. pace, which is a bit slower than I usually run 3 miles. I have decided to trust the process and really try to stick the paces on my plan.

On Thursday night, I stopped at the gym to get in my planned tempo run. My plan called for a 4 mile run with 2 miles at an 11:56 average pace. I ended up run 2 miles at a 12:00 average pace. Overall, my run felt really good. I maintained the tempo pace for the entire 2 miles and didn’t have an issue with it. Hopefully, tempo run and speed intervals will help me become a faster runner.

Sunday morning didn’t exactly turn out the way I planned. I was hoping to wake up before the sun came up so that I wouldn’t have to deal with the heat. Running in the summer heat is not my idea of a good time. That didn’t happen. I ended up sleeping in but I didn’t want to skip my run. I ran my long run on the treadmill. After my run, I practiced the Hip Opening Sequence on one of my many yoga DVDs.

How did your workouts go last week? When is your next race?

The post Weekly Workouts: May 13, 2013 appeared first on Runner's Tales.

At the end of April, my boyfriend and I headed up to Washington DC for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. This blog post is the first one about our adventures.

Traveling, Georgetown and Open City

On Thursday night, we stayed up late packing, checking and double checking to make sure we had everything we would need for our trip to DC. I was a little incredibly nervous and excited about the trip. It was the first time that I was traveling outside of Florida for a race. By staying in my home state, I have always felt secure about my races because we had a car. If I ever forgot something, we could go in search of a store and I could get what I needed. This trip I wouldn’t have a car and would be relying entirely on the metro system and our own two feet.

We woke up on Friday morning and leisurely went about our morning rituals. Around 9:30, we were ready to be on our way. We stopped at our favorite breakfast to make sure we were ready for a long day of traveling. I always forget to take pictures of my food at The Lucky Dill Deli but I can assure that the food is delicious. After breakfast, we headed straight to the airport. We ended up being a few hours early but it is always better to be early when flying.

By 2:30, we were on the plane and ready for take-off. Our flight was pretty much uneventful (thankfully). I snacked on some complimentary chips while reading a book (Foodist) and drank a soda. I am not usually a soda drinker but it helps settle my stomach and nerves whenever I fly.

We landed just before 5 and immediately headed for the metro station. This is when our trip really started. We purchased ‘weekly short trip’ metro passes and hopped on the Blue Line to the Foggy Bottom station. On the plane, we decided that we would go straight to the Expotique and Nike Georgetown store before going to the hotel. Nike released their Tiffany blue special edition shoes on Thursday evening and I really, really, really wanted a pair. A twitter friend (Thanks Becca!) informed me that the Nike Georgetown store still had the shoes on Friday afternoon.

The bad thing about our plan is that we still had our suitcases with us and the Expotique/Nike Georgetown store weren’t exactly close to a metro station. With suitcases in tow, we left the Foggy Bottom station and made our way to the Georgetown waterfront area. The walk wasn’t too bad but it certainly wasn’t easy with our luggage. Once we made it over to the Waterfront area, I decided to go ahead pick up my race packet. I am super glad I did because the lines on Saturday afternoon were really bad. {More on the Expotique in my next post.}

With packet in hand, we walked the two blocks north to the Nike Georgetown Store. As we approached the store, I saw a giant wall with the “We Run DC” logo on it. Then I noticed that people actually had their nose pressed up against trying to find their names. I immediately started figuring out the pattern so I could find my name.

The store was a MAD HOUSE inside! As soon as I entered, I walked straight up to an employer and asked “Do you still have the shoes?” No joke. I was on a mission. Thankfully, the employee said yes and that I needed to head over to the shoe area to get my pair. From my twitter feed, I knew that the shoes were a little smaller so I asked an employee for a half size up. They fit perfectly and are absolutely beautiful!

Before leaving the store, I picked up some other official race merchandise. I really love the logo of this race. We didn’t stay very long though. Instead of dragging out suitcases back to the metro station, we grabbed a cab to take us to the hotel. For this trip, we stayed at the Washington Marriot Wardman Park located in the Woodley Park area. After we got settled in, my boyfriend and I browsed Yelp to find some local eateries for dinner. Finally, we decided on Open City.

By the time we sat down for dinner, we were STARVING. We hadn’t really eaten anything since breakfast so we were very ready for some delicious eats. All the reviews said that the coffee was delicious here. My boyfriend ordered a cup of coffee. I decided to try the loose leaf tea.

We went with the Applewood Bacon & Spinach Dip with chips. The dip was excellent! It was rich, creamy, cheesy and loaded with bacon. The dish comes with either chips or housemade flatbread. I think the crispiness of the chips was a perfect compliment to the dip. I would have loved to try the flatbread though.

For dinner, I went with the Baked Penne. My original choice was the Mushroom Gnocchi but they were out of that dish unfortunately. The penne was a great second choice! It was filled with arugula, mushrooms and onion then topped with mozzarella, provolone and pecorino cheeses. With a race in a few days, this dish was a fantastic way to carbo-load.

My boyfriend went with the Roast Chicken. The spices and herb really flavored the chicken. It was moist and juicy, which is the way a roasted chicken should be. The dish was served with a mixed green salad and an interesting quinoa dish. I think I am going to try a replicate it in some way.

After dinner, we walked around a little before heading back to our hotel room. It didn’t take very long for us to fall fast asleep. A long day of traveling, fending off crazy women in need of shoes and finding a delicious place to eat really took a lot out us.

The post Washington DC Adventures: Day 1 appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Hey guys! I have finally finished my Dumbo Double Dare Challenge training plan and as promised I am going to share it with you. Now before I go any further, please remember that I am NOT a certified personal trainer, running coach, nutritionist or physician.

[Source: runDisney’s Facebook Page]

As of Monday, I am officially in training for Dumbo. To say that I am excited about it would be an understatement. I am ecstatic, overwhelmed, thrilled and nervous. I feel like I have created a plan that is both aggressive and not too difficult. I tried to follow all of the rules of training but I still doubt myself. I still worry that I will somehow become derailed and not be able to accomplish my goals. Here is my training calendar for the rest of the month of May.

{Click the image to see my full training plan}

When I set about to create this plan, I knew that I wanted a plan that would incorporate a wide range of workouts. The plan I came up with is 16 weeks long and is roughly passed on a plan from the Runner’s World Smart Coach program. I added in cross training, strength training, core work, stretching and shifted some of the runs around. Cross training and strength training are important for building overall strength as well as improving overall health. Here is a quick break down of the weeks.

Weeks 1 through 5:

• Mondays – Cross Training (XT) + Strength Training (ST)
• Tuesdays – Easy Runs (E) + Core
• Wednesdays – Cross Training (XT) + Strength Training (ST)
• Thursdays – Tempo Runs (T) or Speed Work (S) + Core
• Fridays – Cross Training (XT) + Strength Training (ST)
• Saturdays – REST
• Sundays – Long Runs (L) + Stretching

Weeks 6 through 16:

• Mondays – Cross Training (XT) + Strength Training (ST)
• Tuesdays – Easy Runs (E) + Core
• Wednesdays – Cross Training (XT) + Strength Training (ST)
• Thursdays – Tempo Runs (T) or Speed Work (S) + Core
• Fridays – REST
• Saturdays – Easy Runs (E) + Core
• Sundays – Long Runs (L) + Stretching

My primary goal is to do ALL of my training runs even if I don’t do them on the days planned. In the past, my biggest problem has been sticking to the training plans I create. This time I actually want to follow it all the way through … at least when it comes to the running days.

My secondary goal is to cross train and strength train 2 days a week. The first five weeks have 3 days with those workouts but I will be ok with 2 days. As I mentioned the other day, I really want to get stronger and two to three strength workouts a week will help me get there.

On the weekdays that I run, my goal is to do some additional core work. I haven’t quite figured out those workouts but I will share them once I do. After my long runs, I am going to do some stretching. It will probably be one of my many yoga DVDs. The point is to stay injury free while training for Dumbo and Dopey.

Each week, I will post a recap of how my workouts went. I already do that but now these posts will be focused on how well I am following my training plan. If you want to see my entire training plan, you can click the link below. It is a PDF so you can download it too.

Click {download} to see my full training plan!

A note about pacing: I am going to be using the suggested paces from Smart Coach. They match where my fitness/running is at now and where I want to be. If you are unsure about what pace to use for any of the runs, I would recommend looking at the McMillan Running Calculator. It is a great tool to give you an idea of the paces you should be hitting on your training runs.

The post My Dumbo Double Dare Training Plan appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Last week was interesting for me. I didn’t really get in the workouts that I had planned nor did I run as much as I wanted to. I did stick with using my pedometer and logging all of my food. It is taking some getting used to again but I am pleased with how it is going. While reading Foodist, I decided that I wanted to make some serious changes in my life. I will be writing a separate posts about those changes but I already hinted at some of them in my book review.

I was hoping to get back into a better workout schedule last week but that didn’t happen. Between my work schedule and my boyfriend’s work schedule, waking up 5:30 AM was just not happening. I am hoping that my work will slow down a little in the next few week’s so I can get back on track.

Last Week’s Workouts:

• Monday, 5/6/2013 – Elliptical + Strength Training
  • Elliptical – 2.36 miles, 27:00 minutes
  • Strength Training – Push Ups (W2D3L1) + NTC Shoulder Ripper
  • Daily Steps – 6,055 (~2.98 miles)

I started with a simple warm up on the elliptical machine. I didn’t push myself too hard. Then I headed over the weight room. I am slowly but surely trying to get through the 100 Push Ups program. After doing one of those workouts, I did a “Get Focused” workout from the Nike Training Club. Since upper body was my focus for today, I chose the Shoulder Ripper workout. Once I was finished with the strength workout, I jumped back on the elliptical machine for a cool down.

• Tuesday, 5/7/203 – Rest
  • Daily Steps – 2,537 (~1.08 miles)

No workout today. My daily step count was a little low because of it.

• Wednesday, 5/8/2013 – Easy Run
  • 3.06 miles, 38:16 minutes, 12:31 min/miles avg. pace
  • Daily Steps – 10,145 (~4.93 miles)

Tonight I decided I needed to go for a run. I had been itching to go run for over a week and it finally boiled over. I left work a little early and headed over to Fit2Run to join in their Wednesday night Fun Run. It wasn’t the run I was hoping for but I felt awesome for getting out there. I needed this run!

• Thursday, 5/9/2013 – Rest
  • Daily Steps – 3,068 (~1.27 miles)

No workout today. It was just one of those days.

• Friday, 5/10/2013 – Rest
  • Daily Steps – 3,565 (~1.47 miles)

No workout today. I seriously hate leaving work at 8 pm on a Friday night.

• Saturday, 5/11/2013 – Strength Training
  • Strength Training – Push Ups (W3D1L1)
  • Daily Steps – 705 (~0.28 miles)

Today I realize that I am a total sloth on the weekends. During a commercial break, I decided to do another of the 100 Push Ups program. It was a little strange at first to be doing a workout while watching television but I didn’t really mind it.

• Sunday, 5/12/2013 – Rest
  • Daily Steps – 1,202 (~0.62 miles)
  • Plank A Day – 1:01.3

Today was my first attempt at meal planning and grocery shopping like at Foodist. Once I get the hang of it, I will write a thorough post on it. I went to the store a little late so I didn’t have very much for meal prepping. Next week, I am going to try and make it to the store earlier. Also, I have decided to try and complete a #plankaday. I was able to hold an forearm plank for a minute today.

How did your workouts go last week? Do you use a pedometer? If so, what is your daily step goal?

The post Weekly Workouts: May 6, 2013 appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Under Armour through FitFluential. I really believe in this campaign so I hope you will continue reading and join me as we redefine #WhatsBeautiful.

What is beautiful? How do you define the beautiful? Attractive? Strong? Confident? Skinny? Perfect hair, teeth, makeup, wardrobe, etc.? Anyone but you?

Growing up, I never thought of myself as beautiful. My definition of the term revolved around the physical attributes that I didn’t have. I also assumed that I wasn’t beautiful if I didn’t have the undivided attention of the boys in my class. My definition was obviously skewed because I wasn’t happy or comfortable with my body. I never imagined that I was beautiful. I was wrong! It has taken more than 25 years but I have finally realized that I am beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in their own special way. We all bring something different and special to this world.

The folks at Under Armour understand this, which is why they created the What’s Beautiful competition. When I heard that I would be working with them through FitFluential, I was beyond thrilled. I first heard about this competition last year (you may remember my feeble attempt) and loved the message. At the time, I didn’t completely understand it. I just wasn’t ready to redefine myself. This year is different. This year I am going to push myself harder than I ever have. This year I want to become the best version of myself.

What’s Beautiful is a competition to redefine the female athlete. Sometimes we all need a little help or a big push to achieve our goals. Sometimes we need a reminder that we are all beautiful. It is more than just a competition with awesome prizes (more on that in a bit). It is about supporting and encouraging others to achieve their goals. It is about redefining #WhatsBeautiful and declaring #IWill to the world!

Here are the details:

1. Go to What’s Beautiful, create an account and declare a goal.
2. Show your journey by completing challenges, uploading photos and videos.
3. Win some awesome prizes! There are weekly swag bags giveaways and a grand prize trip to Costa Rica. The best prize is achieving your goals!

So what are your #whatsbeautiful goals? How will you achieve them?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Under Armour through FitFluential. They are sending me some workout gear to wear. As always, all thoughts, opinions and experiences are my own.

The post Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful 3.0 appeared first on Runner's Tales.

… and a few other runDisney updates!!

Over the last few weeks, runDisney has really been upping the ante. By now, you already know about the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge and the Dopey Challenge. You are probably also aware that my crazy, running self has decided to take on both of these challenges. With the creation of these challenges, runDisney also started adding the 10K distance to their race weekends. The success of these races has spurred them to add more of them to the other race weekends. (More on that a little later. First let’s see what is in store for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend.)

2013 Disneyland Half Marathon Race Medals Revealed

Ever since I registered for the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge, I couldn’t wait to see what the medals would like. The runDisney medals are my favorite medals on my medal hanger. I was hoping to see them at the Expedition Everest expo but they weren’t there. Then yesterday, I started seeing a buzz on Facebook and Twitter that runDisney would be announcing something special on their blog. They certainly did not disappoint!

Besides releasing the medal design, they also confirmed the theme of the 10K and 5K: Alice in Wonderland. As much as I would love to say that I will be earning all four of these awesome medals, I am not. I really like the look of the 10K medal. The Mad Hatter’s Teacup ride at Walt Disney World is one of my dad’s favorite rides and that medal reminds me of it. {Click on the images below to see a close up of the medals.}

Princess Half Weekend: A New Race, A New Challenge, New Medals

A few weeks ago, runDisney announced a few changes to the Princess Half Race Weekend. With registration right around the corner (June 11th), runDisney decided to add a 10K race AND a new race challenge. The Glass Slipper Challenge will include 19.3 miles of running through the parks and three beautifully designed medals.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to run the Princess Half again next year BUT I am SERIOUSLY considering this challenge. Have I mentioned that I am a total sucker for inaugural runDisney race bling recently?

If that wasn’t enough, the folks at runDisney have created a special Coast to Coast medal for everyone who runs the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in January and the Princess Half Marathon in February. The original Coast to Coast medal features the iconic image of Walt Disney holding hands with Mickey Mouse. It has a blue lanyard. The new version will have a pink overlay and a pink lanyard.

If you are interested in earning this medal, runDisney will be offering a limited number of runners the opportunity to register for both the Princess Half and the Tinker Bell Half on June 11th. Registration will officially open on July 9th for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend.

*Photo Source: runDisney

So what do you think about the Disneyland race medals? How about the new Coast to Coast?

Registration is currently open for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler, the Wine and Dine Half Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon.

The post 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon Race Medals revealed appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Count calories. Eat less and move more. Don’t eat meat. Don’t eat carbs. Don’t eat dairy. Don’t eat wheat. Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that.

These are the mantras of pretty much every major diet plan in our modern culture. These were the sayings that helped me lose more than 50 pounds. Unfortunately, I love food way too much to sacrifice delicious treats for the rest of my life. I also don’t really like diets that tell me I can’t eat something. I usually end up wanting whatever it is I can’t have far more than I ever did before.

A little over a year ago, I reached a weight that I was happy with. I stopped focusing on counting calories and started to enjoy food again. The problem with that is that I have inevitably gained some of the weight back. I don’t want to count calories again because it is such a tedious task that I get bored with it easily. I need a different way to lose the weight and maintain the loss without sacrificing the food I love or counting calories.

Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting

When I was asked to review Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting by Darya Pino Rose, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. In the last year, I have really been struggling A LOT with the weight I have gained. However, I don’t want to count calories, restrict the foods I eat or deny myself anything. Restriction diets just aren’t my thing. The idea of never dieting again really intrigued not to mention the notion of losing weight, maintaining the loss and still enjoying food.

In her book, the author proposes that eating real food (a revolutionary idea to many) is the best possible way to lose weight, keep it off and truly enjoy life. She calls this the “healthsyle” and it is custom-tailored to meet individual needs. The book is broken up into three parts: the science behind the “healthstyle”, how to get started on your “healthstyle” journey, and how to deal with the day to day.

So what exactly is a “healthstyle”?

Your healthstyle is a reflection of your cumulative habits, from the food you eat, to how often you exercise, to where you live and the company you keep. (Pg. 32)

After reading the first chapter, I was completely ready to jump off the dieting bandwagon and onto the foodist train. The author did a fabulous job of breaking down the information so that anyone can understand it. She explains why traditional diets don’t work and how to stop relying on willpower. I don’t know about you but whenever I am told that I can’t have something I absolutely must have it at that very moment. When you realize that the diets we have all tried tell us what foods we can’t have, you can start to see why you couldn’t stick to it for very long.

One of the best things about the foodist healthstyle is that nothing is off limits. The idea is choose the best possible option for your personal situation. The author never tells you that can’t have something. Instead, she simply offers reasons why you shouldn’t want to eat certain foods (namely processed foods and those that make health claims) and reasons why you should want to eat other foods (local, seasonal, whole and/or organic foods).

Throughout the book, the author offers simple, easy tips to start improving your health and lose weight. She provides simple recipes that anyone can make and methods for overcoming food aversions. There are also tips and tricks to deal with everyday decisions. She also helps to dispel the notion that everything in a farmer’s market is expensive.

My Personal Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading Foodist. It was thought provoking and insightful. It also helped to reinforce a lot of the things I already believed about the foods that I was eating. Will I become a foodist? The answer to this question is YES. I want to stop dieting and start living my life again. This book has given me the tools and the knowledge that I needed to live an awesome life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves food. It will show you ways to fall in love with food all over again.

About Darya Pino Rose

Darya Pino Rose is the creator of Summer Tomato, one of TIME‘s 50 Best Websites. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, and her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkley.

Darya spends most of her time thinking and writing about food, health, and science. She eats amazing things daily and hasn’t even considered “going on a diet” since 2007. Darya is now a dedicated foodist  and advocate of local, seasonal foods.

For more information, recipes and other fun stuff, check out Darya’s website, Summer Tomato, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Foodist by Darya Pino Rose through the TLC Book Tours in exchange for this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own but I really did enjoy reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves food! This post also contains affiliate links.

The post Book Review: Foodist appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Ok so last week was not at all the week that I wanted it to be. When I got home from DC, I was really excited to get back to the gym and on a regular workout schedule. Of course, my body had other plans. Apparently, I need to invest in some product to prevent getting sick while traveling and running races. On Tuesday morning, I woke up with an awful head cold. I decided that trying to run, lift weights or sweat in general was not a good idea with a congested head and sore throat.

Last Week’s Workouts:

• Monday, 4/29/2013 – Rest Day (traveling home)
• Tuesday, 4/30/2013 – Rest Day (head cold/sickness)
• Wednesday, 5/1/2013 – Rest Day (head cold/sickness)
• Thursday, 5/2/2013 – Rest Day (head cold/sickness)
• Friday, 5/3/2013 – Walking
  • Walking – 5,838 steps
• Saturday, 5/4/2013 – Easy Run + Walking
  • 1.78 miles, 38:41 minutes, 21:37 min/mile avg. pace
  • Walking – 16,596 steps
• Sunday, 5/5/2013 – Walking
  • Walking – 4,635 steps

After spending most of the week not doing much of anything, I thrilled to be on my way to Walt Disney World on Friday afternoon. My only physical activity for the day was walking around Downtown Disney in search of dinner. I decided that morning that I was going to really focus on moving more during the day so I wore my pedometer all day. I was really disappointed that I didn’t even come close to the recommended 10,000 steps.

On Saturday, my sisters, mother and I participated in runDisney’s first ever Family Edition of Expedition Everest. Our task was to run around the ESPN Wide World of Sports to solve clues. The event was a ton of fun and I will have those recaps posted as soon as possible. We spent the rest of Saturday walking around Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.

On Sunday, my boyfriend and I headed over to one of the outlet malls in Orlando before going home. First we ate breakfast at Kouzzina’s with my family. Even though we didn’t buy anything, we still managed a fair amount of walking.

How did your workouts go last week? When you are sick, do you take time off or power through?

The post Weekly Workouts: April 29, 2013 appeared first on Runner's Tales.

Since I shared my goals for the month of May the other day, I figured that I should go back and see how I did on April’s goals. I already mentioned this but last month really was difficult on many levels. Between the Boston Marathon bombings and a ridiculous project at work, I struggled to find the joy and happiness that life can offer. Thankfully, the month ended on a high note with a mini vacation to Washington, DC. My boyfriend and I don’t get a chance to do things like that very often so it was a wonderful chance for us to get away.

With everything that happened, I found it to be difficult at times to achieve my monthly goals. I succeeded at most of my goals but the ones I really wanted to focus on slipped to the side. May is a new month though and I will hopefully get better at these goals.

My Monthly Goals for April {Revisited}:

1. Get on a consistent workout schedule. C+ … My boyfriend and I are struggling with this one. We hold each other accountable for going to the gym in the morning. However, with the start of the regular baseball season, we have a lot of late nights and don’t always feel like waking up at 5:30. We are working on it though but there is room for improvement.

2. Get on a consistent blogging schedule. C+ … Not so much on this one. I tried to get on a regular schedule but my job got in the way. I have a crazy deadline that has been all consuming at times. I am hoping that my content calendar will help me stay on track for May.

3. Finish creating my Dopey Challenge training plan. A … Yes! I finished my training plan but I still want to talk to a personal trainer before I solidify it. I am hoping to have it ready to share with you guys by this weekend. (My goal is to create a downloadable PDF so you can print it out and put it on your refrigerator.)

4. Spend some quality time with me, myself and I. A+ … When baseball season starts, I spend a lot of nights and weekends alone. In other words, I have the time to do exactly what I want when I want it. I love spending time with my boyfriend but it is also nice to spend time on things that only I like to do. I worked on some background blog stuff that will hopefully be ready very soon.

5. Have fun in DC! A+ … My boyfriend and I had an amazing time in DC. I took a ton of photos, ate delicious foods and ran a great race. My recaps should be ready very soon.

How did you do on your goals for April?

The post My Monthly Goals: April Revisited appeared first on Runner's Tales.

I know I say this every month but time really does fly by … seriously! When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t believe that it was May 1st already.  Last month was hard on so many levels but when a new month starts there is hope of a new beginning. A reason to hope for new changes and refining old habits.

My Monthly Goals for May:

1. Continue working on a consistent blogging schedule. I have made a content calendar for May so I know what I want to post each day. The problem will now be finding the time to write the posts.

2. Follow my Dumbo/Dopey training plan. I am pretty sure that I have finished working out my training plan for the Dopey Challenge. So far, I am not doing very well on this. Even though my legs are feeling much better, I have caught another head cold. I am hoping that it will be gone by the weekend so I can get back to working out regularly again. This goal also goes with my desire to get on a consistent workout schedule.

3. Follow the May Photo A Day prompts. One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to work on a 365 photo project. I have failed miserably at this so far but I really like the prompts this month and I really want to complete just one month this year.

4. Start meal planning. I am reading a really interesting book right now that has inspired to look at my life in a different light. My ultimate goal is lose a few more pounds and get down to my body’s healthy, happy weight. The ideas in this book have really made me think about the food I eat and the activities I do. (I will be posting my review of this book next week.)

5. Enjoy life! For the most part, I love the life that I have. I don’t always enjoy my job but every other aspect of my life makes up for that. I have wonderful friends, a loving boyfriend and a great family. I need to remember that these are the things that matter the most.

What are your goals for May?

The post My Monthly Goals: May appeared first on Runner's Tales.