MIA

Been a little missing in action recently.  It's sad too because I know God had laid a blog post on my heart, but I didn't get on here to post it.  Now I am left with a blank slate and no remembrance of what He wanted to write about. I had a fast holiday break with a week of me not feeling well at all. Couldn't even keep water or 7up down and no food or anything for three days of that week.  It's taking me some time to recover from that. 

I ended 2013 with 658.5 miles.  184.8 miles was ran since October 15 when I got matched to Sweet Sophia.  That's about 20% of my year was spent running for Sophia and about 28% of my miles were for her.  I like that, especially since I was sick for part of that time and I still got a good percentage of overall miles for her. 

I think it's very important in life to set goals for yourself.  Not resolutions as people never stick to those.  They need to be goals.  Goals are something that can be adjusted as you go.  Goals are focused on behaviors not outcomes.  Goals help a person to stay focused.  Resolutions commonly are short term things that we don't stick to.  I think for a different is that resolutions were always something I would say I wanted to do and I did, but I never looked at them as part of my lifestyle.  Goals are something I see as my lifestyle and they help propel me forward down the path I am headed.  So, I have set goals for this year of 2014. 

1. Walk/run 750-1,000 miles for Sophia.  I would love to make it 1448ish miles, as that is the distance between me and her.  But I know that is more than double what I did this past year so it wouldn't be a realistic one.  That's a biggie with goals....they need to be realistic.
2. Run 10-14 half marathons. (This is aside from the 5ks, 10ks, trails and obstacles races I have on my calendar). A secondary part of this goal is that four of those half marathons will be within a 21 day period in November.  And really I am thinking any of the 10+ mile races count.  Anything above a 10K (6.2 miles).
3. Run a 25k (15.5 miles). 
4. Strength train two-three a week (this means actually picking up weights and lifting them, not calling my yoga good enough).
5. Eat clean 90% of the time. (Taking the 100 days of real food pledges).
6. Always be involved in a bible study that I will spend time on daily. I had started one and didn't even finish the first week of it so I will begin with that one. It's on the fruits of the Spirit and is by Beth Moore.
7. Keep balance by having months where I run no races unless they are with my family. I will have months where I will not run races as to have plenty of free weekends to do things other than run. This will most likely be in the warmer months as I love to float too and don't want to take away from that. Gotta keep balance in my life.
8. Will have some challenge that I give myself each month. January is ab challenge month. I will decide each one as I go based on what I am struggling with and need to focus on.

I am a week in basically.  Mileage is low for this week from where I need to be.  It's been cold and I am still been trying to get back to feeling good after being sick at the end of the year.  I definitely planned on picking up on that, but now am resting a bruised heel from the trail run I did this past weekend.  Trail running is my thing I have decided though.  I love it.  The views are incredible.  I have been online scouting trail races in the area.  I have not picked up a weight at all, but am sticking with the ab challenge this month.  So far I have hit all my workouts.  Clean eating has been another story, but things take time.

Things take time.  That's a lesson I have been learning.  Running is not something that came natural to me.  I have to work at it.  There is another distinction between goals and resolutions.  If these were resolutions, then I would have already broken or given up on most of them.  But they are goals.  That means I don't quit when I don't do something one day that I said I would.  I keep working at it.  Things get easier, but it takes time.  These are things I want to be doing by the end of the year.  So if it takes me until then to get consistent with my eating and bible study and strength training then it does. The goal is to meet it within the next 12 months.  It won't magically happen today.  But if I keep at it, it will happen by the end of this year God has blessed me with so far.

The Purposeful Runner.  I have a purpose  I am still trying to discover fully what God is doing with me as a purposeful runner, but I know He has a plan.