November Goals

The beginning of a new month presents an opportunity for a fresh start....or maybe just recommitting to something that you've been working on. Because the hours of daylight are rather limited now, I know that my dedication to training may be tested. I tend to be a "snoozer"; I hit that button until I barely have enough time to throw myself together before pedaling furiously to the office. For about three weeks in the height of summer, I managed to squeeze in morning runs and it was glorious. I loved coming into work with a runner's high. I loved being able to eat during the day without fear of how it would interfere with my run. I fell off the wagon though and have not been able to get back on. Every night, I set my alarm and have the best of intentions but....when that alarm goes off, I can somehow rationalize staying under the covers. I convince myself that I NEED the extra sleep. When it's finally time to pull myself out of bed, I'm immediately angry with myself. It's a sick, vicious cycle. So anyway....my training goals require that I actually well....stop being a lazy ass.

Last night, I had my first run guided by head lamp. The rain really hindered visibility - I could only see a few feet in front of me so I was quite slower than usual. Being my first night run, I jumped at every slight sound or shadow. Admittedly, I'm a wuss. I'm terrified of wildlife more than anything. I've avoided running in awesome locations because of the fear that I *might* encounter a bear. If a bush rustles while I'm out hiking, I will run toward the car - without warning and while pushing one of my loved ones in the direction of the sound. I may even throw the burrito that I've packed into the forest (because it's a known fact that bears love chicken asada) and then curl up in a fetal position until the perceived threat has passed. Google informed me that bears are hibernating now but I'm now concerned about moose. We live in rural North Idaho...moose are quite plentiful; I mean, there are even pictures of them utilizing our crosswalks. My fear has become even more ingrained since I almost touched noses with one during a run last winter (and this is not an exaggeration - our faces were inches apart).

One moose just chilling out our backyard

This brings me to the part where I discuss my goals....

1.) Stay healthy. I've had three different plagues in the last 2 months and it's been miserable. A childless vacation was ruined.  I cannot express how horrible it is to be in your favorite city and not be able to move from the hotel bed. Training can reduce immunity but this can be mitigated through a healthy diet and supplements. Also, through listening to your body which I can be terrible at. On the aforementioned "vacation", I had scheduled a marathon. Even though I had barely eaten in three days and I woke up the morning of the race still feeling sick, I still tried to run....I made it 21 miles (mostly on autopilot) before walking off the course.

You can visibly tell that I feel like death. It's a miracle I did not collapse or vomit on someone. 

2.) Organize a running event for the group that I started. I've had a really difficult time scheduling group runs - it seems that a lot of individuals tend to be fair weather runners or there is never a time that accommodates everyone (or anyone). I figure if I host a small event on the weekend that would be accessible to all ranges of runners and perhaps get a local establishment in town to offer discounts on food and/or beer after that more people might come out.

3.) Run a marathon+ distance the day after Thanksgiving (what better day to carb load?)

4.)Hit 250 miles for the month of November. Preferably, I would like all these miles to be outdoors. I know in the upcoming months that ice may impact the ability to run outside 100% of the time but I want to avoid the dreadmill as much as possible.