2012 Goals: H2 Review

I was previously posting a monthly review of my 2012 goals but the past few months have been so crazy busy I haven't had a chance. Below is a look back on my progress in the last few months, and how I'm averaging for the year. Can you believe the year is half over?? Wow.

Here are my goals through June by category:

Health

• Floss regularly: B - I'm getting pretty good at this flossing thing! My dental hygienist friends would be so proud!
• Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night: B - After being counseled for an hour on my poor sleep and stress management habits by a doctor I was seeing about some weird headaches I've been having, I decided to make a major change to my sleep strategy. Go to bed earlier, sometimes use a sleep mask and ear plugs, and listen to a sleep meditation app when I'm having trouble falling asleep. I'm getting close to 7 hours each night now, a few times I've gotten 8 or 9. WOW!
• Eat more vegetables: A - Veggies/salads with lunch and dinner are a norm now!
• Eat less processed food: B - less processed food in general, but still loving my Trader Joe's meatballs!!

Fitness

• Register for less races and focus more on quality training: B - Registered for a couple new races for the rest of the year. Ran the Coronado 15K on the 4th of July, and I'm registered for the Color Run in San Diego in November. (Join our team Glam Runner - Tutu Fun and save on registration!!)
• Incorporate strength training into my routine at least twice a week: F - I'm giving up on this until further notice.
• Bike at least twice a week (once indoors, once outdoors): N/A - Now that my bike race is behind me my main focus is running! Three marathons coming up this year!
• Do Bikram Yoga at least twice a month: F - Between travel and work and running and volunteering, I just haven't been able to make it.
• Run a 3:55 full marathon: TBD
• Run a 1:45 half marathon: TBD
• Complete at least one triathlon (preferably Olympic distance): TBD
• Complete a century ride (100 miles): A - Completed my first endurance bike race (67 miles) in May and I'm preparing to do my Century at the end of the year.

Life

• Get to work by 8-8:30am regularly (instead of 9am): B - I'm doing a bit better!
• Develop a personal branding statement: TBD
• Manage my expenses better: 
• Attend church regularly: D - Went once in June with Christine & Todd. First time I've been in months! I've been listening to the podcast instead.
• Play the piano at least once a week: F - I never have time! I'm going to make this a priority once David moves here.

General

• Continue to work to improve on everything I do: B

My report card for the first half of the year

 

Looking back over the first half of the year, I'm averaging in at a solid C. I feel that I've made improvements in some areas, and in others where I'm failing I think the goal just wasn't reasonable. With that said, I'm adjusting for the back half of the year. (This was a great suggestion from Christine!) I will drop the goals that I know I just won't make a priority, and I'm going to add a few new ones in. Stay tuned! Hoping to make the honor roll next month.

2012 Goals: Month 3 Review

Its hard to believe that the first quarter of the year has already come and gone! I think this is going to be the fastest year ever with everything that I have going on in life. Busy weeks, busy weekends, followed by more busy weeks, etc. I feel like I fell off track in March with a lot of things but I'm starting to get everything  under control again.

Here are my goals through March by category:

Health

• Floss regularly: D - I've been going to bed late and have been so tired and lazy I've been skipping flossing most nights.
• Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night: F - I've been staying up late to get a million things done and have been getting 4-6 hours of sleep. In the past week I've managed to get 7 hours of sleep though so there is hope for me!
• Eat more vegetables: A - Veggies/salads with lunch and dinner are a norm now!
• Eat less processed food: B -I'm back on the crack train of Trader Joe's turkey meatballs, but I'm eating less of the garbage that appears in my office kitchen. (Girl Scout cookies and such)

Fitness

• Register for less races and focus more on quality training: A - I didn't sign up for any races all through March! Yay me!
• Incorporate strength training into my routine at least twice a week: F - I've stopped doing strength training all together. I need to get back on it!
• Bike at least twice a week (once indoors, once outdoors): C - I've stopped riding my indoor trainer during the week and have just been running. I have been keeping up with my weekend long rides though.
• Do Bikram Yoga at least twice a month: F - Between travel and running and cycling on the weekends I haven't had time to go at all!
• Run a 3:55 full marathon: TBD
• Run a 1:45 half marathon: TBD
• Complete at least one triathlon (preferably Olympic distance): TBD
• Complete a century ride (100 miles): TBD - I'm attempting a near "metric century" ride this Sunday! 

Life

• Get to work by 8-8:30am regularly (instead of 9am): D - I'm slowly getting better at this.
• Develop a personal branding statement: TBD
• Manage my expenses better: B - I'm set up on mint.com now! Love that I have a negative net worth since I no longer own a home (yet I'm still paying off a loan on its loss when it sold) and I have several student loans from my MBA.
• Attend church regularly: C -I haven't been back since the 2nd week but I've been watching the weekly podcast of the service. I've started to get behind on reading the Message, but hope to catch up this month. 
• Play the piano at least once a week: F - I never have time! I'm making tutus with any free moments I have. This month I will try to play at least once. Just one day!

General

• Continue to work to improve on everything I do: B - I'm always trying!

My report card for the month - eek, not looking too good!

 
 

2012 Race Schedule

Last year I somehow ended up signing up and completing 21 races. Why so many? I have no idea! I had a core set of races that I wanted to do, and then I signed up for several others because I had a great discount, and then I signed up for a couple more because I got to do them for free, and then my racing friends (you know who you are!) talked me into several more. I was on a race binge! While its fun to race and I think I push myself much harder on a race day than a training day, there were several occasions where racing meant that I wasn't getting in the same type of quality/distance training that I should have to prepare for my longer distance races.

This year I made not signing up for as many races one of my New Year's Goals. (More on my blog 2012 Goals.) My primary race goals for the year have been:

• to sign up for less races
• to run the SF Marathon
• to run a 3:55 marathon (most likely CIM)
• to run a 1:45 half marathon (not sure which race will be best for that)
• to complete an Olympic distance triathlon (signed up for one in September)
• to complete a century ride (100 miles)

Since I'm a San Francisco Marathon Ambassador, my first full marathon for the year is going to be the SF Marathon in July. Last week I also signed up for CIM (in December) when race registration opened  since I figured it was my best chance for a new PR, but then in the flurry of excitement of the Marine Corps Marathon registration opening (for only 2 1/2 hours before it sold out!) I somehow registered for that as well so now I once again have three full marathons on the books for this year just like last year. 

Last week I also finally registered for several races I knew I wanted to do throughout the remainder of the year, and finally by Thursday of last week I felt that my 2012 racing schedule was pretty much set, and that I knew I needed to spend the next 8 1/2 months resisting the peer pressure from friends (*cough* Tara) to sign up for any additional races. And then .... on Friday I saw that the Gran Fondo race (a 60 mile and 100 mile bike tour) had a fluke with its discount code and suddenly the $125 registration (which included a bike jersey) was only $25. I instantly signed up figuring if I didn't end up doing the race I'd still get a free bike jersey which was probably worth about $60!

There was a flaw in my planning though when I signed up for the Gran Fondo. I've been diligently training for the San Diego Century ride on May 19th which is 66 miles. Now I've suddenly signed up for the Gran Fondo on April 15th which is 60 miles. Err wait, what kind of training is that? I also hadn't thought about all of my weekend commitments coming up. I am racing the next five weekends in a row! How am I going to squeeze my long rides in? Shoot, I am going to have to figure something out. At the very least I have endurance from all of my marathon training. Let's hope come Gran Fondo race day it all comes together for me.

Here is my 2012 planned race lineup:

January 2012

• Resolution Run 15K - new 15K PR!
• Carlsbad Marathon - completed!

February 2012

• No races :-O

March 2012

• March 18th - Super Seal Sprint Triathlon (did this last year)
• March 25th - Oakland Half Marathon (Registered for 50% off and its an excuse to go home to the Bay Area)

 April 2012

• Carlsbad 5K - Everyone has always raved about this race to me and how fun it is. I also saw a $15 registration deal. How could I pass that up?
• Hollywood Half Marathon - Got a special registration deal on this AND my cousin Giselle is going to do it as well!
• Gran Fondo - 60 mile bike race with a jersey that I couldn't pass up on for $26

May 2012

• Vancouver Half Marathon - I'm going to be in Vancouver for a week for work and wouldn't you know, the race starts and finishes a few blocks from my hotel! Granted I'll be there for a tradeshow and I'm going to end up being an hour late for that day. Shh ... it will all work out! Also, Christina will be coming up from Seattle to run the race. Fun!
• San Diego Century - 66 mile ride which is considered a "metric century". Heard good things about this "tour" aka non-competitive ride from my friend Todd last year

June 2012

• No races, Time to really start focusing on my marathon and triathlon training.

July 2012

• San Francisco Marathon - whoo hoo! This will be my 2nd year running as an Ambassador, my 3rd year running the full, and my 4th year completing this event (Ran the half in 2010)
• Will ease off the biking and swimming a bit to run, run, run.

August 2012

•  No races. Time to continue on with my marathon training to prepare for Marine Corps and to pick back up with biking and swimming.

September 2012

•  San Diego Triathlon Classic - My first Olympic distance triathlon! Eek! This will be the longest triathlon I'll have done to date. 1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run

October 2012

• Marine Corps Marathon - My third time running this race! I'm sad that David won't be running with me like the first two times I ran, but excited that Tara and Christina will be running.

November 2012

• No races. Time to get serious about CIM in December! Will focus on speedwork from September on through December to try to go after a new marathon PR of 3:45 -3:55.

December 2012

• California International Marathon (CIM) - Whoo hoo! Finishing up the year strong I hope! I finally broke 4 hours last year and squeaked in with a 3:57 thanks to the help of my friend Jenny. I'm hoping to shave ever more time off this year. I was on track for a 3:45 finish up until mile 18 last year when I fell apart mentally. I know I have a 3:45 in me, I just need to keep it all together.

So in total for the year I'll be doing:

• 3 full marathons
• 3 half marathons
• 2 bike races
• 2 triathlons
• 1 15K
• 1 5K

With 12 races total compared to my 21 last year, I hope that training and focus leads to another year of PRs!

Are you doing any of these races?

How do you resist signing up for races on an impulse? Am I alone in that problem? :)

2012 Goals: Month 2 Review

Wow, how did February go by so fast? This year is flying by! As I did at the end of January (more on my blog here), I'd like to review my 2012 goals by month. I have a feeling I'm wrapping up this month with another C ... but all is not lost! I think everything will fall into place better in March.

Reviewing my 2012 goals, here is how I ranked by in February category.

Health

• Floss regularly: B - Probably doing so 4x per week
• Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night: F - I'm using a sleep app on my iPhone called Sleep Cycle and I have only slept more than 6 hours once! I think the record was 7 hours.
• Eat more vegetables: A - I've made sure to have veggies at lunch & dinner
• Eat less processed food: A - I did a week long Whole Foods cleanse where I ate mostly fruits and vegetables, a lot of protein, and no processed food. This week really helped me break my sugar and salt addiction which had spiraled out of control.

Fitness

• Register for less races and focus more on quality training: A - I've resisted so many race deals which have popped up in my inbox! I did register for the following races this month that I'd be planning on though. March - Super Seal Sprint Triathlon, May - Vancouver Half Marathon, September - San Diego Triathlon Classic, December - California International Marathon. These last four races might the the end of my additions for the whole year! We'll see!
• Incorporate strength training into my routine at least twice a week: D - I ended up only doing core workouts the first week of the month (3 of 14 planned days), and then they died out after that.
• Bike at least twice a week (once indoors, once outdoors): B - Completed 8 of 11 planned days and worked my way up to 40 miles!
• Do Bikram Yoga at least twice a month: A -Went twice! I think I'll be going more in March since I now have a package of classes at a studio closer to my house.
• Run a 3:55 full marathon: TBD
• Run a 1:45 half marathon: TBD
• Complete at least one triathlon (preferably Olympic distance): TBD - Signed up for an Olympic Distance in September! Also swam on 2 of my 4 planned Monday sessions.
• Complete a century ride (100 miles): TBD

Life

• Get to work by 8-8:30am regularly (instead of 9am): F - Utter fail. Only made it to work before 8:30am once. BUT...this will totally change now that I'm coaching Girls on the Run again and have to get to work earlier so I can leave earlier twice a week.
• Develop a personal branding statement: TBD - Haven't worked on this but did write my first draft TED talk! More on my blog: Learning to Give a TED Talk, Or to just listen to the talk: check it out on youtube.
• Manage my expenses better: B -Thanks to my annual bonus I've paid off some debt and have developed a clearer financial strategy for the year.
• Attend church regularly: D -Well, after making it to church the first two weekends in January, I haven't been back since. I have been watching the podcast weekly though and I'm also on track with my bible-in-a-year attempt so far! I'm reading "The Daily Message: Through the Bible in One Year"
• Play the piano at least once a week: F -With everything I have going on I haven't had a chance to make time to relax and play the piano. My nights are filled with Glam Runner and Girls on the Run duties ... but March will be different!

General

• Continue to work to improve on everything I do: A -Although my scores don't reflect it, I feel like February was a great month!

How are you doing with your 2012 goals and resolutions?

2012 Goals: Month 1 Review

Now that we're a few days into February, I thought I'd take a look at the goals I had set for 2012 and see how I did in January. Off the top of my head I think I'd give myself a C+, which is not great. The month whizzed by and certain things I put off until "next week" turned into being put off until next month! I'd like to get back on track for February though and hope for A+ months going forward.

Reviewing my 2012 goals, here is how I ranked by category.

Health

• Floss regularly: C - Probably doing so 3x per week
• Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night: D - Probably doing so 1x per week
• Eat more vegetables: A - I've made sure to have veggies at lunch & dinner
• Eat less processed food: B - I'm eating more fresh foods, but can't quit the Trader Joe's frozen turkey meatballs. Do they contain crack?

Fitness

• Register for less races and focus more on quality training: A - I've resisted registering for the Mermaid Run Half Marathon, San Dieguito Half Marathon, La Jolla Half Marathon, and the Super Seal Triathlon. The only one there is a good chance of me doing is Super Seal. Although it might sell out by the time I decide.
• Incorporate strength training into my routine at least twice a week: D - Out of my 16 planned core workouts over the past 5 weeks I have done 6.
• Bike at least twice a week (once indoors, once outdoors): A - Out of 10 planned bike rides I've completed 9! 5 indoors on my trainer, 4 outside.
• Do Bikram Yoga at least twice a month: F - I have yet to make it to yoga this year
• Run a 3:55 full marathon: TBD
• Run a 1:45 half marathon: TBD
• Complete at least one triathlon (preferably Olympic distance): TBD
• Complete a century ride (100 miles): TBD

Life

• Get to work by 8-8:30am regularly (instead of 9am): F - I've done this once.
• Develop a personal branding statement: TBD
• Manage my expenses better: B - I filed my taxes already and am going to start using Mint.com this weekend.
• Attend church regularly: C - I've gone twice and watched the podcast twice
• Play the piano at least once a week: F - Haven't done this yet. Hope to start this weekend.

General

• Continue to work to improve on everything I do: B - I think by consciously tracking my goals I'm on the right track!

Without weighting the different goals, my overall grade for January is a C. Ouch! Let's hope for more A's and B's next month!

How are you doing with your 2012 goals and resolutions?

2012 Goals

Everyone has been posting their New Year's Resolutions this week and instead I would like to post my 2012 goals. It often seems like people (including myself) make resolutions which are things they'd like to do, maybe try a bit to do, but often don't achieve. The worst part is most people are okay with giving up on their resolutions mid-year. Goals on the other hand are something people strive to achieve and make plans for. S.M.A.R.T. goals are even better.

Resolution (def) - a resolve or determination

Goal (def) - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

Being a planner, I have specific ways I plan on achieving my 2012 goals. These goals are grouped together into the categories below.

Health

• Floss regularly
• Sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night
• Eat more vegetables
• Eat less processed food (I love you Trader Joe's frozen turkey meatballs!)
• Enjoy less vino 

Fitness

• Register for less races and focus more on quality training
• Incorporate strength training into my routine at least twice a week
• Bike at least twice a week (once indoors, once outdoors)
• Do Bikram Yoga at least twice a month
• Run a 3:55 full marathon
• Run a 1:45 half marathon
• Complete at least one triathlon (preferably Olympic distance)
• Complete a century ride (100 miles) 

Life

• Get to work by 8-8:30am regularly (instead of 9am)
• Develop a personal branding statement
• Manage my expenses better
• Attend church regularly
• Play the piano at least once a week 

 

And ... continue to work to improve on everything I do. Change is good, improvement is better.