2013 Fitness "Goals"

What is the start to a new year if you don't at least think about some goals that you would like to work towards, right?  I realize I'm a little late to the game - but hey, it's still January!

1. Half-marathon.  I want to race one. Period.  I need to get and keep my legs healthy.  My running speed has seen the benefit of my cross-training and I really feel that an 8:30 - 8:15 HMP  is achievable.  I would LOVE to accomplish that this spring!  The Windermere Half is May 19th.  I may look to see if I can find out in April or even late March though
2. Bloomsday.  Another goal that I am starting to feel is reachable is a 1 hour or sub-1 hour 12K.  Bloomsday is a tough course with some hills, but it would be a great warm-up to the Windermere Half.
3. Continue cross-training and building strength.  I've been doing a variety of programs most based on either high intensity intervals or cross-training or both.  I love how my body has changed and gotten stronger by adding this to my running.  This needs to be a consistent part of my fitness routine!
4. Maintain. Maintain. Maintain.  I am finally back to pre-pregnancy weight.  Maybe not quite to pre-pregnancy size, but that's ok.  I've had three babies - it's not going to be the same!  I want to continue to be DISCIPLINED and build healthy habits so that maintaining my weight, fitness, and health is a part of my every day routine!

There you have it... short and sweet for 2013.  Now to work on my training plans to set myself up for success with #1 and #2!

Prayer life

In my post about goals, one of the main ones was about my prayer life.  Being that it is Lent, I've been pondering ALOT about this and mostly about my "failure" to meet it.  I intend every day to set aside a few minutes to pray the Rosary (or even a decade) with my girls (even if they play while I say it), or read all or part of the Liturgy of the Hours, or get up early to make it to daily Mass just once in a week, or ... the list goes on

I know I've got those five, ten, or fifteen minutes because hey... I'm having that time to write about it here, right?!

What I'm realizing is two things... First, as a Mom, most of the time you can't "intend" to do something. You just have to do it... does that make sense?  By the time you think about it and plan to do it, the moment and time that you were given for doing it is passed.  I need to get better at seizing those five minutes to say hello to God when they are presented to me.

The second thing I realize was articulated well to me in a post I read today titled "Pray like a Mom, not a Nun" ... "The thing is, my life doesn’t allow for me to pray Liturgy of the Hours every day, say a rosary on a whim, attend daily Mass or spend an hour in adoration every day.  That doesn’t make me less of a follower of Christ.  No, I actually think knowing my limitations and finding God throughout the day allows me to be the kind of Mom he envisions.  I like to say my prayer life is organic.  It changes every day, depending upon where I’m called as a Mom."

So here's my new goal for this Tuesday.  To first and foremost doing a better job of finding God throughout my day and secondly to seizing those moments (not just intending to seize those moments) He does give me to sit down and turn my whole mind and heart to Him, if even only for one minute.

Lauren - 3 months

Goals...

ok - so I've never been a big one for new year's resolutions.  I always figure if you need to make a change just start making it!  As I've gotten older, I'm starting to see the attraction of a new calendar year giving incentive to make some changes...  I would also say that this year, having Lauren just before the first of the year adds even more incentive for me.  In the interest of holding myself accountable for some of the changes I want to make, I want share some of my goals for the upcoming months/year.

I've broken them into categories:

Faith

This is one that I need so much work on!!  Two books I've read recently that have given me significant food for thought are "The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese of Lisieux and "The Family that Overtook Christ" about the family of St. Bernard... I see how much room I have to improve on the love for Christ - and it seems from reading their stories that cultivating a deeper love of Christ so much follows from it.  But try and be succinct in my goals:

1. Through prayer, reading, meditation, recieving the Eucharist, etc. cultivate and grow my relationship and love of Christ
2. Make morning prayer with my girls a standard of our day
3. Set aside some time to pray with Carl (besides just at meal times and bedtime with the girls!!)
4. Continue to read books that nourish my mind and soul and don't provide just entertainment!

Family

1. More patience with my girls... this has taken a nose-dive since I had Lauren but at some point I need to quit using that as an excuse!
2. More patience with Carl... ok, not that he really does much that requires patience but being that he is the only other adult in the house he tends to get the brunt of my frustration, impatience, etc. at the end of a day... I'm sure many can relate, but I still need to work on it!!
3. I've been working really hard on structure in my life, my house, etc. and want to continue to make that a goal.  The girls seem to be thriving more on knowing what our days look like.  This has been a little (ok, a lot) more haywire since Lauren was born but it's slowly coming back to a regular routine.
4. Eradicating the idea that I am EVER "caught up on laundry"... it just doesn't happen and as soon as I think this, I take a few days "off" ... and have over-flowing hampers again.  I need to pound the idea "staying on top of" laundry into my head... this implies a continuous process and is so much more conducive!
   

Nutrition

1. Eat better!!  I love all the foods that just aren't good for me and not helpful in getting rid of this baby weight!  I want to get better at eating good, introducing more vegetables to our diets, and maybe getting the pantry cleaned out of all the "snacks" that sabotage good eating. :)
2. Make a meal plan.  This relates to the first item, but I find when I take the time to make a meal plan we eat better, I'm more prepared, and so much less "frustrated" at meal times!
3. I've been considering trying a paleo "diet" for a while to break my dependence on breads and other carbs/grains... I LOVE bread but eat way to much of it.  My sister has been trying this and feels so much better (but she has rheumatoid arthritis and so is doing it for different reasons).

Fitness

1. My over-arching goal is just to be comfortable in my own skin again - which hasn't been the case since I had Karen. 
2. Working on being able to do 100 pushups (and hopefully a pull-up or two)!!
3. There are several runs I would like to do:

• St. John Hog Jog - 5 mile run in late April
• Bloomsday - 7.46 mile run the first weekend of May
• Windermere Half Marathon - the middle of May
• Race the River - Sprint Triathlon (oh my!!) - late July
• Dirty Dash - sometime this summer
• Another run or two into the fall to keep my running moving forward!