Happy Tuesday!

Well, my first day of the Joy Journal went well.  Some of my goals I met and others I didn't.  Here's how I did.

Exercise: I only was able to do 13 miles of cardio today.  I normally take River for 3 walks, but I only took her for 2.  I did lift weights and I felt really good being back in the gym and working towards my goals.

Nutrition:  I got my 5 servings of fruits and veggies.  I felt better since I was back on my regular eating schedule.  The holidays really threw my system out of whack by eating junky food.

Personal: I was able to read for 40 minutes because I did the Recumbent bike yesterday.  That was really nice!  I completed several small acts of kindness throughout the day.  The two things I liked about myself yesterday was that I stayed focus.  I overslept and I could have just skipped the gym, but I made myself go and I was glad I did.  I also liked that I had a lot of energy yesterday.  That was a combination of the exercise and the food.

House: I didn't get anything done around the house excpet dinner in the crockpot.  The morning just slipped away from me.

The highlight of my day was when I got him I asked James if he liked the soup.  He's response was, "YES!  It's the best dinner I've ever had in my whole life!"  That really ended my day on a good note.

Today my goals are as follows:

Exercise: 6 miles of cardio

Nutrition: Remember to take my vitamins and get 3 servings of dairy in today.  I tend to let that slide and I need the calcium.

Personal: Read for 20 minutes
                Find one part of my body that I like
                Write Mike a love note telling him how much I appreciate and love him

House: Get that kitchen table cleaned off and start organizing the kitchen

My morning has started off okay so we'll see how the rest of the day goes!  Have a happy day!

Happy New Year!

I took a break from writing to try to get things ready for the holidays and then I had swim meets.  But I'm back and with a whole new outlook!

I don't make resolutions for the new year.  I don't believe they work and I rarely stick with them.  Instead this year I'm keeping a Joy Journal.  Each night before I go to bed I'm setting goals for the next day in various areas like nutrition, exercise, personal, household, etc.  Then I will reflect on that day and assess if I reached my goals or not.  Today is my first day using the journal.

My goals that I set last night were as follows:

Exercise: Get 15 miles of cardio done.
Nutrition: Have 5 servings of fruits and veggies.
Personal: Do something nice for a stranger
                Find 2 things that I like about myself
                Read 15 minutes
Household: Get the kitchen table cleared off from the week

I think by taking the time to reflect on the day and setting up the next day in a more positive way I will feel better about myself and have a positive outlook.  I hope to share my year with you.  My goals, my struggles, my successes and my setbacks.  I am really looking forward to this year and doing this activity.  It will require committment on my part and 15 minutes in the evening to relfect and set up for the next day.  I think my daily goals will evolve as well.  I can't wait to look back in  my journal at the end of the year to see how far I've come.

Enjoy your Monday and find your joy today!

Oktoberfest Thanksgiving 5k

I just ran a new personal best by over a mintue!  I'm so excited about that too!!!!!

For two weeks I've been trying to get my bruised ankle to feel good running.  Monday I had the worst run ever.  Wednesday wasn't much better.  I took the rest of the week off and rested it so it could heal up a bit.  I guess it paid off.  I ran a 31:25 today on a route that is hilly.

Mike is in Ohio so I had to run without a cheering section.  His brother did get up and meet me at the finish line and drive me to the starting line so my car would be at the finish.  I didn't want to have to wait for the parade to finish before I could come home.  I really appreciate that he did that.  I made him a pecan pie for Thanksgiving so it evened out.

I decided that I was going to dress up for this race.  It's a fun race and since we run the parade route there are a ton of people.  I decided to be Wonder Woman.  So yesterday I hit the Halloween store and put together my costume.

It was cold this morning so I had to dig out my winter running clothes.  Luckily I had just bought a few long sleeve running shirts for the winter and one of them was red.  It workout out well.

I felt pretty good the whole race.  The route was hilly, but I knew that going in as it was my 3rd year running this race.  I like running this race because the people there for the parade make a great cheer squad.  I did see James along the route.  He was excited to see me. He said he really wants to run it next year.  We'll have to see though.

When I crossed the finish line I had to keep checking my watch to make sure the time was right.  I looked at the clock to make sure as well.  I still can't believe I ran a personal best.  I'm closing in on that 30 minute goal. 

Saturday I sat down and mapped out my training schedule for the next year.  I have 3 goal races I'm looking at so I wanted to see how I was going to train.  My first goal race is the Robbie Burns 8k in January.  The next one is the Chocolate Race 10k in May and the last one is the Zoo Run 10k in September.  I have a lot of other 5k and 10k races sprinkled in there to keep me focused, but these are my goal races. 

Next week I'm giving my ankle one more week off and just hitting the bike in the gym.  The following week I'm back to running and weights.  My next race is the Zombie Race on the 27th.  That's just a fun race though.

I'm gearing up for another great running season!

Today though, I'm going to enjoy my Thanksgiving and relax.

Happy Thanksgiving!