Time to review those goals again.  How did April go?


1. Lose 5 pounds.  Well, this was again a failure.  More so than last month.  I gained .2 pounds in April.  Ah well.  I knew it was coming.  I didn't follow my plan for the first 15 days of the month and then decided the goal for the rest of the month was to just get back to where I was at the end of March.  Missed it by .2 pounds.  Onward and downward!

2. Run 25 miles. Got it!  Barely... I ran 2.5 miles on April 30th to get me to 25.4 miles for the month of April.  The two 10ks I ran this month really helped because I was slacking on the weekday runs.  I don't know why.  It seems like I need a big race goal, i.e. a half marathon, to get me running more consistently.  The positive is I still got those 25 miles in even if it was at the very last minute.

3. Bike 40 miles.  Oops.  Missed this goal for the month.  Ended up with 26ish miles.  We haven't gone outside on a ride yet, still using the stationary bike either at home or at the gym.  First month this year I haven't met the biking goal.  Which is funny since I hadn't planned on even starting the biking goal until April.  Well, here's to a better May!

4. More photography.  Took the camera to the Orioles Opening Day and the Phillies Opening Day. But other than that, I haven't done the best job...Though I did take a bunch of really cute pics of the kitties the other day.  Maybe I need to do a challenge for the month of May with my camera.  A photo a day?  Hmmm...

5. The big picture.  This hasn't been an issue lately.  Maybe I've gotten it in my head so well that it's natural now?  Not sure.  But, I am getting better at not letting the little things get to me.  Working hard on enjoying life as it plays out.  I'm guessing that's why I'm not stressing the above weight loss fails and the bike fail.  I have confidence it will happen.  Stressing out over it not being accomplished now will do me no good.  Focus on the positive and it will happen.  And you can read all about how here.

March Update

A quick check on the monthly goals.

1. Lose 5 pounds.

This did not happen in March.  I did lose 1.2 pounds this month, but with the races this month my eating wasn't completely on track.  Which is fine.  I'm not upset about it.  I still had a net loss for the month.  That's good enough for me!

2. Run 25 miles.

Accomplished this...and then some!  Managed 40.5 miles this month.  This is what happens when you have a long training run and a half marathon.  LOL!   It was also a great month with PRs.  I had three.  One at the Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k (36:43), The TownBank 8k (1:01:51), and the Anthem Half Marathon (2:51:15).  That last one was a PR by 25:33!  It was a good running month.

3. Bike 40 miles.

I'm estimating about 40 miles this month.  I didn't keep the best records of my stationary bike rides this month.  Oops!  But, a conservative estimate of 5 miles per gym session times going to the gym 8 times this month would mean 40 miles.  I believe it would be more, but I'll stick with 40.  

4. Increase my photography

I did ok with this.  I had the camera in Virginia Beach and did take photos.  The issue is last year I didn't run in Virginia Beach, so I had time to take LOTS of photos.  This year I took some, but not as many.  And other than that...not too many.  Hopefully with the weather getting warmer I'll get out more and use the camera.

So, there you have it.  I think I had a pretty good March overall.  I obviously could have done a bit better with my diet this month, but overall I am still down.  My running was fabulous this month and bike goals held up.  Feeling good overall for March 2012.  Onto April!

New Year's Resolutions - Bike 40 miles a month

Last summer I decided to try my hand at a duathlon.  This meant I needed a bike, which I just happened to inherit several years ago, but had done nothing with.  So, the bike got new tires and a tune-up in March and I started riding in April. 

Turns out I really enjoyed it.  I started off at the same park I started my running training at.  It was a loop that is generally used for walking or running, but whatever.  It was helpful when doing bricks during training.

The duathlon did not go as planned.  I was sorely disappointed in it, but the positive is I really enjoyed the biking I did to train.  And long after the duathlon was over, hubby and I would hit the Rail Trail and bike.  It was fun and with the weather so hot this summer, biking gave us a chance to stay active without getting too hot.

So, this year I want to bike on the weekends.  Last summer we started a routine where we ran on Saturday mornings and biked on Sunday.  I'd like to keep that going come April and get in 40 miles on the bike.  Will we be perfect every month?  Probably not, but I'm hoping that by making it a goal that we get our butts out there and ride!