May Mini Goals

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend and were able to enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!  After a beautiful hike/trail run, I celebrated with making some delicious strawberry margaritas!

So, I'll be cliche in saying that time has flown and I can't believe it's already May!  We're a week into the month, so that means it's time to recap my March/April mini goals and discuss my May goals.  Let's get to it!

March/April goals

• Strengthen my back by incorporating some strengthening moves learned in PT - FAIL
• Take exercise outdoors at least once a week - PASS
• Get to bed at a reasonable hour - PASS

The weather over the past couple of weeks has been sunny and warm, so getting outside to exercise was not a problem! :) I'm still having trouble getting in some strength work, but hoping since we're getting some rainy weather this week, I'll be motivated to do some circuit work indoors.

Mid-hike

Now onto my mini goals for May...

May goals

• Weight training - two to three times a week
• Cycling - ride at least 75 miles by the end of the month
• Running - run one mile without stopping

Even with my injuries, I am confident I'll be able to run a whole mile by the end of this month.  It doesn't seem like much, but I've been a tad conservative with my running.  I'm just worried if I do too much too soon, that I'll re-injure myself.  I've been doing a lot of walk/runs lately and I know I'll be able to run a whole mine in no time!  As for weights...  I don't know why, but I never seem to be motivated to lift.  I don't know why because I always feel great when I finish!  Cycling should be the easiest of the three goals, so I'm confident I'll be able to meet this goal by the end of the month!

Here's my workout plan for the week:

SU: 4.5 mile hike
M: Rest?  (donating platelets, so not sure how I'll feel)  Maybe weights
TU: 15-20 mile ride
W: Treadmill interval and weights or outdoor run if it's not raining
TH: Spin
F: Treadmill interval and weights or outdoor run if it's not raining
SA: Hoping to ride, but rain is in the extended forecast

Depending on how I feel after donating platelets this afternoon, I may change things up a bit.  We're expecting to get rain Wednesday through Saturday, so that puts a damper (no pun intended) on getting outdoors for a ride or run.

I'm off to run a few errands.  Have a great day!

What are your mini goals for the month?

Beautiful view from my hike

Snapshots

Picture Post (creative title, huh?)

Hi! Hopefully you're having an amazing day! I'm off to enjoy the beautiful weather with a walk, but thought I'd show you a few pictures of what I've been up to lately. I will be back soon to recap how my PMC training is coming along.

Have a great day!

Gorgeous view from my ride in Wampatuck Park

Unsweetened iced green team. Yum!

#BostonStrong

First run in a while

I'm on an avocado kick!

I <3 my city!

Seriously addicted to cereal these days!

Run for Boston

I'm sure you've seen all sorts of social media posts about ways to help the victims of the Boston Matathon bombings. I'm hear to tell you about a way the world's running community is coming together to honor those affected by Monday's tragedy -- We're just going on a run for Boston. No matter the distance, if you're running solo or in a group, just please get out and run for Boston. I know you won't regret it!

A Prayer for Boston

My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by today's tragedy at the Boston Marathon. Go home and hold your loved ones tight!

Sunday Funday

Here we are again - Sunday night! This weekend went really quickly and I didn't do much of anything. I'm okay with that. :) Saturday was spent cleaning and organizing. I made sure to get in lots of stretching and foam rolling. Since I was still pretty sore yesterday, I took another rest day.

After much procrastination, I went for a bike ride this afternoon. It was my longest ride to date - 11 miles. I still have a way to go, but I was happy with my ride. I actually wanted to ride farther, but I was just too cold! I started off at Millennium Park and made my way down to the Charles River. I had read online that there was a bike path along the river in Dedham, but was a bit disappointed to find the path was only maybe a half mile! Maybe I was in the wrong place, but I made the best of the situation. I ended up riding in some nice neighborhoods with a few hills.

View of the river

After about 40 minutes of riding, I headed back to the park to get in some more hills. I hit some pretty tough headwinds a few times, but I survived! I can't wait to go out for another ride later in the week. I'm getting hooked on cycling!

When I got home from my ride, I was famished. I just finished dinner and am watching a little TV before I foam roll for the last time today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday and make sure you get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is the most exciting day of the year! I'll be volunteering at the mile 17 water stop and I can't wait!

Have a good night!

It's Official

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but this week has flown!  Let me back up to yesterday afternoon. I went to the park and rode eight hilly miles. The weather ended up being much nicer than I had expected (which was cool and rainy), so I opted for a bike ride instead of the treadmill workout I had originally planned.

So, it's official... I love cycling! I know I'm still new to the sport, but cycling is by far, my favorite activity. I've always loved spinning, but cycling outdoors with the wind in my face (cheesy, I know!) is amazing! I also feel no pain in my lower back when I ride, which is awesome! I never thought I'd enjoy cycling so much and I'm excited to incorporate riding as cross training.

After my ride, I took a quick shower and headed over to PMC headquarters for a volunteer meeting. I'm volunteering at the Command Center the day before my ride and we met to discuss logistics for the day. It was a great opportunity to meet the other volunteers and it got me pumped for volunteering!

I started my Friday with a nice, hot cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito. Yum!  Have you tried the Ezekiel tortillas?  They are my favorite because they seem to be the only tortillas that don't fall apart when used for burritos.  My breakfast fueled me through paying bills and filing my taxes.  After finishing my paperwork, I took a stretch and foam rolling break. I had planed on running today, but I still felt super tight and felt I should take a rest day.  The rest of my afternoon was spent at Trader Joe's and a visit with my mom.

What do you have planned for this weekend?  I am going out for a 90 minute ride (hopefully tomorrow). I've been researching bike paths in the area and can't wait to go on my adventure!