Monday Musings

It's not 2015 yet, but I have been thinking about my blog and putting some more format to it. Meaning, certain days cover certain topics, instead of my just rambling all over the map about whatever I want whenever I want.
  I mean, it is my blog, so this is one place I can do any of that; however, I like the idea of putting more order to my thought process. Doing so  will help keep me on track a little bit in some ways.
  So, even though 2015 hasn't hit yet, and you will find some random blogs still this week, I am introducing to you my Monday Musings:
  I was searching hard for 2 "M" words that fit together. For now. that works. But, Monday Musings are going to cover the topic of running/fitness/exercise.

 If you know anything about me and have read even one of my posts, you've likely gathered that I am a runner and I am passionate about the sport and what it does for me, Perhaps my blogs on early Monday Mornings can inspire many of you, who may be setting 2015 exercise/fitness goals, to keep going with it. Let's start each week out with a bang!

 To share what my 2015 ambition is with my running is a bit frightening, because the goal is quite ambitious. But then again, a goal should be, right? Ambitious, but attainable.
 I've always said, since I began running, I don't care what my time is, I care about finishing. Who cares if I place in my age group? Somewhere along the lines of the last few months, that has changed slightly.
Perhaps because of the encouragement I get from those around me in the marathon business who believe in my crazy, silly dreams.
   Perhaps because I am more immersed in the culture and see all kinds of dreams come true.
     Perhaps just because I need a new goal with my running.

Where this new desire comes from isn't as important as what I do with it.
 So, here I say it for the world to hear it so I can keep pushing for it-
   I want to run a 2 hour,  half marathon by the end of this year. 13.1 miles in 2 hours.

For many, that is a laughable goal, because many I know can run a half marathon in an hour and a half or a little over. ( For instance, the average time of the female winners in my age group is 1 hour, 36 minutes) But for me, this is a huge, HUGE challenge. I have to work to make my time faster.  To make this goal a little more attainable, I am saying that I'd like to get to 2:15 first, and then push for the 2 hour goal.
   So, I will be doing a couple of half marathons in April and am aiming for the 2:15 mark. Mind you, this is taking over a minute off each mile for me. Not seconds, but minutes.  ( IE- I currently run around an 11 min, 15 sec pace per mile. We are talking that I have to make that be at the very least a pace of 10 min, 30 sec constant) .
  This is an ambitious goal, but one which I plan to reach. This falls among many of my goals, but for the purposes of Monday Musings, I will stop with this one for today. To achieve this, I will be doing hill training (yuck), Yasso 800's (yuck) and speed work, similar to the Yasso 800s (yuck), in addition to my regular training runs, spread out in a wise manner. All of these things I know how to do and that I should do them, but time was never my aim with my runs, so I skipped that. But it's time to implement those training methods again for the first time.
  And so Monday Musings is born. No doubt this process is going to be a journey. Today begins that journey. After taking a week off fighting sickness through the house and my own body, I decided I had to get out and run today. I'm not totally over my illness, but that being said, I do not have it nearly as bad as many. And a run always does the body good.
 So I laced up to embrace the cold, stepped out the door and breathed in the (COLD) fresh air. Yet that air felt so refreshing on my lungs.
 I coughed a bit, had a few snot rockets (sorry, those of you who are non-runners, but that's what we call it) and kept pushing my feet forward. I felt tired, but amazing. Running and fresh air have the potential to be the best cures for my body fighting sickness (done in the right fashion, of course. I had to listen to my body the first few days and rest.) But the journey of shedding this winter sickness.....and more importantly, moving towards achieving a crazy new goal....has begun.
 One day, one run, one step at a time.