This week’s Yoga video was inspired by the much needed courage, strength and motivation for the work week. This video aloud me to take in all the positive breath and exhale all the negative energy. It helps keep my mind clear and focused. Yoga is awesome for keeping a positive outlook on life and I am so grateful to have found something that makes me feel calm, relaxed and successful. This one has a lot of planks and downward facing dog, so be sure you are ready!

Enjoyed a proud moment of completing another virtual 5K Run for 2021! My time and energy have definitely improved since my last 5K.

See below for my overall time and average pace. The information can also be found in the “Running Events” page to compare improvement. Consistency is feeling and looking great on me!

Feeling good so far this week. This weeks “Yoga with Adriene” is called “Root to Rise”, which has allowed me to focus on building a foundation for stability. When doing yoga I tend do we kind of wobbly so this video really helped me establish some type of balance. At least this is how I felt.
Lots of breathing for a calm relaxing mood, then she gets into some advanced poses while you focus on maintaining balance. A wall or chair will help if you struggle like I do! 

This week’s yoga video is devoted to a runner’s recovery. My legs have been really sore lately, even with me doing more walking then running. I continuously roll out my legs and hips but I am still suffering quite a bit. I am turning to yoga for some stress free recovery.

I enjoyed this video a lot! I got some new stretches in and finally got my back to crack! Relief!!!

As part of my February goals, I have committed to tracking at least one yoga video per week. I have dedicated Wednesday to be my yoga day! After doing some research, I have came to the conclusion that my weak hips and weak core are the cause for my increased pain in my shins. Today’s video was dedicated to my hips and hamstrings. The video, “Yoga with Adrienne” also introduced some light core stretches. Although this video was a little advanced for me, it really helped open up my hips and offered a very generous stretch causing my hips to crack and release some pressure. I would recommend the video for individuals who are more advanced in their yoga practice. Check it out below if your interested.

“Set your goals high and don’t stop until you get there”.

Bo Jackson

Mileage Goal – 105 Miles

• Incorporate 30 minute running sessions at least 3 days during the work week (morning/evening)
• Utilize breaks/lunches at work everyday (Monday-Friday)
• Incorporate one day a week to complete the long run (Sunday)
• Listen to your body and rest when needed
• Be okay with taking a day to do nothing if needed

Note: Mileage goal is the same total total as January. No increase due to February being a short month.

Yoga – One Weekly Video Session

• Designate one day a week to commit to a yoga video session (Wednesday) & post about it
• Continue to do freestyle yoga stretches as needed

Decrease Eating Out – No Chip Eating

• Grocery shop on the weekends
• Plan meals ahead of time
• Commit to bringing lunch to work
• Eat breakfast at home before going to work
• Limiting alcohol intake with help with the munchies
• Go to bed at a reasonable time to allow plenty of rest for cooking meals, be less tired
• Be creative when cooking
• Do not deprive yourself, indulge when needed
• Chips are your enemy, do not buy chips

Note: You ate out 16 times in January. This month’s goal will be to cut that in half. The limit for eating out this month is 8!!!

Decrease Alcohol Intake

• Decrease number of alcoholic beverages in a setting
• Be creative while increasing water intake
• Do not buy alcohol during the week
• Don’t force the drinking
• Read your alcohol book again
• Use alternatives to substitute alcohol

Water Intake – Daily Minimum is 96

• Use water jugs to measure water intake
• Drink 32 oz before work every morning
• Drink 64 oz at work everyday
• Do not allow water to get boring, be creative with fresh flavoring

Now that January is over, it is time to document this months accomplishments and set backs. The purpose of logging is to be able to hold myself accountable while making new goals for February. This will give me a chance to reflect and move forward. I started this year keeping track of mileage, yoga, eating out and alcohol/water intake. This post will reveal all outcomes.

---

Running/Mileage

• Total Mileage for January is 105 Miles
• Longest Mileage while Running/or Walking is 7 Miles
• Longest Mileage, Running Only is 4 Miles
• Completed 5K (Organized Run)

Note: This was a great start for my first month and I am proud. I will focus on increasing mileage & speed for February. I will also complete another 5K (Organized Run). Go slow but push a little harder. During January, my shins and my right leg has some pain where I needed to rest more than I would have liked however I am still on target to complete 2021k this year. Great start!

Yoga

• 2 Yoga Sessions Completed
• Freestyle Yoga Completed Weekly

Note: Set a goal to increase yoga to help with recovery and to prevent injuries.

Eating Out

Restaurant/or Food Type	Meal	How Many Times
My Garden Cafe	Breakfast	2
Panera	Lunch	1
Pizza	Dinner	2
Panda Express	Dinner	1
In & Out	Dinner	1
Mexican Restaurant	Lunch	1
Chipotle	Dinner	1
Fresh Fork	Lunch	1
McDonald’s	Breakfast/or Dinner	5
Taco Bell	Lunch	1

Note: Not all eating out was bad. Some orders were more healthier that others, As I move forward, I will focus on my McDonald’s food, Panda Express & Pizza.

Alcohol/Water Intake

• 25 Beers
• Minimum Daily Water Intake is 64 oz.
• Maximum Daily Water Intake is 128 oz.

Note: My water intake is definitely on target. I noticed the days I drank alcohol, I had less water (something to remember). The 25 beers I drank were over 5 days. Work to decrease alcohol consumption when choosing to unwind with a beer.

It’s been a about a week since I last posted anything, so tonight it’s all about keeping the momentum alive and staying committed to my goals!

As I am nearing the end of my first month of getting back in the running scene I have been reflecting on my achievements and my set backs this month. It’s important that I call them set backs and not regrets because they serve as a reminder of what I need to work on for my February goals.

It has been difficult logging mileage with the rain and the dreadful treadmill, however I have managed to power through it. Tomorrow will be the day to document my full reflections, but for now I close out tonight with a photo on how I am feeling at this very moment.

Today I completed my first running event of the year! I had up until March 7th to complete the virtual challenge but without really thinking about it, I decided to complete it today. No better day to run this challenge than on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I would have ran with my shirt/medal but they are actually in the mail and have not arrived yet. The picture above is my running completion certificate. I was registered for the 5k run, which is 3.10 miles. Although this was not my best 5k run, I am proud to report that I completed this run without stopping. It has been a while since I could run this amount of distance, nonstop. It felt good to run with no pain, finally! The yoga and stretching have paid off!

These virtual runs are a little lonely but they are still well worth the effort. I miss running with a crowd of people cheering you on, hopefully we can get that back real soon. I was still able to log in and see everyone else who ran today and compare myself to others. I need to be careful when comparing though, there are a lot of advanced runners out there! I am happy to see what my next 5k result will be. I will continue to train and build my speed. I am hoping the next one is under 35 minutes. Stay tuned!

As I finish the first 2 weeks of tracking, I am reflecting on my speed, my mileage and my motivation. At 2 weeks, I have logged 50.05 miles so far. This is a great start! My speed is nothing to brag about but it’s definitely progress. In comparison to last year around this time, I have more miles however it is with less actual running. I need to constantly remind myself that the speed will come and to not feel discouraged. Sometimes you need to walk in order to stay in the game with no injuries!

Today was a weigh in day for me. I have decided to post my progress on designated days. My commitment to myself and this blog is to weigh in on the 1st and the 15th of every month.

Weigh ins went well this morning. There was not a lot of pounds shed but more inches lost, which in hind sight is good but it’s always nice to see the scale move too. In the past, this has always caused me to lose motivation, let’s try not to let this happen again (I remind myself). As of right now, I am not on a special diet, I basically try to fuel myself with food that will allow me to not lose motivation and to help me to keep moving forward with my running goals. This has really helped me, if I eat bad, I’ll feel bad.

For weigh in information, please check back at my “Progress” page in the menu.

In the past 2 weeks I have attempted to develop a running/walking schedule in order to stay on track with my 2021k goals. Since then, I have also registered for some additional runs to help keep me moving and to increase my mileage as well as speed. For more information on these organized runs, please see my “Events” page. Registering for runs has always kept me on track in the past, I just need to make time for them. Making it past January with my motivation in tact is the goal right now and having this blog has really allowed me to move forward. No regrets.