Planning for a better 2016

I’ve had plenty of time to think about how I’d like 2016 to be. Aside from the obvious things I'd like, such as continued health for myself and my family, and staying gainfully employed, I came up with a few things I'd like to see happen in 2016:

Building strength

My body has turned to mush during my time on the bench.  I haven’t lifted weights, done any crunches, lunges, squats or of course running.  I need to build strength in not only my injured ankle, but both upper body, core and lower body.  In other words, I need an overhaul!  I’m planning to hit the weights hard when I get back from my sales conference after the first week of January.

Eating clean

I’d like to see what my body is capable of – not just how good I would look in a smaller size, but how much better I can perform during training and racing by eating better and weighing less. I already saw firsthand when I lost weight back in 2013 how much faster I got in a short period of time, just dropping 15-20 lbs.  I need to somehow shift my mindset about food being fuel and not just something to enjoy for fun when I'm bored. Unfortunately this will involve sacrifice and willpower, which are not my strong suits.

Races to run!

I want to run them all! See my race schedule to view the full list of what’s on deck for next year, but I plan to stay busy!  Definitely going to do venture to NV for Hot Chocolate Las Vegas, do another Ragnar (of course!) , pick up 2 new states (TX) for Rock n Roll Dallas to fundraise for St. Jude (check out my fundraising page!), and VT for the Mad Marathon (half) this summer!  I also picked out my replacement full  - Revel Canyon in CA next November! I think this should be a good one! Still chasing the elusive goal of a new marathon PR (under 4:24) and I just need to knock like 30-45 seconds off of my 1:50 half marathon PR and I’d be a very happy girl!!! If this clean eating thing works out, I think I can do it! 

Wishing you all a run-derful New Year!