Some "off" season goals

Goals for the "off" season:

A "Perfect day"

I ran outside today and "Popcorned"**  the Perfect 10 race which happened on the lakefront on my usual running route. It was a beautiful day to run with perfect running weather of around 50 degrees.  During the short 4  miles I was out there (maybe 2 miles actually within the race) I felt fat and slow which got me thinking about how to change that- especially after seeing Tera Moody fly by me with a considerable lead over the entire field of runners (she won the race and beat all the guys too!) I decided to make a list of goals and ways to become stronger and more well rounded.....

**Popcorn- Brasilian Portuguese Slang word for "Race Bandit" because you "pop" into and out of the race.

Goals:

I want to roll into 2013 feeling stronger than ever. I also want to do my best to "prevent" any more injuries, since I believe my neglect has caused a majority of them.

What I need to remember is what happened during my first year of High School Cross Country.

• I ran the first 3 mile race of the season (injured) in around 30 minutes. I spent the next 2-3 months being a gym rat  doing strength training, treading water in a pool, and not running at all until a week or 2 before the final race The last race of the season I dropped my 3 mile time to 24 minutes. BAM!  Proof strength training works. Why I always skip it is beyond me... [Insert comment about being lazy]

In order to prevent/ correct existing injuries and become a faster runner I will finally listen to the advice my wonderful  coach for the marathon told me multiple times and....... begin to strength train.

• Continue with strength training after nearly every run. Which means about 3-4 days a week.
• I've come to realize that you get out of running/working out what you put into it. Yes, I dropped my marathon time by 25 minutes because I was running a lot, but I also wasn't strength training, so I got an ITB issue and ankle issue out of simply running and not nourishing my muscles with other activities to keep them balanced.
• Incorporate other fitness activities into my routine. 
• Like Nike Training Club (because it gives a set of exercises to do with demonstrations which I find interesting), or Bikram Yoga, or even swimming (just never in lake Michigan. never). 
• Eat a bit healthier, drink less craft beers to lose the muffin top.  I've gained weight and gotten "doughy" after my marathon. 
• I've taken weeks of rest post marathons, and am no longer running 40+ miles a week- i'm lucky these days to break 10 miles total for a week. Something's gotta give. Balance is where it's at. Portion size is my vice. So is craft beer.
• Keep my running mileage on the low side, and mix in some speed work here and there.
• 20-30 miles a week tops until the injuries have sorted themselves out which gives time for strength training and much needed rest. 
• No stretching.. OK limited stretching. (For Kim)  :)
• My bad hip flexor injury was caused by stretching. I over did it. POP. Instant pain for way too long. Ever since January 2012, I no longer do static stretches.(like bend over and touch your toes). Its so easy to over do it and not realize until its too late and then youre in pain and cant lift your leg at all. (That's a lie, I'll do static Soleus muscle stretches and a few other specific area "stretches" only because I'm confident there is no way to strain whatever it is im stretching- which those end up being more like yoga poses anyways...)
• I use the first parts of my runs to warm up if im going to run fast. I never just decide to run a fast 800 'cold." After 15 minutes of easy running, Im confident I wont tear a muscle while doing a tempo run or 800 because I wasn't properly stretched out. Hasn't happened yet and I doubt it ever will.
• If I must stretch, I do dynamic stretches.  I'll do these before I hop on the tread, or sometimes after a warmup and before a half marathon or 5K. I find it would be difficult to strain something while doing a dynamic stretch, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure many people would disagree and say stretching is so incredibly necessary. To each his own.
• I want to be in the best shape of my life.
• A lean, mean, running machine haha I just want my "nice" jeans to continue to fit me. Oh, and to be able to beat all of my Daad's PR's from the past 10 years... I doubt i'll ever come close to his 16 minute 5K  from 30 years ago. Bust seriously, I just want to continue to improve and drop my times for as long as possible. Im competitive with myself.

Other Goals

• Remember to not let running take over my life.
• Hard, when I have a "running" themed blog and enjoy the sport so much. But seriously there is more to life than running, especially when it is not paying my bills.
• Keep exercising and running fun.
• Take the pup for runs more once he's healed, go for runs with friends, participate in running clubs or other fitness events in the city. Continue to take photos during my runs. 
• Challenge myself outside of "fitness."
• Become much much much better at Portuguese so I can communicate with my future in-laws Mae & Pai, and friends when I visit Brasil next year in a few short months.
• Cook more often
• Keep our apartment cleaner and better organized.
• Play with the CB dog more on days we don't run.

Injury Update:

"Off" season because Im still somewhat injured and not training for anything. After 2 weeks of half-assed strength training (consisting of squats, reps of leg extensions, some upper body weight lifting exercises I dont know the names of and the Myrtl routine) after each run, Ive noticed a HUGE difference in the way my ITB is responding on runs and in life in general. *The ITB never gave me any problems until the Fox Valley Marathon in September.*  My longest runs have topped out around 5 miles since then (with most around 2-3 miles), and now Im not experiencing the tightness or stiffness in the ITB during these runs, yet it is still present in different forms. (Like getting up after sitting with my legs crossed- it is cranky)

The ankle is still swollen and has some minor discomfort when walking in flat shoes, and while running. I've recently tried to "provoke" it (I don't recommend this. I know my limits and listen to my body and won't ever put my self in a place where I will injure myself further. No workout is worth it.) to see if it will get worse, stay the same, or even get better.**I did this with my hip flexor strain a few months after it happened because it was consistently achy even if I didnt run for a month. I had to know if running would make it worse- at that point running did not aggravate it**  Basically I start pushing the pace to do fast 400's or 800's to see what will happen during/after a run. So far it doesnt get better or worse. Maybe after a few beers I'll massage the hell out of it to see what will happen. A massage which focused on digging into my hip flexor nearly 7 months post injury finally made the achy feeling go away- also made me cry in pain at the time. So maybe a good massage is all my ankle needs. I do some peroneal tendon exercises a few times a day, but i'm not feeling any benefit so far.

I now need to print this out and post it everywhere- my office, my bathroom mirror, the Churro Dog, etx so I make good on these goals. 

-Xaarlin