New Year, Same Old Me

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions or set goals. 

I have the goal to hit 1000 miles running for this year, but that's been something I've done for many years. Does that count? 

I plan to do the Mammoth Challenge again in October, but again, I wouldn't call that a goal since it's something I've done for 4 years now. My goal oops, I mean, my plan is to once again visit a few new segments while chasing my miles.

I'm going to lean into strength training more than in the past. My gym is starting a new strength class in addition to the strength workouts that I've started doing on Thursdays. This new class is going to be different than the heavy strength I'm accustomed to--more body and dumbbell work. I want to see how my body responds to more strength work. 

I can tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to run any more long-distance road races. My body does not like it, and I no longer enjoy the training. Maybe that will change with the strength work I'll be doing. Never say never, but all signs point to no. Short distances, like 5k, 10k, or even 15k, are still options, especially if running friends will be there. 

While I don't have any races on the calendar this year, I'm not ruling out any long distance trail races. Walking is always acceptable and I do love that finish line feeling! If I do run a trail race, it will be a game day decision. The conditions have to be right.

So 2025, let's do this. Keep moving. Stay strong. Enjoy the ride. Have fun. Get muddy. Embrace nature. Never, ever give up.

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail run 7.5 miles

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Yoga with Adriene

Wednesday: trail run 9 miles

Thursday: Strength training

Friday: Run 6 miles

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene

Miles run 2024: 1050

Sunday at the lake was dark and foggy. I had to wait until 7:30 for it to be light enough for me to hit the trails. It was 31F and without any wind, it felt pretty good. I expected the trails to be muddy and they were; there were also icy patches. I felt more tired than I expected, so there was more walking than usual. That just gave me time to take lots of photos! The fog cast an eerie mood over the woods and I loved looking for color along the trails. This run felt magical!

I woke up in a funk on Monday morning—our prolonged gloomy weather was starting to get to me! I was signed up for the add-on 8:15 a.m. CrossFit WOD, and when I checked the roster, the class was full! I don't like it when there are a lot of people in class. The gym gets crowded and it is hard to find a spot. I almost didn't go. I'm so glad I did because it looked like a lot of people didn't show up and the workout turned my mood around. Don't you love it when that happens?

The strength/skill portion was a 10 minute EMOM alternating between strict pull-ups (I did jumping chest to bar with negatives on the way down) and 40 second jump rope skill work. I did 20 seconds of singles and 20 seconds of double under attempts. Believe it or not, I did one double under on the last set!!! SJ was watching me when it happened and she saw it too. This brain does not compute moves like double unders, so this was a big victory for me. Hopefully, there will be more and I can string them together. The MetCon was a 15 minute AMRAP of 10 power cleans (I did 55#), 10 Push presses (55#), and 20 cal on the rower. I finished with 4 full rounds. I could have gone lighter with the power cleans and push presses, but I decided I wanted to push myself. I'm so glad I did!

I opted out of a group New Year's Day run on Wednesday in lieu of a trail run. It was snowing when I got to the trailhead. It was very pretty but when it stopped, the wind picked up. As long as I kept moving, I stayed warm, so that's what I did. I saw a lot of deer, but most of them weren't stopping for photos today. It was very peaceful in the woods and I enjoyed this run! 

On Thursday morning, I was a busy bee, taking down all the Christmas decorations and cleaning up afterward. I had a painful encounter with the vacuum--I knew housework was dangerous--when it fell directly on my big toe joint. It was as painful as you might expect, but only hurts when I wear certain shoes that press on the injury. I went to the gym for strength training where we worked on power snatches and overhead squats. Part of the snatch movement includes pushing up on your toes, but I was able to do the movement successfully without too much discomfort. We did 5 sets of 3 power snatches and overhead squats. We finished up with a static 20 second overhead barbell hold in the wide grip.

Brrrrrr. I woke up Friday morning and checked the weather before deciding if I was going to take this run outdoors. It was 24 degrees, but the predicted windy conditions hadn't yet arrived. Ok. I headed out into the dark at a brisk pace. When I hit the 3 mile mark, where I turned around to head back, the sky started to lighten but the wind had picked up. Thank goodness it was behind me, providing a tailwind that pushed me home. I ran at an average pace of 9:30 m/m, but I was never so happy to get back inside! Winter running is not for the wimpy!

Off the Road...

It was a quiet week as we recovered from the holidays. NYE was uneventful, which is just how I like it. We watched a lot of football. I took down all the Christmas decorations and cleaned the house. It feels good to get everything back in order. 

I'm planning on a few minor home renovations this winter. With the hubs out of commission, I've recruited my sons to help. We'll see how that goes. I'm also planning to visit my sister in California in March and hopefully, a trip to see Holly in Florida in April. My youngest son is taking the MCAT in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed that goes well.

This is always a tough time of year! But the days will get longer and sunshine always helps. We got this!

How was your week? Do you have any goals or resolutions for the new year? Any travel plans? What do you do to get through this time of year?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.