Finally!  February is the month I’ve been waiting for.  Why?  Because I get to start training for my spring marathon, Big Sur coming up in April in California!!  That means, it time to get my mind right for 12 weeks of training.  The holidays are behind us and now time to get off my ass and get my nutrition in gear.  Time to get back to working on my fitness.

I’m excited and nervous about this marathon.  Yes, I know it’s not my first one, but it’s going to be a difficult course and not sure I can train enough to get prepared from what everyone says.  However, I can’t let what people tell me stir me in the wrong direction and start thinking negative thoughts.  Marathon training is hard enough with making sure I stick to my training schedule, get enough sleep, don’t let work stress get the best of me and balance family life on top of that.  So, how do I run 2-3 marathons a year people ask me?  It’s all about sticking to a routine everyday!  Eating a balanced meal everyday (no diets) and working out is just part of my lifestyle.  It is who I am and that makes me a better wife, mom, co-worker, boss, etc.

I enjoy running outside during this time of year because the cold weather feels great when I run.  I don’t feel like I’m sweating until I’m done and see my sweaty top.  I also seem to go faster in cold weather, but not this time.  After my surgery, it’s taking me a bit to build up my endurance again.  I have to start over after 6 weeks off.  Dash is happy to see her momma running again and of course she pushes me to go faster.  I have to listen to my body and not be stupid and get hurt before my marathon.   I’ve been taking it easy on my long runs and been using the walk/run method.  I’m back to teaching cycle and that helps with cross-training.  If the weather is bad outside due to rain, I take my runs to the gym and run on the treadmill.  I also wake up early in the morning to run on the treadmill before going to work.  Since I don’t have to be at work until 8:00 a.m., I’m able to get a short run in if I can’t run that day after work.  I rather run in the morning, but sometimes it doesn’t work with my schedule.  I don’t stress about it if it doesn’t work out that day, but I always make up my miles next day if I need to.  The main thing is to run my training miles for that week and not skip my weekend long runs.

My boy, Noah got a new bike for Christmas and he’s been going with me to run shorter runs at the local park trails.  He enjoys following me and Dash running.  Eddie also goes with us, but he walks because he had shoulder surgery and has to take it easy for a few weeks.  Love that we can all work on our fitness as a family, even if we had some health setbacks.  I just pray that we stay healthy for many more years to come!  Keep on running!!