Disclaimer

This blog is about my running experience. I am not a physician, nutritionist or personal trainer. I am a runner. I do not know it all. I am only writing from my own experiences. I finished my first marathon on June 3, 2012. Who knows where my feet will take me next!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

January Recap

 

Instead of goals for the year, I chose two areas to work on for the month of January.  I am happy with how they both went:

Running ~ Increase Endurance
I ran 9 times for a total of 61.6 miles, walked 4 times for 12.13 miles, and cycled 9 times for 115.71 miles for a total of 189.44 miles.  My long run for the month was 10 miles.  This is the highest January I have had since 2011, a solid month, especially with all the rain we received (over 7" for the month.)

Les and I went for a trail ride this morning and I was pleasantly surprised at how strong I was.  Riding on the trainer has forced me to work on keeping a high cadence.  I did that for the entire ride today and had my 18th best time of 104 tries on the 3.4 mile climb that is the heart of the trail.  (Thank you, Strava for those details!)  For the first time in several years the creek is flowing and we had three water crossings.  I know I've been smiling when there's mud on my teeth.


Mother Nature has been having major mood swings around here.  Last Sunday we got about 2" of rain.  Things dried out and the temps dropped on Tuesday:


Winds started kicking up over the weekend and this was Sunday:


I'll take the cold over the wind any day.

Health ~ Decrease Sugar Intake
After a Fall/Holiday season filled with sugar and more sugar, I knew my body needed a break.  I haven't cut sugar out completely as far as what is found in our foods, but I haven't had a single dessert all month.  That is a big win for me.  Bonus is I haven't had any anxiety attacks/heart palpitations like I had been having the past few months. 

I'm thinking about my February Focus and will blog about it on Friday.

How was your January?  What is February looking like for you?
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4 comments:

  1. Wendy at Taking the Long Way HomeJanuary 31, 2017 at 6:35 PM

    No dessert? I don't know If I could do that. Glad you are feeling good, tho!

    In spite of my health challenges, January was an excellent month, running-wise for me. 105 miles. The most I've run in over a year.

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    1. Kathy McElhaneyFebruary 1, 2017 at 9:27 AM

      We've done the no dessert thing several times - usually the month before a big endurance event (marathon or cycling race.) It was worth it!

      Glad you got those miles in - stay strong!

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  2. Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's BlogFebruary 1, 2017 at 4:18 AM

    The no dessert thing would be tough for me! I have cut back on the candy this month. I had a great running January despite all the cold and snow. I am ready for warmer weather though!

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    Replies
    1. Kathy McElhaneyFebruary 1, 2017 at 9:28 AM

      It was tough, but I had to do something.

      I feel like a total wimp when I read about the conditions you run it! I think I wear as many layers when it's under 40 here as you do when it's under 10!

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