Some post FVM goals

Life

•Need to step up my game with learning Portuguese. Especially since I'll be going to Brasil early next year. I don't want L to be translator. I want to be able to communicate relatively well with friends and family.

Now that I'll be running a lot less than 50 miles a week, fitting in 30-45 minutes of Portuguese Rosetta stone a day shouldn't be impossible.

•I'd like to cook more. No, not heat up trader joes dishes kind of cook, but actually cut up veggies and other food stuff and cook them or bake them. This includes making more pizzas.


With the help of trader joes dough, it had prosciutto, heirloom tomatoes marinated in evoo and balsamic, plus 5 cheeses including gruyere. Went exceptionally well with some red Zinfandel. Yum.

•I'd also like to maintain my current weight. I need to find balance with eating and working out less and not gaining back the 14 lbs I made an effort to lose during FVM training.

Running

•Obviously I've still got my eyes on a BQ. But I have until next September to achieve that for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

•First, I need to nurse my ankle and possible peroneal tendon annoyance back to 100%. That might even require a trip to the doctor! Yikes!

•I plan to start up the Bikram yoga again in the next few weeks. Since I won't run until the ankle is healed, bikram yoga is the next best workout for me. What's better than 90 minutes of stretching in a 105 degree environment in the middle of winter?

•Core and hip strengthening are at the top of my list for this "off" season.


My knees still turn in while I run. The left knee significantly more than the right. While I understand that I'll never be as graceful or as bio mechanically gifted as Meb while running (or get rid of this 100%) I do know that my hips need work. Myrtl routine and resistance bands, here I come!!

Future races

It's never too early to think about this right?

Along with the usual suspects like Shamrock and Rock n Roll, I'm looking at an early spring BQ attempt. Possibly at the Knoxville marathon (hilly), or some local Chicagoland area marathon. I don't like training on the lakefront during Chicago marathon season, so running and training for one of these early spring races will get me onto a secluded non crowded path and keep me a happy runner.

I do know that when I decide on a spring marathon I won't hesitate to hire Mrs Chicago Runner Girl as my coach again. Her custom made plan for me really worked and kept me engaged and loving running during the 14 weeks leading up to Fox Valley. Could I have trained with my own plan alone? Yes, but I doubt I would have gotten a 25 minute PR or made it to the start as prepared as I was.

What are your winter goals? Have you thought about races for 2013 yet?

2 weeks until the Chicago marathon!!!!!

- xaar