The first quarter of 2014:REVIEW

I saw this post by Pavement Runner and thought it would be a great thing for me to reflect as well. The beginning of 2014 has seen a few huge milestones in my running life so I think it is best to reflect on them :)

The stats:

• 1 Full Marathon
•     LA Marathon: time 5:45
• 2 Half Marathons
•     Tinkerbell Half
•     Princess Half
• 2 10ks
•     Enchanted 10k
•     Great Race PR-1:07:09
• 212.7 miles logged since 1/1/2014

What the stats DON’T show:

• That's the highest number of miles I have ever recorded in 3 months!
• The amazing time I have had running and the joy it brings me. 
  
• Ever since I picked up Chi Running, it has seriously changed my running style and I even ran my fastest 5k today at just under 35 minutes (in December I was averaging 38 minutes). I will continue to improve on form and hopefully get better and stronger. 
  
• The greatness of Disney races and how much I love to be in costume and be out there. 
  
• My first (of hopefully many) marathons and the drive I have to break 5:00 hours and how even though I was so upset I didn't reach that goal, I have a lot of to very thankful for (never walked more than 2 minutes, learning to deal with the heat, great outfit choice for the day, I fueled well, never got leg cramps, stayed mental strong). 
  
• My first 10k PR in over 2 years and my determination to be break 1:05. The joy that brought me is just beyond anything. I was so blessed with great weather, a gorgeous course and the push through I needed for all of the hills. 
  
• The happiness I get from running and my determination to not only finish 2 halfs within 7 days of each other (Wine and Dine and Avengers) but also the drive to finish Dopey and do it strong. 
  

Looking forward:

• As I have stated before, I am taking off competitive running until June. That is when I will pick up my schedule for Dumbo. However that has been easier said than done and I have been itching to get back out there but I know I need to conserve myself with my very race heavy months from August-November into Dopey. 
  
• In the meantime, I am going to heavily focus on cross training with weights 2 times a week and stretching and rolling. I still plan on keeping up with my 3 days a week running routine and may eventually add in a 4th day to work on speed training (we will see how I feel about this later on) but in the meantime I will be working on increasing my interval to a solid 2:30 to :30 for Dumbo.
  
• I also want to put a focus back on my eating. I have been doing okay but have decided to come full circle and do a mini-sugar detox (just how doing the 21 day sugar detox last April changed my life) before Easrer. I don't know if I plan on doing it for 3 full weeks but I will definitely do it again. 
  
• I also want to focus on going gluten free and continuing to keep my diet free of processed foods. Oh the joys of finding hidden gluten in your food!
  
• I do want to try to start eating oatmeal before races as a way to break away from eating bread. I gave it a try on Sunday and felt pretty good while running. I will try it again over the next few weeks. 
  
• I need to stay focused on these non running goals (eating right, sleeping well, cross training) and I really feel like my running will continue to improve. It will also give me a good base to train over the summer as running in the summer in Pasadena can be a real doozy! 
  
  
  How has your 2014 started off? What are your goals for the next quarter of 2014?