Short Term 2012 Goals Revisited

Afternoon ya'll!  I woke up to a mess of cat toys everywhere in my apartment.  Literally.  In the bed, on the stairs, in the bathroom.  There was even one in the sink.  I live in a loft and my cat must have dropped it down from upstairs.  I piled a bunch of them up and now she's hanging out in her pile of toys...evidently making sure they are all still there and unharmed.

Since my 5-week "break" between the fall and spring semester comes to an end tomorrow, I thought that this afternoon would be a great time to revist my short term 2012 goals and add some updates on my long term goals as well.

Short Term:

1. Read From Fatigued to Fantastic:  Done!  I finished this a few weeks ago and found this to be a very useful book for those with Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia.  Originally my pain management doctor told me to read this and come in with some ideas about treatment methods I'd like to try but after when I did this, he basically shot down every option I asked about.  He only wanted me on hard-core Fibro drugs.  I am not up for that.  I have been attempting to control my fibro sans prescription medications as those drugs are scary!  With incorporating some of the more holistic and natural treatment methods from this book, I am only having one or two bad flair-up days every couple of weeks. 
2. Work out 5-6 days a week:  I did well with this for the most part.  I had given myself a goal to hit 100 miles walking over the 5-weeks (average of 20 miles per week).  I met this easily (had 107.5 miles by this past Thursday) and worked out 5 days a week for the first four weeks.  During my walk on Thursday, I developed pain in the outer metatarsals of my right foot and was forced to rest up yesterday.  I am still undecided if I am going to workout yet today. 
• My lesson:  I need to incorporate cross training into my half marathon training plan.  I was thinking about this early into my workout on Thursday as I want to avoid injuries (obviously) and...well, it was too little too late. 
• Note:  I think (hope) this is an overuse injury.  Between Tuesday at 4pm and Thursday at 8:30am (40.5 hours), I walked 17 very fast miles (+ 3 miles to and from the gym/work at a slower pace because of icy sidewalks).  Stupid, silly mistake that could have easily been avoided!  Rookie mistake not to be repeated.
3. "Work" (i.e. do something productive) 3-5 hours per day:  Heh, yeah.  I tried.  I kept getting distracted.  Some days were great and very productive, others...not so much.
4. Cook good food:  Yes!  Been all over this one.
5. &    6.  Make food planning easier:  I did not finish this and hope to do so this within the next two weeks.  It's turning out to be harder than I thought!

A few notes on my 2012 Long Term Goals:

Trying a new recipe every week:  This has been going well.  We are three weeks in and I've tried several new recipes:  Tomato Bisque, Black Bean Soup, Frozen Yogurts, Blackeye Pea Stir Fry.  Ha - the funny thing is that I created three of these so I don't know if they technically count but I'm counting them since they are brand new.  I'm currently searching for a crock pot chicken recipe to try tomorrow.

Half Marathon:  I have chosen a half marathon and plan to sign up as soon as my foot is good to go again!  I don't want to sign up too soon and find that my foot issue is more serious than I think it is.  I have been working on creating my own training plan since my current fitness level would start me about 1/2 way through most walking training plans.  I'll post this when I get it done.  Lots of cross training and rest days will be built in!  I'm very excited about this and plan to complete the training and actual race by myself as I want to prove to myself that I can motivate and push myself to this level of fitness.

Here's something funny for your entertainment:  I've actually had people laugh at me when I mention that I plan to walk a half marathon (including a doctor).  Not because they don't think I can do it, because they think it's super easy.  Some of these people I have cheered on in the past when they wanted to run a race or accomplish other goals. 

Here's the deal: 

1. I cannot run on a regular basis.  When I do, I cannot walk for days.  My hips and knees just can't handle it (likely because I've been overweight for so long).  Funny enough, this pain is worse now than it was 78 pounds ago!
2. If these people think it's so easy, I'd like to see them try to train and then walk 13.1 miles at a good pace.  Not strolling.  I'm in this to meet my own goals and potential.  I do not plan on walking at a leisurely 3.5 mph pace.  Of course, my first goal is to just finish the race, but I would also like to do my best.
3. If I weren't so afraid of hurting other people's feelings, I likely would have told them to back off.  I don't care if you are the fittest person on planet earth.  We each have our own goals and no matter what they are, they are valid and should be supported by others who care about us.
4. I have had a lot of support from my family and friends and to them, I am so grateful!

Stay warm out there!  I'm glad I'm not shoveling the 6-7" of snow we got yesterday!