Moving Forward

After barely missing my goal at the Marshall University Marathon but still setting a new PR I knew it was time to rest and reevaluate where my training and racing stand. A review of my log reveals a 10 week average of 16.7 miles per week and a year-to-date average of 19.6 miles per week. This is nowhere near the base I need to reach my goals and I'm really amazed that I've done what I have this year. In order to keep my eyes on the prize I've enlisted the help of one of my ultra running idols and laid out the foundation for my 2013 race calendar.

Right now, I'm looking at the following:

March 17, 2013 - Shamrock Marathon in Virginia
April 20, 2013 - North Coast 24 Hour in Ohio
July 27, 2013 - Burning River 100 Mile in Ohio
August 24, 2013 - Baker Trail Ultra Challenge 50 Mile in Pennsylvania
October 5, 2013 - Oil Creek 100 Mile in Pennsylvania

I would eliminate the Baker as it's really too close to Burning River but 2013 will be the year I earn my final piece of the medal. And I'm not ready to wait three more years for it. So as long as I'm not injured or completely wrecked after BR100, I will toe the line at Baker. And I feel hopeful that with a little help from a stellar runner that I'll be in great shape and ready to tackle such a tough calendar. It's obviously not the 30 races I've done thus far in 2012 but it's tougher races that I want to do better, stronger, faster. In 2013 I'm going for quality over quantity. I want to find out what I'm really capable of.

I've been really enjoying my week of rest after Marshall. I had about 3 days of feeling totally burned out. I had a plan of exactly what recovery exercises I was going to do each day but for the first few days it was all I could do to get dressed and take care of the kids and the house. I wasn't sore (not like after the last 4 marathons) and I wasn't sick or injured but I was mentally done. By Thursday I was ready to refocus and get back to preparing myself for the toughest challenges of my life.

I'm also ready to inject a little fun into my training. I was given the opportunity to review the Jabbawockeez School of Dance videos. We don't have cable and we really don't watch a ton of television so I didn't know who these winners of America's Best Dance Crew (2008) were. I was a little weirded out when the DVD's showed up with white-masked faces staring at me from the covers. Thankfully, they don't wear them in the actual instruction videos.

The instructions are easy to follow and the moves are relatively simple. Gemma, Ash, and I had a great time following along with the first video and dancing around the living room. I am probably a little too self-conscious to break out these moves unless I'm goofing off with my girls but this was a great way for us to be active together and for me to get a workout in outside of running and lifting. It was challenging in a different way for me. I had to use balance and coordination skills I rarely need in my daily life. I got to jump and kick and twist in ways that my chosen sports rarely incorporate and I had a blast with my kids while I was doing it! Overall, I'd say these videos are a win.

If you're looking for something that breaks free of the typical squat, crunch, run in place videos then definitely check out the JABBAWOCKEEZ videos series!


Disclaimer: I was given this product in order to review it for promotional purposes. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.