Monday night, B worked late and I hadn’t gotten in a morning workout so decided to pair doggy duty with exercise. We hadn’t yet taught Sady how to run with us but I’ve been told she’s old enough now (4.5 months) so I laced up my sneaks, grabbed her stuff and off we went. I took her over to the Hudson River running path which she is somewhat familiar with. I was pleased at how she ran next to me and only a gentle “stay with me” would remind her if she got off track. I had been told there was a dog park in the world financial center so I took the rugrat over there, thinking it could be her break. About halfway there she wanted to stop but I encouraged her. She seemed like she was having fun. I let her play for a while in the park while I caught my breath. When we left, she must have realized we were heading home and bolted back. She definitely wasn’t staying with me but rather dragging me back. I found out later she and B run back from the dog park so she was used to this. Since I had only gotten about a mile and a half, I went to the gym and did another 15 minutes of intervals on the treadmill. It was a lot of fun running with Miss Sady and I can’t wait to take her out more!

B and I spent a long weekend in Naples, FL over MLK. We got in late Thursday night and slept in on Friday. With a half marathon next week, I was planning to do my long run the next day, but B suggested that we do it Friday because of all the eating and drinking we would probably be doing that night. It ended up being a smart plan. We went out for 9.5 miles and he showed me the area. B was kind enough to slow it down to my pace (he runs over 2 min/mile faster!) and we chatted the whole way. It was the perfect way to check out the town and beach. The weather was significantly warmer than home but a slight breeze kept us surprisingly cool and comfortable. We were so happy we got the run in and then relaxed on the beach the rest of the afternoon. Lovely start to our mini vacation!

For the last day of 2011 I took out on a familiar route along the west side highway in order to get some good mileage in before the 10K this weekend and half marathon in 3 weeks (eek!). Unfortunately we had gone out to lunch not too long before and I spent most of the run feeling pretty nauseous. I had hoped to do 7 but in reality it was closer to 5.5. The day was beautiful and it was nice to see people out getting in some fitness before the debauchery of New Year’s Eve. Hopefully this week I can bump up my mileage and feel comfortable enough to get in more miles after Saturday’s 10K.

Today I was supposed to get in an 8 mile run but unexpected plans came up and I was only able to get in 5.5. I ran over the BK and Manhattan bridges and then did some stretching and abs at the gym before running home. It’s always frustrating when I can’t get in the full workout, but I’m glad I did something, doing nothing at all would have been infinitely worse.

At some point I’m going to tackle a method in this new book I read Run Less, Run Faster. Though I’m not ready to start their semi-intense regimen, I have incorporated some of the post run stretching into my routine. (sorry for the ghetto photos, I used my phone to take them on my phone) These, combined with IT band and hamstring stretches, have added a bit of time onto my runs but are totally worth it. Stretching improves your stride which will in turn make me a better runner. What are some fail-proof stretches you like? 

Don’t the above photos look like an indication of a great Christmas and New Years? Love it.

Well we’re a week into the new year and I think I’m finally ready to write out my goals for the next year. The last thing I wanted to do before writing them out was meet with a trainer at Equinox and get her feedback. I met with Danielle who is a former WNBA player and has run several marathons. She was so cool and very smart. Danielle took my height, weight, BMI, we talked about my diet and she used FMS (Functional Movement System) to evaluate if I had any injuries or if my muscles were off balance. We talked about goals I would like and she gave me some tips to reach them. After meeting with her for an hour, I did 3 miles of intervals on the treadmill followed by 3 miles of intervals on the bike. Here are my goals for 2011. I’ll probably continue to add to them, but I think this is a good start.

Run 1102 miles (2011 backwards)
Try a new workout/class every month
Get my body in shape to run the Boston Marathon (maybe in 2012?)
Beat my Falmouth PR
Cook a nice dinner and lunches at least once a week
Go to church more often
Get more involved with charities