I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!

Ok, it's been a while since my last post... and posts have been scarce in the last few month.

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!  Just a short post today to keep you all in the loop on the crazy last month!

But don't worry, I have not been just sitting around!  Over the last few months, I took a step back and gave myself a break from running.  After the beating that I put myself through last summer, I needed scale things back a bit.  Time to focus on some strength training for a while Not to mention all of the craziness of the holidays that we all have!  

 I am still at the gym 4-5 days a week, if not more (yes you may have seen Facebook posts or Tweets about these or  snippets on Instagram.  I may not be putting in the miles, but these workouts make up for that!

 We spent New Years Eve with awesome friends, both new and old! This was the first time in several years that we were able to host NYE at our house.  Unfortunately several friends had to miss the fun due to the beloved flu bug that was going through the area.

I have made amends with the dreadmill and although I still don't LIKE it,  I know that I have learned to tolerate it! So far, I have managed to pull off a 4 mile dreadmill run, but I am sure that more are to come.

We even headed up north for a weekend filled with hockey at the two schools that my husband and I each went to!  Was fun to be back in both arenas watching both teams play!  It was a lot of driving and several late nights, but it was worth being able to introduce my son to the two hockey teams that I spent my high school years watching!

 I have also done more tweaking on my nutrition and started making a few more small changes. Each weekend, a portion of my time is spent prepping my breakfasts and lunches for the week.  I have managed to only have to go out for lunch once so far this month!

Then it was off for a quick trip to Chicago to meet part of the crew that I am running the Chicago Ragnar with this summer!  Yes, I have joined forces with a crew (thanks to my Twitter Friend Jenn), mostly from the Chicago area, to run from Madison to Chicago this summer - on my Birthday!  Although I have only met part of the team, this already promises to be a weekend to remember!

So now, we are 3 weeks into January, Half marathon training is underway and it's time to start putting on some miles.  Just one last hurdle in the way before that can happen though...  I found out last month that I need to have sinus surgery to correct a severely deviated and also tilted septum.  That all happens on Thursday.  Yes, little nervous about the surgery, but in the end if it helps be breathe better, I'm not going to complain!  Also very curious on how this plays into the whole breathing while I am running concept!

The 7-10 days post surgery are going to be rough - no work, no running, no gym... EEEEK!  But on the bright side - time to catch up on a bunch of those movies that I have been wanting to watch but have not had the time!  My Netflix cue will be my new best friend for the week. 

2015 is off to a fun start, with awesome family, great friends and plans to be made!   Lets make it great!

What are you doing to make this a year to remember?

Beat the Hill 2015

2014 is officially behind us. Today is the start of a new year, new adventures, new challenges and goals and so much more.

A friend of mine recently challenged us to figure out what out our "theme" for the year was going to be. What was going to drive us to make it the best year ever.

I started thinking about this and nothing really jumped out at me...

until I went to the gym yesterday.  

I grabbed one of the new headbands that another friend of mine gave me for Christmas and it was clear!

When I first saw this headband, I thought of all the hill training miles ahead of me...  I hate running hills, but know that they are a important piece of the process.  

But there is more to this...

The Hill may is not just the physical hill in front of you!  The Hill can be any challenge in front of you.  That daunting project at work, a difficult decision to make, your health, or even that day's workout.  Anything that you need to get through can be considered a hill in your lift!  These are all Hills that we need to face daily and we need to 

I am determined to beat the hills in front of me this year.  I know that I have set some crazy goals for my self (half marathon training and fitness goals), I have some continued challenges at work and so much more.  I am determined to face each of these challenges and make the best of it. 

This does not mean that you are going to conquer each hill right away.  Some hills might take several tried to get over.  You might get part way up and face setbacks.  These are not always failures, they are additional learning opportunities to make yourself better.  Learn from them, embrace them and keep going.   Don't forget, sometimes, when you get to what you thought was the top of a hill, you may find that the hill continues to climb.  Keep pushing on and you will make it to the top!

So, Kim, you may have had other reasons for giving me this headband, but in the end you gave me the key to my mission for 2015!  Thank you for being a continued inspiration in this crazy world we live it!  I can't wait to see what we can accomplish in 2015!

What will you do to beat the hills in front of you?

Face your Hills, learn from them and enjoy the climb!

Make 2015 a great year!