Past Present and Future

It's been so much fun to read everyone's review of 2008 and plans for 2009. You all are so organized and motivating! Here's my attempt at documenting my accomplishments and goals. Hopefully it'll be fun to review it all a year from now.

Past

Since this was my first year of organized racing since high school, it was a bunch of PRs! Yay!

• May- S.A.M.E. National Conference Fun Run 5K- I ran this with my work friend who had done an amazing job losing weight and getting fit.


• May- Lincoln Half Marathon- This was my first real race, and I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even own a watch. Time: 2:10:03


• September- Omaha Corporate Cup 10K- I also ran this with my same work friend. She blew away her anticipated time, and I was so proud of her that I nearly cried as we crossed the finish line.


• September- Omaha Half Marathon- I kind of trained for this, shaved off over 11 minutes, and was officially bit by the marathon bug. Time: 1:58:33


• November- Gobbler Grind Marathon, KS- My first marathon and my first AG place. (3/12) It was a small race, but it was such a great experience. I'm not sure when, but I'm definitely doing another one. Time: 4:04:25

Present
This last week has finally been nice enough to make running fun again. I went for 8 glorious miles on Christmas Eve morning and loved every step of it. My running life would be so much more productive if I didn't have to work all day. I'm definitely taking tomorrow afternoon off to go for a nice long run. Please stay in the 30s for the rest of the winter. Come on global warming!

Future
I'll do all the same 2008 races again, but I'm not sure what else. I like to play things by ear. It keeps me from slipping too far out of shape. One thing I know for sure, I want to set some food goals for 2009 and what better way to do that than with some kicky clip art!

Historically, I've been a very picky eater. Embarrassingly so. Traveling for work, and having a husband who's fallen in love with cooking, however, have expanded my tastes quite a bit in recent years. Race and marathon training has also taught me to be better about seeking out nutritious/body fueling food instead of just avoiding unhealthy things. Items I want to incorporate more into my diet:

• Fish- I fell in love with grilled salmon this year, but I'd like to expand to other grilled/baked items. My mother in law made some tilapia fish tacos this weekend that were yummy. I plan to tweak it a bit to make it more healthy in the coming weeks.

• Veggies- I've grown to like steamed broccoli and tolerate steamed green beans, but that's just about the only veggies I'll eat. The husband will eat just about anything, so I'd like more carrots, egg plants, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, etc in my life.

• Beans- I can do chili, but I still ask for my Chipotle burrito without beans. I want that to change. More beans in soups, more beans in salads, and more beans in my beloved Mexican meals.
• Almonds- My homemade granola contains sliced almonds, but I had no idea whole almonds were so tasty alone. I should have known of their power when they were in the opening scene of Devil Wears Prada. Those skinny Runway beeatches would never steer a girl wrong.

Feel free to share your favorite way to eat any of this stuff. I need ideas!

All in all, 2008 has been great, and I'm very exciting to see what 2009 brings. I have a variety of personal and professional goals for next year, and with some hard work and focus, I know 2009 has the potential to be even better.