Show me what you got

2011 was pretty awesome, but I hope 2012 can be even better. I’ve made goals and plans and hopes for the next year. Of course these will change as the year goes on, but I think I can take on anything that comes my way. Here’s my goals and plans for the next year!

Goals

• Run a PR for the half marathon
• Run a full marathon (I’m taking the plunge!!)
• Run four half marathons in four new states
• Run seven half marathons
• Travel!
• Volunteer at races
• Try a duathlon
• Raise and donate money for the American Diabetes Association
• Learn German
• Learn to cook…no more pasta diet

Plans

• Vegas, Toronto, Dallas, Chicago, Long Beach-Work trips!
• Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Nashville-Running trips!
• CLE Half, round 2!
• Columbus Full Marathon, yes that’s 26.2 miles!

So far a lot of traveling, but I’m looking forward to every trip. And like I said, I’m sure more will be added, but I’d say I have some pretty exciting things to look forward to!

What are your goals or plans for 2012?

Year in Review

Here it is almost 2012, and looking back at 2011, it was an amazing year. So much happened to help me grow, discover new possibilities and create new challenges for the future. I’ve learned so much and I can only hope to do so much in the next year to make it just as great. Here’s my 2011:

• I tried snowboarding for the first time and I am no pro
• Packers won the Super Bowl!!
• I traveled to Arizona for the first time, Phoenix is amazing!
• I ran my first half marathon! CLE!
• I vacationed in North Carolina, and added another lighthouse to my list
• I got a new job! Which I love, btw.
• I moved into a new apartment, it’s fabulous
• I went to the Packers/Browns pre season game. Finally saw the pack in action
• I traveled to California for the first time, not my state, but fun to visit
• I ran a relay race, Muskies Party of 5 dominated Akron
• I ran four half marathons this year! Not bad for a beginner
• Got my passport. Now I can really travel
• I got my MBA! Best accomplishment of my life

I honestly can’t believe how crazy this past year has been. I can’t wait for 2012. Happy New Year everyone!

What was your favorite memory of 2011?

The curse of free time

Now that I have free nights and weekends, yep, I’m like a cell phone plan. I’m trying to find ways to fill this time so I’m not bored. Trust me, I’m enjoying not going to class, writing papers or doing research, but I need something to keep me going until April. So I started looking for smaller races to fill in the summer while I’m between half marathons. One thing led to another and I have added some possible races to my 2012 list. Check out these pavement pounders!

• March – St. Malachi…every year I hear this is a great race, it will fit perfect with Colorado training, so why not give it a shot
• April – Cleveland 10 Miler….another race with great reviews, I just can’t get enough of Cleveland races
• June – Park 2 Park Half Marathon…a local, inexpensive half, running within two parks I loved growing up
• July – Huntington Duathlon…on my list last year, but this time I actually want to do it
• August – Run, Wine, and Dine….running and wine, need I say more?

Have you ran any of these? Any suggestions?

Three Little Letters

M. B. A.

Those three little letters mean the world to me right now. A little over two years ago, I decided I wanted to make sure I would always have the opportunity to advance my career, even in the slump of the economy. I took the GMAT (pretty sure it was the hardest test ever) and applied to one school. Baldwin-Wallace College. Two years later, here I am. I officially completed the program, as of last night, and now have my Masters in Business Administration, my career focus being Marketing.  I’ve learned a lot about myself, how the “real world” works and how to be a better businesswoman. It was a lot of hard work, time and effort, all worth it in the end. Honestly, I’m not even sure what I’m going to do with all the extra time or energy. (Insert marathon training)

Moral of this post…..I’m glad I pushed myself to do this. If it ever crosses your mind to go for higher education, do it. No matter what program, what field, it will help you advance your career and even help you learn more about yourself. The warning: Exhaustion will appear, time will disappear and your social life may have to take a back seat. But worth it, and maybe give BW a look

Back on the horse

It’s been almost two months since running Columbus, and I finally took the first steps in getting ready for training. I had originally hoped to get started sooner, but between being afraid of still being hurt and grad school taking over my life, it kept getting pushed back. But now that I’ll have free nights I’ll finally be able to put in the miles, and hopefully get a few miles in before official training starts. I’m using my Runner’s World Smart Coach app to plan my training schedule over a 16 week time frame. I’ve used this app before, and I love it. I’ll also be tracking my training through Running2win. I also want to work on my muscles ( as in creating some)

Starting December 26th, I’ll begin my training plan for the Platter River Half. This is the first half of the year, as well as the first out of state half. No pressure, of course. Here goes nothing!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Week 1	4 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Tempo-3M@10:02	4 Miles Easy	Rest	8 Miles Long	Rest
Week 2	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Speed-2×1600@9:29	4 Miles Easy	Rest	8 Miles Long	Rest
Week 3	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Tempo-3M@10:02	4 Miles Easy	Rest	9 Miles Long	Rest
Week 4	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Easy	4 Miles Easy	Rest	4 Miles Easy	Rest
Week 5	5 Miles Easy	Rest	6 Miles Tempo-4M@10:02	4 Miles Easy	Rest	9 Miles Long	Rest
Week 6	4 Miles Easy	Rest	7 Miles Speed-3×1600@9:23	4 Miles Easy	Rest	10 Miles Long	Rest
Week 7	4 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	6 Miles Tempo-4M@10:02	3 Miles Easy	Rest	10 Miles Long	Rest
Week 8	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Easy	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Easy	Rest
Week 9	3 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	7 Miles Tempo-5M@10:01	3 Miles Easy	Rest	11 Miles Long	Rest
Week 10	3 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	8 Miles Speed-4×1600@9:17	3 Miles Easy	Rest	11 Miles Long	Rest
Week 11	4 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	7 Miles Tempo-5M@10:01	3 Miles Easy	Rest	12 Miles Long	Rest
Week 12	6 Miles Easy	Rest	6 Miles Easy	5 Miles Easy	Rest	5 Miles Easy	Rest
Week 13	4 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	8 Miles Tempo-6M@10:01	3 Miles Easy	Rest	12 Miles Long	Rest
Week 14	3 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	10 Miles Speed-5×1600@9:12	2 Miles Easy	Rest	12 Miles Long	Rest
Week 15	4 Miles Easy	4 Miles Easy	8 Miles Tempo-6M@10:01	3 Miles Easy	Rest	13 Miles Long	Rest
Week 16	Rest	3 Miles Easy	3 Miles Easy	Rest	2 Miles Easy	2 Miles Easy	13.1