Livestrong Thank You Hats

While my performance in the Livestrong Half-Marathon was subpar (as expected), I out raised my previous totals for Livestrong.  I raised nearly $1900 this year which is about $400 more than last year and almost $1000 more than my first year running for Livestrong. 

 

When I started I had the idea of raising money for hats I would make with the suggested donation being $20 a hat.  I posted on both Etsy and a blog page (after getting permission from Livestrong and Etsy) but got no takers that way.  When I posted on FB, and mentioned the hats sometimes people would post and say that they wanted one. 

 

Mostly though, I just sent people a thank you hat or 2 or 3 after they made a donation.  After getting the donation I would send an e-mail and ask color preferences or just used my judgement. At first I stuck to Livestrong colors but quickly did whatever color people asked for.  And I really liked the black hats with Rainbow trim. 

 

Pictured here are some of the hats I made and sent out to say thank you to all my wonderful donors (and one happy recipient)! 

 

 

Training Plan Week 8 - 01/14 - 01/20

Planned:
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 5 miles race pace
Thursday - 3 miles
Saturday - 10 mile LSR
Sunday - Cross-train

Actual:
Tuesday - 3 miles in 38 (12:36) plus walking warm up/down.  I ran up and down the hills by campus.  School must be starting because it was more crowded than usual. I won't run through campus until after the semester again.  It was about 35 degrees out but still a lovely run.
Wednesday - I went for a hike with my friend and her dog to enjoy the social for the day. It was a lovely hike and she goes quite quickly (3.15 miles in 1 hour).
Saturday - 11.88 miles cycling in 59 minutes.  We were ready pretty early for the kids' birthday party so I went out for a bike ride.  It was a lovely day and I went easy to run LSR on Sunday (let's revisit that). 

That's it.  I woke up Sunday with something wrong with my back. I've never had any significant back issue before in my life.  But I could barely walk.  I spent Sunday and then the Monday holiday on a heat pack on the couch.  I didn't go to the funeral I planned to attend Sunday or for a run or walk. I didn't clean the kitchen or do laundry.  I sat and sat and took pain killers. 

Today it is slightly better but it hurts and is hard to walk.  Running is literally incomprehensible to me.  The half-marathon is less than 4 weeks away.  So far in my training plan, I've done my 5 mile LSR, skipped the 6 mile, had to stop the 7 mile at 5.5, run the 8 mile, skipped the 9 mile due to my stomach issues, and missed the 10 mile due to my back.  I'm concerned about the race.  Assuming my back feels better I can walk it in the worst case scenario but this is by far the least prepared I've ever been for an event. 

On the bright side, our best friends donated $100 to my Livestrong effort yesterday putting me over my $1500 goal.  I raised my goal to $1750 and hope to get a few more donations but right now I'm well over my previous high.  I guess even if I have to walk the HM, I still have made a difference to those who need services from Livestrong.org.

Training Plan Week 4 - 12/17 - 12/23

Planned:
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles at race pace
Thursday - 3 miles
Saturday - 7 mile LSR
Sunday - Cross-training

Actual:
Tuesday - 2.8 miles in 35 minute (12:30) plus 1.2 miles walking warm up/down.  Not a good run.  Too many thoughts in my brain, not enough rest, phone call during saying that the refrigerator was not cooling. 
Wednesday - 3.6 miles in 41 minutes (11:16 mm) plus walking warm up/down.  It was >80 degrees, humid, and windy so I'm really happy with this for a race pace run. 
Thursday - too much chaos and not enough healthy food (no refrigerator) so I did not run.
Saturday - 5.5 miles in 1:13 (13:09) plus walking warm up/down.  Should have been longer but all the bad diet and gluten with no access to healthy food really got me.  I got very suddenly sick on the run.  Sick enough that I had to call the family to come get me.  I'm so glad that the refrigerator is working again.
Sunday - 16 miles in 1:20 on the bike. I went to the post office and mailed everything that needed to go out. Then continued.  Nice ride. 

Weight - probably unchanged and I've had very little control over my diet.  Last week the refrigerator was broken. This week we're at the in-laws'.  I'm trying to be pretty hard-core avoiding the gluten but otherwise, it's hard to eat healthy at all.
Fund-raising - my fundraising for Livestrong is going very well.  I got some donations last week (in response to my "hey the end of the tax year is coming"... e-mails).  I'm over $1100 of my $1500 goal. 

Training Plan for the Livestrong Half-Marathon

The Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon is February 17, 2013.  I'm finished with my paid training program and working with the coach, done with the Run for the Water 10 miler, and done with obsessing over the presidential election. 

It's time for me to think about my training plan.  Typically they last 12 to 16 weeks.  I've been looking at various plans with thoughts about tweaking them based on what I've learned from my work with the coach. 

Contenders and thoughts on them:
Galloway to goal plan - I've done this plan before.  It features 3 runs a week plus an easy walk day. The week day runs are basically timed runs and the weekend ones alternate between an LSR and 800 repeats.  This would be the easiest plan to do and easiest to supplement (more on that).  The plan would officially start 11/13 with a 30 minute run and a 5 mile run on Sunday.
Runner's World Smart Coach plan - The Runner's World site allows the user to enter some specific information such as a recent race time, race date, how hard you want to work, and race distance and it spits out a pretty detailed plan.  Start date could vary depending on when I'm ready to make the program spit out a plan.  Upside is that every run has very specific purpose and pace listed.  Downside is that all the Thursday runs (speedwork or tempo) require a 6 mile run which is (for me) a pretty high expectation and time investment for a week day run.  The other thing about the plan is that the LSRs start with a 10 mile run the first week and with the exception of a few recovery weeks all the LSRs are 10-14 miles. 
Hal Higdon - I've never done a Hal Higdon TP but I've heard good things about them.  The Novice 2 plan basically calls for 4 days of running a week.  T-W-Th are a 3 mile, 3-5 mile, and 3 mile run.  The Wednesday run alternates between a race pace run and a normal run.  The LSRs build from 4-12 miles with a week dedicated to running a 5K and another a 10K race.  The plan is 12 weeks long so it would start the week of 11/26.  So the difference between this and the Galloway is basically running T-W-Th rather than running T-Th/walk F and speedwork is every other W rather than every other Sunday.
No Meat Athelete - The No Meat athelete has an entire program called the Half-Marathon roadmap with workbooks and sheets and cds or maybe DVDs and a book and etc.  The book portion is available on Kindle for just 2.99 so I may buy it and see what it has to say.  I'm not sure that I'm going to find anything in a plan that differs significantly from the others listed above but it might be interesting to see what he says will be different for someone "running on plants." 

I'd like to make some decisions and settle on a plan in the next week.  Partially the choice depends on my knee.  Although I've never had any problems with my knee, it has been hurting since the morning after my 10 mile race. I will probably try to put on a brace and run this weekend and see how that goes.  In the meantime, I'm taking NSAIDs pretty regularly and resting it. 

Some factors that will influence my plan and my carrying it out include the fact that the training plan period will include both my childrens' birthdays and parties (or party if they share as they keep saying they will do), my niece's Bat Mitzvah, my niece's Bat Mitzvah project fundraiser softball game, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and the start of the Legislative Session. 

Whatever plan I choose I want to also:
Become more fit (which is a more positive way to speak possibility into reality than saying lose weight).  That said, I'd like to settle at a healthy weight about 8-10 pounds lighter than I am now.  I also believe this would improve my running speed.  Two changes that should be simple but hopefully make a big difference are:

• Making sure I drink 64 oz of water EVERY day by using the water tracking app.  I believe that I average about 40-50 oz of water and 20 oz of iced tea per day. I need to increase my water consumption and be consistent about it.
• Not snacking after 8:00.  ChocolateWife and I have a pattern of watching TV, crafting, and having a snack in the evening.  I need to ... not (to put it simply).  Yes to TV. Yes to time with ChocolateWife. Yes to crafting.  But no snacking.  Or perhaps 1 evening snack a week on the day of the long run.

I will also supplement the plan with at least 2 and possibly 3 core workouts a week.  And if I can get an arms/shoulders or chest/back workout in as well that would be ideal but I'll concentrate on running. 

And I may substitute the occasional bike ride for a run or walk day.  I really enjoyed the bike rides in my plan with the coach and it seems like a good cardio workout but a change of pace that was refreshing. 

I need to make some choices (and need my knee to feel better). I've enjoyed my week+ of rest and I'm ready to get back to a plan!

Workouts 5/28 - 6/03

I had a relatively crummy workout week last week. Geez. I just couldn't get myself out the door to even try. I believe it was a combination of stress (job) and tired (?) and sad (dog). Hopefully this week will be better. Last week: Monday - 6.0 miles 1:10 (11:39 mm) plus the walking warm up/down.It was Memorial day so I got to take my second daylight run in a row. I just ran on the sidewalks/streets in the neighborhood but it was quite nice. I did a 1:00/1:00 but maintained a nice pace.

Monday - You are your own Gym Week 5 Day 4 and Week 6 Day 1. I did the core workout from the week before and then the Arms/Pushing supersets from Week 6.

Tuesday - You are your own Gym Week 6 Day 2 - Legs, Supersets. Such a good workout.

Saturday - 3.9 in 1:03 walk. The entire family walked to the park and then played and then home. ChocolateDaughter rode her balance bike.

Sunday - Long Slow Hot Run of 9.5 in 2:15 (14:12 mm) plus the walking warm up/down. I'm not sure why this run was like this. I felt ok, just hot and sluggish. My first mile I covered just over 4.5 which is about normal for a LSR but then it just dropped and dropped. I'm going to blame the weather and the rest of the week. At a 1:00/1:00 ratio it was slow.

Sunday - You are your own Gym Week 6 Day 3 - Arms Pulling Supersets. A good workout although I do let me ins rather than pullups. I just can bring myself to try to do a pullup on the door.

The biggest news of the week is that I signed up for the Austin LiveSTRONG half-marathon for the 3rd straight year on Friday. I'd like to raise > $1500 this year to fight cancer and support those living with it. I'd also like to run a 2:35 or better half-marathon.

Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon 2012 Recap

I ran the Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon Sunday morning. The weather was perfect - about 48 at the start and 58-60 by the time I finished.  It was clear and Sunny with very little wind.  Last year was very windy so this was better.  I ran a 2:00/1:00 ratio for the first five miles both to allow myself to stretch out and because those first miles are a constant uphill.  I was behind my goal pace in miles 1 (to be expected with the big crowds and 2 right turns), 2, and 4. Strangely I was so ahead of goal pace at mile 3 that I wondered if the mile 2 and 3 markers were in the right spots.  At 5 miles I was under an hour and at 10 miles I was just over 2 hours (including a porto-potty break).  After we turned onto South first (with some downhills) I changed my ratio to 3:00/1:00.  I maintained all my run/walks but ran some extra downhills and walked through water stops.  After mile 10 I returned my run/walk ratio to 2:00/1:00 (this was planned) because I knew we were coming up to more hills including the Enfield hill. 

Running Enfield Hill with the kids

My family was waiting for me at the bottom of Enfield hill and my 2 nephews, 1 niece, and ChocolateSon all hopped off the curb to run with me.  We ran most of the way up and then they went back to the curb and my sister walked the last bit with me.  From there, the remainder was pretty easy.  I already knew that I wasn't going to meet my A goal or my dream goal for time I and I was pretty sure I wasn't even going to break 2:40.  We met up with the marathoners with about 800 meters to go and that was very exciting.  I ran next to (I think) the winning wheelchair (or hand bike?) and the crowd was cheering pretty wildly for him.  I ran the last 4:00 minutes or so because I knew I could and I didn't want to take a walk break. 

2:41:37. (12:20/mile)

That's not my goal but it is a PR by 8:47 in a very hard, very hilly race. According to my Nike+ sensor I ran 14.45 miles (including the last few hundred yards to the start line).  Mile 9 must include my porto-let break and mile 1 includes walking up to the start line and being stuck in congestion.  My overall pace for that recording was 11:43/mile which still doesn't meet my goal pace but is better than 12:20. 

I felt good throughout the race.  I knew my plan and maintained my ratios.  One of the reasons that I'm so surprised that I didn't beat last year's time by more is that I feel like I walked so much less this year.  I lost about 2:30 waiting in line to use a porto-let and then using it but I did the same last year. 

Crowd support was simply amazing.  People had great signs and cowbells and shouted encouragement and called to me by name.  My immediate family and my brother's family and sister's family (coming up from Houston) came to the race course at 3 points to cheer me on.  I wore my Team Livestrong shirt with a tribute list on the back and which my family signed and a few people patted me on the back or chatted with me, particularly saying that there were too many names on my shirt.  Although I did not meet my time goal, I surpassed my fundraising goal and I'm happy with that.  It was a great race and I had a very good time. 

My race shirt with tribute list and family signatures

Waiting for the race to start

After the race - at the Livestrong tent with our team mentor

The finisher's medal

Training Plan Week 10

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
10	02/06/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	5 miles/MM

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.0 miles 47:00 minutes (11:45/mm) plus walking warm up/down. It was a beautiful 59 degree day. I ran over and through the park which I'm really enjoying these days.
Thursday - 4.67 miles 48 minutes (10:16/mm) plus walking warm up/down. This run is so much faster than my usual that I wondered about the measurement but I recalibrated Nike+ to RunKeeper again yesterday and they are very close. The run felt great and fast. I did my last magic mile in case the GPS wouldn't work over the weekend and had a 9:46. Honestly, I was disappointed with that time. I ran hard and felt faster than the last time. I have to trust it though and set my goal accordingly.
Friday – 3.47 miles 58 minutes (16:42/mm) walk. I went down to Book People and to Tea Embassy. It was lovely out.
Sunday – 5.48 miles 1:08 (12:19) includes walking warm up/down. It was only 39 and had been sleeting earlier. I felt sort of tight but enjoyed what felt like an easy 5 mile run compared to every other Sunday for the past few months.

In the morning I posted a request on my FB status that I was $113 short of my $1250 goal for Team Livestrong. I got that donation from an online friend which pretty much blew me away in a good way. It wasn’t until I got a $25 donation from a work friend that I realized I blew the math and was actually $138 short when I posted the first note so now I really did reach the $1250 mark. I raised it to $1500 of course as I still have some people who have told me they will donate.

Training Plan Week 8

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
8	01/23/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	12 x 800

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.11 miles 47 minutes (11:26/mm). Ran in the rain near home. 2:30/1:00 ratio. Another .52 miles or so walking warm-up/down.
Thursday - 4.14 miles 49 minutes (11:44/mm). Ran on track near campus. 3:1 for first 30 then 2:1 ratio. Another .5 mile walk to warm up and down.
Friday - 3.35 miles 58 minutes walk (17:18/mm). I tried to walk easy knowing that I would run again Saturday. It was lovely out.
Saturday - 8.79 miles 1:52 (12:44/mm). 12x800 repeats. Target time based on my magic mile was 5:33. I beat that in every repeat: 5:21, 5;18, 5:20, 5:19, 5:16, 5:17, 5:23, 5:12, 5:20, 5:18, 5:18, 5:00. I felt really good about this run. Basically for every 800, I ran the first 400 in around 2:30, walked 30, and ran to the end. I was really excited that I was able to crank out that last 800 the fastest. Pace is not great because the total includes 2:30 walking between each and walking warm-up and down.

Planks - I did at least one one minute plank every day. Friday I posted on FB/Twitter that if I got a $25 donation (I got $80) I would do the PlankanHour challenge on Saturday. I did so even though some hours I got it in just at the limit and by the end my core was burning.

Livestrong Shirt

One of my Team Livestrong teammates designed this shirt and said that she could print names on the back. It's available in yellow, white, or gray. I don't usually wear any yellow but I figure if I'm going to promote and run for Team Livestrong I should probably get used to wearing some yellow.

The back of the shirt displays the names of my sponsor, some in memory names, some in honor of Survivor names, and my donors. I'm thrilled with it and I posted it on facebook to very positive response.

Training Plan Week 7

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
7	01/16/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	15 mile run

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.88 miles 1:00 (12:17/mm). Also .52 miles in 11 minutes walking warm up/down. It was ChocolateSon's birthday (happy birthday!) so I took the day off work. I ran with a 2:1 then 1:30/1 ratio.

Thursday - 8.65 mile 1:58 (13:38/mm) trail run. It was a state holiday so I worked 6 hours, then took off early for a nice long run. I went to Walnut Creek park which is probably my favorite place to run. Because it was still during the work/school day there were very few other folks there. 2:1 ratio.

Friday - 3.01 mile walk 48 minutes. I went for a walk on my lunch hour and it was quite beautiful and lovely.

Sunday - 14.44 mile 2:58 (12:19/mm). Includes warm up and down. I never intended to do 15 so I'm completely happy with the run. It was possibly the best run I've ever had. Certainly my best LSR. Pace target was 13:36 and my time INCLUDING WARM UP/DOWN was over a minute faster than that. I wasn't trying to run fast. It just felt easy and smooth. I worked on standing tall and leaning (very chi running) and just felt like I was falling forward much of the time. I actually had the impression that I was running downhill most of the time (obviously impossible since I ran a "there and back" route.

Total miles for the week = 32! I am at 80+ miles for January so unless something terrible happens this should be my first 100+ mile month ever.

I also had a good fundraising week. Tuesday I posted a note on FB saying that it was ChocolateSon's 8th birthday and that he says he will cure a terrible disease when he grows up but in the meantime would 8 people donate $8 to my half-marathon with Team Livestrong. My brother did as asked, another friend donated $8 for each year he has been alive ($64), and my friend Jenny B who sponsored my registration for the race donated $50.80. I am close to reaching my $1000 goal so I raised my goal to $1250.

Half Marathon Training Plan Week 6

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
6	01/09/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	10 x 800

Actual Week:

Tuesday - Nada. I woke up with a migraine bad enough that I pulled myself to the computer, put myself in as sick at work and spent the rest of the day trying to deal. I managed one plank just to maintain the #plankaday but that is it.

Thursday - 4.64 miles, 1 hour (12:49 mm). Includes warm-up/down. Ran through the park at lunchtime. Felt great. Very relaxed. Did 3:1 and could have done more.

Friday - 3.26 58 minute walk (17:47 mm). I had been planning to start running on Fridays before repeats on Sunday but since I donated blood on Thursday, I just walked.

Saturday - I completed the #plankanhour challenge, doing a 1 minute plank every hour between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.

Sunday - 10 x 800s. 7.71 miles total 1:40 (12:59) includes warm up, down, walks between. Very tired/heavy legs. Target was 5:33 each. Actual: 5:15, 5:20, 5:12, 5:16, 5:16, 5:26, 5:18, 5:31, 5:18, 5:22.

I'm less than $200 from reaching my goal of $1000 for Team Livestrong.

Half Marathon Training Plan Week 5

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
5	01/02/2012	45 min run	45 min run	easy walk	13 miles

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.09 miles 47 minutes (11:29 mm) (plus .6 miles walking warm up/down). It was gorgeous and 52 degrees and sunny. I ran up and down hills on campus. I'm particularly happy about how much I'm running hills this year and how consistently I'm running at or faster than race pace for my runs.

Thursday - 4.1 miles 47 minutes (11:27 mm) (plus .55 miles walking warm up/down). Another gorgeous day of 62 and sunny. I ran over to the park nearest my work. It had a few hills but mostly was just quiet and nice. Some trails and some rock work to concentrate of careful stepping.

Friday - 3.64 miles 1:09 walking (18:57 mm). I walked up through the park and along the street and over a pretty wide area. Nice walk.

Sunday - Long Slow Run. 13.2 miles 2:52 (13:01 mm) plus 10 minutes .6 miles walking. RunKeeper recorded about 13.4 or 13.5 total. Nike+ recorded 14.9. I recalibrated the Nike+ to be closer to the RunKeeper. Target pace was 13:36 overall. This was a very hard run. I did the 1:1 ratio that I've done in the past but it was much harder. Almost as soon as I started I felt sore and tired. My back seemed to be out of place which made my hips and legs sore. I considered quitting at about 2 miles but stuck it out and got the miles in. I ran at Wells Branch Park and had to do the loop 3+ times. The upside was running on trail surface rather than concrete.

All Week I have been trying to keep up with the Plank-a-day trend. I missed Sunday and Tuesday but everyother day I did 1, 2, or 3 1 minute planks. I'd like to make sure that every day I do 3-5 1 minute planks. I've tried to figure out a way I could do them at work but haven't done so yet. Perhaps I can go down to the lockerroom and do one in there or on the staircase landing...

Team Livestrong - I've raised $779 toward my goal of $1000 for Team Livestrong. My most recent donation was from my uncle. The entire team has raised $110,000. Wow.

Week 2 Half-Marathon Training

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
2	12/12/2011	45 min run/MM	45 min run	easy walk	6 x 800

Actual Week:

Tuesday - 4.15 miles 54 minutes (13:00). Includes warm-up/down. I tried to run the magic mile but had no GPS coverage so don't know mileage. Might have been 9:40 or more. I will try again next week on a track.

Thursday - 4.35 miles 51 minutes (11:36). 2 minutes/40 seconds interval. Very good run. Also did another .5 miles walking in 9 minutes warm up/down.

Friday - 3.15 miles 48 minutes (15:14).

Sunday - 5 miles (?) 1:05. 6 x 800 repeats. Goal time was 5:33 (assuming 9:40 magic mile). Actual times were 5:07, 5:06, 5:07, 5:00, 4:55, 5:05. I could have done more but trying to actually follow the plan.

Another good week training and fund-raising.

Week 1 Half-Marathon Training

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
1	12/05/2011	45 min run	40 min run	easy walk	9 miles

Actual Week:

I had a pretty good running week although I missed one (walking) workout due to scheduling/sickness (more on that).

Tuesday - 4.61 miles 57 minutes (12:17) including walking warm-up/down. 3:1 ratio for about 1/2 time then 2:1 ratio. 37 degrees out. I have found a route near work/University that has some nice hills and a long stretch (.75 miles or so) with no streets to cross. I have to cross one major intersection to get there but that's the tradeoff.
Thursday - 3.98 miles 54 minutes (13:29). This included 20 minutes walking warm-up and five down. I was on a phone call and couldn't start running for a while. The running was at 2:1.
Friday should have included an easy walk but our weekend plans meant I would be doing my Long Slow Run (LSR) Saturday making Friday rest day.
Saturday - 9.5 miles 2:05 (13:09). A really enjoyable LSR at 1:1. It was 45 out so I wore a hat and gloves the entire time. My target by Galloway prediction should have been 14:00/mile but that's not a realistic target. I actually think that would be TOO slow unless I did 40 run/60 walk or something like that. 1:1 at this pace was quite comfortable.
Sunday - I had a sort of vague thought that I'd go for an easy walk sometime between going to volunteer at a race with ChocolateSon and going to shop for gifts with ChocolateWife in the afternoon. Instead the day consisted of the volunteering and both ChocolateKids getting quite stomach fluey and everything that entails.

After I posted my Saturday LSR on dailymile I posted a status update saying that I had run 9 miles and please donate $9 (one for every mile) for my Livestrong Half-marathon. Three friendsFour friends made $25 donations which I really appreciated so I'm not over 50% to my goal.

2011 Goals

Last year I posted 3 goals. My progress on them:

• Donate Blood Platelets 12x or more. I just looked and it looks like I did 16 double donations this year. So I beat that goal pretty handily. I've got a new boss at work and I don't feel as comfortable regularly taking time off to donate so it's pretty much stopped at this point. I may just donate blood at the drives we have at work this coming year since they're easier to get to.
• Volunteer at a few rides or runs. Pretty vague. I volunteered at the Austin Marathon on Valentine's Day handing out Water and drinks. That was it.
• Be more forgiving - I actually think I'll give myself a thumbs-up on this one. I have felt like I wasn't holding on to issues as long and I've been praying a lot to help me give up being angry or resentful.

So what are my 2011 goals?

I can't say that I have very many specific goals for 2011. I want to feel happy, to be relaxed, to be a good parent and a loving partner. And I want to run.

• Run the Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon 2/20. (Committed).
• Raise >$750 for said Half-Marathon (I'm at about $500)
  

How far, how much do I want to run this year? Do I want to set these goals?

• Run 500 miles (9.61 miles per week)
• Run 750 miles (14.42 miles per week)
• Run 1000 miles (19.23 miles per week)

I've joined Nike Running challenges for the first two distances. I've also joined one that purports to be running across Texas from Orange to El Paso (1476 km or 915 miles).