We are already into our first week of February – how was the month been going for you so far? I’m really excited to dive into a new month and conquer new goals!
But before I share my running goals for February, I’m going to look back and see how I did kicking off 2018 with my running and fitness goals for January. I’ve really enjoyed these posts because they help keep me accountable – there’s always work to be done and ways to improve!
I’m linking up with Marcia, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run, Susie, Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for the Running Coaches Corner and Annmarie, Nicole, and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!
[bctt tweet=”How did you do with your running goals for January? What are your goals for February? #runchat” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]
January Running Goals Recap:
January kicked off a new year, and it was my first full month of training for the New Jersey Marathon. I worked really hard to commit to my training and ended up running about 75.5 miles in the month of January – I’ll take it! Here’s what I originally planned for my running goals in January:
- Create a meal planning routine. Grade: F. I signed up for that 10-day Meal Planning Bootcamp and I never even made it past the second day. With my mother passing away, I spent a lot of time in Buffalo and we didn’t have the healthiest meals. I don’t regret it at all, but I have to get my head in the game to seriously work on this goal.
- Get back to my pre-holiday weight. Grade: A. Surprisingly, my weight gain wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! I haven’t weighed myself since the beginning of January but I’m feeling in pretty good shape and pretty consistent.
- Foam roll after every run. Grade: A. It’s finally feeling like routine to foam roll, even after my shorter runs!
February Running Goals
- Create a meal planning routine. Since I failed this goal in January, I’m bringing it back! I still have that meal planning challenge I can use as a guide I just need to dive in and get to work! I know that once I find my routine, it will relieve so much stress and pretty much force us to eat healthier meals. No time like the present!
- Get to the bottom of my knee and shoulder pain. I honestly thought knee pain while running was normal; at least it’s normal for me. I’m very early in my marathon training so it’s important for me to not derail the process by ignoring potential injuries. I have some exercises that I could do for my shoulder; Coach Laura thinks I should talk to a PT about my knee pain. I’ve had Runner’s Knee in the past; at a minimum, I know I have to make sure I do my injury prevention exercises consistently. Fingers crossed that I can find out what I can do to avoid getting hurt!
- Run a long run with a friend. The long Saturday runs have been pretty lonely the past few weeks. I know a few fellow City Fit Girls who are training for the New Jersey Marathon and Half, so it’s time to meet up with one or two of them and get it done! Miles always go quicker when you’re not alone, plus they are some great gals to talk to/hang out with!
How did you do with your running goals in January? What goals are you working towards this February?
I hope your knee feels better. Having company definitely helps me on the long runs!
Thanks a lot, Sarah!
I’m sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. I hope that you are able to get some PT exercises to help give you some relief. Ugh the dreaded knee pain! I feel your pain but foam rolling should help a lot so it’s great that you feel like you have a routine down for that!
This shoulder pain has really been a strange one…why now, and why just one shoulder? Hopefully I get to the bottom of it. I do want to spend even more time on the foam roller and do whatever I can to help my knees!
Re the meal planning- I would start w a small goal of planning for 2 days out and see how that goes. Baby steps!
That’s a really good idea! I need to try that instead of overwhelming myself each week, thanks for the tip!
My goal is to keep up with the yoga I’ve been doing since November. I’ve carved out time during the evening to do stress relief yoga, and now I’m doing other routines. The time I used to spend after dinner was mindless social media. Now I’ve gotten into the yoga routine and I want to stick with it.
It’s nice having a yoga routine. I only do yoga about 1-2 times a week and I really wish I had time to do more. Doing it after dinner sounds like a great idea!
So sorry to hear about your mom, Janelle. I had no idea 🙁 I am glad you’re feeling on track with your workouts and you’re going to get your knee checked out!
Thanks, Annmarie I really appreciate it.
Running with friends makes training so much more enjoyable. I hope you figure out the cause of that knee pain!
Thanks, Nicole! Yes…at least Bret has joined me on my shorter runs!
Sounds like some great goals for February! I love that you have running with friends on there. It really does make those long run miles go by faster. Good luck with the knee! I’m waiting for my doctor to give me a referral to see a PT about my knee too.
Thanks a lot, Chaitali. I hate having to go through the referral process, it just drags everything out. Hopefully your knee issues get better too!
I hope you can get to the bottom of your knee and shoulder pain! Meal prep can be alot of work but it definitely pays off during the week.
Thanks, me too! Getting the meal planning on lock is key!
Knee pain is NOT normal. Go see the PT!
And you should definitely meet up with someone for those long runs. Makes it much easier. MUCH. I would if I had someone (and if I was actually running, sidelined by a cold at the moment but luckily not training for anything yet).
I don’t eat well when I’m really stressed. Through out my mom’s whole surgery debacle last year weight melted off of me because I barely had time to eat, but that’s never the way you want to lose weight. 🙁
Anyway, enough of me! Here’s to getting to the bottom of that pain and pain free runs. I will never forget what our local Fleet Feet owner said one time — if you’re a runner, things will ache, but they shouldn’t hurt.
Fingers crossed that I can get an appointment this month!
I haven’t been able to find a long run buddy yet…every week I tweak my route a bit so it makes it hard to have a consistent person to run with. I still got a couple more weeks to hit this goal!
Yeah, stress can go either way…when I’m stressed I eat more and not the healthy stuff.
I like that note though…ache = okay, pain = bad!
I’ve been a big meal planner since forever. It’s so much easier to stay on top of your food intake when you plan and shop. This way we know what is on the menu. We don’t cook on the weekends, which is kind of bad–we order carryout–but at least during the week we are doing ok.
I definitely use going out to eat as a crutch and I want to stop doing that. I do need to figure out a good shopping routine since Bret normally does the grocery shopping (since he cooks the most). I hope to get to the point where you are!!