Sunday, March 18, 2012

Future Running Goals

Ahhh the goals post. This type of blog entry seems very common among Moms-To-Be.  Well mine will be a little different. As much as I'd love to sit here and type out my goals for Summer 2012, I know in my heart that I have no idea what to expect come May.
In May, I'm going to be a Mom.  That was weird to type.  Do I hope to be a Running Mom?  You bet.  Do I hope to be a Marathon Running Mom. The Truth? No.
I've run three marathons and I haven't really, truly enjoyed ANY of them.  I guess I sorta enjoyed the training but on race day I was never capable of running the times I thought I could.  Case in point, I trained my heart out for NY and only ran 2 minutes faster than Boston- a race I only trained for 2 months.  I'm just not sure the marathon and I are right for each other.

And if I'm having these feelings BEFORE the baby, it's certainly not going to get any easier to train AFTER.  


So my goals are simple. (In my head at least...)

My goals for after this baby are to get fast.  I'm talking racing 5Ks.  Maybe a 5 Miler.  Nothing longer.  The way I see it is like this...  After I have our baby, I'm going to have WAY less time.  After I go back to work, I'm going to have even less time.  So my plan is to make every run and every workout I do worthwhile.

If you ask me what I'm passionate about or what my life mission statement is, I would say: To get the most done in the least amount of time while still maintaining a strong work ethic and quality product.

This is how I operate at work, in my kitchen and soon, with my workouts.

So to do this I must do what exactly?  Simply: Run fast in little time.  If I have a half hour to get a workout done, I will be running as fast as I possibly can for those 30 minutes. If I only have 10 or 15 minutes, the same theory applies.

I am not going to tell you what paces I hope to run this summer because I have no idea what my labor or recovery will be like.  I will tell you that I hope to get close to my PRs again and get on the track more.  The track is where I fell in love with running to begin with.  I want to run fast in events I can no longer sign up for: the mile, 800, 600, 400, 200.  I want to feel fast again.
And with the Olympics around the corner, I know I'll be even more motivated to run around my favorite oval.  I've already warned my husband to expect our DVR to be filled to the brim with track and field events from the 2012 Olympics!
(this is my college coaches' son Matthew Centrowitz at a track meet in Boston in February)

So there you have it.  My running goals for Summer 2012. It consists of really having no goals.  Come May my life will change in ways I can't imagine and I want to set myself up for success, not failure.

Moms- Any advice?

12 comments:

  1. I think this sounds like a great goal! Short, effective workouts for a new mom sound right to me (but what do I know...). I actually think I might take a break this spring/summer to do short races, too.

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  2. I have 2 little tots (2.5 and 1) and work full time, and have never run faster in my life! Its exactly as you said... I have a very small window of time to fit in a workout... and a) I have to make sure I get my butt out the door or I may not get another chance for days and b) I have to make it count... so I run my hardest. BUT give yourself time to heal and enjoy your newborn... don't feel pressure to be a running rockstar in the early stages... as much as you may want to. You WILL get back to running and it will always be there for you... but your newborn will be a toddler before you know it so soak it up! ;)

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  3. I feel the same about the marathon (ironman is going to be a pretty rude day) - but I prefer to train for running-only races that are a shorter distance. it sounds like you are making good plans!

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  4. It sounds like you are setting SMART goals for yourself. Good luck new mommy-to-be!

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  5. This makes so much sense for you Liz! I've found the transition from being a track athlete to being a "grown-up" runner difficult. I feel like there's so much pressure to be a marathoner after college. I'm giving in, and running a darn marathon, but I don't know if I'll run another after this one. You were great on the track and 5ks are such fun and challenging races. You should look into All-Comers track meets near you to just challenge yourself and run against college kids and older folks, it may feel a little silly, but it's so much fun to run a real track race. We have a whole summer series that a local running club puts on, you can even race the hurdles!
    Hmm... if I'm not pregnant come summer of 2013, maybe I'll invite all the alum out to Seattle so we can do this all comers meet and have a big reunion!

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  6. Your philosophy of "making it count" is fantastic. That's all you can do as a running mom. Do what you want, when you can! You'll want to spend so much time with that little munchkin - working out becomes something on the side instead of a main focus every day. Can't wait to see how fast you get after baby ;)

    So glad to see you posting again! I'd love to catch up on your pregnancy posts. Can you email me the password? meganake@yahoo.com.

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  7. You are so wise my friend. It is so challenging to fit in workouts nowadays, and I LOVE that you're focusing on shorter distances since you won't have much time. I can learn a lot from you. I think after my 1/2s in April, I'm going to back off the miles and just try to get speedier in shorter distances, too!

    PS- call any time :)

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  8. Wow, that really is so you! Work hard and work fast and make it good. Love it. Only wish I could keep up with you on the post baby runs!

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  9. Oh your baby is so cute! I can't wait to see my baby, its only 3 months to wait.. Good luck for the both of you.

    nuvali laguna

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  10. I have zero advice since I'm wondering what post-baby running life has in store for me too. I also am not so into the marathon but I am going to run NYC 2012. I think it's more to do with getting back into shape than anything else. I love the half so my real goal is to get speedy for that one. I love your goals of getting fast after baby and I can't wait to read all about it.

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  11. Thanks for this post. Your courage and dedication are brilliant! I don't have children yet, but you've made me think about the different stages of my life and appreciate how all of us can strive for excellence at any point on our respective timeline. Good luck with you 5k's! You could also set a goal of a certain 1- or 2-mile time. Training for that can be inspiring, since it's a measure of athleticism we've all been familiar with since teenage sports, plus it doesn't require major time commitments. It's a great goal for me to focus on when I'm closing a big deal or trying a case (I'm a lawyer) and don't have time for long runs. Good luck & God bless! xo

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