September Goals!
Happy Labor Day! If you live in the US, I hope you’re one of us lucky few that have the day off. If not, I hope you get to enjoy a bit of a slower day. Today, I wanted to pop in with some goals for the month! I have been writing down a few goals for the past few months and I absolutely love goign back and seeing what I was able to accomplish. It makes me feel great to check things off my list but also see how marathon training is going! First I want to share a bit about how last month went before jumping into my September Goals!
August was pretty good for me. I ran my first 20 miler for this season and it felt AWESOME. I was so lucky to run it with friends so that kept me in a good place mentally and I really didn’t have any excuse to not finish. There was a moment of weakness before the run where I expressed my mountain of “what ifs” but my husband kindly reminded me that I had done it before so I should stop trying to come up with excuses. Love that man!
One of my goals for August was to rehearse my pre-run dinner. I was actually able to practice with two different options: traditional Chicken Alfredo and Chicken Burrito Bowl from Chipotle. Since I will be traveling, I wanted to try things that I’m sure I would be able to find anywhere in Chicago. These two options worked really well with me and I had absolutely no issue with digestion! However, my hydration belt was a fiasco and I’m over it. I purchased one that I thought would be perfect. I even had the opportunity to test it when I was having issues with my Camelback (can’t wear it on race day). Turns out the hydration belt I bought wouldn’t even fit my phone or gels. Needless to say, I was pissed and my hydration strategy went out the window.
September Goals:
- Break 100 monthly miles
- Seamlessly incorporate electrolyte into my long runs
- Find race outfit
- Eat more greens!
This past month I ended with 94 miles! With two 20 mile runs in the horizon, I really think I can crank out 100 miles in September. I’m not going to push myself at the end to run miles just for the heck of it though. If I can come up with them organically through my training, I am happy with it. I haven’t ever broken the 100 mile mark in a month so it will be exciting if I do!
I have received some awesome goodies from Gatorade including the on course nutrition and hydration mix. I will be working on using those during my long runs. I have been blessed with a group who is offering long runs with aid stations around town. During long runs, I’ll continue to carry water in my Camelback and drink Gatorade at the aid stations. On race day, I plan to alternate between the two. Timing will be very important since I have had issues with muscle cramps at the end of longer races but this first 20 mile run went well so I have no doubt that I will be able to get the timing down and knock it out of the park on race day!
I’ve slacked on the race day outfit department. There’s an idea of what I want but I really need to get on it. I mean, I have my shoes, socks, and sports bra picked out so I’m halfway there, right?! Again, I know what I want and I basically just need to get off my lazy butt and go purchase it so I can practice with it.
Nutrition has gone well! I don’t weight myself often but I decided to last week just to check. I am still at the weight I was when I was working with my dietitian so I’m set! I do want some more greens in my diet since I feel like I’ve been lacking a bit on them. Also ready to add produce that’s in season!
Overall, I have high hopes for September. It will be the end of marathon training for me and I am absolutely excited! I truly think I’m ready for Chicago and race day can’t get here fast enough!
Now, it’s your turn! What are some of your goals for September?
