January Recap

Number of running days:  6

Number of cross training days:  2 (snowshoeing!)

Number of yoga days:  0

Number of days below -35*C/-31*F:  3

Number of days below -20*C/-4*F: 2

Number of days I couldn't get my car out of the driveway due to snow:  2

Number of days I was sick and in bed:  2

Number of planned rest days:  6

Actual rest days:  23 (Did I turn into a sloth?)

Books read:  1

Number of training plans I screwed up because I read the calendar wrong:  1

So, January started off as a great month.  I had a 4 day running streak to kick things off, and kept going into the second week, but then - nada.

There were 3 days where I just don't have the gear to run in temperatures that cold, and 2 more days where I could have run, but it would not have been comfortable, and 2 more days where I legitimately could not get out of the door because of snow, and 2 more days where I had my head in the toilet.  That leaves 14 days where I could have been doing something, but did nothing.  Even on those cold, cold days, I could have put on a DVD, or done some yoga, or something.  Lame.  I was lame in January.

I was signed up for 4 challenges, and that didn't even give me a kick in the pants.  I fell far short of the 100km challenge, with a whopping 28K for the month.  I came no where near working out every day (see above), and though I suppose my last few days of the HBBC challenge were a success since all of my running came at the beginning of the month, I stopped tracking points.  I even slacked off in the food journal challenge.  What the heck!? 

Oh ya, and last week I noticed that there are fewer weeks to that half marathon than I thought.  Somehow, when putting my training plan on my calendar, I missed 4 weeks.  I thought I was building up to training and would get started in mid-February.  I guess I'm doing a 12 week training plan instead of 16 weeks.  So not only am I lame, and a challenge slacker, I've also lost my ability to do simple math.  Poop.

Luckily, I was also working on a few other things this month to keep from feeling like a total failure:

Work/Life Balance
This is one area that I feel better about.  I took 2 Fridays off this month and have another one tracked on my calendar to be taken soon to make up for time worked.  I also made a hair appointment on a Tuesday morning to make up for a Thursday evening spent working, and ate my lunch away from my desk on several days for a mid-day break (since I wasn't running).  This makes me feel better about work in general and I know I need to keep this up.

Mind:
I finished my book - Gold Diggers, by Charlotte Gray.  It was a really interesting look at the Klondike Gold Rush told through the stories of 6 real life "characters" who made their way to Dawson City in 1896-98.  As Canadians, we are often think our history is boring - but there are some hidden gems in the tales of our past!  I finished it on my way home from Whitehorse, and am part way through my next book.

Earth:
I have to admit, I did not walk to the store from home once this month as I'd planned.  I did get myself better organized and did not need to make multiple trips out, and when going into town, parked once and then walked to the down town grocery store when I did need extra items, so I feel like this counts!

Running and exercise-wise, I did not do well in January, but I'm not going to dwell on it.  I got over the end of my flu yesterday and celebrated Groundhog Day with a run today.  Goals for February are coming up!