Care to join me?

Shall we spend some time together, perhaps over a cup of coffee? Actually, you can have the coffee, and I'll have my usual chai latte.' Care to join me?

What's new with you? Any races coming up? Did you have a great racing season? Any new injuries, or were you able to breeze through the training injury-free?

Here's what I'd share with you...if we were having coffee.



First of all, I'm a little relieved to have November behind me, but now I'm in the midst of that dreaded "marathon hangover." Ever been there? I don't know about you, but my body is feeling tired, but not drop-dead exhausted. And, strangely, I'm feeling a little lost without a workout regimen to keep me busy. Kind of like I'm in a fog....

Next, my planking challenge was successful! My goal was to do 150 planking minutes, and I ended November with 150:30. I actually remembered to take measurements this time....and I lost an inch off my waist and hips! My weight pretty much maintained itself through my marathon training the past few months, but I could tell my clothes were fitting looser (especially around the waist/hip/tush). I did a lot of side planks (on my elbow), and those are total mid-section burners. I also did a lot of my training runs in the early morning hours, so I was burning more fat than fuel because I was running in a "fasted state." (***disclaimer---I was NOT purposefully trying to lose weight or burn fat, that's just when the bulk of my training runs fit my schedule best)

Also, let me share with you some of my December goals. I had some unexpected hip/groin discomfort during the marathon...like from Mile 2 until the finish line. I had to take more walk breaks than I'd preferred (resulting in a slower finish time than I wanted), but I'm thankful I had the training (and endurance) to finish the race (though there were several times I considered stopping at the half marathon finish line instead). As a result of 24+ miles with a compromised hip, my body needs some serious recovery time from running. I plan to do some cross-training, as well as daily push-ups, planking, and cardio. Oh, and there will be some easy daily streaking as well....

Care to join me?

Yes, you heard that correctly, I am attempting to streak through the rest of 2016. I have done the Runner's World Winter Streak before (like in 2015 and 2014 and 2013), and am hoping I can also complete it in 2016. So far, I ran a couple of easy miles on Thanksgiving morning, and have run an easy mile every day since. Nothing grandiose, and certainly nothing fast. I'm just doing the minimum 1-milers each day for now. I finished November with 115 monthly miles, which will put my total 2016 miles at 947 if I do just the 1-mile minimum each day. Trust me, I'm quite content with that. It's another PR for mileage for me. If things go well, and my hip is feeling better, I may add a few extra miles here and there...but I probably won't make it to 1,000. My main focus is recovery, not creating another injury.

And, lastly......guess what's happening in June 2017? I'm heading back to Duluth, MN to run Grandma's Marathon! It's gonna be strange returning for a repeat marathon, but I'm looking forward to running the beautiful course along Lake Superior again. Also, there's gonna be a few running gal pals there with me, so it'll be a grand experience.

Check out this piece of hardware!

So, there you have it. That's the latest and greatest in my little corner of the universe.

Do you feel lost after a marathon (or any big race that you've trained for)? Do you honor the rest and recovery routine after a big race? Have you ever done a running streak?

I'm linking up with lovely Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date link-up, and also with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup.