New Site!

I've been working on updating my website!

Check out the new page at: http://defyyourlimitations.com/

Pardon the dust as I get settled in! :

2014 Goals

Lately, I have been enjoying some down time on the running front. In December I spent some time just running for fun following my marathon, and I wasn't ready to set any next goals following the race. Since mid-December, I have also been dealing with some nagging quad pain, as I mentioned the other day. I'm hoping it all clears up soon because I'm finally starting to feel more ready to make some 2014 goals!

Here are some of the things I hope to accomplish this year:

Complete my first half iron distance triathlon. I'm targeting the Folsom Triathlon in June. I haven't signed up yet (hopefully soon!), but I'm pretty excited to try a new race distance.

Read more.  I love reading and this got lost in the shuffle of life and my dissertation in 2013, so I'm excited to read some new books for fun. Right now I'm in the middle of Daring Greatly.

PR the half marathon. I don't have a goal race in mind yet, but I'm eying the Zooma Napa Half marathon. I've heard so many awesome things about Zooma races, and would love to run a race in Napa!

Volunteer for some races. I have been fortunate to be able to run many events the past few years, and I am always appreciative of the volunteers. This year, I want to give back a little! I'd like to volunteer for at least 2 events.

Consider a trail race. In December, I ran a couple short trail runs just to mix things up, and I kind of loved running on the dirt instead of the pavement. I think it could be fun to try a trail race at some point this year.

Be present. Lately I have been trying harder to notice the beauty in my surroundings, and be grateful for the little moments in each day that make me smile. For 2014, I want to make sure to be present and appreciate these little things in life.

What are your goals for 2014? I'd love to hear about them!

Have any good books to recommend for me? 

Hitting the Pool & Core Values

Lately I have been having some issues with my left leg. I've taken a few weeks off of running --my last run was on 12/18. I'm not sure if it's a hip, IT band, hamstring or quad problem -- the pain seems to sort of move around, but mostly is sore near my knee (inside) and hip (outside).

Probably the most frustrating part is that I'm not really certain the cause. I'm buckling down this week with a focus on foam rolling some knots out, and hip strengthening. If it's not feeling much better soon, I think it will be time to head to a physical therapist.

So, in the time I've taken off from running, training has been mostly swimming and weights, with a little cycling and yoga thrown into the mix. On the plus side, over the holiday break visiting my parent's house in upstate NY, I swam my longest swim ever -- 3150 meters!

{such a pretty pool! and so big, we swam the width instead of the length!}

Because of this, it's made it feel hard to plan my next goal race since my motivation to train isn't there (well, it is there, but I just can't get out and run!). But, I'm trying to keep positive that I'll be back at it soon!

At the moment, the next race on my list for this year is Ragnar FL Keys on February 7-8. I'm so excited for this adventure, and I'm doing everything I can to make sure I'm back in action by then.

Otherwise, I'm also joining in on the #corevalues 30 day core challenge by Healthy Strides. I figure working on my core can't be a bad thing! 5 minutes a day for the month of January. Maybe by the end of the month it'll stick to being a good habit I continue.

What's your favorite core exercise?

2013 Wrap-Up

For me, 2013 was truly one to remember. I love photographs, so to wrap up 2013, I wanted to share some of my favorite images of the year. Enjoy!

It brought me to the finish line of so many races...

 

 

..and also other fun adventures like vacations...

...exploring California...

...and finally finishing my graduate degree.

There were many miles in the pool,

on the bike,

and on foot.

And most importantly, I spent a lot of time friends both old and new.

   

Hope you had a great year too! I'm looking forward to more exciting times 2014! Thanks for reading along and sharing in my adventures.

What was one of your favorite adventures from 2013?

My Year of Running (and Triathlon)

Miss Zippy has a linkup going on right now asking, "How was your year of running?" I have seen a few responses from other bloggers, and I kind of love this idea, so I decided to join in.

Best race experience?
Hands down, for me this year it was running Hood to Coast. Running my first relay and making new friends from all across the country was an incredible experience. Nuun Hydration really brought together some amazing individuals, and I couldn't be more thankful.

Best run?
I truely had an amazing year with big PRs at every race distance -- taking 8 minutes off my half marathon PR, and 17 off my full marathon PR. I also took 8 minutes off my sprint triathlon time and raced my first olympic distance triathlon, so it makes this very hard to choose. However, I think my best run this year is tied between the Oakland half marathon and my august sprint distance triathlon. The Oakland half was just a great race environment with a huge amount of crowd support, and fun at the finish with friends. The sprint triathlon was great because I think I worked hard to push myself. I didn't slow down and felt fierce! (Which I think is always great on a race day.)

Best new piece of gear?
So, my husband actually purchased this for himself, but I may be "borrowing" it for him often -- best piece of gear this year would have to go to the SPIbelt. I feel behind the times on this purchase. I don't usually run with a water bottle or other belt because I always thought I would hate the bouncing of it. But seriously, the SPIbelt holds my phone and whatever else I may need and I totally forget it's even there! I'd highly recommend it.

Best piece of running advice you received?
I feel like I have had a lot of advice around believing in myself, and confidence this year. I am working on the mental aspects of training and seeing the fun in it. Sometimes this is an area that is easy to forget about, but it is incredibly important!

Most inspirational runner/triathlete?
So many fellow bloggers have been inspirational to me this year that this is hard to choose. This year I have been much more immersed into the blogging world and have "met" many amazing people! I hope 2014 will continue to connect me with more wonderful people. You can check out some of a list of blogs I follow here, to find some of these inspirational runners and triathletes.

If you could sum up your year in a couple words, what would they be?
Strong. Confident. Happy.

How was your year? What was your best run or race of 2013?

Passed!

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I did officially pass my PhD defense this week! Very exciting!  Things went mostly smoothly during my presentation (with only a brief computer automatic restart shaking things up in the first few minutes). And I handed in all my final paperwork on Friday morning. It is so strange to be finished with my degree. But, I'm also excited to see wherever life will take me next.

This weekend we had some friends in town visiting, so it has been nice to relax and enjoy some quality time with friends. Plus, soon we'll be traveling home for the holidays too!

Of course, I couldn't miss my weekend run, so I made sure to get up on Saturday morning for a long run (seriously, I think long run Saturday is one of my favorite things ever). My knee has been bothering me a bit this week, so I was taking things easy. So while Ryan went out for a 19-miler, I aimed for something shorter, and then walked for a few miles. I ended up doing some running on trails rather than just the pavement, which was awesome! Total, I ran 9.5 miles, then walked almost 3.25. It made for a solid morning -- plus, how can you not enjoy a beautiful sunrise like this?!

So, how was your weekend? 

By the way, to celebrate the holidays, if you need to stock up on Nuun (a great stocking stuffer!!), you can get the friends and family discount for 20% off one order using the code HOLIDAY13 now through Dec 31!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a day that I have been working toward for many years. Tomorrow I will be defending my doctoral dissertation work. The last few months have been extra focused and I have been working extra hard to finish all the final details.

 {there's always beauty in nature}

In a way, this is kind of like the many months of dedicated training, then finally arriving at race day. You know you've put in the time and effort. You've been spent the hours on the track or on the bike. Race day is the day to show how far you've come.

 {getting out for a chilly AM run on Sunday -- workouts are saving my sanity}

Tomorrow will be my race day. Today I'm relaxing -- the hay is in the barn, so to speak. I'll be staying busy by going to the gym, baking some cookies, and hopefully getting to bed early. Tomorrow, I cross the finish line. I will be showing the world all that I know in my area, showing all the hard work I completed. Here goes nothin'.