I tried really hard to reach my goals in March, leaving some to the very last few days which I don't recommend. Sometimes when I set goals, I try to make them attainable yet slightly lofty at the same time.
Ran 63 km – nailed that one!
March Break activities with the girls – non stop skiing, skating, library going. Nailed it.
Read a book – nope! I started one a few times but it didn't amount to anything substantial. I just don't make time for reading but I want to!
What am I planning for April? Well, that's a great question. I'll be training for my May half marathon so that will be part of my goals.
So my goals really don't differ from March but I made a few additions.
Running: I'm hoping I can pull off about 80 km of running this month. Technically, if I follow my training plan I'll be well over 80 km and maybe more towards 100 km but I don't think my body can handle that many. Also, my training plan has me running 5 days a week and I only ever plan to run 3 days a week with adding in cross training on two expected run days. I'm trying hard not to push it too much with my hip.
Cycling: This is actually going to be a hard one to meet this month. It's really easy for me to get on my indoor trainer (bike) and peddle out for 45-60 minutes in the comfort of my home. I usually can ride 18-26 km during those time frames but with the weather getting better outside, we'll be wanting to get out bikes out very soon. If I take my bike off the trainer, it won't be going back on since it's a challenge for me to switch out the tire. So we'll see how this goes!
Play Outside with My Kids: We all love be outside so this one might be an easy one for us. If they want to ride their bikes or scooters, I'll likely run beside them so I can leave my bike on the trainer as long as I can. However, I want to do some hiking with them and Spring is a classic "road chalk" time, so we'll likely be out doing that as well!
Start/Finish Book: I'm not a big reader but I have a pile of books to read! I'm currently reading Heather Moyse's (Canadian Olympic Bobsledder) new book called "Redefining Realistic". So far so good but I really just need to make time for it. Maybe I should start reading books while I'm on my bike rather then TV!
Strength Training – Upper Body 2x week: My back is starting to hurt again from my car accident last year – whiplash. It's like someone is standing on the left side of my back constantly putting pressure on me AND like I have the wind knocked out of me. So, back to PT exercises they gave me a year ago plus focused strength training for my upper back.
Physio Exercises: I'll be going back to my old upper body PT exercises but I need to continue to do my hip/back and oblique PT exercises in order to keep my hip happy. I usually do these after I run or cycle but also on rest days.
That's it! Those are my April goals – some easy to do, some a challenge ahead of me.
Cyclists – Indoor or outdoor riding in April?
What's your favourite upper body workout?
Over the last few years I've really come to love yoga, specifically going to yoga class once a week. However, sometimes life gets in the way and I can't always get there.
Now, I have a few yoga DVD's at home and have used them but there is something about going to a class. Maybe it's the fact that I can't just give up, pack it in and call it a day if I get bored or lose focus like I can at home.
I'm also a fan of finding workouts on Pinterest however, I haven't been so great at actually using the pins that I save. I *always* have great intentions when I pin something but you have to find the time to go back and actually download the workout or recipe if you want to accomplish it.
Recently, I've started doing yoga before bed to help me fall asleep. Sometimes I want to spend 20 minutes doing yoga before bed and other times it's just a quick and easy / feel good going to bed kind of yoga that I want.
Have you ever tried a bed time yoga routine?
Yoga in the morning or before bed or BOTH?
What's your favourite yoga pose? Mine is pigeon pose.