Thirty-Five...and a Half!

Today is my half birthday. Yippee!

You’re probably wondering why I even mention it. Partly it's to give you a heads up- only six months left to try and find me the perfect birthday present! ;)

But mostly it's because it’s a great time to stop and evaluate how I am doing on my 35 in 35 list.

In case you hadn’t noticed, back in January (on my birthday) I posted a list of 35 things I hope to do in my 35^th year. Then I created a page for it and have been updating it ever since. As of today, this is where I stand.

Running Goals (40% complete)

1. Run 12 races in 12 months

2. Run in 3 different states So far this year I've ran in Texas, Florida, and New Jersey

3. Finish a race hand in hand with Paul (optimally I would be running his pace, not the other way around) Firecracker 5K 07/06/2013

4. Sub-30 minute 5K- current best time is 30:26

5. Sub-60 minute 10K- current best time is 65:30

6. Complete (and PR) a half marathon - 01/13/2013 02:38:17, a PR by 28:43

7. Complete a full marathon

8. Log 750 running miles

9. Run a trail or beach race - 03/30/2013 Bunny Dash 5K on the UWF trails

10. Join a running or training group

 

Ok, so far I have ran 10 races over the last 6 months with 5 more I am already registered for in 2013. Definitely think I will be able to cross off #1 by my 36^th birthday.

I don’t have any 5Ks or 10Ks on the horizon but I am hoping to find a few in the fall and cross off #4 and #5.

 

#7 won’t be happening in 2013. My original plan was to run the Philadelphia Marathon in November but my really close friends are getting married that weekend in Texas. I can’t do both and there will be another Philadelphia Marathon so I happily chose to postpone this one.

 

Gosh, I really suck at tracking my miles. I stopped using my Garmin after I moved to FL and I never log into dailymile. Not really sure how I will be able to assess #8.

 

#10- I still run on my own. I have yet to find a running group that works for my schedule. I always wonder do the people in these groups not work? If I can find a group that runs early enough in the mornings I will join.

 

Cycling Goals (17% complete)

11. Attend a spin class I bought a spin bike and use spin class videos...same thing, right?

12. Participate in 25 group rides

13. Complete a 50 miler

14. Complete a 100K ride

15. Log 500 miles on the bike

16. Join a cycling group

 

Wow, when I made this list I thought my life in Pensacola would be very similar to how it was in San Antonio, at least in regards to cycling. I was completely wrong. I barely ride anymore. Well, at least compared to how much I used to. It sucks. I have to drive 30 minutes just so I can safely ride my bike which makes it much harder. I am limited to only riding on the weekends basically. I am still going to try and get in some long rides, maybe even find a race or two I can sign up for, in the fall and hopefully get a few of these crossed off.

As for a cycling group, I’m still trying to find one.

 

Other Fitness-Related Goals (50% complete)

17. Attend a yoga class - attended a yoga class at Fitbloggin' 6/29/2013

18. Attend a pilates class- started taking Pilates Barre and reformer classes 06/13

19. Attend a boxing class

20. Attend a Nia class

21. Attend a dance class - attended a cardio dance class at Fitbloggin' 6/29/2013

22. Take swimming lessons

There are no Nia classes here in Pensacola but my plan is to take some classes when I am back in San Antonio this November. Swimming lessons start tonight- yay! Now all I need to do is find a boxing class.

Health Goals (25% complete)

23. Plant-strong for another year

24. Achieve a body fat percentage between 20-22%

25. Attend body composition and nutrition analysis through MWR

26. Complete an annual physical- completed on 1/29/13

 

So far I have been doing really well with following a whole foods, plant-based (aka vegan) diet. Still plant-strong, still loving it 21 months in. I did accidentally eat one bite of a sandwich (that we were told was vegan, came out with mayo, had it remade, and ended up still having mayo) but I don’t think that warrants me saying I failed at this one. I was told multiple times it didn’t have mayo and of course as soon as I realized it did (one bite) I stopped eating it.

 

I am still working on reducing my body fat percentage. I hope to have some tests done towards the end of the year and see where I stand. It would be great to get my BF down to a healthy number. To me, body fat is more important than weight. I don’t care if I am overweight if I am muscular and at a healthy body fat percentage.

Life Goals (67% complete)

27. Visit my parents Completed 3/15-3/17/13. Too short of a trip, can't wait to see them again in October

28. Buy my best friend a coffee (or glass of wine) and enjoy it with her Completed 3/15/2013. Coffee, beer, dinner and dessert. Lots of laughter and some tears. Of course I wish we had more time together.

29. Meet a social media friend in real life- I met Dani (Weight Off My Shoulders) and Melissa (A Lifetime Loser) in Boston on 1/26/13

30. Make a new friend I've made a few new friends here in Florida

31. Publish 100 blog posts

32. Read 12 books

33. Join a social group/club

34. Find a job that isn't 'work' - I love my current job, it definitely doesn't feel like 'work'

35. Learn a new hobby or skill - Completed on 03/24/2013- kayaking

I am doing really well in this category.  I have six of nine items completed and I am hopeful I will get the other three over the next 6 months.

So far I have posted 43 blog posts in the past 6 months. Not quite half way but close.

I am not so sure I will be able to read 12 books though. Right now, I spend a bulk of my reading time devoted to my graduate classes (which I did not anticipate having when I wrote this list) so this one will be tough to complete. But I am still going to try.

I am not even sure what I meant by join a social group/club.  I did join up with the Kaboom Sports and Social Club for their Cinco de Mayo pub crawl- does that count? I actually made a really great friend that day. So, let me know what you think. Should I count this? If not, what do you think I need to do to cross this one off?

So, as of right now, I have crossed off 15 of the 35 items which is approximately 43%. I know I won’t be able to cross off all 35 (see marathon) but wouldn’t it be awesome if on my 36^th birthday I can say I’ve done 30 of these things? That would be amazing.

And definitely a sign of a great 35^th year!