Consistency

Ask just about any coach or elite athlete what the #1 key is to running success and they will say "exercise consistency". Actually run 3 (or 4, or 5, or 6) times a week, every week, and you will see improvement. I have a little problem with consistency. Like a lot of people, I start out like a house afire then start to smolder. My work schedule and having 2 little girls doesn't help but that's just an excuse. I read about lots of mothers out there who are able to "git it done". I have recently stumbled upon Sarah's blog up in Oregon and I love reading about her runs and how incredibly consistent she is. She knows what runs need to be done each week and then just does them. And enjoys them. A lot. I'm inspired.

Finally, a month after Helen Klein 50m, I've regained my desire to exercise (now I just have to work on my desire for a healthy diet, that's a whole different story). I didn't get into WS100 but I have other goals for 2008 to work toward. They're pretty ambitious (considering I'm still a relative newbie to this ultrarunning world) but you gotta have goals. I'll talk more about them after the New Year. Until then, it's just about re-building a solid base of miles. And that's where consistency comes in.

I'm off to a pretty good start. Last Thursday I did 5 miles on the treadmill at work, Friday I did 5 miles on the trails with my husband (he's a newbie runner so it's fun to see him excited about running), Sat and Sun I had the girls (it was COLD, COLD, COLD so no dragging them out in the double jogger), and today I did a fun 6 miles on the lower slopes of Peavine Mtn in Reno. I want to start out running 25-30 miles/wk then work it up to 40 mi/wk (which would be a high for me). That will take consistent runs every week. But it's December so I'm not going to worry about track or tempo work. Just enjoy the trails, throw in some hills, and one long run each week. I will also plan 2 hours of weight work each week. And then, if I'm inspired, I may throw in a bike ride or swim for fun. Wish me luck.