May in Review: Short Term and Long Term Goals

May began as a month focused on a singular short-term goal – PRing in the 10K – and transitioned to focus on long-term goals. These long term goals include training for a marathon PR in the fall, building my strength, and focusing on a strong season of hiking through the summer and fall. Overall, May was a strong month of running, from a 10K PR to focusing my sights on the long and steady base-building of the summer months. 

Spring Goals: May in Review

Alleviate Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

I haven’t experienced any symptoms of PF throughout most of the month of May. My heel did feel tight after the 10k race at the start of the month, but that was the only occurrence. I’ve continued to be diligent about stretching, especially if running first thing in the morning, and foam rolling. I haven’t ice much this month, but honestly, I haven’t felt the need to. 

I was most excited that my PF didn’t flare up at all during our hike this past weekend. My heel felt tight and achy near the end of a 4 mile hike at the end of April and I contemplated getting insoles for my hiking boots. 

Run a Sub 45 Minute 10K

Check! I ran a 43:53 at the Snohomish Women’s Run in early May. The race felt surreal, including the time on the clock at the finish line.  

Maintain a Base of 30-40 Miles Per Week

I took a taper week before the race and down week after the race to let my body recover from the race. But since then, I have run 32-34 miles per week and the mileage has felt really good. I ran 6 days those weeks and my plan for summer is to try to run 6 days per week on the weeks we don’t hike (hopefully we are hiking most weekends this summer!). 

Strength Train 2-3 Times Per Week

I did decently well on this goal. Some weeks I only got in one weight lifting and one Pilates session, but that’s still 2 hard strength workouts per week. I started using my kettlebell again, which add a much-needed stimulus and variety to my strength training. The combination of the kettlebell and stability ball are enough to make strength training challenging and fun for me – which I need to motivate myself to go to the gym and lift. 

I really want to work on my upper body strength this summer – both for aesthetic and performance reasons. My arm swing hasn’t felt as strong and smooth, and I know that upper body strength matters for good running form during marathon training. 

Additional Core Work and Mobility Work 

I missed the mark on this goal for most of the month, although after a couple of recent runs, I did some planks, clamshells, and bridges. I need to refocus on this goal as June begins! 

Looking Forward: Summer Goals

I begin marathon training in August for the California International Marathon. Ryan is training for his first half marathon starting in mid-June, so we will be doing long runs together throughout the summer. My primary goal is to maintain a strong base before marathon training.  Last summer my average weekly mileage was lower as I came back from injury, so my hope is that a strong base will aid me in pursuing a PR in the marathon. 

I want to add in one harder run most weeks, such as short threshold run, a progression run, or a fartlek run. I’ll probably do a week of easy running every few weeks as a cutback week (probably coinciding with backpacking trips). 

Hiking is a big summer goal for Ryan and me. After a long winter, hiking season is already here (yes, we could have hiked more in spring, but neither of us was excited about the idea of hiking in snow at that point in the year). I was surprised at how good my hiking fitness was when we hiked Lake Serene this past weekend.

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What short term and long term goals are you working towards?
What did you accomplish this past month?