Feeling Stupid About S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Coco

I’m not a big fan of The Biggest Loser, but it’s in my DVR line-up and I watch it while I’m pounding out a treadmill workout or pushing through my strength routine. A few weeks ago it was one of their “at home” episodes, where the contestants have to spend a week at home to face the challenges of every day life with their family and friends.  Usually the contestants do pretty poorly during this week (at least by Biggest Loser standards). They slip back into their old routines (which don’t include much gym time) and old habits (which include too much fried food and cheese) and the scale doesn’t let them get away with it.

But this season was different. The contestants were given a challenge before they went home: if their team lost a certain percentage of weight, everyone would be safe from elimination. The weight loss goal would have been significant for a week “on the ranch,” but I thought it was an impossible one for a week at home.

Without spoiling it for anyone who is really far behind, I will just say that I was surprised at how well the contestants did as a whole. Did having that specific, measurable, (surprisingly) attainable, results-oriented and time-limited goal make the difference? This episode really got me thinking, because I am horrible at setting goals, and even worse at setting SMART goals.

When I was dieting, I never set specific weight loss goals. I had meal plans, grocery lists, and calorie budgets, but I never set a goal to lose a certain number of pounds by a certain date. (Maybe that’s why my weight loss journey took such a long and winding road, but at least I got there!)

For my very first race, I did have a specific goal: finish the Army Ten Miler in 90 minutes. But that goal was based on my normal running pace. I thought I had to complete every run at that pace in order to “train” for that finish time. (That thinking got me sidelined and almost completely derailed my training.)

Since then, I’ve gotten better at training smart, but I still am not very good at setting SMART goals. For the Rock’N’Roll USA Half Marathon, my friend had a specific goal: finish in 2:00 hours. I knew that goal was within our reach, I knew how to train for that goal, and I knew how to pace myself to reach that goal, but I’m not sure I would have set that goal myself. (Even though I started the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon with that same goal in mind, I had set that goal based on my training, not vice versa.)

I think I am still reluctant to set goals because I am afraid of falling short. I am a perfectionist and tend to be very hard on myself. If I set a goal and didn’t reach it, I would be very disappointed. Maybe that’s why when I do set goals, I tend to be very conservative. To avoid falling short, I may sell myself short. 

When I started dieting after law school, I only wanted to get back into my old clothes.

I had no idea that I would blow through my size 12s and need a new wardrobe of size 2s.

I just never would have set such an ambitious goal for myself.

In the same way, I hesitate to set specific goals for races. I may have a specific number in mind by the time I hit “start” on my Garmin, but I don’t sign up for a race with a plan to finish in a certain time.

I’m puzzling through all this now because I’m only a few days away from the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, and I am still figuring out my goal for the race. Looking at my past times for the Army Ten Miler and the GW Parkway Classic, 1:25 would be pretty close to a PR, but I’m not sure if I want to push myself that hard. Maybe I will focus on enjoying myself during the race–but that could be harder than a PR for a competitive, type A person like me!

Do you set S.M.A.R.T. goals?

How far ahead of a race do you decide on your goal?

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Think Pink!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Coco




Are the trees blooming in your neighborhood?

Posted in Life | 7 Comments

Remembering With Thanksgiving

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Coco

Last Sunday I randomly was the reader for this section of The Prayers Of The People:

We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in Christ, and those whose faith is known to You alone. . . . 

Since last weekend was the anniversary of my Dad’s sudden death, this prayer stayed with me more than it usually does. I was calm when I read it, but later I remembered bursting into tears last year, when his name was spoken in the added “especially … ” clause.

Contemplating my calm, I wondered if this is where I am–remembering with thanksgiving. But I don’t think I’m there yet.

I’ve been doing lots of remembering, but I am not really cherishing or relishing my memories. I appreciate them for a moment, but then I need to push them away, because they still are accompanied by the sharp pain of loss and grief.

Saying this prayer, I give thanks for my Dad, for his life, and for his love, but this prayer also gives me hope that someday my memories will be more sweet than bittersweet, and that I really will be able to remember with thanksgiving.

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Training Log (?) Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Coco

Last weekend I rocked my 2:00 goal for the Rock’N’Roll USA Half Marathon, and now only one week from tomorrow is the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler!

Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run

I had a decent week of recovery workouts planned, but instead of taking a few days to recover, I feel like I slacked off for the whole week. Really, I just skipped my two weight training days, but missing those workouts makes me feel like a slug.

Monday (Easy Run with Tiger Lilly)
Neighborhood run: 3.9 miles, 39 minutes
It’s amazing how even my mile split times were–just about dead on 10:00 for each one.

Tuesday (Planned Rest Day)
Walking: 1 mile mid-morning dog walk
I was supposed to have a day trip to NYC, but my flight got canceled due to fog at LGA after we were all buckled in! I went home to change out of my suit and pack a lunch for the office, and squeezed in a dog walk while I waited for traffic to die down. I packed a gym bag, thinking I could squeeze in a workout at work before my son’s 7 pm lacrosse game, but I ended up being crazy busy at work until 6:40, and barely made it to the game on time. At least I got that walk in.

Wednesday (Treadmill)
Tempo Workout: 3.9 miles, 40 minutes
After my warm-up, I did 5 minutes at each of 6.3, 6.5, 6.7 and 7.0 mph.
Cherry Blossom Walk: 5.25 miles
My friend met me at my office and we walked briskly to and around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. It was a grey morning, but the trees were still lovely!

Thursday (Unplanned Rest Day)
Walking: 1.5 mile morning dog walk
I had to get to work early for a meeting, but knew I would be home early after another meeting close to home, so I thought I could do my weights workout then. By the end of the day I had three conference calls scheduled from 3-5 pm and a new deadline to meet that kept me working (at home) past 9 pm.

Friday (Easy Run with Tiger Lilly)
Neighborhood run: 2.5 miles, 24 minutes
I could tell that I was sleeping too late, and when I finally checked the time on my phone, it was 5:52, with the alarm set to go off at 6:00 (instead of 5:00). I don’t know how I ended up setting a later alarm time, since I had gotten up early all week. I decided to try to do a quick run with Tiger Lilly, running for 2.5 miles after a short walk. 
Walking: 1 mile afternoon dog walk

Saturday (Neighborhood Run)
Walking: 1.5 miles morning dog walk
Neighborhood run: 8.36 miles, 1:18:42 (avg. 9:25 min/mile)
Split Times: 10:12, 9:02, 9:26, 9:49, 9:19, 9:22, 9:23, 9:06
I got up early to walk the dog and then squeeze in my run before I had to hit the road for my son’s lacrosse game. It was so warm and humid that I was comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts when I was walking the dog. Needless to say, I got warm and sweaty during my run! My right ITB felt a wee bit tight, but on the whole I felt pretty good!

After missing a week of weights, I am committed to getting back to my routine this week!

When you are squeezed for time, do you tend to favor one type of workout over an other?

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Satisfying Snacks For That Afternoon Slump

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Coco

This week has been crazy. From a trip to New York that wasn’t, a late night lacrosse game, an early morning tour of the cherry blossoms, a work dinner, and several last-minute meetings, my usual schedule–and meal planning–was thrown out of whack.

Luckily my snack cabinet was well-stocked.

I first saw Nabisco belVita “biscuits” when I was in London–at the airport actually. I wondered why we didn’t have them here, but then saw them in the grocery store when I got home. These are yummy, but they are really glorified cookies. Each “single serving” package contains 4 small “biscuits,” for a total of 230 calories, and only a few grams of fiber and protein. I probably won’t buy them again.

My Mom introduced me to Ritz Crackerfuls and they are a surprisingly satisfying snack. Each single serving package has a large cracker sandwich that has 130 calories and 5 grams of fiber. The first ingredient is “whole grain flour” although there are a lot of other ingredients typical of a processed food snack.

I discovered 18 Rabbits bars at the airport this week (before my flight got canceled). I needed something to go with my coffee, but wasn’t in the mood for a mega-muffin or greasy egg sandwich. Each bars has 240 calories, 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. The ingredient list is much more wholesome than other airport snacks, and includes oats, nuts, seeds, cherries, and satisfying chunks of chocolate.

Cliff Chocolate Brownie ZBars are still my favorite portable snack. Each bar has 120 calories, 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. The chewy consistency may take some getting used to, but these bars satisfy my late-afternoon hunger and my constant need for chocolate.

What do you snack on?

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