The Plan

I'm starting to work on my plan, trying to figure out what and where I'm going to run next year, and I'm already hitting snags. I was planning on running the Houston half marathon. It's already full. Which, honestly, I'm ok with, since I'm going to be in Houston the weekend before for a wedding and I don't want to drive down there two weekends in a row. So now I'm looking at the Austin 3M half marathon, which is later in January. Since it's late in January, I can justify running the Cowtown half, which is the last weekend in February. Nothing great about the Cowtown except that it's local. Last year I ran a Dallas race in March, which would be nice to do again, since it's the same course as the White Rock half. I didn't see it on the list yet. I know I want my July race to be El Scorcho, and I really want to try and get into the San Fransisco Nike Women's race. I'd also like to try and find one in New York, so I can get in a visit to Julie and Finn. So that's not a terrible start to the plan.

The other part of my training that I struggle with (constantly) is nutrition. I'm so confused about exactly what it is I'm supposed to be eating. I know I need to cut back on the carbs, but carbs are fuel for what I'm trying to accomplish. I could also cut back on the sugar. I've done relatively well with breakfast lately - I've been eating Rice Chex with rice milk or organic oatmeal. A big part of the problem with breakfast - well, with any meal - is that I'm so busy I don't have time to prepare lots of food. I know I eat at restaurants way too often, but it's convenient. I suppose my bank account would prefer that I restrain myself. And frankly, at the end of a long day or a hard workout, grilled chicken and steamed veggies - even if I can wait around long enough to prepare it - is not what I want. It's something I'm working through.