Monday Run-down: January 9

Well, we’ve made it through the first week of 2012. Time flies! And since it’s Monday, it’s time to recap last week and prepare for the one ahead.

I’m really happy with how my week turned out. If you’ll recall, my goal was to run a total of 15 miles and incorporate some non-running exercise into my routine.

My week in running, via DailyMile

I was right on track to get my 15 miles in, and felt good enough that I decided to run a bit longer on Saturday. That combined with the 2 miles I ran in bootcamp class on Sunday morning brings me to a total of 20 miles. Yay! It’s amazing how good it feels to get in a solid week of running–even though the weeks previous to this one were somewhat disappointing, having one good week under my belt is enough to make me feel great. That’s one of the joys of running, I guess.

Unfortunately, my week ended on a rather painful note as I managed to wrench my back about 40 minutes into my hour-long bootcamp class. I’m 99% sure that the pain has to do with how weak my muscles are, especially in my core (more on this later). One thing I will say now: this hurts, dudes! Don’t go and mess up your lower back if you can help it. I’m going to see how I feel while running, and take it easy if I need to.

And with that in mind, here’s what I hope to accomplish this week:

Monday: I might do a little bit of yoga tonight. My back feels best when I’m moving around, and stretching has really helped to loosen it up.

Tuesday: 3-4 miles (if I’m up to it)

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: rest/yoga

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: 7 miles

Sunday: bootcamp

My goal is to end up with a minimum of 15 miles; I’d like to hang out at around 15-20 miles a week for a while, until I feel like I’m ready to move on. After all, the whole point is to keep the perspective of a beginner. There’s no need to do too much, too fast.

Outside of running and exercise, my goal will be to focus on doing what’s right for my body: if I need to slow down, I’ll slow down. If that means I don’t make it to 15 miles, so be it. If I were coaching someone who’d hurt themselves, I’d tell them not to run if there was any pain. This week, I’m going to do my best to listen to my own advice!

How was your first week of 2012? Share your goals and accomplishments in the comments!