Back at it

Today, I ran! Not because my training schedule said I had to, but because I really wanted to. It was awesome! Pace was decent (10:14 for 4 miles). Weather was perfect (58 degrees).

I did have one purpose for the run; I wanted to reach "blue" level with my Nike+ so I set out to run the four miles it said I need to get there. For those not familiar with Nike+, here is the breakdown for the different levels:

• Yellow:  0 - 30 miles
• Orange:  31 - 154 miles
• Green:  155 - 620 miles
• Blue:  621 - 1,552 miles
• Purple:  1,553 - 3,106 miles
• Black:  over 3,107 miles

Just uploaded my run data....and I'm .67 miles short. Seriously? So, because I'm goal-obsessed and can't stand the thought of being that close, I'll be getting up at 6 a.m. tomorrow to do a quick 3-mile run before work. When I think about the fact that I've run over 621 miles in less than 9 months (started using Nike+ to track mileage last May), it's a little overwhelming. But that's for another post...

Does having goals keep you motivated? I don't know that I could/would stay on track without having a goal or something to work toward. I think that's why I do races. They give me a deadline to be physically and mentally prepared to run a given distance. Trust me, it's not because I think I'll win! ;-)

If you struggle with persistence and sticking to your work-out plan, sign up for a race! Maybe the deadline will be what you need to help keep you moving!

Have a great weekend and happy running!