A Look Back at January

This is what I had posted at the end of December:

On to the goals:
I'm going to play tennis in January. This was my goal before I tweaked my back in late December and I'm determined to stick to it. I'm also going to run/jog/gimp along at one 5k per month. We're all signed up to do the Polar Dash tomorrow. I just hope I don't puke. The Duluth Inline Half also awaits me in September. I'm definitely worried about this one, but will be rolling around the Metrodome for the next few months with my friend Sten. My goal is simply to finish without any major injuries. I believe that's Sten's goal too!

And here's what really happened:

I did not play tennis in January, but I got very close. About halfway through the month my back decided to flip out on me again. The ultimatum came down from the chiro - this sets and stays or it's time for an MRI. I researched TRIA Orthopedic Center and talked to people about how they fixed their backs after the chiro didn't work. And, miracle of miracles, it stayed put after a pain-filled weekend. I had signed up for a tennis drill last night, but chickened out at the last moment. I'm just not ready to be wracked with pain yet.

Polar Dash 1/1/12
Success! After doing nothing for a very long time, I was able to jog the first five minutes and every downhill slope. I finished in about 46 minutes. I've already signed up for February's race, the Valentine's Day TC 5k, and have recruited a few friends to trot alongside me. After I get paid, I will sign up for March's Get Lucky 7k.

I'm still super worried about the North Shore Inline Half. I've only been blading once in January and then promptly hurt my back. I need to work on this in February.

Hmm...dry January. Well, it was a good thought and I did significantly reduce my alcohol intake. I made it until dinner on January 13th. At that point Josh and I declared that January had "free Fridays" when we could drink. I pretty much stuck to this plan and stayed away from beer during the week.

Free Fridays were also when we could eat and not log our calories. I did pretty well in January and logged 22 out of the 31 days on My Food Diary. The first three weeks were logged religiously, with only Friday not being logged. The last two weeks were a tad more spotty.

All tolled, I lost 5.4 pounds in January. I consider that a win for the month. 1 lb/week is the goal to keep me on track!

To look ahead at February's goals:
Have fun at the Valentine's Day 5k. Don't worry about time.
Keep logging as much as possible in MFD.
Rollerblade at the Dome at least 2x.
Play tennis at least once. And don't be a chicken.
Read a book for Pete's sake.
Try to watch all of the Oscar-nominated movies on my list. (Tonight it's Drive.)

Okay February, you hold my #1 favorite holiday. Let's do this!