Goal Re Evaluation & Life's Ups and Downs

I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was having a string of bad luck.  That is still happening.  However, I also mentioned I was going to try to shift my focus on others, so I wasn't constantly dwelling on my problems.  I challenged myself to compliment at least two people a day for a week.
I enjoyed it so much I carried it onto a 2nd week!  Let me tell you, not it hasn't solved all of my bad luck problems, but it really has changed my mood.  Even when I get hit with something not so good, I am able to push it aside and let it go.
So I am grateful for the challenge and I have decided a weekly challenge to show some type of kindness to others is exactly what I need to put my focus into each week going forward!

THE GOOD NEWS
I finally hit the 10 mile point.  I know I had spoken about likely hitting this weeks ago, but due to circumstances it was best for me to hold off for a few more weeks.
It wasn't the best run as far as time, but I am not working on time right now.  The good thing is, it felt far less tiring than my 9 miler a few weeks back.

Sorry, if you follow me on Instagram and already saw this, but this is my elevation map for my 10 miler.  As you can see, I love hills!  I kind of only have the option around here to run uphill one way, and downhill the other.  So I prefer to do the uphill first:)
But mile 4.2 until around 5.3 were a bit of a bear, I turned up a street I had never gone up and found a new hill:)  (I was careful with my tendon, but did have to take it super easy going up it.)

THE BAD NEWS

I won't go into too much of the bad.  But it is my life, so I will share a little.
Car problems, still have them, my car was in the shop twice last week.... I think my car hates me, but I am really (really) hopeful that this will be the last for a while...  The thing I am most bummed about, I don't think I trust the car enough to take the planned road trip to Las Vegas this weekend to cheer on my friends at Fairytales and Fitness.  So I will just have to wish them luck and cheers from afar!

Several weeks ago I had a little "flair up" with my tendon.  My life has been so busy it wasn't until later last week I realized it never went away, and it has been getting slowly but increasingly worse.
I know, your wondering how I didn't notice.  But I have been in pain for so long, sometimes a little more pain is easy to dismiss.
So, I have gone back to wearing the boot again at night to keep the tendon stretched out instead of retracting at night.  (Ya it sucks, but its a necessary evil and it has been helping!)
I am also starting the PT over again.  No not going in weekly, but I kept all my information and workouts.  I am going to start from around the middle.  Since I the early stuff was to introduce my muscles into walking again, and I don't need that part.
We'll see what happens.  But keep your fingers crossed for me!

On the other note, my stress fracture in my right foot, still not completely healed but getting better all the time.  A week ago I pulled a 2nd smaller stress fracture in the same foot, in a different place.  This foot has been under too much strain from the other foot.  I think because things were getting worse with the tendon, this foot was forced to take on more...
Additionally, I've started just the last few days with a little tendon pain in the right foot.  I attribute this to too much time on my feet the past week, I am fairly confident I can get rid of this quickly again like I did earlier this spring when it tried to creep on before.

Running hasn't been bothering it or irritating it more yet, so I am going to keep it up.  But play close attention to it at the same time and if needed I will back off or even stop if needed for a few weeks.

WHATS NEXT

I have revisited my goals.  The number one goal has always been to finish a marathon in each of the 50 states & D.C..  Once that is done, I can re look at things and put my focus into other area's and races.

I was toying with the idea of running a Half this month, but decided I am not going to.  Not because I couldn't finish, because I could.  A race, would make me want to push myself and that could risk my "unstable" healing injury, and that isn't worth it.

So I have done a few things:

First, I officially joined Marathon Maniacs.  I am one of their newer members 10,007.  I joined in at the 5 star level.  (I actually qualified for this back in March 2011, but never put too much into joining.  I don't know why...)
If your wondering why I decided to join now, of all times.  Well it's simple members get marathon discounts on some race entry fee's..
Let's face it, with all I have paid out in medical bills the past 2 years, I NEED discounts wherever I can get them to finish this marathon goal.  Since I will be applying for marathons soon, I thought the timing was finally right.

Second, I have picked my first Marathon that I am working towards as my comeback race.  I have not yet entered, but they usually don't sell out until January.  I'll keep my eye on it just in case.  I'll enter it as soon as I am confident that my tendon will not be an issue. I am not sure if I will announce it on the blog (still deciding) until after I run it.  But I will say it is in late March of 2015.

Third, I have also picked my 2nd and 3rd Marathons for 2015.  All in March-April, and they are pretty close together.  This is actually for a reason.  I may do a few back to backs, to save money on travel costs.

Fourth,  New training plans.  In the past I was used to back to back marathons, but lets be honest it took me a little over a year to teach my body originally to handle the back to back beatings, and to be able to do them without risking injury.
So, my focus right now through February will be purely building back up distance, and then teaching my body to remember how to handle more of it.
No speed at all, I don't have any time for that since the races will start in about 5 months, and I want to keep chances of injury out of the picture.  I am sure my pace will pick up a little as I train, but it's going to take a lot of hard work to teach my body to enjoy back to back long runs again.
It's frankly just cheaper and as weird as this is going to say, even slightly easier on my body overall to do back to back marathons.

FYI, not going to tackle my hope to do 2 marathons in 2 days anytime soon.  The earliest I would even consider that would be fall 2015.  But I am looking at 6-14 days between marathons when I say back to back for the spring.

Fifth & Last, I am going to get back on my weight loss goals.  I am going to really push it up a few notches and I have a goal to weigh 30 pounds less by my March marathon.
Which is hard for me because I never lose weight running:)  But it is possible, so I am going to shift a lot of focus onto that each day as well!

Will I finish the last 19 marathons I need to finish my goal next year?
If it was up to me, yes.  But reality is no.
I know how much it cost me to run the first 32, so knowing I need around $25,000+ for the last 19 and that is cutting my budget down on them.
The reality is, I don't have that kind of extra cash on hand anymore.  So unless someone wants to finance the trips, ha ha... I will just do what I can and we will see what happens!

WEEKLY INSPIRATIONAL GOAL

This week, Compliment at least 1 person each day on one of their talents!

If your up for it, you are more than welcome to join me!
If any of you participated a few weeks ago on my other compliment 2 individuals a day on anything, let me know how it went, did it uplift your life too?