Is it bad to formally announce your resolutions or goals four days into the new year?Last year I was on the ball and actually blogged about my 2012 resolutions/goals before 2012 even hit. Yippee!
How did I do?
Well my goals were to run daily (success), to run 12 half marathons in 2012 (success...in fact, I exceeded this goal, lost track, and will provide an exact number once I get around to doing my 2012 year end review), and to participate in challenges aligned with my goals (hard to ascertain but I did participate in a few challenges and liked it).
What did I learn?
Having an open ended goal like participate in like-minded challenges can not be evaluated. Therefore, all future goals (or resolutions) need to be SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. I love that I can apply concepts I learned in business classes to running...and life in general!
I also learned I am stronger than I believed and that running daily works for me. Having this time each day to reflect, pray, listen to music, or just zone out is truly beneficial and a blessing.
But enough beating around the bush....
What are my resolutions/goals for 2013?
- Run Daily. You really didn't think I would abandon that goal did you? Ironically, I am going into this year with the same nerves I had just over a year ago. Yes, I have done one year of daily running but can I really go another full year? Only time will tell.
- Be active at least 15 minutes a day. Although this may seem repetitive after reading I plan to run daily but it really isn't. In 2012 my minimum run was 1 mile. In 2013 my minimum run will be 15 minutes...and if I am running really slow, 1 mile. However, none of my miles in 2012 exceeded 15 minutes so I am hoping this allows me to slowly up my base but I didn't want to go as far as commit to a minimum of 2 miles a day just yet. There is always 2014!
- Run 2,013 miles in 2013. This is my BIG, BIG goal. It essentially means my average miles per week will need to be about 39...up about 10 miles a week, on average from 2012. Is it attainable and realistic? Well, it isn't necessarily unattainable and unrealistic. And I may start with lower mileage in the year and build up; therefore, I want to give it a try. You gotta try for the BIG things every now and then.
- Be more aware of where my food is coming from and aim to eat cleaner. It is easy for me to do this with loads of time off. This week darling daughter and I have made many veggie purees and even our own first batch of refried beans. But I do wonder how I will be able to carry this out when I am not off a week on vacation. But it is important enough to me to try to implement small changes. As written, this is a wishy-washy goal that can't be measured; therefore, I will aim to spend at least one weekend a month stocking up the freezer with purees, home cooked beans, and other essential elements I feel will improve how we eat.
