Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

Where does the time go?  Mom always said I was the kid that looked ahead-that I was impatient with the present and in too much of a hurry for the future.  When it was winter, I wanted spring, spring summer.  Well, it's a few weeks early yet, but Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!

What I have gotten much wiser about over the years is understanding the importance of the past, without letting it dictate everything you do in the future.  2012 was a sucky year for me, both in terms of races, general running, and in other aspects of life.  I've been thinking quite a bit about what I could do differently so I (hopefully) don't repeat that same performance this year.  I'd really like to meet the goals I set for myself.

1) You are what you eat- no seriously...you are.  It is incredibly important to pay attention to the kinds of things you are eating so you can stay healthy and run.  I was sick with some kind of nasty cold on and off the whole year.  So, DH hid the scale from me and instead I am just paying attention to the kinds of foods I am eating.

2) Dream Big, Work Even Harder- it is important to have big dreams, but that means very little if you don't intend to work hard for those dreams.  This is something I am constantly striving to be better at.

3) Don't let a bad run, or several, make you give up- For most of us, running is painful.  Perhaps we are all masochists, but running is not easy most of the time.  If you have to, leave the watch at home and remember that consistency matters.

4) Do a 5k for fun- for no other reason than just to be out there with your fellow runner and walker folk.  It is rejuvenating to see everyone.

5) Volunteer for a race- the last couple of years I have raised money or volunteer directed a race and it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

These are my 5 lessons learned and my 5 goals to keep in mind for 2013.  What are your goals?

3 comments:

  1. What great goals!

    For the record - I had to retry this comment many times because the catcha things suck!

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  2. I'm definitely taking some of these to heart too - especially after the last month of eating terribly. Plus, I would really like to take my fitness more seriously when I'm not training for something. While I find it helps me to sign up for events to give myself a reason to stay active, I need to be better about maintaining fitness during those in between times, even if it means less running and more of something else. This summer/fall was a horrible an frustrating training season for me in preparation for the Chicago marathon in October. All but 2 of my long runs were miserable, either due to the heat or stomach troubles (which I've never had in the past). Although I had a time goal in mind for the marathon, the unexpected 35 degree day and a developing head cold made me decide to reevaluate and just ENJOY the race, which was something I didn't do much of during training. It turned out to be a blast, even though I didn't hit my time and it was probably the best I felt all season. Sometimes it's ok to have a plan B goal in case your plan A one falls through :o)

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  3. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I've found myself leaving the watch at home more often than not lately. It sucks the enjoyment out of my runs when I use it regularly and I actually find that I run better without it on long runs. If I use it, it's only to record elapsed time and I don't look at it until I hit the stop button, then calculate my pace after I stretch. Maybe it's a strategy that could help you when you are feeling like your times aren't what you're hoping for?

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Thanks for reading! Comments are fun and I get excited to see one:) Friendly encouraging thoughts welcome!