2014 – A Year of Improving

Some people don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions.  Others make a commitment every January only to let it fall by the wayside every February.  I tend to make general goals like “Be healthier,” “Eat Better” or “Exercise More.”  Last year, my new year’s goal was to “Just Be.”  To me, life is about ebbs and flows – You can’t push hard 100% of the time.  Thus, 2013 was a year for me to 1) not move to a new home 2) not switch jobs and 3) find happiness in what I already have.

After allowing my feet to stay planted this past year, I am looking forward to 2014 being a year of improving.  I have brought back out my life plans that I have hidden away in a closet this past year, and I have begun strategically analyzing my possibilities and the stepping-stones required to get there.  From the small things – What home improvement project should I tackle first this year?  To the larger ones – Do I want to do taxes the rest of my life?  (Ok – Does anyone want to do taxes the rest of her life?)  2014 is the year for me to start making decisions and taking actions to get to my ultimate goals.

While I enjoy making professional and house plans, I admittedly get pretty jazzed about improving my running and race times.  I am excited to strive to get faster, but setting running goals – like any goals I suppose – can be quite intimidating.

Reflecting on the past year and a half that I have been consistently lacing up my running shoes, I am so grateful and quite frankly shocked at what I have accomplished.  2012 was the year I really found running and qualified for Boston at my first marathon.  And 2013 was the year that I ran a sub-three hour marathon.

If you had asked me a year and a half ago if I would ever run a sub-three hour marathon, I would have bet money that I would never become capable of such a feat.  I can distinctly remember being out running one day during 2012 Thunder Road training and calculating in my head the mile splits required to run a sub-three hour marathon and thinking that it was crazy sh*t.  And only a year later, I succeeded in reaching that goal – almost by four minutes under the mark and on a sprained ankle.

So, as I take the polar bear plunge in to 2014 and announce that my stretch running goal for the year is to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials in the fall at the Marine Corps Marathon, I remind myself that I have already achieved far more than I ever thought possible.  I absolutely believe that we are all capable of so much more than what we believe.  And so often, we never try to reach our goals or we set ones too low. 

Do I think I can qualify for the Olympic Marathon trials?  I don’t know.  Do I think that it is a crazy goal?  Absolutely!!  But even though I am intimidated by my own ambitions, I am going to push hard in 2014, roll the dice, and see what I can get.

Summary of My New Year’s Running Goals:

1)    Get Ankle 100% Healed

2)    Drink Less Beer

3)    Stretch More – Especially After Running

4)    PR in the Marathon  (Beat 2:56:05)

5)    Qualify for 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials  (B Standard – 2:43:00)

Weekly Miles: 12 miles run/walk (Cross-training:  1 hour of pool running and 4 yoga sessions) – Update on Ankle Recovery and Boston Next Week.

This Week’s Beer Choice:  NoDa Brewing Company’s Jam Session  (Loving the new cans!  Great for tailgating!!)