New Year's Resolutions

2011 is gone and left behind experiences. Some I'd like to change, some I'd like to do again, all I've learned something from. But here are my goals and habits for 2012:

Habits:
Be kinder to myself
Run 5 times a week
Read every night
Set things right
Journal More
Be kinder to myself

Goals:
Run a marathon
PR a 1/2 marathon
Write a race report for EVERY race
Run 5 new races
Purge stuff
Read 1 book a month

Be Kinder to Myself:
It is no mistake that this is listed twice. I am my own worst critic. My faults are enormous in my eyes. My poor decisions life changingly disastrous. I need to remember that I am human and I am awesome. I make more good decisions than bad. Most of my faults can easily be changed into assets. All I can do is lead with my mind and heart (as appropriate) and understand that people have their own demons and how they react is not a reflection on me. That the universe is not conspiring against me. This is where I need to be, even if it's not where I want to be and I don't know why I'm here.

Run 5 Times a Week:
"Running is not what I do, but it's what makes everything I do okay." When I run, everything is better. I feel more confident, sexier, smarter, more in tune with me. I need to get rid of the excuses and go.

Read Every Night:
I love to read. I hate not being able to talk to my friends about books they've read or what I'm reading. I hate saying, "It's on my list" or "It's on my bookshelf". I can get into bed 30 minutes earlier every night and get my read on. (I can't believe I typed that either)

Set Things Right:
Whether it be in my house, in my car, or in my relationships, I want to set things right. I am starting to realize clutter is not just physical. I need to clear my mind of the what ifs, if only, wish I could change this. I also need to implement a filing system and clean some drawers out.

Journal More:
After some reflecting I've come to realize that I need to write shit down. Talking things through, over and over and over again (as some of my friends can attest to) is how I process them. I wonder if I had kept up my journal after I got married would I have seen problems sooner. Not just in our relationship, but in my job satisfaction, my body image, everything. I've been lax about documenting my thoughts over the last year, and I want to change that. Writing shit down brings it to the forefront of my mind. I can't run from it if it is there in black (or blue) and white (or cream).

As for the Goals:
I've signed up for the LA Marathon and have also targeted CIM.

I PR'd the Southern California 1/2 after thinking I would have to walk some of it (race report coming soon)

I need to remember what I did right and what didn't work for me, that's where the reports come in. Also, I had a hell of a time searching for my times from races in 2011 to see if the Southern California 1/2 was a PR. I need to fix that.

I've signed up for The Tinkerbell 1/2 at Disneyland (1/29), Rock n Roll 1/2 in New Orleans (3/4), LA Marathon (3/18). I've targeted CIM, but haven't signed up. Also, I have the Heartbreak Ridge 1/2 on my radar. That's 5. I'm excited. In fact, I'm signing up for Heartbreak Ridge as soon as I check my credit card balance.

Purge stuff goes along with my habit to set things right. After moving last year I realized I have way too much stuff. Way too much. Bean has toys he has outgrown. I have hobbies I've outgrown. I have clothes I'll never wear again. Shoes I... no, that's going to far. The shoes and bags are off limits for now.

I love to read. Hopefully I'll get through 12 books this year if I read for at least 30 minutes a day. I hope.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm happy I took the time to write it.

Running!

I ran 7 injury free miles Saturday. I even had a couple sub 12 minute miles there near the end. I was pleasantly surprised. I ran with a couple of friends, who are faster than me of course, and I managed to keep them in sight for most of the run.

Today I was able to squeeze in a "quick" 3 miles in between classes. Fueled by my fast miles on Saturday, I was determined to see how fast I could run (my own version of speed work). I was rewarded on mile 1 with a 10:04 pace, but it went downhill from there.

I run on this ~1.8 mile loop around my neighborhood. About 1 mile of it is flat, the .8 is hilly. So I was able to keep ~10 min/mile pace for that first minute, which was almost all flat. I paid for it on the next mile, which dropped to a 12 minute mile. Even with the hills, this is not a reflection of my smart running. It's a reflection of my lack of impulse control. I KNEW that I wasn't able to keep a 10 min/mile pace over 3 miles with HILLS. But I decided to try anyway.

My last mile was an 11:20. I probably could have kept an 11 minute pace for all 3 miles if I didn't decide to try and kill myself in the heat.

Better planning is needed in the future.

Breakthrough!

4 miles on mixed terrain in my Vibrams, and no calf pain! I think I've finally gotten acclimated to my "toe shoes", at least on flats and moderate hills. Had the same ankle discomfort on this run as I did on Saturday, but this one went away (or maybe my ability to ignore it has increased) after about 2 miles. I did stop and stretch it at least twice.

Unlike Saturday, these miles were sub 13s (yay!) and I'm hoping to be back around 12s by the end of April. Also, the trail I ran was the one around my development. I ran the whole thing, twice. I was very excited. I haven't been able to do that in quite a long time.

Tomorrow is cycling and/or swimming. Training is back in session!