2011 Goals, Not Resolutions

I’ll admit it! I hate the concept of New Years resolutions. The phrase conjures concepts of fad dieters and gym-goers huffing and puffing on the treadmill all January, never to be seen in February, left the the same cycle (+5 lbs) next year.

To me, the start of a New Year is the chance to work towards GOALS, not resolutions. You can’t wish for something to happen and expect results, but you also can’t go from 0 to 60 and expect action to become habit.

That said, I have a few goals for 2011 (in running and other areas of life) and some tactics on how I plan to reach them:

1) Run a sub-1:28 half-marathon.

• I’ve got my 16 week training plan I’ve been working towards, and I plan to do longer long runs this year than last year, increasing total weekly mileage. I ran 1:29:35 during my 1st NYC Half last year (and, split that same time during the NYC Marathon, whoops) so I feel this is tangible

2) Run around a 3:00 Marathon

• With a 3:04:32 debut under my belt, I feel more prepared and experienced to get closer to the elusive 3:00 mark. I will begin my official training in July, and get in more 20-21 milers. Last year I only did a 19, and only one 21-er. Higher mileage works well for me, just have to get it under my belt.

3) Go to the gym or do “extras” 2x/week

• Even though I do a large majority of my exercise running outdoors, I have a membership to NYSC because I like having the option to cross-train or do classes, even if I don’t end up going more than twice a month. I’ve lost a lot of core and upper body strength since doing the “extras” (abs, weights, lifting, core, drills) in college basically daily and my IT/glute/hamstring hasn’t been happy. I will go to a class (yoga, pilates, boxing, zumba, whatever!) OR do some core/weights on my own at least twice a week to become a stronger, well-balanced runner and athlete.

4) Stop biting my nails!

• Ah ha, a non-running related goal! I’m frugal and don’t want to buck up the $ to get regular manicures, but have definitely noticed a decrease in biting and picking my nails when I do. I’ve had this habit for as long as I can remember and its embarrassing and not cute 😉 If I can’t stop, I would at least like to decrease the frequency.

5) Floss regularly

• This seems silly, but I’m really bad about remembering to floss! In the mornings I’m hopping out of the shower and brushing my teeth quickly to get to work on time, and before bed I’m so tired (and, lazy…) that flossing doesn’t make the cut. However, its a good habit and I will start to do it at least every other day and then work up to daily.

6) Do a tempo, interval, or speed running once a week

• I need to break up the monotony of my regularly-paced runs, so I am going to try to add a tempo, interval, or speed running once a week. Whether this is a dedicated workout, or simply just adding strides at the end of my run, or running a few miles in the middle at a slightly faster pace, this will help keep my runs exciting and make me faster!

7) Eat cleaner and more fresh foods!

• I do eat healthy by most standards, but I have a bad sweet tooth! I want to try to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and experiment in using these to cook fun and flavorful recipes. Instead of reaching for the fun-size twix around 3, I want to keep out healthy foods to snack on like grapes or carrots.
• Similarly, I want to be more mindful of my eating! I have a tendency to grab items from the office leftovers just because they’re there and free, not necessarily because I want or need them. I’ll try to discern whether or not the brownie is worth the splurge- is it a really great, unique homemade brownie, or is it a brownie from our regular catering company that will appear again in a few weeks? Choose wisely.

8) Dismiss Negative Energy

• Yes, I am a generally positive person and consider myself an optimist. But, I find myself getting caught up in negative energy more often than I’d like. Being a catty bitch isn’t attractive on anyone, so I’d like to behave this way less often 😉 Also, I have many good things going for me, and not enough time or energy to focus on things and people that make me feel bad about myself or what I do!

There you have it, my 2011 GOALS! Do you like to keep resolutions, or do you like to set out goals to work towards? Do you have any tips or words of wisdom as I work towards mine?