2011 Goals, Mid-year Check-in

Hello, July! I can’t believe the summer is already flying by so quickly and we’re half-way through the year. Admist fun fourth of July weekend festivities, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the goals for 2011 I created 6 months ago, and see how they’re going.

I don’t think about these goals every single day, but I do have them written down and (obviously) want to stick to them. Again, these were not resolutions I made at the onset of the year, but rather goals I’d like to work towards over the course of 2011.

I’ve copied the old goals in black, and then categorized them as complete, in progress, or did not achieve.

2011 Goals, Mid-Year Checkpoint:

√ Run a sub-1:28 half-marathon. Achieved with a 1:24 at the NYC Half on 3/20/11!

• 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  To be determined on 11/6 🙂 Still planning on working towards this.

• 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 Still ongoing. This didn’t happen so much in the winter, but the warmer weather makes it easier to get out the door and go to the gym. I feel better about myself when I do core/lifting, so plan to keep this up during marathon training.

• 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! Also a work in progress. I’ve been getting manicures every other week which has helped tremendously! I really have noticed a difference in the amount I play with my nails when they’re nicely done. Worth the money I’ve been spending, for sure.

• 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 Can’t say this one has happened more, but I try to do it when I remember 🙂

• 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.

√) Do a tempo, interval, or speed running once a week Adding in a regular tempo/speed run was key to my success for the NYC Half, and I’m really happy I put in the work and time to do one weekly..even if it had to be on the treadmill or in the cold. I plan to continue this during marathon training, make so much easier by getting out to either the Tuesday or Thursday CPTC workouts!

• 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 have definitely ‘cleaned’ up my eating and cooked a lot more, but I still have a sweet tooth 🙂 Instead, I’ve started bringing in yogurts and fruits as afternoon snacks, but I still enjoy a few pieces of candy. At least most days it’s like 1-3 pieces, not more. Still working on the ‘mindful eating’ part, for sure.

• 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 I’d say I have definitely improved on this front. I notice I have a better attitude externally, and have less negative internal thoughts. Keeping this as ‘work in progress’, though, as this area is never ‘complete’.

• 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!

Luckily, none of my goals were not yet achieved. The areas I am going to focus on most for the remainder of the year are breaking 3:00 marathon, which will be assisted by the rest of my goals: regular core/lifting, tempo/speed workouts, and better eating habits. Lastly, I definitely want to stop biting my nails! Gah, old habits are hard to break.

Well, I’m off for a quick run before heading off to NJ for a friend’s birthday celebrations. Hopefully the sky clears up a bit and we can enjoy some time in the sun!

If you set any goals/resolutions for the year, how are they going? What have you achieved this year? What are you still working to achieve?