Why a Resolution Can Be a Good Thing

Now that we're two weeks into 2012, almost every [running] blogger has posted their 2012 resolutions and/or goals. Almost everyone prefaced their post with some kind of "I don't normally make resolutions ..." or "I think resolutions are silly because ..." (yes, including me). I've also read a million Facebook posts, tweets, and mentions on blogs about how the gyms are crowded because of the resolutioners, and can't they just give up like they inevitably will so you can have your gym back? (PS they pay a monthly fee just like you, in fact the ones who pay and never show up are probably how your gym supports itself, so you NEED those resolutioners to keep your gym swank.)

However, resolutions aren't bad. Even when they are actually goals.

Back in January 2010, I made it my goal to run my first half marathon that spring. Prior to January, the extent of my running experience was doing a couple 5K races, in fact, I think 3.1 miles was my personal distance record at that time. I was running very sporadically, and probably wearing 100 percent cotton.

I saw this picture on Pinterst, with the user-added caption "Don't just make it your 2012 resolution!"

I realized that two years ago, I made a resolution to start running (via my goal to finish a half marathon). Two years later, despite some dips my my mileage, I'm still running. I'm running more. And faster. And I love it. And I've made friends because of it.

Honestly, you could say that running has changed my life, or at the very least, changed my outlook on life. I am no longer afraid to try. I know that without trying, you won't achieve anything worth achieving. Without trying, you will have nothing to be proud of. I feel like my [semi-] fearless approach to running is starting to carry over into other areas of my life.

Anyway, the point of this post is that it all started more or less with a resolution. Sure, it was more of a goal of doing a half marathon than a vague resolution to "exercise more." But it forced me to change. It forced me to get up off my ass and exercise more. It gave me something to work toward. And when race day came, and I finished those 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 53 seconds (yes I realize many runners can finish a marathon in that time), wearing a cotton workout tank from Old Navy, with chafed thighs and bloated fingers, I realized I did it. On my own. Back then I didn't have a running group. I had this blog, but very few followers. The only running blog I read was probably Angry Runner, only because I've been following her since the days of Live Journal. I had BFF Ultra Vera to turn to for advice, but I didn't know which questions to even ask.

So, the next time you are at the gym, complaining about the resolutioners, be a little bit nicer. The next time you read the millionth running blog post about New Years resolutions, don't roll your eyes.

Sometimes resolutions stick. And give them credit for being brave enough to want to make a change - and work toward it - in the first place.

Running Goals for 2012 and a Revised Race Schedule

Chicago Marathon 10.10.10
Jumped in for a few blocks with my cousin.
Next time I run in the marathon it will be for real.
Also I should get her a hat as a late Christmas gift.

I'm not one for New Years Resolutions, because it's hard to stick to stuff like "eat better" and "exercise more" without any concrete end-game.

(Except during Lent. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but Lent still has this hold over me. It's the only time when I say I'll give up sweets or meat and actually stick to it for 40 days.)

Personally, I find it much more effective to set a goal like "run your first half marathon" and use that as the carrot to stick to anything resolution-like (and get me back in a bikini).

So, that being said, these are my running goals for 2012:

• Finish the Chicago Marathon! This is the biggie. If I only do this (in my running-life), I will be pretty happy. 
• Run 100 miles in one month and 30 miles in one week. 
• Run over 1,000 miles during the entire year (average of 19.2 miles per week).
• Set at least one PR (for a distance I've raced before).
• Place in the top three in my age group in a race with over 300 finishers.
• Not running related: Make a significant dent in our debt. 

For a point of reference, in my brief history of running:

Highest monthly mileage = 88 miles

Highest weekly mileage = 25 miles

Highest yearly mileage = 710 miles (and counting, but there are four days left in the year)

My 2012 goals list was originally a lot longer. But, I realized I have two major goals in my life right now - the marathon, and paying off our debt. As I was putting together my wish-list race schedule (which is below), I realized I was including some races not because I really wanted to do them, but to reach certain goals (race a certain distance, race in another state, qualify for the Half Fanatics). All worthy goals, but I don't want to pick so many goals that it starts to detract from my two major goals right now. So I edited the list to keep me focused on the marathon, and also to keep me from spending money on races I'm not excited about.

Sidenote: I might start blogging about our progress toward paying down debt if only to keep me more accountable. I do actually want to move out of my parents' house sooner rather than later, and I need to start acting like it by reigning in the spending as much as I can without going crazy. 

That being said, I've already re-evaluated my 2012 race schedule since my last post about it. These are all of the races I'd love to do. But I know I should save a little money and not do them all. 

1/15: Midwinter Cruise 5K [registered]
2/4: Frost Bite 5K
2/11: Cupid's Chase 5K [registered]
3/10: Oak Forest Fledh 5K
3/11: Running O' The Green 8K
3/25: Shamrock Shuffle 8K
4/1: Chi-Town Half Marathon
4/14: Rockdale Rambin Run 10K

May TBD: Chicago Spring Half Marathon [if it doesn't conflict with a wedding]

5/12: Quarryman 10mi

6/9: 13.1 Chicago
7/4: Stars and Stripes 5K
9/9: Chicago Half Marathon
10/7: Chicago Marathon [already started fundraising]

Are you doing any of these races? Let me know! That will help me narrow down this list :)

Did I reach my 2011 goals?

Meeting running friends in real life

As the end of the year approaches, I revisited my goals for 2011. How did I do?

Run another race longer than 6.2 miles. 
Done x4!

5/28/11: Soldier Field 10 Mile

8/14/11: Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon

9/11/11: Fort2Base 10 Nautical Mile (11.5mi)

10/1/11: Applefest Half Marathon

Join a running club/group.
Done and done!

Fort2Base

Run over 400 miles total.
Done - I've done over 670 so far. I know that isn't a lot, but I've only done up to half marathons at this point, and I had a few slow months at the beginning of the year.

Do at least 12 races.
Fail. I realized this a few weeks ago. I figure 11 is pretty great, especially considering I didn't race for pretty much the first third of the year, so I'm not going to rush out and try to race this weekend just to make sure I hit this goal. 

1. 4/30/11: Strive 5K, 28:15, 9:06 pace
2. 5/28/11: Soldier Field 10 Mile,1:48:42, 10:52 pace
3. 6/5/11: Commit to Be Fit 5K, 26:20, 8:30 pace
4. 8/14/11: Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon, 2:34:16, 11:47 pace 
5. 9/11/11: Fort2Base 10 Nautical Mile (11.5mi), 1:58:44, 10:20 pace
6. 10/1/11: Applefest Half Marathon, 2:22:38, 10:53 pace 
7. 10/22/11: Monster Dash 5K (Haunted Obstacle course), 39:10, 12:38 pace
8. 11/5/11: Palos Park Rec Dept Turkey Trot 5K, 25:59, 8:23 pace
9. 11/24/11: Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot, 33:00, 8:15 pace
10. 12/3/11: Reindeer Run 5K, 22:43, 7:52 pace (Race orgs admitted course was short)
11. 12/31/11: Dash in the New Year 5K

Do something fun and unique that is also exercise.
Done! Took a burlesque class at my sister-in-law's studio, as well as dropped in for some of their workshops, including hula hooping and tribal belly dance, and lead the monthly Dance Dance Party Party. (And yet I haven't blogged about any of that! What?)

Maine. The sea was angry that day. 

Take a vacation, even if it's just a long weekend somewhere in the Midwest.
Done, done and done! The last one wasn't even in the Midwest!

I also hit some of my 30 Before 30 goals:

• [done April 2011] Take a vacation!
• [done April 2011] Take a vacation with the Sailor
• [done April 2011] Take a weekend trip somewhere out of town
• [done July 2011] Go to a Cubs game (bonus: in a suite)
• [done Oct 2011] Visit one of my BFFs in Boston
• [done Aug 2011] Run another half marathon
• [done summer 2011] Play a new sport or learn a new type of dance (burlesque)
• [done Oct 2011] Run a crazy race like the Warrior Dash
• [done Feb 2011] Go to the movies by myself

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?
All this running and trying to eat healthier is paying off. Per the stats I get at my company's annual health fair:

October 2010:

Weight: 165

BMI: 25.8

Body Fat: 28%

October 2011: 

Weight: 151

BMI: 24.1

Body Fat: 25%

So not only did I not gain back those 10 pounds, but I lost another 15. (My weight peaked around 170 in February ... that's what really lit a fire under my ass. I weighed myself at the gym recently and was at 145.)

Stay tuned for my 2012 goals! And I'll probably do a 2011-in-photos post.

How did you do? Did you set goals for 2011, and if so, did you reach them? 

Another Season of Lent Begins

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my personal religious views. I have yet to come to any conclusions (so for now I just consider myself agnostic), but regardless, I can appreciate the values and lessons of Catholicism, Christianity ... pretty much any organized religion. Treat others how you want to be treated. Focus on what's really important - people, relationships, love, gratitude, service.

I've always been keenly aware of Lent, and I've always liked something about it. The sacrifice. The opportunity for self-reflection. I think New Years resolutions get so hyped up; but really I think Lent is so much .... better. It's a chance to start over, to try again, to focus on what really matters, to make changes, usually changes that help you to be a better person. It's everything New Years resolution's try to be, but this time there is more meaning behind it. It's not just about looks or vanity or hype. It's about sacrifice and improvement.

So, once again, I find myself thinking about what I want to do during Lent. I've only had two successful Lenten seasons of sacrifice - where I made it all 40 days true to my commitment. One year was in college, and I gave up meat. (Of course like all good Catholics, seafood is not meat - why is this?) The other year was right before my wedding and I gave up junk food and sweets. (Obviously I had ulterior motives to stick to this one.) Yes, I "cheated" on Sundays that year - I'm only human. I have a sweet tooth.

So this year, I thinking about the sacrifices I can make. What's truly a sacrifice? What will help me to be a better person. What is a "better" person? I already try to live a life of love, patience and service. But perhaps I have excesses that I can eliminate. To allow me to focus more on me. Sounds like a "selfish" sacrifice, but I think a necessary one.

I like lists, so here you go:

• Eliminate junk food, sweets, snacking, etc. Eat to live, don't live to eat. 
• Limit time wasters - specifically on the internet and games on my phone. We don't have cable, so already I don't watch that much pointless TV (you know - watching because I'm bored or for background noise). So, for this, I'm going to try to limit myself when it comes to my true time wasters - social media sites - Facebook, Twitter/HootSuite, blogs, Google reader.
• Hopefully this newfound "free" time will encourage me to focus on better uses of my time - working out, practicing my music, reading, writing, volunteering.

Tomorrow is another day, another season of Lent, another chance to improve. Let's see how this goes.

Goals for 2011

I don't like making "new years resolutions." I feel like there is no time like the present to make a change, and if you are going to actually make a change, it'll happen when you're ready, not just when the calendar changes to another year.

I find it easier to set goals for things I want to do rather than habits I want to change. Some of these goals are aligned with habits I would like to change though.

Goals for 2011:

• Run another race longer than 6.2 miles.
• Join a running club/group. 
• Run over 400 miles total (average 7.7 miles each week).
• Do at least 12 races.
• Do something fun and unique that is also exercise, like roller derby lite, burlesque class or trapeze class. 
• Take a vacation, even if it's just a long weekend trip somewhere in the Midwest.  

High School.
I was a soccer player.

College. I lived in Chicago.
We walked a lot more.

Also, I was looking through my mail earlier today, and came across my Wellness assessment from work. My company does an annual health fair, so I could see how I've done every fall since 2006.

Ick. What happened?

Four years ago my BMI was 23.3.
Now it's 25.8.

My total cholesterol was 165 (HDL = 110, LDL = 89).
Now it's 187 (HDL = 126, LDL = 109). Still under what it should be but I don't want it trending upward.

My percent of body fat was 24. Now it's 28.

So I really need to stick to working out, and signing up for races seems to be a good way to force myself to stick to it. For inspiration, check out how skinny I used to be.