Welcome to 2011, Body N’ Sole blog readers! Did you run on Christmas day? I did not. I ate cheese biscuits instead.
What about resolutions? Did you make those?
I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I always make them too vague and subsequently fail. For example, I always resolve to “be a nicer person”, but I pretty much say something snarky as soon as I make that resolution and just give up. (On a non-running note, my goal for 2011 is to learn “useful” skills, like how to change a tire, how to grill meat, and how to invest my money and then buy my happiness.)
However, I do recognize the psychological value of the start of a NEW YEAR. Thus, I will recap some of my 2010 running and make some tentative goals/plans for 2011.
Run more races – I have a huge fear of failure, so I traditionally avoid racing like the plague. However, I am steadily working my way, albeit with a late start, to running 12 races while I’m 24. In 2010, I finally broke two hours in the half marathon! And today, I ran my very first trail race (and got a fanny pack)!
In 2011, I hope to run more races. Pushing the limits of my comfort zone is important. This year, I plan to run another marathon and to participate in the Body N’ Sole River-to-River relay team. [Don't worry, teammates, I have some really great camp fire songs with which to serenade you in the team van!]
Run faster – Over winter break, I had the opportunity to run with my high school friends Tina and Esther. Esther is training for the 2012 Olympic marathon trials, so as you can imagine, she is quite the speedy runner. Her easy=my hard. I’m pretty sure that I looked like a sack of hamburger meat while running next to her lithe and muscular frame, but it did give me a taste of speeding up a bit.
Note: I took this picture because I wanted to prove that I actually ran with Esther. When the 2012 trials happen next January, I’ll definitely be screaming, “I KNOW HER!!!!”
In 2011, I’ll aim for quality over quantity in my running!
Learn to cross-train – I bought a fancy roadbike in 2010, and I intend to get my ass on it in 2011. Oh, and in a moment of insanity, I signed up for an ice skating class because I want to be graceful like a swan.
The more I cross-train, the fitter I will be. And the less I’ll probably complain about running…
Stop taking myself so seriously. Have more fun - Enough said.
Here’s to a great 2011!
What are your running goals for 2011?
