One Month Down

I set some pretty big goals for January and unfortunately I didn't do very well with them.

1. Run 70 miles. I thought by making a big goal regarding running mileage I would be more motivated to run. Turns out it didn't help at all. I actually didn't run for an entire week during the middle of the month because I was sick and just couldn't get myself to run. I am really happy with how my training has been going lately though. Lesson learned about setting unrealistic goals, however.


2. Bike 180 miles. I have absolutely no idea how many miles I biked due to the fact that I can't keep track while on the trainer. Assuming I'm riding at 15mph I definitely didn't bike 180 miles though. I didn't spend nearly as much time on the bike as I wanted but right now my focus is on running.


3. Swim 9,500 yards. I didn't even come close to this one but only because the pool that I was supposed to use while at home for break was closed and I couldn't justify paying to use a different one. Again, my focus is on running right now so this really isn't a big deal though.


4. Start strength training. Negative. The gym I was planning on going to was the same one that I was going to swim at. Even though I didn't get to the gym, though, I did a fair amount of cross training. That has to count for something, right?


5. Read two books. I haven't quite finished the second book but I am almost done. The first book I read was The Most Beautiful Book in the World, which is a compilation of short stories. The stories were good but didn't keep me on my toes. I am currently reading The Madonna's of Leningrad and absolutely love it. It is about an old woman who reflects on her time during the war. It is really neat to see her comparisons to the present day.


6. Go ice skating. I'm pretty disappointed that this didn't happen. I probably won't have another chance to go ice skating until next year because of being at school. It's really not a big deal but I thought it would be fun to go. There's always next year!


7. Learn to ski. This was a big success. I went skiing twice and actually went down a beginner slope. I am really proud of myself for doing this because I was so scared I would hurt myself. I still am, but I know how much it means to my boyfriend so I think it is worth it.


8. Organize & clean my apartment. Another big success. I went down to my apartment three times while over break and now it is looking great. I did heavy duty cleaning, hung pictures, brought down a dresser, got rid of unnecessary stuff from last semester, and set up the fish tank that I got for Christmas. Now I can't help but smile every time I look around!


9. Go to the National Aquarium. I am most upset about not meeting this goal. We were going to go this past weekend but something came up. We are supposed to go this upcoming weekend instead so I really hope that actually happens. The big problem we keep running into is that the aquarium closes at 5 pm, which I think is unreasonably early.


10. Meditate for one hour once a week. I am really disappointed to say that I didn't meditate at all. I think jumping into meditating for one hour at a time is a too big step. I think it is more realistic to start with 5-15 minutes a few times during the month and work my way up to longer.


11. Track food at sparkpeople.com. I stuck with this very consistently for the first two weeks but then got sick of always rushing to the computer to log after every meal. I think it is important to keep track of what I eat because I have been having trouble with eating & running but I think just writing down what I eat and when is a better idea.


12. Cook one meal a week. I am SO proud of myself for actually sticking with this. I didn't cook very elaborate meals but they still took awhile to make. I want to cook more for myself and be more in control of what is being put into my body. I also learned that I really enjoy cooking and now I can't wait to try even more recipes.

13. Do something active every day. I set this goal a few days late but I think it was the most important goal. While there were a few days where I didn't get some activity in, I was significantly more active than I usually am. There were so many times where I just wanted to stay in bed but got up to take the dog for a walk instead.