2013 Goals

Happy New Year! I can't believe 2012 is already over. It was a great year but I know that 2013 will be even better. I have some big goals for 2013 and after eating way too many sweets and taking a nice break from running this holiday season I'm anxious and ready to get back to work. This year I've decided to take my approach to New Year's resolutions a little differently though.

After realizing that 12 months is too long of a time to allow myself to achieve certain goals I decided to break my 2013 goals up. I set some goals for the entire year, some first the first half, and some for the second half. I am primarily focusing on my goals for between January 1 and June 30 and then will reassess for the rest of the year.

Goals for first half of year

• Sub 2:00 Half Marathon. This is my number one goal running wise going into 2013. I ran a 2:03 half unrested in October during the middle of marathon training which tells me with some sub 2:00 specific training this one should be in the bag. Not only do I want to break 2:00 I want to crush it. I am making some big changes to my training (more info to come) this year and know that I am capable of more than just a 3 minute PR. 

• Spend the day hiking in Patapsco State Park. This past fall I spent a lot of time running the trails of Patapsco and completely fell in love with the park. It is the perfect place to escape my less than pleasant neighborhood at school and destress. I was hoping to get a chance to go hiking here in December but finals seemed to suck up all of my time. This goal is for pure enjoyment.

• Do at least one early morning workout a week. I used to naturally wake up early as a child and had morning practices and school to thank for my early wake up calls as a teenager. Lately I have been sleeping in later and later and then find too many things that need to be done and before I know it I have run out of daylight. I think comitting to one morning workout a week is a doable way to start transitioning to workout out almost every morning.

• Get INDS proposal passed. This has nothing to do with running or working out but it may be the most important goal I have. I am majoring in interdisciplinary studies, which means that I essentially design my own major. There are a few core classes that all INDS majors are required to take but the rest of the classes are chosen by me and my advisors. In order to make sure students are on the right track it is required to write up a proposal and have it approved by a committee. It sounds a lot more simple than it really is unfortunately. It is a long and complicated process and I am hoping to have it all taken care of by mid-March (fingers crossed).

Goals for the whole year

• PR in the 5K. I mentioned awhile ago that I ran a 24:29 5K back in high school when I was still swimming 15+ hours a week. My 5K PR since starting running is a 25:41 that I ran this past year a week and a half after my first marathon. It was also my first run since the marathon. After trying to ignore my real 5K PR I have come to accept it and now I want to beat it. This is not a primary running goal for me but I would still like to set a real PR this year. I am hoping to run a 5K in the spring but I don't feel any pressure to get this done ASAP.

• Train with higher mileage & hit a 50 mile week. I have always been afraid to run a lot. I normally run 3-4 times a week with a lot of cross training thrown in. I have long term goals that require that I start building my endurance and get used to running more. I also know that one of the best ways to get better at running is to run more. I am sure I will hit this goal during marathon training in the fall but I want to train with higher mileage in general all year.

• Run 1,000 miles. This goes along with running higher mileage. I think this is a doable goal and because I am a numbers person it is something that makes me excited to train more. 

• Sub 3:00 Olympic Triathlon. Along with running I am looking to make big improvements to my triathlon racing. I finished my first Olympic distance triathlon in 3:37 but I also walked almost the entire run because it was abnormally hot that weekend. Coupled with my new & improved running training I think this is a good goal to work towards. I don't know if it is realistic for me or not but I'm sure going to try.

• 4.00 GPA. I have always come close but have never actually had a perfect GPA. 2013 consists of two semsters which means two chances to make this happen. Even if I fail at least I should still be rewarded with a solid GPA.

• Read 10 books. I love reading but often get caught up in the madness that is social media and spend way too much time on the computer. Reading is a stress reliever for me and lets my mind wander and dream.