2011 New Year's Goals

The last couple years I've enjoyed setting some different fitness goals for myself.  I've learned that they have to be varied, quantifiable, and measurable so you can track your progress and improve the chances of success.  For 2010, I set both distance and speed goals.  (I also reference my 2009 goals in that blog post) And then I was blessed to get pregnant on the first try in March. :-)  So I didn't quite hit all my goals, but came surprisingly close for having been pregnant most of the year and not really setting my goals using that assumption (although it was always the plan, I didn't want to publicly share my family planning intentions when setting New Year's goals!).

For 2011, I've been wrestling the last couple weeks with setting my New Year's goals.  And I've had a ton of work to do getting ready to produce the inaugural New Year's Day Half Marathon, but it's still something that's been poking at the back corners of my mind.  I really want to set some goals, it's how I've enjoyed starting the last couple years, but I just don't know what 2011 could hold for me.  With a new baby and still in the middle of doctor-ordered C-section recovery, I have no clue how my body will recover and how quickly I'll get back running again.  But I love to push myself, so I needed to set some sort of goals.  So here we go...

I am setting two conservative goals aided at getting me moving and back racing again.  And they are goals I plan to hit within the first 4 months of the year.  And once these goals get met, I will immediately reassess the journey so far and set more goals.  I think 2011 will be about incremental goals as I get back to my previous fitness level and then hope to improve on my previous good running throughout the year.

GOAL #1: To work towards a 50-mile month.  In 2010, I had my first 100-mile month, and did that a few months out of the year.  That was high mileage for me!  As I recover, and since miles will take more time with the high percentage of walking I'll be doing, I think that working towards getting a regular run or walk workout in will culminate in this goal of a 50-mile month.

GOAL #2: To complete my first half marathon back by the end of March.  I put this target because I am already registered for the Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon.  I'm not a huge fan of Rock N Roll races because I feel the entry fees are too high especially because I don't feel like I need frills or a ton of post-race food or a post-race party to have fun at a race, but I had a great $20 promo deal one day that made the entry fee "reasonable".  Also, this goal means I'd be able to participate in the Big D Half Marathon, one of my favorites to do.  It would be my fifth time doing that race.  Big D Half was my first half marathon back in 2005. :-)

So those are my goals.  They are very different from my 2009 and 2010 goals, but that's to be expected given my current situation.  As I recover from surgery and adjust to having two small children, it's important that I focus on my fitness health as well, but my general health and my family are two priorities that will always come higher!

Happy Running, and an early happy new year!