Goals for 2013

Time for the annual goal setting post!  Let me start by saying that I am excited as hell about a new year!  Those of you that know me know that I don't do resolutions.  I don't believe in a spontaneous, vague idea of something you want to improve but put no plan or effort into.  No, I prefer goals.  Goals are solid, goals are well thought out, goals are planned, goals take work to achieve.  Often we hit these goals, sometimes we don't.  But at least we don't just forget about them.  No, we think them through before we set them.  We create plans with steps, then we work out butts off (sometimes literally) to achieve them, but we definitely don't just forget them.  Resolutions are a chance to once again fall short and feel bad; goals are an excuse to kick ass to the point people call you obsessed!  That's right, once again, no resolutions.  I'm excited as hell about my goals & plans!!  2013 is going to be awesome!

It's going to be very different than 2012.  I'll cover what I did and did not accomplish in 2012 once the year ends, but it's safe to say 2013 will be quite different.  2012 was all about getting as much mileage as possible and quantity over quality when it came to races and training.  It was fun & I'm proud of 2012, but I need a new direction for this next year.  I won't get the mileage I did this year and I definitely won't run the races I did, but it's going to be great in totally different ways!  Here's the low down on my big goals for the year, then I'll go into more detail about each one below:

1. Balance running with swimming, cycling, weight training, yoga, etc.
2. Run in fewer races, but compete in more races.
3. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours
4. Compete in my first 70.3 half ironman
5. Write in this blog more regularly

Balance running with swimming, cycling, weight training, yoga, etc.  I love to run, no doubt about it.  I also love to swim, and I really like yoga, I enjoy weight training and I'm working on liking cycling more.  Let's face it, though, I'm just a runner right now.  I barely do any of the other stuff, at least not with the regularity and consistency that I put into running.  That changes this year.  Along with doing triathlon which will force me to do more swimming & cycling, I also will blend all of these into my training plans for running events.  My first training plan starts on 1/1 and will be a 16 week plan to get ready for the Garmin Half Marathon.  When writing this plan, I included not only running, but swimming, cycling, weights and yoga.  That's right, it's all in the plan.  That will help keep me consistent.  By including all of these types of workouts I will improve my speed, endurance, flexibility, and more.

Run in fewer race, but compete in more races.  In 2012 I ran a TON of races, but I was pretty slow in most of them.  I wasn't competing, I was just running.  I am realistic, I don't expect to start winning races or something.  That's not the point.  In 2013 I will run in fewer races and some will still be slow training type runs, but I will have more races this year that I push myself to do the best I can rather than just finishing.  I didn't push myself to finish strong and finish well in my races in 2012, so I want to use more of my races this year for what they are meant to be.  A chance to push myself and see how quickly I can finish.  I want to get my competitive spirit back.  This will help me push harder and accomplish more both in my races and in my training.

Run a half marathon in under 2 hours.  Specifically the Garmin Half Marathon on April 20th.  This has been something I've wanted to achieve for quite a while, but I haven't put in the effort to get there.  This year I am putting in the effort and I'll achieve it.  I start my training for this race on 1/1 and will train for a full 16 weeks to get there.  The plan I got from RunnersWorld.com's Smart Trainer has me completing the race in 1:49:32.  That would be amazing.  My current PR is 2:02:45 at the Omaha Half Marathon on 9/25/11.  That's a long time to hold a PR, so it's about time this one falls.  Getting there will require me to stick to goal #1 of balanced training.  I'm not going to get under 2 hours just by running, I'm going to need to eat better, strengthen my muscles and my core, and to my flexibility.  Basically stick to everything I listen for that goal.  I truly believe if I do all of that I will get that sub-2.

Compete in my first 70.3 half ironman.  Yes, I said compete, NOT just finish.  Again, I have no delusions that I will win or even come close to winning, that's no what I mean.  What I mean is that just finishing won't be good enough.  I intend to do the best I can.  I will be competing in the Redman 70.3 in Oklahoma City on September 21st.  This is a tough goal, but I believe I can accomplish it with good training and discipline.  Oh, and a new bike.  I'm saving up for a new one and should be able to get one by the spring so I can be better prepared for this year's triathlons than the ones I did last year with my current bike (NOT built for triathlons).

Write in this blog more regularly.  Yeah, I don't write here even close to enough.  Frankly, I have no idea why anyone would still be following this with how seldom I've been writing this year.  But I'm not going to put a specific rule down as far as how often I will write, but I will write more often.  I need to document and share more of my journey than just the race reports and that's pretty much all I've done this year.  In 2013 posts will be more often and hopefully more insightful.  That's my commitment to you, my readers, and to myself.

These goals will make 2013 VERY different than 2012, but if I can stick with them 2013 will be an AMAZING year!!  Have you set goals for next year?  If so, have you set out a plan as to how you will achieve them?  Let's take 2013 for all it's worth!!!