For the first time in awhile, I am actually pleased to start a new year. I know a lot of people adopt the "new year, new me" philosophy but I feel that this year, turning to a new year in the calendar is a perfect reason to let go of the past once and for all. 2011 was the end of a major chapter in my life and it is finally time to turn the page and start a new one.
I never set new year's resolutions because I'm afraid of the shame spiral that would result from failure :) However, I do set yearly goals. Last year, I was so close to finishing 12 races (10+ mile distance) in 12 months, but had a set back in the summer months and finished with just 9. Not too shabby! I also came close to meeting a mileage goal of 1500 miles in a year, but I stopped keeping track of miles sometime in September and am not sure whether or not I reached the full distance. In my personal life, well, I finally flushed "the turd that refused to flush" and started fresh :) I call that an EPIC win!!!
This year I'm going to try to curb the shame spirals and focus on being a happier me. Its so easy for me to focus on the negative, which veils all of the positive things that are happening in my life! I've been given the gift of a fresh start and I'm not going to waste it! I'm also going to finally resume attending church. I've put of joining a church for entirely too many years and it is time to stop the excuses and just go!
Running-wise, I'm running a full marathon in Arizona on January 15th (my THIRD!) and will have to re-evaluate my training to see if its worth doing another full. I think I would rather focus on half-marathons and try to break the 2 hour time barrier, unless the opportunity arises to do one of my "dream" races. I was easily burnt out on my training plan on 2011 and want to make sure I keep my inner runner happy so that I can continue to get out and cover some distance.
In sum, BRING IT ON 2012! :) I'm glad you're finally here!
