Reflections on 2006 and Looking Ahead

Two of my major goals for 2006 were to qualify for the Boston Marathon and to come in first in my age group in a "Try-a-Tri" triathlon. I am happy to report I achieved both. Qualifying for Boston was one of the proudest moments of my life. You see, I have never considered myself an athlete. I was always the last to get picked for any team I tried out for in school. Cheerleading was my forté.

So, on to 2007! I'm going to list my goals here in the hopes it will keep me accountable.

Running Goals:
- Run a marathon in under 4 hours
- Run a 50 minute 10K
- Do more speed training on the treadmill

Swimming:
- 2x per week
- Get a wetsuit

Biking:
- Conquer my fear of my road bike (specifically clipless pedals)
- Learn how to change a flat tire
- Ride my mountain bike on the Lynn Valley Trail on weekends
- Get a bike trainer

Fitness:
- Stretching 2x per week
- Weight training 2 - 3x per week
- Build upper body strength
- Build core strength
- Be able to do 50 pushups (manly ones, not wimpy ones)

Health:
- Goal weight - 125 lbs
- Take my vitamin, iron and Vitamin E supplements every day
- Research food sources of iron and calcium

Nutrition:
- Eat 5 - 6 small meals a day
- Drink 8 glasses of water a day
- Plan healthy meals and do more cooking

So those are my personal goals. I also have goals for our farm renovations. We need to varnish the knotty pine in bathroom and the ceilings in the dining room and kitchen. I also want to strip the wallpaper off the kitchen walls and paint the kitchen, laundry room and back porch. If I get all that done inside the house this year, I'll be happy, because a lot of that will be happening while I'm training for my spring marathon.

Hubby also says he wants to renovate our kitchen and lay new flooring in the living room and bedrooms in our house in the city. It's going to be a busy year.

I should also set a goal to update my blog more often. I couldn't even remember how to log in this morning. The other day I found the blog of a woman I run with occasionally. She is in the same training group as me. As I was reading her entries from 2005, I kept thinking, hmm, I don't remember that and I know I was there. Updating this blog regularly will keep the memories alive for me, so no excuses.

So I'll have to break my goals down and create a plan for achieving them, because a goal without a plan is just a dream.