2015 Resolutions

While 2014 had its highlights, most of them occurred at the beginning of the year. By the end, my speed was dwindling, I wasn't racing or running as consistently, and other than my marathon, I didn't experience many proud moments.

I want to make sure my accomplishments carry me all the way through 2015. I've spent a couple weeks (as is usual for me) finessing my resolutions and figuring out action steps to reach each goal.

 My first resolution is consistency. In 2013 I was running at least three times during the week, and each run was at least 4 miles. Then I'd add a long run if I was training for a race. In 2014, in order to accommodate marathon training, I only ran three times a week to avoid overuse injuries.

I think I would have raced stronger and been better prepared if I had stuck with four runs a week.

I will commit to running three 4-6 milers during the week and one long-run on the weekends.

Although I meant to cross-train more consistently last year, I definitely didn't meet that goal in the way I wanted.

This year, I'm going to shop around for gyms so that I can start weight-lifting again. I also need to work on my flexibility, and I will incorporate a day of yoga or Pilates into my weekly schedule. I will be more consistent with my core-work.

I've joined a push-up challenge group through my Sub-30 group, and my goal at the moment there is to do 10 pushups a day. Some people are aiming for 20,000 this year! I do hope to get strong enough to do 20 a day.

Specifically, I am gearing toward a new half or 10k PR. After Ragnar in 2014, I was able to obliterate my last half PR by four minutes. I think that after running a marathon, I should be able to PR a half. Ideally I'd like to break 2:10 for a half or 58 minutes for a 10k, but any PR will do!

PR's don't happen by accident, of course. I'm going to be better about my speedwork this year. Whether that means running 400s and 800s, working on hills more often, or learning to embrace the tempo run, I will do speedwork at least once every two weeks.

(I'm was going to say once a week, but I've decided to listen to this article and not over-do it, at least without a goal-race in mind.)

Honestly, this seems like a lot. I know that when you set up a lot of big goals at once, it's easy to give up. But I plan to incorporate the goals into my year slowly and with purpose. That way, instead of starting the year strong but then drifting as fall approaches, I'll be building on my goals as the year goes on.

I'm not sure what my race schedule will look like this year. While I miss running 12 races a year, I can't really justify the cost. I only ran one or two 5ks last year, so I'd really like to refocus on that distance. And of course, I'm playing with the idea of a second marathon sooner rather than later.

I am signed up for a 10k in April (the Shark's Tooth that I did last year). The course is warm but flat and I think I could PR on it. I'm also signed up for a half in March (the Sarasota First Watch, which I've never run before). I've heard good things but the giant bridge makes me nervous. I may run the Paradise Coast Half on my birthday again and aim to PR that one, but that also depends on whether or not I'll be running a full that day!

Outside of those two races I'm already signed up for, my plans are still nebulous. I have time to get them in order. At the moment, I'm more concerned with taking these foundational resolutions and running with them. (Haha.)

In 2014, my word was dedication. This year, it's consistency.

What are your goals for 2015? 

ABK

2014 in Review

These review posts are always so hard to write and tend to be long and rambling. I'm going to try to keep this one shorter than 2013's!

This year was really huge for me, both in running and personal aspects. It was a year that ended up teaching me lessons about what I'm made of, my personal worth, my strengths, and my mettle. I think I'll always look back on 2014 fondly.

In no particular order, here are some of 2014's highlights:

I finally broke my half marathon PR by four minutes.

The Paradise Coast Half was my birthday race, and it ended up being the perfect gift to myself.

I ran Ragnar with an amazing team of women, many of whom became invaluable friends.

Ragnar showed me that I am so much stronger and more capable than I ever thought!

I took my commitment to positivity seriously and renewed my love of running through it.

Sometimes just enjoying the run and smiling through it makes it magical.

I ran my first full marathon.

And finished smiling.

Matt and I bought a house.

We still have a lot to do, but it's really starting to feel like home.

I was selected as an All Star Teacher and got to enjoy three days of celebrity treatment, including being on the field with the players for the All Star Game.

For three days of recaps, go here, here, and here.

Those events alone are enough to call 2014 a success. Now, it's time to take a look back at my goals/resolutions for the year, some of which had to be adjusted or outright abandoned.

Click for the original post.

1. While I did do quite a bit of cross-training early in the year, including T25, yoga, and Pilates, once I began training for Space Coast I let this fall by the wayside. Had I stuck with it, I think I would have seen better results throughout the year. I'm not happy with my commitment to this one and I think I'll need to revisit it next year.

2. Regarding training, I played it really cautious. I definitely think training smarter helped me avoid injury during marathon training this time around. I was better about putting my foot down and getting sleep when I needed it. But as usual, I wasn't very consistent in eating well. Damn my sweet tooth!

3. I purposely changed this goal once we bought the house this summer. It just wasn't feasible to spend money on a bunch of races; plus, it was more important to me to race/train according to my plan for Space Coast. So I only ran eight races this year, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

4. I totally nailed this one. I really made sure to focus on enjoying myself and avoiding burnout. Even in the midst of hard races, I just stayed positive. In 2013, I had made a lot of time-related resolutions and I wanted to take a break from that in 2014. I think my commitment to being positive is what got me through Space Coast. This was a good year to relax and train a touch easier. That said, I'm excited to get back into working on my speed in 2015.

Where does that leave me? Well, I need to take some time to carefully craft my 2015 goals, and that includes researching future races and such. But one thing is certain: next year has some big acts to follow.

Did you accomplish your goals for this year?

Are you excited for 2015?

Do you make resolutions at the new year?

ABK