New Year, New Goals

What can I say about 2011? It was a year mixed with both good and bad, that’s for sure. But, the good definitely outweighed the bad, so I give 2011 two thumbs up fo’ sho’!

THE GOOD

Family trip to Disney! This was such a fun trip. The Hubs and I really loved seeing how our kids reacted to the magic that is Disney…they were in awe of the characters and rides, and they told us daily how much fun they were having. Heck, the Hubs and I were having an awesome time, too!

Us with two of our favorite Disney characters!

Races! Despite the warm, muggy, sprinkly day, I managed to PR my Houston ½ Marathon time. It wasn’t quite as good as I had hoped for, but a PR is a PR. Next up was the Austin 1/2 Marathon.  While I didn’t have the best race at the Austin ½ Marathon, I ran an entire race with the Hubby for the 1st time. This was his 1st big race and celebrating such an awesome accomplishment was a lot of fun. Then came tri-season...I PRed my CB&I time, and even PRed my 5k time on this race! I ended the summer with Bridgeland, where my times weren’t stellar, but I had my best open water swim ever and finally conquered that stupid anxiety in the water! And, the hubby also finished two triathlons this year – cheering for him with the kids at his final race of the season was definitely a high point of the year. Finally, the NYC Marathon lived up to the expectations – it was AMAZING. I had a 23-minute marathon PR and had an awesome time racing through the Burroughs.

Ah yes, all done and still smiling!

Trip to NYC! Yes, we travelled to NYC for the marathon, but we had an amazing time playing in the city, too! We had so much fun with my Sister-in-Law and her hubby, plus I finally got to meet one of my long-time on-line friends and see parts of NY that I’ve never seen before. It was phenomenal.

Brooklyn, before walking back to Manhattan

Family! For the 1st time, I took off multiple days from work during both Spring Break and Christmas Break. Even though we stayed close to home, I had an awesome time doing fun stuff around the city with the kids. I am definitely doing this again in the coming years.

These guys are my life!

THE BAD
Injuries. The infamous broken toe was something I’d like to forget. Yep, just one week after a great race at CB&I in May, I managed to kick the door in the middle of the night. Stupid. Then there was the odd back/neck/should issues in September. Not sure WTF that was about, but I’m glad I haven’t had a recurrence! And finally, there’s the hip issues…not the way I wanted to end 2011 and enter 2012, but what can you do?

Sickies. Yes, the woman who almost never gets sick managed to get Strep not once, but twice this year. Not a big deal, but after delaying my NYC marathon training for over a month because of a broken toe, missing training because of step really pissed me off.

Jake. We lost our family dog in 2011 and still miss him today.

Family drama. I can’t go into this one, but let’s just say it’s almost Jerry Springer worthy. Sigh.

Work. Our company announced in October that it was being sold and that the section I work in is going to be sold to a 3rd party. We don’t know who the buyer will be, so there’s still hope that everything works out well for everyone involved. If things don't work out well, then I will use this as an opportunity to spend more time with my family and re-evaluate my career goals.  I am trying to be an optimist on this one!

2012

So what’s new for 2012? I’m not one to make “resolutions” really, but I do try to set goals each year. Without having something to work toward, I find that I grow bored and lose motivation. So here are some goals, although I know there will be more along the way…

Races. Unless the hip thing gets worse, I fully intend to run the Houston Marathon. Before the hip issue (and after that awesome 18-miler), I had every intention of attempting another PR. But now, the goal may only be to finish. Bummer. I also have the Texas 70.3 on schedule for 2012. Again, unless the hip issues prevent me from training for this, I will train my arse off and finish my first 70.3. This is sort of a scary goal for me, which is exactly why I want to do it!

Workouts.  I had a lot of fun in 2010 and early 2011 when I mixed it up with my workouts.  I did an entire cycle of P90X and Insanity and loved the challenge of both.  After the 70.3, I'd like to do more of both workouts or maybe even try P90X2.   And, I'd like to add either Pilates or Yoga to my workout routine for at least one day per week...in fact, the gym at work offers both each week, so there's no excuse for not fitting these in.  (Except that Pilates is offered on Friday...not so sure this is a good thing for the Saturday morning workout!)  Since I stopped the strength training, I have started to feel...well, soft.  I want my muscles back!  I also vow to continue the core workouts (a/k/a Ab Ripper X) at least 2x per week!

Fun. To be honest, after the 70.3 I am not sure what I will be doing. Maybe CB&I, since it’s a great race and practically in my backyard. I do know that I want to have fun. I want to do whatever races I feel like doing and just have fun with them. I do want to continue to work on my speed at shorter distances, but I have been so focused on the PRs for the past couple of years, that I just want to race for fun, for bling and not have to worry about overdoing it before my “A” race. I know, not terribly ambitious.  The Hubs and I are considering the Goofy Challenge in 2013, but again, we would be racing more for fun than for time (which I hear is best for these races). But, shhhhh, don't tell Coach!

Family. From now until the Texas 70.3 on April 1st I will be uber busy trying to juggle training with work and family. But, my goal is to never make my family feel like they come 2nd to my training…which is why I wake up at stupid-thirty to workout. I believe with us working running/triathlon moms, it’s sometimes about quality over quantity when it comes to our families. I want the time I spend with the kiddos to be quality time - to give them my full attention, even if it’s only for an hour in the evening before bedtime.

Nutrition. Before NYC, I had a great start on eating cleaner and had lowered my sugar intake considerably. However, since returning from that trip, I really haven’t eaten as well as I should. In fact, this is the 1st holiday season in 3 years where I’ve seen a gain on the scale instead of a loss. I haven’t eaten that poorly, but with the kids at home with me over the last week, let’s just say I could have done much better. But, not to worry, I have my focus back and have already started working on this again. I love the way I look and feel when I eat well, so that in itself keeps me motivated to get back on track and stay there.

Other. I have other goals regarding my personal life, the family and work, but I won’t bore you with those. It will be an interesting year ahead and I am ready to tackle it!

Do you make resolutions each year?  Set goals?  What are some of your goals?