13 in 2013

Well, here it is....New Year's Eve 2012. I suppose now is as good a time as any to put my 2013 goals out there, huh?? I've been thinking about them for a while, but haven't started writing any down. I have no idea if I can actually come up with 13, but I thought attempting to highlight 13 goals to complete in 2013 might be fun. However, due to the fact that I usually only pick a few goals (last year it was 3 - blog, Olympic tri, marathon), some of these 13 will probably be "small".

So, here's goes nothing......

1. Take care of myself. Wow! Yes, this is a BIG goal and can mean SO many things. But, if we want to be more specific, I need to start 2013 by actually getting this damn Crohn's disease back into remission. Some might say I've been trying to do that this entire year (since I first started flaring in March); but that's not really true. I felt the best when I was eating right and losing weight in August/September. But, since the marathon, I haven't been taking care of myself at all. My fault. Even if it means starting 2013 with a short stay in the hospital, I will do what it takes to get healthy again.

2. Lose some weight. Ya know, everything you read says that you should make specific, measurable goals. However, I always start my year off with wanting to lose Xlbs in X amount of time and ya know what?? I NEVER succeed. I put a ton of pressure on myself and when I'm not perfect, I sabotage myself even further. It's messed up, yes, but it's what I do. So this year I'm just going to say I need to lose some weight. Sure, my goal is to lose about 50-60lbs and I think it's totally doable that I can accomplish that in 2013. But isn't it better to just say "lose some weight", that way when 2014 rolls around and I'm "only" 10 or 20lbs smaller I can still see that as a success??? Well, I think it's better.

3. Work towards a 2:30 half marathon and PR a half marathon in 2013. I don't think 2013 is the year for my 2:30 half. I think I'm too far from it for it to be realistic. However, I think I can make it my running focus this year and I think that I can at least PR (faster than 2:41).

4. Complete at least 1 sprint triathlon. I started "doing triathlons" in 2011. However, I still have a hard time calling myself a triathlete because in that time I've done exactly 1 sprint, 1 Olympic and 1 indoor tri. So this summer I'd like to enjoy the sport and start working on improving myself even in the smallest distance.

5. Complete at least 1 Olympic triathlon. See above. Ohio is a tough state to try to be a triathlete. The season is so short that it's tough to have the time to train and get multiple races in. Not to mention the cost! So, this year I hope to complete at least 2 triathlons in my race season.

6. Eat out less. This is something we really need to do as a family and I need to do on my own. We spend way too much money eating out. Just think of how many more races I can do if we didn't eat out so much! :)

7. Spend less money. Well, except for race entry fees! :)

8. Volunteer at the kids school more. I'm hoping to have more time in 2013 to do this. Of course, some of it I just don't like so we're not going to go crazy with volunteering! :)

9. Learn to chill. This is no small goal. I am anxious. A lot. More so lately than I've ever been. I am a total control freak and this causes many problems for me. I'm planning to make some changes in 2013 that I think might help me with this; but I still have to look at learning how to relax. Like the serenity prayer states, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference."

10. Don't fall off the wagon the last 1-3 months of the year (or the first 1-3 months for that matter)! This is another, "not small" goal. Each and every year (as many of us do), I completely fall off the wagon between October and December. Last year was my best year and it took me until almost the end of December to fall off the wagon. My lowest weight of 2011 happened in November (I believe) and I only started 2012 3 pounds heavier than that lowest weight. However, I then fell off the wagon for the last few weeks of 2011 and couldn't get back on until probably April 2012...again. So, I need to work on not falling off at ALL since getting back on seems to take me quite a while!

And yes, these 13 goals are a little harder than I thought. Only 3 more to go though.

11. Find a new distance race for another instant PR. I've started making my 2013 race "wish list", but I really would like to add another race on there of a distance I've never done. Perhaps a 15k would be fun. Or perhaps a 30k.

12. Lose enough weight to run another marathon (even if the marathon doesn't happen until 2014)....and PR. If you recall, I promised myself (and my family) that I would not attempt another marathon "at this weight". However, I did not provide an exact weight where I have to be in order to attempt another marathon. I'm still not sure what I want that number to be. It's less the number and more about what's happening with my body and fitness. If I lose 20lbs, but have completed a 2:30 half marathon and have increased my running time to an 11-12 minute mile consistently, perhaps I'll decide to tackle the marathon distance again. So, this goal really goes with goal #2....but I guess it's putting more specific parameters on it.

13. Consistently improve my running (and fitness in general) and keep improving until Jan. 1, 2014 (and then continue to improve after that). Yea, this is basically a repeat of #10, but more specifically with my running and fitness. #10 was really about my diet and this is the other aspect.

So, there you have it. My 2013 goals. Some big. Some not so big. All important to me. They are not nearly as specific as the experts recommend, but sometimes I think when my goals are too specific I set myself up for failure. And now that I'm on a roll I can think of more goals....like not being so hard on myself and be proud of what I do accomplish! That might come with goal #9....

Happy New Year to all of you! Tell me...what are some of your 2013 goals??