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On the Other Side of 2009!


Hello 2010!!! I promised myself no New Year's Resolutions for 2010. What I decided to do instead was write a list of 100 things I would like to accomplish in 2010, and I discovered something very interesting.


About 6 years ago I was an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Maine and I had the good fortune of participating in training sessions with the most amazing facilitator. Not only did I get to participate in her sessions but on one of her visits to Maine I had the great pleasure of picking her up from the airport and spending a lot of time with her preparing for our training. We did an activity during the training that included writing down various goals (large or small, service related or personal) and identify which overall category they fit in when we look at our life as a whole. Some examples could be the following:


Goal: pay bills on time

Category: Finance


Goal: Exercise more

Category: Health


I don't really remember all of the instructions from this exercise but what I do remember is that you would find common themes.


In December 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing this same facilitator in Ohio, and strange enough, a couple of weeks prior to her coming to Ohio I found the list of goals I wrote way back when I lived in Maine, many of which were accomplished.


As I wrote my goals for 2010 I reflected on that exercise and discovered my overall life categories haven't change. The same things are important to me including family, health, and finances.


One thing I didn't mention is that when I first met this facilitator I was heading to Portland from Augusta, and I was to participate in a 5k race, and decided not to do it because I had never gone to a race alone and I was scared. It has taken me 5-6 years, but that fear is gone. I now embrace going to races and participating regardless of who is going to be at the finish line to cheer me on. Don't get me wrong, I much prefer having a support system, but to be able to go out and do it alone is a HUGE accomplishment.


So you may ask, what does this all have to do with my Couch to Athlete plan and I am going to highlight a couple of things that showed up on my list. Maybe I am crazy??? Or maybe I am living my dream:


1) Run a half marathon (May 1, 2010 and I have friends who will probably do it with me)

2) Participate in an Aqua bike (July with my sister)

3) Do an Olympic Distance Triathlon (August, maybe Chicago)

4) Go to the Gym at least 4 days a week (may not seem to be enough but I run primarily outside these days)

5) Ride my bike to work through the summer

6) Watch less TV


All of these goals lead to my dream of becoming an athlete.


I know much of this may seem redundant to my faithful readers, however I've learned that this blog is as much for me as it is for you. The more I write it, the more I believe it, the more I live it...


Comments

  1. Awesome - And Holy Cow - a Half-marathon!!

    I'm a big believer in setting down goals, at least mentally, and I love all of yours. If I am home in July, maybe I'll sign on for that Aquabike thing, whatever it is. I can firmly say though, that a half-marathon is not in my near future, as I have recently taken a liking to lifting weights and the occasional fitness class with music - I am committed to having more 'fun' in my life, and group-oriented fitness classes with corny instructors currently fall into that category.

    Keep the blog going - I love it!

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  2. Well the blog is here to stay, at least for a short while! I would like to see where it gets me over the next year because it does encourage me to keep going. Kind of like the energizer bunny. Crazily, I love the running these days especially now that it is cold outside. There is nothing better than finishing a run when it is 17 degrees outside. It makes me feel kind of hard core, even though I'm not all that hard core.

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