Goals for 2018… Accomplished??

After reaching a big goal today (1000 miles in a year, yeah!) and seeing my 2018 Year in Review Video on Facebook, I decided to look back on my goals post for this year. It took me a minute to find because last year I didn’t post anything until halfway through January. Let’s see how I did on these goals…

• Run my third marathon, on my own, and do it in less than 6 hours. Well guys, I might as well start off with the big one. Ever since I crossed the finish line at the Detroit Marathon this year and came SO close to my goal of finishing in under 6 hours, I have been almost foaming at the mouth to reach that goal. I have the Martian Marathon on April 14th, 2018 picked out as marathon number 3, and I have started my training plan, and I’m doing pretty good at sticking to it. 

I wrote these goals before my friend Christine offered to run my third marathon with me. So while I didn’t run my third marathon alone, and it wasn’t the Martian Marathon, I did finish in less than 6 hours and I had a lot of fun running it with my sister from another mister.

• Run a half marathon in 2 1/2 hours. This was something I thought I would do in 2017, but didn’t. I have 2 half marathons planned this year – one 6 weeks after the marathon and one in September. I’m thinking it seems much more realistic to get this goal in September, especially since the race I am doing typically has excellent weather conditions. Except now that I said that, I probably jinxed myself, right?

This didn’t happen unfortunately. I ran the Bayshore half in May and it was so hot and muggy. I missed my PR by seconds. In September I ran the Run For Your Heart half marathon and I managed to get a PR. The conditions for the race were excellent, as usual, so I didn’t jinx myself! I didn’t reach my goal of a 2 1/2 hour half marathon, but don’t worry – I’m not writing that goal off just yet! It will be on my 2019 goals.

• Drink more water. I tend to go to the extremes when I make goals, so this year I am trying something different. My husband’s primary care doctor told him that it is easier to add things than take things away when you are trying to make life changes. So rather than say “stop drinking anything other than water” I’m saying “drink more water”. I’ve been writing down in my journal the days that I drink at least 16oz of water – YES, I KNOW, I SUCK AT HYDRATING – and giving myself “points” for when I do.

Yeaaahhhh… I didn’t do great with this. There were times when I did awesome but most of the time… I am lucky I didn’t get dehydrated!

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. I love vegetables, I’m not as good about eating fruits, but in the last few months I have really gone on a junk food tirade. Just like the water thing, I have been giving myself points for eating fruits and vegetables each day.

Didn’t do great with this one either. The best I did was the last week of marathon training. I ate a lot of sugary stuff this year. Next year I plan to work more on intuitive eating rather than these dieting type goals.

• Reach my goal weight. As much as I don’t want to include a weight loss goal, I’ve got to be honest with myself and this is something I really do want. I came so close this past year and then CRASH – my diet went to crap the last couple of months I regained every pound that I lost in 2017. I know I will run better and feel better when I eat better. I have been at my goal weight in the past and it was the best I ever felt.

Yeah, this didn’t happen at all. But I did not gain a whole lot of weight this year, either. Like I said… my focus in 2019 is going to be more about intuitive eating and moving my body rather than restriction and rules.

• Stay on top of my CEUs and career goals. I really want to become a Board Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. My 5 year cycle for CEUs ended in 2017 and although I successfully obtained all of the credits I needed, it was a little nerve wrecking because I procrastinated. I do not want this to happen for this 5 year cycle so I need to be proactive about things and keep up on my logs.

I mean… I’ve gotten quite a few CEUs this year. But I haven’t been very good about tracking them, and I still haven’t done much as far as my certification. This year I definitely want to get on top of this, because like I said almost a year ago, waiting until the last minute is super stressful!

• Read more. I want to read more for fun and also read more for my last goal. I am still a part of a book club and I do want to participate in it more. I am hoping this year that I will be more active in it. I also have some books that I want to read related to marathon training.

Nope. Didn’t do much reading this year. This is definitely something that I want to work on in 2019. I want to read some fun, relaxing stuff, as well as more informative.

• Write more. I find writing to be very therapeutic, and apparently I have some readers of this blog that really enjoy what I have to say. I hope that in 2018 I will write more in this blog and in my own personal journal. I have gotten a pretty good start so far!

I think I definitely wrote more in 2018 than I had in years passed, although I didn’t write a whole lot. Again, I hope this continues to improve in 2019.