I looked back on my Goals for 2021 posts on this blog when I sat down to write this. The first entry I read, I talked about training for the Little Rock Marathon. It felt like I had been slapped in the face. It seems impossible that less than 365 days ago I was planning to run that marathon… I had honestly almost forgotten it was even a possibility. I started last year so hopeful that it would be much different than the year before.
As you’ll read, I didn’t achieve most of the goals I set out for in 2021, but the ones that I did achieve I am extremely proud of. Reading over my goals again has me inspired for the next year. Things are going to be a lot different in my life and I am actually really looking forward to it.
My goals for 2021 were as follows:
Run at least one marathon distance. Check! Another goal was: Run the Detroit Marathon. Yup! I signed up for the marathon on New Year’s Eve last year. At that time it was still uncertain how the marathon would pan out. I wrote in my blog: “I will have high hopes that on October 17, 2021 I will be standing with my fellow runners on Fort Street in downtown Detroit waiting to start my 26.2 mile journey at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.” I am so happy to say that it really happened and I achieved both of these goals.
Do an at home version of the Dopey Challenge. Nope. The Little Rock Marathon was postponed sometime in January out to November, and then I dealt with some extreme mental health issues. I decided to take it easy on the really crazy goals, like this one, but this is definitely something that I still have on my radar. It probably won’t happen for quite a few years, though… more on that to come later when I talk about my goals for 2022.
Do an at home 50k. Another nope, for basically the same reasons as not doing the Dopey Challenge. It was just too much training for me this year, and this one will also likely have to wait a few more years.
Run & walk a total of 2021km. I came close to this goal. The mental health troubles I dealt with in February followed by my mom’s death in April caused a pretty huge slump in my running and walking.
Walk 365 miles (average 1 mile per day). I was SUPER close to getting this goal… I slowed down on my walking and running after the marathon, though, and then towards the end of the year had to take a complete break because of an injury. I am very proud of the fact that I came within 10 miles of this goal, though!
Cook my way through at least one cookbook. Ugh! This was something I really wanted to do this past year and I didn’t. I’m putting this one on the goals for 2022.
Monthly challenges for me & my followers. I did this for the first couple months of the year but again – life happened. Life really friggen happened. This is something along with the next goal that I really hope to bring back in 2022.
More nutrition content on the blog. Like the last goal, I did pretty good with this in the beginning of the year. Another one I want to add to my goals for 2022.
So that’s a very brief recap of how I did on my goals for 2021. Here’s the goals I have for myself in the upcoming year! And let’s make them “SMART” goals, shall we?! (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound)
RD on the Run’s Goals for 2022
Exercise at least 150 minutes per week – include running, walking, yoga, strength training, etc. This works out to 30 minutes 5 days per week – there’s the “specific” and “measurable” part. This is a low goal compared to my goals in the past, and the “A” in “SMART” is the reason for that. I have some changes coming in the next year that will cut back on the time I have for exercise, so this goal is “achievable”. It’s “relevant” because exercise is very important to me to maintain both my physical and mental health. And it is “time-bound” – I want to do this for the entire year of 2022.
Write at least one monthly blog on different health & nutrition related topics, such as hydration, mindful eating, sports nutrition, mental health, etc. Specific and measurable are covered, and I definitely think one blog per month is achievable. This is relevant to me because writing is something that I really enjoy and will be helpful towards other goals that I have. Again, this is for the entire year of 2022.
Cook at least one recipe from a cookbook per month and share it on my social media. Specific. Measurable. Much more achievable than trying to cook my way through an entire cookbook. Relevant because it is something I’ve wanted to do for a few years and it also allows more flexibility in choosing from different cookbooks rather than just trying to stick to one. It will also help me with other goals I have for this year.
Pass statistics and apply for my master’s degree. AH HA. Here’s the big one! This is the big goal that absolutely effects all of my other goals. I know that taking classes again is going to take up a lot of my time, so my running and health goals need to be gradual and attainable. If I find that they are too easy for me, then I can always re-evaluate. I start my statistics class in early January and will be able to apply for my master’s program once I am able to get my transcripts, including the one for that stats class. My goal is to apply before the deadline to be able to start master’s classes in September 2022.
Lose the grief weight I have gained this year since my mom died. So this goal is not so much about getting to a specific number. In fact, although “measurable” is a part of the SMART goals, I actually have a goal to not measure my weight except for at my doctor’s office. It isn’t as important to me to get back down to the weight I was at the beginning of 2021 (which was a weight I had maintained for several years) as it is to have healthier habits and a better relationship with food. Since my mom died I have gotten lazy about eating. I eat fast food and get carry out way more often that I would like to. My other goals above (monthly recipes, writing monthly blogs, 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week) will absolutely support this one.
Ultimately these types of blogs are mostly for me to look back on and see my progress. These are more like diary entries than blogs. If they inspire you to set some goals for yourself, or if you just want to cheer me on, that’s great, too!
I’ll be posting a 2021 running year in review later this week as well as just a general year in review post. I look forward to my friends and followers joining me as I take a quick look back and then a big leap forward into 2022.
RD on the Run 