So with only a few more days left to go in this year, I thought I'd revisit what my resolutions or goals or objectives or whatever the heck you want to call them were for the year, and how I did. Nothing better than a public shaming for motivation, eh? Here goes...
1. Run a marathon - OH YEAH, BABY! Bucket list item #1 has been struck from the list. Truly this was one of the most memorable and proudest moments of my life, and sometimes I still think back and think did I really do it? While the day was pretty fantastic, the journey to get there was even better. Sure, some days I really didn't want to run and there were other days when I really wanted that whisky or dessert but had to say no...but it was so worth it in the end. I never, ever dreamed in my life that I would have completed a marathon...so doing this has made me realize that I can dream and achieve goals that I never thought were possible. To commemorate the marathon, I bought myself a new Christmas ornament that I'm going to hang up every year as a reminder to keep dreaming and keep achieving.
2. Incorporate more weights into workouts - weeelllll...I will admit that for most of the year, I didn't do much weight work besides what we did at bootcamp. To be honest, it was really hard to fit it in with all the marathon training...but I think I did redeem myself a bit as I've been keeping up with the New Rules of Lifting for Women gig in the last month or so and love love loving it. With next year being the Year of Speed, I'll have more time to concentrate on lifting weights and getting leaner and stronger overall. Yes!
3. Maintain a consistent weight - yipppeeee...I done good on this one, Pa! My weight has stayed relatively consistent through the whole year, and I avoided the marathon weight gain that I packed on last year. What was the secret? You'd think it would be the fact that I ran or worked out for hours and hours...but it was all about what I put in my mouth that made the difference. I absolutely credit resolution #4 for keeping me on track.
4. Eat mindfully - you can't exercise away a bad diet, right? I really tried hard to think about what I was putting in my mouth and how it would affect my body and training...but at the same time didn't want to be too rigorous and regimented as to take all the fun out of eating...pretty important for a foodie! Food is supposed to nourish the body, but sometimes it's just as imporatnt to nourish your soul. This year I've been giving a lot of thought to mixing up our diet to incorporate more beans and grains and less meat, while still keeping our protein/fat/carb ratios in balance for when we're training hard. It's not easy, but I love the challenge...bring it on!
5. Start Meatless Monday - kicked ass on this one! With the exception of maybe one or two weeks, we did Meatless Monday every week without fail. I'm so glad I did this resolution because it forced me to be more creative in the kitchen rather than just dishing out a plate of pasta every week because that kinda defeats the purpose. I will admit though that vegetarian pizza has made the rotation quite often (hee hee!) but I've got a lot more meatless recipes in the cooking repertoire now.
6. Write in my gratitude journal daily - OK...so this is where the public shaming comes into play. Oy vey! Two years in a row that I have NOT done well on this goal. But to my defense...even though I didn't write in my journal daily, having this goal really did make me think much more and more often about how thankful and grateful I am for things in my life. Honestly...I am so grateful for what I'm blessed to have. I find myself wondering constantly...how did I get so lucky? And when I hear people complaining about their lives or when I catch myself doing it, I just think to myself that there are so many people on this earth that would love to have a tiny percentage of what we have. However, as far as actually journalling my gratitude...epic fail. Ooopsie.
7. Volunteer - errrh...once things are on the interweb, it's permanent right? Gah! I did nothing on this goal for 2011. I do, however, plan on fixing this for 2012 (ooooh, see the clever use of foreshadowing?!).
8. Keep up supplements - sigh...things started out so well but then we kinda skidded on this one. We were pretty sporadic with our supplements and would go great guns for a few months and then just peter out once we ran out and were too lazy to restock. Both Hubs and I are committing to doing better for 2012 though.
9. Read 15 books - just finished book #14, and have four days to read book #15...nothin' like leaving things to the last minute! I was doing pretty good for the first part of the year until the marathon training started, but after that bit of business was over I've been back on the book train. I love this resolution because I love to read, and over the past few years I've read some amazing books (the Book Thief by Markus Zusak - one of the best I've read ever...I still find myself thinking about this book).
10. Be more aware of finances - woot! Hubs and I have been talking a lot more about our finances and what the future holds for us...we're at that age where we need to start thinking about it more, and we've got a path carved out in our minds. Plus I've been asking more questions of our planner and doing a little side reading on my own to augment my knowledge. A solid "B" on this goal.
So? All in all, I'm pretty happy with how I did this year! Some things I can work on, but I love setting goals for myself. If I achieve them, great...and if I don't? It gives me something to work towards. And speaking of working towards something...next post will be my goals for 2012. Woohoo!
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