Resolutions

I'm feeling a little groggy, with a mild headache after a non-wild and crazy evening. Staying up late will do that to me and I was in bed before midnight too. Guess I'm just getting older.

Many people set resolutions for the new year. Coach Dean wrote a blog post about NOT setting resolutions.  Why wait until January 1st to set about making a change? Just start the change. For me the first of the year is perfect to reset my thinking regarding food after the indulgent holiday season.  Amanda at Run to the Finish has started a challenge to keep a food journal for the month of January.  To start off the challenge I updated my profile and weight at Fat Secret, an online food journal.  Weighing myself was a shock. I knew I was heavier but had no idea 6 lbs crept on during the holidays.  I'm going to clean out the freezer and set up my pantry list with the app Out of Milk.  The question is do I keep or toss the chocolate chips. It's not that I won't allow myself sweets but if something like chocolate chips are around, I'll eat them.

While I won't set up specific resolutions, I do write a letter to myself as if it was the end of the year already.  I got the idea from Jess at Jess LC.  I need to find my letter to myself last year and see how I've done.  I've found that writing down desires and goals they come true.  For example, in December 2009 I made a 101 things in 1001 days.  Some of the things were long shots that I didn't think I would really work towards them yet they came to be.  I wrote down go to Maine for no particular reason because I thought it would be beautiful. I had no desire to truly plan a trip to Maine and make it happen making it a long shot. In April, after running the Boston marathon, John and I took a trip to Maine. Another example is I put in the list, "plant a lemon tree".  We have an orange tree on order to be delivered in March, after the threat of frost is past. Writing down desires is powerful.

I challenge you to write a letter to yourself, make a 101 things in 1001 days list, or a list of things to accomplish. This isn't meant to be a resolution list or something to beat yourself up list.  Maybe call it a wishlist instead. Just something to put down ideas in writing, even if they are long shots.

What goal setting do you do? Do you write letters to yourself?  Do you have a 101 things list?

1010 Miles In 2010 Update

Whew!  Halfway through the year already.  When I look at the next couple months and all the travel for work I have planned, it's already September. Where does time run to?

Back in January, Katye, AKA Long Legs on the Loose proposed a challenge.  Run 1010 miles in 2010 and win a gazillion dollars and be forever young and happy.  Wanting all those things I signed up.  Last year I really had to push it at the end to get 1000 miles.  I went for a run at 10pm at night to get in a couple miles that last week of December but I made it.  Back in early December 2009 when I put together my 101 things in 1001 days, I already had run 1000 miles in 2010 so signing up for 1010 miles was easy.

As of June 30th I'm 64% of the way to reaching that goal.  I've run 636 miles and only have 374 miles to go.  That works out to 14.38 miles a week for the rest of the year.  That is super doable.  I'm averaging 25-30 miles a week right now which means I could be hitting the 1010 the end of October.  Naturally unforeseen events could change that and I am doing a lot of travel through the summer which may limit the number of miles. But the good news is that I'm ahead of target and have 26 weeks to run and hit my goal.

Are you trying to hit a number of miles goal for the year?  Where are you at the halfway point?

Happy Running!

101 Things in 1001 days

I'm jumping on the band wagon and have put together a 101 things list to complete in 1001 days.  First I want to explain (ok, really I want to complain) this was a really tough exercise. It took me a month to finish the exercise and I was searching out other people’s 101 lists for inspiration. Putting achievable things was important and if there was something that would have been for 5 years out, it shouldn’t be on the list. Eventually I started putting things down that I knew were going to happen anyways, like moving to a new house or finishing a book I was reading. After all, those are accomplishments and why not have easy things to cross off the list?



The Mission:  Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:  Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?   Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: November 5, 2009
End Date: August 2, 2012

Not Done
In Progress
Completed

Running/Exercise
1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon (2/14/10 IMS Arizona Marathon)
2. Run the Boston Marathon 4/18/11
3. Run 1000 miles each year in 2009 (Nothing like waiting till the last minute.  Complete 12/28/09)
4. Run 1000 miles each year in 2010  (Met the goal in October of 2010)
5. Run 1000 miles each year in 2011 (Buckeye Outdoors went down and the data was lost. I'm sure I met the goal but don't know exact miles run)
6. Read 5 books on running (5/5) (Runners Blood, Tergat, Ryan Hall, Strides (haven't finished it though),snippets of other running books)
7. Post a review for each running book I read (Runners Blood)
8. Do 50 pushups straight
9. Go sky diving (completed May 2010)
10. Take a yoga class
11. Break 22 minutes in a 5K (Feb 2011)
12. Do a podcast review (12/09)

Travel and See the World or stuff in my Own BackYard
13. Go to Yellowstone
14. Go to the Grand Tetons
15. Go to Germany with my dad
16. Visit 3 National Parks I haven’t been to (4/2011 Acadia)
17. Go to Maine (4/2011)
18. Go somewhere with John each month (2/33) (I figure I've done this even if not vacation like)
19. Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (11/09) Day1, Day 2 Day 3
20. Go car camping each summer
21. See the northern lights
22. Go visit my friend Karen in Nashville, TN
23. Go to SLC and visit Somer (4/10)
24. Go to Magic Mountain (or another roller coaster park) with my brothers
25. Go visit my brother in Colorado (3/10)
26. Go to the 4 Corners
27. Go to Lake Powell (does packing and driving up to only have the truck radiator go out and cancel the trip count?)

Crafty Stuff
28. Finish the Spain scrapbook (12/09)
29. Finish the France scrapbook
30. Finish the Italy scrapbook (8/11)
31. Finish my parents scrapbook
32. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2009 (12/09)
33. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2010
34. Make and mail out 15 Christmas cards in 2011
35. Sit down and make 10 cards for everyday occasions (12/09)
36. Complete crocheted blanket
37. Scrapbook with Tracy from California (12/09)

Declutter
38. Exfoliate 25% of my stamps (3/10)
39. Exfoliate the Longaberger baskets (1/10)
40. Sell one of the rentals (4/10)
41. Go down to one bookshelf of books (haha, not going to happen and for what reason?)
42. Decide what to do with Gingerbread Christmas village (4/10 put it in the shed. Thank you John)
43. Keep my personal email down to 5 emails for a month
44. Get off unnecessary mailing lists for catalogs

Eating and Food
45. Find a local farmers market in Phoenix and shop as often as possible from it (one opened a mile from house.  SCORE!)
46. Try one new recipe a month (7/33)
47. Try a new restaurant each month. (Gyro House, Jacksonville Restaurant, Corbins, Bomberos, Central Grille, Sam's Gyro's, Rumor's Grill, Blue light special place in Flagstaff, Tuck Shop, disappointing Mexican restaurant, Darcy's Bistro and Pub(Denver) Thai place by track, TobyKeith) (13/33)
48. Raise herbs on the patio (complete but failed, 2010) (grew basil this year and getting a real garden going 1/11)
49. Bring cookies with a thank you note to a police, fire or post office (12/09)
50. Plant a lemon tree
51. Give up diet coke for a month (1/10)

Personal Development or just because
52. Put this list in a blog and update it (12/09)
53. Take a creative writing class (1/10)
54. Find Stacy Smith (4/2011)
55. Plan absolutely NOTHING but a massage one weekend
56. Buy a big, fluffy rug (12/10)
57. Complete getting CPA (uh, not sure if this is essential to me but it’s on the list.)
58. Figure out how to take bad tenants to court October 2010
59. Paint my nails with clear polish once a month
60. Put a temporary purple, blue or pink streak in my hair (2/10 Ragnar)
61. Leave a note telling someone how much I like their Christmas lights.(12/10)
62. Go 48 hours without computer/phone (11/09 in the Grand Canyon)
63. Apply to the National Park Service for a job
64. Have fresh flowers at home for 4 weeks
65. Brush the cats weekly for a month
66. Search out other brands of chai tea  (1/11)
67. Get a manicure
68. Set up the hard drive and back up computer (1/10)
69. Journal every day for 30 days (2/11)
70. Meet one of my blog friends (Christine at Wasatch ragnar 6/10)
71. Sell or do something with my old wedding ring (this turned out very poorly and it's best for it to sit and do nothing for now.
72. Mediate every day for a month
73. Change doctors (12/09)
74. Change dentists (2010.  Decided didn't need to change dentists)
75. Update resume
76. Write another 101 list at the end of the time period
77. Get an eye exam complete November 2010

Because We Should All Be A Little Nicer
78. Give flowers to someone (12/09)
79. Give 100 RAK’s (17/100)
80. Find another organization to donate to (12/09)
81. Donate $10 to charity for every goal not met
82. Give blood (1/3) - after my last blood donation in 5/10 I've decided I'm not going to do it anymore. I'll gladly do the cash charity donation for not accomplishing this one.
83. Send a random care package to a friend 12/10

House Stuff
84. Pack existing house (2/10)
85. Clean house (construction dust is everywhere) (2/10)
86. Oil doors in house (4/10 NA)
87. Move (2/10)
88. Unpack
89. Organize Scrapbook room (4/10)
90. Paint ceiling and beams (12/09)
91. Paint living room accent wall (12/09)
92. Fix broken drip line pipe (12/09)

Entertainment
93. Go to a drive in movie
94. Go to a movie with John (12/09)
95. Have a house warming party - birthday party for John doubles as house warming, right?
96. Finish an Echo in the Bone by Diana Galbadon (1/10)
97. Take each of my nieces and nephews individually to a movie
98. Go to the wildlife zoo in Phoenix
99. Take a photo everyday for 30 days
100. Spend an evening with girlfriends (4/10)
101. Take a photography class -signed up for one January 15th, 2011