New Year, New Goals

I have long given up making resolutions to be a fitter, stronger, nicer, tidier, more organized, less selfish, non-sugar-addicted person. Every single time those resolutions fall flat on their face and by January 4^th I’m back on the Krispy Kreme high. So this year, instead I’m making public my goals and intentions for the year, hoping that this blog will motivate me into taking them further.

1.       Run a race with an 8:30min/mile pace, and run a sub 2hr half marathon. My fastest race time is currently an 8:54 min/mile for a 5m race, and my only half marathon time was 2:11. I have 5 attempts at the half marathon this year at least, so with a bit of luck and some sensible training, I firmly believe I can move my time downwards. Running faster is one of my motivations for getting outside when I really don’t feel like it; running faster will only happen if I actually train to do so.

2.       Lose my fear of inversions. Or rather, try to lose my fear of inversions. I’ve now been doing yoga for over 6 months, but everytime I’m in a class that attempts to send me upside down, I break out into the cold sweats. The thing is, I want to be confident. I literally want to go upside down, but I’m holding onto some fear. I won’t get over the fear unless I commit to keep working on that side of my practice.

3.       Cook more meals for myself. I really used to cook every single night when I lived in Edinburgh. Not every day was fun, but most days it was. In 2010, I probably cooked about 10 meals max. This has got to change. I subscribe to Bon Appetit for goodness sake! So this is the year that I’ll try to cook at least 4 meals a month. I know, I can hear some people laughing into their keyboards there, but I have to start somewhere.

4.       Visit a new place. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time travelling, and have been lucky enough to have visited 6 out of 7 continents. (Antarctica, I haven’t forgotten about you!). However, in recent years, I have been lazy in my travelling, and gone back to places that I know and trust, rather than go new places. This year, I commit to trying somewhere new. Weirdly, despite my having grown up in Europe, I’ve never been to Italy, so this year might be the year.

5.       Get a new job. This is a biggie. I actually even want to move into an entirely new field, which is even scarier, and I don’t know whether it will be possible.