Goodbye 2017, hello 2018!

2017 wasn’t a bad year. In so many ways it was a really great year! I experienced so many firsts as a new Mom and did achieve a lot of goals that I had set for myself. On the other hand, there were some goals that I fell short of and finishing out the year with a marathon DNF was not how I had it pictured in my head.

Life rarely turns out how we picture it right?

Instead of focusing on my shortfalls at the end of the year I wanted to find a way to move my focus to what is ahead. I took the last week or so of the year off to really spend time with my family. It was a wonderful time and I enjoyed being a bit more “unplugged.”

Now that 2018 is here it is time to jump back in! To regroup, set new goals, and start chasing after them!

I sat down and look at my goals for 2018. I wanted to make sure I had attainable goals but also goals that would challenge me. I don’t believe we can be our best in this life without challenging ourselves. I want to look at 2018 as the year of learning. The year I challenge myself to go beyond my normal comfort zone and branch out. The year I focus more on myself and finding a better balance between all that I want to achieve and my identity and love of being a Mom.

That being said, here are some goals I came up with for the new year.

 

For running:

Rewrite my Story

My sweet friend Meridith sent me this article written by Amanda Boone and it really resonated with me. In it she talks about how many people would tell her “I can’t wait for your comeback.” However; she didn’t want to look at it as a comeback.

“The hard truth is that we can’t recreate the past. We shouldn’t want to recreate the past. We can only move forward, and write our new story. So for those of you facing an injury, facing a setback in life – I challenge you to rewrite your story. To let go of the preconceived notions of where you “should” be, and to embrace the new paths that can open when you are able to let go of the script you’ve written for yourself. Because that story is always in pencil, never in pen.”

After I read that I knew that a goal for myself for 2018 was to rewrite my story. I didn’t want this year to look anything like last. I wanted to make it new, write a new story, and see what new things await me! If I continued to focus on making a “comeback” I’d still keep going back to the same mistakes I’ve made in the past and wouldn’t make the progress that I want.

So 2018 I will focus on rewriting my story.

 

Learn to enjoy each step of the process.

There is always one part of running that I love – running. No shocker there right? However; there is so many more pieces in the puzzle that I tend to either dread or begrudgingly do just because I feel like I have to. That’s really no way to live right?

There are always going to be parts that I don’t love as much as running, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy them and the process. There has to be joy in every part of the journey – even the harder parts.

 

Stop stressing over racing.

I love training but I found that when it came to race day I was adding too much unnecessary stress to myself. The pressure isn’t worth it and if I can’t enjoy racing then there isn’t really any reason for me to do it. So, my goal for 2018 is to focus on simply going out there and enjoying the race. It doesn’t mean I can’t compete or race, but it does mean that I have to find the joy in even the hardest moments – to keep smiling even when it hurts really really bad.

Racing is supposed to be fun and if it’s not then there really isn’t any reason to be doing it!

 

Make this the year of strength.

In the past 3 weeks since I’ve made strength training a priority I’ve already seen differences. It’s truly amazing and I for one can say that if you can stay consistent with it then it works! It’s easy to stay consistent for 3 weeks obviously but my goal is to stay consistent throughout 2018. When it comes to running and strength training a little can go a long way, but you still have to put in the work!

I will learn to enjoy the process, to challenge myself, and to really make this the year I stop neglecting the little things. FOR REAL.

 

Give the marathon another shot.

It’s no secret that my DNF is still a sore spot. I want that marathon PR bad and even though I was so close to it in 2017, I fell short. I don’t know the exact time this year I’m going to give it another shot – it certainly won’t be in the first 6 months but it will happen.

I don’t want to end 2018 without another shot at that PR.

 

In life:

Be present.

This isn’t really a goal that is going to challenge me from an athletic standpoint but I found myself lately feeling a little bit flustered. I’m always focusing on something I’ve got coming up, a job I need to get finished, or just wishing that I could be further ahead than where I’m at.

As a Mom I want to challenge myself to be more present with my family. There are days when I will need to turn my computer off and put my phone away. Days when I’ll need to make the decision to cuddle up with my husband on the couch after Easton goes to bed instead of trying to fit in a couple hours of work.

I need to find the time to be present in what is going on right now and not focus on what is ahead.

 

Find a new focus/passion.

Sometimes as Moms we begin to lose ourselves in it all. I’m blessed to be able to stay home and work while being with my sweet boy all the time, but at the same time it also causes me to make that my full focus 24/7. Instead of doing things that help me grow I find myself just struggling to get a few minutes in the day to myself.

In 2018, I really want to focus on finding a new passion. To find something new that can completely challenge the way I think and do things on a daily basis.

 

So there you have it. Most of the goals you could probably have guessed but it’s important to me to write them down so I have a way to track. I’ve already got some great things in the works for 2018 and am in the process of signing up for my first race! So here we go – it’s time to get working for 2018!