Happy New Year to everyone! It’s always a bit of a shock to the system when the new year creeps up on you, and this year was no different. The beautiful epicurean and I had a wonderful time in Arizona over the holidays, and reluctantly hopped on a plane on New Years Eve day to return home. Alas, the epicurean caught my cold/flu, which made travel less than ideal, and we were quite happy to curl up on the couch and relax on New Years Eve. I honestly can’t remember the last time we went out and did anything overly entertaining for New Years, and instead have consistently opted for quiet nights in. This is not to say that we are necessarily opposed to such endeavors, but we both seem to lack the commitment to do any actual planning. I’m sure that if I applied as much energy to planning those activities as I did my runs, we’d no doubt have a raging social life, eh? 🙂 At any rate, I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years (if you were celebrating), and that your 2017 is off to a wonderful #chasing42 start!
We escaped the cold for a Christmas tour at Longwood Gardens.
Chasing42 Log: 20161231- 201701115
Run: My training has gotten off to a great start in the new year, despite not finishing up my actual training calendar for the first half of the year yet. The weather has been generally really nice (for January), so I’ve spent a good deal of time outside, have been able to explore some new routes and trails near campus, and have even made it to track workouts on Tuesday nights again. Speed work has never been something I enjoy a great deal, but it sure does feel good when I’m finished! At the last minute this past week, a friend was even able to offer me a bib for a local 50K race, so I had the chance to toe the line for the first time yesterday as well. The trails were fantastic, the race was well organized, and I decided to push myself a bit, which resulted in a 5:29 finish on a course with almost 4,000 feet of climbing. I’m pretty sure I could have finished faster if I had been a bit smarter during the first (of two) loops, but adrenaline and a lack of a clear goal clouded my mind and I went out a wee bit too fast 🙂 I know you’re shocked! So, in case anyone is counting, the #chasing42runstreak is up to 422 days.
Thought: Are you a resolution maker? Do you set goals for yourself in the new year, or do you scoff at the arbitrary nature of waiting until January 1 to make a change to your life that you no doubt have been thinking about for months of even years? This time of year always encourages new commitments to the gym, eating healthy, and a host of other activities that really just make good sense 12 months out of the year. However, an entire industry and emerged, centered around these resolutions, and the result is people hoarding their intentions for the moment the ball drops. People save up their intended changes for the magical moment where everything is possible, instead of opting to make changes throughout the year as they identify the need for them. More important, folks tend to craft lists of resolutions that are so long and extensive that the odds of actually achieving them decrease with each addition. In general, you are far better off sticking to one or two significant changes and working on deciding how you can best alter your daily routine to incorporate those changes. It’s hard enough to do something simple like deciding to wake up earlier or change your diet without trying to follow a brand new checklist of activities each day. So, whatever your resolutions or goals are for 2017, keep them simple, manageable, and measurable. Once you’ve worked that one new lifestyle activity into your regular routine, then you can move on to the next one. It’s all part of working smarter, not harder, as you continue #chasing42!
So what will your first change or goal be for the new year?