My 2012 Running Goals

Another year has come and gone, and 2012 is quickly underway.

2011 was an amazing year for me. I can't believe all that I was able to accomplish running-wise. From running over 1,250 miles in the year to becoming a half fanatic to posting not one but three sub-2:15 half marathon times, let's just say I impressed myself.

I am not a fan of the 'New Year Resolution.' Resolutions always seem to easy to break as if it's an ideal to strive for. I really liked what one of my new Twitter follows called her list: a Bucket List for 2012.

But I won't steal her name. Rather, I'll go with goals.

I like using the term goals for a couple of reasons. First, a goal is something to shoot for, something which might appear daunting can be attainable. Secondly, viewing these as goals is enough motivation in and of itself to make me want to work hard to check it off my list.

So, without any further ado, here are my goals for 2012:

1 - Run 1,500 miles in 2012. Last year, I had what I thought would be a challenging goal of 750 miles. After surpassing that mark in July or early August, I finished with 1,257.48 miles. I figure with a little extra work, I can push that total to 1,500 miles.

2 - Run a full marathon. This was the only goal I had for 2011 that I did not achieve. The timing, I believe, was not right. After running three half marathons in 50 days, I'm now ready. That stretch was mentally challenging for me, and I know finishing the 26.2-mile trek will be a mental test for me. This should be crossed off the list on April 1 as I'm registered to run the Knoxville Marathon. I think it's appropriate this will happen in 2012 because I always said the world will end before I'd run a marathon. But of course, that might happen. The Mayans sure think so.

3 - Complete 5-6 half marathons. My ultimate goal is to complete 100 half marathons by my 50th birthday. I've already got five under my belt, so only 95 to go before Nov. 6, 2021. I know of three I want to run this year, and I'm registered for one in February. So, this ought to be a doable task.

My kids and I after we ran the Secret City
Half Marathon.

4 - Run a 5K with my son. After running the kids half marathon, my son got the running bug. He really enjoyed and even said to me, "Sometime, we need to run the half marathon relay together." How awesome would that be!!! But before we get to that point, we're going to train for a 5K and hope to run one together in May.

5 - Run 13.1 miles at least once each month. I really love the half marathon distance. It's my favorite. Long enough to be challenging, but short enough to wear I can recover quickly and participate in family functions, go to work or whatever. So, I'm going to run a half marathon (a race or just a training run) at least once a month.

6 - 'Tri' something new. I credit this to my many Twitter and DailyMile friends. Several of them are triathletes or training for their first triathlon. Eventually, I think I'd like to do a triathlon. Seems like fun. But I know I need to work on my swimming (not a strong swimmer at all) and might need to buy a bike. But in the meantime, I'd like to try something new. Spice up my exercise routine, which currently consists of running, running and more running. What will I add? Not sure yet. Time will tell though.

7 - More trail running. I really enjoyed my first trail run, and I'd like to run some more. Trouble is, like most things for me, is finding the time. Since I'm training for a marathon right now, might have to wait until the fall until I hit more trails.

8 - Add more states to where I've run. Currently, I've run in seven different states. Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Missouri and California are the only ones on the list. If things happen like they're currently planned to, I ought to be able to add at least three states to the list.

9 - Run a distance I've never run before. Technically, running the marathon will take care of this, but I'm not going to count that. Neither will I count the 10-mile race I'm already registered for. I signed up for these races before I came up with this goal, so I think that would be cheating. So, I'll be on the lookout for a 10K or a 5-miler or something else. Besides, this gives me a perfect excuse to run another race.

10 - Post a 50-mile week. Recently, I posted a 40-mile week for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Figure with a little extra work I can eventually hit 50 miles in a seven-day span.

11 - Record a 175-mile month. December was my best month ever with just over 125 miles. My thinking is that 150 miles is too easy of a jump. I want a challenge so I landed on the number 175. What can I say? I like to see how far I push myself.

12 - To enjoy the journey. While I'd love to post PR after PR after PR, I don't want to worry as much about my time. Instead, I want to enjoy the experience. I'll continually work to improve and better myself, try to shave second after second off my normal pace, but I don't want to get wrapped up in stressing over it. Let me enjoy my God-given ability to run and wonders He's created.

How about that? 12 goals for 2012.

Will I complete them all? I don't know. I'm sure going to try, but I'll enjoy the run the entire way.

What are striving for this year? What goals have you set for yourself?

Happy running!