Saturday, December 31, 2011

Good bye 2011, hello 2012

It doesn't seem like it has been that long since I wrote something similar. It has been a great year, full of challenges, surprises, and excitement. I do want to take a look at my goals from last year that I carried over to this year. In my New Year's Eve post from last year I wrote:

Learn to swim Carrying this over to next year.
Improve my 5k time to 28:00 Carrying this over to next year, too. My PR now is 29:16.
Continue to learn new things Success! I learn new things often and I want to continue that.
Read more books I only read two books this year that I can remember. I started a few others, but have yet to finish them. I think once my knitting and crocheting demands wane (no more shop models or class models) I will be able to read more.
Declutter the house Carrying this over. I've made some progress, but so far I've been keeping new clutter from forming, not really getting rid of what's there. Once the shop closes I'll be able to devote time and effort to this.

Do I have anything to add to this list for next year? Not really. I'd like to maintain a level of fitness. I don't have to be in training all the time. I can take it easy for a while and run or bike at a lower intensity. I do want and need to clean our home. With a move looming, it would be best to declutter now. Also, I want to have a clean house. I don't want to be embarrassed when people come over. I want to read more. I love to read and get lost in stories. I would like to get over my fear of water. I see myself as a perfect person and when I realize I have imperfections, I want to overcome them.

The biggest goal I have for next year is to get through the rest of this deployment without going crazy and work really hard at reconnecting after he comes home. The changes we've both undergone are huge and we need to work hard to get to know each other again. We had issues after his first deployment and I don't want to go through that again. I hope the Navy will give us a less demanding tour next so that we can reconnect.

Here's the update:

I DID learn to swim this year! In fact, I learned to swim in the open water and competed in (and finished) two triathlons. What an accomplishment! I put thirty-nine years of fear to rest and actually enjoyed being in the water. Thank you, Coach John!

I DID improve my 5k time! I finished the Navarre Sunset Stampede in May in 27:49.

I DID learn new things. I started work in November at Fleet Feet Sports Monterey, and I have been learning a lot of new things about running, running shoes, apparel, and the like.

I DID read more books. I think. I read What I Wish I Knew When I Was Twenty by Tina Seelig. I am partway through Hot, Flat, And Crowded by Thomas Friedman, and I am partway through Inside of a Dog (the author's name escapes me at the moment).

I DID declutter the house. Bill and I have a 10x10 storage unit filled with items to sell or donate. Deciding to downsize into a 300 SF RV forced us to rethink what "stuff" we absolutely need to keep and what we can get rid of. I am looking forward to seeing the stuff in that storage unit disappear this year.

New goals for the year? I haven't really given them much thought. I still want to lose 10 pounds or so. I want to do at least three half marathons. I want to continue to learn and stretch myself intellectually. I want to be able to swim an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5k = 0.932 mi) in the open water. I want to be able to do one (add 40k/24.8mi bike and 10k/6.2mi run). I'd like to be injury-free.

I am looking forward to 2012. I think it is going to be a good year!

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