2011 Goals

January is almost over, you say? But, I'm still setting my 2011 goals!

As you know, I have a thing with lists. I've been working on my 2011 Resolutions / Goals for awhile now, and the list just seems to keep growing and growing! I really do think I can accomplish all of these things, but for some reason I'm hesitant about putting so many out there.

I was describing my dilemma to Kate, and she gave me some really good advice. She said, "Why don't you think about which goals you would be most disappointed about not meeting, and focus on those?"

Smart girl.

So, after some hemming and hawing, I've finally got them set. You ready for this?!

2011 Goals

Fitness:

• Keep to my physical therapy plan. - I know I want to keep running. And I can still remember how disappointed I was when I injured my knee at the end of my marathon. I need to get my body healthy and strong!
• Set a Half Marathon PR. - This will be hard, but I'm up for a challenge! Since we are planning our wedding for the fall, I'm afraid I won't have time to train for a marathon this year (don't quote me on that!) Instead, I'm going to focus a bit more on speed. My current half marathon PR is 1:55:27, which was set in 2009 (my first half!).
• Incorporate strength training. - Up until now, all of my race training has been running. I know strength training will be so beneficial, and I'm finally willing to give it a shot.

Health:

• Continue regular check-ups. - I'm finally up to date on all of my appointment, and I want to keep it that way. This includes going to the dentist, doctor, and optometrist.
• Floss 3+ times per week. - I know it should be every day, but I've got to start somewhere.

Professional:

• Find something that works for me at my job. - Sorry to be so generic about this one, I know it needs a bit of refining. I have been talking to my boss about finding projects that appeal to me more and use my skills. I'm going to keep this discussion open, and regularly assess how I'm feeling about my job.
• Increase blog readership by 15%. - I can't really consider blogging as a job, but I'd like to! It's something I really like to do and want to challenge myself with.

Financial:

• Set a general house budget. - I don't want to micromanage our finances right now, but I'd like a better idea of where our money is going. I also want to set up a better savings plan, for both wedding and non-wedding items.

Relationships:

• Plan our wedding. - And don't kill each other in the process.
• Have 2 date nights per month. - We usually spend our free evenings together anyway, but I like when we actually plan to go out and do something. It gives me something to look forward to (and dress up for!)
• Have people over at least 4 times. - I don't know why we don't do this already. I think I worry too much that our house is too small for a group of people. Or that I'll try to 'plan' too much and stress myself out. Either way, I'm gonna do it this year.
• Keep in touch with out-of-town friends. - I'll admit it, I'm a bad long distance friend. But I don't have to be. I've realized that it's hard to make friends as an adult, and I really miss some of the friendships I left behind in college. I want to make them part of my life again.

Personal:

• Volunteer. - I want to find an organization that I really believe in and give it some of my time. I also want to volunteer at more races, to give back to a community that has given me so much.
• Read 10 books. - Honestly, this might be the goal I'm scared of the most. I am a really slow reader. And although I enjoy reading, I don't find myself doing it very often. But I want to read. And I think there is time in my life for reading, I've just filled it with computer time. In addition to challenging myself to read 10 books this year, I am also challenging myself to read different kinds of books. I will aim to read at least 2 books from these 4 categories: classics, non-fiction, biography/memoir, outside recommendation (i.e. not something I picked out myself.)

So, there you have it! I'm pretty excited about my goals. I even created a Goals page, where I plan to keep track of them and the progress I'm making.

Any special goals/resolutions for you this year?