A New Year, a New Resolution

New Year’s resolutions are just like New Year’s Eve plans—there is so much pressure to do something great and make it count.  As I get older, I am happier each year to sit on my couch and eat homemade appetizers and shrimp while watching movies with my family like I did when I was five (but instead of juice boxes I drink wine). 

Last year was the first year I decided to give up the generic “lose weight” or “be a better person” wishes and made a practical resolution that was fun and trackable and fulfilling, both physically and emotionally. 

And it was the first and only New Year’s resolution I have ever kept: running 500 miles in 2012.  I reached 500.10 miles on December 11, 2012 and it felt great.  It didn’t really hit me what a cool accomplishment it was until the weeks after, when people told me how impressed they were and two people even made it their resolution for this year (including my roommate).  I finished 2012 with 506.66 miles under my belt, or I should say laces.

I want to do the same again for this year.  However, it’s now January 16^th and I am struggling to come up with the next great resolution. I feel a little empty—and unmotivated—without my Run-500-miles goal and my notebook I logged all of my workouts and runs in.  I want to do something similar but different for 2013. I’d push it up to 550 or 600, but consider it might be a cop out because I can’t think of something better.  I’m also a little concerned that I have been sick for a chunk of 2013 and unable to run at all this year. By this time last year, I had run a good 25 miles already.  Now that I am feeling better, it’s become a motivation factor, and I keep putting it off until I figure out what my next resolution will be.  I’m also afraid of failure or quitting because I'm bored--you know, been there done that kind of thing.

In other news, as a result of my running, I am now at a weight I haven’t seen in more than a decade.  It’s an amazing feeling.  And I didn’t get it by counting every calorie or writing down every piece of food I put in my mouth in a journal—those were too restricting for me and always backfired.  Instead, I focused on my goal of running and working out hard to fulfill my resolution and losing the weight (and continuing to eat right and experiment with home-cooking) was a happy consequence.

Although I am not sure what my new goal will be, I know I need one in order to stay motivated.  My resolution, whatever it may be, will also include blogging more often. Knowing that someone might be reading this holds me accountable for my actions and reporting progress.  

In the meantime, let me know if you have any ideas about what my resolution should be!   Happy 2013 everyone!