The Love and Hate for the New Year

LOVE
I really love the New Year. Everything is shiny and new. A fresh start. New challenges to look forward too. A time you can plan adventures and resolutions. A time to shake of any disappointments or issues of the old year. A time to guesstimate how many new medals you will acquire by the end of the year....(fingers crossed for double digits).

This morning I took off to tackle one of my resolutions or goals for 2015 which is to run/walk/hike 2,015 miles this year.

7.4 miles done- 6.4 running and 1 mile walking. I decided on a familiar route to kick off the year.

Northeast trails for the win.

Uphill  about two miles, two miles of trails and then back down. This is a route that when I first started running in El Paso would kick my butt...repeatedly...every time. It didn't help that I was coming back from two months of no running/ barely moving and had moved to a higher elevation and it was an inferno outside. This route really stuck it to me. Repeated walk breaks, Feelings of frustration and glacial paces. Today it felt great. Now running two miles uphill is never gonna be easy but today it just was not as hard as it has been. My time on the trails was fun and ever so graceful.....(okay that last part was a lie but I didn't fall so +1 for me). And I ran a few miles in the low nines. Without even really trying.

Trail selfie- see it actually happened. Side note- it is freakin cold outside.

This run got me started on one of my other 2015 goals which is to be more positive and grateful for the progress in running I have made. Today I felt that progress. And to be thankful for the people I get to run and train with. It is because of them that I have made such great progress. Never undervalue the people who tolerate you, let alone the ones that seem to like being around you.

Other goals for 2015- PR in 5k, half and marathon. Get stronger- mentally and physically, Continue to try to eat as healthy as possible, hello fruits and vegetables (and in moderation chocolate and wine and cheese because I only live once). Read more books. Try new things or pick up old hobbies (knitting, playing the flute aka do other things besides run). Have a lot of freakin fun!

HATE
The thing I hate about the New Year is that people (including myself) have a tendency to treat it as magical and the one day out of 364 other days they can decide to make a change or set a goal. Yes there is some nice symmetry there but it is just a day. The New Year is not magical, nor is Monday, or the start of the month or any other designated time you think holds some sort of special power and will be a good jumping off point to start something new. A random Thursday in February works too. Don't set yourself up for failure by deeming this day as the only chance you will have to make positive changes. Don't limit the opportunities you have to make positive changes.

Also setting tons of resolutions and deciding a life overhaul happening all at once is the way to go is also setting yourself up for failure. Pick one thing and do it for a month. February add something else and do that for a month. It takes most of us about 30 days to make something a habit and we don't like change. Chip away at it. Little changes can add up over time to big results.

The other thing I don't love is if we don't stick to our resolutions we feel like failures. Be kind to yourself. Remember change is hard. Try, try again. I have found that showing up is half the battle. Show up for yourself every day. Give it your best effort. If it doesn't go as planned or you have an off day, let it go. That is the great thing of no magical days to start over or try again, there is less pressure...there is always just tomorrow.

Happy New Year everybody!! May 2015 be a great one!