Holy crap, it’s winter. Like, 13 degrees out this morning winter. It’s also back to the daily grind after two completely glorious weeks of vacation, so I was up by 5:30 a.m. and out the door for an early and freezing cold 7 miles.
Luckily I was not the only crazy one out in Central Park, my hands didn’t freeze (thanks to Hot Hands) and I even remembered what subway stop to get off at when I went back to work yesterday.
The goals
I don’t think I did a post on my 2011 goals, but I’m feeling more organized this year (which I guess was one of my goals. Heh, achieved!). I have a lot of them, non of which I think are unattainable or too far-fetched.
Running
- Run a sub-3:50 marathon – this was my goal for NYCM 2011, but that didn’t happen. If all goes as planned, I’ll have two shots in 2012 and I’m confident I can do it!
- Set new 10K and half marathon PRs - I don’t really like 10Ks, but think it’s a good distance to try and work on my speed. NYRR always has a bunch of 10Ks throughout the year, so hopefully I’ll have a few opportunities to kick some butt. I’m also overdue for a half marathon PR, but have no idea when or where to run one – suggestions welcome!
- Set a new NYC Marathon course PR – my current course PR is from my first marathon in 2010. After last year’s experience, I would like to show NYCM who’s boss.
- Train smart – looking back at my last marathon training plan, I don’t think I took enough cut-back weeks or rest days. This probably played a big role in my IT band injury and overall feeling of yuck when race day rolled around.
- Keep up with swimming and Bikram – I’d like to do each of these once per week as cross training until I get deep within marathon training to help with strength and give my legs a break from running.
Grad School
(this is the library)
- Work my butt off and get A’s - This spring semester is the most important one of my career at NYU, I want to learn a lot and won’t accept anything less than an A in all three of my classes. Period. (I got two B+’s this fall semester, and can confirm I am much happier when I get A’s)
- Get to know my classmates more - We’ll be spending a lot of time together this semester, so it’s important to form good working relationships and maybe even new friendships.
- Take it slow - This is a work and school goal – sometimes I rush through projects and assignments to get them done and forget to go over my work and double check to make sure it’s high quality. Taking an extra 5-10 minutes to proof stuff will benefit me greatly, I think!
- Be more flexible - This semester is going to be BUSY, and I need to learn to deal with things not going exactly as I want or plan. This could mean more late nights, missing a.m. runs or working through lunch (HA. I do this every day). I just have to keep my eye on the prize and know it’s all worth it.
I also have some non-running/school-related goals that I wanted to jot down – I’m feeling very goal-oriented lately.
Cook more new things
I’ve been baking up a storm, but when it comes to cooking I’ve been in a little bit of a rut when it comes to trying new recipes. One new recipe a month sounds like a good start!
Step it up
Identify where I can step up my performance at work and be accountable for my responsibilities. My PR career isn’t my forever career, but it’s my right now career and I still want to put forth quality work and be proud of what I do while I’m there.
Date more
Fact: I’m busy, and finding time to date is pretty hard. Truth: It’s also a great excuse as to why I don’t date very often when people ask. So this year I need to sack up and just try.
Get renter’s insurance
I’m embarrassed to say I’ve lived in my own apartment for more than three years and I have no renter’s insurance. Must. Change.
Save more cash money
I’m going in to extreme savings mode and would like to deposit a certain amount into my savings account each month. I also need to cut out extraneous expenses – my New York Times weekend delivery (sadz), dinners out (more sadz), and cable (not sure if I can do this…)
Have fun
This seems kind of like a “duh” one, but when I get really busy, fun is the first thing to go. I would like to achieve more of a balance with work and play, and keep building on the great friendships I made in 2011.
Improve my posture
Because I’m becoming a slouchy hunchback.
One more…
If there’s one thing I want to do (or continue to do) in 2012, it’s actually none of these things above. It’s not really a tangible or measurable thing, but more just how I conduct myself every day. When it comes down to it, I just want to be someone I’m proud of.
That’s all 
Question: If you could pick one thing, what do you want to achieve in 2012?
