Looking Forward

I just reread my 2017 year in review and goals for 2018 posts and had to chuckle. As usual, this year didn't turn out nearly the way I had planned. As I said in my last post, I'm not going to go through goal by goal and decide if I succeeded or failed, or half-assed that particular thing. It's not even worth it. 

I was thinking about future 2019 goals during my run this morning. I don't think I'm going to set any that are too specific. Don't get me wrong - I have my list of 40 things (see post) that I'm hopefully going to accomplish. On top of that, I got my dumb ass involved in a pull up contest. Somehow, I'm going to do 40 pull ups, in a row, unbroken, by my 40th birthday. Or try, anyway. But I'm not going to say how many miles I'm going to run, or how many days I'm going to ride my bike to work... 

I will end up accomplishing my running miles goal for 2018. I have about 5 miles to go and 8 days to do them. That should not be a problem. Thing is, I didn't really like having that goal. By December, all I wanted was to take time off from running and let my body (and mind) relax. I wanted to ride my bike (even if it is on the trainer) and I wanted to go climbing. I didn't want the pressure of seeing that stupid number on Strava and thinking I may not make it, which in turn would piss me off.  I even went so far as to lower my goal by 50 miles, only to realize I was going to get the original total without trying too hard. 

My biking miles goal has been laughable this year. I quit looking at it, not to mention trying to accomplish it, months ago. I don't want that for next year. I have too many other things I want to do. That whole list, like I said. If I accomplish the things on that list, I will accomplish plenty of milestones without having to call them out individually. 

So. Few actual goals for next year. Just a list of experiences. I bet by next December, I'll be sick and tired of not having any goals.

2018...

I had an entertaining conversation with my favorite trail sister (and one of my best friends) the other morning while we were out running. We were talking about how much we are looking forward to 2019 and what a great year it's going to be when I mentioned that 2018 sucked. Wow, did I get called out on that one, and boy is she right. Lydia immediately asked how, exactly, 2018 had sucked... And I couldn't actually answer her. Thank goodness for friends that keep you honest and put things into prospective for you! 

I had big dreams and high hopes for 2018, and some of them materialized and others didn't. Nothing ACTUALLY sucked, though. 

I'm not going to go through my list of goals one by one and lament over whether or not I accomplished each one individually. There's no point, really. I will say this, though: I ran a lot, had some of the best races of my life, and also some of the worst. I guess you just don't get the good without the bad. I had a race experience I will never forget (another post for another day), and another I WOULD rather forget. I'm left, however, with a peace and a sense of belonging for my races next year that I never thought imaginable. I survived uninjured, for the most part. And feeling pretty good about my running. 

Oh. And I (well, my husband and I, didn't do this one by myself) got a new kitchen. As in, gutted what we had and started fresh. And it's the kitchen of my dreams. It's been finished for over a month now, and I'm still pinching myself every time I cook in it, wondering when in hell I have to leave and go back to my old shitty one. Okay. It was a royal pain in the ass while it was being installed. I've never actually gotten sick of eating out before. But man.... 

I’ve skied, I’ve camped,I've gone cool places and seen cool things, I’ve ridden my bike, I’ve run, I’ve climbed, I’ve laughed and I’ve cried. I’ve thrown parties, gone out with friends, and I’ve gotten to go hang out with my family.

At the end of it all, it was a year that truly did not suck. And I am SO grateful for the experiences I‘ve gotten to have and the people I’ve met... 

Here’s to 2019!

Cheers!🍻