Thursday, January 1, 2015

A Look Back and A Look Ahead: Happy 2015!

Happy 2015! It's a wonderful thing, isn't it? We get to start a new year. 

Hope you all had a fabulous New Years Eve. It was pretty tame in our house, just the way we like it. 

January 1 brings a fresh start. The perfect opportunity to go after our goals with a renewed sense of optimism and energy, and reflect on what's happened during the year we're leaving behind. Enjoy the moment and take a deep breath because there are many great things ahead!

While not completely void of a few low points, 2014 was a pretty good year as I accomplished a few things that I'm quite proud of. Among them: I finally caught my breath and learned to run at altitude, I expanded my workout routine to include snow shoeing and trail running, I ran my way to 5k and 4Mile PR's, I challenged myself and visited yet another new (for me) place with Bird Camp in Bend, OR, we bought a house (!), I learned (or more accurately, am learning) Photoshop, and I got through another year without any major injuries!

I have much to be thankful for - far too many things to list here - but I will take a quick moment to thank you for stopping by throughout the year, taking time to read my ramblings. The blog has had it's ups and downs since we moved to Colorado, but it's not going anywhere. 


Looking ahead, there are a lot of things on my list that I'd like to accomplish in 2015. Realistically, I know that some of them may not get crossed off over the next 364 days, but hopefully I'll take a lot of steps forward.

There are some bigger goals (on the fitness, personal, and professional fronts) that I'll be focusing on and thankfully I got my hands on a copy of the Believe journal to help me stay on track throughout the year. On the fitness front, my goal is to build strength, endurance, and speed.


For me, this includes mastering the 3 minute+ plank, racing a new distance (10Mile or 15k) and hitting some PR's (5k, 4Mile, and 10k). I have a lot of work cut out for me!

While there are a lot of things I want to do in the coming year - beyond these running related goals - there are also a few things I think we all should leave behind in 2014, like:

- Filling silence with our social media feeds
- Letting our fears dictate our actions (or inactions)
- Spending more time sitting than on our feet
- Making decisions based on what others think/say instead of how we feel & what we believe
- Focusing too much on the future and not the here and now

For me, one of the little fears I need to let go of is running in the cold and snow, so to kick the year off right we went for a cold (8 degrees!) run on the snow packed trail around Washington Park! It was really cold but neither of us fell (success!) and eventually our core temps warmed up and it was a beautiful morning and the perfect way to start of 2015!


Alright, time to get this year going. Next up for us, time to watch the Cotton Bowl - Go Spartans!!! How are you kicking off 2015? What are some of your goals for the year?

4 comments:

Lisa said...

I need to get over running in the cold too...I don't know when I became such a wimp. I'd like to master a pull-up and head stand this year, practice more yoga, and increase speed.


I'd also like to live with honesty, and live my life fearless as well. Learning as I get older that I spend too much time caring what others think, and it's a big waste of time. Happy new year to you and Woody!

Lisa said...

Great goals! I agree with trying to limit social media time... So hard but also good to sometimes be alone with our thoughts.

Lisa said...

Running in the cold is something I need to start doing, UGH! I'm not sure how to because it's just way to cold, but hey what can I say, it needs to be done right? AND That three minute plank is something I would love to master as well. XO.

Lisa said...

Happy New Year Lisa!! Good for you for getting out in the cold. It definitely takes some getting used to and I need a chance to mentally come around to it every year it seems. That being said I hate the treadmill so I try to get outside as much as possible.


All the best for 2015!