Goals for 2010

Happy New Year!

The birth of a new decade brings with it new goals and new challenges.

I try to keep things simple, so I usually have one goal a year and everything I do is in working towards that goal.

My goals for the last several years have been:

2006 - pass the CPA exam
2007 - Tyler was born, nurse for 1 year
2008 - Get back in shape for me, tackle a HIM
2009 - Ironman Florida

Don't get me wrong, there are always other, smaller goals that I may be working on at any given time, but there are only so many hours in a day, so those goals sometimes get squeezed as I work on my main goal for the year (for example, my photography has taken a major backseat to triathlon training) while trying to also be the best mommy, wife, friend, daughter, and worker bee that I can be.

So, what is in store for 2010?

I have a personal, non-triathlon specific goal that will be easy to quantify at the end of the year (e.g. did I do it or not!), and that is ...

To read the Bible from cover to cover. I found a great One Year Bible, which is broken into 365 daily readings (15 minutes or less a day!). This has been on my list for a while, so I am excited to have found a tool to help me achieve this goal.

I also want to spend more time on photography, but I know that until I make it a priority (like take classes, buy lenses), I will live in a state of mediocrity! I am going to make an effort to add more photos to my blogs this year to kill two birds with one stone and I will also look for a photography project each month to keep me focused.

Jan - Get organized!; Feb - Tyler's 3rd Bday Portraits; Mar - Spring Break; Apr - Bluebonnets; May -Mommy&Me (tripod fun); Jun - Father's Day - Daddy Photos; Jul - Andrew's 6th(!) Bday Portraits; Aug - Summer Fun; Sept - Road Trip; Oct - Halloween Portraits; Nov - A Day in Photos; Dec - Night Photography

The endurance training front is trickier for me for 2010. I do have specific goals but I don't have a big, fat hairy goal like I have had the last 2 years. It is almost harder because I am trying to fine tune my training (and results!) so rather than a singular goal, I have a theme I want to focus on in 2010. I am hopeful that if I write down my plan I will be more likely to hold myself accountable each month on the topics below.

Theme: Respect my body.

It has worked hard for me for 2 years and I need to return the favor by giving it what it needs. No more excuses that I don't have time. I need to train smarter not harder, and I am going to do that by:

1. Weekly stretching and foam rollering. Massages as necessary. Tackle minor injuries before they turn into big problems.

Quantifiable goal: 30 mins per week of stretching and/or foam rollering. That is less than 5 minutes per day! I can do that ...

2. Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. Every day, pre-race and race day. I did a good job with race day nutrition in 2009, but I could have done a lot more in terms of daily hydration (I live in a constant state of dehydration), recovery nutrition (directly after a long, hard workout or after a race), and of course, my daily diet (hello vegetables, nice to meet you, my name is Anne ...).

Quantifiable Goal: drink at least 64 ounces of water a day (more when needed) and begin using First Endurance Ultragen for recovery after all hard efforts and races. My diet? I need a goal I can achieve, so my goal is to learn to make 2 new healthy, well balanced meals that we can add to our repertoire.

3. Core / stability / strength training sessions 2x per week

Quantifiable Goal: I want abs. No more mommy belly. In January I will work with a personal trainer to develop a program that I can follow 1) at the gym (30-45 minutes) and 2) at home (15 minutes or less). I may not ever have a 6 pack, but I can be fit and strong!

4. Focus on swimming technique

Quantifiable Goal: Get videoed (again!) and work on weak areas. Do more intervals to work on speed. Utilize Tri swim coach DVD. To swim fast you have to swim fast!

5. Fun Goals to Chase

Quantifiable Goals:
-Do a Sprint just for fun and leave it all on the course
-PR HIM (time to beat: 5:52:58)
-Complete Cedar Point Iron Distance Triathlon -- if I can maintain my swim and run and better my bike, I should be able to break 13:00 and then some ...
-Complete an Ultra (may defer this goal depending on recovery of existing injuries)

To keep myself honest, I will check-in on these goals when I do my month in numbers blog posts. Here is to a productive year!