It's that time of year again, time for
introspection and planning for the future. Sitting back reflecting
on the past year I realize 2012 was a mediocre year for me. In some
ways it was great, in others not so. I've had some eye opening
revelations from some unlikely sources. Looking forward this is one
of those BIG years. I turn the big four oh-no this year, ugh. Not
sure what it is about round numbers that triggers deep thinking, but
this has. Then again maybe it's just a combination of the time off
from work, the holidays, and some end of the year bumps in the road. I'm not making any New Years Resolutions
this year, I'm making New Years Goals.
Running
It should be no surprise my major goals
(that I'm writing about) of the year revolve around running. First, I have three lofty time
goals. I want to run sub 1:40 in a half-marathon, sub 4 hours in a
full marathon, and sub 6 hours in a 50K. I'm pretty confident on the
half-marathon, the others not so. The holidays have not been kind to
my waistline so I'll need to drop 20 or so pounds if I have any hope
of making these time goals. Second, I want to be consistent with high
mileage weeks. I want to run 2013 miles in 2013. That works out
to about 40 miles a week. Next, I want to get back to group running.
I want to get running with HTRex, Team RWB, and reconnect with the
Icehouse Runners. More than likely I'll run with Houston Fit again too.
I'd like to to get back into coaching again. Lastly, I'm going to
start volunteering more at races. I've always appreciated those that
come out for no reason other than to help runners achieve their
goals. Running and racing have given me so much, time to give back
to those who have given to me.
The current confirmed schedule looks
like this:
1/13/2013 - Houston Marathon
Volunteering
1/27/2013 - Brazos Bend Half/Full/50K
trail run (haven't decided on which distance)
2/2/2013 - Rocky Raccoon 100/50 Miler
Volunteering
2/9/2013 - Ghirardelli Chocolate Run
15K
2/23/2013 - ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run
10K (qualifier for Houston Marathon 2014)
3/2/2013 - Woodlands Half-Marathon
(sub 1:40 attempt #1)
4/13/2013 - Hog's Hunt 50K
There are several other races/ideas in
the works for the rest of the year. None of them are confirmed so
I'll leave them for later posts if/when they actually materialize.
If I can find a partner I'm going to give the
TransRockies run a shot
as a birthday present to myself.
Vacations
Every year I set a vacation budget,
which I have automatically deducted and deposited into its own
account. 2012 was a bad vacation year. Other than a spur of the
moment cruise and couple trips to visit people, I didn't have much of
any real vacations this past year. I spent less than a third of my
vacation budget. The good news is I carry forward. This year I'm
going to go on several vacations, one of which is “Bucket List
Vacation #2”. It's still in the planning stages, but it's
something I've wanted to do since I first saw the movie JAWS.
Hopefully it pans out. Also, I plan on using my Christmas week off
to go on an extended trip. I haven't decided where just yet.
Work
Work in general is going pretty good,
but it's time to get back to what I enjoy most and cut out the parts
I don't. So no more publications for me. I have 3 journal articles
still in review, but after those get published I'm done. What gets
me excited at work is solving hard problems and helping others solve
their interesting problems. If someone wants my work published they
can do the writing. This is actually one of the main reasons I'm not
heart broken that life’s twist and turns didn't allow me to finish
my Ph.D. Time to learn to say no to other people and say yes to
myself.
Personal Development
Back in the day I used to read a ton.
Generally a couple books a month. This past year I've probably read
six or so books. Only two of which stand out. I keep telling myself
it's because I read so many journal articles for work that I'm tired
of reading when I get home. I'm starting to not believe my own lies
anymore. I don't have concrete goal as to number of books to read
this year other than “more than last year”. To insure I follow
through I ordered a couple hundred dollars worth of books off Amazon.
Every year I pick something new to
learn, activity to explore, or hobby. Some of them stick, some of
them don't, but I regret none of them. This year I'm going to try
salsa dancing. As my improv friends note, I'm the whitest of white
guys when it comes to rhythm, so this is going to be quite a
challenge. I go salsa dancing with some friends from my condo
complex every so often. The problem is I don't go frequent enough
for their lessons to stick and to improve.
Speaking of improv, I'll be continuing with improv. I just need to figure out if it's with ComedySportz, Third Coast, or on my own with a group of friends. Maybe a combination of a few.
Social
I've decided to focus my social
energies on a core group of friends this year. I'm not cutting
others out, but I won't be making much effort to spend time with
them. I noticed (especially toward the end of 2012) that I have the
tendency to over commit on my social calendar. Couple that with
focusing 2012 on dating and trying to find that someone special;
there was little time for me and the things I wanted to accomplish.
I dated a LOT in 2012. It was actually
at the top of my goals for 2012. I'm pretty sure I averaged at least
a first date a week. A number of times I had 3 dates in a weekend.
Heck I had 3 dates on one Friday in December. I would love to write
that dating has been a mixed bag, but the reality is after all the
dates I have nothing to show for it other than a couple of second and
third dates, a string of “you're a great/nice guy but” texts, and
a ton of completely crazies. No relationships, few true friendships,
and whole lot of women who it's completely clear why they're single.
My goal is to not focus on dating at all this year. I'm sure I'll
date, but my main social goal is building deeper relationships with
those I am already friends with.
If 2013 is anything like the rest of my life I'm sure I'll get myself into some odd things. Here's to the unknown. I'll write about all the oddities that is my life for your entertainment along the way.
