Bad Habits

Regarding my last item on my to do list. I have got to stop biting my fingernails, and the cuticles around them. I am 26 and three quarters years old, and a girl at that, and it is just not socially acceptable for me to bite. It drives Mike insane when I bite. I want very badly to have pretty nails.

So I'm announcing to the world right here, right now, that I'm going to stop, one finger at a time. As of right now, I will not bite or pick at my index or middle fingers. Maybe by starting ith small goals, I will be rewarded with more success.

But beyond starting small, how to do it? I'm really open to any suggestions that people have. Preferable ones that work. Right now I'm trying an incentive, which I know from years of ed psych is probably doomed to fail. But, regardless, if I go 2 weeks without one bite, I will treat myself to a manicure. And if that's what it takes to have pretty hands, I'll keep doing it.

The madness will stop!

2009?

Stealing from josh, I have a brief list of things I'd like to do in 2009. Not nearly as extensive as Jen's, I think I have a nice balance of things I know I can check off, and things that might be a challenge. In no particular order.

• read all 4 Twilight books - check!
  
• run a 5K, 10K, half marathon
• pay off debt
• start grad school - check!
  
• take GRE - check!
  
• visit Africa
• save $5000
• bake 2 new pies, and 2 new cakes
• make a meatloaf
• listen to meatloaf
• learn to appreciate red wine
• call my brother once a month
• email my grandma once a month
• do the 5C3 challenge
• memorize a book of the bible (1 John or Philippians)
  
• look into an IRA
• read Once a Runner
• read and discuss The Shack - Check!
  
• make a really nice tasting batch of wine
• wear glasses more
• Update - Go 2 weeks without biting my nails, then quit for good.
  

The Year in Review - 2008

Since everyone else is writing about their 2009 goals, I figured I may as well jump on the boat and write about mine. First, a recap of 2008 success and failure.

• Whine Less - Success. I really think I'm a happier, less anxious person than I was at this time last year.
  
• Stay aware of the world around me - Failure. I subscribe to lots of news feeds on Google Reader, but somehow, I can never seem to read the NPR or other world news. I'm hooked on Kottke.org, though.
  
• Run better - Success/ failure. I did find some really great runs last winter and spring. I sometimes truly enjoyed my ridiculously long runs. And I achieved a personal record in the Door County Half Marathon. But shin splints made me drop out of the marathon, and I haven't run any meaningful distance since.
  
• Be a better friend - Success/ failure. I've done fairly well at keeping in touch with my missionary friends. Writing letters is hard when it takes so long for them to be delivered. And I've grown closer in some of my friendships. Birthdays have been forgotten, however, and I've definitely lost contact with several good friends.
  
• Super Secret Fifth Goal - Success.
  

On My Way to a S.M.A.R.T. 2008

After having a difficult time judging the success or failure of y2007 goals, this year I thought I'd try something new, and make my new year's resolutions the same way many businesses make their employee goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, and Timely. All except the first one.

• Whine Less - Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing."
• Stay aware of the world around me, by reading one campaign and one international politics article per day, and one education book or journal per month.
• Run better, by finding new long runs, i.e. in Kettle Moraine South, and by achieving a 2:10:00 in the Lake Country Half marathon, and by training for and running the Madison marathon.
• Be a better friend, by writing letters to missionaries 2 times per month, sending birthday cards or emails to a list of 20 people, responding to emails within 2 days, and reviving 2 specific friendships.
• Super Secret Fifth Goal

New Years Resolutions - A Retrospective

It's the end of 2007, and it's raining out. Football hasn't started yet, and lunch is over. All of this means that I'm a little bored, and a lot contemplative. Time to examine the success and failure of my various 2007 goals.

• Spill less. Success. I can count on one hand the major, table clearing spills that I've taken part in this year. Whether this is due to less drinking, or simply a concious effort to hold onto my beverage, I'm not sure.
  
• Don't get burned. Middling success. The year started off looking just like any other year, but I've learned some lessons in my life, and I'm going out feeling pretty good about hot stoves.
  
• Stay healthy. Mind - Failure. I haven't read much at all this year. Rolling over to 2008. Body - Roaring success. Spirit - Success. I've had a fir amount of spiritual growth, and my stress level is at an all time low.
  
• Hug more, put foot in mouth less. Stalemate. This goal wasn't SMART enough, so I can't say much about it.

How'd you do in your 2007?

2008 Resolutions to come.

90 in November - And Freezing

I always have sort of low expectations of myself, it seems. I figured my mileage this month would be less, since I've been staying inside a bit more, or cutting a lot of my runs short due to unbearably cold weather. According to my training log, however, I ran the exact same mileage in November as in October. Good. I didn't let that awful weather get to me after all. But it's interesting to note that in October, it took me 14:31:13 to run 90 miles. In November, it was a whopping 16:25:00.

It's only getting colder, and I fear I'm only getting slower. I don't think I'm going to make it to 300.

This is my 100th Post

I was going to write something of substance, since I haven't written in awhile, but I thought I'd mark this blogging milestone with some meta blogging.

I happened upon a blog yesterday called Unphotographable. On it, the author details the photos he neglected to take, that would have been good.

I feel that way a lot, regarding my blog. As I go through my day, there's many things about which I would like to blog. Events that I feel merit announcement in the public forum. Products that deserve a review. Opinions that just need airing. But I don't write. I think about the things, and I read others' blogs.

Why? Perhaps I worry that what I have to say will be deemed repetitive (most of my best thinking happens while running), or banal. Or perhaps I get too caught up in what others have to say, that I forget that I have a forum of my own. Or perhaps I'm simply too lazy to exercise my write to free speech and practice the written word.

Whatever the case, now, in my 100th post, I am setting a Writing Goal for December: 15 posts. With some reasonable quality. I may need to create a sticker chart.

97 Miles in September, 90 in October... 100 in November?

I haven't been setting any running goals since August, when I completed my 300. I kind of think I cheated a little this summer, by using training plans that did most of the work for me and told me when I needed to run. Looking back on my logs (the greatest online tool at Runner's World.com), I'm seeing my numbers drop dramatically. I don't like this. I know I can do more. And I think it's because I have no goals, and I have no training plan, and I have no upcoming race. So it's back to a goal. I said in October that I'd like to do 300 by Christmas. This means 100 each month until then, and I've already fallen short of that for October. I'm going to adapt the goal to read "300 Miles by Martin Luther King Jr. Day." I think I can do it.

Giving Up Is For Quitters

On July 22, I decided to give up caffeine, cold turkey, only after a long road trip (for safety's sake, of course). Lots of reasons - I'm already a rather hyper and anxious person, and the juice only aggravated these symptoms. On top of that, it dehydrates, and I'm on an unending quest to stay well hydrated. Why drink all the water I do if I'm only gig to counter the effects? There's also the argument that caffeine is a drug, and I want to keep my body wholesome and free of mind altering impurities, but some might argue that one. Mainly, I wanted to prove that I didn't need the stuff. I could enjoy a coffee date and be creative, by ordering herbal tea or decaf drinks. I can drink water when everyone else is drinking soda. I didn't need to need it.

Well, I proved my point. Today I broke the caffeine embargo. I had a few extra minutes before work and decided to get a cup of coffee from the Willow Creek up the street, and after searching high and low for the decaf carafe, went with the Organic fair Trade Blend. It was fantastic, and definitely counteracted the effects of very little sleep the night before. I had energy all morning, and into the afternoon, and my mind had so many thoughts I could hardly contain them all. I had eaten a fairly substantial breakfast, so I avoided my typical coffee jitters, though I did need a few more bathroom breaks than my usual one per day. I also ran a bit longer than my usual mid week run, though whether to attribute that to the buzz or stress is still up in the air.

The verdict: Coffee may not be the devil's brew after all. I sure don't want to become dependent on it, or even make it any sort of habit. When I'm tired, I want to take a nap, or go to bed. I'll probably stick to decaf or half-caf most of the time. But once in awhile, when I'm in the right situation, I think caffeine can be a wonderful thing.

I Did It - The Taste Of Achievement

One year ago, I began jogging one mile a day, if that. It was hard. But I did it.

Two months ago, I made a bold proclamation to all the blogging world that I would train for and run a half marathon. It was hard. But last Sunday, I did it. I won't lie, there were a few times over the course of my training that I thought about giving up, or doubted that I would be ready to race this huge event. But the feeling I had crossing the starting line with a thousand other runners made me feel like I was part of something so huge, it was amazing. Crossing the finish line with five of my greatest friends screaming and cheering me on was pretty great, too.



Items of interest -

• My Pace: I decided to block out the race into 4/7/3 mile increments, building up my speed and music intensity at each milestone. This worked out well, because while those who raced ahead at the start began to lag behind, I was just getting a burst of energy.
  
• My Tunes: Of course, I coordinated my play list specifically to this game plan. This took awhile to select the exact songs I would like to listen to for 2.5 hours, give or take, but it was well worth it.
  
• The Course: Perfectly hilly, not nearly as bad as I had expected. I actually did most of my passing on hills, strangely enough.
• Gatorade: I never appreciated that stuff as much as I did last Sunday. When you're not quite sure when your next hydration point will be, you use that stop to its fullest. Some of the water stops were even fully stocked with energy gels, and oranges and stuff, which was crazy. I felt so taken care of!
  
• The Necessities: Next time, I will wait until the second bathroom stop. I added 4 minutes to my total time by waiting in line for the port a potty. But I had to go, and I didn't know when the next one would be. I was annoyed by the men standing in line, however. Come on, guys, you don't need a little box!

Overall, I had a great time with this event. I'm not quite sure where my training will take me now that it's over, or what my new goal will be. I do need a goal, though.

And in case anyone's interested, I placed 516 out of 642 entrants. Check it out.

A Brand New Goal

So the past few months I've set goals for a certain number of miles to be fun over a 30-31 day period. This is all well and good, but I'm ready for more.

Providing I don't injure myself, here's my goal for July and August: To run the Lake Country Half Marathon on September 2. That's right. I'm making it public, because that's how goals come to fruition. I have a training plan, and it looks doable on paper. In practice, it might be tricky, if only because of time management, and fitting in an hour or more of running 4 days a week. It may also be tricky getting myself to rest on those other 3 days, when I'm in the habit of going out for shorter runs every day.

I'm crazy excited about this. You know you're obsessed when you spend your run thinking about running, and I've been thinking about this half since I got the flyer on my car a month ago at the Bravado Challenge.

If anyone would like to do it with me, or train with me, I would love that.

60 Miles in June

Another one bites the dust... Running goal completed, sticker chart filled in, and I'm satisfied. I wasn't too sure I was going to make this month's goal, since I kept hurting my foot and needed to take quite a few days off to rest. But some hard work and dedication, and a couple of double runs at the end of the month, paid off, and I managed to finish off in style.

Some highlights and musings of the jogging month, for those who care about my new obsession:

• I've managed to plot out very nice routes ranging anywhere from 1/2 mile to 6 miles all over the city, near my house, my work, downtown, church, and friends' houses. This really helps to keep up variety.
  
• Running on vacation or while camping is a great addition to the trip. It's such a wonderful way to get out and see different scenery, and makes for a refreshing beginning to your day.
  
• It's also become my biggest stress relief. Pounding the pavement when I'm ticked off at the world does so much more than moping ever did.
  
• I've noticed that once you start running, you start to make a lot of friends who run, too. This is fun, but I feel like an outsider, not having run track or CC in high school or college. Am I a faker?
• Lastly, what do I do with my keys and ID? I switch between clipping my keys to my shoe (very annoying jingling sound) and carrying them, and I sometimes tuck my ID in my shorts, but I'm not satisfied with any of those options. Surely there's got to be a good solution out there to run in safety.

And as usual, I've rewarded myself with a treat from REI. Well, I bought myself a treat from REI, and decided that since I met my jogging goal, I could excuse the purchase by calling it a
reward. Meet my Arc Teryx Bora 75 pack. I need to stop shopping at that store...

50 Miles- Finished

I stated out May with a public goal to jog 40 miles by the end of the month. I realized early on that my pacing was going to lead me well beyond that, and set my personal goal to make it to 50. This made me pretty nervous, because 50's a really big number. Looking back at my very first jogging goal, my exact justification was "Eric can do 50, why can't I do 25?"

But I did it. Yea. and it's only the 26th of the month. So anything beyond is purely enrichment.

And in case you're wondering, here's the prize.

Goals for May

Fried foods were a success! I think I can safely say that I beat them, and that I will continue to abstain from them as a life choice. That's not to say that I won't occasionally eat a fried cheese curd here or there, or dip a Ruffle in some dip once or twice. But I just feel so much better without all the excess hot grease running through my veins, and I won't be eating deep fried anything as my main course anytime in the near future.

Next on the agenda, food wise, will be soda. I'm mostly there anyway, since I hardly drink the stuff, seeing as it's too expensive, but this will be the final kick in the pants. Hopefully it will help with my running. I thought about giving up pork for various reasons, but I'm not sure on the logistics of that, and didn't want to make it official, in case I fail.

Finally, I will be running 40 miles in May. I've prepared the sticker chart, and it's hanging on my wall. There may be a prize if I finish. Probably not, because the intrinsic reward is so great. Anyone in with me?

Update 5/3/07 I'm tempted to give in to a vague feeling of competition with the External Internal Monologue and change my goal to 50 Miles in May. But I've already set it, and 40 miles it will be. I'm satisfied with that.

Astonishing Assertation in April

It sounds crazy, but for the month of April, I have decided to eat no deep fried foods. This includes all mozzarella sticks, egg rolls, French fries, Popeye's Chicken, potato and tortilla chips. It also includes anything that I suspect might be fried, even if I'm not quite sure.

A friend is in on this with me, and so far he's had to spit a french fry into a napkin due to forgetfulness. I've resisted all temptation, and believe me - there have been plenty in the past week and a half.

I do so love a good challenge, though I'm hard pressed to create a sticker chart for this one.

Goal Setting Time

It's been a little over a month since the toe breaking night o' fun, and I've had enough of this wimping out on physical activity business. I'm ready to hit the streets and the trails again, and do some serious running and hiking!

I realize, however, that this will require just a little bit of training and care. I haven't run since my birthday, and my toe may or may not be quite up for the challenge. My plan is to start on the treadmill a little at a time, mostly at a fast walking pace, jogging for just a few minutes more each day. I'll practice some good hills to get ready for hiking, too.

I have two main goals in mind:
1. Enjoy a 2 mile morning run by the time of the Spring Retreat (April 20-22)
2. Complete a 30 mile plan for the month of May

And if I break any more bones, I'm running anyway.

First Post of 2007

The old has gone, the new has come. I like the idea of making New Year's Resolutions, and having a chance to start over and try something new. So often, though, people try something new, but everyone always seems to go right back to the old way. Or maybe you improve in one area, but fail in another. It's like that Seinfeld episode where Jerry discovers he always comes out even in everything he does.

So, with that in mind, here are the things I'd really like to do better with this year.

• Spill less. I did pretty well the first night of 2007, let's see if I can keep it up.
• Don't get burned. Yes, this was my failed resolution of 2006, but we're trying again. It may mean I'll need to stay away from hot stoves, or crappy guys, or both, but I'm hoping the benefits will be worth going against my instincts.
• Stay healthy. In mind (read more), body (eat right and exercise), and spirit (more Bible reading, less stress).
• [Update] Hug more, put foot in mouth less.
  

That is all. Feel free to list your own resolutions, and check back to see when I fail mine.