With my 2017 New Year’s Resolution completed, it was only logical to think about 2018. What’s next?
Rather than making you anxiously wait with bated breath for over two weeks (as if the holidays aren’t stressful enough), I’m going to go ahead and reveal my 2018 New Year’s Resolution now.
You’re welcome!
(Ok, fine, the early reveal is for me. Delayed gratification isn’t my forte.)
First, the goal vetting process:
Questions to Ask Yourself When Forming Your New Year’s Resolution:
- What do I want from this goal?
- How will this goal help me live a better life and is this a good way to achieve that end result?
- Who will I become by completing this goal? Does that excite me?
- Is this goal a good balance of challenging yet doable?
- How much time would it take per week to achieve this goal?
- Do I have enough wiggle room for setbacks and distractions, or will one bout of bronchitis or minor injury completely derail me?
- What’s the opportunity cost of this goal?
- Will I have to give up other things I enjoy in order to focus on completing it, and if so, is it worth it?
My 2018 New Year’s Resolution:
To run 500 miles in the coming year.
Let’s walk it through my vetting process.
What do I want from this goal? To get back into running, and to have greater consistency in my workouts.
How will this goal help me live a better life and is this a good way to achieve that end result? Running will get me outside more, boost my mood, and is a time-efficient way to work out without always taking time to drive over to the Equinox.
Who will I become by completing this goal? Does that excite me? I will become a stronger and more consistent runner, and get faster by running more consistently. That does excite me! I miss being a runner. I ran fewer than 50 miles this year, and while surviving Tabata was awesome, I miss feeling like I could walk out the door and run five miles.
Is this goal the “right” balance of challenging yet doable? Yes… it’s going to be a push to average 10 miles a week for an entire year, but I’ve averaged 20-30 miles a week during half marathon training seasons in my past, so it feels doable. It’s averaging those miles, so I can play around with working up to it, earning weeks off, etc. This idea initially came from Greg, who runs 1000 miles a year and wondered if I wanted to do it also. That wasn’t the right balance – it would have been too challenging for me to go from running barely at all in 2017 to averaging 20 miles per week for an entire year. There was no way. But being half the runner Greg is? Yeah, maybe I could swing that!
How much time would it take per week to achieve this goal? Probably I’ll end up running between 10 and 11-minute miles, so if I average 10:30s this goal will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes of running a week. So let’s guess about 2 hours a week. That seems doable, but not effortless. I feel good about this level of commitment.
Do I have enough wiggle room for setbacks and distractions, or will one bout of bronchitis or minor injury completely derail me? I got this. I should get up to 25 miles per week for at least 8 weeks during half marathon training for May, so that’ll buy me about 10 weeks off if I absolutely needed it. And after going through plantar fasciitis last Spring and taking several months off from my Equinox class goal, I know how valuable that wiggle room can be.
What’s the opportunity cost of this goal? Will I have to give up other things I enjoy in order to focus on completing it, and if so, is it worth it? Well, there will be some busy weeks when all I do is run for exercise if I prioritize this goal. It will undoubtedly mean fewer yoga classes and less time cycling or swimming some weeks because I’ve prioritized getting back into running consistently. But averaging 10 miles a week will still leave room for other activities, especially if I run heavily going into the spring for the Maine Coast Half Marathon. I could run 3 days a week and still have time for a yoga class, bike ride, or both. I could go to the gym and run 3 miles and then swim for 20 minutes. It’ll heavily influence my workout schedule, but doesn’t prevent me from incorporating other things I love into my week.
This New Year’s Resolution seems like a good fit for me.
As you think about your next goal, you might also want to ask yourself how it’ll impact your personal life. I already work out more than 2 hours a week, I’m just shifting the nature of my workouts. Will you need to create additional time in your schedule to accomplish your goal? How will it impact your family and work life? What can you do to create the additional time you need to meet your goal? (Leftovers are your friend.)
Also consider your fitness history. Will you enjoy the process? Are you giving yourself the motivation to make time for something you love, or trying to force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy? There are a lot of ways to be healthy and live an active life. Your New Year’s Resolution should ideally be something that makes you excited to get started.
What do you have planned for 2018?
Any questions I missed that you find helpful when vetting your goals?
Happy planning!