New Year Resolutions

Its that time of year when everyone asks you if you have set any new year resolutions. I know a lot of people think New Year Resolutions are a crock but I think it is just an opportunity to do what we should all be doing all year anyway.... setting goals. And in answer to the question I have been asked so many times in the last 21 days YES I have new years resolutions AND I have goals for 2012.

For me resolutions and goals are different. I have many lists of goals - lifelong, investment, family, running, this years, 5 years etc. And for 2012 I have a hefty list of goals - very specific things that I would like to achieve. But when people ask me if I have a resloution it is not this list that I share. Actually to anyone but me that list is pretty boring (yes I want to grow a veggie garden, run in this race, cook more etc). Instead I share my resloution and for me a resolution is something about me that I want to work on or develop not something I want to achieve or do. Often my goals are directly related to my resolution and will directly help me achieve it but they are just a small part of a bigger picture. So what is my resolution for 2012?

To live an untroubled inner life and be completely at harmony with myself.

Pregnancy has bought about a lot of changes not just to me physically but mentally too. Maybe its a result of having a life inside you or having created life but I feel the most "connected" to me that I have ever been. I don't want this to be a temporary state that passes after the birth of our son. I want this to just be the start of my journey and for this reason my resolution is all about me and my relationship with me.

Anyhow as this is a running mummys blog I will also share with you some of my goals for 2012 that relate to running and being a mummy. First let me say that I have an ongoing list of running goals that I want to achieve over the next 5 - 10 years. They all involve significant PBs and hence why they are such long term goals. None of those goals have made it to the 2012 list. Firstly because I don't want to set myself any ridiculous expectations of what my body can achieve after pregnancy and almost a 12 month break from running. Secondly this year is all about returning to running and becoming a mother. I think both of those journeys will be a challenge on their own and simply achieving both is enough for me. The times and the PBs can wait till I've got a handle on this mum thing and have built back my endurance and strength. For 2012 I will be happy simply to run and compete in races and any good times will be a bonus.

So that said here are some of my running goals for 2012

1. Focus on quality not quantity of training. I want to become a running technician. I have started this journey by spending my pregnancy glued to running books and oh I can't wait to try out all these great tips and methods. (Book reviews coming soon!)

2. Keep an honest account of my journey (via my blog) to share with and inspire other mums. This is also to benefit me. By sharing all the ups and downs I will get to celebrate the good, reflect on and grow from the bad and as for the ugly, I guessing this blog will be as good as a therapy session!

3. Compete in more than 5 races (5km to 42.2km - I don't care I just want to be at the start (& hopefully finish!) line.

4. Give back to the running community (volunteering at an event maybe?)

5. Launch a Running program/support/forum/community to help new mums discover and achieve the mental and physical benefits of running.



As for my mummy goals, they are very simple:

1. Sleep when I can
2. Cuddle my baby often
3. Accept that house work can always wait... these are the days I will never get back so if my toilet gets cleaned today or next week the world will not end!

So thats some of my plan for 2012. I am looking forward to sharing my progress and reflecting back on this post in 12 months.