It’s the end of the year, so it’s time to set up goals for next year! And ooooh look! I made a video! Light a candle (or, if you're like me, set off the smoke alarm), grab your favorite drink, and let's set some smart goals and intentions for 2021! (Bonus surprise: PRINTABLES!)
How do I describe running 31 miles in the mountains? The fact that I’m struggling to describe it tells me one thing: it’s a lot to process. I’m remembering the race in snippets, like scenes from a dream: a long line of runners streaking across a field in blue pre-dawn light, the angry buzz of perturbed yellow jackets, gravel roads that continue for miles, swollen mountain streams, the arduous climb to the summit, the thrill of the technical downhill running, the smell of cookies and bananas and PB&J, and the final grueling miles in the late afternoon heat. Thirty-one miles is a montage of pain and stubbornness.
It’s mid-December, so we’re all excited to plan and set goals for next year! But before you set new goals (or if it’s your first time setting annual goals), it’s important to review this year so you understand what went well, what didn’t go well, what’s in your control, and determine steps forward to drive your annual goals. I can guide you through this process and I even have some free printables for this!
It had been a while though since my last backpacking trip, so when a friend asked if we wanted to go very socially distanced backpacking (we hike at slightly different paces and we’d have all our own separate gear) on the Appalachian Trail then I jumped at the opportunity! A little bit of planning later and we had a section hike mapped out: Sam’s Gap to Spivey Gap along the NC-TN border.
I heard one time that having a long bucket list meant you were a very optimistic person. Or, that you’re silly and delusional, I forget which. But the gist is that if you have a long bucket list, you are imagining a future full of life and experiences. And, while a 370 item (plus an extra 42 mountains to summit and 28 long trails to hike/run) bucket list is…more than a bit excessive…I like to think that this list is an aspirational guideline for when I need inspiration.
Just four days into the new year and I’ve already completed my first race of 2020 - nay, my first ULTRA of 2020! 50K #3 is officially in the books for me after the Salem Lake Frosty Fifty on January 4!
2019 goals recap and 2020 goals - these are things I want to accomplish in the coming year. I’m up 2 goals from last year - this year I set 44 goals - but I’m focusing more on just a couple areas of my life. Goals require deep work, but a major element of deep work is rest. So I need to make sure I build in periods of rest this year to avoid burnout and to ensure I stay creative and keep some plasticity in my mind. Additionally, I feel like I’m getting to the point where I’m happier with the things I’m doing and I just want to do more of those things, so I have fewer goals/resolutions where I want to change my existing behavior, and more goals/resolutions where I want to grow a behavior or habit that I already have.
(aka “the Mont Blanc Intro to Nature Running Fun Run” or something like that, lol) I’ve officially run a race in Europe! I’ve officially run a race in the Alps!!
McCrae and I had already planned a trip to France for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in June/July 2019 and we planned a side trip to Chamonix, not even realizing we would be there during the Marathons du Mont Blanc. Most of the races were sold out by the time we realized it, but the 10K - billed as the “intro to nature running” - still had spots available. So, eager for adventure, we signed up to race! Sure, a 10K seems a little silly now after running ultras, but I figured any chance to hit some trails and scout out the Mont Blanc area has to be a good decision. 😉Plus we were technically on holiday, so might as well take it kinda easy, right??
