Go for the goals

Resolutions are good. Giving true focus to change is important. But New Year’s Resolutions are bad, destined to fail. It’s the arbitrariness of January 1 that causes the problem and makes it even harder to make the desired modifications.

Ready to lose weight? Stop or cut back drinking? Exercise more? Quit smoking? Take up smoking? Be nicer to people? All worthy and all possible. But only when you want. It’s highly unlikely that most people simultaneously experience the inner convictions to make those changes all on the same day.

So as the clock ticks past midnight and the morning breaks with a certain fuzziness, don’t rush into anything. Try the rec centre drop-in fee before signing up at the local gym on a monthly fee. Eat a little healthier but don’t feel despair if pizza makes an appearance. And go full bore at being nicer to people.

Seriously, though, changes come slowly and at different paces. Massive alterations in lifestyle don’t happen easily and setting January 1 as the random date is asking for disaster. Let the date come to you.

For years, I made those pledges – almost always around getting healthier and eating better, dropping a few pounds. Each year failure was just weeks away, as my heart and head were not in sync (or maybe they were, not wanting to do it).

My change date was around September 1 a few years back. That was when it was time: when the stars aligned, my heart was in it, no more excuses were made or however you want to phrase it. That was when I started to make the changes to get healthier. Slow and steady. Small goals set and achieved. New ones set. Some met, some not. So then reset.

That’s where I find myself as 2019 is nudging its way in. Setting goals. In fact, trying to set a race schedule that optimizes those goals.

Last year, I’d never run a marathon. So that was the goal. Signed up for the BMO Vancouver in the spring and full of enthusiasm believed that would be where a Boston qualifying time could be achieved. So then booked a holiday race to San Francisco and the marathon that would take me over the Golden Gate Bridge, with no pressure. And finally, the hometown Goodlife Victoria Marathon on Canadian Thanksgiving.

Of course, fate intervened. BMO was completed but the BQ was not. San Fran was an adventure and did secure BQ time. And Victoria saw improvement. Those were the tent pole races, with another nine ran to try and supplement them.

This year, the two big races are Boston in April and Chicago in October (also Canadian Thanksgiving). And there is a slight struggle to pick which races to run before and between.

First up, as always (I say always but for the third time) is the Hypothermic Half Marathon in Victoria, a good way to start season. But then… do I return to the St. Paddy Day 5k in Vancouver which is about a month ahead of Boston? Or should I do a 10k as a better tune-up? But the one known is only two races pre-Boston (well, maybe another 5k a couple of weeks before).

After Boston, well. There’s TC10k, which would be first post-marathon run (not race). Then there’s Oak Bay Half and the one half-marathon where I really want to set a PB and that’s ScotiaBank Half in Vancouver in June. And in September the Eastside 10K is on the agenda.

But what about July and August. Do I just train? Do I find a half? Or go to Edmonton for the full in August?

Decisions suck. Mostly cause I just like to run. But I know poor performances in Boston and Chicago will haunt. But I will likely end up doing close to 12 races again this year, keeping expectations real and planning for the two biggies (plus Scotia Half and Eastside 10K).

So that’s my resolution for 2019: working towards those goals, doing the best to achieve them.

P.S. And one more resolution: going to work to post at least once a week in 2019. Could be running, fashion or sports or fiction. But that is a resolution my head and heart agree on.