Happy 2019! If you made any New Year’s resolutions, hopefully you haven’t broken them by the time you’ve read this column. If you did, no worries, tomorrow is another day.
I’ve been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions for the past few years. In the past they have been goals associated with running, weight loss, and home projects. My wife and I even set some life goals as resolutions. These have included moving to State College in 2013, expanding our family with our daughter in 2014, saving up for a new kitchen twice – once when our kitchen savings turned into a new heating and air conditioning unit when the gas boiler from the Reagan administration went kaput in 2015; luckily the second time was the charm in 2018. Our most difficult resolution: trying to go on a date night once a month. I think we achieved that one thanks to some awesome grandparents, but man, some of those months went by quickly this year.
Now I am not perfect in achieving all of the resolutions. For the past three years, I’ve wanted to run a sub-1:30 half marathon. I missed it by 20 seconds in 2017 and didn’t get close last year. This past year I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon by running a sub-3:05 marathon. Not even close on that one. Instead I went with quantity instead of quality by running four marathons and a 50-mile ultramarathon.
Some resolutions just took a little bit longer than I thought they would. In 2016, I wanted to run a sub-20:00 5k race. I missed that by 17 seconds. In 2017, I finally hit 19:51 at the Black Moshannon 5k. In 2016, I wanted to run a sub-6:00 mile. I missed it by two seconds. Since then I’ve done it three times. If you don’t make one of your New Year’s goals, try again next year.
When you make your resolutions, write them down somewhere and let others know about them. It might be scary to tell someone a major life change or goal, but most friends and family should be supportive of it. Some may even join you on the journey. When I told friends in 2014 that I wanted to run my first half marathon, a few friends joined me on training runs. Running with friends is so much better than going solo. The same thing happened in 2015 when I wanted to run my first marathon.
When you come up with a goal or resolution, don’t keep it too general. Here are a few suggestions.
Instead of this:
– I want to eat better.
– I want to run more.
– I want to save money.
Say this:
– I will cut out snacking after dinner.
– I will sign up and run my first 5k race.
– I will put an extra $100 a month into my savings.
I’ve found that if you keep your resolutions more specific, you’re more likely to avoid breaking those resolutions. This way you’ll have an easier time doing a self-check. If you want to cut out snacking after dinner, you can check before you go to bed every day.
If you have a long-term resolution like running your first 5k or marathon or losing a certain amount of weight, it’s one thing to say it but it’s another thing to actually follow through on it. If you have a resolution, think about what you’re going to have to do to meet that resolution. If you have a goal like those I mentioned, come up with three things you should do to help meet that big goal. For example, if your big goal is to complete a certain race like a 5k, half marathon, or marathon, I would suggest the following.
1) Find a training plan that would help you meet your goal. Websites like halhigdon.com have great information and training plans depending on your race and current level of fitness.
2) Go to Rapid Transit Sports. You can have the fanciest gear and technology but a bad pair of shoes could lead to all types of set backs and injuries.
3) Find a friend and sign up for the race together. Training is better with friends but having someone run your first race with you makes it more enjoyable and strengthens that relationship.
This year I had my students come up with their goals for the year. The No. 1 goal was to get good grades. We then talked about what they would have to do in order to meet that goal. Many said, “study more.” I told them that was too general. If you never opened a textbook before, opening a textbook and looking at the pictures would technically meet that goal. I told them instead of saying, “study more,” they should say, “I’ll read my chemistry textbook or try end-of-the-unit problems for 20 minutes every day.” After the last unit test, we might be revisiting those goals in January.
So what are my goals for this year? Hopefully I can re-qualify for the Boston Marathon by running the New Jersey Marathon at the end of April. Another goal is to NOT run four marathons and an ultra next year. More is not necessarily better. I have a few minor house projects I’d like to get accomplished. We’re also hoping to save up for a Disney vacation next year (shh, don’t tell our kids).
Hopefully my suggestions can help you come up with some New Year’s resolutions that will stick. Even with the prospects of a New Year upon us, you can make any life changes you want any day of the week, month, or year. I had two big weight loss periods after my son was born. The first one started in August. The other one started in April. Even more surprising, they both started on a Monday. You don’t have to wait for the calendar to make life changes. Just pick a day and do it. And if you fall off the wagon, tomorrow is another day to start again.
Upcoming Races:
Jan. 5, 9 a.m. – CJ’s Resolution Run – R.B. Winter State Park, 17215 Buffalo Road, Mifflinburg
I’ve never run this one but it seems like a thinking man’s (or woman’s) race. The course is a 1.6-mile loop with two options. Option 1 – RC Revolutions – run or walk as many laps as possible in 3 hours. Option 2 – Last Man Standing. This one takes a bit of strategy. The first lap has a 20-minute time limit. Every lap afterward drops the time limit by a minute. If you don’t make it back to the start/finish line within the time limit, you’re out. So do you go out fast to allow more recovery time or take it slower and not have as much time to wait around in the cold?
https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Mifflinburg/CJsResolutionChallenge
Nittany Valley Running Club’s Indoor Mile Series at the PSU Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
Jan. 12 – 10:45 am
Jan. 25 – 3:30 pm
Feb. 2 – 10:30 am
Held in conjunction with Penn State’s indoor track meets, NVRC members are allowed to “warm up” the track for the student athletes (at least that’s what I’m figuring). Any member of the NVRC is allowed to participate regardless of your speed (no high school or younger runners due to NCAA regulations). Members need to email Marty Klanchar at nvrcindoormile@gmail.com by 4 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meet in order to participate. Participants will be grouped together based on their projected mile time, which is nice, so an 8:00 miler isn’t getting passed by someone going full Roger Bannister. The final meet features the timed mile as well as a 3km race – 15 laps on the indoor track. Not a member of the NVRC? Join here https://www.nvrun.com/index.php/club/membership.
