Personally, I’m not a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions – I’d say they are pretty cliché at this point, considering that most don’t survive past the end of January. Instead, I much better like the idea of setting goals for myself for the coming year.
With that being said, here are my health & fitness related goals for 2011:
- Lose the remaining 15-20 pounds. I originally set my goal weight at 194, which was pretty much just a wild-ass guess at the time. Now that I’m much closer to that weight (currently hovering right around 200), I’m pretty sure that the weight I’ll ultimately settle at will be closer to 180-185.
- Run 1000 miles. Yes, it’s just an arbitrary number, but at least it gives me something to shoot for. That’s averaging just under 20 miles per week, which I think is perfectly doable, especially once I get into marathon training mode again (see next bullet).
- Run my 2nd and 3rd marathons (the Mayor’s Marathon on June 18th, and the Moose’s Tooth Marathon on August 21). I’m sure I’ll run a number of shorter races as well, but those are my “big ones” for the year. There’s one other big running event that I’m planning on doing, but the details are still being worked out, so I don’t want to spill the beans on that one quite yet.
- Focus more on strength training. For much of 2010, my focus was on losing weight. Then I really fell in love with running, and my focus turned to that. I couldn’t be happier with the results I got in the past year, but one area that is definitely lacking for me is in strength training. Of course I’m still going to be doing plenty of running this year, but I’m also going to put more of a focus on strength training and building muscle. I have no intention of becoming a bulky bodybuilder, but it would be nice to get some muscle definition on my previously flabby body.
One other thing that I’m committing myself to doing is getting back to posting at least semi-regular weigh-ins. It’s been a long time since my last “official” weigh-in, and the lack of accountability has had me being more lax lately about my eating. I’ve written plenty about being “around” 200 pounds, and even having a brief flirtation with onederland, but the truth is, I’ve spent the last 3-4 months hovering between 199-205 pounds. As I mentioned in the first goal above, I’m aiming to ultimately get down to 180-185. I’m in no big rush to get there, as I realize that this is all part of a lifelong journey to be healthy and fit, but I do want to start making downward progress again. I don’t plan on going back to weekly weigh-ins, but I do want to get back to posting my weight at least semi-regularly so that I get that accountability back. I’ll probably shoot for every other week to start off with, and see how that goes.
As much as 2010 rocked, I already know that 2011 is going to be friggin’ awesome!!!
What are your goals for 2011?
Great list of goals — all very realistic. As far as 1,000 miles goes, I hope you’ll find that it’s what is behind those miles that will make that goal special. With two marathons planned, there’s no doubt you’ll hit that number by late October sometime. And as far as your weight goes, I’m the same way about posting more often. Making a commitment now to post about it regularly will have you (us) seeing results very quickly.
Great goals. I felt the same way about my weight. I never thought I could get much lower than 200. I am at 217 right now but I think I can get into the 180s. After I’m in the 190s I’m going to focus more on body fat rather than weight.
After showing how awesome you did last year, I have no doubt you’ll do just as awesome this year.
Excellent goals. I’m co-signing on your 1st and 4th goals, with no time limit set on those lbs. If my body fat % drops enough, then I’m not even worried about the lbs. I’m planning on my first full marathon in June and coincidentally enough, a big running event. But don’t tell anyone I said any of this or it will ruin my running goals post for next week. Shh.
Ok, your secret is safe with me 🙂
Hey Brandon, I think doing regular resistance training is a
great idea. Research shows that you can actually burn more fat by
doing RT then by doing cardio, especially the kind you probably do
to train for a marathon. And, you will get the strength increase
you want and probably decrease your marathon times! Good
luck!
I haven’t set any big running goals in some number of years. I think this is the year for a few myself.
I haven’t done my goals post yet, but my goals will include losing some more of this weight, some running events, and more. Thanks for sharing your goals – I think they are attainable and realistic but also AWESOME!
I love resolutions that are atypical. Kudos.
Funny, I just did my goals post yesterday–of course, I guess it’s not that funny, since it’s the beginning of the year.
Those are some great goals, too! 1,000 miles this year would be something to be super proud of.
Great goals, Brandon! I look forward to reading of your progress as 2011 happens. 🙂
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