Goals for the Year 2009!

Happy 2009 to everyone!!!! I hope you had a good holiday season and you are ready for the new year!!!!

I decided, this year, not to have any new year's resolutions. Oh sure, I still plan on continuing what I resolved to do last year such as eat healthy, smarter exercise, beating Steve at Falmouth, etc. But, this year, is a little different. For this year, I enter a new age group. I enter a new decade in life. I turn 50. And, by the end of the year, you will be sick of me saying, I turn 50. But, because I turn 50 (sick of it yet?), I don't want to resolve myself from doing anything. I want to celebrate life. So, my resolutions this year are goals of things I want to do as I wait for my AARP card to arrive in the mail.

Stay Healthy--The one good thing about an injury is that it makes you pause and think about how you are approaching how to run. Things I could get away with even five years ago aren't the same thing I can get away with now. I NEED to make sure I cross train. I NEED to make sure I stretch. I NEED to make sure I am counting the miles on my shoes. I NEED to make sure I am training properly. If I do this, and there are no oceans out there with jagged coral to step on, I can stay healthy. I still have a week before I can start running again (doctor's orders), so I only hope that 'staying healthy' doesn't turn into 'getting healthy.'

Two marathons--For someone who was ready to swear off marathons last fall, suddenly I'm ready to do a two in a year. I swear marathons are like child-birth for women. You say never again just after you are done and then suddenly you are planning the next one. I would like to do a spring marathon if able. But, I am not going to push to hard with this as I am more interested in doing an 'unusual' fall marathon with SteveRunner. Unusual? Steve and I agreed to look for a marathon in a part of the world that we wouldn't ordinarily visit. The latest edition of Runner's World had the marathons scheduled for 2009. So far, there is one in Newfoundland (or was it Nova Scotia?), Portland, and California that looked interesting. I need to settle on a few and then look at the price of travel. Stay tuned.

Take me out to the ballgame--This is not an original idea. In fact, I stole it from Tom Hanks when he turned 50. You see, Tom Hanks hired a bus and went from city to city, with his friends, to see different baseball parks throughout the country. I'm not rich enough to hire a bus. Nor, do I have that many friends that would be willing to travel with me for a day let alone a week. But, I found a week in June that would allow me to travel to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City to see a baseball game every night. And, possibly, running a race in Kansas City before returning home. I think its doable.
SteveRunner and I were going to do this but, Steve had to bow out. I was bummed thinking that I wasn't going to be able to do this. But, another friend of mine, who is also turning 50, said he was interested in making the trip. So, it might be back on afterall.

A triathlon?--Chief White put this thought in my head last year. There is a class that starts in April on training for a sprint triathlon in July. I grew up swimming so I don't have a fear of water. I do have a mountain bike. Yes, it's not a triathlon bike but, before I commit to a new bike, I want to see if I like doing, training, discussing about triathlons. I want to talk more with some of my Blue Dawg friends about what to expect from this.

Going to a bowl game--Every year I look forward to watching the bowl games for college football. I have no idea why other than I'm big on almost anything that is traditional. I think there are too many bowl games. And, then I watch most of them. With no rooting interest. I don't like the papajohn.com bowls or any other commercial named bowl games. I think it's short-sighted and stupid to name a bowl game after a corporation. However, I don't mind a commercial name in front of a traditional bowl game name. So, I will watch the AT&T Cotton Bowl. Having said all that, I've always wanted to go to a bowl game. Doesn't really matter which one, really. As long as it's warm. But, it's hard to pick up and leave during the holidays. I guess I just want to say, 'I've been there.'

Falmouth--I hope Steve and I get a chance to run the Falmouth Road Race together this year. I want to show that a 50 year old can still beat some smart aleck 'kid' like him. :-)

I expect this to be a different year for me than normal years. I might not get chances to do some of the Bucks County 5k Spring series, Broad Street, or Philadelphia Distance Run. But, I don't want this to be an ordinary year for me. As you can tell by the list, I will be poorer in the pocket but richer in spirit. My resolution for this year? Enjoy life as much as I can and be grateful for the things I have. It's as simple as that.

(Notes: I will be a guest on the Runner's Roundtable , a podcast show that is live on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 4 pm EST. If you miss it, you will be able to download it later. I haven't done this before but, I believe, you will be able to text in questions during the show. )