Looking Forward to 2011

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Bienveni...2011, Adiósmildiez...!!!What should happen in 2011? Besides the obvious of world peace, what are some goals that I should try to accomplish in the next 365 days or so?

I gave you a glimpse in my “look back” about if I’m going to attempt those goals again or not.   So here they are for 2011 in no particular order:

Read 12 books with a variety of topics, genres, and styles. Suggestions welcome. I’m thinking I want to tackle a broader spectrum of literature.

Complete a Triathlon Square Lake Short Course, September 10. 0.5 Mile Swim 16.5 Mile Bike 5 Mile Run.  I got a really good deal on the entry fee, so why not!  This will help me get back into good shape while hopefully staying healthy.  I will throw in a few running races throughout the year.  I’m planning on leading a Ragnar team again too! So part of the monthly update will be how my training is progressing towards being in shape and tri specific training.

Finish this YouVersion devotional plan (Bible Study).  A short Bible reading and thoughts about it each day will hopefully provide a little more depth than just reading through the Bible a 3rd time.

Make a substantial change to one of my programs at work I’m not really sure what this will look like.  I’ve got a few ideas whirling around so I need to just actualize one of them and start working on it.

Blog Regularly Again this is up for debate on how to define regularly.  3 days a week seemed pretty reasonable for most of last year.  But I also want to focus on quality and not just quantity.  I want to keep Foto Friday going and I think part of this blog should be about my actual running and goings on.  Maybe I’ll try to write more about my runs and what is going on in my running/fitness life.

Learn how to use my digital camera and experiment with its features I’ve got a pretty nice camera and I’ve made it work, but I truly haven’t explored all of its features.  I enjoyed Project 365 because it made me take pictures and think about that each day, but using the cell phone didn’t capture the best quality pictures.  Again, quality over quantity.

Maybe that should be my mantra for 2011.  Quality over Quantity

I love how Emily setup her goals for 2011, though I’m not going to do it that way!  As her format she said, “In January, I will [goal], which I hope will [change this].”  I think it helps clarify why a goal is important or what you hope to get from that goal.

What are you thinking about for 2011?  Please do give your book suggestions.

Looking Back at 2010

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Last run of 2010Here is a look back at some of the goals I set for myself coming into 2010.  You never know what awaits you when the new year starts.  Who knew that I’d have a beautiful daughter? Or that I’d get Lyme’s disease?  Those would be the two biggest highlights of my year.  Putting together a Ragnar Relay team and finishing it was quite an accomplishment, especially given my injury.  I still haven’t eradicated Plantar Fasciitis, but it feels pretty good most days.

In 2010 I ran only 255 miles and completed one race – Ragnar.  However, I rode 1,300 miles on my bike, including commuting miles.  I swam 9,229 meters (approximately) which is 5.7 miles of swimming. I snow-shoed a few times, skied once, and aqua jogged to round out my cross training!

Run Around All Named Bodies of Water in Minneapolis

Being injured for a good chunk of the year and having a baby really messed up my running this year. I ran about 255 miles this year, not counting aqua jogging.   Shoot, I only ran 1 race. So, I didn’t come close.   I’m going to put this on the back burner for 2011 and maybe try again in 2012.

Read the Entire Bible in a Year

I finished up and read through all 66 books of the Bible.  I fell behind a lot, but this year’s plan allowed for at least 5 days each month to catch up. You can find the plan here.  Reading through this way means I saw new things, but you also go fairly fast through a lot. A lot of days I also was just reading to get it done, not really to study.  For 2011 I’m going to do a different study plan through YouVersion.com

Read a Book a Month

While some months I didn’t finish a new book, others I read several and made up for it.  I read a total of 13 books (if you count the Bible).  The last one I finished on my Kindle.  These books are in no particular order.

  1. In A Sunburned Country
  2. The Associate
  3. The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be
  4. On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
  5. The Perfect Mile
  6. Enjoying Prayer
  7. Born to Run
  8. A Walk in the Woods
  9. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
  10. Cause Wired
  11. The Bible
  12. Muslims, Christians, and Jesus
  13. Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World

I’m going to do this again for 2011.  I liked the pressure forcing me to find time to read.  I’m going to add a different dimension and try to read a greater variety/diversity of books.  Do you have titles that I should add to my list? I’m also going to try to balance reading books on my Kindle and “real” books.  I downloaded 20 free books to my Kindle and I have a ton of hardcopy books that I need to read.

Blog Regularly

I started out really well and then things fell apart this fall.  Oddly, this blog turned into almost just a picture blog. I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I’m surprised at how well I did on the 365 picture blog.  I know that I missed one day completely and a couple of days I took pictures but they were so bad I couldn’t post them.  Hopefully, next year will provide more opportunities.  I’m not sure what I’ll do in 2011.  I want to keep blogging, so I’ll figure something out.

How did you do on your 2010 goals? What do you have planned for 2011?