Goals for 2019 and How on earth is it 2019 already?

Hey All,

After feeling really good post-half marathon, I got back into running and then hit a major fatigued/slump for much of December. I still cannot quite figure out how or why it happened, but I think my body took revenge on the constant commitments, travel, etc, which made up July - early December. Thankfully, a two week break away from work, sun, family, and sleep seem to be doing the trick. I am back to running with a smile and I decided to try to new groups for 2019 and a bootcamp workout, which starts on Thursday. If you see me demanding ice packs and/or calling-in sick, this could be the reason!

Because life was insane, I am now posting the five most memorable events from 2018 and then I will post five new goals/continuing plans for 2019:

Five Most Memorable Parts of 2018:

1) Mackinac Island Half Marathon - 2:11:XX - this is my fastest half marathon to date and I loved every second of it. Will I repeat this race? Nope - but I am excited to have completed it. I cannot thank my coach, family, and friends, who supported me along this journey.

2) My Favorite Tool - I was the "leader" for this session at my professional conference and it was so popular that we are on the national program for 2019, which just happens to be in Chicago. This is one program you should plan on attending, because it is both humorous and full of information. I will be seeking Twitter volunteers by the end of January. Get in touch, if you are interested!

3) Getting Published - If you had asked me a year ago, I would tell you it would not have been feasible. Instead, 2018 was quite the year with multiple publications of all kinds. No, I am not going to tout my publications or add a link, because they have little to do with running. If  you want to see the full-text, let me know.

4) Research Training - I was fortunate to spend a week in West Chicago with 19 other people to learn the basics of how to conduct and write-up research projects. It was long, exhausting, but hands-down the best professional development activity of my life. Yeah, I would change a few things, but I loved it and now I hope to encourage others to participate or at least consider doing research.

5) Positive Outlook during Races - It started with a book,"Let Your Mind Run," by Deena Kastor. I got hooked on it and stayed up later than I should have pre-Kalamazoo Half Marathon in early May 2018. I started using those techniques in that race and, along with other podcasts, I am a happy to report I am a positive outlook runner. This took time and I know mental battles will reappear, but I am not reverting to negative outlook racing.  Spoiler Alert - I still need to finish the book! It is good and I just need to sit down and finish it.

Five Continuing Plans/Goals for 2019:

1) Stay Healthy!!! For much of 2012-July 2018, I battled allergies and serious illness. I will not recap it all here, but I am now more cautious. We get a good amount of sick leave and I will be taking it, because getting sick is overrated (for me and anyone around me!).

2) Transition Positive Outlook to "myself" for work! For a number of reasons, I am much better at being positive for everyone else, but I struggle with when it comes to how I am developing professionally and personally. In mid-November, I started working on leaving "the office/work" at the office. It helped more than thought possible. I still backslide and now I am working on making this a habit. It could mean getting to the office earlier and then leaving after the "normal" hours, which makes for an easier commute!

3) Continue doing Research and Publishing! I love research and I still have so much to learn. Also - it is tough and time consuming, which strangely makes me want to do more not less of it. I am looking forward to the challenge of finishing up current project, writing the articles, and submitting the paper for potential publication.

4) Try new things (running/not running)! In 2018, I experimented with trail races and found out that I really enjoy them. I do not plan to do just trail races, but I will throw in one or two just for fun. I want to definitely do more group strength training, speed workouts, and running this year. Miles fly, when you are happily chatting with fellow enthusiasts!

5) Travel more! Yes, I did a bunch of traveling in 2018, but it was mainly for work or a race. In 2019, I want to spend more time with family, friends, and exploring. This could include doing a race in Canada for fun, but it will mainly be racing in the continental U.S. as my time and budget allow.

Happy 2019 - I hope this new year brings each of us many fun, exciting, challenging, but overall lovely experiences!

And...I will work on blogging consistently with more pictures in 2019.