Running goals for 2013

Happy New Year! I hope you had a fun and relaxing holiday. Did you manage to do any running in between all that eating and napping? I got a couple runs in but I’m looking forward to getting back into my regular routine.

Unlike years past, I actually made a serious effort to not erase months of hard work, even while I was lounging in Cuba over new years. I managed to get a little workout in each day we were there (even if it was just pool aerobics! And yes, that counts!)

Even though my holiday was jam-packed, I spent some of my free time thinking about my running goals for 2013. Finishing the half marathon in less than two hours in 2012 was a big accomplishment so I decided I need to come up with some new fitness goals for 2013. I’ve read that putting your goals in writing helps ensure you stick to them. Apparently writing down your goals and the strategy you’ll use to achieve them can be very motivating. It also makes your goals known so your friends and family can help support (or harass) you along the way, especially if you’re slacking.

All too often we come up with lofty goals for the year ahead, only to make up a dozen excuses to justify why they never actually happened. So, as I sit here with yet another festive drink in hand, I’ve decided I’ll share my goals here on this blog – ones I may actually keep!

Here’s my top three for 2013:

Run a marathon

OK, this is a biggie and honestly, if this is the only thing I accomplish in 2013, I’ll be pretty damn proud. This has been on my bucket list for years so this year, its happening. I don’t care if it takes me 5 hours and I have to crawl across that finish line. I’m doing it. In preparation for the full marathon, I’ll be doing the 30km Around the Bay race in March. From there, I’ll decide whether to sign up for the marathon in the Spring or the Fall.

Run 10km solidly under 50 minutes

I say solidly because my best time for 10km is 49:59. I just snuck in under that 50 minute mark by a mere second. This year, I want to be at least 49:30 or faster. To do this, I’m going to make a concerted effort to do speed work. This is something that’s really been lacking in my training lately and my pace has really plateaued in the last couple of months. Over the winter and early Spring, I’ll be working on getting faster so I can rock the Sporting Life 10km in May.

Dominate the O Course

You may remember from my post back in October that I totally wimped out on my first attempt at the military style obstacle course known as the O Course. At first, I was willing to hang my head in defeat and move on, but after I had time to reflect on the event, I started feeling really motivated to go back and finish the course, rather than bail 75% of the way in. I felt like a total lame-o that day. While it was a humbling experience, I need to go back and prove to myself that I can do it. I’m planning to do this in the Spring when the weather is a little nicer than the cold pouring rain we had during October’s event. If this goes well, I could also be convinced to do a Spartan Race or Warrior Dash. But first, the O Course and I have some unfinished business.

What are your goals for 2013?