New Years Resolutions

I realize that I've dropped the ball on posting my resolutions (or posting at all for that matter) [Get it? Drop the ball?! That's a New Years reference! Me funny....], but better late than never, eh? Uncoincidentally, (apparently not a word according to my Mac) Stop Procrastinating is NOT on my list.  (For the record, neither is to stop writing 1/3 of my posts in parenthesis.)  Phew.  Without further ado, and in no order of importance here are a few of my resolutions and goals for the year 2010 ie:  The Year of the Jerbear.

Running and Fitness Goals

• Complete a marathon
• Break 1:50 in a HM (current PR 1:53:09)
• Run a new race distance
• Run under 23 minutes for a 5k (current PR 24:02)
• Break the 4 hour mark in a marathon (not even attempting on #1, don't worry)
• Run 1500 miles for the year
• Stay injury free
• Try a yoga studio
• Operation:  Alba Abs (aka do ab work consistently)
• Lift weights at least once in 2010 (sometimes I like to start small, sue me!)

Personal Goals

• Find a volunteer opportunity I'm passionate about
• Look into Masters of Library Science program at St. Kate's
• Read more educational books.   Reduce the fluff to smart book ratio
• Be more patient
• Practice "going with the flow" more often
• Surround myself with positive people and the people that bring out the best in me
• Become a better listener
• Play my guitar (this is the one resolution I failed to meet from last year, just need to get those callouses built back up!)

Prior to heading out of town to celebrate NYE, I hit up the ol' gym to get in a tough tempo run.  I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do a 6 mile run or a 7 mile run.  I finally settled on 6 but 5 at a tempo pace, perfection!  I walk until my heart rate goes down after runs on the treadmill, so it seems silly to waste 2 miles doing a warm up and cool down.

I did 6 miles in 50:56 for a pace of 8:30 and my tempo miles were right around 8:19.

1. 9:28
2. 8:15
3. 8:19
4. 8:19
5. 8:19
6. 8:13


It felt soooo good to get in one last hard workout before the new year, but before I had even gotten in the shower post-run my right booty/hip area started hurting.  (Luckily it was below zero alllllll weekend long and I didn't get a chance to run, so it was a-ok by the time Monday's run rolled around.)

After the run it was off for some NYE fun.  I definitely started off my year the right way.  I rang it in with an old great friend, as well as a bunch of new friends.  We had dinner, we had drinks, we had ridiculous dance moves, and we had waaaaaay too late of bed times.  I took soooo many photos, but 99% of them are horrendous.  I'm talking baaaaaaaad.  I blame the 99 degree basement we were in, along with horrible basement lighting, because there's no way I looked BAD on NYE, right?  Right.

The one salvageable photo of the evening.  And yes, his hand is larger than the whole upper half of my body.

Also, the boy can accessorize.  Gotta give extra bonus points there, no?  To be honest, I almost couldn't get this off of his wrist post-photo and may have almost started to cry because it's my favorite bracelet in the world.  Crisis averted, no worries.  (Ok, now I think it's slightly weird that my two NYE photos both feature hands....we'll go with it though, right?)

The rest of the weekend was spent re-watching the first and part of the second season of The Office, cranking up tunes, drinking, sleeping in late/napping to make up for the nights spent drinking, jump starting my car because of very very cold temps, missing my family's Xmas AGAIN b/c of said car issues, watching a ridiculous amount of movies, eating an entire bag of peanut butter M&Ms, reading, eating my favorite dessert, watching the Vikes win, and watching the Packers DOMINATE.  All in all, a great start to 2010.