1000 in 2011

Since I posted some 2011 goals last January, I suppose I should revisit them now that it's January 1, 2012.

source

• Run a sub-2:20 half marathon.
• Done.
• April 3: ~2:18:55
• May 22: 2:15:32
• September 18: 2:12:01
• November 21: 2:06:49
• Check my work email from home LESS frequently.
• Done.  
• Hard at first, but became easier.  Now that I'm out of the habit, I prefer the work/home separation. Currently I only check my work email at night if I'm eagerly awaiting a response to an email I sent that day or if I need to confirm something like the time of an early morning meeting the next day.
• Knit more than I did in 2010.
• Eh.  Can't say that I did.  
• I thought about it a couple times but got a little overwhelmed by my half-started projects from over a year ago. I dropped a couple lbs over the year which means the sweaters I had started in 2009 or 2010 wouldn't fit now anyway even if I was able to pick up right where I left off.
• A friend works for Special Olympics of N.J. and knowing that I knit, she told me a couple weeks ago about their yearly scarf project for the winter games.  So I picked up yarn in the specified 2012 colors and got to work over winter break.

• Have Less Clutter.
• uhhh not so good at this one.  Please don't look at my kitchen table right now.
• I did a much better job of buying less clothing, and I did several "clean outs" over the course of the year to donate stuff (or list nicer stuff on Ebay) that I hadn't worn in over a year or stuff where I said "eh, maybe I'll wear this" and didn't.
• Slow down, be more "present."
• Meh. I don't know if there was ever a good way to judge progress on this. 
• Starting with my husband having a job interview in July or August, I was thinking about where we would end up, when he would actually defend his thesis, how long I'd be able to stay at my current job, whether or not I'd be here in NJ to run certain races next year, etc. (The answers are: California, early February, end of January, and no).

I will also continue to focus on getting a good night's sleep, drinking lots of water, and supplementing my running with things like riding my bike (when the weather allows), spinning class, boot camp class, core work, etc.

•  Mostly did a good job.
• I think I did great with drinking more water.  I bring a refillable bottle of water to work with me most days, and I kick myself when I forget it. 
• I need to refocus on the sleeping part. Or at least going to bed earlier, so I can be a morning workout person again.  Currently sleep wins over an early morning cold, dark run.
• I kept up with boot camp the whole year, except for in the summer when it wasn't offered, and therefore I did not belong to my gym.
• I was going to spinning regularly early in 2011 (wasn't at the gym this summer so I rode outside), then this fall I returned to spinning but the instructors were different and not as motivating so I lost interest early on.

Also, thanks to squeezing in a New Year's Eve run, I was able to hit 1000 miles run in the year 2011!  This arbitrary nice round number was not a goal of mine from the start, but I realized sometime this summer that with some work, it was a number within reach .

While Garmin Connect is the main website I use for looking back on my runs/workouts, (and is the program I used to keep track of my yearly mileage), Daily Mile has the social aspect and makes the numbers look prettier in graphic form.  However, note that I didn't start using Daily Mile consistently until mid-late January, so it's not accurate for January.

I guess it's time to think about 2012!
What was your biggest accomplishment in 2011?