New Years Resolutions

2013 is going to be huge! We all think so, I've got to believe it, otherwise I might just end up in the huge rut I was in at the end of 2012. During a much needed holiday in Europe I had a lot of time on the plane to reflect on exactly why I ended up with only enough energy for 10 of the 12 months last year. Work was stressful with loosing a key employee in April with no replacement to date, 2 new dogs at home was an adjustment and getting caught in the spiral of making excuses not to go ride, get to gym or go for a run got the better of me. The end result is that I picked up much of the weight that I fought so hard to loose last year, my fitness is at a very low level and I was generally unhappy about life as a result. Time out does wonders sometimes. I had time to work out what my goals would be for 2013. These include running a 2:15 Oceans Half, loosing about 10 kg's before BC Bike race and of course being in the best shape I could possibly be for BC Bike race. I have broken everything down into weeks and more importantly I have also worked on general daily targets for myself. These include getting enough sleep, accomplishing my targets at work every day, eating correctly and being focussed on specific outcomes when training. The first week went well. With my work collegues still on leave I could ensure that I ease into my workload and I made sure that I was eating correctly and that I started with my 2 Oceans running programme. With 12 weeks until Oceans I fortunately have enough time to train properly. I am also having to juggle my running programme with cycling as well. I consider Mountain Biking as my true love and running as a neccecary evil to get me to cross train. Fortunately I have a few fun events lined up to ensure that I stay fit and focussed on the Mountain Biking. These events are the 24 Hours at Oak Valley (I'll do a race report next week on this one) and Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse in February. I'll scan the calandar to see what else is on offer in March. Doing at least 1 race a month helps to keep the intensity up and also provides a real goal to work to. I have a few things that I really need to work on as well. These are working on my skills and confidence on the technical stuff, as my BC partner is really on a much higher level than what I am. The two goes hand in hand and perhaps some additional protection to start off with may help my confidence a bit. I am also considering getting some one on one technical coaching to help with some of the bad habits that have crept in over the years. I'll let you know if I have found a good technical coach and whether this have worked for me or not. I am also contemplating the move to bigger wheels. I am a firm believer that bigger wheels alone would probably not make much difference, but nothing motivates like new toys. Now to get week 2 going. Hope you all have a good one out there. Keep safe and keep it real!