A Happy Post for the New Year

Well, I already had to change some of the goals I listed that I wanted to accomplish before my 40th birthday. Some of them I may have to accomplish during my 40th year, and some I just decided weren’t all that advantageous, so I changed them just a bit. Here’s the new list, and some immediate ways in which I’ll attempt to accomplish these goals.

Exercise related:

1. Run a marathon. This is still a goal, even though I can’t run at all right now because of my sore foot. Slow and steady wins the race. This will be one that I have to complete during my 40th year. I am aiming for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in October.
2. Finish the Racine 70.3 on July 21.  I’d like to finish it in under 8 hours.
3. Swim a 500 in 7:30 minutes.
4. Take a yoga class. I suppose I could do this through the Ball, but I am not sure if I will have the time. This may wait until we move. Practice yoga each morning. I plan to get up at 4AM starting on January 6, so I can meditate, pray, do a wee bit of yoga, run one mile, and do my burpees.
5. Do a 30 burpees in 30 days challenge. I will start this on January 1. 6.
6. Ride a century ride on the bicycle. This doesn’t have to be official. If I ride from here to Gaston to Richmond and back, that’ll work.
7. Meditate for at least 15 minutes each day. I will start this on January 1. 6.

One of my goals in this section is to swim the Chicago race called Big Shoulders. I plan to do it, but it doesn’t happen until September, so it really won’t happen before my birthday.

Food related:

1. Eat paleo at least 80% of the time. Preferably eat paleo as much as possible.
2. Try foods that aren’t the usual things I eat.
3. Visit every Indiana brewery with my brother. Visit every Indiana State Park with my brother before I move in June.
4. Learn to cook one new thing each month.
5. Do not drink alcohol until my birthday. This will start on January 1 6. I moved the start dates to correspond with school starting back up. I find it’s easier to accomplish my goals if they don’t start over break.

Reading, writing, or art related:

1. Read the whole Bible. I’ve read the whole text, but I’ve never read it all the way through.
2. Reread the Harry Potter series. Read a book each week. Preferably a new book, but oldies but goodies are acceptable as well.
3. Finish the Sketchbook Project book I just received in the mail. Even if I don’t finish it in time to turn it in, in January, I still want to fill it.
4. Finish my master’s degree in creative writing. Get my project published somewhere.
5. Post a blog post three days one day a week. Write something every day.

Personal:

1. Get a new tattoo.
2. Lose 40 pounds. That’s 5 pound a month, or roughly one pound each week. Surely I can do that, right?
3. Find a job doing something I love.

In the immediate future, on January 6, I plan to get up at 4AM, do the sun salutation poses, run one mile, do 30 burpees, then pray and meditate. I will follow that with breakfast. I will swim on Monday and Wednesday after class. I will do longer runs on Tuesday and Thursday after school and on Saturday mornings. I will walk on my lunch hour with Abbie. Finally, I will bike on Fridays and Sundays. My goal is to continue this until it becomes habit, then move forward with other goals. These are things I would like to accomplish for me. For peace of mind. For grace.