Guess what I'm doing?

I'm not telling!

It is that time when we wake up to renewed energy, big hairy audacious goals and then proceed to often flounder in a matter of a few short days. This year no resolutions, but I do have some goals - some pretty big ones, but for a change I'm not sharing.

WHAT? isn't telling people your goals, writing them down, having them be SMART (Google it if SMART goals are new to you!). Yes and no. I do have goals but this year only a few. Having too many goals, as many of us do at this time of year, does not lead to focus, and focus is key. I do write them down, but only for me. And I have no more than seven goals as I want to be able to remember them off the top of my head. They need to drive my behaviour, not be in a book somewhere where I find them as a reminder in November 2011 (I actually did that this year!).

No this year I have a few big outcome goals and a couple of critical process goals that will keep me on track. Come on we all know achieving our goals is simple - (eat less, exercise more and you will lose weight and improve your fitness level) but it is not EASY! Doing these key things is what leads to success, and you can't have 100 key things. 

BUT... I'm not sharing, well not yet anyway.  There is some very interesting research on telling people about your goals. What happens when you tell people about a great big goal? Well, you get support, pats on the back, lots of "you are amazing" and, well, those rewards are for just saying you will do something - not actually doing it, and many of us are never actually following through. This changes our social reality, and there is lots of good social science research in this area (almost a hundred years worth!).  For a simple but very well done piece on this see Derek Silver's TED talk on goals (short version here -well worth the 3 minutes!) 

So yes I do have goals and yes I will report back, but only after I've succeeded or failed.  So stay tuned! Happy new year, go set some big goals, a few that you really care about, commit and then shut up and get to work. And then let me know about your success!

Lurking

Anyone who has lost a substantial amount of weight, see (http://the45thyear.blogspot.com/2010/06/then-now-100-lbs-down.html) knows that the fat suit is never far away. That former self lurks just around the corner, usually sitting on the couch eating holiday baking or having "just one more drink." We all know or have seen someone get in shape for some event, a wedding, birthday or run or ride only to achieve the goal and then slip. Not unusual at all, unfortunately many of the things that allow some of us to lose the weight in the first place, like obsession (sometimes we call it discipline!) have both a positive and a destructive side. One good thing you do gain though is awareness and I am all of sudden all too aware of some very negative stuff creeping back in. The occasional treat has turned to regular holiday treats, a beer or wine to several, daily!! and the reasons to miss workouts seem so much more rationale than they did when I was pushing for the 100 lb loss and then to run a half marathon. I need to realize that the guy who gained 100 plus pounds in the first place is still with me and that's OK I like him, but I don't like the way his habits made me feel. So to slip up is human, to do nothing about it, well at least for me is unforgivable. No waiting, no elaborate planning, no start on Monday or the new year, next week..fill in your favorite! I know what to do... move and eat well and just enough, hydrate often: end of story. So good day lots of water, lots of greens, lots of vegetables and lean protein and a good 45 minute trail run. Feel better already, even the fat guy seems to like this feeling!

So we begin again! THE PLAN

Well its 21 days since I finished my last major goal, running my first half marathon. The last three weeks have been all about planned recovery, in the past I would have been freaking out about less than stellar eating habits and lower intensity workouts, but I knew I would need a break, more mentally than physically. The interesting difference this time is I can't wait to get back at it. I've been running and eating pretty well anyway but I miss the focus a goal brings and more importantly the way I feel when the eating and exercise are in balance and are a priority.
I've reworked an annual plan laying out three major events for the upcoming year. Something major in three of the four seasons; spring, summer, and fall and using winter to build the base, get strong and get flexible. The spring goal is the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 1st. It will be my first full marathon. In the summer (mid July) I'm going to ride a Granfondo in the BC's Okanogan region and tie that in with a family vacation and mountain biking with younger son. Fall is still a bit up in the air, as it stands I have two events, one being a duathalon in September the other being the Victoria marathon (likley the half, this time with a goal of less than 2hrs or maybe even with the older son!) in October. These will be the focus for what I'm doing but I still plan to play some tennis, get in the pool and maybe even do a sprint tri in there somewhere, but I will fit these in around the key events.
I'm honestly a bit terrified of the marathon (not the event itself, I have a lot of faith in my ability "to gut it out" once I'm out there) but more the training volume. I'm going to continue to use a run/walk method on the long runs and slowly build on the base I have from October's half.  In the short run I have a new weight loss goal, drop 15 lbs by the new year, to help with the pounding of marathon training. Stay tuned!

How NOT to train for a half marathon

So 2 weeks to my first half marathon. The training plan was well laid out but alas plans are guidelines are they not?? Last week no long run, decided to play a final fall tennis tournament, 2 weeks before foot injury no long runs, before that a summer ending sprint tri, all great stuff (except the injury) but not on focus for the event to cap off summer. Back at the long run today, 8 plus miles felt fine, one more long run next week back to 9 or 10 miles and I should be fine, but not ideal prep. Strange how I feel I need to make stuff more challenging, "hey anybody can do a half marathon if they do the work!" I still haven't really internalized and acted on the fact that it is ALL about the WORK! OK lesson learned and some pain to come in a couple of weeks but I will push hard and finish strong. Time will tell how successful I'll be!