If this sounds like a very late new year resolutions post, that's because it is. I never quite finished expounding on my goals for the year, but I wrote 10 things down, so I figure it's worth posting. Plus, I'm going to have lots of cause to post more in the coming months, as I (plan to) chronicle my upcoming foot surgeries, so I may as well resurrect the blog now. I started out last year's resolutions post saying, "This past year was one of the most challenging years of my life." But 2016 has proven to be a hearty rival. The year was heavily mixed with positive and negative events, emotions all over the place. The good: I ran again, I swam, I came back to yoga, I wrote a lot (just not here), I blossomed at work, I loved my family hard. The bad: I injured myself again and couldn't run, I gave up on biking (but later picked it back up), I floundered trying to find purpose, I distanced myself from friends, and I nearly drowned in my anxiety. But I tried,

I think I know why I've struggled to fully latch on to swimming and cycling. Part of it is just starting out new. But I can't really play the newbie card anymore, particularly with swimming. What I'm missing, I think, is the thrill of competition (except for the occasional instances when, unbeknownst to the swimmer in the lane next to me, I engage in a full-out race with him or her to the wall and back). With running, the sport became more exciting to me when I started entering distance races. I began where most everyone does—with a 5k—but then decided that wasn't enough, so I trained for a 15k and soon thereafter a half marathon, etc. Those events propelled my love for running forward. I was never racing for prestige or placement but rather to challenge myself; to push myself further than I knew I ever would if I—me, myself—had been the only motivating source. I needed the accountability and structure that came with race training. And now, without the race factor, I

This past year was one of the most challenging years of my life. It started out with a loose foundation: fresh out of a long-term relationship, living in a new space, still new at my job. I had some early successes with running, but that changed abruptly when I developed pain in my left foot that would keep me from running for the rest of the year. Running was therapy for me. It provided me with a physical outlet, a meditative space, a constant cycle of challenge and reward. It gave me confidence and kept me healthy—except when it didn't. So without a lot of stability to begin with, my world as I knew it was shaken, and I had little to fall on. And rather than reach out to loved ones, I wanted to fall apart. I was lucky to have some close friends and family members help pick me up. I was able to end the year on a good note, spending lots of time with family, dedicating myself more to swimming, and appreciating whatever abilities I had in a given day, even when it wasn't running

I promised a post on 2015 goals. Before I do that, I want to look back on 2014's list of goals  to see how they panned out (I'm scared!): 2014's Goals in Review Work on relieving anxiety . This one gets a "halfway met," because while I feel I tried to work on it, I didn't get very far and still was overcome with crippling anxiety at times. By the very end of the year, though, I felt my best. Do speed work . Not met. Not close. Visit a new place . Sadly, no. I traveled, but to the same places I've been. Do more yoga . Nope. I did do some, but I had a really hard time finding a studio that felt like my yoga home. The only place I really looked forward to was Curtis Hixon Park, which has yoga in the park each Sunday. There's just something more freeing being outside, in a an unconfined area. Perhaps I'm just lacking discipline. Eat less sugar . Met! I had very few cupcakes this year. And I didn't replace them with anything else. One w

I wasn't gonna do it, but measuring my progress on last year's goals was such a fun exercise that I thought, why deny myself that same pleasure in 2015? So here they are. I didn't include any PR goals because I figure those are a given. (I amazed myself by only listing one running-related goal. I must feel the need for improvement elsewhere.) Work on relieving anxiety . This is a biggie, as last year was one of my most anxious years. I feel I can do better. Do speed work . I've been saying I'll do this since I began running. It's time to put words into action. Visit a new place . There are so many cities and states I have yet to visit, it would be silly not to. Do more yoga . This will help with #1. Plus, it just feels good for my body and soul. Eat less sugar . I developed quite the cupcake fixation last year. I'm taking baby steps to end that. Send more cards . Because I know how good it feels to receive them. (And the USPS currently sells Ray Cha

I recently re-read a post from early last year with my year-end totals for running in 2012. I ran 924.35 miles, and I made a goal to run at least 1,000 miles in 2013. I'm happy to say I've exceeded that goal by 288.59 miles! And there are at least a couple more runs that I didn't record on my watch, so they aren't included in this total. That's a lot of time spent pounding the pavement! This looking back reminded me that I'd also set some goals for 2013 . Let's see how those panned out: Run a sub-2:00 half marathon. Done and done! I first met this goal at the Gasparilla Half , and then topped it at the Nike Women's Half (and still ran a sub-2 at the St. Pete Women's Half at the end of the year, though not a PR). Train for a marathon without getting seriously injured (i.e., don't overtrain). Check! Appreciate the diversity of friends I have and don't be overwhelmed by them :-D I admit I fell short of this at one point in the year

It is officially a new year! This is exciting in theory, but I realize it doesn't really mean very much in reality: the clocked ticked and the day changed just as they always do. But the new year does present two significant opportunities: (1) to look back at and evaluate the events of the prior year and (2) to plan for a new year of goals. As I look back at the goals I set for last year , which were all running-related, I feel like I accomplished a lot. I didn't really run barefoot, but I feel okay about that :) So here is a new list to look forward to, which includes running goals, but also others: Run a sub-2:00 half marathon. Train for a marathon without getting seriously injured (i.e., don't overtrain). Appreciate the diversity of friends I have and don't be overwhelmed by them :-D Keep my home, car, and office clean. Keep one eye open for new job opportunities but the other focused on current job(s). Enroll in yoga teacher training. Practice playing pia