It’s time for another one of those ‘year in review’ posts that everyone has been doing, but this one is different because it’s long past the time for year in review posts. At this rate I’ll get around to my new year’s resolutions in February and start setting goals for this year in March or April.
The biggest accomplishment of the year was finishing my first marathon back in January. After that the year pretty much went downhill. To be honest with you I didn’t even remember what my goals for this year were until I went back and looked them up moments ago. That probably speaks volumes to why I didn’t accomplish many of them. Let’s break out Viper’s Big Red FAIL Stamp and take a look back at my list of 2009 goals (originally posted here).
- Get faster. FAIL (Zero new PRs this year.)
- Don’t get slower. FAIL (Technically the marathon was a PR but only because it was my first.)
- Run a sub 50 minute 10K. FAIL
- Win an age group award, and by win I mean take first, second or third, I’m really not that picky. FAIL
- Shave my 5K. As the host of the SY5K Challenge it would be embarrassing for me to get slower. Check! (My smooth time was faster than my stubble time, though neither were PRs.)
- Set a new PR at the half marathon distance. FAIL
- Not sign up for another marathon. Check!
I’ve been running for almost five years now and up until 2009 I was getting faster regardless of how much speedwork or effort I put forth. It was just a given that I was going to set new PRs every year and I think it probably made me a little complacent. It turns out I’m going to have to actually work harder to get faster in the future and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I prefer to have things handed to me with minimal input on my part, it’s one of the things that makes me such a good employee.
2009 will be known as the Year of the Marathon for me. Five years ago when I started running, my only goal was to post a faster time in the annual Bolder Boulder 10K, I never set out to run a marathon. In fact whenever anyone suggested that I should run a marathon I would explicitly tell them that I had no interest in running that far. I still have no interest in running that far, but I’m glad that I did it last year. My biggest accomplishment in 2009 was finishing a marathon and my second biggest accomplishment was not signing up for another one. I’m an inspiration, for sure.
like Stewart Smalley says, "progress, not perfection."
ReplyDeleteHey, 2 out of 7 isn't bad and if this year you set all your goals in the format of not doing things then you can put in minimal effort and still achieve it. :)
ReplyDeleteGood job on the marathon!
If you played baseball for a living you would be hitting .285 for the year...that would get you a contract extension...
ReplyDeleteI think running a marathon so early in the year was your downfall. I always have a big drop-off in running after the Akron Marathon, but that leaves only three months of shitty months, whereas you had 11 shitty months. If I were you, I'd make my Big Goals near the end of the year. Cheers to better running in 2010! Should I just delete this and write something snarky?
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not you are an inspiration if only for us to be faster than you... :P
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the year of the marathon and not losing your mind and signing up for another one... cuz that's surely where I went wrong!
Haha! I laughed and related to the fact that you had never set out to run a marathon, that you had no interest in running that far. I said the same. So much for that!
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to see if you are still in one piece after the 90 days with P90X. Maybe you'll return to the marathon running as a way to escape.
ReplyDeleteMy only regret is that you didn't list more goals that you could FAIL at. As it is, this is a pretty good way to ring in the new year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is why I am adequately vague about setting out my goals at the beginning of the year, then I don't have to worry about that failure stuff.
ReplyDeleteWell, as they say, fall down 7 times, stand up 8 ... Now go and get a big red FAIL on that resolution not to run another marathon!!! :)
On the other hand you did participate in a podcast that no one listened to ;)
ReplyDeleteMy verification word was 'nofect' That's now my new word for competely failing at something - instead of perfect, I'm nofect.
LOL - LOVE the "nofect" terminology. I think from here on out we should describe Vanilla this way: "A nofectly half-fast .285 runner."
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the marathon. Been there, done that. Not interested in a repeat :)
ReplyDeleteRunning a first marathon trumps all the other FAILS of 2009, so you're officially looking good. But to avoid the 2010 FAIL issue, you're gonna have to do something REALLY big. 50K anyone?
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your marathon! I'm hoping to run my first one this year.
ReplyDeleteI love that FAIL stamp. It always makes me feel better abotu myself.
ReplyDelete