A New Year....Happy 2011!

Everyone has a different approach for New Years. For some people it's a time to celebrate and party, party, party. Some people prefer to be homebodies, waiting for the ball to drop at midnight and then heading to bed. And then some people couldn't even really care about a New Year, aside from the fact that it means it's time to work on taxes and their health care insurance changed. And who needs to stay up till midnight, 10 pm is pushing it!

Regardless of your take on New Years doesn't change much for the calendar. Time remains the same, and weather you were decked out and dancing in Time Square or fast asleep, 2011 came.

What really matters, isn't how you celebrate, but how you plan to live it.

This time around everything was so different from what I would have imagined. On New Years Eve, my husband Jeremy ran a local 10k. He had signed up for it awhile back and I had been toying with the notion that I might run it with him. My original plan to run the Texas Marathon on January 1st had been scrapped. Since I had already hit my 52 goal, I just couldn't justify spending $500 on an airline ticket and leaving the family for another holiday. I found a no frills trail marathon/ultra event in Maryland that I could run for next to nothing on January 2nd. I figured I could make that work, but I hadn't anticipated having issues with my IT band the way I was. For those of you who don't know, the IT band (or technically known as the iliotibial band) is is a tough group of fibers that extend from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and ending just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilization of the knee during running and iliotibial band syndrome is one of the most common running injuries. Needless to say, I am more than well informed about the IT band. I have struggled with serious problems in my left leg during my 52 marathon journey and it was downright horrible. Having been through it all with my left leg, as I started noticing issues with my right leg, I had no question what I was dealing with.

I figured with taking Christmas weekend off and getting more than 6 days of rest between races I would be good to go for the Jan 2nd race. While rest really isn't really a part of my vocabulary, my attempt at a short Christmas day run made me realize I was only doing more harm than good. So during the next week I made myself do fast incline walking instead. I iced and stretched and all that good stuff, but I wasn't seeing much improvement. As New Years Eve drew near, I told Jeremy even though I wanted to, I didn't think there was any way my leg could hold up for the 10k. We discussed our weekend plans, and he asked me if I wanted to go out on Saturday night. I told him, I can't, because if I do decide to run the marathon on Sunday I'm going to need to be up early. He right away pointed out the flaw in my logic. If I didn't think I could run a 10k on Friday because my leg was so bad, how was I was considering doing a marathon on Sunday?? I had to laugh when he said it, and inside I knew he was right. I felt like I needed to hold on to that glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, I'd wake up the next morning and feel miraculously better. While I'm all for miracles, it wasn't my time for one.

So Jeremy went and did his 10k, running better than he expected. And for the first time ever, he ran a race, and I stayed home with the kids. 

Jeremy's race photo from the finish -  http://germani.zenfolio.com/p377515438/e23104a23

That evening we had our normal New Years Eve dinner, an arrangement of mostly unhealthy finger foods. Sure we had a veggie and dip plate, but there were also mini hot dog links, egg rolls, a cheese, salami and cracker plate plus BBQ chicken bites. Top it off with a pie for desert and sparkling cider, yeah, that was a finger feast!

Afterward we made our lists. Again I know some people hate new years resolutions, but personally, I find it to be a great way to give direction to my goals. I don't always make every goal every year, but it's good to know your focus. We add one other element to our lists, the highlights of the current year.

So as a family we sat down and made our lists. I even helped my 5 and 7 year old write down a few things. It's funny what can make the list! Austin, my 5 year old, listed seeing Santa as a highlight of 2010 and Angelina, 7, put cheerleading. My oldest, Amira, is 10 and had a full page of accomplishments/highlights from 2010 and goals for 2011. I was particularly impressed with one of her goals, to be more proactive. And I won't complain that keeping her room clean made the list too!

 Austin being Santa

Angelina having fun at cheerleading

With Amira this past summer

I wrote out my list as well. Spending more time with my family was at the top. I missed out on so much in 2010; I have a lot to make up to everyone, including Jeremy. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any running goals on that list as well.

Since long before 2010 was wrapping up, people have been asking me about my goals for 2011. While working through ideas, one thing in particular really stood out to me. But as I sat there, surrounded by my kids, notebook paper in hand, I surprised myself. I didn't write out the running goal I had been focusing on. Instead, the #1 running goal on my list was none other than....brace yourself for this one...
healing.

My body has been through a war, or so it feels like it. I'm about to turn 30 and yet I physically feel far more worn down than I would expect. And looking in the mirror, I feel like I've aged far more than one year in the last 365 days. Part of finishing my 52 marathons meant giving my body the healing it's been lacking all year. Right now I'm not ready or able to do near the work I have in mind for myself. I really mentally struggled with the idea of having to take time off from running and cut down, but now my body is saying you have to.

We stayed up for the New Years count down, let the kids do a toast and I gave myself a boost of faith in healing, by signing up for a couple spring marathons before the Jan 1st price increase.

 Me on New Years Eve

I started out 2011 with a weekend of rest. I didn't run a marathon this weekend and I was shocked by how at peace I was with that decision. For the first time ever, I signed up for a race, and didn't run. I was tempted to go and walk a marathon on the trail near my house, but I didn't do that either. I simply did nothing. Sure I helped put away Christmas decorations, and did laundry, but I just let my body rest. And it was wonderful!

The goal that I didn't write down, the plan that's been in my mind, is still my goal. Once I am past these injury issues, I will take it on, full force. So be watching, because I'm going to make a video with my goal and I'll post it on here.

But for now, the next focus is Disney World! I have 2 final marathons on behalf of 25:40. I will be running Disney on Sunday, and then the Museum of Aviation Marathon in GA on Jan 15th. These races had been planned as my final marathons on my 52 journey, and as such, will be a celebration with my family. My kids have never been to Disney World and I promised them that after this year of marathons was over we would go. As you can imagine, going to Disney World topped their lists as what they looked forward to most in 2011 and I am so glad to be bringing them with me. Donations for 25:40 is still open, so if you had been wanting to send in money and wondered if it's too late since I finished my 52, the answer is no! I plan to leave the donations open even after these last 2 marathons are finished. So please donate!!

How was your New Years? What goals made your list? Post them on the comments! I'd love to read them and you are much more likely to meet your goals if you make them public. So put a little confidence in your plans and let's see what everyone is shooting for in 2011!

Toasting in the New Year - Happy 2011!

Do what you love and happiness will find you.