Happy New Year! Last night Ben and I hung out with his brother and his GF for a little beverage and fire pit action. 
Ben and I were covered in ashes from a big Christmas tree eruption. 
I was the Dunkin Donuts Designated Driver so I didn’t really drink outside of a champagne toast and a sip of this pumpkin beer when we arrived. I don’t think I’ve ever tried pumpkin beer before! I’m very sheltered. Plus, I don’t like beer…
The only reason I was able to stay up past midnight was because my body is still on California time.
It’s 2012!!!
I LOVE making New Year’s Resolutions! I’m not really a competitive person – something I think is kinda rare for a runner. Example – I was recently asked what my half marathon PR is and I had no clue (luckily I have a lil’ blog that can keep track of these things)! Truthfully, it makes me uncomfortable when people ask about numbers and stuff because I don’t want to feel like I’m being compared!
But, I need goals because I love to compete with myself. I want to be better for me and new goals motivate me. So, I finally put together my goals for 2012.
First, let’s review 2011 Goals. I had a big list at the start of the year…
- Run a sub-four hour marathon. DONE
- Make RER better. Nope, sorry peeps.
- Save Money. Nope. Times were tough this year as training is a luxury item and times are tough for others.
- Run in 6 Different states. Nope. I did three though!
- No diet soda. Nope. I’m an addict. Send me to rehab.
- Relationship Resolution: One date night a week. Eh.
But somewhere along the way I decided to focus on 3 main goals. I wrote them on my fridge and let the other ones slide.
Those goals were:
1. Run a sub 4 hour marathon. I did it!
2. Get to goal weight. I didn’t do it. But, I did eat a lot healthier and more balanced. I made a short attempt at BFL and realized it was too anal for me. But, I did start eating more protein and that helped prevent a lot of snacking and overeating.
3. Grow blog. Yep! I’m very proud of how much RER has grown in the last year. It’s crazy! Or I’m crazy. Probably both. 
Now I’m ready to tackle 2012 and new set of goals.
2012 Goals:
1. Run Faster.
PR in the Half Marathon.
Run a 5k and 10k by March. Then, PR in those by the end of the year.
2. Tone my ass and abs. Get in the best shape I can.
Strength train 3 times a week. Yoga once a week. Identify my trouble spots and focus on those.
3. Don’t eat shit.
(Eat Clean 80% of the time.) Cut back on processed food and sugar. No junk food unless it’s a cheat day. Eat what I love, skip what I don’t love.
4. Save Money.
Get my finances in order and save money to be financially ready for a house or baby or move to Costa Rica. One of those.
5. Improve professionally.
Get another PT certification. Learn about photography and social media and video editing. Get on an organized, do-able schedule.
6. BE FEARLESS.
I don’t know if I’ve ever admitted this, but I’m a big scaredy cat! Ben jokingly calls me Safety Suzy. I want to live this year as if I cannot get hurt or fail or die. And if I do – it’s okay.
I’ll be dead before I know it anyways…
Did you make a New Year’s Resolutions? What is it?
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Great goals! I’m looking forward to being able to do a post like this at the end of this year. Good luck with all of your goals, and Happy New Year!
I need to work on being fearless as well. I like safe way too much. I admire people who can take risks on new business ventures, the stock market, skydiving, etc. In 2012 I hope to do at least one thing that is ‘risky’ and hope for the best!
Love these goals:) Good luck for 2012!
Great goals! I set a few myself and am so ready to tackle them!
I may take a page from Rachel Wilkerson and pick a verb for this year. I am running my first half marathon and I am a slow runner (my 5k time is 35-37 minutes). I want to run it in 2 hours or less, so my biggest goal is to get just a little bit faster. Or run HARD.
Mostly, though, I want to enjoy this year. Walk a lot. Grow my blog.
Love the blog & love the goals. Especially #4. Have s baby in a house you buy in Costa Rica!
Good luck on your goals! I don’t set resolutions, but I think you can do anything that you set your mind to.
My main resolution is to live more in the moment and worry less. I waste way too much time worrying.
I am also resolving to collect more sparkling wine/Champagne. And I would love love love to run a sub 4 marathon, but I would have to shave about 18 minutes off my PR. Perhaps it’s possible. . .
You have awesome goals, good luck to you!! I love your blog, so I don’t think it needs any improving. Happy New Year!
When you say strength train 3 times a week, would you do cardio then as well? I want to get stronger but I don’t have enough time/discipline to work out 6 times a week. I was thinking doing 2 days of strength training and 3 to 4 cardio days with some of the strength/cardio overlapping.
I think those are some pretty awesome 2012 goals. I want to run 2 half marathons and one full as well as not eat candy! (yikes!)
Very noble goals! I can’t follow along with “don’t eat sh*t”… but I have been working on cutting down the portion size.
Not really. 2011 was good and I’d just like to see 2012 be even better. Generic yet pressure-free. Happy New Years!
Great resolutions! I didn’t make any resolutions, but set some running goals but those will change over time anyway- they’re more running life goals than for the year.
My goals are to log 600 miles (outside of my commuting, which is 3 miles a day), I did do 5 miles today..woohoo! Only 595 more to go. I want to eat at home more, and use better choices. I plan on signing up for two halfs, and hope to not hurt myself this year.
If Ben thinks you are Safety Suzy, it is good he has never met me.
Resolutions? Not sure if they are ever followed up. Maybe the first 48 hours. Then …. done.
However …. I do believe in goals. For sure Monica throughout these past months you’ve showed us lots of great “stuff!!” Keep it up.
Glad you had a fun time w/your family. Always a good thing.
Hey M …. when you move to Costa Rica + have a baby, are you still going to be friends with us? Promise? Please?
Everyone …… HNY twenty/twelve …… !
I do like the sound of having a baby in Costa Rica… Hmmmm.
Very good goals (I might have to copy / paste / repeat). I haven’t really thought that much about mine beyond, ‘Keep running’ ‘Run faster’ and ‘Stay motivated’ and the usual ‘Save money’ ‘Don’t kill anyone’ etc. I’d really like 2012 to have the feel that 2011 did. My 2011 was a great year (2010 not so much). I want (am hoping / crossing my fingers / training) to run Disney in 2013, so I guess that’s a 2013 resolution.
I absolutely love the sixth goal! And I join you whole-heatedly on that one;) You blog is very inspirational. Thank you Monica!
Thank you!
Isn’t it the best feeling to look at blog traffic growing? I am always shocked at the number of people that read supersana, I don’t even know that many people in real life!
Fire pits are the best. Great 2012 goals!
Nope, no goals or anything. Just keep doing what I am doing but do it better and more often! (More greens and more movement!)
I love the “Eat what I love, skip what I don’t love” idea. I think we ALL would do better by eating the “fun” foods that we TRULY want to eat and not wasting time on stuff that’s just in front of us but not that amazing.
I am hoping to run 3 half marathons plus some 5 and 10K’s this year, and, like you, get more serious about my strength training.
Great goals for 2012…I’m a new reader and am looking forward to reading about these things in 2012!
Hi Abbi, Welcome
Great goals. Question for you on cheat days (I’m new here, sorry if you posted about that before): Do you do one a week? One a month? One when you feel like it? Just curious, cuz I think I need to start designating cheat days and be good days, but how many is appropriate? I don’t want to be too restrictive… or too forgiving!
One a week
One a month would be torture!
Awesome job completing [and attempting] your 2011 goals and best of luck with the 2012 goals… Posting a list on the fridge is a great reminder!
This year I’m making a few resolutions that I hope to stick to… Years past I’ve made a resolution just for the heck of it and forget about it within the following week, ha!
Ahhh yes diet soda…I call my diet coke the brown monkey on my back. Eh…better then the sugary stuff i suppose
Happy New Years!
“Eat what I love, skip what I don’t love.”
So true! I think this is the way to still eat things we love and balance it all out in the end. For me, I don’t get much out of pasta (sacrilege for where I live, Italy!) but I *need* my pizza fix once a week, so I happily say no to pasta knowing I’ll be eating pizza later.
I made three this year and this is more than I have ever made before.
1- Run my first 1/2 marathon
2- Pay off debt
3- Speak to a College Counselor
I quit college back when I was young and dumb and now I am not even sure if my credits will qualify. Not 100% sure I want to go back to school but I think that is a great step in thinking about it.
As for my first 1/2 I have only ran 5k’s and I have not yet ran a complete 5k without stopping to walk. I have built up to running 2 miles without stopping and have found a training plan that starts 1/15 for a half on the 4th of July!
Wish me luck!
My New Year’s Resolutions are :
no more diet soda (I found the fake sugar was causing my breakouts!)
no fast food (except Subway and Quiznos)
read more and watch tv less
PS. I too am the biggest scardy cat! Probably more than you. My fiance has been gone this week and just going into the garage to get the dogs food freak me out. I think someone is in there and about to get me so I have to run back into the house. Mind you the lights are on and I’m not even on the garage floor (I’m on the step). Can you say FREAK!!! LOL
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