New Year's Goals!

So my 2010 New Year's Resolution pretty much made it to my blog last year and that was about it. I had resolved to become a morning person and I am only more convinced that I am too much of a night owl to ever become an early bird...bummer.

I think a couple of year's ago I mentioned on here that I don't really like the word Resolution. I still feel the same today and I think this past year just proved my point. I'm setting goals this year. I wanted to come up with a goal or two that I thought I could really attain, that I would enjoy, that would motivate me to do things that are good for me, that would be easily measured and easy to check-off a list, and ones that you all (my bloggies) can hold me accountable to! I decided on two:
Goal 1) Cook 52 new recipes. It averages to about one a week, but I don't necessarily have to do one every week and will double-up other weeks. This goal will hopefully help me to cook more at home which will lead to more healthy eating and less spending on food. It will get me to actually use all the recipe books I have, most of which I have never cooked anything from at all! You can bet I will be letting you know what I cook throughout the year and maybe I'll even posting some of the best recipes for you!
Goal 2) Complete the steps to qualify for the 2012 marathon. Although, I really don't want or plan to actually run the 2012 marathon (but who knows, maybe this goal will spur on a new love and deeper motivation for long-distance running)! There are 3 steps to become a marathon qualifier and you have to complete all 3 steps within the calendar year prior to the year in which you will qualify. So, I'll complete all 3 in 2011 and be eligible to enter the November 2012 marathon. The 3 steps are:
Step #1 - Become a member of New York Road Runners (NYRR). All this takes is going online, filling out a form, and paying a fee. And I've already done it so I can check this step off! It is $40 for the year, but I will make up that money and more because as a member, I will receive discounts on any races I enter. For an upcoming race in February, I can save $14 on the entry fee just for being a member. So I'll actually make up the $40 and more while completing Step #2....
Step #2 - Run 9 races sponsored by NYRR throughout the year. It can be ANY of their races and they have ones that are just 1 milers all the way up to full marathons. I hope to run several 5k's, 10k's, and hopefully a 15k or two...I'd love to get a half-marathon in there, but it's really hard to get into those here (usually have to get in through a lottery system).

Step #3 - Volunteer for 1 race. I'll save this task for later in the year and plan to volunteer for the marathon next November because it's just too fun to be a part of!

So, if I'm not planning to actually run the 2012 marathon, what is the purpose of this goal? Well, my hope is that it will get me running more consistently and throughout the year (even in the cold winter!). I'll have to do almost 1 race each month and with other obligations, travel, church (lots of races occur on Sundays here), it probably won't be easy to fit them all in so I need not procrastinate and get started now! There is a 4-miler I'd like to run on Super Bowl Sunday to kick things off, but I'm going to wait until that week to make sure a blizzard isn't headed our way before I pay for that race. That's the first possible race opportunity though - we'll see!

So, that's it - my goals for the year. Looking forward to conquering them and hoping you enjoy my recipes and race recaps along the way!