goals – Page 4 – French Fry Runner

My Mantra for 2015

I’m linking up with Patty from My No-Guilt Life, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere for Tuesdays on the Run. This week’s topic is Goals for 2015–but since I already posted on that topic for Friday Five last week, I’m going a different route (pun intended). I’d like to talk about my mantra for the year:

I have some really lofty goals for this year (ahem, a marathon), and I’ve been trying to figure out what can motivate me to get the job done. I’ve always loved collecting quotations from famous people and love to read about others’ mantras, so when I saw this phrase on a bracelet, it stuck with me, and I decided this year I would “own the day” every day. To me, this means that I’ll make every day a positive one, that I’ll work and run hard, meet my goals, and won’t give up. I believe that as I own the day, I’ll feel satisfied with what I’m doing and live positively.

So, how about you? What’s your mantra? How will you own the day this year?

Friday Five: Five Fitness Goals

I’m linking up with Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run. This week’s Friday Five theme is Blogging or Fitness Goals. I’ll be talking about my fitness goals today, but first let’s check my goals for 2014:

Get into shape. I hit the gym more in 2014 and ran a few races, so I call this a success.
Run a marathon. I lost the motivation and injured my ankles a few too many times to achieve this goal.
Do a handstand. I haven’t achieved this yet, but my shoulder stands are getting better, which means my core is getting stronger. So this is a fail, but I’m definitely progressing.
Go on a kick-awesome trip. Huge check for this! I went on several trips (California x 3; North Carolina; Seattle; San Francisco) and the “kick-awesomest” was my trip to Germany and London! I finally went to Europe, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more.
Do a runDisney race. My sister and I successfully signed up for and completed the 2014 Disneyland 10k! Next on my runDisney list is the 2015 Dumbo Double Dare.
Try not to let the stress of my job get to me. Medication just wasn’t the answer for me on this. I decided to quit my job in June instead and I’ve never been happier. 🙂
Move across the country. Not yet but soon!
Spend less. I think I did a better job at this in 2014, but I can do better for sure.
Cultivate a new talent. Not exactly a new talent, but I worked on my recipe-making and writing skills to work on a cookbook, which is being published in May 2015–The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook.
Have fun! And be happier. Since I quit my job, this has definitely been achieved. I’m happier than I’ve ever been and less stressed.

Now for my five 2015 fitness goals:

Complete the 2015 Dumbo Double Dare. This is my A challenge for the year. The first challenging part will be registering. After that, I’ll be following the official training plan to complete the distance. Really excited about this. I’ve been slowly building up my base again.
Run a marathon by December. I wanted to run a marathon in 2014, but since that didn’t happen, 2015 is the year! I hope to continue my training after Dumbo to complete the marathon. No time goals.
Achieve PRs in the 10k and half marathon. I’m hoping my training for Dumbo and the marathon will help me with this goal. I won’t say no to a PR in the 5k either.
Develop more strength (and tone up) by (1) Practicing yoga at least twice per week. I just love yoga and need to practice more on my own if I can’t make it to class; and (2) Attending pump class at least once per week. My gym has awesome pump classes. I’m looking forward to going every week.
Run a race every month if possible. Most of these will be for fun and just to keep me motivated. I already know which races I’ll be running January through April . . . and possibly May. January and February are 5ks, March and April are 10ks, and May might be a half marathon. I won’t bore you with details now; that’s what later is for. 😉
Be injury-free in 2015! I just had to include this . . .

What are your fitness or blogging goals for this year? Don’t forget to link up at You Signed Up for WHAT?!, Mar on the Run, and Eat Pray Run DC.

Happy New Year and a Recap

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” I’ve always loved this quote by Anne Shirley in L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables–which, incidentally, is my favorite book. New Year’s is always a great time to sit back and evaluate the year and set goals for the new year, a year “with no mistakes in it.”

My 2015 goals post will be online on Friday, so for now here are five lessons I learned or relearned in 2014:

Sometimes jobs just aren’t worth it. In June I left a job that made me unnecessarily stressed out and just plain unhappy. I learned that if you’re in a job or situation that brings you down and is something that you constantly dread, just get out of it. Find something that truly makes you happy.
Traveling is worth the expense. I traveled a lot this year, including my first trip to Europe. The experiences I had will stay with me forever, and that’s priceless.
Always try new things. From running my first trail race to bodyboarding in North Carolina to eating Turkish food in Germany, I’ve tried a lot of new things this year, which has certainly kept the year exciting. Embrace the new, and perhaps you’ll find a new favorite (döner kebabs, I’m looking at you).
Sometimes fitness goals just don’t work out–and that’s okay! I wanted to run a marathon this year, and that didn’t happen due to injury. I know that if I would’ve tried to train and run one, it would’ve ended badly. I need to be smarter in 2015, build a better base, etc. I was able to run some great races, though, and that’s fine with me.
Family and friends are more important than anything. This is a no-brainer. Once again I learned how awesome my friends and family are. They are always there for me and love me for my quirks–and I have a lot. I’m really blessed in this department.

So, there you have it. Five lessons from 2014. I hope this next year is even better for you and me both!

Be awesome in 2015!

French Fry Runner