Goals…and running toward them
Last year, I made a very long list of goals to accomplish in 2022. Some were easy, some took a little more effort, but overall it made for a very fun year of checking things off The List. It also made for a very busy year, to the point that when it came to setting goals for 2023, I found myself feeling kind of exhausted. And goaled out. Nothing even came to mind as I tried to think about a new list for this new year. I took this as a sign that I should perhaps slow down a little in 2023. So aside from a few things I’d like to work on (although I’m not holding myself to any type of mandatory achievements), this year is going to be what I make it as I go.
One thing I do have my sights set on is running, as one of my 2022 goals had been to run a race. I ended up running 3 of them in 2022, all 5Ks, and when I’d set out as a new runner early in the pandemic, being able to run a 5K was really my only eventual goal. Having met it, and really having enjoyed the process, I found myself gradually increasing the distance of my runs. To the point that I knew I wanted to tackle a 10K in 2023. I got it done early, mid-January, and it’s hard to believe—considering I started by running from one light post to another—that I can now run 6.2 miles without stopping. And yesterday I pushed myself to 7, making me think that something else that might be possible in 2023 is a half marathon. Talk about hard to believe!
Running has been such a surprise to me. Something I was sure my heart and lungs would never tolerate, and something I always viewed as beyond my abilities. Don’t get me wrong. It’s very hard, and I don’t know that I’m really “built” for it, which is why my pace is always nice and comfortable. Read: slow. But it’s possible, and I’m loving making it happen with each new (literal) milestone. Injuries aside (there have been several…all involving my legs), running has been an almost joyful discovery, time where I can’t do anything else but run. A time where I don’t think about other things or worry about upcoming deadlines. A time where I feel very grateful for a body that can even run in the first place.
I do have finishing my new book manuscript on my 2023 short list, realizing that it may take longer, but we’ll see how the year goes. That is one thing I’ll say about running, especially running longer and longer distances and not having a particularly fast pace: It becomes a pretty significant time commitment. So there is less writing time now. But I’m not worried about it. Life is full and every step (and word) is meaningful. So run toward your own goals in 2023, whatever they may be.