Running With Perseverance

On the last day of 2011, many people are selecting New Year’s Resolutions for 2012, but I can’t set my goals for the new year without reckoning with my resolutions for 2011.

I did pretty well on my runner’s resolutions.

• Warm-Up.
  I lengthened my warm-up for my neighborhood runs by adopting a new starting point that is about 1/3 mile from my house. For my bike path runs, I usually park 1/4 mile to 1/3 mile from where I start running. On the treadmill, I walk for 5 minutes and then run slowly for 5-10 minutes.
• Cool-Down.
  I still walk for at least 5 minutes after my runs, but I never did add a running cool-down to my routine.
• Stretch.
  My ITB and piriformis demand stretching and foam rolling, and quickly punish me if I slack off–so I don’t!
• Strength train.
  I really enjoy my weight workouts and usually strength train three times per week.
• Cross-train.
  I think I did less cross-training in 2011 than usual. Although I usually do a 20-minute elliptical workout to warm-up for my strength-training routine, sometimes I hopped on the treadmill for a quick run instead.
• Yoga.
  I integrated yoga into my workout schedule, and now usually spend some time with Rodney Yee at least once a week.
• Listen to my body.
  I don’t think I ever skipped a workout because I was tired, but sometimes I did opt for an easier workout. My body is telling me that it needs more sleep, and I need to figure out how to make that happen.

I made less progress on my stress-reducing resolutions for work.

• Stop multi-tasking.
  I still have my email open on one monitor while I am working on the other one, and I can’t help but read each email as it comes in. I feel the strain of these “three second” distractions, which sap my efficiency and make me feel fragmented.
• Complete one project before starting the next one.
  I don’t think I’ve made any progress with this goal. My days can be full of interruptions, and I am tempted to handle new requests right away if I think I can complete them quickly (reviewing a draft, signing a letter, etc.). By the end of the day, I may have several in-process projects that I need to wrap up before I can go home.
• Deal with emails right away.
  I’ve gotten better at dealing with emails right away (maybe I focused too much on this goal since it often involves multi-tasking), although my inbox still fills up from busy days when I don’t have time to read, respond, or file away.
• Take notes.
  I remembered to take notes during telephone calls more often, but I still could do better at putting those notes in the file where they belong. At least I’m making progress.
• Heed biological needs.
  Some days I still feel like I am “too busy” to refill my water bottle, and often test the limits of my bladder because of the time it takes to walk to the restroom. Now that I’ve seen the study that found that a sedentary job is not necessarily balanced by regular exercise, I really need to get up from my desk more often, no matter how many deadlines are looming.

For 2012, I think I will renew these resolutions. The ones that I stuck with paid off, and the ones that I slacked off from are still good goals.

How did you do on your 2011 resolutions/goals?

Are you setting any new ones for 2012?