After a few exciting years in 2021 and 2022, filled with achievements and milestones, 2023 has felt like a bit of an anti-climax I guess. It wasn't a particularly bad year, but there was nothing exceptional about it. That's not to say there weren't some really lovely times, and plenty of stuff has happened that I'm really proud of. But I want more from 2024.
As part of the DOdaily coaching I've taken part in for the last three years, we set targets each month. Without a doubt, my best, most successful months are where I'm clear on what my targets are, they're challenging but achievable, and I check in on my progress regularly to make myself accountable. So I'm applying that method to the whole of 2024 to give myself the best chance for success.
What do I want?
My plans broadly fit into two categories: running and non-running. Some of them aren't completely mutually exclusive, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stick with those two camps.
So, my running targets:
1. Sub five hour time at the Brighton Marathon
2. 1,000 miles in total during the year
3. Sub two hour half marathon
4. Complete five 10km laps at ThunderRun
5. Complete at least 33 parkruns
Targets one and two are both something I've achieved before, and I felt at my fittest and strongest when I did, so why wouldn't I chase that feeling again?
I'd desperately love to do a half marathon in less than two hours, and the other targets should all contribute to helping me get there by practicing distance and consistency. The closest I've managed was around 2:04 a couple of years ago. If I put the work in, I think I can make this a reality during the 2024 autumn half marathon season.
Four and five both build on previous achievements. My most 10kms ran in 24 hours before is three, and this year I want to build on the distance training I'll have done for the Brighton Marathon and work towards doing five laps in total. Finally, I want to beat the record for most parkruns completed in a year, because my weekends are always off to a great start when I get up and do them!
They're all pretty straight forward on the face of it, but they'll take huge amounts of commitment and hard work to get there. But I feel ready for the challenge and excited to see just how far I can push myself.
The non-running targets
1. Not to drink alcohol for an indefinite amount of time, starting with the milestone of the Brighton Marathon
2. Spend more quality time with my family
3. Visit at least five new cities
4. Hit a career milestone
5. Decorate the downstairs of our house
OK, yes, they're quite a mixed bag. A lot of them are based on reflections from when I've been at my happiest this year, or stuff I'd like to do to just make life a bit nicer.
The no-drinking kind of over-arches all of them, and will definitely help me to achieve my running targets too. During 2023, I had a couple of extended breaks from alcohol – a month here, a couple of weeks there, etc. And the resounding outcome was that nothing bad comes from not drinking, and it makes a lot of things much better. My running gets better, my skin looks brighter, my work is better, I save money...I could probably add loads to the list and start to get boring. So based on this, why would I want to drink?!
Of course, it's nowhere near as simple as that. But more and more, I'm thinking that the perks of giving it up outweigh the thinks I enjoy about having a glass of wine or a pint of cider. And ultimately, I think it's not actually the having a drink part I love, it's the spending time with the people I'm drinking with. I know it's going to be a huge challenge, especially as I can be a bit socially awkward before I've had a couple of drinks, but it's something I really want to do. So I'll be as stubborn and determined as I know I can be, and keep reminding myself of why I'm doing it.
Target two doesn't take much explanation. I'm fortunate to have a large, close-knit family and I want to make a point of spending more time with everyone rather than attacking Netflix or napping my way through the weekends. It's so easy to take these people for granted, and sitting down to really reflect on what makes me happy has really made me think about how I spend my time, which leads me to the next target!
Me and Des love a trip away, and some of my favourite times last year were when we went off exploring new places. So I want to do more of the same this year, starting with a trip to Belfast in a few weeks. The not-drinking will put a great spin on this one too. We loved our time in Wales last year during "Dry June" when, instead of heading to the nearest pub, we really explored the place properly! And of course, we'll be packing our trainers where ever we go!
For the career milestone, I'm not really sure what I want this to look like yet, it's something I need to put a bit more thought into over the next couple of weeks. Could be some kind of qualification, could be moving up the ladder, could be making more money (sorry if that sounds a bit crude, but who can honestly say they don't want to?!). Developing in my career year on year is really important to me, so it's on the list.
Finally, and perhaps the most straight-forward, decorating our house and finally putting up our wedding photos is something we've been putting off for ages that we need to get ticked off and sorted. So it's on the target list!
If you've made it this far, thank you. I fully appreciate that for a running blog, this post has done a lot of talking about non-running things. But in my head there's a lot of links and overlaps between what I want to achieve, why I want to do it, and how I'm going to go about it.
And last-but-not-least, I'm sure I say it every year, but I'm going to make time to write this blog more regularly!
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