{"id":115,"date":"2011-01-02T22:11:34","date_gmt":"2011-01-03T04:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/melodydworak.com\/?p=115"},"modified":"2011-01-02T22:32:51","modified_gmt":"2011-01-03T04:32:51","slug":"what-running-did-for-my-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melodydworak.com\/?p=115","title":{"rendered":"What running did for my resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone would ask me what my New Year’s resolutions was over the last few years would receive a very noncommittal and sarcastic response. It wasn’t my thing to think up grand visions of the person I thought I should be. I must have even offended my boyfriend with my flippant comments about it–he said something last week that led me to realize how ugly my insincerity in past years was.<\/p>\n

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I’ve grown up quite a lot, particularly in the past year. I faced potentially losing my day job, worked on a $200 million competitive grant application for the State of Iowa, retired from my 4-to-5 -year editing relationship with a local magazine, chose to take the leap and start a master’s program, and then finally let go of my day job. 2010 was for me filled with changes and new adventures. In 2010, I also learned how to make goals.<\/p>\n

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Training for one thing may lead to improvements in other areas as well. <\/p><\/div>\n

I’m not talking about goals imposed by others–bosses, friends, teachers, etc.–but those created and defined by me and me alone. I do identify with Taoism in wanting to go with the flow of everything and bend instead of break when challenges arise. The passivity that goes along with that hinders self-determination, however. It grants permission to let others decide for you what your priorities are.<\/p>\n

I started working out a couple of years ago and despite the very goal-oriented nature of exercise programs, I could not commit to anything specific. I became a new member of a gym and when I met with a personal trainer (one meeting came with the sign-up package), all I could tell him was that I wanted to eat better and exercise more.<\/p>\n

Two years later, I can finally state explicitly what the plan is, what my goals are, what my New Year’s resolutions are and how I’m going to achieve them. I attribute the change to picking up running. My elliptical workouts became unchallenging and I was hearing a lot of buzz about the Couch to 5K<\/a> program.<\/p>\n

Running a 5K race was a goal agreed upon by myself and two others, but our workout plans never quite fell in sync and eventually my goal became “be able to run a 5K.”\u00a0The C25K podcast laid everything out for me so I didn’t even have to think about it. No time for waffling–just walking and running.<\/p>\n

I also began listening to podcasts about running–Running with the Pack<\/a> being my favorite–and found inspiration in the audiobook What I Talk About When I Talk About Running<\/em> by Haruki Murakami, which I downloaded from the public library<\/a>. I love hearing how experienced long-distance runners compare running and life. How big picture challenges can be broken down into steps and handled day by day.<\/p>\n

My resolution this year is starting simple again. Still not willing to commit to year-long changes, here’s what I’ve got planned:<\/p>\n