May Progress on My 2010 Goals

At the end of 2009, I identified ten goals for myself for the upcoming year. I decided to do a little progress report at the end of each month to see how I am doing on each of these. Here is where things stand after five months into the New Year!

1. Do my fifth Team in Training event. I am on the Summer Team to run the Seattle half marathon. Training has been going on for almost four months. There are just 3 weeks to go now, and injuries and another cold have me down but not out.

2. Get a bike. Initially, this means saving money for a bike. This takes money I don't have right now, and I have finally made some tiny progress on this goal by setting aside a little more money for this purpose. But truthfully, enjoying my time in Seattle and Washington could use some of this money. I need to seize the day while I am out there.

3. Eclipse $50,000 (cumulative) in fund raising for Team in Training. I need to raise $8,500 this season to hit this target. After some times when I wondered about whether I could do it, I've now raised 92% of this amount so far, and had a great May for raising money. I had to update my PurpleOmeter four times in May, and have already updated it in June as well. It is clear to me that I will reach and even surpass this goal.

4. Lose my extra 10 pounds. It is slow going, but I have lost about five pounds of it so far, a pound more than a month ago. However, taking it easy for this injury is not going to help, unless I start watching what I eat.

5. Practice swimming. I’ve made no progress on this goal.

6. Write something, get it published, and get paid for it. I’ve made no progress on this goal.

7. Run the Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K this March. Accomplished!

8. Hike more, and try to backpack again. I’ve managed a few more short hikes in the past month. And I've continued with some short hikes in May. But my larger plans for hiking last month were impeded by being sick and now this injury. Hopefully, I can get a few good hikes in this month as training winds down and as this injury heals.

9. Do something about my work situation. No progress on this at all.

10. Continue this blog, as well as my blog “Oh, to be Hiking,” through 2010. I’ve written 114 posts on this blog and 16 posts on my hiking blog through April of 2010. So I am doing well on this goal.

Summary – mixed. After five months, I have accomplished one goal, made good progress on three of my goals, some progress on two others, tiny progress on one more, and no progress on the other three. But the year is now 5/12 over. I need to pick one of those neglected goals and at least get started in June. So that is my goal for this month. Check back!

I said a month ago that my goal for May was to get started with a neglected goal, but it didn't happen. June is not looking great either, with my event coming up and with being ill again. But I should be able to focus on something.