My Goals for 2011

New year, new goals. I am not going to call these resolutions. They are goals – things to strive for. Unlike last year, my goals are going to be a little more general, because each of them encompasses several things. I’ll give status reports every two months.

Goal 1 – Complete my sixth Team in Training event. I have not done a marathon in three years and feel it is time to do my fourth. Reaching this goal means accomplishing a number of things along the way. First, I have to get this neuroma in my left foot solved once and for all. Then I will have to join the team, train consistently, and raise sufficient funds. I will also have to maintain a reasonable weight and fitness level, and train on my own. Right now, I have my eyes set on the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco in October.

Goal 2 – Take the second step toward becoming a tri-athlete. During this year, I want to do one of two things so that I can complete a triathlon for TNT in 2012. I will either save the money for a bike and practice riding, or I will practice swimming. But I need a new computer more than I need a bike. So more likely, I will learn to swim a lot better – let’s say being able to swim a half mile by the end of the year is a good goal - if I don’t go with the bike.

Goal 3 – Write something, get it published, and get paid for it. I want to see if I can make at least a partial living as a writer, and I won’t find out if I don’t get more serious about it. Reaching this goal means practicing writing more, exploring markets a lot harder than I have been, reading more, and submitting articles to publishers. By the way, when you work full time and also want to train for a marathon, it is really hard to find the time to write and research markets, but I hope that putting this goal so specifically down in writing will remind me to focus on this goal.

Goal 4 - Continue to hike and enjoy the outdoors. I can measure how well I do by activity in my “Oh, To Be Hiking!” blog. Let’s set a goal that I’ll put 18 hike descriptions out there this year, or about 1.5 each month. I want to do at least two backpacking trips this year. Due to vacation time constraints, these will likely be weekend trips. As in goal 1, I need to solve this neuroma problem. I am also working on a project that is a long shot, but if I succeed, I will combine goal 4 and 3 to some success!

Goal 5 – Explore a book idea that I have once and for all. For years, I have thought I wanted to write a book about surviving cancer. But I think a book about “How Art Survived Cancer” would bore people to death, even though some of the stories along the way could be funny or interesting. So I have an alternate, and I think a better, idea that will help cancer patients out. It incorporates some of my experience but it is more about the experience of others. It will be a lot of work, as I will have to research markets to see if a similar book exists, reach out to a bunch of people to get material, and put together a proposal, and then try to get it published. But I think that after nearly nine years, I have to either put this idea to bed or see if it plays in Peoria. And maybe at the end, if I have a good product but can’t get a publisher interested, I will just publish it myself if I have the money.

Well, those are my 2011 goals. Check back every couple of months to check on progress.

What do you hope to accomplish in this brand and grand new year?