As 2012 drew to a close and the promise of 2013 was alive in everyone’s imagination many of us made resolutions and commitments for the new year.

My New Years Commitments

My commitment was to run three days per week each week in 2013. This week will mark the end of week 18 which should have me completing my 54th run of the year.

My run on Tuesday was number 49 for the year, so I am a little behind on my commitment. As I started the Tuesday run my left Achilles started acting up. Things often hurt for a few minutes and then get better. This time the hurt continued throughout my run and is still bothering me.

One of the lessons that I have learned over the years is that if something hurts you need to give it some rest. So I’ve decided to bag the rest of the week, take some anti-inflamitories and ice my ankle as often as possible.

By taking some time off now my body will be able to repair the damage from my half-marathon and I wont have a lingering pain all summer. I know I need to do this, but I do not like it.

With the year one-third over I will be behind my commitment by five runs at the end of this week. I plan to work hard over the summer so that I can get a PR at Bay State in October, and I’m even dreaming of a Boston Qualifying time at Bay State. It’s a stretch goal! With these goals in mind, getting those five runs back into my schedule should not be a problem.

How are you doing with your New Years resolution or commitment? Have things slipped a bit or are you done? There is still plenty of time to get back on track.

Most of us made these resolutions for a reason. Possibly to achieve a life-long goal or to improve ourselves in some way. It is easy to get caught up in life’s every day struggles and forget our dreams. Resolutions are those grand goals that if achieved will help us achieve our dreams.

The goals are grand because the dreams are grand. Grand goals are not easy to achieve. They are the “what ifs.” But by sticking to your plan or re-committing to your plan you can achieve your goals and dreams and the “what if” will turn into “I did”.

I am behind on my commitment but I have not given up on my dream. Three runs per week are the base that I need to achieve my goals. As I’ve said before, it’s about more than just running this time.

© anagelin 2013