If I Can Get Better, Why Not?

Every year, I make New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. Now, I’d be lying if I said I keep them all. But I have definitely kept some, and the ones I don’t keep, I at least make an effort to work towards. I write them on a random piece of paper and post them on a board in my kitchen. This way, I see them every day and I’m reminded of what I’d like to do better and what kind of person I’d like to become.

A snippet of last year’s list. 

Like I said, I don’t always achieve them all, at least not to the degree I would have liked. But I keep on making them every year, for no other reason than it gives me something to constantly work towards and helps put me back on track when I start to de-rail. And we all de-rail now and then.

They also remind me that no matter what, I can always be better. I can be a better writer. I can be a better friend. I can be a better baker. I can be a better wife. I can be a better human. And of course, I can be a better runner. And if I can get better, then why not?

I found that quote today while I was browsing the internet, looking for inspiration. I don’t just want to be a better runner, I want to inspire others to be as well. I want to be able to help people achieve their goals, and show them that anything is possible. I was not always a runner. And before I started running, I never dreamed I even could be. Today, I ran in the rain. My husband said, “The only other people that are out here are faster than you. That’s a good thing.” And what he meant was that I’ve become so passionate and dedicated to becoming better, that I’m out running no matter what. And I want to help create that passion and dedication in others.

In all kinds of weather.

So in addition to my desire to inspire (it rhymes!), I do have some personal running goals that I’d like to achieve over the course of this year. They are, in no particular order:

• run a half marathon in under 2 hours
• run a full marathon in under 4 hours and 30 minutes
• set a new 5k PR (my existing one is 25:52)
• run a race in another country
• don’t compare my running to other people’s running
• run happy

I have a few other New Year’s Resolutions that have nothing to do with running, but as often is the case, running mirrors life. If I can achieve my running goals, I can achieve my life goals. If I can stop comparing my running to other people’s running, I can stop comparing my life to other people’s lives. If I can run happy, I can live happy. And that, is the ultimate New Year’s Resolution.

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