Those 2014 Goals

It's a little cold here in the Midwest, and from what I've read on my Facebook feed, it seems to be cold all over the U.S. Even friends in Oklahoma experienced temperatures of 15 degrees this morning and took their runs inside. Here in Bourbonnais, it was -14 with a feels like temp of -41 when I woke up this morning. The snow has stopped, and the deep freeze has begun. Schools are closed as well as most businesses, and announcements of closings are already coming in for tomorrow. It's a little brutal. With life pretty much at a standstill, I figure this is a really good time to throw out those 2014 goals I mentioned in the last post.

I have a big year planned. At this point I am registered for four marathons, Ragnar, and a duathlon, and I plan to register for a fifth marathon this week. I have never really trained to the point where I felt completely ready for an event. I hop on and off training schedules. I am one of those people who has lots of excuses. Remember what I said in the last post? How I wish I had a dollar for every time I said "I'm gonna train harder"? Well, people, in 2014 I am gonna train harder. My #1 goal for 2014 is CONSISTENCY. Truly. And these are the goals and challenges I am taking on to get there:

• 30 Day Ragnar Challenge: Do something active for 30 days straight. This is the smallest of the goals to help form the habit for the others. This is Day 6, and I'm still good. 
• 100 Days Challenge: Do 30 minutes of activity every day for 100 days. I want that Ragnar challenge to continue on. Once I form that habit for 30 days, why not strive for 100... and then more. 
• 100 Days of Miles: Run 100 days in 2014. This one is going to keep me focused on running and on being consistent since I can't skip more than three days. 
• Run This Year: Run 2014 miles in 2014. This is a big one, and, honestly, not trying to sound defeatist already, but I most likely won't hit 2,014 running miles. I have never even hit 1,000 miles for the year. But, again, this challenge gives me that focus on running. And I am willing to see just how many miles I can rack up by the end of the year with my real hope hitting at least 1,000 miles. 

I like these challenges for the online support and accountability. I like the idea of charts and logs...visual motivation. In line with these challenges, my other goals for the year are to

• Read more
• Blog more
• Bike more (at least 2,500 miles for the year)
• Practice yoga more
• Lose ten pounds
• Qualify for the 50 States Marathon Club (got five more states to go)

I hope your 2014 is off to a great start. I would love to hear about your own goals and strategies to get there. Please share.