A Time to Reflect!

 

Christmas is done and the Waves are Closing in on 2011!

Its been busy year both on running and non-running related fronts!

One the non-running front, in mid 2010 Hubby had gotten laid off and he was working a crappy retail job with no chances of moving up. Thankfully in June 2011 he started working for company that are building and  managing indoor soccer facilities and while he has been incredibly busy and has put in some crazy hours in, it is something that has a lot of potential for him! After several years, he is finally getting a chance to work along the lines of what he got his degree in and learn so much more along the way!

We made some very tough financial decisions in 2010 when he got laid off and while we thought we would never be able to stick to the plan, we are now working through it well and are still managing to have fun and live our lives…just in a much more tighter budget! The good thing is it’s only going to make us more financially independent in the years to come!

Of course the biggest and greatest day of 2011 is when I became a U.S. Citizen  It was a longtime in the making and the moment I finally took the Oath was truly unbelievable!

On the running front…looking at my list from last year, my goals were fairly well accomplished!

• Goal #1 – Stay Injury Free
  I did have a few issues with my Achilles and after doing some road running in the last few weeks am experiencing some sore shins, but overall, I managed to incorporate cross training in the form of a lot of yoga to keep me mostly injury free. I was pretty much in training all through the year and am taking a break right now before going back into it in 2012! I was schedule to run Houston Marathon mid January and after a lot of thinking, decided to not run it this year! My shins are having some issues with road running and my hip has bothered me a little as well, so I figured smart move for me would be to simply concentrate on my main goal for 2012!
• Goal #2 – Complete a Marathon Distance
  While it was a tough run physically due to stomuch issues throughout the race, I did finish my first Marathon at the Free State Trail Marathon on 4/23!
• Goal #3 – Complete a 50k Distance
  This was a tentative goal, but deep down I knew I wanted to get that accomplished in 2011. At Dogwood Canyon 50k Trail Run I stepped into the ultra running world exactly 6 months to the day (10/23) after my first Marathon finish. Holy Hills that about sums up that race

I wish I had more miles…but I’m happy with what I managed to accomplish in 2011! After all….I need to leave something for 2012 right?!!

Looking back there were things I could have done better and things I should have done differently, BUT whatever I did I learned from and moved on!
2011 seemed to have flown by and I’m sure a year from now I will be saying the same of 2012! I try to remind myself everyday that we all get one life and it goes by so quickly that we need to cherish Family and Friends and live each moment to the fullest and as best as we can! I’ve had success and failure, wonderful moments and ones that I wish I could relive, but at the end of it all I’ve loved, lived and tried my best to make every moment count…and that is my greatest accomplishment this year!

What are you reflecting on as this year comes to a close??