Mid Year/Mid Summer Check- In

Happy Halfway Day!  July 2 marks the halfway point of the year.  And, we’re almost halfway through the summer here.  I know that seems crazy to those of you who just recently finished school, but we’re in the fifth week of our ten week summer vacation.  I always think of July 4th as the “official” halfway point of the summer, which makes me a little sad.  I don’t want summer to end! And… I had some goals for the summer.  I declared it to be the summer of strength and speed, and almost right away I got derailed by a stupid calf issue.  Why does this always happen to me???  It’s like the universe wants me to run very slowly, sigh.  So now we’re at the halfway point (almost) and I feel like I’m starting all over again. The good news is, I ran on Sunday and my calf felt absolutely fine.  I’m proceeding cautiously, but I’ll incorporate some gentle speed work into my runs for the rest of the summer.  Seriously, I have to do SOMETHING, otherwise soon I’ll be running backwards. The calf issue did cause me to have an epiphany though.  Since I had to walk instead of run, I decided to track my walking pace and try to improve it.  This was actually kind of fun- much more fun than just going out to walk for 45 minutes, with no pace goal.  This approach made me understand the problem I’ve had all along with strength training.- I don’t set any specific goals.   I think I would enjoy strength training much more if I had concrete goals, rather than just vaguely saying “I’ll do strength two or three times a week.”  So for the second half of the summer I’m going to set some goals for weight and reps. For a review of yearly goals, my first thought was, seriously, “Wait- did I have any?”  Then I remembered that I decided to set monthly goals instead, which I did for a couple months and then forgot all about it.  Maybe I should rethink that strategy!  The one yearly goal I always have is to read 50 books, and I always fall just short. THIS year however, I’m ahead of my goal- I’ve read 30 books at the halfway point!  For a brief, exciting moment I envisioned myself finishing the year with 60 books.  Then I remembered my reading always takes a hit during NaBloPoMo, and I’m sure this year my TV viewing of the Olympics will seriously eat into my reading time.  Still- this very well could be the year I reach my 50 book goal. Do you like to reassess your goals at “Halfway Day?” Are there any goals you’ve changed or added so far this year?