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?