Half Year In Review

The last thing I remember was a New Year's party and suddenly it's June 30.  Half of my last year on Barbados is gone. What?

Time to admit my shortcomings review my progress on my half year goals of 2013.  Annual goals are just too "out there" for me and the statistics on successful New Year's Resolutions suggest that I'm not alone.  Setting my goals and reviewing them publicly is the best way I've found to get sh*t done!

To recap my 2013 half year goals:
1. Publish 26 blog posts by June 30
2. Get half marathon time under 2:10
3. Simplify our stuff in anticipation of a move
4. Pass my Precision Nutrition Exam
5. Send a birthday card to every family member
6. Complete the Great Train Race across Barbados in February

Oh dear.  Mixed bag.

I've taken the blog posts down to the WIRE.  THIS is the 26th post for 2013.  I only posted once in April and twice in May (for absolutely no reason) and it placed me squarely behind the 8 ball.  When I'm writing consistently, I have no problem coming up with topics, recipes, etc. but when I take a break it's like my brain goes dead.  At least I can rack this up in the "completed" column.  Frankly, I need it!

Taking a good long injury break from running made #2 impossible.  I needed the break more than anything and honestly, taking the time off was much harder than getting the 2:10.  All runners know this.  It killed me to drop from Pittsburgh and the months spent running down down down into more pain did a number on my mind.  After a rest, adjustments to some of my yoga postures and great chiropractic care, I'm running up up up into the light of day.  That 2:10 will be mine!

I'm giving myself an A++ for simplifying our lives. After two brutal garage sales I have NOTHING in any closet or dresser that is located outside my bedroom.  My kitchen is pared down to the essentials (read: Vitamix).  I have eliminated all but three small boxes of important documents and I have scanned our entire life into the computer - which is now backed up locally and remotely AND our credit is protected by LifeLock.  BAM!

Not taking the PN exam is killing me.  I have procrastinated this for 6 months.  Time management is the problem here and I have no one to blame.  I only have the final quarter of the material to go through but the information at the beginning of the course is the hardest to retain (cell structure, energy production systems, etc.) so when I fall off the study train I feel the need to go back and review from the beginning before plowing through the final bit of material.  I need to move this goal into a shorter range category.  Like, 30 days.  Get it DONE Lauren.

I sent not one single birthday card.  And it's not that I don't care... I really do care.  I call family on their birthdays but getting a card from our crappy card shop and ordering stamps online (it's my only option with our APO mail system) is something that I just don't do.  I think this goal might be physically impossible for me :)

And here we are - my favorite goal of all - The Great Train Race.  Yes!  Completed it and became only the 17th or 18th (depending on how you list me and the huz) people to complete the whole race as individual runners.  It was an amazing day that definitely pushed my limits, both physical and mental.  I can only hope that our move date will allow for one more crack at it in February!

So there you have it.  I'm working on a list of goals for the remainder of 2013 which I'm sure will get blown to hell once we get our next assignment.  I am a madwoman once the next location is revealed!

I know that a few of you posted your own goals in response to my New Years post.  I would love to hear from you! How's it going?