In 2021 I ran way less than I planned to and way more than I wanted to.

Circumstances and situations; some avoidable and others completely out of my control took the wheel and for sanity’s sake I just rolled with it. I got miles in when I could, I trained for an ran a 10 mile virtual race which was the most miles I’d strung together since November, 2019. (Insert “Eek” here)

In August I got a Peloton, which I blogged about and I simply adore. And raving about it so much, I was asked if I was going to become a Peloton devotee and ditch my running shoes.

Hmmm…was I? My running groups had fizzled, (people moved, injuries, oh yeah, COVID) and I was feeling very uninspired and “meh”. It was becoming more of a “have to” than a “want to”. And in the almost 21 years I’ve been running I never felt that I was on the fence of not running anymore.

So it got me thinking, (Wait, first, can I just let you know that I think a lot about things. I mean, I’m an introvert by nature and love to have time alone to let things roll around in my brain. Sadly not about things that are important, inventions or cure cancer. It’s more personal development stuff, blog post ideas, what kind of workout I can do for my classes and I write blog posts in my head when I drive. I also think a lot about why the ladies on the Real Housewives are so mean to each other, but that might have to be another blog altogether. ) My point, is that by the time I make a decision, it’s been vetted in my head. For many hours.

Ultimately I realized I wasn’t ready to hang up the Asics just yet. I also knew that “run 3x per week” in my planner wasn’t enough to get me motivated.

The 30-day run streak I ran from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve was a HUGE and fun step in the right direction. It was simple but wasn’t always easy. I had to be very flexible and fluid with the runs because that’s what my schedule dictated. But I loved it. I felt inspired. And that got me thinking about the new year.

So I’ll be setting some performance-based goals. Running faster, running farther, running trails and maybe I’ll register for some races. In the next week I’ll have a few SMART running goals laid out. Remember SMART?

• S – Specific (what exactly will I do?)

• M – Measurable (I can define the progress to make sure I’m on track to reach my goal)

• A – Attainable (that I can accomplish the goal in the timeframe I’ve laid out)

• R – Relevant (that my goal aligns with my values and beliefs)

• T – Timebound (that the goal is accomplished in a certain time frame)

If you’re interested in setting your own performace-based goals, let me know. And if you need encouragement or some coaching to help you reach them, I’m happy to help.

You can find me on Instagram @outfitmarin_bootcamp for more fitness tips, challenges or if you need some extra motivation.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂