Real David H.

When I looked at my running miles this morning for what I’ve done in the past 11 months, I have this overwhelming sense of failure even though the first four months of the year were the best in a long time.

Around May when I knew I was injured, I thought some downtime would do me some good, and then I’d get back into it in the summer. But issues with both my feet lingered and all my motivation went out the door. I was focused on moving and getting things straight with my house, all while not getting enough rest and giving myself time to get over my injuries.

While I’ll remain disappointed at many of the things that happened with my running this year, I still have a month to close things off on a high note and start 2021 in a good place. I’m digging up my old philosophy of setting three goals for the month and actually writing them down. Then at the end of the month, recap how things went. (Hopefully.)

1. Average 10,000 steps a day

I do have a mileage goal in mind, but I need to focus on more time on my feet. While 10,000 steps a day is kind of a “standard” goal, after my lack of running this summer, I still need to build a base for my legs.

2. Cross train twice a week

Here I am again stating another “standard” type of goal. There’s a reason for that. Establishing consistency is what I’m really focused on to close out the year. I don’t want January to be a start of something new or a renewed dedication to something like cross training.

3. No sweets until Christmas Eve

I need a few weeks of a sugar detox. The trifecta of a birthday-Halloween-birthday in my family totally messed me up in this year of not caring so much about what I was eating or drinking. And since I’m human and love food and sweets, I will indulge on Christmas Eve and Day on whatever I want.

And that’s it. Simple, achievable goals with 2021 and the Blue Ridge Marathon on my mind …