2011 Resolutions

Okay, I've had some time to ponder.  As with last year, there are a couple personal resolutions that I won't share, and a couple I may leave vague on the blog, but here goes.

1.  Italian at home.  We started last night and have decided already to clarify a bit.  The resolution will apply to evenings on the second floor (where the kitchen and living room are).  We're going to keep a running list of vocabulary we need to look up (to give you a sense of last night's conversation and events, words I need are cutting board, glass measuring cup (wondering if there was a word for the larger one that you use for liquids, not just like a 1/3 cup measuring cup thing), shatter (hubby's doing, not mine, argh), tase (or is the verb taze?) (and taser), and la scorta (the name of the movie we were watching in Italian, it means the bodyguard or the bodyguards, we both thought it was singular but it was used as an invariable plural throughout, so we need to clear that up)).  Our conversation sometimes seems awkward.  For example, last night's conversation went something like this:  This is a lot of food.  There was more pasta than I thought.  Yes, the pasta is abundant.  Lol.  Oh well, at least we're doing it, awkward and stilted as it may be -- the idea is that with time, we'll get used to it again.  On nights we have wine with dinner, it may get even easier.  We want to do this all year, including after we get back from Italy. 

2.  Follow at least one ambitious marathon training program to the best of my ability.  This could of course be read broadly to include my whole non-running life practically, hours of sleep, hydration, diet, etc., but I'm going to focus on following the prescribed workouts at the prescribed paces.  Day One was this morning, and it was a struggle to keep up, but I'm doing it.  We're going to build up to 50 miles per week very soon -- like in just over one month.  That scares the crap out of me, but I'm going to trust and try...  Hopefully this will lead to a marathon PR in 2011, either in the spring or the fall or both. 

3.  Log at least 1400 miles.  This should be no problem, particularly if I do a fall marathon, as I do most years.  This is my first year with a spring marathon as well, so it will be easy to have tons of high-mileage months if I do both.  2009 I was at 1284 (with speed training in the spring and three fall marathons).  2010 I was just over 1400 (with speed training in the spring and two fall marathons).  It would be uber-cool to hit 2011 miles in 2011, but I think that's too big a leap to make a good goal for me.  But it'll be in the back of my mind probably... 

4.  Attain a new 5k PR.  This means I'll either tie or beat Adam since I am currently one second behind him.  I may have to lose some weight to do this, but I'm not making a specific weight loss resolution since I haven't had a lot of success with that in the past. 

5.  Entertaining at home -- similar resolution to last year's in terms of quantity, would like to host several people we did not last year.  This will general mean dinner parties.  It might mean some new recipes too.  Our one traditional party (rehearsal dinner anniversary) isn't going to work this year because we'll be in Boston that day (it will be marathon-eve), so we might try to do that two days early, or we'll just defer this year (might be good to defer since I won't be drinking a few days before the marathon). 

6.  Flossing five days per week.  This was a resolution for me in 2005 and my dentist could tell.  I felt quite guilty during my early 06 visit when she was commenting for the second time what a great flosser I was -- I didn't have the heart to say it was my 05 resolution and I wasn't repeating it in 06.  By summer of 06, I was back to being told to floss more regularly on every trip to the dentist. 

7.  Operation:  Fit-Closet.  I'd like to progress toward having everything in my closet fit me and be things I wear.  That means lots of clothes need to be donated or altered.  I wish there was some kind of bulk deal for alterations.  I might just take ten skirts/pants with me to a couple places and see if I can get a no-rush quantity discount.  Some stuff hasn't fit for quite some time, so what's the difference if the alterations take three months.  Some pieces weren't expensive and might not be worth having altered -- for those, I need to donate.  I'd been kind of dragging my feet on this because I think we'd hit the cap for in-kind donations already for 2010, so I've been holding some things to donate this year.  But even if it's a bad deal tax-wise, I want the closet to be cut in half about by next year.  Maybe hubby could keep his clothes there then! 

8.  Book Research.  I've been considering attempting to write a non-fiction book for some time, and I've started compiling notes, but as the research gathering process is extensive and unending (and since I have no expectations of completing a draft for years), I am resolving to be more diligent about recording research this year.  As I've probably noted before, I like reading a lot but don't do enough of it.  I tend to read whatever assigned book we have for book club (usually fiction, unless it's my month!).  And I mostly like WWII non-fiction for my free reading.  Or non-fiction running books.  But if I could go back in time, I'd like to have majored in history in college, and maybe pursued it beyond there.  It could be very compatible with law!  Anyway, my primary area of interest is probably Pacific Theater, but I'm not picky really when it comes to that war.  I also enjoy Russian history a great deal (esp the revolution!) and wish I had the time and energy to learn Russian so I could read native-language books.  But for now, I'd like to work a bit more on my own research. 

I may have to add a few more in the next week, I'm usually between 10 and 15, but this is what I've got so far.