Happy New Year! I guess you don’t need me to tell you it’s a new year, but in case you were on vacation and having such an unforgettable magical time you didn’t even bother to check the day, or clock, it’s now 2017! And can I tell you, how truly magnificent it is to have survived 2016?! Let us all give ourselves a pat on the back – even if you personally had a fabulous year!
Me? I was ready to say goodbye to 2016. It was indeed a tough year, a growing year, but I think if 2017 were to turn out just as challenging, I feel pretty confident in my ability to handle it.
But, I’m ready to make 2017 a great year! A fabulous year! One fricken-awesome-amazingly epic year! Although, I honestly don’t know the “how” to make that happen just yet, but I’m going to keep believing it’s going to be a great year. Maybe I just feel it in my bones!
You ever have that feeling that you just can’t put a finger on, but your gut is telling you something very strongly? Intuition? Yes!
There’s just something about this year I feel so optimistic about, and I’m not just talking about running. I feel like for me personally, last year was only the warm-up, the pre-work if you will, to the real work and the harder work, I’m set out to do in 2017. In fact, I feel like the last several years were the comfortable warm-up, and last year shook me up to a very uncomfortable level.
Going into 2017, already my mindset is different. And I believe that right there, is key.
While I had big race plans in 2016, I don’t have that going into 2017, and I’m honestly okay with that. In fact, I keep thinking about this, what if I don’t run in a single race this whole entire year? How would I feel about that? And you know what? Pretty sure I’d be perfectly okay with it. I mean, before I started running, there were several years I never did a single race. It’s not like we’re defined as runners by the number of races we actually participate in, nor even the distance.
I remember reading a story about this in Runner’s World last year, or maybe it was the year before, heck it could’ve been 2010 for all I know, but the point is this, there was a story about several runners who ran merely to run. Fancy that. They never did any races, and they ran practically every single day, with some even running fairly long mileage.
Could I become that type of runner in 2017? Sure, anything is possible.
It’s possible I’ll go after another 100 miler. It’s possible I’ll only do another 100K. It’s possible I won’t do any races this year at all.
But I’m open to whatever comes – good and bad, but yes, I’m focusing on more good. Last year I think I tried so hard to force things and now I’m learning to surrender and see what happens.
Sure there are certain things I aiming to accomplish in 2017. When it pertains to career-wise, I am getting that on track. I am aiming to see that 100 mile race come to fruition. I am going to discover things I’m truly passionate about, and whittle the number of items I own down to only those that bring absolute joy and value into my life. Anyone follow the minimalist approach? It’s something I’m going to embark on which in part is kind of scary, but I’ll get to that in another post. I am going to read all the unread books on my shelf – luckily, there aren’t too many. I am practicing my daily meditation and making it a point to write in my journal everyday even if it’s writing nonsense about how delicious my coffee was that day. Oh wait, sorry, coffee is not nonsense. Bad example.
I guess I am really trying hard to find my true purpose in this world. I mean, why am I still here? Do you ever think about that? Okay that’s getting pretty deep, but it’s something that’s important to me and I realize more and more each day how much our time on this earth is so limited. Do I want to spend this year meandering through life day in and day out without some real sense of purpose? You could say, this year is about doing things with absolute love, and finding fulfillment, because tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.
For much of 2016, I felt like I was standing at a crossroads with several directions to go and yet, I stood there, frozen, lost and confused, not knowing where to go. This year in 2017, I am going to change that. And I will do so as I keep running because if there is one thing I do know I love, it’s running!
So, let’s make this an epic year! Even if you had a great year in 2016, may this year be even better!
Thanks for reading and here’s to new running, and life, adventures in 2017! Health, love, and happiness to all!