Happy New Year

It’s that time of year again; time to establish my goals for the upcoming year. It was not that many years ago that this activity was left for work activities only. I guess it has been 10 + years that I’ve consistently established personal goals and objectives each year. Before that, I did like a lot of others and made New Year’s resolutions, most of them not lasting more then a few days and some not even that long. There were the quitting smoking and losing weight mantras, none of which were very successful. There were a variety of other not so successful haphazard attempts at self improvement. These failures were not necessarily due to a lack of self discipline or will power but more a result of insufficient planning and execution. You’d think that someone with 20+ years of project management experience would be capable of goal setting. Truth be told in the last decade or so I have been fairly successful at both setting and achieving personal and professional goals and objectives.

One of the primary keys to successful goal setting is to make your goals realistic. It’s ok and is encouraged to put things out there that will push you beyond your comfort zones but make sure they are centered in reality. Be willing to fail, there will be set backs, just get up, reevaluate, and adjust accordingly. Remember that no plan is perfect and that adjustments are necessary for success. Take a continuous improvement mentality with everything you do. You may not be the best or most successful at something today but if you consistently make small incremental improvements eventually you will achieve success. At the end of each day renew your commitment to being a little better tomorrow. Celebrate your achievements along the way and recognize the incremental improvements you have made. Write your goals and objectives down and make them known. Accountability to yourself and others will help you persevere when things get tough.

So here we go, for the entire internet world (or at lease the one or two of you that may read this) to see. The following are my personal Goals and Objectives for 2009.

1. To inspire and encourage others, especially family and friends, to explore and deepen their faith, to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle, and to become active and engage in their local food chains.
2. To raise awareness about congenital heart disease and meet my fund raising goals for C.H.I.N. (Congenital Heart Information Network) through the Janus Charity Challenge and the Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon.
3. To successfully complete my Ironman training plan, improve my bike and run disciplines, and arrive at the starting line of the Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon mentally and physically prepared to compete.

All I want for Christmas

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a really good boy this year and I would like the following for Christmas, please.

A TREK TTX 9.5 triathlon bicycle (Catalyst Green) /w ZIPP 404 Clydesdale racing wheels, a Louis Garneau Superleggera Helmet, a pair of Zoot Men's Ultra Race Triathlon Shoes, a pair of Sidi T2.6 Carbon Triathlon Shoes, tri shorts and tops in a variety of colors (black shorts and tops in high visibility colors are my favs), and of course a qualifying time for the Kona Ironman World Championship.

Just a little over the top…please…ya think!

As Christmas approaches and as family members ask the inevitable “what do you want for Christmas?” question, and as I give the usual response of, nothing other then spending time with family and friends, I reflect a little. What do I want for Christmas, really?

Beyond the obvious, especially in the current economic times, of keeping my job and being able provide for my family, and their health and well being. There is something else I’d hope for. To make it through the next 9-months of training injury free and to get to the starting line in Madison in the best shape of my life.

As I embark on my third endurance sport season, staying injury free would be a first. I have yet to make it through a season (all two of them) without some sort of injury that has side tracked my training and/or events. During my first year it was overuse injuries, one early in the spring and one late summer that resulted in about 8-weeks of limited training. Last year it was a lower AB strain, which occurred when playing ultimate Frisbee in Berlin, while catching the winning touchdown no less. Not like it was the super bowl or anything, just a bunch of IT geeks goofing around and enjoying the spring weather. I attempted to run a half-marathon a week later (New Prague) and severely aggravated the injury and ended up missing nearly 6-weeks of training as a result.

Last year I added yoga to my weekly workouts. I’ve been doing fitness yoga now for almost a year and absolutely love it. My flexibility has improved 10-fold and has helped with injury prevention. For this coming year it’s strength training, specifically core strength training that I’ve added into the mix. I’m doing about an hour a week focused on the core. I can’t say I’ve developed the same passion as yoga but I’m hopeful it will help in the injury prevention department.

So Santa, if you can, this is what I’d like for Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!