Happy New Year!!

It feels like the new year has been going for a while already - I am now into my second week back at work, and my third week of training.  I had a very busy time getting back to nirmal after New York - Charlie and I were married only 3 weeks after getting home, which in turn was only 3 weeks before Christmas.  The whole 'Eat, Drink and Be Merry' mantra was taken a little far, and I am now ruing the kilos gained.  I did decide however, that I am the sort of person who needs extrinsic goals - I need to do it for more than just 'me', I need an strong external reason to get out there.  I enjoy running.  I felt great on my first few runs back at home after the marathon.  But it gets hard, especially with the warm weather, and juggling work and other peoples needs within the household, and the excuses pile up as fast as those kilos do and before you know it, it was 10 weeks since I had been to the gym and 2 weeks since I ran.

So, on Christmas day there was an opportunity to go to the gym before lunch.  So I did.  It made eating all that brandy butter easier, which did me no favours in the long run, but I did it.  I had that wonderful post exercise soreness going on for a few days.  And I went back to the gym - I went 3 times that first week, and ran three times.  And firmed up some goals. 

1. 7 Marathons on 7 continents.  I am not sure of the time frame yet, as both the cost and the time away are tricky, but the goal is there.  1 continent is done, another is booked, time to plan some others.

2. Great Wall Marathon, May 19th 2012.  Booked, flight paid for, happening.  And Beck is coming, too !!! (Big cheer here).  I have a training buddy, at least by remote (even though we live only 5 km from each other and work together.  But she has 3 kids, I have 3 kids part time - it gets tricky).  And the 18 week program starts next week, 16th January, so it is nice and imminent.

3. Antarctica Marathon March 2014.  The cool one!!  Deposit paid, awaiting confirmation.

4. Conference trip to Dubai October 2013.  Will find a local marathon there - maybe Africa.  The big ones - Kilimanjaro, Big Five, Two Oceans, Petra are all the wrong time of year for this one, but we will see how we go.  Instanbul marathon could be good timing, but that is Europe and Asia - doesn't really fit with the theme.

5. I may try to find a South American one close to the Antarctic one, again because getting to South America twice within a few years is expensive, time consuming, and I really want to see a lot of the place eventually, but I am not sure how much now is the time.  Wish list would be the Inca Trail Marathon.

6. Berlin Marathon, sometime.  It is held on September 30th this year, but I don't think the timing of it will work for me with conferences in Brisbane in early September, my brother in laws wedding in Alice Springs the next week, and another conference in Sydney in late October.  It makes for too much time away from work, so I may be looking at 2014/ 2015 for that.  Yikes - that is a long way away.

7. An aussie one.  I think the Australian one will just fit in where I have a gap that needs filling, when I need to get going on a goal.

There we have it.  A new year, some goals (not so much resolutions), and we will see how we go.  I'm looking forward to the journey, even if the sore muscles leave a bit to be desired.