I believe wholeheartedly that we can do more than our mind thinks we can do. When we are disciplined to work hard and take the actions required to see progress, I believe we all have greatness within us we don’t even know is there yet. The magic of running is that it keeps allowing us to find that greatness over and over and over. For each of us, that greatness may be different, but it’s there waiting for us.

I know I have some greatness within me that has yet to be tapped. I want to dream big this year. But I’m not going to. What!?! I know that is what you’re thinking. If it was a “normal year,” these are the running goals I’d be sharing with you:

Break 3:30 in the marathon
Break 1:38 in the half marathon
Break 20 minutes in the 5K

But this isn’t a year like any other. This year, I’m committing to slow down and focus on trying to start a family. We’ve decided it’s time to add a little unladylike person to our tribe. To go after the above goals is not going to help me achieve the biggest one. These all require high mileage, lots of intense speed workouts, tempo runs and challenging pace runs that create added stress on the body.

So, I’m tabling these goals. That’s uncomfortable for me to say. Even a little scary, really. I’m not forgetting about them, just setting them aside for a little while. You’ll see these goals again. Until then, I’ll be unleashing my greatness in another way this year.

I have 4 main goals and a handful of secondary goals I’ll be focusing on during 2015.

1. Maintain half marathon fitness.
Although I’m not training for a specific race(s) in 2015, I still want to maintain a fitness level that would allow me to safely and effectively run a half marathon on any given weekend. I do intend to run some races for fun, including a few half marathons. I hope this will provide the adequate fitness for me to start building for the 2016 Boston Marathon should I get in and not be 9 months pregnant (knock on wood, knock on wood again). My plan is as follows:

• Run 4 days a week (at a mostly conversational pace).
• Maintain weekly mileage between 20 and 30 miles per week.
• Continue to run a long run each week between 8 and 11 miles.
• Every now and again introduce some strides or informal intervals to keep the legs turning over.
• Sign up for some fun races with no expectations.

2. Help other runners achieve big goals.
In 2014, I received my marathon coaching certification and began training runners for distances of all levels. This year, I’m going to dedicate most of my running to helping other runners achieve their big goals. I’m currently coaching 3 women to tackle spring half marathon PRs and am running with several of my friends who are going after spring marathon BQ (Boston Qualifying) times. Here’s the plan:

• Continue delivering strong training plans, counsel and comprehensive, personalized coaching to runners I’m working with, along with ongoing motivation that will help them achieve realistic, yet big running goals.
• Continue training with my running partners who are aiming for big marathon/half marathon goals in 2015 to help them on their journey
• Complete 4 continuing education credits as a marathon coach to continue strengthening my knowledge and skills.
• Continue sharing relevant content here on runladylike.com and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and other networks to offer information, guidance, support, inspiration and motivation to runners of all ability levels.

3. Get stronger.
Focusing on and achieving some big running goals last year required me to be laser focused on running. I was running 5 to 6 days per week with little cross-training and very little strength training other than barre classes. While I know that regular strength training is critical to stronger running, I also knew I had to run more to run better. As a result, I lost some of my strength (including arms and core) during the second half of last year. This year, I’d like to change that. By running fewer miles and days this year, I’ll be able to focus on strength and cross-training again more diligently. I believe this will keep me running stronger. Here’s the plan:

• Commit to at least 2 days of strength training per week.
• I recently started ClassPass in Atlanta. If you haven’t yet heard of ClassPass, it’s an awesome new fitness resource that allows you to go to unlimited fitness classes in your area for less than $100 per month (they also have an option you can buy to go to all classes across the country if you travel a lot). You can try different studios and workouts every month and get introduced to lots of new workouts to see what you like best. Thanks to a free month from the ClassPass team, I started trying it out on December 30 and intend to purchase a membership after this month is up. So far, I’ve gone to 4 new classes, including cycling, yoga and barre. This week I’m also trying several strength training classes. I’ll be writing more about my ClassPass experience later this month when I’ve had more time to try out classes. I’ll also share with you my thoughts on new classes I discover that will help all of us get fitter and stronger. Here’s a referral link you can use so you don’t have to be on the waiting list if you want to give it a try.
• My mom gave me a 90-day Jillian Michaels workout DVD set to borrow that I’m going to start using soon to try to work on getting stronger. Note: I’m not using this for “extreme weight loss” as is indicated on the cover but rather for the strength training workouts.
• I want to get back on the bike and in the pool again this year for cross-training. I’ve already taken 2 competitive spin classes during the past week using my ClassPass membership and have enjoyed being on the bike again.

4. Eat cleaner.
After being a big fat pig indulging during the holiday months, everyone wants to eat better come January. If you’ve heard that goal once, you’ve heard it a million times. Well, I’m done. I’m done being a slave to sugar and bread and temptation. To accomplish the big family goal this year, I want to be as healthy as I can be. I feel so much happier and healthier when I’m eating well. Everything and every part of me shines when I’m living my healthiest. Therefore, I’m committing to eating cleaner. Here’s how:

• During the month of January, I’m breaking up with bread and sugar. You can read my break-up letter and see the rules here. No sugar or added sugar or bread for 31 days (fruit is fine, unsweetened dairy is fine). I’m on day 5 and feel good and don’t miss it so far. I’ll be posting recipes throughout the year, as well as a recap of the bread and sugar break-up results at the end of this month. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be inspired to continue it after January.
• Cook dinner at least 4 nights a week, with a preference of 5. Mr. rUnladylike and I already do a good job of eating at home, but I really want to commit to focusing on this in 2015.
• I’m tracking my daily food on the MyFitnessPal app so I can make sure I’m getting the right mix of carbs, fats and proteins and balancing my calorie needs with my exercise. My mom and I are both doing it and we’re following each other’s food plans and exercise so we can see what the other is doing and sending each other motivation every day. I’m only going to be friends with my mom on this app, so my apologies if you try to connect. .
• Share updates here on the blog, including recipes, to stay accountable and to motivate your clean eating journey. We’re in this together, people!

In addition to these 4 goals, there are a few other miscellaneous goals I’ll be focused on this year:

Workout mostly in the mornings. I’m a night owl and I have always struggled to get up early to exercise, but I feel so much better and more productive when I do. So, I’m going to commit to doing most of my workouts in the mornings before the workday begins. ClassPass is really helping me with that because I’m scheduling early morning workouts and there is a fee if you don’t show up or cancel within 24 hours. Making appointments for myself early through these classes and running dates is key for me to be successful with this. My goal is to exercise 6 times a week most weeks, with 3 to 4 of these workouts in the early morning hours.

Move more during the work day. Because I work from home, I often find I’ll go for hours without moving from my desk. I want to change that. I’m going to set my phone alarm to remind me to get up and move throughout the day, whether that’s taking a short walk around the block during the afternoon, standing while on conference calls, doing abs while watching a webinar, etc.

Finally read all my running books. I’ve accumulated a lot of running books during the past year that have been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read them. I’m going to get through all of them this year. And, lucky you, I’ll share any awesome take-aways from them here on the blog for you.

Learn to sew. You didn’t see that one coming did you? My grandma gave me a sewing machine about 10 years ago that I’ve never taken out of the box. There is a great sewing place near my house, and I’m going to sign up for lessons. I’ve wanted to do this forever so I’m going to stop talking about it and finally do it.

Learn to take better photos. For Christmas, Mr. rUnladylike and I got our first DSLR camera (aka a real fancy camera). I’d like to learn how to use all the manual settings and take better photos. We are going to take some photography classes this year to do so.

More ways to connect with rUnladylike throughout the year:
Twitter: @rUnladylike
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runladylike
Instagram: http://instagram.com/runladylike/
Daily Mile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/jesica
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JesicaD/
Follow rUnladylike with Bloglovin

What are your 2015 running goals? How about non-running/fitness goals? What’s your favorite running book?