Targets? Challenges? New Years R-word?

Image from www.formspring.me

So we've rolled over into a new year - the "unlucky" one, if you're triskaidekaphobic.  For the last few weeks I have thought about, and settled on a few targets for 2013.  I hate the "new years resolutions" moniker, in fact it makes me NOT do whatever I've determined to do.  So this time around I decided that I'd call them "challenges" or "targets".

Image from rmmagazine.com/2012/04/01/strategy-for-sale/target/

My targets this year are simple and few...

• Run at least two Makeup Bootcamp classes (the first of these is currently in train, next...)
• Overhaul the blog and website, do some more PR and Advertising (ok, planned for April ish, next...)
• Have the damn surgery I need and just get it over with (planned and booked, next...)
• Do something nice for my birthday (it's one of the landmark ones, the ones with a zero in them, the ones none of us are very happy with reaching - in truth I'm still in denial about the last "zero" birthday) (planned, booked, mainly paid for... and I'm in serious count-down mode, next...)
• Some other more professional-related decisions that I won't bore people about in this post (suffice it to say, it's in train, next...)
• Do a couch-to-5k programme and stick with it (echo....)

Notice anything about the above?  There's one item that has no positive uplifting cheery "let's get to it" vibe...

As a minor digression I should say that I am not lazy.  No siree bob, I am actually far from lazy.  I have what my grandad has always referred to as a "glass arse" (ie if I sit on it too long it'll break!)  I'm always on the go, always busy, manically so at times.  I'm no stranger to hard work, and/or lots of it.

But for all of that, the latter item on this list gives me major pause.  In the past I used to do a lot (a lot a lot) of exercising.  Somewhere along the way, for various reasons, that took a nose-dive.  And has continued to do so.  To the point where I now have a complete and utter mental block about it.  Which is ridiculous, because I don't let anything else in life give me pause (well, not strictly true, but I tend to at least face up to most stuff and deal with it, sometimes after a degree of procrastination I'll admit).  But the exercise one has me beat.

So due to years of not really exercising properly, I'm chronically unfit, I'm out of condition, and I'm approaching my mumble-mumble birthday and it's just Not Good Enough.  Thanks to a post by Lynnie on beaut.ie I've had an epiphany.  Feck couch-to-5k.  I'm going to do a couch-to-1-mile!  I'm hoping that this will provide the gateway into a longer programme that seems me happily and voluntarily jogging longer distances over time.  One thing at a time though.  That elusive first mile.  Let's face it, I used to run five miles as a "warm up" precursor to training many moons ago, I never liked it, but I could do it.  Time to get back to that.

I have dusted off the treadmill and the runners and I'm bloody well going to use them.  I'll check back in after a month to see how my progress is going!  Starting on Monday - wish me luck!