Oh my dear sweet lord.

I’m registered. Like, actually registered.

I feel like I’m going to puke.

On Thursday, registration opened up for next year’s Muskoka Half Ironman, to be held on Sunday September 8^th 2013.

Despite the voice in my head SHRIEKING at the top of her lungs that I would certainly die, throwing herself down and beating herself against the inside of my skull….I registered.

So I guess this is really happening eh???

Anyways, I’m trying to just forget about all that, and carry on with what I intended this post to be about, and that’s the beginning of my monthly goal setting! A new month always feels like a clean slate to me; a chance to kind of “start fresh” and tackle some of those things that have totally fallen off the wagon as the previous month got old and stale.

I want to get into the habit of setting 3 goals at the beginning of each month.

The first will be a “training specific” goal. That includes everything from eating more efficiently to a specific swimming, biking, running goal, to a rest/recovery goal, anything related to the Half Ironman. I think I’m going to start referring to the Half Ironman as “the beast. That sounds much sexier than “the half Ironman”.

The second will be a “class specific” goal. This includes things like putting together a theme class in one class a week, learning my choreography on the weekends so that I have weeknights free, doing a full set of pushups on my toes, eating better post-class to help in recovery, rolling out with a foam roller after class and more.

The third I would actually like to be a personal goal. That can be anything from learning how to braid my own hair to spending more time with friends/family, to sticking to a budget.

Good luck on the budget thing – but you get the idea. Balance is important. Or so I’ve been told.

Footnote: I firmly believe in the SMART goal setting principle, and all of my monthly goals should follow this format. That means that they should all be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Lululemon has also taught me over the years to express goals using positive affirmation. Replace wishy washy words like “try”, “wish”, “maybe” with “will”, “do” and “certainly”. Oh the wisdom. Lulu is so much more then pants that make everyone’s bums look good…..

So without further ado, I bring you:

Sara’s November Goals

(please, hold your applause)

“Beast Goal”

1. I attend 2 RPM classes per week for a total of 8 classes this month and improve my overall confidence on the bike.

“Class Goal”

2. I improve my recovery after class by experimenting with different post-workout recovery meals (full of protein!). I drink 8 glasses of water per day.

“Personal Goal”

3. I complete 50% of my Christmas shopping by December 1^st!!

The reason I’ve chosen to focus on RPM and biking as my training goal for this month is because that’s the part of the triathlon that scares the crap out of me.

After just about a full month of swimming at least weekly, I’m actually feeling much more comfortable with the idea of the swim. I know swimming in a freezing, cold, sea-weedy, dark lake isn’t quite the same as swimming in a heated pool with a line on the bottom, but every time I go swimming, I feel like I’m improving, and I get a little bit more sure that I’ll be able to do a 2km swim.

I’ve run half marathons in the past (never following a 2km swim and a 90km bike, but let’s just ignore that for now), and I’ve also got a couple of races planned between now and the start of next spring to keep me running over the winter months, so I’m actually feeling a little more assured about the run as well.

I’ve been avoiding the bike like the plague. I have these god awful flashes where I see myself crash on a bike and shatter my elbows (possibly one of the least feared, but absolutely most devastating injuries that any athlete could sustain), smash my face, damage my brain…..*shudder*

Anyways, I figure in a nice safe environment is the right place to start. Maybe by the time spring rolls around I’ll be feeling a little more confident….at least that’s my hope.

As for my class goal, I’ve found that this month my body has really taken a beating with all of the teaching that I’ve been doing, and I sure haven’t been doing anything to help my recovery. Think meals comprised ENTIRELY of mini chocolate bars post-workout. Yea. Believe it.

This month, my goal is to wake the hell up start treating my body a lot better post-workout by eating better, drinking more water and even taking more time to stretch and ice when needed.

My personal goal needs no explanation. IT’S FREAKIN’ NOVEMBER!! Time to start Christmas shopping!!

My Visa just winced. Poor thing, doesn’t even know what’s about to hit it….:)

Happy November – may it be a month full of personal growth and development for all of us!!

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