By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG
Every year for the past few years, I have gotten together with girlfriends shortly after the New Year to make dream boards.
Dream boards can be collages, artwork, or simply a list of what you envision for yourself in the future. My friends and I usually get together with old magazines, photographs, and some wine and make an evening out of it.
Sometimes I haven’t given what I want for the coming year much thought, but it materializes after talking with friends and looking through the pictures in the old magazines. When we’re done constructing our dream boards, we share what we’ve created. It’s a way to tell the universe what we want. Also, when we tell someone what we want we’re more likely to work toward our goals.
My dream board hangs by my desk so I can look at it every day and remember what I want for the year. I always include something about fitness on my dream board, since I have been running most of my life. My 2011 dream board included images of fit runners, but no concrete running goals. I have been thinking about what I want for 2012 for some time: My goal is to run a sub-20 minute 5K.
There, I said it. It’s out in the universe to anyone reading this blog, so now I HAVE to work toward it. I haven’t run a sub-20 minute 5K since 2010 and wonder, now that I’m 35, can I do it? In 2011, I was plagued with minor injuries and not enough speed workouts, so I wonder if it’s still possible.
What is your running or fitness resolution or goal for 2012?
It doesn’t have to be a time goal. It could be to run three times a week, finish a half-marathon, or sign up for a training class. And you don’t have to create a dream board to set a goal, but it does help to tell a friend or write it down. That way, you have someone to be accountable to and you can visualize what you want.
Run Wild Missoula has some running goal ideas for you in 2012. The club also offers some incentives and support through a few different programs.
- Take a training class. Have you always wanted to finish a marathon or half-marathon? Do you want to improve your finish time? Run Wild Missoula has several training programs geared toward completing the Missoula Half-Marathon or Marathon. The Galloway class starts January 22, the running class starts March 4, and the walking class starts March 17. Sign up for marathon training and set a goal to cross the finish line on July 8, 2012. Run Wild Missoula has other training classes for beginner and trail runners, as well. Visit the Run Wild Missoula website to find out more.
- Log your miles for the 1200 Mile Club and the 2000 Mile Club. Visit the 1200/200 Mile Club website to start logging your miles in 2012. You must start tracking your miles by August 1, 2012 in order to be considered in for the 1200/2000 Mile Club and receive the gift. In 2011, it was a RWM jacket – we promise something equally cool in 2012.
- Decide which races you’re going to run. Run Wild Missoula introduces the Race Series Club in 2012. Run at least seven Run Wild Missoula races in 2012 and receive a hoodie sweatshirt at the end of the year. There’s no need to keep track of the races, as we’ll keep track of which members participate. Check out the Run Wild Missoula Club Races page for more info.
Happy New Year! What do you have planned for 2012?
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Stay in the loop with Missoula’s running community! Check out the Run/Walk It archives for more posts from Eva and other Missoula runners and walkers.
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Eva Dunn-Froebig is the executive director of Run Wild Missoula and has been running since the seventh grade. She moved to Missoula 12 years ago from upstate New York to attend the University of Montana’s Journalism School graduate program. Eva never dreamed that she would have a running-related job and feels lucky to be a participant in Missoula’s vibrant running community.