s.m.a.r.t.

Today I turned 25. I have been wanting to write a blog about creating a goal to improve my running habits, and I think today, being the first day of my next year in life, is a good day to begin anew as I strive to rebuild my body and spirit through running.

First, something I need to say is that I love my birthday. I love my birthday to the point where it could be the best day of my year even if I did nothing special on my birthday. Just the fact that it is a special day for me is pretty much all I need. This year, my husband planned a surprise party, which made the birthday an even bigger and better success.

So I feel that having had such a wonderful day, and having completed my 25th year, it seems most appropriate to start the year with a new outlook and a new motivation.

All that being said, and seeing that this blog is all about running, I have decided to write a "s.m.a.r.t. goal" to keep myself on track.

A s.m.a.r.t. goal, for those of you who are not familiar with the acronym, is a goal that is Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. It is a goal that puts a specific measurement and time stamp on a plan. It is a model that shows a stronger correlation to achieving a goal than the more common, vague strategy that most people subconsciously use. My original goal that inspired this blog was not s.m.a.r.t. It was more of a fuzzy vision of what I thought might make me happy, but it certainly was not s.m.a.r.t.

So now, at the beginning of this next year of my life, I am writing down a s.m.a.r.t. goal for the world to see.

Okay..... I want to run 25 miles per week every week by May 2011.

Now, that goal alone is s.m.a.r.t., but it needs some steps and a plan to make it happen. My next blog will be dedicated to fleshing that out, and making sure that I write steps that take me closer to achieving that goal.

That's all for today. I hope being 25 will continue motivating me to be s.m.a.r.t. ;)