Can you believe it is the first Monday of 2019? I couldn’t think of a better time to share with you my excitement for everything that 2019 has in store. If you have not already read my 2018 Race Recap post, you should check it out! I don’t know about you, but I am ready to look ahead to 2019. I am making a promise to myself to have a more positive outlook on my running and to not look at it as something I HAVE to do but something I GET to do. I want to create healthy habits and stick to them long past January. We all make a lot of promises to ourselves this time of year to get healthier, to run more, to run faster, or to take up that new hobby. To go beyond all the things we say we will do, we have to turn those words into actions. I have devised this list of three action steps I will take in 2019 to help me achieve my goals/wants, and I encourage you to take a few minutes in these coming weeks to do the same. Studies show that writing down our goals helps us remember them and makes it more likely that we will achieve them. It sounds cheesy, but there is power in words.

1. What I want to do better in 2019:

I have wanted to become a more consistent runner for a long time. To help me do that, I promised myself in December that I would run every day at least 1 mile for 30 days, but I managed to keep the streak for only 15. I wouldn’t say I failed because the point of the streak was to gain momentum going into the new year to put in more miles. I also came to the realization that I no longer dread running alone or running in the dark. This is going to help me tremendously in 2019 to run more. Running at least 4-5 times a week is my goal in 2019, along with throwing in a running streak every few months for fun.

2. New things I want to try in 2019:

2019 will be my first full year of blogging, so I am looking forward to what that brings. I can’t wait to share my big running moments with you and all the messiness that goes along with that. I promise to try to keep my content entertaining and consistent. One of my other goals in the new year is to run one race a month, but unlike last year, I want to incorporate more local races where I can meet new people and potential new running partners. I have been lucky to stumble upon some awesome people at a few races this past year, and they happened to be amazing athletes! It was great to be able to meet those people and share in their running experiences and at the same time get inspired to become a better runner myself. To hold myself accountable, I plan to provide a monthly update of which races I decide to sign up for.

3. What I want to add in 2019:

This part is simple. In the new year, I am going to strive to do more of what’s good for me, both mind and body. That means running more, eating more whole foods, and writing more. I also want to get back into some of my hobbies besides running, like jewelry making and reading. I really like when I find new running books, so I’ll be sure to share a list of those along with my reviews in another post later.

I plan to re-visit this list at the end of the year to see how I did, but for now, I have a couple of questions for you! What are some of your running goals for 2019? What are you looking forward to the most in 2019? If you don’t have a WordPress account, you can leave your comments on my Instagram page @TheMondayRunner.

Happy Monday, friends!