Michael & Liz are Bloggable

So tomorrow is the new year and once again I am making a long list of resolutions that I am going to try to accomplish in 2009. It's going to suck but it's going to make me a better person.

I have tried to get Liz to make a few and she has resisted. I secretly think that she has made it her goal to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati on May 3rd, but she hasn't said that... also she's going to read this blog entry so it will no longer be a secret. That's a pretty good rule of thumb when posting to a blog, never post a secret.

So here are my New Year's Resolutions in the order of their importance to me:

1. Sell something(anything) I make out of wood. This is a very general resolution and it should be a very easy one at that. This December, like last December 2007, I have gotten very motivated with making things out of wood in the garage. I've made 2 copies of my present for my Secret Santa (one copy to be sold), I've made a few crosses, and a couple other things that I will post about after the new year. My car has been sitting in the driveway because of it and while I hate having to walk outside to get to my car, I think I am going to keep it there and make woodworking a full time hobby for myself. It can't just be a hobby though, it has to be somewhat profitable to make it worthwhile in my opinion. Wood is pretty expensive so I figure I can make things, keep myself busy, continue learning, and make some money in the meantime to make up for the loss of buying wood. I also am going to be keeping track of the amount of money that I spend on my wood working projects, to see if I can turn a profit. So far I've spent $175, and based on my calculations, I could probably make about $130 to $150 if I sold whatever I have left over (after making the Secret Santa present and the shelf for Liz). That's not too shabby. So I will keep everyone up to date on my progress... My eventual goal is to buy new tools with whatever profit I pull in (if I ever pull a profit).

2. Run 1000 miles (again). This was my resolution from 2007 and I didn't fail miserably, but I certainly didn't achieve it. I did this with John and we really motivated each other well. We got to around 600 miles in July and then by the time I ran the marathon on November 4th of that year, I was at 800. I was far too burnt out to keep going for the 1000, so I quit. This year will be different though. I am running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 3rd, and if I stick to my current training schedule until then, I will have run 484 miles by that point. I am pretty sure I will do another marathon in the Fall as well so the 1000 miles should be well within reach.

Side Note: If I were to leave our house and run a 1000 miles West, I'd make it to the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Also, along the same lines of this goal of running 1000 miles, is losing weight in order to achieve it. I haven't gained a whole lot of weight that I'm trying to lose, but one goal I have always had in the back of my mind is achieving a sub 4 hour marathon. It's right at a 9 minutes per mile pace for the 26 miles, and I've been able to do it for 20 miles before, but never the full 26. I think in order to get there, I need to be about 20 pounds lighter. So along with running, I am doing my best to shed some pounds. I'm not making it a resolution though, I guess just an addendum to the 1000 miles resolution. One way I'm motivating myself is competing against the people on the show of the Biggest Loser (it starts January 6th, watch it, it rocks). If you are wondering "How?!?!" then let me know and I'll share, but it's too lame to post on the blog (at least for now anyway).

3. Do not eat a combo meal anywhere. I've realized that combo meals are the devil. They force you to get a large portion of food when you really don't want that much and then when you get it, you feel guilty not eating it all so you pound it down anyway. This year, no combo meals. I haven't had a burger at a fast food restaurant since last February, but I have given in on chicken so I still have Wendy's and Chick-fil-a every once in a while. Also since in 2008, I didn't have any soda, I don't want to be getting combo meals and then just get back into the routine of getting Coke every time... so hopefully this will prevent me from doing that.

I'm excited because I think these 3 goals are achievable... if there is any progress to post on along the way, I will.