The morning of January 21 was cold, rainy, and generally gross. The alarm went off way too early, I was way too tired and completely unprepared. Honestly, the only thing that kept me from backing out was the thought of having to write a post admitting to giving up on my FIRST 5k of the year. No way. Not acceptable. Not in 2012.

So I rolled out of bed, pulled my bedhead into a ponytail, tied my running shoes, and headed into downtown Greenville, SC for the Greenville News 5k. I think this was the biggest race I’ve ever run - somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 people braved the dreary weather to pound the pavement, and mom and I were right in the middle of the pack.

As I mentioned, I was completely unprepared for this race. No training at all - which is why my hips were aching all the way home, and why I slept for a solid 10 hours on Saturday night. Mom stuck with me (although she could have left me in her dust!), and I probably walked as much as I ran, but I’m happy with how I did. Obviously, I won’t benefit from this resolution at all if I roll out of bed and stumble through each race without any training or work beforehand. I’ve got my starting time and a plan for February, and it’ s only going to get better from here.

January Time: 41:53
*This was the time on the race clock when we finished. It took us about 30 seconds to actually cross the start line after the race started, so this is probably a little inflated, but I’ll count it. 

February Goal: Under 40

February Race:  Frostbite 5k in Asheville, NC

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2012: The Plan

I’ve got a good feeling about 2012. As I sat in the living room New Year’s Day, watching Homeland (which is SO GOOD) with my husband and our friends, I made out a list of things I want to accomplish this year – and I really believe I’m going to check off each of my resolutions in 2012. And THAT, my friends, is exciting.

Reach my goal weight by June 1
Did you know that I have been a member of Weight Watchers since before my wedding? Which was in 2009? That I had a goal to lose 30 lbs, total, and I somehow wasn’t able to get that done over the course of three whole years?

Well, now you know. I lost 20, gained 10, and now have about 20 more to go before I am truly happy with my body and my health. That’s not a lot. And the only thing stopping me from reaching my goal is me. So I’ve decided – this is the year.

12 in 12
I’m going to run a 5k every month this year. BOOM. And not only am I going to run – I’m going to run progressively faster until I can finish in under 30:00 (by June), and THEN under 27:00 (by December). I’ll post the races here as I register – so feel free to join me for 3.2 miles whenever you see that I’ll be running in your neck of the woods!

No More Debt
We are lucky – we have very little credit card debt, and yet we can’t seem to shake it all the way. So, you guessed it, this is the year. We’re going to be completely free of credit card debt by December 31, 2012. As long as the world hasn’t ended, that is. ‘

Read at least a book a month
Remember my book club? Probably not – since it was around for about a day. Are you disgusted that it took me until December to finish 100 Years of Solitude? I am. I’m mad that I didn’t bother to make time to read – but I had plenty of time to watch Felicity on Netflix and sleep until noon on the weekends and work into the wee small hours of the morning.

I love to read – but if you say you love something and then you don’t make time for it, how true can that love really be? This year, things change. Keep an eye on the blog for at least one new book club book a month. Read along with me if you’d like – I’d love the company! And I’m always open to suggestions.

Build a business
This is the biggie. It has been my dream for years to truly work for myself. And now that I’m halfway there, I’m realizing that I am missing some key elements of a small business. Like…a name. Or business cards. Or a website, or a logo, or did I mention a name? 2012 is the year that I truly become my own boss. This might be the resolution I’m most excited about – but really, I’m excited about all of them.

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I can’t believe September is gone already - don’t I say that every month? September was especially tough, though - saying goodbye to September means the end of the month AND of another of my years. This year, I turned 26…and it feels like a much bigger deal than 25.

My birthday was perfect - roller coasters, cake, post it notes, cupcakes, presents, more cupcakes, pizza with some of our very favorite people, a trivia victory, and a ghost tour through downtown Asheville. I’d say the word for this birthday week would be epic. Check out my Instagram for photos of all the fun.

And now, here we are at October. Crispy, crunchy, red and orange October.

calendar via Christiane Engel

I’ve got plans for October. Goals, even. You could call them goals. I should probably start calling them goals again. If I tell you about them, will you hold me to them?

October Goals:

Lose 5lbs. Yup. I’m throwing down a number. 5. Make it happen.

Write 750 words every day. (Would you believe I have ALREADY fallen short on this one? I’m a disgrace. It’s October 4th. It’s not too late. I’m taking back the reins TODAY.)

Write a short story. Maybe using the awesome Craigslist idea left as a comment on this post.

Paint a picture. On a canvas. And then hang it somewhere in our house.

Run another 5k.

Finish 100 Years of Solitude (I’m ashamed that I even have to add this one to the list).

My last goal for October isn’t as easy to list, but I have a feeling it’s going to be the most important. As the air gets cooler and I find myself wanting to do little more than hibernate and watch Felicity on Netflix, I need to find a way to stay positive and motivate myself to be as hard-working as I was through those productive summer months.

I keep reminding myself of the Maya Angelou (I think) quote: “Nothing will work unless you do.” And because the key is motivation, I’m offering myself a reward. If I can achieve all of my goals for this month, I’m going to order myself business cards - not for my 9-5 (or 6 or 7). Not on behalf of my company.

For myself.  On behalf of me.

Corley May, the goal-oriented, self-motivated writer.

(I’ll work on the title, don’t worry.)

How about you? Are you a goal person? What’s your plan for the month? Leave me a list or a link and I’ll help you if you’ll help me. 

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It’s pumpkin time! It’s pumpkin time!

Pumpkin season is a pretty big deal in our house. I happen to have married a serious pumpkin aficionado, and when autumn rolls around, we try to sneak pumpkin flavor into all the foods we love. So when I saw this recipe on himinthekitchen for sweet and salty pistachio pumpkin bread, I knew I had to make it this weekend.

It’s no secret that my husband does most of the cooking in this house. When I do head into the kitchen to make a mess, chances are it’s because I’m baking. This recipe was a little more complicated than the open-box-add-eggs batters I usually whip up, but I managed it just fine.

This pumpkin bread was a perfect mix of salty and sweet (and I’m sure it’s delicious with the honey butter included in the recipe, but we were too impatient to whip that together). It was nice to be a little more “hands on” in my baking this time, and I’m pretty sure Josh was impressed that I managed to make something so delicious on my own, no box mix necessary.

Click through to get the full recipe from himinthekitchen, and be sure to let me know what you think!

Original Article

June went out with a bang (or more of a crunch, if you want to be technical), and now July is here to show us what it’s got.

Last month left some pretty big shoes to fill. I channeled Marian the Librarian for the month’s first Ukulele Wednesday. Our friend Allison Weiss stopped by on her whirlwind Forever Alone tour. I wrote my first guest post over at Develop Socially. We went to New York! I tried on glasses from Warby Parker. And A TREE FELL ON MY LITTLE BROTHER’S CAR!

All of which leads us to now. July.

I’ve really enjoyed the freedom from strict goals these past couple of months, and I don’t want to get all crazy and regimented again…but I do want to bring back the accountability that my goals were trying to bring to my life.

So for the month of July, I would like to…

- keep and follow a schedule for this blog
- write one “business” post a week to be published elsewhere
- not miss a single week of tracking my WW points
- get a tan
- ride a roller coaster

We’re headed to stay with a couple of our favorites at Lake Norman for the weekend, so I’ll hopefully be getting started on the tan soon! Bring on the summertime.

Do you make a list of goals every month? Leave a link for me in the comments!

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