2016 Vision Board and Goals

This week, I went to the Banff Film Festival World Tour with a couple friends and was introduced to a new friend in the following fashion:

“This is Jess. She is the most specific and aggressive goal setter I know. She does this pictorial version of what she wants to accomplish in a year and it is probably an English major thing.”

“Um…hi?”

In all seriousness, I love putting my goals up where I can see them and I am a thousand times more likely to be able to accomplish them if I do!

Here is what I committed to last year:

First and foremost to BE HAPPY and MAN was I happy in 2015.

A lot of things tried to knock me down, but I probably had the most happy, fulfilling year of my life despite it all. Happiness continues to be a central goal from my life, but I think I learned how to be happy in 2015 – how to say no when I absolutely need to, how to take care of myself and to truly understand what it is that makes me happy.

 Drink 8 cups of water a day.

I didn’t do this perfectly by any stretch of the imagination but I cut back on coffee and increased my water consumption in general and I consider that a win. My clearer skin agrees.

Master mountain biking.

I guess we all have different terms for mastering but I certainly became more comfortable with it. In Equinox Traverse, I was flying down rock filled mountains without fear. I tackled a couple mountain bike races and even podiumed in the one. I trained on the trails solo and took a number of big tumbles but I was able to recover. The biggest set back was Wilderness Traverse when the rocks were wet which scared me and I regressed in my abilities. I will continue to work on this in 2016 because adventure racing is here to stay.

Sleep 7.5 hours at least 5 nights a week.

I knocked this one out of the PARK. If I did anything else other than be happy in 2015, it was learn to get enough sleep. (Possible correlation, no?) I have felt so much better and have gotten to the point where 7.5 hours is a short night for me, often hitting 8 – 8.5. I would like to continue to escalate this during heavier training periods to 9 – 10 hours for proper recovery.

 Connect with one mentor a month.

I am not sure if I nailed the one a month goal, but I certainly established and reached out to mentors in 2015. Professionally, athletically and personally, I am surrounded by incredible people who are focused on my success.

Journal 2 X a week.

Failed on the amount with this one, but personal journalling certainly became a part of my life again which was incredible. I have been keeping a personal journal since 2000 and it is great to look back and see how much I have grown and learned since then.

 Take one rest day a week.

More or less killed this one as well! I integrated more rest days and am proud to say I had ZERO running related injuries in 2015 for the first time in my life.

Strength train 3 X a week.

This was vetoed by my coach as I dropped heavier weight training when I was in my on-season to help minimize unnecessary bulk and load on my legs. I did do a fairly consistent routine of preventative strengthening for my glutes and core.

 Take a course.

This fell through with circumstances beyond my control and did not happen.

Yoga 1 x week.

Again – I did not do this but I certainly took advantage of the hot yoga at my local Goodlife Fitness and went regularly with a friend in the winter months of 2015 until he moved to Thailand on me.

 Give.

I did quite a bit of volunteering this year and added an existing charity to my roster: Ontario Shores. I am helping to raise awareness of adolescent anorexia and have some speeches set up with them for this year.

All in all, I’m thrilled with 2015. I learned and grew so much and I was happy. Believe it or not, I think I can top it this year. I have more intense and specific goals than I have ever had before and although I won’t share everything on the blog, here are some of my highlights.

Increase savings.

I sometimes pare back on this because travelling is so vital to me, but I am focusing on increasing my savings percentage per my financial advisor’s advice.

Practice gratefulness.

Every day, I am going to think of one thing I am grateful for.

 PR in every single race distance.

My current times are not reflective of my abilities and I am looking forward to showing what I am capable of this year. I ended the year with a 5 KM PR of 18:52 and I am looking forward to continue to whittle down those numbers in 2016.

Increase my navigation skills.

This is something I feel is missing for me in adventure racing. I would still consider myself a beginner and I want to be at least intermediate by the end of the year. I have joined my local orienteering club and will be out as much as possible this year working on those skills.

Foam roll and stretch three times a week.

Continuing with my goal of having another year injury-free, I want to keep preventative measures.

 Increase paddling technique.

Again, a big push on adventure racing specific skills this year. This means more time on the row machine at Goodlife Fitness and getting out on the water more. Ideally, I want to go on a canoe trip this summer for a concentrated time of technique work.

Visit my family once a week.

I tend to be a busy lady but I want to make sure I make time for the relationships that matter most in my life.

 Major sugar cut back.

This is more my sports nutritionist than me, but I have been put on a once-a-week sugar allotment outside of what is needed for training and racing. Cool…

Shopping ban.

You read that correctly. My financial advisor told me at a recent party that she was trying this and I love a good challenge. I am not a big spender to begin with but I am committing to not buy anything but what I absolutely need for one year. That includes things like décor, clothes, accessories, unnecessary cosmetics, take out coffee (unless I’m with a friend, of course) and books.

Travel to a new place every month.

Because priorities.

What are your goals for 2016?