Mom in the Mtns

Hi everyone!  We’re already almost halfway through January, and one thing I haven’t done yet is set goals for 2017.  And honestly, I’ve kind of been putting this off.  I was interested in what my goals were for 2016, so I went back and read last year’s goal post and it made me incredibly sad.  About a month after writing that post, I re-injured my SI joint and haven’t been able to run since.  It was a really depressing time in my life and I had a lot of trouble coping with the fact that I wasn’t able to do the one thing I loved.  I didn’t feel like I was able to identify as a runner anymore and even stopped blogging for a while because I didn’t know how I could be a blogger if I wasn’t a runner too.  As you can imagine, I didn’t hit any of the goals that I set (except possibly the hiking one, but I didn’t keep track of my hikes or the mileage).  I think I did okay with my one word for 2016, which was confidence, but I think I spent more time in the first half of 2016 feeling sorry for myself than I did feeling confident.

But then I found my other 2016 goal post, which was written in late January.  This post was all about my bucket list items for 2016 – things I felt were impossibly difficult, but wanted to just throw out there in case I was magically able to do it.  And unlike my list of goals for 2016, I actually crossed 4 out of the 5 things off of my bucket list!  I ran/hiked the Lost Lake Run, hiked part of Crow Pass (the entire 23 mile trail is still on my bucket list), learned to ski, and bought a house.  I even got Ridley which is like a bucket list bonus!

I found it inspiring that even though I was injured and met none of my goals, I was still able to do four big things that I thought were impossible to do.  So for 2017, I’ve decided to create a bucket list instead of making my usual goals.  Goals for me have always been numbers based, driven by a PR or an unhealthy mileage number.  But bucket list items are focused on an experience that I want to have or an accomplishment I want to achieve.  For now, I’m starting with the following bucket list for the upcoming year:

• Backpack or hike the entire Crow Pass trail
• Kayak Eklutna Lake
• Do a full Tour Du Anchorage (following bike trails from my house to the downtown area, along the coast, and up through Kincaid Park)
• Ice skate on a frozen lake
• Backpack to Caines Head during low tide
• Participate in a triathlon (either the whole thing or as a relay)
• Hike up to Portage Glacier (either over the frozen lake or on the trail in the summer)

I’m turning 30 at the end of June, and the approach of this very important birthday has made me realize that I’m more interested in experiencing new things than I am in hitting a numbers goal.  However, I am breaking this rule by participating in one numbers based bucket list item – I’m doing the 52 Hike Challenge this year.  The idea is to complete 52 hikes in 52 weeks.  I will be counting anything that is over a mile and not on a paved trail (unless it’s winter – then I’ll count paved trails because they are covered in snow and it’s just amazing that I’m outside at all).  I hope that this challenge pushes me to try new trails and create more space for hiking after work and on the weekends.  I’ll be keeping track on the “52 Hike Challenge” tab on my blog if you want to follow along!

I’m still thinking about what my one word will be for 2017, but I have a few really good ideas.  For now I’m just excited to have a lot of adventures planned for 2017 and can’t wait to get started checking them off my list!

Do you have goals or resolutions for 2017?  What’s on your bucket list?