Time to make some goals

At the beginning of this journey I didn't have any goal other than to get healthier and fitter. I am feeling pretty confident in that goal now and have decided it is time for me to give myself some goals.

First of all I think I need to give myself some credit for what I have already achieved.

In the last 9 weeks I have;

Starting exercising regularly. At least 6 days a week for at least 25 minutes and usually more. I have never done that before. As a result I am much fitter.

I have lost 13 1/2lbs.

I have been out running/walking and cycling and got to the point where I'm not worried what passers by might be thinking.

I have lost several inches.

I can get into clothes that I couldn't even do up before my first pregnancy 9 years ago.

I realised when I got home from swimming last time that I hadn't given a thought to how I looked in my costume.

So my new goals are;

Be able to run for 20 minutes.

Keep dropping the weight. I don't want it to be my main focus but it has to be a big part of what I am trying to achieve.

Swim 1 mile without stopping.

Run a 10k by June 2012.

I am going to build up to the 20 minutes running one using the c25k programme. I have downloaded the podcasts and found that this works really well for me. When I go out with a watch to time myself I find it difficult to push myself. Having something else to tell me when it is time to start/stop running seems easier.

In the early days of this I said I wasn't aiming for a particular weight. Checking the BMI calculators suggests that 9st 10lbs (136lbs) is the upper range of healthy for my height. I am going to make that my goal. But if before I get there I am feeling comfortable then I may adjust that. That gives me 27lbs to lose. I was very nervous of setting a goal before because I was worried about not achieving it. After what I have achieved in the last 9 weeks I know I can do it.

With the swimming I am most of the way there and although I think it's great that I can say I can swim 1300 metres without stopping I want to be able to say I can swim 1 mile. For no reason other than it would be cool to be able to say it.

The 10k run is because of the speed my mouth moved in my bout of sibling rivalry the other week. Telling my teenage brother that I'll do it if he does means the particular run we were talking about is a year away. It gives me a long term goal and I am determined that this time next year I will be fitter, healthier and way more active than I have ever been. Once I can run comfortably for 20 minutes I will start building up to 10k then work on the time.