Tracking My Runs

If I'm going to run 1000 km in a 2010, I need a way to keep track of my runs. I came up with the following spreadsheet. Will publish this on my blog. Hopefully this will also keep me accountable.

It will be interesting to see how my stats turn out for December 2009.

My First Run

I did it. I completed my first run today. I've been procrastinating for over a month now. The "mini-commitment" did the trick. It did take a couple of days, I kept giving myself the usual excuses, but the excuses also meant no blogging.
I guess this means, I really want to blog ;).


The run.
It was a humbling experience, I ran 2.3km in 20 minutes giving me an average speed of just under 7km/hr(6.9 to be exact).

I felt.
Great! I was prepared for a painful, tiresome feeling at the end of it. However I came out of the run on a slight high and a bounce in my step.

Here is a quick screenshot:

Why Run?

Why do I want to start running? It might seem counter intuitive, as it makes some of my other goals (like gaining 5 Kgs) harder! Here's why:

1. I have a lot of friends who are into endurance running, and after talking to them I have this urge to experience the sensation of hitting the wall.
2. Running is a safe and effective way to test and grow of my physical and mental endurance.
3. Regular running is an excellent way to stay fit! It will also help me maintain my stamina for other sports like tennis.
4. I want to run a marathon someday. This seems like a nice way to work up to that goal!

Note: I'm known to be a procrastinator. One of the aims of this blog is to break that habit. So here is my first mini-commitment. No more posts till AFTER my first run.

Running 1000 Kilometers

Running 1000 kilometers. Sounds impressive doesn't it!

One of the reasons I picket this goal because it sounds BIG. It's actually a "fun" goal to achieve. Let's break it down for a year.

1000 km/year is about 2.7 km/day. Considering, if I run at an easy pace of 20km/h, I need to run for a grand total of 10 minutes/day to accomplish this goal! THAT is the power of a year. It's a huge denominator. In fact, most people who take up running as an exercise, easily run more than 1000 kilometers a year. I just wanted to do it consciously.
Of course, I'm not going to limit my runs to 10 minutes a day, I have many other goals to achieve. Track my progress on this one under running.

Goals for 2010

1. Read 24 books.
2. Run 1000 kilometers.
3. Double my income. -done
4. Gain 5 Kg's.
5. Complete the GMAT.
6. Start a personal development blog(and write 50 posts).
7. Travel to a new country/continent.
8. Attend dance lessons.

This list is by no means comprehensive. I will continue to add more goals/experiments as I progress through the year.

Look back at 2009

1. Finished one year of marriage: an amazing growth experience! :)
2. Visited three continents/countries.
   
3. Experienced -40 degree winters.
4. Spent my own money on: international travel and 5 star hotels.
5. Attended a 5 day Art Of Living course.
6. Rented a car and drove 600 miles over a weekend.
7. Played over 200 hours of tennis.
8. Gained 10 kg's.
9. Completed Technical Certification by SAP on PI 7.1
10. Smoked a cigar.
11. Tried mini golf.
12. Read many books: Hitchhikers Guide(5 books), Superfreakonomics, Emotional Intelligence.

Looking back at 2009, it was a fun year with a lot of travel, new friends and memorable experiences. However, it also leaves me with a feeling that I just drifted about in time and space enjoying each moment, experiencing it for what it was. Fun but directionless.

Now I look forward to a different year ahead. Hopefully it will still be fun, and I will also end up achieving some "growth" oriented goals by pushing myself "consciously" ;). More on that in the next post.

Intention

I will use this blog to document my experiments with Conscious Growth.

Conscious: intentionally conceived; with awareness;
Growth: an increase in size, number, value, or strength; (in biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically;