Baby Ski

Good morning!  Hope that you are having a wonderful Saturday morning.  This week has been a tremendous week for running.  I ran 6.5 miles this morning and now have run 30+ miles for each of the past three weeks.  Back on track.

I always try to write with authenticity in my blog and it's been tough to keep the news I'm about to share private because it's such good news.  But...the news I have to share is not something shared on a whim.  If you are friends with Sarah on Facebook, then you know that she is pregnant and we are going to be parents in December.  I'm so happy to announce that I'm going to be a DAD.  Baby Ski, as we affectionately call the little one, is due on Sarah's birthday, which is fitting.  Both of us knew that at some point we wanted to have a baby and we waited until we could be in the best position possible to become parents.  Both of us are driven in our careers and we needed to be able to reach a certain point before diving into parenthood.  We are very fortunate and I am elated.

I cannot tell you how excited I am about being a Dad.  It's a new role and I've already started mentally preparing for how my life is going to change.  I often talk about balance and not taking on more than one can handle.  I tell my Res Life staff that I only spend time on four things:  Family, IUPUI Res Life, Running, Following IU.  You see, when I do something I'm all in and go 100%.  When you do that and take on too much, then everything else suffers.  Therefore, I know that somewhere in between running and following sports that I'm going to have to spend a little less time doing both of those things.  And...I'm perfectly fine with that.  I'm going to approach being a father like I would becoming a great runner or great sports fan or great Res Lifer.  I have to go all in.  In the movie Radio the coach resigned and told the fans that he had to "get his priorities straight."  A few years ago I learned a lesson on priorities because I took on too much and did not put my priorities in the right order.  From that point forward I have tried to prioritize my life in terms of Family, Work, Running, Following Sports.  Ultimately, I'd rather be a wonderful husband to Sarah and father to Baby Ski, than a fast runner or crazy fan.  I'd rather be known as Josh the great father and great husband, than Josh the fast runner (although, I'll still be out there running).

When I've shared this news people have said, "oh Myles is in for an adjustment."  Now...I've considered myself a Dad to my dog Myles, and so I see it as expanding my fatherhood a bit.  I think Myles will need to learn to share the spotlight just a bit but he will always be my little boy.  And...I have a feeling my 5:30a morning runs might become 5:30a walks with my man, Mr. Myles. 

Have a wonderful Saturday.  Happy running to you...

Training Camp for This Runner

Good morning!  Hope that you have had a wonderful first half of July.  I ran seven miles this morning, 33 miles this week, and now Myles is comfortably resting next to me as a type my blog post for the week. 

On June 10th I wrote about "Living a Runners Life" and how it had been so easy to become derailed from that life.  It was tough to admit and I recall writing that I just needed to "string a few days together" in order to get my running back on track.  I'm pleased to say that five weeks later I'm back on track.  It started slow with me running about 16 miles total that first week.  Now, I've put weeks together of 21, 28, 32, and 33 miles run.  I am feeling better and I've already run more miles in July than I ran in all of June.  I'm very, very pleased and hope to keep stringing days together because days become weeks and weeks become months.

I'm reading a great book by Jon Gordon titled "Training Camp."  Gordon is the same author that wrote "The Energy Bus" and that book is one that I used last spring to make a few key leadership points with our staff team in Housing & Residence Life at IUPUI.  I have to say that Training Camp is quite good and I'm looking forward to using it with our Res Life staff when they return from summer fun later this month.  So far my favorite part of the book is a point the author makes about continuous improvement.  The setting for the book is in a NFL training camp and there is an undrafted player trying to make the team.  His coach makes the point to him that the difference between average/good players and great players is that the great players NEVER stop trying to improve.  The idea of "continuous improvement" is one that resonates strongly with me.  One, in  running I'm always trying to get better and better is something that is limitless.  I still believe that my fastest running days are in front of me and that if I continue to try and improve that I'll get there.  Two, at work I really believe in trying to improve and expand my knowledge and talents so that I do not become obsolete.  It's easy for Res Life Staff with multiple years of experience to just sort of rest on what they know and put less effort into building training sessions, attending training sessions, and doing the job.  I find that the best staff are the ones that never stop looking for that edge, never stop trying to implement the next best thing, and always put a unique spin on what they are doing.  Continuous improvement leads to different.  Different is interesting. Interesting keeps people engaged.  Engaged people do good work.  So...get out there and do what you can to continually improve.

I hope that you have a great week.  Enjoy my latest Myles photo.  He's a treasure and he makes my day...everyday.  Happy running to you.


I continually try to improve my parenting skills so I can be the BEST Dad for Myles

Good morning!  Hope that you are doing well and having a great weekend.  We've had a very hot week with temperatures topping 100+ four days in a row.  Surprisingly, running has gone well and I ran 32 miles this week.  I'm really starting to feel like my old running self as I close week four of my recommitment to running.
This week I've really been able to once again the beauty in running.  I live just one mile from a soft gravel trail that follows a canal that runs through Broadripple to downtown Indianapolis.  What I love about the trail is that it's embedded in the middle of trees, which shade you from the sun and make you feel like you're in the middle of the woods instead of a large metropolitan area.  This week I've seen deer, geese, ducks, turtles, storks, and a few other normal things.  However, what absolutely topped it off was the half naked man I found passed out in his car this morning.  Yes, as I started my run this morning I nearly stumbled as I was shocked at what I saw.  There was a very nice high end BMW parked and I was looking at it as I was running to my normal path.  As I approached I noticed a guy passed out in the front seat.  As I approached, I could not believe that he was not only passed out but wearing ONLY a tank top.  No pants.  No undies.  Just a tank top.  Now, I know better than to interrupt what I assume was a drunk guy passed out and naked.  So...I just kept running.  But...I made up a little tune for you.  When your reading this, sing it to the Goyte song, "Someone that I used to know."  Here goes:

Every now and then I think about when I first saw you
Just a guy, passed in his Bee-e-mer
But...why'd you have to wear no pants?
It was awkward and embarassin'
I thought that I could let it go
But..now your just someone that I don't want to know

(refrain)

You could have just passed right out
Left your clothes on and saved me from typing this song
But I guess it could not be that way
You had to much to drink and could not drive away
I guess that I should be haaaapp-eee
That you did not drive and give my car a ta-aa-aa-pee
Still, I wish you had gone away
Now your just someone that I don't want to know

If you have trouble singing the song, call me and I can sing it for you.  Have a great a week.  Laugh quite a bit.  I'll make sure naked guy in the beemer leaves.  Happy running to you...

Celebrating Running & The 4th!

Good morning and happy Fourth of July!  It's one of my favorite days of the year and I typically celebrate the 4th with some sort of run or race.  This morning was no different as I ran 6.75 miles in very hot, humid, and steamy conditions at 7a. 

Running Cross Country in California, Fall 2007

Today marks my 18th Fourth of July as a runner.  Hard to believe that the first 5K race I ever ran was 18 years ago today.  I'll never forget driving down to Nashville, Tn with my friends, Luke and Seth, and their mom, Pam, on July 3 so we could run this 5K in Nashville on July 4.  Seth, who at the time was the real runner of the group, had picked out this race to run.  Pam agreed to drive Seth.  Luke, an elite tennis player, was not going to run but was there to support his brother, who was prepping for his first year of high school cross country.  Me?  I was confused because I wanted to be a basketball player, the coach had just told me the week before that I was not going to play during my senior year, and I was slated to go out for cross country the next month but had not been training.  I was lost, hurt, and feeling a bit out of sorts.  It was a tough time, athletically speaking.

But...I decided that I might as well give running a try.  I lined up for my first 5K and like many young guys I  thought that just because I could run 6-8 miles fairly easily meant that I was going to be able to win the 5K.  The gun went off and I took off.  I went through the mile in 5:30, which at that point was near the fastest mile I'd ever run.  I was ahead of Seth and I recall running by Luke and he was cheering.  Then...the wheels fell off.  My fitness caught up with me and I began to slow.  Seth passed me.  Other's passed me.  The heat finished me off.  I ran the last two miles at a 7 minute per mile pace.  As I finished, I recall thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to be a great runner by the fall.  It was tough because I really wanted to be a great athlete during my high school career and due to my limitations as a basketball player and spending three years trying to play with limited success, I was beginning to feel like I was a failure.

In life, we have watershed moments, which I would define as moments when we have a chance to really change our future for the better.  While I was not successful at my first 5K, my Cross Country Coach's voice  was in the back of my head saying, "Skillman, you're meant to be a runner.  Stop wasting time on basketball."  And...although my time was not great for my first 5K, it served as a motivator to get serious about running.  From that point forward, I began to train each day, to run what the coach asked, and to give 100% to running.  The Fall of 1994 is one I'll always remember because each week my running improved, I was able to contribute on a very good team that finished fourth in the state, and I learned how to be successful at something.  More than that, though, I learned that in disappointment lies opportunity if you open your eyes and never stop believing in yourself.  For each of the past 18 Fourth of July's, I've run.  Sometimes, I run races and other times I just go for a run down the street, like today.  Every Fourth of July, though, I think about July 4, 1994 when I learned what it was going to take to be a "runner" and how that single day changed the outcome of my high school athletic career and created a life-long "runner."  Looking back, It was truly a watershed moment, one in which I found a life passion instead of continuing down a path not meant for me.

I hope that you have a wonderful Fourth of July.  Enjoy your day and doing what you love to do.  Happy running to you...

Some Momentum

Good morning. Myles and I are writing a short post this morning. Ran 5.25 miles this morning and finished with 21.25 miles for the week. I'm happy with that as its my first week over 20 miles run in a long time. I feel good. Two weeks ago I posted my first blog in quite some time. Two weeks later I feel like I'm starting to live a runners life again. I love our new house and where we live. A personal favorite aspect is that I live a half mile from running trails that span over 30 miles. If I want, I can run on soft gravel trails (much easier on the legs) or run on pavement/roads. My favorite route is the gravel path that runs along a river. It is beautiful and it weaves by the Indiana Museum of Art, Butler, and the International School. Nothing compares to Annadel State Park in Sonoma County, but these trails are awesome. Have a great week! Happy running to you!

Myles Turns Two: A Tribute!

Good Morning! Just sitting outside with Myles enjoying a cup of coffee after a 6.25 mile run. Sarah is sleeping on her last Saturday before residency begins.  Running has been going well and I'm on track to hit 20 miles for the week. I'm excited about that. Today, though, is dedicated to my Myles.

Baby Myles

It's hard to believe that Myles turns two on June 26. We got him in August of 2010 and I had no idea how much he'd change my life. If you are my Facebook friend or follow this blog or Myles on Twitter, then you know how crazy I am about him. And...Myles is crazy about his Mommy and Daddy. Myles has helped make me a better person and therefore I thought I'd share a couple things I've learned from him.

Be Happy: One comment I hear a great deal from others about Myles is that he seems to smile perpetually. You see, he has this overbite and it looks like he's smiling--all the time. It's quite cute and I cannot help but become happier every time I look at him. Myles has a great life, but I'm sure he has bad days. Like...when it rains and he has to go outside to potty, or when it's vet time, or grooming time. Yet, no matter what the occasion, Myles smiles. And that...is a great lesson for all. We cannot change what happens in life, but we can always choose our response. 

Myles Smiles!

Love What You Do: I've said often that I wish everyone could be greeted just once in their life the way that Myles greets me when I come home from work. It's clear, Myles loves being our dog. He absolutely loves it. He follows us around, he sleeps between us at night, he watches TV with us, and he's even sleeping in my lap as I type at this very moment. In life, to really enjoy it, you have to love what you are doing and Myles serves as a great example of that. I try each day to approach my job and running with unparalleled enthusiasm and positivity and it makes a huge difference in my performance and how I impact others. While I've always kind of been that way, Myles is my accountability buddy because I see him give 100% each day to being our beloved boy.


He Loves His Mom and Pop

Patience: A major weakness that I have (just ask Sarah) is patience. I'm awful in traffic and unbearable when frustrated. It's something I struggle with and work on daily. Early on when we first adopted Myles, it became evident that "Myles Time" and "Josh Time" were different. And...often times it meant that "Josh Time" revolved around "Myles Time." At first, it was difficult for me because I'm a go, go, go type of guy. But...I've realized that being a go, go, go type of person negatively impacts my ability to be patient. Myles has taught me a whole new level of patience because in order to raise him to be a well mannered and well potty trained boy, I had to be patient. I'm still working on that, but he helps me daily.


Patience:  Myles refusing to walk when it was time for grooming and I needed to go to work.

There you have it. Be happy. Love what you do. Exercise Patience.

To My Myles (AKA Prince Myles, Bubba, Myles-E-Dise, Myles-E, Myles-Myles):

Thank you for being more like a son than a dog and for the way you love your Mom and Dad.  Happy Birthday! I love you! You are my Myles-E-Dise!

Monday Ramblings

Good evening! Woo! Busy day! Woke up at 5:30a for a 4.75 mile run, worked until 5p, mowed the yard, cleaned the house. Busy, busy day. Here's a short, quick, brief post (more like rambling). Running has been going well. I ran four days last week and ran this morning. Mentally, I feel myself recommitting to being a "runner" again. It feels good and provides grounding. I talked in my last post about "living a runner's life" and I am getting back to that point. It's so easy to slide away from it. Not as easy to get going again. Last weekend Sarah and I headed to Owensboro and visited with all kinds of family! It was great to see so many family members and it reminded me of how blessed I am to be a part of four outstanding families (Skillman, Gorrell, Speer, Laupus). As I get older I think I've become more appreciative of my family and how lucky I am. Maybe that happens to everyone as they age. Sarah and I were able to babysit our 6 week old niece, Lucy, and it was awesome! My sister and her husband Randy have a precious baby girl. Heck, I even changed a diaper. Have a great evening. Enjoy your loved ones. Thanks for reading! Go run tomorrow!

Living A Runner's Life

Our New House

Good morning! Went out for a very nice 4.75 mile run today. It's amazing how the body just responds to old habits. Let's be honest. My running this year has been anything but Josh-like. Today, though, it felt good. Felt right. I'll expand on that a bit later.

2012 on the whole has been WONDERFUL! The blessings Sarah, Myles, & I have received have been incredible. While these blessings have made it more difficult to find time to run, I would not trade them for anything. In March Sarah matched with IU Dermatology for residency, we bought a house, and Indiana made a Sweet 16 run. In April, I received increased job responsibilities at work and my niece, Lucy, was born. In May, Sarah graduated from medical school and we moved to our new place. Therefore, it's been one crazy couple of months.  Looking forward to the rest of 2012 as the best has yet to come.

I'll admit that running has been hard to dedicate myself to this year, especially when we were moving and learning to take care of our new place. Even when I would get up to go run, Myles would throw a fit and wake up Sarah (he had a difficult adjustment to his new environment). I have felt that pang of guilt about not running and not blogging and the more that the guilt grew the harder it was to get out the door.  I became discouraged about not running and even stopped wearing shirts from old races becuase it reminded me of what I was not doing.  And...that's hard because my wardrobe is 30% running shirts, 30% IU shirts, and 40% work stuff.  Today, though, the stars aligned, I woke up ready to run, Myles was calm, and I just went for it. On my run I got to thinking about how mentally it takes focus while running to complete the run successfully. And...when I'm running well on a daily basis, I'm able to string that focus from one day to the next day and so forth.  I'm better at running when I live the time inbetween my runs as a "runner" rather than "a guy that runs from time to time."  I need to be wearing those running shirts, blogging, and planning my weekly runs because the only way to get back on track is to live a runners life.  It's time to start stringing days together so that it once again becomes more difficult to not run than to run. For those of you who run and follow my blog, I hope this helps in the sense that even the most dedicated runners who love it sometimes struggle with motivation or life balance. We are all human and as runners in this together.

Happy running to you. Enjoy the photo of the house (with the IU flag of course). Hope to write again soon.

April 1

Good morning.  I have not even attempted to write a blog in about two months.  I'm not entirely sure why that is, but I know you cannot force writing when you don't feel up to it.  Actually, running has been pretty spotty as well so far in 2012.  I just have not felt that inner drive to get ready to race.  However, that drive is burning today because as I looked at the calendar and saw it was April 1st I just felt like it was time to get going.  So...I ran four miles, completed my strength training and decided to write a short blog.

March was a spectacular month!  Lots of good things happening for Sarah, Myles and I.  Sarah matched dermatology for residency here in Indianapolis.  Matching in derm is such a tough thing to do and I'm so proud of Sarah for being able to do that.  Additionally, there are some cool things going on at my job that I'm excited about.  Finally, Sarah and I are looking at our housing options here in Indy and there could be some big news on that front here very soon.  So...despite not running all that much, my life is very full and blessed. 

Indiana had a great basketball season that only leaves optimism for the future.  Coach Tom Crean finally has Indiana rebuilt to compete with anyone in the country.  In Indiana, we really appreciate the way he is doing it and it's easy to love this team.  While we came up a bit short in the Sweet 16, we did go down swinging to a UK team that has six NBA players on it.  If UK goes on to win the NCAA Title, which seems highly likely, we will be one of two teams that beat them this year.  While that is no reason to hang a banner, it does confirm that Indiana can indeed beat any team.  Great thing about the Indiana approach is that the majority of our players--most likely all five starters--will return.  And...we add a top 5 recruiting class.  It won't be long until the next NCAA Banner is hung in Assembly Hall.

So...I'll try to blog more over the next few months as time allows and as blog worthy events occur.  Until next time, happy running to you...

Twitter Reform!

@JoshSkillman & @MylesTweetz

Good morning!  Hope that you have had a nice weekend.  I just finished up a 6 mile run and now Myles sits in my lap as I type my first blog post in a couple weeks. 

Twitter reform!  Despite my self-denial I knew that the day would come when I'd have to make a decision to more clearly define myself on Twitter.  Each day my personal world and professional world become more and more intertwined and it's becoming difficult to use Twitter the way I had intended, which was to freely express my opinion, sports rants, and political commentary.  I have struggled with this as I've read tweets from the people I follow in sports, the professionals I follow in the Student Affaris Community, and the friends and family that I follow.  Truly, I have three sets of audiences and my tweets are not always appropriate or relevant to all three.  You see, the friends who follow me follow me because they know me and they probably find the stuff I tweet funny.  However, the people from my professional life that follow me, but don't know me, may really not understand my tweets about IU, running, or just plain silliness.  It's tough for me to maintain my authenticity as an individual while at the same time maintaining my reputation as a professional on Twitter without an organized strategy.  So...yesterday I decided to change my Twitter approach. 

Like many others, I have decided to use Twitter in a more intentional manner.  Yesterday, I went through all the people I follow and who follow me and created lists that will better help me read through the information that is relevant and important.  I have a list for sports, friends and family, SA Professionals, news, and IUPUI HRL Staff.  Not only will this help me sort through information, but it also helped me realize that nearly 60% of my audience was from my professional community.  This was all the more reason to make this change.  Additionally, I have decided that my @JoshSkillman account will be used to share encouragement, information that is relevent to student affairs and running, and to share tidbits about myself that may reach my whole audience.  I have a Twitter account for my dog Myles, @MylesTweetz.  Myles (aka Josh with Myles on his lap) will tweet back and forth with my fellow Indiana fans during games and share some more traditionally "Josh" banter.  While I'm never going to want to stop tweeting about Indiana Basketball or quit sharing my opinions, I'm sure that some of the folks who follow me have stopped paying attention because they don't want to read about my thoughts on certain referrees or opposing teams.  This doesn't mean I won't tweet "Go Hoosiers" from time to time, but I won't be filling up the twitter feed with nothing but IU basketball stuff or tweets about random stuff. 

This has been an interesting decision that I have wrestled with for some time.  However, the more meetings I attend on campus where Twitter is mentioned and the more I hear about Twitter at conferences I attend, it has become apparent that people are going to read what I tweet and make a judgement call on it.  Therefore, I must make the change so that I don't cost myself in the long run and damage my professional reputation.  While for a long time I tried to ignore the power of Twitter and have tweeted whatever I wanted, it's become crystal clear that I must change up that strategy. 

I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog post.  Have a great day and happy running to you!

The Guy Who Wears Running Shoes to Work

Good morning and happy weekend to you. I just finished up a nice six mile run on a very wintery day in Indianapolis. My post today is inspired by the spirited Twitter discussion on #sachat (Student Affairs Chat) about the role that your dress plays at work in Student Affairs. Here goes.


Admittedly, I’ve never been one to worry much about dress. Recently, though, this changed after I attended a meeting on campus in which an upper level administrator on the vice chancellor level invited a speaker to come and talk with a few of us about beginning a new learning community in Housing. I had an opportunity to say hello to the speaker before the meeting and she said, “oh, you are the guy who wears the running shoes.” Wow.

I was not Josh Skillman, “the guy who was nominated for Supervisor of the Year at IUPUI.”

I was not Josh Skillman, “the guy who received an award from the Black Student Union for my commitment to diversity and multicultural education.”

I was not Josh Skillman, “the guy who was commended at the Chancellor level for providing outstanding leadership during the three day Ice Storm Emergency last February.”

I was Josh Skillman, “the guy who wears running shoes.” Not even Josh Skillman, “the guy who’s a pretty good runner in Indianapolis. Nope, just Josh Skillman, “the guy who wears running shoes to work.”

This was not crushing to me because I am a runner and I made a conscious choice to wear running shoes to work each day despite knowing that the shoes did not match my otherwise professional attire (dress pants, dress shirt, sweater or tie on occasion). However, it was an eye opener. The person at the upper administrator level clearly described me to a guest on campus as “the guy who wears running shoes to work.” She did not talk about the content of my character or quality of my work. Rather, it was about the shoes I wore to work. There is a “perfectly logical explanation” as to why I was wearing running shoes, but I did not get the chance to explain why and in all honesty it would not have mattered.

On Thursday there was an intense debate on #sachat about the importance of professional attire. I rarely chime in on the #sachat feed, but even I felt compelled to share my opinion. I stated that “dress will get you in the door” and that “dress is important,” but that “your work is much more important.” And…I still believe that your work, the way you treat people, and coming through for those you are responsible for and to is most important to professional success. However, dress is an important factor as well. While I wish that we all would be evaluated solely by what is written on the pages in our book, it would be a mistake not to consider that your cover is of equal importance. If you don’t have a presentable cover, then some folks won’t care what is written in your book. For me, I was willing to live with some folks thinking it was weird that I wore running shoes to work. After all, I’m a runner and runners are kind of strange. However, what I learned at that meeting last semester was that the person sizing me up did not think of me as a runner, which is what I intended, but rather as a guy who wore running shoes to work. She could not have cared less about why or about my running. Unfair or not, this was the result of my choice.

So…what did I do? I went out and bought some very nice and comfortable black and brown dress shoes and started wearing them to work with my otherwise professional attire. While I personally may never really notice or care about what someone is wearing to work (as long as it’s not torn clothing, shorts, ripped shirts, etc.), there are people—people who can determine how far we can progress professionally—that do care. I could keep wearing running shoes to work and be seen as that “guy who wears running shoes to work.” And…I could draw my line in the sand and say that I’m helping students and my shoes don’t matter. And that would be fine. But…for me, it would mean that some people—key people-- would not take me as seriously and may not consider me for advancement. Ultimately, that would be a dumb move for me. Why work so hard and screw it all up over pride? Yes, I now wear dress shoes to work and I’ll do the same at conferences and other professional events. When I run, I’ll wear running shoes. When I coach runners, I’ll wear running shoes. Heck, when it’s Saturday and time to go to Target or the movies or Whole Foods, I’ll wear running shoes. But…at work, I’ll wear dress shoes because I’d rather be known for my good work than “the guy who wears running shoes to work.”

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend. Happy running to you!

2012 Goals...

M15s:  My Limited Ed. Mizuno Wave Riders

Good Morning!  Happy 2012!  It's going to be a fantastic year and I hope you are ready for it.  My six mile run this morning was awesome and it's hard to believe I ran in shorts, but it's in the 40s so I did.  This is going to be a short post with my goals for 2012.  A cardinal rule of setting goals is that you put them in writing and tell people about them!  In general, when one broadcasts their goals, then they are more likely to commit to reaching them.  Here are mine:

1. Let it go:  Yesterday, I wrote a great deal about this.  Briefly, in order to truly reach my potential in 2012, I have to let go of any negative baggage from 2011.  So...I commit to letting it go!
2. Leave work at work:  I have a bad habit of disrupting my time with Sarah & Myles by checking work email on my iPhone.  Sometimes, this is good and sometimes it's adds needless frustration to a time that is supposed to be spent with Sarah and Myles.  Worse than that, sometimes I bring home residual feelings that just need to be left in my office.  So...I commit to managing my work/life balance by leaving work at work unless it's an emergency.
3. Stay healthy in running:  I've had two very good years of training (averaging over 1800 miles run the past two years).  A great deal of that health has to do with taking 1-2 days off from running each week and also through core training.  So...I commit to staying healthy.
4. Focus on 5K/10K/10MILE:  I have flirted with the idea of the ultra marathon, but that would severely impact my ability to meet goal #3.  So...I'm going to try and run a sub 16:59 5K, a sub 34:59 10K, and a sub 58:59 10 Mile.  If I train well, there is no reason I cannot reach PR's (personal records) in the 10K and 10 Mile.  So...I commit to these running time goals.
5. Write a book:  This one scares me a bit.  But...more than a few people have suggested I turn this blog into a book.  So...I commit to writing a book this year.  Who knows, maybe it'll get published.

So...there you have my goals for 2012.  We have 366 days this year and I plan to make the most of each one.  Here's to a Happy New Year for you and your loved ones.  Happy running to you!