I haven't yet decided if I will have a New Year's Resolution for 2010. I feel like they are kinda kitschy and they never really last, mostly because they are momentary goals that probably are not supported by a lot of forethought. Maybe I think this just because I've never really had a resolution that sticks.
I went to Chicago over the Christmas holiday to visit with my family and friends. My parents live in a small subdivision that has a lake which makes for a nice little run (around 2 miles). Over break I went for a run with my sister and she said she was interested in running a marathon as part of her New Year's Resolution. She is really good at keeping these. For instance, last year she gave up caffeine and actually gave it up! I would never want to give up caffeine, and don't think I could, so I must tip my hat to her. Because I think giving up caffeine is harder to do than running a marathon, I have no doubt that she will actually run a marathon this year. In my quest to figure out why anyone would actually want to run that distance, I asked "why?" Her reasoning was that she has talked to a lot of people who have run a marathon and she figured that "if they can do it, so can I." This is as good a reason as I've heard and I find her determination inspirational. I think I find marathoning inspirational because of the stories.
That being said I have outlined a goal for this year. Whether or not it qualifies as "New Year's Resolutions" is merely attendant, although I hope it does count. I have officially registered for Leadville 100. In conjunction, I'm going to help raise some money for a non-profit that I like, the Colorado "I have a Dream Foundation" based in Denver. As everyone knows, the economy has been pretty bad this year, and almost no one has escaped unscathed, including most non-profits. CIHAD is a special place and they do great work. Before I applied to law school, I worked for CIHAD as an AmeriCorp member, where I confronted many challenging situations and learned a lot about urban youth, systemic inequalities, and, generally speaking, the disadvantage of growing up underrepresented and underprivileged. CIHAD is working to fix these inequalities by tutoring and mentoring children in the metro Denver area. They do so by identifying a group of students in 3rd grade and then provides them with support of various kinds to help through high school, which helps them be successful in their academic (and personal) pursuits. You can learn more about their mission from their website, which is tagged above.
As I train for Leadville, I will post updates on my training and the amount that I've raised. Please contact me with any donations you might light to make - of course, you can make them contingent upon how many miles I finish at Leadville or the time it takes me to finish, etc.
I hope the New Year finds you and your friends and family happy and healthy.