New Year, New Me!

Did anyone hear that loud crash last night? It was me, breaking my New Year's Resolution.

From what I gather, I am no different than most people. Every year I make the same resolution and never get past the first week. It's not like it's lofty. I used to resolve to get to bed by 10:00 p.m. Since that didn't work, I lowered my expectations and set my curfew to 11:00. This year, I set a time I was SURE would work. By midnight. That wouldn't be too hard, would it? Midnight?

At 12:30, I finally fell into bed, daunted because I set my clock for the usual 4:45 a.m. to go swimming. But like my husband has been saying for years, "Sleep is overrated." (Any one who knows him, knows he lives by that rule.)

So I realize why my resolve is so quickly dissolved. It isn't a lack of will-power, although I have none of that, either. It is because of routine. Our routines are our best friends. They are comfortable and helpful. It takes years to develop a routine that works for each of us. And because it works, it is hard to stay resolved to change.

Routine gets things done. Routine is what we look forward to after all the holiday partys. Routine is what we hope for after summer vacation. We like routine. So if you have been going out to dinner on Friday night and ordering the Chocolate Molten Cake, chances are, when a tough week comes around, you'll go back to your routine.

And my routine is staying up late and eating ice cream. Every night. I just can't seem to buck the system.

I'll give myself a break because all the world champion triathletes tout routine is the winning secret. I wonder if they eat ice cream?

Today's workout: Swim, swim, swim (3600 meters: 16x25 (on 25 secs) 4x50, 2x100, 1x200, repeat 4 times, 30 secs rest between sets, 12x50 kicks on 1 min. Warm up and cool down, included.
Run 6.5 miles. Another beautiful day. I love the crunch of the snow under my feet on the canal road.