Sunday, January 6, 2013

2013 Flight Plan

"Over prepare and then go with the flow."

I read that quote today and I have to say I definitely agree with that sentiment. That is the way I've been living my life the last few years, over prepared (or at least planning to be!) and then going with the flow of the currents of life I find myself in. With that in mind, I thought I would share with you my plans for 2013. The things I want to accomplish in the year of the lucky 13. I don't know if all will be done, but then again, if I knew up front what would happen, that would take a lot of the fun out of life.

My plan has many facets. This year I'm focusing on continuing to build my flying skills and experience  (of course), rebuilding my running base, having fun in my auto racing world, somehow getting more satisfaction out of my job than just the pay check (I think this will be the most challenging), helping my daughter continue to grow into the amazing young woman she is and then there's my dear husband. Not much I can do for him aside from reminding him what he's got going for himself and how lucky he is :)

Flight Plan 

Lets start with the most fun part, the flight plan. My plan is as follows.
  • Earn a high performance endorsement. (checked off my list as of Jan 2)
  • Fly high performance planes for a couple months and get comfortable with that.
  • Earn a complex endorsement 
  • Fly complex planes for a couple months and get comfortable wtih that. Added bonus if the Bonanza at the flight club comes back online and I can start flying that plane! That should get me through the end of April or May.
  • Somewhere in May or June I want to take a week or two off and do my arial tour of the desert southwest. It looks like a flight to San Diego for my dad's retirement party in May and to Colorado for the sibling reunion in July are also in order. 
  • In June or July - depending on CFI schedule, start working on my Commercial Pilot's License with a goal of doing the CPL check ride in November or December
Not a bad plan, eh? Not to mention, I'm going to maintain Instrument Proficiency!

Running Plan

The second most fun and just as important for my mental health, the running plan. After taking running training to the over training limit many years ago and then taking training to the under training limit last year, resulting in injuries and more than a few races I had to not run, I've decided to try to push the pendulum back towards a happy medium. Here's the plan:
  • Get consistent with my running - run at least three times a week with two short runs and one long run.
  • Build up to a base of  20-30 miles per week by end of Feb. 
  • Start ramping up seriously in March. 
  • Run the Big Sur Marathon - one of the most beautiful marathons in the USofA the end of April
To do this I'll have to miss Saturday mornings of a couple race events and get up early on the weekends but that's what I'll have to do. So far I've run twice for 13 miles this year. I'm feeling good and looking forward to more. After Big Sur I'll ramp back down a bit to 20-30 miles a week again and probably just keep things in maintenance mode for the rest of the year. Signing up for some less than marathon distance trail runs and half's or 30Ks for the rest of the year as I switch focus to the CPL and auto racing.

One other item for my running plan. One of my best running friends and I are planning on going on a hike over Forrester Pass this summer. I believe that pass is over 14,000 feet. I've always wanted to hike that high, this will be my chance!

Racing Plan

My focus for racing will be keeping things fun and not letting it become work. I am a volunteer after all, my "pay" for my time racing is spending time with my racing family. That's all the pay I need. :) but it means it can, and sometimes does, take second place to other activities like running or flying. I do plan on doing race control for the 2013 NASA Nationals at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah this year and for the 25 hours of Thunderhill if I am invited to do so. I will be late to a couple race events at the beginning of the year as I do my long runs with my running group building up to Big Sur, but my racing family understands.

Work Plan

Not so fun and the one I am least confident in being able to pull off. Right now I am working for the pay check. That's it. It is not a good place for me to be, especially considering I spent 50 or more hours a week working. I want to get myself into a position at work, preferably for my current employer, where I can look forward to going to work some days instead of it being a necessary evil. My family, especially my husband, suffers for my unhappiness at work. I am hoping even if I do not manage to improve the work situation the running will help with my mood no matter what happens there. We will see.

Family Plan

My daughter gets lonely when my husband is traveling and I don't make it home from work or running activities until 8 or 9 PM. What can I do for that? I think the key thing is to work from home more often. Try to run more mornings and lunches than evenings (morning runs take time away from the husband, but if he's not in town he won't notice). I'll try that. I need to be around for her. I know what it's like to feel lonely. She got a new camera for Christmas. Maybe she will want to go flying with me and use that new camera to take photos. She's a natural photographer. She is such an awesome young lady. I really enjoy spending time with her at this stage in her life.

For my husband, ahhh, that's the hardest part of all for this mother bird to handle. I cannot do for him, I can't make his decisions or change his habits or give him coping skills. Those are all things he has to do on his own. It is SO hard to be unable to control but that's the way it is. I just hope he remembers how close he came to losing the privilege to be part of this little, wonderful, family last year and he doesn't go there again. He's a very smart guy and he loves us, I have hope.

No Battle Plan Survives Contact with the Enemy

Another very true quote. Going into this year, I know, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. These plans are no different. Life, being life, will throw some unexpected weather or problems and I will have to divert and adjust as I go through this year. I don't know how things will end up. Lets return to this page a year for now and see, shall we?

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