Back in December, I shared lessons from my 1000-mile year in 2012, and at the time I had not yet set a fitness goal for 2013. Well, by March, I still had not privately or publicly declared a 2013 fitness goal, but I had done a 5K in Key West and a Half-Marathon relay in Sarasota. By the time those two races were over, I knew it was time to declare my goal for 2013. With a chronically bum foot giving me issues, I decided I’d rest the foot from running and walking for a while but do another 1000-mile year, this time on my bicycle.

You can see by my graph on RunKeeper, that my mileage on the bike took off after the March 17th half-marathon…

As of  June 29th, 2013, I hit my 500-mile mid-year goal! Woot!

A new bike has helped. I’m loving my Trek Verve 3. And having biking buddies to go the miles with me is good, too. The best part is finding new trails, new roads, new bike paths to explore. From biking around Asheville, NC and the Point Lookout Trail near Old Fort, NC (4 miles UP the mountain and 4 fabulous, fast miles DOWN) to Greenville, SC’s beautiful Swamp Rabbit Trail to my local streets and roads right here in southwest Florida, it’s been a great year to be riding.

While I still walk, run, and hike, having that biking goal keeps me going and focused on staying active every day. I need a goal to keep at it – whether it’s a race to train for or an arbitrary self-imposed goal like a 1000-mile year. Setting that goal gives me real, tangible steps that make me accountable to myself.

So despite my late declaration and public commitment, I’m working on it!

Here’s to goal-setting for the health of it!

What’s YOUR fitness goal for 2013, and how are YOU doing?