13 Things, 13 Times, in 2013

I will eventually do a retrospective on my year of running in 2012, but first, I had an idea a couple of days ago that I decided to follow through on: come up with a list of 13 things to do 13 times in 2013. I had some ideas, and then posted it on Facebook and got a few more from my friends. Some, such as getting tasered 13 times in a row 13 times, were duly tossed out. Others made the cut.

Before the list, I need to lay a ground rule: I have to document these. Each time I complete a "thing," I will write a blog post (for which I will create a new blog). This may be the most difficult part. Some of these "things" may be completed simultaneously (you will see how that can happen if you read through the list) but if not, that will require 169 additional blog posts. Now, this post just so happens to be my 169th post in this blog. So over the next year, in a new blog, I will have to write as many posts as I have in this blog in the past 5 years. It's a tall order, but I think I can manage it.

Since I am a runner, several items on the list are running-related, so  here are the running related items. Remember, these are each going to be done 13 times this year.

1. Races
2. 14ers
3. Green Mountain Summits
4. Runs I've never tried before.

Additional items are of a constructive nature:

1. Projects (around the house type): might include starting a patio garden, building a set of shelves, etc . . .
2. Essays: reasonably well thought-out, opinion/fact based, edited essays, to be posted on the aforementioned blog
3. Photographs I am proud of: harder than it may seem, since I am rarely happy with my pictures (even those I post on this blog).

Finally there are the personal enrichment tasks:

1. Read 13 constructive, substantive books (rather than sci fi etc . . )
2. Try 13 new beers (should not be difficult)
3. Learn 13 new words.
4. Do 13 good deeds: this might include volunteering, donating to charity, or random karma-building acts.
5. Things that scare me: not necessarily "fear of heights" type fear, but something that makes me nervous.
6. Experience 13 celestial events (sunrises or sunsets, meteor showers, planet viewing, etc . . .)

I will go into more detail on each of these in my as-yet-to-be-created 13 Cubed blog. So without further ado, I am going to go create a new blog!

Fear not, I'll still update this one from time to time.