Just in time for the New Year, the powers that be at New Balance unveiled a new ad campaign, featuring badass middle-distance star Jenny Simpson, to thrill and inspire the masses (and sell some apparel and shoes along the way):

Oh, wait. Except this doesn't do any of those things... #adfail

When I saw this ad making the rounds on social media, I wasn't sure whether to laugh, shout, or cry. On the one hand, I was completely puzzled. How on earth would any business person think this message is a good one to sell clothes and shoes? I feel as though I've been punked by New Balance. I'm envisioning ex-collegiate marketing blowhards sitting around the NB New Year's Eve party, getting plastered: "Yeah, man, everyone thinks they're an athlete now...WTH?" Someone is dared to put this up on the website, and so it goes...

Assuming this was a soberly considered decision, however, makes it all the more absurd. It's clearly elitist, condescending, and offensive. Strangely, this ad would have you believe that entering a competition itself (along with the requirement of corporeal form) makes you an athlete. Again, absurd. My husband, an athlete by both New Balance's and any other standard, and I have had this conversation again and again: what defines a "serious" runner? And roughly, we have come to this: a person -- of any ability or pace -- who takes an interest in training for their own personal self-improvement. Not measuring progress against the current world record, or even against your best friend. I think the criteria to be an athlete are even more broad. Or as Sally Bergesen, founder and CEO of Oiselle, recently put more succinctly on Twitter:

One of the parts of this ad I find the most strange is the statement, "Which is unfortunate, because it means actual athletes are left without much of an identity." Who are these "actual athletes" whose sense of identity is so fragile as to be shattered when someone with a New Year's resolution laces up their shoes to go for a run? It strikes me a bit like the straw man argument we heard for so long against same-sex marriage: "If gays are allowed to marry, what value does my [heterosexual] marriage have?" Allow me to put it plainly: neither others' athletic goals and habits, nor sexual preferences, can make you more or less of an athlete, or more or less married.

I've had these thoughts tumbling around in my head intermittently for a few days, and only today have had a chance to write them down. And when I went to get a link for the ad shown above? I found this current version:

Same tagline, photo, and background; brand new copy and message!

The message on the new version is almost completely antithetical to the previous one. "Take performance to the next level... push yourself like never before." "Track your progress." "Supportive running communities." There was quite a negative reaction on Twitter to the initial campaign, so I was pleased to see that in the end New Balance is not quite as tone-deaf as they might seem. In the end, New Balance took a note from its own prescription, showing their once ill-conceived ad campaign to have "performance driven by data".

For the last ten or so years, I have had the ritual of writing on New Year's Day a list of accomplishments from the previous year and goals for the coming one. I do NOT like to call them "resolutions"; they are more like "intentions". I try to commit to the ongoing process of self-betterment, not just the "oh well, I ate potato chips on Jan. 4, so I guess that's done". However, as a quantitatively minded person, I do like the act of measuring sometimes incremental progress throughout the year, be it personal, professional, or physical. This year is no different, except for the fact that I'm sharing a curated version of my #womanup goals publicly.

Run consistently, including one speed session per week

This is basically an extension of my running plan from last year. I incorporated run commuting consistently, maintained a good base, and benefited enormously when speed became part of my regular plan. Now that my work situation is more predictable (office job instead of grad student schedule), speed sessions may need to be shifted to the weekend and run commuting may become my long run... final details TBD.

Strength training two times per week 

In 2015 I was finally convinced of the benefits of speed work; in 2016 I've decided to consistently incorporate strength training into my regular running routine, since: 1) Muscles are sexy. 2) I am not an injury-prone runner (knock on wood), and I'd like to keep it that way. 3) Plus, I hear that strength training makes you fast(er)!

I'm committing to doing (a majority of) the Oiselle Dirty Dozen twice a week, plus daily planks, pushups, and tricep dips. It's so easy to put it off, so I've made a "daily diligence" spreadsheet that will help keep my measurement-loving self accountable.

Save for a down payment on a house

Now that I've graduated, I'm starting a big-girl job as research faculty in the Department of Medicine at UW, doing kidney disease research with the good people at the Kidney Research Institute. Now that my starving student days are over, it's time to start #adulting and save for a down payment on a house. Also, time to hope for the Seattle housing bubble to crash hard (unrelated).

Be vulnerable and Wholehearted

While life is beginning to feel a wee bit more predictable, there are still more than a couple of moving parts in play this year. I've just finished reading "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown (it's wonderful), and this year I want to embrace her message of being real and vulnerable in the face of uncertainty, as a path to more engaged and honest living. I'll be looking for joy and feelings of buoyancy in small ways, and trying to recognize my "sphere of influence" -- and not get stressed out by things that I have no control over.

Blog at least 1-2 times per month

For the moment at least, I am enjoying the practice of writing -- even when it's "just" a blog post -- and would like to stay accountable. I'm a little nervous, though -- what on Earth do people write about so frequently? :) I also struggle with conflicting inclinations toward privacy and openness in the online world, which maybe I'll sort out this year.

Did you make any resolutions this year? What are your goals for 2016?