EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — What's your New Year's resolution?
Personally, I'd like to spend more time in silence. When alone in my apartment, there are not many moments when my headphones are not playing music or a podcast. While I really like listening to both of those things, I also think it's healthy to not always feel the need to be consuming content.
I would also like to run six races in 2025. Why six? Well, it's one more than I ran in 2024 (trying to set attainable goals)!
Raising the bar for my future self, I ran the 42nd annual Reeds Lake Resolution Run on New Year's Eve — a four-mile festive trot around Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. For the past several years, the race has been a tradition for my Garmin-watch-wearing family.
"The people. It's all about the people," said race director Laura Caprara. "It's a beloved event."
On Tuesday, the first person to cross the finish line was Evan Bishop. The alumni of East Grand Rapids High School ran the race in 18:45, a 4:41-mile pace.
A runner at the University of Oregon, Bishop knows full well the value of time. He says his New Year's resolution is to be more intentional with his own.
"When to say yes to something versus when to say no," Bishop said. "Being intentional about who I'm spending time with."
Similarly, Salina Bishop, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities West Michigan, says she wants to be more protective of her time, seeking to spend more of it with her family and herself.
"I love New Year's resolutions because I love challenges, and I love to challenge myself," Bishop said.
Ronald McDonald House Charities West Michigan held a raffle at the race, raising money to support its mission, which offers families a place to stay when their children are seriously ill or injured.
As for myself, I ran a 32:22. Considering I have run only four times in the past two months, I'll take it! My family did well, too, with many of them placing in the top five of their age groups.
"Some people will take this race very seriously and some people are going to go out there and have fun," Bishop said. "Being good to each other and being together and forgetting about all the noise that's out there, that's my resolution."
Happy New Year, West Michigan!
